Weekly rest-day pay is not set by the hourly wage — 15 hours a week is the line
Two part-timers at ₩10,320 an hour on 20 hours a week receive ₩1,073,280 and ₩897,840 a month. Same wage, same hours, ₩175,440 apart. One receives weekly rest-day pay and the other does not. Rest-day pay is not set by the hourly wage. The 15-hour line sets eligibility, hours worked divided by five sets the amount, and it caps at eight hours even beyond 40. A month is 4.345 weeks, so (hours worked + rest hours) × 4.345 gives monthly hours, and the 209 hours for a 40-hour week come from here.
Conditions used in the calculation
- Case
- ₩10,320 an hour · 14 · 15 · 20 · 30 · 40 · 48 hours a week
- Step ①
- eligibility: 15 hours a week or more · full attendance on scheduled days · under 15 excluded
- Step ②
- calculation: rest hours = hours worked ÷ 5 · × hourly wage · capped at 8 beyond 40 hours
- Step ③
- monthly conversion: a month = 4.345 weeks = 365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12 · (hours worked + rest hours) × 4.345
- Step ④
- when unpaid: split an inclusive wage into an effective rate · below the minimum is unpaid wages · 3 years
- 2027
- ₩10,700 from 1 January
Results
- 20 hours · with vs without rest-day pay
- ₩1,073,280 vs ₩897,840 · gap ₩175,440 · unpaid wages
- 14 vs 15 hours
- 61 hours ₩629,520 (no rest-day pay) vs 3 rest hours · 78 hours ₩804,960 · one hour, ₩175,440 a month
- Rest hours
- 15 → 3 · 20 → 4 · 30 → 6 · 40 → 8 · 48 → still 8
- Rest-day pay per week
- 20 hours ₩41,280 · 40 hours ₩82,560
- Monthly hours and pay
- 20 hours 104 ₩1,073,280 · 30 hours 156 ₩1,609,920 · 40 hours 209 ₩2,156,880 · 48 hours 243 ₩2,507,760
- Rest-day portion only
- 20 hours ₩175,440 a month · 40 hours ₩358,723
- Effective rate at 15 hours
- ₩12,384, so an 'inclusive' ₩10,320 is below the minimum
At a glance
15 hours ₩804,960, 20 hours ₩1,073,280, 30 hours ₩1,609,920, 40 hours ₩2,156,880, 48 hours ₩2,507,760.
- 14 hours (no rest-day pay)₩629,520
- 15 hours₩804,960
- 20 hours₩1,073,280
- 40 hours (209 hours)₩2,156,880
- 48 hours₩2,507,760
Why it works this way
Two part-timers earn ₩10,320 an hour for 20 hours a week. One gets ₩1,073,280 a month, the other ₩897,840. Same wage, same hours, ₩175,440 apart. The only difference is that one receives weekly rest-day pay and the other does not. Rest-day pay is not set by the hourly wage. The 15-hour line sets eligibility and hours worked divided by five sets the amount. Most people have heard of it but look only at the wage, not knowing whether they qualify, how much it is, or whether they are missing it. It is often mistaken for a bonus, but it is wages the law requires: pay for a day not worked, set by weekly hours rather than the hourly rate.
Labor Standards Act Article 55(1) · Article 18(3).
- Rulework every scheduled day and one paid rest day follows, and that day's pay is the rest-day pay · under 15 hours a week does not qualify
- 14 hours61 hours a month · ₩629,520 · no rest-day pay
- 15 hours3 rest hours · 78 hours · ₩804,960 · one hour, ₩175,440 a month
The 14.5-hour contract is where most people get confused. All scheduled days that week must be worked, and an absence can drop it. Not knowing, you assume it never existed and lose over ₩170,000 a month.
Step ② The calculation: hours divided by five, capped at eight. Rest hours are the week's hours worked ÷ 5: 15 hours gives 3, 20 gives 4, 30 gives 6, 40 gives 8. Beyond 40 it stays at 8, then multiply by the wage. Twenty hours gives 4 rest hours, ₩41,280 a week; 40 gives 8, ₩82,560; 48 keeps 8, the same as 40. Most people stumble here: it stops at 8, and overtime carries overtime pay instead. Not knowing, you either miscount and ask for too much or fail to notice a shortfall.
A month = 4.345 weeks = 365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12.
