The state does not pay for all 90 days of maternity leave
Unless the employer is a priority-support enterprise, employment insurance covers only the last 30 days and the employer pays the full ordinary wage for the first 60. The totals come out similar, but who you pursue when it is not paid is different.
Conditions used in the video
- Maternity leave
- 90 days (100 preterm · 120 for multiples)
- Employer's paid-leave duty
- first 60 days (75 for multiples)
- Ceiling in the notice
- ₩6.6M over 90 days
- Daily ceiling
- ₩73,333
- Daily floor
- ₩71,896 (minimum wage basis)
Results
- Priority-support (insurance)
- all 90 days
- Otherwise (insurance)
- last 30 days only
- Otherwise (employer)
- first 60 days in full
- Flat above this
- ₩2.2M a month
- Ceiling-to-floor gap
- ₩1,437 a day
At a glance
On a 90-day single birth. The totals are similar; the payer is not.
- Priority-support (insurance)90 days
- Otherwise (insurance)30 days
the last 30 only
- Otherwise (employer)60 days
the full ordinary wage
Why it works this way
Maternity leave is 90 days, or 100 for a preterm birth and 120 for twins or more. That much is widely known.
Who pays for those 90 days, though, depends on the size of the employer. Not knowing that means not knowing where to go when the money does not arrive.
The totals are similar; the payer differs.
- Priority-support enterpriseinsurance covers all 90 days
- Other enterprisesinsurance covers the last 30 only
- The first 60 daysthe employer pays the full ordinary wage
A priority-support enterprise is set by industry: 500 or fewer employees in manufacturing, 200 or fewer in retail, lodging and catering. It is in 고용보험법 시행령 제12조.
So at a large employer the first two months come directly from the company. That is not employment insurance money, so if it is not paid it is a matter of unpaid wages, which goes to the labour office, not an employment centre.
Nor does a priority-support enterprise pay nothing. 근로기준법 제74조제4항 makes the first 60 days paid leave by the employer, and the employer is relieved only to the extent the insurance benefit was actually paid.
Which means that where the ordinary wage is above the ceiling, the employer has to make up the difference.
Now the ceiling. The notice sets ₩6.6M for 90 days. Divided out, that is ₩73,333 a day.
The notice gives period totals, but the rate is single.
- Single birth, 90 days₩6.6M
- Preterm, 100 days₩7,333,330
- Multiples, 120 days₩8.8M
6.6M ÷ 90 = 7.33M ÷ 100 = 8.8M ÷ 120 = ₩73,333. Only the number of days changes.
Converting ₩73,333 a day back to a monthly ordinary wage gives ₩2.2M. Earn more than that and the insurance benefit does not rise any further.
Above it, a higher ordinary wage only enlarges what the employer must make up.
There is a floor as well. Where the hourly ordinary wage is below the minimum wage, the minimum wage is used. The monthly minimum-wage figure divided by 30 gives ₩71,896.
A ceiling of ₩73,333 against a floor of ₩71,896 leaves a gap of ₩1,437 a day. The same shape as the unemployment benefit. However different two incomes are, what insurance pays is nearly identical.
So what a higher ordinary wage changes is not the benefit but the amount the employer has to make up. On ₩3M a month the employer owes an extra ₩1.6M across the first 60 days.
Finally, eligibility. The leave must be at least 30 days, and the insured unit period before the leave begins must total at least 180 days. Short of that there is no insurance benefit, but the employer's paid-leave duty under 근로기준법 stands regardless.
So: check whether the employer is a priority-support enterprise, and if the ordinary wage is above ₩2.2M, check the payslip for the difference the employer owes.
The legal basis
Drawn from government announcements and the statutes themselves as primary sources, covering only the relevant part.
근로기준법 제74조제1항 (protection of expectant mothers)
In force amended 2024-10-22
An employer shall grant a pregnant woman 90 days of maternity leave before and after the birth (100 days for a preterm birth, 120 for a pregnancy of two or more children). At least 45 days (60 for multiples) must fall after the birth.
What this means
The 100 days for a preterm birth came in with the 2024 amendment. At least 45 days must remain after the birth, so it cannot all be taken beforehand.
근로기준법 제74조제4항 (paid-leave duty)
In force in force
The first 60 days of the leave (75 for multiples) are paid. Where maternity leave benefit has been paid, however, the employer is relieved of that responsibility to the extent of the amount paid.
What this means
Even at a priority-support enterprise, an ordinary wage above the ceiling leaves a difference for the employer to pay. The relief runs only 'to the extent of the amount paid'.
고용보험법 제76조제1항제1호 (period of payment)
In force amended 2024-10-22
Maternity leave benefit is paid at the ordinary wage for the period of leave. Where the employer is not a priority-support enterprise, however, it is limited to the days exceeding 60 (75 for multiples), up to 30 days (40 preterm, 45 for multiples).
What this means
An employee of a large enterprise gets only the last 30 days from insurance. The first 60 come from the employer, so non-payment is unpaid wages.
「출산전후휴가 급여등 상한액 고시」 (고용노동부고시 제2025-124호)
In force in force 2026-01-01
Where the amount for 90 days exceeds ₩6.6M it is capped at ₩6.6M; ₩7,333,330 for a preterm birth over 100 days; ₩8.8M for multiples over 120 days.
What this means
All three come from a daily rate of ₩73,333. Above a monthly ordinary wage of ₩2.2M, everyone receives the same.
고용보험법 시행령 제101조제2호 (the floor)
In force in force
Where the hourly ordinary wage is below the hourly minimum wage, the minimum wage is treated as the hourly ordinary wage for the calculation.
What this means
It cannot fall below the minimum wage. The monthly figure divided by 30 gives ₩71,896 a day, only ₩1,437 below the ceiling.
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 Maternity Leave Benefit
Frequently asked
Does employment insurance pay all 90 days?
At a priority-support enterprise, yes. Otherwise it covers only the last 30 days (40 preterm, 45 for multiples) and the employer pays the full ordinary wage for the first 60 (75 for multiples).
How do I know if the employer is a priority-support enterprise?
고용보험법 시행령 제12조 sets it by industry and headcount: 500 or fewer in manufacturing, 200 or fewer in retail, lodging and catering, and so on. You can check on the employment insurance site.
Does a higher salary pay more?
Not from insurance. The daily ceiling is ₩73,333, so above a monthly ordinary wage of ₩2.2M the figure is the same. What grows with a higher wage is the amount the employer must make up.
What if the employer does not pay the first 60 days?
It is a period made paid by 근로기준법, so non-payment is unpaid wages and can be reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. It is not insurance money, so the labour office is where to go rather than an employment centre.
How much for twins or a preterm birth?
A preterm birth is capped at ₩7,333,330 over 100 days, and multiples at ₩8.8M over 120. The daily rate is the same as a single birth and only the days change. For multiples the employer's paid-leave duty is 75 days rather than 60.
If I am short of the insured unit period, do I get nothing?
No insurance benefit. But the employer's paid-leave duty under 근로기준법 제74조제4항 (the first 60 days, 75 for multiples) stands regardless of how long you have been insured.
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.