In Korea a real estate agent’s fee is charged to each side of the deal separately. Article 20 of the Enforcement Rule of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act sets, for homes, the most that can be taken from one side in Table 1, and says the amount is agreed between client and agent within the rate limit set by the city or province by-law. Officetels meeting two conditions use Table 2 (5/1,000 for sales, 4/1,000 for leases); everything else is within 9/1,000 of the transaction amount. With monthly rent, the rent × 100 is added to the deposit, and if that total is under 50 million won it is counted again with × 70. The calculator below follows those rules.
1. Home sales: 0.4–0.7% ceiling; leases: 0.3–0.6% — the two lowest bands also have caps in won (250,000 and 800,000; 200,000 and 300,000) (Table 1).
2. Officetels of 85㎡ or less with their own kitchen, toilet and bath: 0.5% and 0.4%; otherwise within 0.9% (Art. 20(4)).
3. Monthly rent: deposit + rent × 100, or × 70 if that total is under 50 million won (Art. 20(5)).
Calculator
Updates as you type. Shows the most one side can be charged; the actual fee is agreed at or below it. For homes the city or province by-law sets the rate within Table 1 — Seoul and Gyeonggi were the same as Table 1 when we checked them for the brokerage fee guide. Won below 1 are dropped (our method). VAT and expenses are not included.
Table 1 — ceiling rates for homes (as written)
We opened Table 1 of the Rule, “Ceiling rates for home brokerage fees (re Art. 20(1))” (added 19 Oct 2021), in the annex viewer. The table writes rates as “○/1,000”; the percentages in brackets are our conversion.
Sale or exchange
| Amount | Ceiling rate (in % — our conversion) | Cap in won |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 million | 6/1,000 (0.6%) | 250,000 |
| 50 million to under 200 million | 5/1,000 (0.5%) | 800,000 |
| 200 million to under 900 million | 4/1,000 (0.4%) | — |
| 900 million to under 1.2 billion | 5/1,000 (0.5%) | — |
| 1.2 billion to under 1.5 billion | 6/1,000 (0.6%) | — |
| 1.5 billion or more | 7/1,000 (0.7%) | — |
Lease and similar
| Amount | Ceiling rate (in % — our conversion) | Cap in won |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 million | 5/1,000 (0.5%) | 200,000 |
| 50 million to under 100 million | 4/1,000 (0.4%) | 300,000 |
| 100 million to under 600 million | 3/1,000 (0.3%) | — |
| 600 million to under 1.2 billion | 4/1,000 (0.4%) | — |
| 1.2 billion to under 1.5 billion | 5/1,000 (0.5%) | — |
| 1.5 billion or more | 6/1,000 (0.6%) | — |
For sales, 200 million to under 900 million won is the lowest at 0.4% and 1.5 billion or more the highest at 0.7%. For leases, 100 million to under 600 million is the lowest at 0.3%. Table 1 is the ceiling a by-law cannot exceed; the rate that applies comes from the by-law of the city or province where the agent’s office is (Art. 20(3)). The Seoul and Gyeonggi by-law tables we opened for our brokerage fee guide matched this table.
Officetels and everything else — Art. 20(4) and Table 2
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Officetel (Art. 20(4)1) | An officetel under the Building Act Decree with an exclusive area of 85㎡ or less and its own fitted kitchen, flush toilet and bathing facilities with water and drainage — agreed within Table 2 | Both conditions are needed |
| Table 2 (amended 19 Oct 2021) | Sale or exchange 5/1,000; lease and similar 4/1,000 | 0.5% and 0.4% (our conversion); no cap in won |
| Other (Art. 20(4)2) | Agreed within 9/1,000 of the transaction amount | 0.9% (our conversion) — shops, land, other officetels |
| Mixed buildings (Art. 20(6)) | If home floor space is half or more, para. 1 (homes) applies; under half, para. 4 | Shop-houses split by floor area |
For non-home property the agent must state the ceiling rate they actually intend to charge, within 0.9%, on their fee table, and may not charge more (Art. 20(7)). Put that rate in the calculator’s “Other” box.
How monthly rent is counted — Art. 20(5)
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Item 1 | If a lease has rent besides the deposit, the monthly rent multiplied by 100 is added to the deposit to give the transaction amount | Deposit + rent × 100 |
| Item 1 proviso | If that total is under 50 million won, the monthly rent multiplied by 70 is added to the deposit instead | Small rent deals count lower |
| Item 2 exchange | The value of the larger of the exchanged properties | |
| Item 3 several deals at once | Where two or more deals including a sale are made on the same property between the same parties at the same time, only the sale amount applies | For example selling a home and renting it back (our example) |
Where the caps bite — our sums
We read a cap as meaning the fee stops at the cap when the rate would give more (our reading). The caps start to bite at these amounts:
- Sales under 50 million: 250,000 ÷ 0.6% ≈ 41.67 million won — 41.66 million gives 249,960 won; from 41.67 million it is 250,000.
