Most day work in Korea does not come with severance pay. A one-day contract does not earn severance (퇴직금) by itself. But if you keep working for the same employer for 1 year or more, averaging at least 15 hours a week, you can be owed severance even if every day was a new contract. Construction day workers have a different scheme, the construction retirement mutual aid system (퇴직공제), instead.
This guide covers the rules for pay, severance, insurance, tax, and visas. Day work is short and can stop without notice. If you want steadier pay with proper insurance, you can browse jobs in Korea on Seoulstart Jobs.
All figures are as of October 2026.
What "daily worker" means in Korean law
Korean law has no single definition of a daily worker (일용근로자). Three laws use three different tests. The same person can be "daily" for tax and "permanent" for insurance.
| Law | A daily worker is someone who... |
|---|---|
| Labor law (severance, safety rules) | Is hired on a 1-day contract that ends when the day's work ends, with no guaranteed continued employment |
| Tax law (Income Tax Act) | Is paid by the day or hour, and has not been employed by the same employer continuously for 1 year or more (construction) or for 3 months or more (other work). Dock and loading work has its own test. |
| Employment insurance law | Is hired for less than 1 month |
The label on your contract does not decide your rights. Insurance is a clear example. If your contract lasts 1 month or more, you are not a daily worker for employment insurance, even if you are paid every day.
Pay and minimum wage
The Minimum Wage Act covers every business that uses workers. Any contract term below the minimum is void and replaced by the minimum wage.
| Year | Hourly | 8-hour day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ₩10,320 | ₩82,560 |
| From January 1, 2027 | ₩10,700 | ₩85,600 |
Other pay rules that apply to you:
- Payment: Wages must be paid in cash, directly to you, in full, at least once a month on a fixed date.
- Final pay: All money owed must be paid within 14 days after you leave. Both sides can agree to extend this.
- Payslip: The employer must give you a written payslip (임금명세서) each time you are paid. It shows the pay items, how they were calculated, and any deductions.
- Late pay: Late wages carry interest of 20% a year.
- Overtime and night work: The extra pay is at least 50% of ordinary wage. Night work means 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Holiday work is paid 50% extra for the first 8 hours and 100% extra after that. These premiums apply at workplaces with 5 or more regular workers. At workplaces with 4 or fewer, the premium article does not apply.
Weekly holiday pay (주휴수당) depends on how you work. The labor ministry says a pure one-day contract does not earn it. But a worker who actually attends all 6 days of a week is usually treated as earning it. If the amount matters, ask your local labor office or call 1350.
Day-work pay is only as good as the next booking. If you want a fixed monthly wage, look at contract jobs on Seoulstart Jobs.
Severance pay (퇴직금) for day workers
Severance pay is the rule most readers ask about. The rule has three parts.
- One-day contracts do not earn severance. The labor ministry says a worker hired for one day, whose contract ends when the day's work ends, cannot receive severance.
- Long continuous work does. A daily worker whose employment relationship in fact continued for 1 year or more can receive severance. The test looks at the contract form together with the real working situation. The "daily" label alone does not decide it.
- The 15-hour test also applies. The Employee Retirement Benefit Security Act does not require severance for workers with under 1 year of continuous service. It also does not require it for workers averaging under 15 scheduled hours a week, measured over 4 weeks.
Repeated daily contracts
The ministry and the Supreme Court add the following points.
- Contracts that are renewed or repeated on the same terms are added together to calculate the length of service.
- A short gap between contracts does not break continuity if the gap is small compared to the whole period and there is a good reason for it, such as a seasonal break.
- A worker labelled "daily" who works without interruption is treated as a regular worker.
- If a worker alternates between weeks over and under 15 hours, only the weeks at 15 hours or more are added up toward the 1 year.
Each case depends on its facts. The ministry says disputes can go to the labor office that covers the workplace.
How much, and how long you have
- Amount: At least 30 days of average wage for each year of service.
- Deadline for payment: The employer must pay within 14 days of your last day. Both sides can agree to a later date.
- Your deadline: The right to severance expires if you do not claim it within 3 years.
- Small workplaces: The Severance Act applies to every workplace that uses workers. There is no minimum number of employees.
For the full formula and examples, read the severance pay guide.
What to do now
- Save proof of every workday: bank deposits, payslips, messages, and photos of the site.
- Ask who your legal employer is. The broker office, a contractor, and the site owner can be different companies.
- Ask for your payslip each time you are paid.
A steady job with a written contract is the simpler way to receive severance. Part-time roles on Seoulstart Jobs are one place to start.
Construction day workers: retirement mutual aid (퇴직공제)
Construction day and temporary workers are covered by the construction retirement mutual aid system (건설근로자 퇴직공제제도). The employer reports your workdays and deposits a fixed amount for each day to the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association (건설근로자공제회). The Association pays you when you leave construction.
