Requirements and period tables.
Checked: 2026-08-18. Easy-to-Know Everyday Law reference date 2026-07-31. Easy-to-Know Everyday Law banner: the amendment to the Employment Insurance Act effective 2026-08-20 will be updated after review. In the first pass, no basis was found for changes to the requirement and period figures in Articles 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 49 and 50. This post does not say the figures have changed.
This post covers Korean employment insurance rules; the linked official sources, including Easy-to-Know Everyday Law (the government's plain-language law guide at easylaw.go.kr) and Work24, are in Korean.
1. The boxes this post covers
The boxes this post covers are the official tables of requirements and periods.
Inquiries: Ministry of Employment and Labor Customer Counseling Center 1350 (weekdays 09:00–18:00), the job center with jurisdiction over your residence, Work24 (www.work24.go.kr). Work24 IT help desk 1577-7114 (Korea Employment Information Service). (S1, S3)
2. Official names
| Name | Official sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits | "Unemployment benefits are broadly divided into job-seeking benefits and employment promotion allowances." | S1 |
| Job-seeking benefit | The subject of this post. "Job-seeking benefit" under Article 40 and following of the Act | S2, S5 |
| Employment promotion allowances | Early re-employment allowance, vocational skills development allowance, wide-area job search expenses, relocation expenses. Not a box in this post | S1 |
| Extended benefits and sickness benefits | Training, individual and special extended benefits, sickness benefits. Only a one-line mention of the names in this post | S1, S16 |
Government24 service name "Job-Seeking Benefit". Responsible office: Unemployment Benefits Division, Employment Support Office, Ministry of Employment and Labor. Last modified 2026.05.07. (S16)
3. Eligibility requirements: Article 40 of the Act
An insured person who is a worker. When all of the subparagraphs of Article 40(1) of the Act are met. (S2, S5)
| Subparagraph | Gist of the original requirement | Article |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A total insured unit period of 180 days or more during the base period | Article 40(1)1 |
| 2 | Not employed (including running a for-profit business) despite having the will and ability to work | Article 40(1)2 |
| 3 | The reason for leaving the job must not fall under the grounds for restricting eligibility in Article 58 | Article 40(1)3 |
| 4 | Actively making efforts to find re-employment | Article 40(1)4 |
| 5 | (Day workers only) The total number of working days from the first day of the month before the month containing the recognition application date to the application date is less than 1/3 of the total number of days in that period, or, as a construction day worker, no continuous work record for the 14 days before the application date | Article 40(1)5 |
| 6 | (Day workers only) If, during the insured unit period in the base period, the person left another business for a reason in Article 58, the person worked as a day worker for 90 days or more of that unit period | Article 40(1)6 |
Work24 guide text
This is not merged with the Article 40 table. (S1)
| Box | Work24 original |
|---|---|
| Requirement summary | "Having worked at a workplace covered by employment insurance for an insured unit period totaling 180 days or more during the 18 months (24 months for ultra-short-time workers) before losing the job, having the will and ability to work (left the job involuntarily), and being unemployed despite active re-employment activities (not paid if no re-employment activities are carried out)" "must not fall under the grounds for restricting eligibility ※ Excludes cases of voluntary resignation or dismissal for serious fault." |
| Day worker addition | "(Day workers) The number of working days in the 1 month before the eligibility application date must be less than 10 days" |
Article 40(1)5 of the Act (less than 1/3, 14 days for construction day workers) and the Work24 day-worker 10-day wording are kept in separate boxes. This post does not say which is correct.
