Korea’s unemployment benefit (job-seeking benefit) for one day is a rate applied to the “base daily wage”. Article 46(1) of the Employment Insurance Act sets that rate at 60 percent, or 80 percent where the minimum base daily wage is used. But the base daily wage is not just the average wage. Article 45 sets an order in five paragraphs — the average wage before leaving (1); the ordinary wage if the average wage is lower (2, not for day workers); standard pay (3); daily scheduled hours × the minimum wage if the result is lower than that (4); and the cap of ₩113,500 set by Presidential Decree (5, Decree Art. 68). Enter the 3-month wage total and its days, the ordinary wage per day, scheduled hours and the minimum wage on the leaving date, and the calculator works through that order to the base daily wage and the daily benefit.
1. The order — average wage (Art. 45(1)) → the ordinary wage if the average wage is lower (2, not for day workers) → standard pay (3) → the minimum base daily wage if lower (4) → ₩113,500 if higher (5).
2. The rate — base × 60%. With the minimum base it is × 80%, and if 60% falls below the minimum daily benefit, the minimum applies (Art. 46(2)).
3. Our example — working 6 hours a day (30 hours a week plus 6 paid weekly-holiday hours) with an ordinary wage of ₩84,000 a day, but an average wage of ₩75,000 after unpaid absences: the base is the ordinary wage of ₩84,000 and the daily benefit is ₩50,400. On the average wage alone it would be the floor of ₩49,536.
Calculator
Results update as you type. Amounts are in won and fractions of a won are dropped (we did not read a rounding rule, so this is our choice). Leave the ordinary wage at 0 to skip the ordinary-wage floor. By the week the hours are (weekly scheduled hours + paid-holiday hours) ÷ 48 × 8, by the month ÷ 209 × 8, and if they vary, the last 4 weeks’ total ÷ 28 (Rule Art. 91-2(1)). Enter the standard pay amount yourself from the notice — the calculator does not hold that figure. Work out the average wage itself (excluded periods and so on) first in the average wage calculator.
Article 45 — as written
| Para. | What the text says | Points to note (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 45(1) | The daily wage on which job-seeking benefit is calculated (the “base daily wage”) is the average wage calculated under Art. 2(1)6 of the Labor Standards Act at the time of the last separation … Where the person acquired insured status two or more times within 3 months before the last separation date, the base daily wage is the total wages paid in the 3 months before the last separation date (for day workers, the 4 months before it less the final month) divided by the total number of days in those 3 months. | Two or more acquisitions in 3 months: wages from several employers are pooled over the 3 months’ days |
| Art. 45(2) | Where the amount under paragraph (1) is less than the worker’s ordinary wage under the Labor Standards Act, the ordinary wage is the base daily wage — except for a person who was a day worker at the last workplace when leaving. | A floor for people whose average wage fell through unpaid absence or leave |
| Art. 45(3) | Where the base cannot be worked out under paragraphs (1) and (2), or premiums were paid on standard pay, standard pay is the base — unless, even with premiums on standard pay, the amount under paragraphs (1) and (2) is higher. | The actual figure wins if it is higher |
| Art. 45(4) | Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) to (3), where the base so calculated is lower than the claimant’s daily scheduled working hours before leaving multiplied by the hourly minimum wage under the Minimum Wage Act in force on the separation date (the “minimum base daily wage”), the minimum base daily wage is the base. The daily scheduled hours are calculated as set by Ministry of Employment and Labor ordinance. | 8 hours: ₩10,320 × 8 = ₩82,560; 6 hours: ₩61,920 (our arithmetic) |
| Art. 45(5) | Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) to (3), where the base so calculated exceeds the amount set by Presidential Decree, that amount is the base. | Decree Art. 68(1) sets it |
| Decree Art. 68(1) | Where the daily wage on which job-seeking benefit is based exceeds ₩113,500 under Art. 45(5) of the Act, ₩113,500 is that daily wage. (amended … 23 Dec. 2025) | × 60% = a cap of ₩68,100 a day |
| Art. 46(1)(2) | 1. In the cases of Art. 45(1) to (3) and (5), the base daily wage × 60/100; 2. in the case of Art. 45(4), the base daily wage × 80/100 (the “minimum daily job-seeking benefit”). (2) Where the amount under item 1 is lower than the minimum daily job-seeking benefit, the minimum is paid. | 8 hours: ₩82,560 × 80% = ₩66,048 floor |
Enforcement Rule Art. 91-2(1) gives four ways to measure daily scheduled hours: (1) if set by the day, those hours; (2) if set by the week, (weekly scheduled hours + paid-holiday scheduled hours in that period) ÷ 48 hours × 8 hours; (3) if set by the month, (monthly scheduled hours + paid-holiday scheduled hours) ÷ 209 hours × 8 hours; (4) if they vary by week, (scheduled hours over the 4 weeks before leaving + paid-holiday hours) ÷ 28. Forty hours a week with an 8-hour weekly holiday gives 48 ÷ 48 × 8 = 8 hours; 20 hours with 4 gives 24 ÷ 48 × 8 = 4 hours (our arithmetic).