Which sites are covered
- Public projects worth ₩100 million or more.
- Private projects worth ₩5 billion or more.
- Apartment projects with 200 or more units, and officetel or mixed-use housing projects with 200 or more units.
- Private-investment projects (민간투자사업) worth ₩100 million or more.
- Other sites only if the employer applies and the Association approves.
Who is not covered
- Workers under 4 hours a day and under 15 hours a week.
- Workers with permanent contracts with no end date.
- Workers hired for a fixed period of 1 year or more.
The daily deposit. The deposit rose from ₩6,500 to ₩8,700 a day. The new amount applies to projects whose tender notice is issued on or after April 1, 2026.
When you are paid. You need 252 or more deposited days. That equals 12 months at 21 days a month. You are paid when you leave construction or reach age 60. If you have fewer than 12 months of deposits, you are paid at age 65. The Association pays within 14 days of your claim.
Check your days. Use the Association website, ask the site office for a "퇴직공제 적립내역서" (deposit record), call 1666-1133, or use the Association smartphone app or m.cwma.or.kr.
Two things to ask about:
- Before you leave Korea, call the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association at 1666-1133 to ask how your payout is made.
- If you also have a severance claim for the same workdays, call 1350 to ask how those days are counted.
The basic safety course
Every construction day worker must complete the construction basic safety and health training (건설업 기초안전보건교육) when hired. It takes 4 hours or more. It covers site types and work steps (1 hour), hazards by accident type (2 hours), and the safety system and worker rights (1 hour). It is given at a registered training institution.
Before 2026, former H-2 holders also needed a construction employment recognition card (건설업 취업인정증). H-2 has been merged into F-4. If you are a former H-2 holder now on F-4, ask the Foreign Workforce Counseling Center at 1577-0071 whether you still need this card.
Construction is not the only option. For work in restaurants or events, see hospitality jobs on Seoulstart Jobs. If Korean is not your strong language, try jobs where Korean is not required.
Insurance for day workers
| Insurance | Does it cover day workers? |
|---|---|
| Industrial accident insurance (산재보험) | Applies to every business that uses workers. The Act sets no hour or day minimum. |
| Employment insurance (고용보험) | Covers daily workers, even under 60 hours a month or 15 hours a week. |
| National Pension (국민연금) | General daily workers count at 8 or more working days or 60 or more hours in a month. Construction day workers count at 8 or more days. Monthly pay at or above an amount set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare also counts. |
| National Health Insurance (국민건강보험) | A daily worker hired for under 1 month cannot be a workplace member. |
A day worked under 8 hours still counts as 1 day for the pension count. Since July 1, 2025, construction days at different sites of the same construction employer are added up.
Most foreigners who work are insured in the National Pension automatically. Exceptions include people whose home country gives Koreans no equivalent pension, people without alien registration, and people who have overstayed. A lump-sum refund when you leave Korea is possible if your home country has a refund arrangement with Korea, or if you worked on an EPS visa (E-9, H-2) or as an industrial trainee. See the pension refund guide.
For employment insurance, your visa matters.
- Automatic: F-5 and F-6, F-2 holders in the subtypes listed in the decree, and D-7, D-8 and D-9.
- On your application: F-4, and work visas such as C-4, E-1 to E-10, and H-2. Cover starts from the application date, not backdated.
- E-9 and H-2 workers: Employment insurance applies. The unemployment benefit part applies only if you apply.
Insurance depends on your employer filing the work. For daily workers, the employer's monthly work-content filing (근로내용확인신고) counts as the filing that registers you. If the employer does not file, you can ask the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (근로복지공단, COMWEL) to confirm your insured status. You can see your insurance record on Work24 under "My page".
Roles with a regular contract usually come with insurance from the first day. Part-time jobs on Seoulstart Jobs are one way to find them.
Unemployment benefit (구직급여) for daily workers
As of October 2026, you can claim unemployment benefit as a daily worker if you meet all three tests.
- Insured days: You have 180 or more insured days in the 18 months before you left.
- Little or no work: The days you worked, from the first day of the previous month to the day you apply, are under one-third of the total days in that period. Construction day workers can instead show no work record for the 14 days before applying.
- Reason for leaving: You did not quit by your own choice without a valid reason.
You must also be able and willing to work, and be looking for a job.
Your last employer must file the work-content confirmation before benefits can start. Details are in the unemployment benefit guide.
Tax on daily wages
Income tax on daily wages is taxed on its own. It is not added to your other income. The payer withholds (원천징수) the tax when you are paid.
The method has four steps:
- Subtract ₩150,000 for each day.
- Apply a 6% rate.
- Reduce the result by 55%.