Artists and labor service providers: one line from Government24. Not expanded in this post. (S16)
"(Artists) An insured unit period of 9 months or more in the 24 months before the separation date (3 months or more as an artist) (Labor service providers) An insured unit period of 12 months or more in the 24 months before the separation date (3 months or more as a labor service provider)"
4. Insured unit period
| Item | Original | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Base period principle | 18 months before the separation date | Article 40(2) |
| Ultra-short-time | Worked as a worker whose prescribed working hours were under 15 hours per week and whose prescribed working days were 2 days or fewer per week at the time of separation + worked under those conditions for 90 days or more of the unit period in the 24 months before the separation date → base period 24 months | Article 40(2)2 |
| No pay for 30 days or more | If the person could not receive pay for 30 consecutive days or more for a reason prescribed by Presidential Decree such as illness or injury: 18 months + that number of days (3 years if over 3 years) | Article 40(2)1, Enforcement Decree Article 60 |
| Calculation | Calculated by adding up the days on which pay was based during the insured period. Days worked + paid holidays + days on which a shutdown allowance was received | Article 41(1), S1 FAQ, S2 |
| Examples excluded | Under a 5-day week, when only 1 of the 2 days is paid; public holidays of government offices not treated as paid | S1, S2 |
| Exclusion of previous receipt | If the person received a job-seeking benefit before the date of the last acquisition of insured status, the unit periods before the loss date related to that job-seeking benefit are not included | Article 41(2) |
List of grounds for extending the base period (Enforcement Decree Article 60, Easy-to-Know Everyday Law). List only. (S2)
- Illness or injury
- Business shutdown
- Pregnancy, childbirth and childcare leave
- Overseas work at the employer's order (excluding when paid in Korea)
- Industrial action
- Leave to care for a cohabiting relative
- Leave for military service
- Dispatch to a workplace not covered by employment insurance
- Non-payment of leave allowance during employment adjustment
- Unfair dismissal
5. Reasons for leaving: lists only
Restrictions: Article 58 and Enforcement Rule Annexed Table 1-2
List of headings only. (S1, S2, S3)
- Dismissal for serious fault: imprisonment without labor or heavier for violating the Criminal Act or job-related laws, causing enormous disruption or property damage to the business (each item of Annexed Table 1-2), long-term unauthorized absence without a legitimate reason.
- Leaving for personal reasons: leaving to change jobs or become self-employed, leaving on recommendation as a person at serious fault, leaving that does not fall under a legitimate reason.
Work24 FAQ original.
"If you resign for personal reasons such as changing jobs or becoming self-employed, you cannot receive unemployment benefits." Recommended resignation for serious fault is also "not recognized as eligible for benefits". (S1)
Legitimate reasons for leaving: Enforcement Rule Article 101(2), Annexed Table 2
List only. No commentary. The full text is in Annexed Table 2 and Easy-to-Know Everyday Law. (S2, S3)
- For 2 months or more within 1 year before the separation date: worsened working conditions, unpaid wages, pay below the minimum wage, violation of overtime limits, less than 70% of the pre-shutdown average wage due to a shutdown
- Unreasonable discriminatory treatment
- Sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual bullying
- Workplace harassment under Article 76-2 of the Labor Standards Act (see the note below)
- Bankruptcy or closure is certain, or large-scale workforce reduction is planned
- Recommended resignation or honorary retirement recruitment: transfer, acquisition or merger, partial closure or change of business type, abolition or reduction of positions, new technology or changes in work arrangements, deteriorating business conditions or personnel congestion, etc.
- Difficulty commuting (a round trip of 3 hours or more by ordinary means of transport): relocation of the workplace, transfer, move of residence to live with a spouse or supported relative, other unavoidable reasons
- Caring for a parent or cohabiting relative with an illness or injury for 30 days or more + leave or time off not permitted
- Exposure to the risk of the same accident because a serious accident workplace failed to carry out a corrective order
- Difficulty working due to physical strength, mental or physical disability, illness, etc. + transfer or leave not permitted, objectively recognized by a doctor's opinion and the employer's opinion
- Pregnancy, childbirth, raising a child aged 8 or under or in the 2nd grade of elementary school or below, mandatory service + leave or time off not permitted
- When the business has become illegal under the law
- Reaching retirement age, expiry of the contract period
- When it is objectively recognized that other ordinary workers would also have left
Note on workplace harassment: workplace harassment under Article 76-2 of the Labor Standards Act is on the Easy-to-Know Everyday Law and employment insurance system pages (Annexed Table 2). This item is missing from the list in the body of Work24's "What are unemployment benefits". The full text is in Annexed Table 2 and Easy-to-Know Everyday Law. (S2, S3)
Additional Work24 sentence. Original only. (S1)
"In cases such as commuting reasons, you generally must resign within 3–4 months of the date the reason arises"
6. Certificate of separation
Document name: certificate of separation.
Article 42(3) of the Act (requesting the former employer to issue materials such as the insured unit period and prescribed daily working hours), Article 43(4) (the head of the job center requests the employer to submit a certificate of separation, and the employer must submit it). (S4, S2)
Work24 sentences. (S14)
"A document confirming the reason for leaving, the employment insurance coverage period, average wages, prescribed daily working hours, etc., submitted by the employer to the job center."
"The employer must issue the certificate of separation within 10 days of the worker's request for it."
URL: https://www.work24.go.kr/cm/c/f/1100/selecSystInfo.do?systId=SI00000411
Form name: request for issuance of a certificate of separation.
