If 100,000 won a month has started arriving again for a primary-school child whose Child Allowance had stopped, the law changed. An amendment to Korea’s Child Allowance Act promulgated on 20 March 2026 widened eligibility from “under 8” to “under 13”, phased in from under 9 in 2026 and rising a year at a time. The extra payment for children under 2 (commonly called the parental benefit) and the first-meeting voucher sit in the same Act. This follows the Act and its Enforcement Decree as written.
1. In 2026: children under 9, 100,000 won a month. The age rises to under 10 in 2027, under 11 in 2028 and under 12 in 2029 (addendum art. 2(1)).
2. Children born in 2017 are paid every month until 2029 regardless of age. Those cut off at their 8th birthday are paid back to January 2026 and are treated as having re-applied (addendum arts. 2(2), 3 and 5).
3. Under 2 receives more. 1,000,000 won a month under age 1 and 500,000 won from 1 to under 2, on top of the 100,000 won (Act art. 4(5), Decree art. 2(1)).
Who and how much — Act art. 4
Art. 4(1) The Child Allowance is paid at 100,000 won a month to children under 13.
The main text says under 13. Article 2 of the addendum to the same amending Act (Act No. 21489, 20 March 2026) then provides that “from 2026 to 2029” the age is the one set for each year.
| Year | Eligible age | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Under 9 | Addendum art. 2(1) item 1 |
| 2027 | Under 10 | Item 2 |
| 2028 | Under 11 | Item 3 |
| 2029 | Under 12 | Item 4 |
| From 2030 | Under 13 (main text) | Act art. 4(1) |
The addendum gives only the numbers 9, 10 and so on, which take the place of “13” in the main text. “Under 13 from 2030” is our reading of the fact that the special rule ends in 2029.
Children born in 2017 have their own sentence
Addendum art. 2(2) says a child born in 2017 is paid from 2026 to 2029 “every month from January to December of the year, regardless of reaching the age”. A 2017-born child turns 9 during 2026 but is paid through December, and continues the next year.
| Year of birth | Paid in 2026? (our reading) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 or earlier | Not eligible | Aged 9 or over throughout 2026 |
| 2017 | January to December in full | Special rule in addendum art. 2(2) |
| 2018 or later | Yes | Under 9 during 2026 |
The table is our restatement of the addendum by year of birth. From the 2017 cohort onward the age limit rises by a year each time the child does, which reads as designed to run without a break.
Children who had been cut off — back pay and re-application
- Back pay — a child born on or after 1 January 2017 whose 8th birthday had passed when the amendment took effect, and for whom payment has been decided, is paid retroactively from 1 January 2026 (addendum art. 3).
- Deemed re-application — a child whose payments stopped at the 8th birthday is treated as having applied again, on the same terms, on the day the amendment took effect, unless the guardian expressly objects (addendum art. 5).
That reads as payment resuming into the account used before (our reading). If the account or address has changed, check with the community service centre. When the back pay was actually paid out is not in the text and was not checked.
More for children under 2 — Act art. 4(5)
Article 4(5) adds “an amount set by Presidential Decree, of at least 500,000 won a month” for children under 2, and Decree art. 2(1) sets it. This is what people call the parental benefit; the statute does not use that name and treats it as an additional Child Allowance.
| Child’s age | Additional payment (Decree) | Total with the allowance (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | 1,000,000 won a month | 1,100,000 won a month |
| 1 to under 2 | 500,000 won a month | 600,000 won a month |
| 2 and over | — | 100,000 won a month |
The totals add 100,000 won, following the words “additionally paid”; the sum is ours. The additional payment is in cash in principle but may be given as a childcare service voucher or a child-minding service voucher (Act art. 10(4)). How much becomes a voucher for a child in daycare is left to other Decree provisions, which we did not read.
More depending on where you live — Act art. 4(6) and (7)
- Depopulation areas — 10,000 won a month; 20,000 won in areas designated by notice of the Minister of Health and Welfare (Decree art. 2(2) item 1).
- Outside the capital region (excluding depopulation areas) — 5,000 won a month (item 2).