- Formula(hours worked + rest hours) × 4.345 = monthly hours · at 40 hours, (40 + 8) × 4.345 = 209 hours · the source of the ₩2,156,880 minimum monthly wage
- 20 · 30 · 48 hours104 hours ₩1,073,280 · 156 hours ₩1,609,920 · 243 hours ₩2,507,760
- Rest-day portion only20 hours ₩175,440 a month · 40 hours ₩358,723
Not knowing, you divide by hours worked alone and believe you are above the minimum.
Step ④ When unpaid, look at the effective rate. Twenty hours without rest-day pay is ₩897,840, with it ₩1,073,280, so ₩175,440 is missing and that is unpaid wages. An 'inclusive of rest-day pay' contract is split to find the effective rate: with 15 hours paid properly the effective rate is ₩12,384, so an inclusive ₩10,320 is below the minimum. Inclusion itself is not illegal; what matters is the split, and not knowing, you work below the minimum and cannot claim after three years. The checklist is three lines: ① the contract's weekly hours are 15 or more with full attendance on scheduled days, ② (hours ÷ 5) × wage = rest-day pay with the 8-hour cap, ③ the payslip equals (hours worked + rest hours) × wage. With three matching lines the check is done; if not, the shortfall is unpaid rest-day pay, for a complaint to the labor office. From 1 January 2027 the wage is ₩10,700, so recount then.
All four steps are passed: 15 hours for eligibility, ÷ 5 for the amount, 4.345 weeks for the month, the effective rate for unpaid wages. The same wage and hours split by ₩175,440 on one line, rest-day pay. Not knowing eligibility costs ₩170,000 a month, not knowing the effective rate leaves you below the minimum, and past three years there is no claim. Two things to do now: compare contract hours and payslip amounts on three lines, and if the wage is inclusive, check that the split base is ₩10,320 or more. Absences, early leaves and alternate-week schedules go to the labor office or a labor attorney.
The legal basis
Drawn from government announcements and the statutes themselves as primary sources, covering only the relevant part.
Labor Standards Act Article 55(1) · Enforcement Decree Article 30 (Holidays · Full attendance)
In force Current (checked 2026-09-05)
An employer must guarantee at least one paid holiday a week on average, granted to a worker who has worked all scheduled days that week.
What this means
Pay attaches to a day not worked. That week must be fully attended.
Labor Standards Act Article 18(3) (Part-time workers)
In force Current (checked 2026-09-05)
Article 55 (holidays) and Article 60 (annual leave) do not apply to workers averaging fewer than 15 contractual hours a week over four weeks.
What this means
Fifteen hours is the line. Fourteen pays only hours worked; from fifteen, the rest day attaches.
Minimum Wage Notice (₩10,320 for 2026 · ₩10,700 for 2027)
In force 2026-01-01 · 2027-01-01
Hourly minimum wage ₩10,320 in 2026, ₩10,700 in 2027. Monthly conversion 209 hours.
What this means
An inclusive wage whose split base falls below this is illegal. Recount in 2027.
Labor Standards Act Article 49 (Limitation on wage claims)
In force Current (checked 2026-09-05)
Wage claims lapse if not exercised within three years.
What this means
Claim unpaid rest-day pay within three years.
Run it on your own numbers
The calculator opens with these conditions already filled in. Change the figures and your own case comes straight out.
Open the Minimum Wage & Weekly Holiday Pay
Frequently asked
Is there rest-day pay on a 14.5-hour contract?
No. Under 15 hours a week, Article 18(3) of the Labor Standards Act excludes the paid rest day. It is judged on a four-week average, so check the contract hours.
At 48 hours a week, are rest hours 9.6?
No. Rest hours cap at 8. Hours beyond 40 carry overtime pay, not rest-day pay.
Where does 209 hours come from?
(40 hours + 8 rest hours) × 4.345 weeks. 4.345 is 365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12, the average weeks in a month. It is the source of the ₩2,156,880 minimum monthly wage.
My wage includes rest-day pay. Is that fine?
Inclusion itself is not illegal. But if the split base is below the ₩10,320 minimum, it is. With 15 hours paid properly the effective rate should be ₩12,384.
What if I miss a day that week?
Rest-day pay requires working all scheduled days that week. An absence can drop that week's rest-day pay.
How long can I claim unpaid rest-day pay?
Wage claims expire after three years. Compare the contract and payslips, and file a complaint with the labor office for any shortfall.
Results are estimates based on the inputs and on the rules as at the stated date. They may differ from a lender's actual assessment, and the rules change often. Take professional advice before any decision that matters.