7. Benefit period
The statutory sentence is a payment limit period. "12 months just to apply" and "12 months to finish receiving" are not mixed up. (S8, S6)
| Item | Original | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit period | 12 months, counted from the day after the separation date related to the eligibility | Article 48(1), S6 |
| Limit | Paid within those 12 months up to the prescribed benefit days | Article 48(1) |
| Effect of lapse | "Once 12 months have passed, you can no longer receive payments even if prescribed benefit days remain." | S1 |
| Application deadline sentence | Easy-to-Know Everyday Law Q: "There is no limit on how long after leaving a company you must apply for job-seeking benefits, but if more than 12 months have passed from the day after the separation date … you cannot receive them." Work24: "without delay after leaving" | S4, S1 |
| Postponement | Pregnancy, childbirth and childcare; the person's own illness or injury (excluding illness or injury for which sickness benefits were received); a spouse's illness or injury; a move of residence to live together such as a spouse's overseas posting; illness or injury of lineal ascendants or descendants of the person or spouse; mandatory service; detention on criminal charges or execution of a sentence (excluding those subject to imprisonment without labor or heavier under Article 58); a "serious" disaster alert. Report within the benefit period. 12 months + the period during which the person cannot work, 4 years if over 4 years | Article 48(2), Enforcement Decree Article 70, S6 |
8. Application route
Work24 system guide SI00000411. Last modified 2025-07-09. (S14)
| Step | Action | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Employer: report of loss of insured status + certificate of separation | Loss report → Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (name only). Certificate of separation → job center. The Service's channel is not expanded in this post |
| 2 | Advance check: coverage period, whether the certificate of separation has been submitted | Work24 |
| 3 | Job-seeking registration | Work24. Easy-to-Know Everyday Law: "Work24 website (www.work24.go.kr) - Job Information - Job-Seeking Registration" (Enforcement Decree Article 61(1)) |
| 4 | Training for eligibility applicants | Online on Work24, or on site at the center. Work24 "What are unemployment benefits": "Training must be completed before applying for eligibility" |
| 5 | Application for recognition of eligibility | In principle: visit the job center with jurisdiction over your residence, with ID. Proviso of Enforcement Decree Article 61(2): can also be submitted at a nearby center at the desired place of work, the former workplace or a conveniently located center |
| 5-Internet | Attend after submitting online | Regular workers meeting all three requirements: ① both the loss report and the certificate of separation processed ② insured unit period of 180 days or more and involuntary separation (loss codes 22, 23, 31, 32) ③ under age 65 as of the separation date |
| 5-Disaster | Report through the employment information system if attendance is difficult | Proviso of Article 42(1) of the Act |
| 6 | Unemployment recognition | Every 1–4 weeks. Online possible except for certain rounds. Only the person can apply |
For the job-seeking registration URL, Work24 is used in the body. Worknet (www.work.go.kr) is an old guide remaining in the flowchart of Work24's "What are unemployment benefits" (see the note below). (S1, S4, S14)
Note on Worknet: the old Worknet address (www.work.go.kr) remains in the flowchart of Work24's "What are unemployment benefits". Easy-to-Know Everyday Law (2026-07-31) gives Work24 job-seeking registration.
9. Prescribed benefit days
Definition: "the days on which job-seeking benefits can be received under one eligibility" (Article 50(1)). Counted from the day after the waiting period ends, Annexed Table 1. (S1, S6)
Table for separation dates on or after 2019.10.1. Same on Work24 and Easy-to-Know Everyday Law.
