If there are periods when you didn’t pay national pension contributions, you can pay later and count them as membership. This is “subsequent payment” (chunap) under Article 92 of the National Pension Act. Members can apply, for less than 10 years, for periods after first paying contributions when they didn’t pay (for example through unemployment or leave), exemption periods, and military service where they joined after completing it. The amount is the monthly contribution for the application month times the number of months, and it can be paid in instalments with interest. This sets out Article 92.
1. Apply for less than 10 years.
2. Amount = the contribution for the application month × months. The 2026 rate is 9.5%.
3. Instalments are allowed with interest, and the months count from the day you pay.
Which periods — Article 92(1)
| Item | Period in the Act | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Periods after first paying when contributions weren’t paid under Article 9 items 1, 4 or 5 | We didn’t set out Article 9 here |
| 1-2 | For workers under 18, periods after first paying not paid under the proviso to Article 8(2) | — |
| 2 | Periods not paid under Article 91(1) (exemption) | See contribution exemption |
| 3 | Military service where you joined after completing it | Excludes civil service, private school or special post office service, military pension service, and service before 1 January 1988 |
Periods refunded as a lump sum don’t count as paid, unless you repaid the refund (Article 92(2)). Repayment is in lump-sum refund; exemptions in contribution exemption.
How much and how — Article 92(3) to (5)
| Paragraph | What the Act says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| (3) Amount | The contribution for the month of the deadline × months | Standard monthly income is set by the application month |
| (3) Proviso | For voluntary members, a cap set by Presidential Decree | Not read this time |
| (4) Instalments | Can be paid in instalments — with interest | Number and rate in the Decree |
| (5) Membership | Counts from the day paid; the basic pension uses the month paid | — |
Roughly how much — our example
The 2026 rate for regional members is 9.5% (Addendum Art. 4). Twelve months at a standard monthly income of 2 million won is 2,000,000 × 9.5% × 12 = 2.28 million won. The income and months are our example; the NPS sets the real amount by the application month.
| Months (example) | 2 million won × 9.5% | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 2,280,000 won | — |
| 36 | 6,840,000 won | — |
| 119 | 22,610,000 won | “Less than 10 years” rules out 120 |
Checklist
- ☐ Is it a gap after you first paid?
- ☐ Joined after military service? That service counts too
- ☐ Under 10 years?
- ☐ Amount = application-month contribution × months; 2026 rate 9.5%
- ☐ Instalments carry interest
Questions that remain
Can a homemaker who never paid use it?
Item 1 covers periods after first paying. If you never paid, it doesn’t apply; see voluntary membership.
Is it the same as the military service credit?
No. The credit (Article 18) adds membership funded by the state; chunap is you paying contributions. Credits are in ways to raise your pension.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — National Pension Act Art. 92; Addendum (Act No. 20903) Art. 4 — source (current text, checked 19 October 2026; checked 19 October 2026). 4 eligible period types, refund repayment, amount, voluntary-member cap, instalments and interest, membership counting; 2026 rate 9.5% from Addendum Art. 4.
- Not read. Articles 9 and 91 items; the Decree’s cap, instalment count and interest rate.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where else to check
- National Pension Service — your eligible months and amount.
Written on 19 October 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