- Paid in local gift certificates in a depopulation area — a further amount equivalent to 10,000 won a month (Act art. 4(7)).
The paragraph 6 addition applies retroactively from 1 January 2026 (addendum art. 4(1)). We did not check which districts are depopulation areas or designated for 20,000 won.
From when to when, and on what day — Act art. 10
- Period — monthly from the month of application to the month before the month of the birthday at the age limit (para. 1).
- 60 days after birth — apply within 60 days counting the day of birth and payment goes back to the month of birth (para. 2). After that it starts from the month of application.
- Payment day — the 25th of each month, or the day before if that is a Saturday or public holiday (Decree art. 9(1)).
- 90 days abroad — where the child stays abroad for 90 days or more, payment is suspended from the month after the ground arises (Act art. 13(1) item 1).
Because it runs to the month before, nothing is paid for the birthday month. Children born in 2018 are 8 in 2026 and the 2017 cohort is paid through December under the special rule, so no one appears to be cut off by a birthday this year (our working).
The first-meeting voucher — Act art. 10-2
The Act allows a first-meeting voucher of “at least 2,000,000 won” for a newborn, and Decree art. 10-3 sets 2,000,000 won for a first child and 3,000,000 won for a second or later child. It is paid at once, within 1 month of the decision, by issuing a voucher on the guardian’s credit or debit card.
Checklist
- ☐ Was the child born on or after 1 January 2017? If so, eligible in 2026
- ☐ If payments had stopped, check the account for back pay from January
- ☐ Did you apply within 60 days of birth (to be paid from the month of birth)?
- ☐ Under 2: is the additional 1,000,000 or 500,000 won arriving as well?
- ☐ Any plan to stay abroad for 90 days or more?
Questions that remain
Is it paid whatever the household income?
Article 4(1) says only “children under 13” and sets no income test. Paragraphs 2 to 4 of the same article have been deleted.
Are the parental benefit and the Child Allowance both paid?
Yes — article 4(5) says the amount is “additionally paid”. Under age 1 that is 1,000,000 plus 100,000, or 1,100,000 won (our sum).
What about children born in 2016?
The phase-in starts at “9” in 2026, and the rule paying regardless of age covers only the 2017 cohort. A child born in 2016 is 9 or over throughout 2026 and is not eligible on the provisions read here.
Children also matter at year-end tax time — see the child tax credit. Pay while off work is in parental leave pay and the maternity leave benefit calculator, and the deadline for registering a birth is in birth and death registration deadlines.
Sources
- Child Allowance Act [in force 10 September 2026] [Act No. 21777, 9 June 2026, amended by another Act] — original text (checked 8 October 2026). Article 4 (under 13; 100,000 won; at least 500,000 won under 2; regional additions), article 6 (application), article 10 (month before; 60 days; vouchers), article 10-2 (first-meeting voucher of at least 2,000,000 won) and article 13 (90 days abroad).
- Addendum to the same Act [Act No. 21489, 20 March 2026] — article 1 (in force on promulgation), article 2 (9 in 2026, 10 in 2027, 11 in 2028, 12 in 2029; the 2017 cohort), article 3 (retroactive to 1 January 2026), article 4 and article 5 (deemed application).
- Enforcement Decree of the Child Allowance Act [in force 10 September 2026] — original text. Article 2 (1,000,000 and 500,000 won; 10,000, 20,000 and 5,000 won), article 9 (the 25th) and article 10-3 (2,000,000 and 3,000,000 won; 1 month).
- Not read. The provisions on how much converts to a voucher, the lists of depopulation and designated areas, the application documents in the Enforcement Rule, and the remaining grounds for suspension and loss.
- Our reading and arithmetic. The year-of-birth table, “under 13 from 2030”, and the 1,100,000 and 600,000 won totals.
Where to check further
- The community service centre for your address — applying and checking payments. The application goes to the head of the city, county or district (Act art. 6).
Written on 8 October 2026. The provisions follow the original text at the Korea Law Information Center; the tables and arithmetic are ours.
