The senior employment subsidy, which paid Korean employers each quarter for raising their number of workers aged 60 and over, rests on Article 28-5 of the Employment Insurance Act Enforcement Decree; Articles 8–11 of the Ministry of Employment and Labor notice on older worker employment stability subsidies (No. 2026-36) set the details. It pays 300,000 won a quarter per added worker for 2 years. But Article 8(2) says that employers applying for the first time must have met the conditions by 31 December 2025. That reads as closing the door to firms that first add older workers in 2026, so the checker below asks whether you are already receiving it before working out the quarter.
1. First-time applicants from 2026 aren’t eligible — a first application needed the conditions met by 31 December 2025 (Art. 8(2)).
2. Added workers (rounded up) × 300,000 won a quarter, capped at 30% of average insured headcount (rounded down), at most 30; 3 if the average is under 10 (Art. 9).
3. 2 years from first meeting the conditions — quarters that miss them still count towards the 2 years (Art. 11).
Checker
Updates as you type. Amount = increase in eligible workers aged 60+ (quarter average minus the reference average, rounded up) × 300,000 won a quarter, within the cap (30% of average insured headcount rounded down, max 30; 3 if under 10). The reference average comes from the notice’s annexed table, which we didn’t read; enter it yourself.
Conditions — Notice Art. 8
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Insured period (1)1 | At least 1 year from the employment insurance start date to the day before the first application quarter | New workplaces wait a year |
| Increase (1)2 | The quarterly monthly average of eligible workers rises above the reference monthly average for the period set in the annexed table | The annexed table sets the baseline — we didn’t read it |
| First-application deadline (2) | A first-time applicant must meet paragraph 1 by 31 December 2025 | Reads as closed to new firms from 2026 (our reading) |
| Employers (Art. 3) | SMEs, mid-sized firms, social enterprises; public bodies, named wage-arrears employers and premium defaulters excluded | Same article as the continued employment subsidy |
Who counts — Art. 10
Eligible workers are people aged 60 and over (Art. 2) who, on the last day of each month, have been insured at the workplace for more than 1 year. The owner’s (or CEO’s) spouse and lineal relatives, foreign nationals other than F-2, F-5 and F-6 holders, and anyone paid below the minimum wage are left out. So a newly hired 60-year-old only counts after a year (our note).
How much and for how long — Arts. 9 and 11
Article 9(1) sets the amount at the number of added workers (rounded up at the first decimal place) times 300,000 won a quarter. Unlike the continued employment subsidy’s monthly rate, this one is per quarter. The cap in Article 9(2) is 30/100 of the average month-end insured headcount (rounded down) and no more than 30, or 3 if the average is under 10. Article 11 pays for 2 years from first meeting the conditions, counting quarters that miss them. One added worker counted for all 2 years (8 quarters) brings 2.4 million won (300,000 × 8, our sum).
Since the first qualifying date must be 31 December 2025 at the latest, the 2 years in Article 11 end by the end of 2027 at the latest (our sum).
Three checks — our example
| Situation (our example) | Quarterly subsidy | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving; 60+ workers 12, 13, 14 at month-ends (average 13); reference 10.4; insured average 40 | Increase 2.6 → 3, cap 12 → 900,000 won | 2.6 rounds up to 3 |
| Receiving; 9, 10, 11 (average 10); reference 4.8; insured average 8 | Increase 5.2 → 6, cap 3 → 900,000 won | Under 10 on average, so the cap is 3 |
| Applying for the first time in 2026, same numbers as the first | 0 won | Art. 8(2) — first-application deadline 31 December 2025 |
The reference averages are made-up examples. The real figure comes from the notice’s annexed table; ask the local labour office. The first firm, getting the same amount for 8 quarters, would receive 7.2 million won (our sum).
Applying — Arts. 12–13
A first application is filed in the window set by the scheme’s public notice; from the second round, Form 2 goes in within 1 year from the day after the quarter ends (Art. 12(2)). On that count the fourth quarter of 2025 can be claimed until 31 December 2026 (our sum). Article 13(3) says employers must not leave out workers who also qualify for another subsidy; duplication is judged on the Article 10 list.
Checklist
- ☐ Conditions first met by 31 December 2025 (otherwise no new claim)
- ☐ Each 60+ worker counted has more than 1 year of insurance at month-end
- ☐ Below-minimum-wage staff, family and non-F-2/5/6 foreign nationals left out
- ☐ The 2-year end date — missed quarters still count
- ☐ Apply within 1 year of the day after the quarter ends
Questions that remain
Is there a new subsidy for 2026?
The notice we read doesn’t name a replacement. The subsidy for keeping workers on past retirement age is in older worker continued employment subsidy calculator.
How does rounding up work?
“Rounded up at the first decimal place” turns both 2.1 and 2.6 into 3. The checker does the same.
Does this relate to jobseeker’s allowance after 65?
This subsidy goes to employers. Benefits for people who leave work after 65 are in unemployment benefit after 65.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr), administrative rules — Notice on older worker employment stability subsidies — source (current text, effective 1 June 2026, Ministry of Employment and Labor Notice No. 2026-36; checked 28 October 2026). Art. 2 older worker (60+), Art. 3 employers, Art. 8 conditions and the 31 December 2025 first-application deadline, Art. 9 300,000 won a quarter, rounding and cap, Art. 10 eligible workers, Art. 11 2 years, Art. 12 filing windows, Art. 13(3) no selective exclusion.
- Korean law database — Employment Insurance Act Enforcement Decree Art. 28-5 — source (current text, effective 18 September 2026, Presidential Decree No. 36588; checked 28 October 2026). Basis for supporting employers that employ workers aged 60+ above a ministry-set level.
- Not read. The annexed table on reference periods, the scheme’s public notice, the forms.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- The local labour office — the reference average and decisions.
- Work24 (고용24) — follow-up claims for firms already receiving it (screens not checked).
Written on 28 October 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
