How an EPS payslip is built
A month is counted as 209 hours for a 40-hour week (40 + 8 weekly holiday hours = 48 h a week × 4.35 weeks). Overtime, night and holiday premiums are added on top; the premiums only apply at workplaces with 5 or more employees.
| Example (₩10,320 an hour) | Gross | Deductions | In your account |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 h, no overtime | ₩2,156,880 | ₩216,890 | ₩1,939,990 |
| +10 h overtime a week | ₩2,830,905 | ₩278,400 | ₩2,552,505 |
| +10 h overtime, 8 h night | ₩3,010,645 | ₩311,200 | ₩2,699,445 |
| +10 h overtime, under-5 workplace | ₩2,606,230 | ₩247,750 | ₩2,358,480 |
Rules worth checking on your contract
- Weekly holiday pay (주휴수당): 15+ scheduled hours a week and you worked all scheduled days → one paid day off a week.
- 52-hour limit: 40 regular + 12 overtime hours a week at most (5+ employee workplaces).
- Housing: the 2017 percentage caps (20%/15%/13%/8% of ordinary wage) were replaced in Nov 2023; the amount must match your contract and local rent, and is split between roommates.
- Insurance only for EPS: your employer pays departure guarantee insurance (8.3%) and wage-guarantee insurance; you buy return-cost insurance and casualty insurance.
- Leaving Korea: claim departure insurance, the National Pension refund and any severance difference.
FAQ
What is the EPS minimum salary in 2026?
₩10,320 an hour. For a 40-hour week that is ₩2,156,880 a month — 209 paid hours, because 8 hours of weekly holiday pay (주휴수당) are included. In 2027 it rises to ₩10,700 (₩2,236,300 a month).
How is overtime paid for E-9 workers?
At a workplace with 5 or more employees, every hour beyond 8 a day or 40 a week is paid at 150%, night work (22:00–06:00) adds 50%, and holiday work is 150% for the first 8 hours. Under-5 workplaces do not have to pay the premiums, and farming, livestock and fishing are exempt from overtime and holiday rules — but not from the night premium or the minimum wage.
Can my employer deduct housing and food?
Only what your standard labour contract states, with your written consent in your own language, renewed at least every year. Since 27 Nov 2023 the guideline bases the amount on local rent and requires shared rooms to split the cost — not one full rent per worker. If the deduction differs from your contract, it can count as unpaid wages.
Do E-9 workers pay National Pension?
Usually yes, and every E-8/E-9/H-2 worker can get the whole amount — their share and the employer's — back as a lump sum when leaving Korea, whatever their nationality.
What is departure guarantee insurance?
Your employer pays 8.3% of your monthly wage into 출국만기보험. You claim it when you leave; it replaces severance pay, and if it is less than legal severance the employer owes the difference.
Sources
- Ministry of Employment and Labor notice 2025-47 — 2026 minimum wage ₩10,320 (₩2,156,880 / 209 h) — www.minimumwage.go.kr
- Ministry of Employment and Labor — 2027 minimum wage ₩10,700 (₩2,236,300) — www.moel.go.kr
- Income Tax Act Enforcement Decree art. 17 — production workers' overtime pay tax-free up to ₩2.4M a year (monthly pay ≤ ₩2.6M) — www.law.go.kr
- EPS — mandatory insurances (departure guarantee 8.3% of monthly wage, paid by employer) — eps.go.kr
- MOEL guideline on housing for EPS workers (in force 27 Nov 2023, replaced the 2017 percentage caps) — via KBIZ — www.kbiz.or.kr
- Long-Term Care Insurance Act art. 7(4) and Decree — E-9, H-2 (and E-8) workers may opt out on application to NHIS — www.law.go.kr
- MOEL — employment insurance for E-9/H-2 workers (employer-paid part mandatory from 2021–2023) — www.moel.go.kr
- Income Tax Act Enforcement Decree, Appendix 2 — simplified withholding table (2026.3.1~) — www.law.go.kr
- NPS — 2026 insured income floor/cap ₩410,000–₩6,590,000 (Jul 2026–Jun 2027) — www.nps.or.kr
- NHIS — 2026 health insurance rate 7.19% (employee 3.595%) — edi.nhis.or.kr
- Ministry of Health and Welfare — 2026 long-term care rate 0.9448% (13.14% of health premium) — www.mohw.go.kr
- Labor Standards Act art. 50·55·56·63 (hours, weekly holiday, premiums, agriculture exemption) — English text, KLRI — elaw.klri.re.kr
All figures checked 30 Oct 2026 against the official pages above. Rules change — the official office has the final say.
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