Why there is a separate ordinary-wage box — our reading
For someone on 8 hours a day the minimum daily benefit is ₩66,048, and 60% of the base only beats it once the base is over ₩110,080 (66,048 ÷ 0.6 — our arithmetic). The ₩113,500 cap sits just above that, so for 8-hour workers the ordinary-wage floor in paragraph (2) changes the result only in a very narrow band. The shorter the scheduled hours, the more it matters. At 6 hours the minimum daily benefit is ₩49,536, and the base at which 60% beats it drops to ₩82,560. A part-timer whose hourly rate has risen but whose average wage fell through unpaid absences gets a benefit above the floor from the ordinary-wage rule.
The Labor Standards Act defines both wages. Art. 2(1)(6) defines the average wage as the total wages paid to the worker in the three months before the day the reason for calculating it arose, divided by the total number of days in that period, and Art. 2(2) says that if that amount is less than the ordinary wage, the ordinary wage is taken as the average wage. Under Art. 6(1) of the Enforcement Decree the ordinary wage is the hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or piece-rate amount fixed to be paid regularly and uniformly for scheduled or total work; as a daily amount it is the hourly amount × the daily scheduled hours (Art. 6(3)). The ordinary-wage floor in Art. 45(2) of the Employment Insurance Act points the same way as Art. 2(2) of the Labor Standards Act (our reading). In the calculator’s “daily ordinary wage” box, enter the hourly ordinary wage × daily scheduled hours (our explanation).
Six cases — our examples
| Case (our example, minimum wage ₩10,320) | Result | Points to note (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| 30 hours a week plus 6 holiday hours, ₩6.9M over 92 days, ordinary wage ₩84,000 a day | Average wage ₩75,000 → base ₩84,000 · daily benefit ₩50,400 | The ordinary-wage floor (2) changes the result |
| Same person, ordinary wage left at 0 | Base ₩75,000 · 60% is ₩45,000 → ₩49,536 | ₩864 a day less — the minimum daily benefit (Art. 46(2)) |
| 40 hours plus 8, ₩12M over 92 days | Average wage ₩130,434 → base ₩113,500 · ₩68,100 | The cap (5) |
| 40 hours plus 8, ₩9M over 92 days | Base ₩97,826 · 60% is ₩58,695 → ₩66,048 | The floor |
| 20 hours plus 4, ₩3.3M over 92 days | Average wage ₩35,869 < minimum base ₩41,280 → × 80% = ₩33,024 | With the minimum base (4) the rate is 80% |
| Day worker, 8 hours a day, average wage ₩75,000, ordinary wage ₩84,000 | No ordinary-wage floor → minimum base ₩82,560 · ₩66,048 | Para. (2) proviso — day workers excluded |
The 92 days are our example (a 3-month span with two 31-day months, such as August to October). With a 90-day span such as January to March, the same wage total gives a slightly higher average wage. If the leaving date falls in 2027, the minimum wage of ₩10,700 makes the 8-hour minimum base ₩85,600 and the minimum daily benefit ₩68,480, above the ₩68,100 cap (if Decree Art. 68 stays as it is — our arithmetic). That case is covered in the unemployment benefit calculator.
From 1 January 2028 — Article 45(1) changes
Act No. 21473 (promulgated 17 March 2026) retitles Article 45 to the base daily pay amount and rewrites paragraph (1) as follows, in force from 1 January 2028.
The daily pay on which job-seeking benefit is calculated (the “base daily wage”) is the sum of the amounts calculated, in the manner set by the Minister of Employment and Labor, from the following amounts over the 1 year before the last separation date … divided by the total number of days in the calculation period set by Presidential Decree.
