Money and taxes
Year-end tax, severance, pension refunds, credit, child benefits, remittance. The financial side of living in Korea.
Most read
Start here. The 5 guides our readers open the most in this pillar.
Family
Korean Child Benefits for Foreign Residents: What Is Officially Confirmed
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Money
Severance Pay (퇴직금) in Korea for Foreign Workers
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Money
Korea Income Tax for Foreign Residents: May Filing Window (종합소득세)
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Money
Year-End Tax Settlement (연말정산) for Foreign Residents in Korea
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Money
Korea Pension Refund Guide: Claiming Your NPS Lump Sum When Leaving
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Personal finance, investing, and credit
Open Korean brokerage and tax-advantaged accounts, invest in Korean and overseas markets, and build credit Korean banks will lend against.
Personal finance hub for foreign residents
Master eligibility guide and walkthroughs for brokerage, ISA, IRP, overseas stocks, and credit. Tax-resident status is the gate.
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Money
Personal Finance Accounts in Korea: What Foreign Residents Can Actually Open
A plain-English map of ISA, IRP, pension savings, Korean brokerage accounts, overseas stocks, and overseas account reporting for foreign residents in Korea.
Money
Opening a Korean Brokerage Account as a Foreign Resident (2026)
What changed after Korea abolished the foreign-investor registration certificate, what a brokerage account lets you do, and which official tax rules foreign residents should understand before trading.
Money
Investing in Overseas Stocks from Korea: A Foreign Resident's Guide (2026)
The official Korean tax and reporting rules foreign residents should check before buying overseas stocks through a Korean brokerage or a foreign account.
Money
ISA in Korea: A Foreign Resident's Guide to the Individual Savings Account
How Korea's Individual Savings Account (ISA) works for foreign residents: tax-resident eligibility, the 3-year rule, current caps, tax treatment, early termination, and the pension transfer option.
Money
Korean Retirement Accounts (IRP + 연금저축) for Foreign Residents
How Korea's IRP and pension savings (연금저축) tax-credit rules work for foreign residents: annual limits, the flat-rate trap, IRP investment limits, severance handling, and the overseas-emigration exit path.
Money
Building Korean Credit as a Foreign Resident
How Korea's official credit-score system works, what foreign residents can verify from public sources, and how to avoid overreading private bank approval folklore.
Taxes and deductions
Year-end settlement, foreign-resident tax status, the 19% flat-tax election, and the deductions most people miss.
Taxes hub: year-end settlement, status, and refunds
The 183-day residency rule, the year-end settlement, the 19% flat-tax election, and the deductions most people miss.
BrowseMoney
Year-End Tax Settlement (연말정산) for Foreign Residents in Korea
Korea's year-end tax settlement: the Jan-Feb timeline, 19% flat rate vs progressive brackets, deductions most foreigners miss, and mid-year departure rules.
Money
Korea Income Tax for Foreign Residents: May Filing Window (종합소득세)
Korean income tax (종합소득세) for foreign residents: who must file during the May window, the 19% flat rate option, double-taxation treaties, and what to settle before leaving Korea.
Money
Korea's 5-Year Non-Permanent Resident Tax Exemption: A Guide for Foreigners Earning Foreign Income (2026)
Korea taxes foreign residents on foreign income only when it is remitted to Korea, for up to 5 years. Learn how the count works and what changes after.
Money
19% Flat Tax Rate Election (외국인 단일세율) for Foreign Workers in Korea (2026)
Should you elect the 19% flat tax as a foreign worker in Korea? What it costs you in forfeited deductions, when it saves money, and how to elect it each year.
Money
Freelancer 3.3% Withholding Refund (3.3% 환급) in Korea for Foreign Residents
The 3.3% withheld from Korean freelance pay is a prepayment, not final. Foreign residents file 종합소득세 in May to settle it and may get a refund.
Money
Credit Card and Cash Receipt Deduction (신용카드 소득공제) for Foreign Residents in Korea (2026)
Foreign residents with Korean employment income can deduct part of card and cash-receipt spending at year-end. How the 25% threshold works and how to claim.
Money
Rent Tax Credit (월세 세액공제) for Foreign Residents in Korea (2026)
Foreign residents renting monthly in Korea can claim up to 1.7M won a year via the rent tax credit (월세 세액공제): who qualifies, how to claim, common mistakes.
Money
Housing Subscription Savings Deduction (주택청약저축 소득공제) for Foreign Residents in Korea (2025)
Korea housing subscription savings income deduction for foreign residents: who qualifies (including a household head spouse), the 40% rate, and the annual cap.
Pension, severance, and leaving Korea
What you've paid in, what you're owed on the way out, and how to claim it.