| Age as of the separation date \ Insured period | Less than 1 year | 1 year or more, less than 3 years | 3 years or more, less than 5 years | 5 years or more, less than 10 years | 10 years or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 50 | 120 days | 150 days | 180 days | 210 days | 240 days |
| 50 or older and persons with disabilities | 120 days | 180 days | 210 days | 240 days | 270 days |
- Persons with disabilities: "registered as a person with a disability under the Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities as of the eligibility application date". (S1)
- Insured period: the period of employment in the covered business at the time of separation. If insured status is reacquired within 3 years of the loss date at the previous business, the periods are combined. The period for which job-seeking benefits were received due to the previous loss is excluded. (Article 50(3) and (4), S2)
- The table for separation dates before 2019.10.1. remains on Work24 (with an under-30 column, starting from 90 days). Year label only. It is not mixed with the current table. (S1, S6)
10. Waiting period and payment cycle
| Item | Original | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting period | Job-seeking benefits are not paid for 7 days counted from the date of the unemployment report | Main text of Article 49(1), S6 |
| Construction day worker exception | A construction day worker at the time of the last separation → paid counting from the date of the unemployment report | Proviso of Article 49(1) |
| Article 49(2) | If, among multiple insured statuses under Article 43-2, the reason for the most recently lost one falls under the proviso of Article 43-2(2), "a period prescribed by Presidential Decree within 4 weeks" is deemed the waiting period. Specific number of days [basis needed] | Article 49(2) |
| First unemployment recognition | "The first unemployment recognition is 2 weeks after the unemployment report date" | S1 FAQ |
| Thereafter | "Every 1–4 weeks", attend the job center or, when designated, online. By 17:00 on the day (Work24 FAQ, online) | S1, S14 |
| Deposit | "Unemployment benefits are usually deposited into the account you designated on the day after you receive unemployment recognition." | S14 |
| Non-attendance | "If you do not attend the job center on the designated unemployment recognition date, job-seeking benefits are in principle not paid." Can be changed for unavoidable reasons | S1 |
For the specific number of waiting days under Article 49(2), the Enforcement Decree text was not obtained in the first pass. "4 weeks" is not written as a fixed waiting period.
11. Upper and lower limits: daily amounts only
Formula (current law, Easy-to-Know Everyday Law 2026-07-31). (S7)
- Base daily amount: the average wage at the time of the last separation (Article 45(1)). Exceptions, ordinary wages and standard remuneration are only cited by article.
- Daily job-seeking benefit: base daily amount × 60% (Article 46(1)1)
- When calculated from the minimum base daily amount: base daily amount × 80% = minimum daily job-seeking benefit (Article 46(1)2)
- If the calculated amount is lower than the minimum daily job-seeking benefit, the minimum daily job-seeking benefit applies (Article 46(2))
- If the base daily amount exceeds the upper limit, the upper limit applies (Article 45(5), Enforcement Decree Article 68(1))
| Year label | Item | Amount | Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (minimum wage by separation date, Enforcement Decree upper limit) | Hourly minimum wage | 10,320 won | 2026 minimum wage notice, S11, S12 | Application period per the notice text |
| 2026 | Upper limit of the base daily amount (daily wage) | 113,500 won | Enforcement Decree Article 68(1), S7 | Easy-to-Know Everyday Law 2026-07-31 |
| 2026 | Upper limit of the daily job-seeking benefit | 68,100 won | 113,500 × 60%, S7, S9, S10 | The upper limit for artists and labor service providers under Enforcement Decree Articles 104-8 and 104-15 is also 68,100 won (reasons for amendment) |
| 2026 | Lower limit of the job-seeking benefit (8 prescribed working hours per day) | 66,048 won | Original Ministry of Employment and Labor press release of 2025-10-10, S9 | Formula: 10,320 × 8 × 80%. If prescribed working hours are not 8, the daily amount differs. 8-hour box only |
| 2025 (previous year) | Upper limit of the daily job-seeking benefit | 66,000 won | Old Work24 guide, korea.kr K-Hope Ladder, S1, S17 | Work24 still posts this figure as if current, as the upper limit for separations since 2019.1. |
| 2025 (previous year) | Lower limit (8 hours) | 64,192 won | korea.kr K-Hope Ladder S17 | Linked to the 2025 minimum wage |
| 2024 (previous year) | Lower limit (8 hours) | 63,104 won | Work24 "What are unemployment benefits" wording | Work24 writes "63,104 won per day for separation dates from January 2024". Not the 2026 current figure |
Footnote on the Work24 discrepancy. When checked on 2026-08-18, Work24's "What are unemployment benefits" stated an upper limit of 66,000 won (since 2019.1.) and a lower limit of 63,104 won (since 2024.1.). The 2026 current figures are from Easy-to-Know Everyday Law 2026-07-31, Enforcement Decree Article 68 and the Ministry of Employment and Labor 2025-12-16 (113,500 / 68,100). 66,000 won is not used as if it were the 2026 current figure. (S1, S7, S10)
Previous-year payment rate: for separation dates before 2019.10.1., 50% of the average wage (Work24). Kept separate from the current box. (S1)
Monthly amounts are not in the Ministry of Employment and Labor or Easy-to-Know Everyday Law text. They are not included in this post.
