Did you pay too much income tax in past years?

Free tool

Pick a year, enter your pay, and tick what your employer missed. You can claim it back for up to 5 years, for free, on Hometax.

Tax year

Total pay that year (won)

Total pay (총급여) on your withholding receipt (근로소득 원천징수영수증).

Dependents already claimed that year (not counting you)

What was missed?

SME youth tax reduction (중소기업 취업자 소득세 감면)You were 15 to 34 when you signed the contract, and the employer is a small or medium business.

Family members you could have claimed but did not

For example a parent aged 60 or over, or a child aged 20 or under, with little or no income.

Monthly rent you paid that year, in total (won)

Only if you did not own a home and your lease address matched your registered address.

How a correction claim works

Your employer can miss items at year-end settlement. The most common are the SME youth tax reduction, family members you support, and the monthly rent credit.

A correction claim (경정청구) asks the tax office to recalculate a past year and return the difference. For wage income settled by your employer, you have 5 years from March 10 of the year after the income year. So you can claim 2021 income until March 10, 2027.

The SME youth reduction cuts income tax by 90% for up to 5 years for workers aged 15 to 34 at the contract date, at a small or medium business. The yearly cap is ₩1.5 million for 2021 and 2022 income and ₩2 million from 2023 income. Foreign workers can get it too.

What this estimate assumes

One employer for the whole year, wage income only.
Normal tax rates. If you chose the 19% flat rate for foreigners that year, the SME reduction does not apply. Ask the tax office about that year.
No other deductions or credits, such as insurance, medical or card spending. If you claimed those, your real refund will differ.
Local income tax is not included.

Sources: Framework Act on National Taxes (correction claims), Restriction of Special Taxation Act Article 30 (SME reduction) and the Income Tax Act, on law.go.kr; National Tax Service guidance on nts.go.kr.

Questions people ask

Can foreign residents get the SME youth tax reduction?

Yes. The law has no nationality condition. You need to have been 15 to 34 when you signed the contract, work at a qualifying small or medium business, and have national pension and health insurance on record (or be outside pension coverage, for example under a social security agreement).

How far back can I claim?

5 years. For wage income settled by your employer, the clock starts on March 10 of the year after the income year. You can claim 2021 income until March 10, 2027.

Do I need a refund agent?

No. You can file a correction claim yourself on Hometax or at the tax office, for free. An agent keeps part of the refund as a fee.