- Sales of 50 million to under 200 million: 800,000 ÷ 0.5% = 160 million won — above that the fee stays at 800,000.
- Leases under 50 million: 200,000 ÷ 0.5% = 40 million won.
- Leases of 50 million to under 100 million: 300,000 ÷ 0.4% = 75 million won.
At 900 million won the sale rate goes from 0.4% to 0.5%, so the ceiling just below (899.99 million won) of 3,599,960 won becomes 4.5 million won at 900 million — a jump of 900,040 won (our sum).
Eight sums — our examples
| Case (our example) | Sum | Ceiling per side |
|---|---|---|
| Flat sold for 1 billion won | 1 billion × 0.5% | 5 million won (10 million won for both sides) |
| Home sold for 100 million won | 100 million × 0.5% = 500,000 | 500,000 won (within the 800,000 cap) |
| Home sold for 180 million won | 0.5% would be 900,000 | 800,000 won (the cap applies) |
| Jeonse deposit of 300 million won | 300 million × 0.3% | 900,000 won |
| Deposit 10 million won, rent 500,000 won | 10 million + 500,000 × 100 = 60 million → 0.4% | 240,000 won |
| Deposit 5 million won, rent 400,000 won | 5 million + 400,000 × 100 = 45 million → under 50 million, so × 70 = 33 million → 0.5% | 165,000 won |
| Qualifying officetel sold for 200 million won | 200 million × 0.5% | 1 million won |
| Shop sold for 500 million won at an agreed 0.9% | 500 million × 0.9% | 4.5 million won |
All are ceilings for one side. Buyer and seller each pay, so the agent may receive twice this on one deal. The fee you pay when selling is a deductible selling cost for capital gains tax (the “brokerage fee” in Income Tax Decree Art. 163(5)); see the capital gains deductible expenses calculator.
If an agent charges more
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Act Art. 32(1) | An agent receives the prescribed fee from the client, except where the deal becomes void, is cancelled or rescinded through the agent’s intent or negligence | No fee for a deal the agent’s fault broke |
| Art. 32(4) | Home fees are set by city or province by-law within the Ministry rule; non-home fees by the Ministry rule | So only homes depend on local by-laws |
| Art. 33(1)3 | Receiving money above the fee or expenses under any name, such as thanks or a gift, is prohibited | “Tips” included |
| Art. 49(1)10 | Breaching Art. 33(1)1–4 is punishable by up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won |
Checklist
- ☐ Home, qualifying officetel, or other? (shop-houses: half the floor area)
- ☐ Monthly rent: deposit + rent × 100, or × 70 under 50 million
- ☐ The by-law rate where the agent’s office is
- ☐ Is it a capped band (250,000, 800,000, 200,000, 300,000)?
- ☐ Agree the fee and rate in writing before signing
Questions that remain
Do I have to pay the calculator figure?
No. The rule says the fee is agreed within the ceiling. The figure is the line that cannot be crossed.
What if the home and the agent’s office are in different regions?
The by-law of the region where the agent’s office is applies (Art. 20(3)).
What about VAT?
The calculator leaves it out. The VAT articles are in our brokerage fee guide.
Are expenses extra?
Costs of checking title or guaranteeing return of the down payment can be claimed with receipts (Art. 20(2)); the limit is set by by-law.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — Enforcement Rule of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, Art. 20 and Tables 1–2 — source (current text, effective 28 August 2026, Ministry of Land Ordinance No. 1611; checked 3 November 2026). Art. 20(1)–(7): each side separately, Table 1 and by-laws, expenses, office-location by-law, officetel conditions and Table 2, 9/1,000 for others, rent × 100 / × 70, exchanges, half the floor area, posted fee tables. Table 1 (added 19 Oct 2021) and Table 2 (amended 19 Oct 2021) opened in the annex viewer.
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — Licensed Real Estate Agents Act Arts. 32, 33, 49 — source (current text, effective 28 August 2026, Act No. 21409; checked 3 November 2026). Fees and expenses, by-law for homes and Ministry rule for others (Art. 32(4)), no fees above the limit (Art. 33(1)3), penalty (Art. 49(1)10).
- Not read. Each region’s by-law (Seoul and Gyeonggi checked earlier), the VAT Act, Decree Art. 27-2 (when the fee is due).
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- The region’s “home brokerage fee by-law” — in the local laws section of law.go.kr.
- The agent’s posted fee and expense table — the table Art. 20(7) refers to.
Written on 3 November 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
