When the year turns, the same job pays and costs different amounts. Most “what changes in 2027” lists mix three things together: what is settled, what is still a government proposal, and what has not even been announced. We keep them in separate tables. Every figure in the settled tables is one we have already checked against the notice, statute or press release and written up in a guide, and each row links to that guide.
1. Settled. Minimum wage 10,700 won an hour (up 380 won, 3.7%), the health insurance rate frozen at 7.19%, child allowance extended to children under 10, and state support for a young person's first pension premium begins.
2. A floor above the ceiling. The jobseeker benefit floor rises to 68,480 won a day, above the 68,100 won cap — if the cap stays put, almost everyone gets the same daily amount.
3. Ending on 31 December. The marriage tax credit and the SME employee income tax reduction run to 31 December 2026 under the current text.
1. Work and pay — settled
| What | The 2027 figure | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | 10,700 won an hour, 2,236,300 won for 209 hours a month — up 380 won (3.7%) on 2026 (notified 5 August 2026) | 2027 minimum wage checker |
| Jobseeker benefit per day | The floor of 68,480 won passes the 68,100 won cap by 380 won — if the cap is unchanged, effectively everyone gets 68,480 won | Jobseeker benefit calculator |
| Employment retention subsidy, daily cap | 68,480 won (our arithmetic) — changes if the base-wage cap changes | Employment retention subsidy |
| Early reemployment allowance | With the daily benefit effectively one figure, the allowance effectively becomes one figure too | Early reemployment allowance |
| Grade-9 civil servant, step 1, against the minimum wage | The hourly gap widens from 114 won in 2026 to 494 won (before any 2027 pay rise is announced) | Grade-9 starting pay |
2. Premiums and pensions — settled
| What | The 2027 figure | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance rate | Frozen at 7.19%; the property points value stays at 211.5 won (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 8 September) | Net salary calculator · regional health premium |
| National pension income ceiling | 6.59 million won a month until June 2027; a new notice applies from July — the limits change in July, not January | National pension guide |
| A young person's first pension premium | In force from 1 January 2027: once, for those turning 18 after that date, before age 27 | First pension premium support |
| Childbirth pension credit | A second child from 1 January 2027 gives 27 months for two, then 18 months for each child after | Childbirth credit calculator |
| Military service pension credit | For service ending on or after 1 January 2027 the 12-month cap drops out of the Act and the service period is credited (decree not yet amended) | Military service credit checker |
3. Family and money — settled or scheduled
| What | The 2027 figure | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Child allowance | Children under 10 (under 11 in 2028, under 12 in 2029) | Child allowance |
| Co-operative deposit interest (pay over 70 million won) | Separate taxation on new deposits goes from 5% in 2026 to 9% from 2027 | Savings maturity calculator |
| The bank exchange-rate reference | Scheduled — from 1 January 2027, a time-weighted average rate at 4 p.m. | Currency exchange fees |
4. Ending on 31 December 2026 — extension not confirmed
| What | Current text | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage tax credit | 500,000 won once, for a marriage registered by 31 December 2026; the government's tax proposal would abolish it | Marriage tax credit |
| SME employee income tax reduction | For jobs started by 31 December 2026 | SME employee reduction |
| SME retirement pension fund subsidy | Terms set to 31 December 2026; 2027 needs a new notice | Fund subsidy calculator |
5. Still a government proposal — needs the National Assembly
| What | The proposal | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Productive-finance ISA | 20 million won a year, 200 million in total, interest and dividends tax-free, for accounts opened from 1 January 2027 | ISA accounts |
| EV individual consumption tax relief | Cap of 3 million won → 2 million in 2027, 1 million in 2028, ending in 2029 | 2026 tax reform proposal |
| Extra card deduction for books and shows | The pay condition goes, and the extra cap falls by 1 million won | Card deduction calculator |
| Housing loan interest deduction | Only where you live in the home; loans taken before 2027 keep the current rule to 2029 | Housing fund deduction |
6. Not yet announced — we will fill these in
| What | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Jobseeker benefit cap (base-wage cap) | 2027 figure not announced — a rise would undo the “floor above the cap” above |
| Maternity and parental leave benefit caps | 2027 notice not out; the floor rises with the minimum wage |
| Long-term care insurance rate | No 2027 figure in the September press release |
| National pension contribution rate | On a schedule from 9.5% in 2026 to 13% in 2033 — the 2027 figure to be checked against the notice |
| Stress DSR | Current values run to 31 December 2026; the next half-year's values appear as administrative guidance |
Three situations
You work near the minimum wage. Check your first pay of January against 10,700 won an hour. Bonuses and meal money have counted in full since 2024, so the test is on regular monthly pay, not the total.
You plan to leave a job next year. Leave in 2027 and your daily jobseeker benefit is effectively 68,480 won whatever your average wage, if the cap stays where it is. The 12 months start the day after you leave.
You are getting married. The marriage credit needs the marriage registered by 31 December 2026, and we have not confirmed any extension.
Checklist
- ☐ January pay: 10,700 won an hour or more
- ☐ Dates of marriage registration or SME hire (31 December deadline)
- ☐ Children under 10 in 2027 (child allowance)
- ☐ A second child due in 2027: the 27-month childbirth credit
- ☐ Proposal items: check whether the National Assembly passed them
Questions that remain
When do the proposals become law?
Tax amendments change only when the National Assembly passes them. When they do, we move them from table 5 to the settled tables.
How can a floor end up above a ceiling?
The floor is tied to the minimum wage and rises with it; the cap is set by a separate notice. If the minimum wage rises and the cap notice does not, the floor passes the cap. The jobseeker benefit calculator draws it.
Sources
- Our guides linked above — the minimum wage notice (5 August 2026), the health ministry's 8 September announcement, the National Pension Act and Child Allowance Act addenda, the 2026 tax reform proposal and others, each with the date checked. The figures here are copied from those guides.
- Not read. The 2027 notices for the jobseeker benefit cap, leave benefit caps, long-term care rate and pension contribution rate (not yet out).
- What we added. The split into settled, scheduled, proposed and not yet announced, and the three situations.
Where to check further
- The Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Pension Service and National Tax Service — where new notices and press releases appear.
Written on 26 October 2026. We update this page as announcements come out.