Money
Korea Pension Refund Guide: Claiming Your NPS Lump Sum When Leaving
How to claim your National Pension Service (NPS) lump-sum refund when leaving Korea. Who qualifies via visa, treaty, or reciprocity; how to apply; airport-desk option; and the 5-year claim deadline.
Money
Severance Pay (퇴직금) in Korea for Foreign Workers
Severance pay for foreign workers in Korea: who qualifies, the 30-day formula, DB vs DC vs IRP plans, the 14-day rule, and how to claim unpaid amounts.
Money
EPS Departure Insurance (출국만기보험) for Migrant Workers Leaving Korea
Every E-9 worker in Korea is entitled to a lump-sum Departure Insurance (출국만기보험) payout funded by their employer. Learn who qualifies, how much you get, and the exact steps to claim it before and after you leave.
Money
EPS Return Home Insurance (귀국비용보험) for Migrant Workers in Korea
E-9 and H-2 workers must join return home insurance (귀국비용보험) within 3 months of starting work. Premiums, payout rules, and what to do before you leave.
Money
Leaving Korea: The Complete Departure Checklist for Foreign Residents
A month-by-month timeline for leaving Korea: pension refund, severance, final taxes, bank accounts, lease termination, shipping, ARC cancellation, pets, and the order things must happen in to avoid costly mistakes.
Government benefits and stipends
Cash benefits and subsidies foreign residents qualify for: housing benefit, first-encounter voucher, youth savings, and more.
Benefits hub: cash support foreign residents can claim
Child Allowance, parental leave, housing benefit, the first-encounter voucher, youth savings, and unemployment benefit.
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Money
Housing Benefit (주거급여) for Foreign Residents in Korea: Eligibility and How to Apply
Korea's Housing Benefit is available to a narrow set of foreign residents. Covers the official carve-out, 2026 income limits, rent caps, and how to apply.
Money
First Encounter Voucher (첫만남이용권) in Korea for Foreign Residents (2026)
The First Encounter Voucher is a one-time Korean birth payment via the National Happiness Card. Eligibility, current amount, deadline, and how to apply.
Money
Youth Tomorrow Savings Fund: Closed to New Applicants Since 2024
The Youth Tomorrow Savings Fund (청년내일채움공제) is closed to new applicants. Work24 says new support stopped from 2024, while existing applicants can still request government support.
More guides in this pillar
Recently added guides not yet assigned to a section.
Money
Banking in Korea as a Foreign Resident (2026)
How Korean banking works for foreign residents: account types, choosing a bank, digital certificates, check cards, transfer limits, and which internet-only banks accept foreigners.
Money
Cost of Living in Korea for Foreign Residents (2026)
A practical Korea budget guide for foreign residents: which costs are fixed by official sources, which costs are estimates, and how to model rent, NHIS, transit, language, and everyday spending.
Money
Car Insurance (자동차보험) for Foreign Residents in Korea (2026)
Getting Korean car insurance as a foreign resident: compulsory limits, coverage types, the no-claim grade system, overseas history credit, and claims.
Money
Korean Inheritance and Gift Tax for Foreign Residents: What Your Residency Status Changes (2026)
Korean inheritance and gift tax (상속세·증여세) turns on residency, not nationality: residents owe tax on worldwide assets, non-residents only on Korean ones.
Money
Annual Property Tax and Car Tax in Korea: What Every Owner Pays (2026)
Property tax (재산세) and car tax (자동차세) are billed automatically to whoever owns the asset on June 1. Here is what you owe, when, and how to pay.
Money
Registering as a Sole Proprietor (개인사업자) in Korea: A Guide for Foreign Residents (2026)
How to register as a sole proprietor in Korea: visa eligibility by type, the 20-day Hometax deadline, VAT taxpayer tiers, and what changes on your tax bill.
Money
Unclaimed Money in Korea: 9 Refunds Foreign Residents Often Forget to Claim (2026)
Nine unclaimed refunds foreign residents in Korea are owed: national and local tax, NHIS caps, medical overcharges, card points, dormant deposits, and more.
Money
Buying a Used Car (중고차) in Korea as a Foreign Resident (2026)
How to buy and register a used car in Korea on any ARC visa: the 15-day transfer deadline, acquisition tax, bond costs, and dealer vs private risks.
Money
Sending Money Out of Korea: What Foreign Residents Actually Need to Know (2026)
How much you can remit out of Korea without documentation, the rules that actually apply to foreign residents (Article 4-4), and what to bring to the bank.
Money
Sending Money Home from Korea: Banks, Apps, and the Fees That Eat Your Transfer
How to send money abroad from Korea as a foreign resident: annual limits, the two channels (banks vs. licensed apps), how to compare real costs, and which corridor apps to check first.