- The employer withholds the rest. Local income tax (개인지방소득세) is 10% of the income tax, taken at the same time.
If the tax comes to under ₩1,000, nothing is collected.
Example only (not a quote from the law). Suppose you earn ₩200,000 for one day.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pay above the ₩150,000 deduction | ₩50,000 |
| 6% of ₩50,000 | ₩3,000 |
| After the 55% reduction (45% remains) | ₩1,350 |
| Local income tax (10% of ₩1,350) | ₩135 |
| Total withheld | ₩1,485 |
| Pay you receive, before other deductions | ₩198,515 |
These numbers are calculated from the rates above. They are not an official tax calculation. Check your own amount on your payslip. The income tax stays under ₩1,000 until the daily wage passes about ₩187,000, so below that level nothing is withheld. In effect, the tax is about 2.7% of the amount above ₩150,000 a day.
Check also that your pay meets the minimum. ₩82,560 is the 2026 minimum for 8 hours.
The law removes daily-wage income from the deduction-claim step that feeds the year-end tax settlement. To check whether you also need to file a May return, ask the National Tax Service (국세청).
Can I legally do day labor on my visa?
You need a visa status that allows work. Working without one can be punished by up to 3 years in prison or a ₩30 million fine. The same penalty applies to a person who hires you, or who finds you such work as a business. Check your status before you take a job, and ask the immigration office if you are unsure.
| Visa | Day labor |
|---|---|
| F-2 (the subtypes listed in the immigration decree), F-6 | No restriction on the type of job. |
| F-4 (Korean-heritage overseas Koreans) | Simple labor was restricted. Since February 12, 2026, construction simple work, loading and unloading, manual packing, and manual labeling are no longer restricted. Read the F-4 visa guide. |
| H-2 (Visit and Work) | New H-2 visas stopped. Existing holders can switch to F-4 before their stay ends. |
| D-2 (student) | You need part-time work permission (시간제취업 허가) first. Construction is barred. Working without permission can mean up to 3 years or ₩30 million, an order to leave, or deportation. Read the D-2 visa guide. |
| E-9 (non-professional employment) | You can work only at your designated workplace. Free day work through a broker office is not allowed. Read the E-9 visa guide. |
| Other statuses, including F-5 | Not covered here. Call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345. |
If your status limits where you can work, look for roles that fit before you apply. Jobs where Korean is not required are one place to search. Check that each job fits your own visa. Seoulstart does not confirm visa eligibility.
Job broker offices (인력사무소): fees and checks
Many day jobs come through a job broker office (인력사무소). Legally this is a paid job broker (유료직업소개소). If you compare ways to find work, start with Seoulstart Jobs, then add a broker office if you need work for tomorrow.
These rules protect you at a broker office:
- Registration. The office must register with the district office (구청) where its main office is. Ask the district office's jobs department to confirm. Running without registration can be punished by up to 5 years in prison or a ₩50 million fine.
- Fee caps. From the worker, up to 1% of wages. From the employer, up to 30% of wages, or up to 10% for construction day workers. A day-worker membership scheme may charge up to ₩35,000 a month to each side, with no extra fee for members.
- No deductions. The office cannot take advances or room and board from your pay.
- Same-day pay. Day workers are to be settled on the day.
- Minimum wage. Pay must be at least the minimum wage, in full.
- No advance money. The office cannot take advance money from the employer that is meant for you.
The fee figures come from a ministry counseling answer that quotes the 2017 fee notice (고시 2017-22호). Ask the district office to confirm the current amounts.
Unpaid wages: where to report
- Collect proof. Messages, bank deposits, photos of the site, the broker office name, and the dates you worked.
- File a complaint. File a wage complaint (임금체불 진정) on the Ministry of Employment and Labor labor portal. Or go to the customer support desk at your local labor office. The phone line is 1350. You can also file a criminal complaint (고소).
- Wait for the response. The ministry is to handle a complaint within 25 days. It can extend this once.
Other help lines:
| Line | For |
|---|---|
| 1350 | Unpaid wages, severance |
| 1577-0071 | Foreign Workforce Counseling Center, with interpreting |
| 1588-0075 | COMWEL, workplace injury |
| 132 | Legal Aid Corporation (대한법률구조공단), legal consultation by phone |
| 1345 | Immigration Contact Center |
If your employer goes bankrupt, see the unpaid wage guarantee fund guide. For minimum wage rules, see the foreign worker minimum wage guide.
Next steps
- Write down your employer's name, your workdays, and your pay for each day.
- Ask for a payslip. Check pay against the minimum wage.
- If you work in construction, check your deposited days at 1666-1133.
- If you are owed money, call 1350.
- When you want steadier work, search all jobs on Seoulstart Jobs. To see jobs that want speakers of your language, use jobs for your language. To hear about new openings, set a job alert.