Officetels (studio units in commercial buildings) in Korea carry a higher acquisition tax than many homes, because a different rate applies. The housing rates in Article 11(1)8 of the Local Tax Act cover buildings recorded as housing in the building register or land registry; a unit registered as an officetel falls under item 7(b), “other than farmland: 40/1,000” (our reading). Add the local education tax and the rural special tax, and a purchase costs 4.6% of the tax base. The calculator breaks it down by how the officetel was acquired.
1. On a purchase: acquisition tax 4% + local education tax 0.4% + rural special tax 0.2% = 4.6%.
2. At 300 million won that is 13,800,000 won — 12,000,000 + 1,200,000 + 600,000.
3. Inheritance and new builds 3.16%, gifts 4.0% — because the acquisition tax rate is 2.8% or 3.5%.
Calculator
Updates as you type. Standard rates only: no heavy rates, reliefs, local ordinance rates or the non-profit 2.8% gift rate. Amounts below 1 won are dropped (our method).
The rate article
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Local Tax Act Art. 11(1)1 | Inheritance — (a) farmland 23/1,000; (b) other: 28/1,000 | Officetel inherited: 2.8% |
| Art. 11(1)2 | Other free acquisitions: 35/1,000; 28/1,000 for non-profit operators prescribed by Decree | Gift: 3.5% |
| Art. 11(1)3 | Original acquisition: 28/1,000 | New build: 2.8% |
| Art. 11(1)7 | Acquisition for other causes — (a) farmland 30/1,000; (b) other: 40/1,000 | Purchase: 4% |
| Art. 11(1)8 | Notwithstanding item 7(b), for housing acquired for value [a residential building recorded as housing in the building register, use approval or registry] … | We read a registered officetel as outside this item |
We read the Local Tax Act in force from 1 July 2026 (Act No. 21308). The word “officetel” appears in the Act only in Article 13-3, item 4: an officetel taxed as housing under Article 105 is added to the owner’s count of homes. So there is no separate rate for buying an officetel; if it is not housing, item 7(b) applies. Owning one used as a home can raise your home count when you next buy a house — a separate matter.
The two taxes on top
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Local Tax Act Art. 151(1)1 (local education tax) | The tax base times the rate in Art. 11(1)1–7 … minus 20/1,000 (for item 8, that rate times 50/100), then 20/100 of the result | Purchase: (4% − 2%) × 20% = 0.4% |
| Rural Special Tax Act Art. 5(1)6 | 10/100 of the acquisition tax computed by applying the standard rates of Local Tax Act Arts. 11 and 12 as 2/100 | Any cause: 2% × 10% = 0.2% |
| Rural Special Tax Act Art. 4 (exemptions) | Item 11, acquisition tax on low-income housing and farmhouses prescribed by Decree, among others | We found no item exempting an officetel that is not housing (our reading) |
We read the Rural Special Tax Act in force from 12 May 2026 (Act No. 21611). Homes up to 85㎡ are exempt from the rural special tax; where that rule comes from is in the rural special surtax article. We saw no item that reaches officetels, so the calculator always adds 0.2%.
Four worked cases — our examples
| Case (our example) | Acquisition · education · rural | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase, 300 million won | 12,000,000 · 1,200,000 · 600,000 | 13,800,000 won (4.6%) |
| Inheritance, 200 million won | 5,600,000 · 320,000 · 400,000 | 6,320,000 won (3.16%) |
| Gift, 100 million won | 3,500,000 · 300,000 · 200,000 | 4,000,000 won (4.0%) |
| New build, 500 million won | 14,000,000 · 800,000 · 1,000,000 | 15,800,000 won (3.16%) |
Inheritance and new builds share the 2.8% rate, so both total 3.16%: the education tax shrinks to (2.8% − 2%) × 20% = 0.16%. For a gift it is (3.5% − 2%) × 20% = 0.3%, a total of exactly 4.0% (our arithmetic).
What the tax base is (price paid, recognised market value, standard value) is set by Articles 10-2 to 10-6, which we did not read this time; enter the base yourself. Rates for buying a house, and the heavy rates, are in the acquisition tax calculator.
Checklist
- ☐ Is the register use an officetel (business facility) or housing?
- ☐ Cause: purchase, new build, inheritance, gift
- ☐ What the tax base will be (ask the local tax office)
- ☐ Used as a home, it may count towards your homes next time (Art. 13-3, item 4)
Questions that remain
If I live in it, do the housing rates (1–3%) apply?
Article 11(1)8 treats as housing a building recorded as housing in the register. If the register says officetel, item 7(b) applies whatever the use (our reading). Use matters separately for counting homes (Art. 13-3).
Is buying from the developer a new build (2.8%)?
Original acquisition is acquisition by the person who builds. A buyer from the developer takes it over for value, so the calculator treats it as a purchase (our reading).
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — Local Tax Act Arts. 11, 13-3, 151 — source (current text, effective 1 July 2026, Act No. 21308; checked 29 October 2026). Standard rates by cause, the definition of housing for the housing rates, officetels in the home count, the education tax formula.
- Korean law database — Rural Special Tax Act Arts. 4, 5 — source (effective 12 May 2026, Act No. 21611; checked 29 October 2026). Exemptions; tax base and rates (the Art. 5(1) table, item 6, read from the image description).
- Not read. Tax base rules (Arts. 10-2 to 10-6), heavy rates (Art. 13), special rates (Art. 15), reliefs, ordinance rates, rounding rules.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- Wetax and the local city, county or district tax office — filing and the tax base.
Written on 29 October 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
