If you worked in Korea and were enrolled in the National Pension System (국민연금), you have been contributing 4.75% of your monthly salary every month (as of 2026), matched by your employer at 4.75% for a combined 9.5%. When you leave Korea permanently without reaching the 10-year contribution minimum for a regular pension, you can get your half back as a lump-sum refund (반환일시금). Your employer's matching 4.75% stays with NPS and is not refunded.
Use the pension refund estimator to check if you qualify and estimate the contribution amount before you contact NPS.
Are you eligible for the lump-sum refund?
There are three independent routes to eligibility. You only need to meet one of them.
Route 1, by visa. Workers on E-8, E-9, or H-2 visas qualify regardless of nationality. This covers most foreign workers in manufacturing, agriculture, fishing, construction, and Korean-heritage workers on the working visit visa. If you held one of these visas, you qualify.
Route 2, by bilateral social security agreement. Korea has 24 bilateral agreements that include lump-sum refund provisions for departing workers as of 2026. The list: United States, Germany, Canada, Australia, France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Turkey, Switzerland, Brazil, Peru, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Croatia, Uruguay, Philippines, and Argentina (the Korea-Argentina agreement entered into force February 2025 and grants Argentine nationals a lump-sum refund). If your nationality is on the refund list, you qualify by treaty.
Route 3, by reciprocity. Korea also grants the refund to citizens of around 25 countries where Korean nationals can receive an equivalent benefit. Named countries include Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Ghana. The full list is published on the NPS English page.
Who is not eligible? Long-term residents from countries with no bilateral agreement and no reciprocity arrangement are generally treated the same as Korean nationals for lump-sum refund purposes. In that case, you usually need to meet ordinary Korean pension conditions rather than receiving a departure refund.
Bilateral agreement exemption (different from refund). Some treaties allow temporary workers to avoid double coverage by presenting a Certificate of Coverage (가입증명서) from the competent institution. Treaty terms vary, so check the relevant NPS partner-country page before assuming you should contribute or claim a refund.
Verify your country's current status and treaty terms on the official NPS English page or call NPS 1355 (option for foreigners) before relying on the lists above. Treaty coverage changes; what is in this guide is a 2026 snapshot.
How much will you receive?
Your NPS lump-sum refund (반환일시금) is based on your employee contributions plus NPS-calculated interest. Verify the current contribution rate at www.nps.or.kr.
Refund = total employee contributions + interest
Employee contribution rate: 4.75% of monthly salary in 2026; NPS says the rate steps up each year through 2033.
Example calculation:
| Monthly salary | Months worked | Employee contributions before interest |
|---|---|---|
| ₩2,500,000 | 12 months | ₩1,425,000 |
| ₩3,000,000 | 24 months | ₩3,420,000 |
| ₩4,000,000 | 36 months | ₩6,840,000 |
Interest is calculated by NPS based on the three-year fixed-deposit-rate rule and the relevant contribution months.
The table is contribution-only. NPS adds interest when calculating the final refund.
How to apply for the refund
NPS accepts lump-sum refund (반환일시금) applications through four channels. You have 5 years from your departure date to claim under the standard statute of limitations. After that window, the right to claim based on permanent departure expires, but if you later reach age 60 you regain a 10-year window to claim a refund based on the age-60 trigger (National Pension Act Article 115).
Option 1: Apply online from Korea (before leaving)
If you can authenticate on the NPS portal, online filing may be available. Otherwise, use an NPS office, airport-payment process, agent, mail, or consular route as applicable.
- Visit the NPS lump-sum refund page
- Authenticate using one of the methods currently offered by the NPS portal
- Submit the application form, upload scans of passport / ARC / flight ticket, and designate a bank account for payment
Option 2: At any NPS branch before departure
Visit any NPS branch with your passport, ARC, an international flight ticket within 1 month, and your bank account details. NPS staff process the application on the spot. The closest branches in Seoul are Gangnam (강남) and the main Jongno (종로) office.
Option 3: At the Incheon Airport NPS desk on departure day
Incheon Airport has an NPS Counseling Center at Terminal 1, 1st floor, between Exits 1 and 2. The NPS page says the center visit is 09:00 to 18:00, and the airport-payment process then uses Woori Bank airport booths to receive foreign currency. NPS says airport payment is available only for eligible applicants departing via Incheon within one month of the application date and only for weekday flights in the listed time windows. The service pays in 16 foreign currencies, not Korean won. Call NPS 1355 before relying on this option.
Option 4: From your home country after departure
Mail the completed application form (반환일시금 지급청구서) along with notarized or apostilled copies of your passport, proof of departure, and bank account details to NPS, or hand it to the nearest Korean consulate. For Apostille Convention countries, an apostille on documents is sufficient; for non-Apostille countries, you need Korean consular attestation. Some sending countries (Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan) operate MOUs that let you file through your home-country social insurance office, which can be simpler than mailing to Korea.
Documents you need
An NPS lump-sum refund application requires five items: a passport copy for identity, an ARC copy if you still have it, proof of departure from Korea, the receiving bank account details (Korean or overseas), and the completed application form 반환일시금 지급청구서 from the NPS website. Overseas bank payment needs extra documentation but is supported.
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Passport copy | Identity verification |
| ARC copy (if still have it) | Korean identity verification |
| Departure confirmation | Proof you have left Korea |
| Bank account details | For refund payment |
| Application form (반환일시금 지급청구서) | Available on NPS website |
Timeline
Timing depends on document completeness, application channel, and NPS review. You can file after departure, so the countdown starts once your application and supporting documents are received by NPS.
| Step | Timing |
|---|---|
| You leave Korea | Day 0 |
| Submit refund application | Any time after departure |
| NPS review period | Ask NPS at submission |
| Refund payment | Depends on channel and approval |
Tax on the refund
In Korea: The lump-sum pension refund (반환일시금) is treated as retirement income and is subject to the progressive retirement income tax (퇴직소득세) schedule, withheld before payment. There is no single flat rate: the amount depends on your total refund, your contribution period, and the deductions that apply, so two workers with different contribution histories will see different effective rates. NPS calculates and withholds the tax automatically before issuing your refund. Verify the current calculation directly with NPS (1355) or at www.nps.or.kr/english.
In your home country: Whether you owe additional tax on the refund in your home country depends on your home country's tax rules and any applicable treaty. Check with your home tax authority or a qualified tax adviser.
Useful contacts
The National Pension Service runs foreigner support through its helpline, website, and branch network. For 국민연금 exemption questions under a bilateral agreement, call 1355 first to confirm the Certificate of Coverage process for your country.
- NPS English helpline: 1355 (English available, select option for foreigners)
- NPS English website: www.nps.or.kr/english
Estimate your refund first
Before going through the application process, use the pension refund estimator to confirm eligibility and see roughly how much you will receive. The tool covers all three eligibility routes (visa, treaty, reciprocity) and calculates the gross refund, the Korean withholding tax, and your net payout. The refund is treated as retirement income and taxed under the progressive retirement income tax (퇴직소득세) schedule, so the exact rate depends on your refund amount and contribution period rather than a single flat rate.
The Benefits Checker is the broader view: alongside the pension refund, it surfaces EPS departure insurance, return-home insurance, severance pay, and the year-end tax refund, so departing residents can see every claim in one list.