Paid fertility-treatment leave goes from 2 days to 4 — effective 27 November 2026 | the 6 days stay
Paid fertility-treatment leave goes from two days to four. The amendment to the Equal Employment Act promulgated in May takes effect on 27 November 2026. The leave stays at six days a year; the paid part goes from the first two days to the first four. Employment insurance also covers four days, but only at priority-support firms.
Conditions used in the calculation
- Effective
- 2026-11-27
- Promulgated
- 2026-05-26 (Equal Employment Act amendment)
- Leave
- 6 days a year (unchanged)
- Paid days
- first 2 → first 4
- Insurance benefit
- 2 → 4 days (priority-support firms only)
- Example ordinary monthly pay
- ₩3M
Results
- Paid days
- 2 → 4
- Unpaid days
- 4 → 2
- Now, 2 paid days
- ₩200,000
- From 27 Nov, 4 paid days
- ₩400,000
- Daily figure (₩3M ÷ 30 days)
- ₩100,000
- Insurance daily cap (current notice)
- ₩84,210
At a glance
Ordinary monthly pay ₩3M over 30 days is ₩100,000 a day. All six days used.
- Now · 2 paid days₩200,000
4 days unpaid
- From 2026-11-27 · 4 paid days₩400,000
2 days unpaid
Why it works this way
The amendment to the Equal Employment Act promulgated in May 2026 takes effect on 27 November 2026. One thing changes: the paid days of fertility-treatment leave.
Today you can take up to six days a year and only the first two are paid. The other four are unpaid.
남녀고용평등법 제18조의3제1항, promulgated 2026-05-26 and effective 2026-11-27.
- Leaveup to 6 days a year (unchanged)
- Paidfirst 2 days → first 4 days
- Unpaid4 → 2
The leave itself does not grow. Of the six days, four now carry pay.
The amendment keeps six days a year and makes the first four paid. The unpaid part falls to two days.
Ordinary monthly pay of ₩3M over 30 days is ₩100,000 a day. The paid portion goes from ₩200,000 for two days to ₩400,000 for four.
고용보험법 제76조제1항제3호 and the maternity benefit cap notice.
- Priority-support firminsurance benefit goes from 2 days to 4. Daily cap ₩84,210 under the current notice
- Four-day capa new notice aligned to the amendment will set it. This page does not state a figure
- Large firmno insurance benefit. The employer pays all four paid days
The worker receives the same four paid days either way. Firm size decides who pays.
The insurance benefit also goes from two days to four. It applies at priority-support firms only, and the daily cap is ₩84,210 under the current notice.
This video and explainer cover a rule that has been promulgated but has not taken effect. The detail can shift with the decree and the notice, and the effective date can move.
In short: from 27 November 2026 the first four of the six fertility-treatment leave days are paid, and employment insurance covers four days at priority-support firms. Claims before the effective date get two paid days under the article as it stands.
The legal basis
Drawn from government announcements and the statutes themselves as primary sources, covering only the relevant part.
남녀고용평등과 일·가정 양립 지원에 관한 법률 제18조의3제1항 (fertility-treatment leave)
In force Effective 2026-11-27 (amendment promulgated 2026-05-26)
Where a worker requests leave for fertility treatment such as artificial insemination or IVF, the employer must grant up to six days a year, of which the first four days are paid.
What this means
🔴 'First two days' becomes 'first four days'. Six days a year is unchanged. Until 27 November 2026 it is two days under the article as it stands.
고용보험법 제76조제1항제3호 (payment period)
In force Effective 2026-11-27
Maternity-type benefit is paid, at the amount of ordinary wages, for the first four days of fertility-treatment leave, but only where the insured person's workplace is a priority-support firm.
What this means
The insurance benefit goes from two days to four, at priority-support firms only. At a large firm the employer carries all four paid days.
Maternity benefit cap notice (고용노동부고시 제2025-124호)
In force Applies from 2026-01-01
Fertility-treatment leave: first two days ₩168,420; one day ₩84,210.
What this means
₩84,210 a day is the cap. The four-day cap will be set by a new notice aligned to the amendment, so this page states no four-day figure.
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 Spouse's Birth and Fertility Treatment Leave
Frequently asked
When does it apply?
It takes effect on 27 November 2026. The amendment promulgated on 26 May 2026 has force from that day. Claims before it get the first two days paid under the article as it stands.
Do the leave days increase too?
No. Six days a year is unchanged; the paid part goes from two days to four, and the unpaid part from four to two.
Do I get nothing if my firm is not priority-support?
The leave is paid, so the employer pays four days of ordinary wages. What is missing is the insurance benefit reimbursing the employer.
What is the insurance cap for four days?
The current notice sets only ₩84,210 for one day and ₩168,420 for two. A new notice aligned to the amendment will set the four-day figure. This page is updated when it is out.
Where does ₩100,000 a day come from?
It is ordinary monthly pay divided by 30. That is the basis used for the insurance benefit, and the same method gives the notice figure of ₩84,210 for one day of fertility-treatment leave (monthly cap ÷ 30). What the employer pays for a paid leave day is ordinary wages under the Labor Standards Act, divided by contractual working hours, so it can be higher. Check your employer's pay rules for the actual amount.
What if I already used two paid days before 27 November?
Whether four paid days are recognised within that year's remaining days is left to the addenda and the decree, so check with your employer and the employment centre. This page is updated when the decree is out.
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.