12. What this post does not cover
- A main piece on the early re-employment allowance, extended benefits or sickness benefits (names only)
- Calculators for individual or total amounts received
- The income-based employment insurance reform (average wage → 1 year of remuneration): bills and plans. Current Easy-to-Know Everyday Law is 60% of the average wage
- Bills to reduce repeated benefits
- The four-major-insurance settlement channel in issue 9, jeonse in issue 14, refunds in issue 15
- A main piece on unemployment benefits for the self-employed (Easy-to-Know Everyday Law points to a different section)
Sources
Checked: 2026-08-18 PT. News, blogs and calculator sites excluded.
- [S1] Work24 "What are unemployment benefits", https://ei.work24.go.kr/ei/eim/eg/ei/eiEminsr/retrievePb0201Info.do, viewed 2026-08-18. The payment amount box does not match Easy-to-Know Everyday Law.
- [S2] Easy-to-Know Everyday Law "Eligibility for job-seeking benefits", https://www.easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?ccfNo=2&cciNo=1&cnpClsNo=1&csmSeq=722, page reference date 2026-07-31. Banner: update planned for the provisions effective 2026-08-20.
- [S3] Employment insurance system "Eligible recipients of job-seeking benefits", https://edrm.ei.go.kr/ei/eih/eg/pb/pbPersonBnef/retrievePb0202Info.do, Korea Employment Information Service employment insurance system page.
- [S4] Easy-to-Know Everyday Law "Reporting unemployment", https://easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?ccfNo=2&cciNo=2&cnpClsNo=1&csmSeq=722&popMenu=ov, 2026-07-31.
- [S5] Korea Law Information Center, Employment Insurance Act Article 40 etc., https://www.law.go.kr/lsLawLinkInfo.do?chrClsCd=010202&lsJoLnkSeq=900111129, current link at the time of viewing.
- [S6] Easy-to-Know Everyday Law "Number of days of job-seeking benefits", https://easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?ccfNo=2&cciNo=3&cnpClsNo=1&csmSeq=722&popMenu=ov, 2026-07-31.
- [S7] Easy-to-Know Everyday Law "Amount of job-seeking benefits", https://easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?ccfNo=2&cciNo=3&cnpClsNo=2&csmSeq=722&popMenu=ov, 2026-07-31.
- [S8] Korea Law Information Center, Employment Insurance Act Article 48, https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/lsLawLinkInfo.do?chrClsCd=010202&lsId=001761&lsJoLnkSeq=900121343. Page shows: Employment Insurance Act [effective 2026. 5. 12.] [Act No. 21133].
- [S9] Ministry of Employment and Labor press release "Legislative notice of subordinate statutes", https://www.moel.go.kr/news/enews/report/enewsView.do?news_seq=18440, registered 2025-10-10.
- [S10] Ministry of Employment and Labor press release "Enforcement Decree approved by the Cabinet", https://www.moel.go.kr/news/enews/report/enewsView.do?news_seq=18736, registered 2025-12-16.
- [S11] Ministry of Employment and Labor press release "Minimum wage applicable in 2026", https://moel.go.kr/news/enews/report/enewsView.do?news_seq=18144, registered 2025-08-05.
- [S12] Notice of the minimum wage applicable in 2026, https://www.moel.go.kr/info/lawinfo/instruction/view.do?bbs_seq=20250800121 / https://www.law.go.kr/admRulLsInfoP.do?admRulSeq=2100000262710, registered 2025-08-05.
- [S13] Enforcement Decree reasons for amendment and amendment text, https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/lsRvsRsnListP.do?chrClsCd=010202&lsId=002249&lsRvsGubun=all. Current Enforcement Decree shown: [effective 2026. 7. 1.] Presidential Decree No. 36472.
- [S14] Work24 system guide "Unemployment benefits" application procedure, https://www.work24.go.kr/cm/c/f/1100/selecSystInfo.do?systId=SI00000411, last modified 2025-07-09.
- [S15] Employment Insurance Act Article 45 (base daily amount), https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/lsLawLinkInfo.do?chrClsCd=010202&lsId=001761&lsJoLnkSeq=1000770542, article page.
- [S16] Government24 "Job-Seeking Benefit", https://www.gov.kr/portal/service/serviceInfo/SD0000015536, last modified 2026.05.07. No upper or lower limit figures.
- [S17] korea.kr "K-Hope Ladder: job-seeking benefits", https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148943217, 2025 guide. 2025 label only.
- [S18] korea.kr policy briefing 2025-12-16, https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148956574. Same Cabinet meeting as S10: 113,500 won, 68,100 won per day.