The items are a worker’s monthly pay reported under the Premium Collection Act, an artist’s total pay, a platform or service worker’s monthly pay, the monthly pay entered on the separation certificate and so on. Article 3 of the same Act’s addenda says that for workers who left before 1 January 2028, benefit is calculated under the former provisions despite the amended Article 45(1). So anyone leaving by 31 December 2027 stays on the average-wage method used here, while those leaving from 2028 have a year’s pay divided by the days of a calculation period set by Decree. We have not read that period or the Minister’s method, so do not use this calculator for a 2028 leaving date. Paragraphs (2), (4) and (5) keep the same wording after the change.
Related calculators
- How many days — 120 to 270 days by insured period and age in the unemployment benefit calculator; adding a previous job’s period in the insured period aggregation calculator.
- The average wage first — periods left out of the 3 months, in the average wage calculator.
- Whether you qualify — justified reasons for quitting in the voluntary quit checker.
- Finding work early — the early re-employment allowance calculator.
Checklist
- ☐ Your leaving date and the wage total and days for the 3 months before it (payslips)
- ☐ Whether your contract sets scheduled hours by the day, week or month, and the paid-holiday hours
- ☐ Your ordinary wage per day (base pay and fixed allowances — ask payroll)
- ☐ Whether you were a day worker at the last job
- ☐ Whether the leaving date is before 1 January 2028
Questions that remain
If my average wage is higher than my ordinary wage, does the ordinary wage matter?
No. Article 45(2) switches to the ordinary wage only where the average wage is lower. If the average wage is higher it stays the base, and only the cap and the minimum base are checked after that.
Why is it 80% when the minimum base applies?
Because Article 46(1) item 2 says “in the case of Article 45(4) … 80/100” separately. That amount is called the minimum daily job-seeking benefit, and it is also paid when the 60% amount is lower (paragraph (2)). So the floor is always that person’s minimum base × 80%.
I changed employers twice within 3 months.
That is the proviso to Article 45(1) — the total wages paid in the 3 months before the last separation date are divided by the total days in those 3 months. Put the wages from all the employers together in the “3-month wage total” box (for day workers, the 4 months before leaving less the final month).
Sources
- Korean Law Information Center — Employment Insurance Act Arts. 45 and 46, Addenda (Act No. 21473) Arts. 1 and 3 — original text (current version, in force 18 September 2026, Act No. 21473; checked 11 November 2026). The page shows both the current Article 45 and the amended Article 45 in force from 1 January 2028.
- Korean Law Information Center — Labor Standards Act Art. 2 and its Enforcement Decree Art. 6 — Act (current version, in force 8 October 2026, Act No. 21533) · Decree (current version, in force 23 October 2025, Presidential Decree No. 35436); checked 11 November 2026. The average-wage definition (Art. 2(1)(6)), the ordinary-wage floor (Art. 2(2)), and the ordinary-wage definition with hourly and daily amounts (Decree Art. 6(1)–(3)).
- Korean Law Information Center — Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act, Art. 68 — original text (current version, in force 18 September 2026, Presidential Decree No. 36588; checked 11 November 2026). Para. (1): ₩113,500.
- Korean Law Information Center — Enforcement Rule of the Employment Insurance Act, Art. 91-2 — original text (current version, in force 18 September 2026, Ministry of Employment and Labor Ordinance No. 479; checked 11 November 2026). Four ways to measure daily scheduled hours.
- Korean Law Information Center — 2026 Minimum Wage Notice — notice page (in force 1 January 2026, Ministry of Employment and Labor Notice No. 2025-47). The notice text is an attachment we did not open this time; the hourly ₩10,320 is the figure our other articles took from the same notice.
- Not read. The standard pay notice under Art. 3 of the Premium Collection Act, the “calculation period set by Presidential Decree” and the Minister’s method in the 2028 Article 45(1), the rounding of fractions of a won, and ministry interpretations.
- What we added. The order in which the calculator applies each paragraph of Article 45, dropping fractions of a won, the weekly-holiday hours in the example, and the “points to note” column.
Where to check further
- Job centre (Work24) — the base daily wage and daily benefit worked out when your eligibility is recognised.
- Your payroll team — the average and ordinary wage and scheduled hours on your separation certificate.
Written on 11 November 2026. The provisions are quoted from the original; the readings and arithmetic are ours.
