₩4M a month and ₩8M a month draw the same unemployment benefit
The daily job-seeking benefit moves only between a ceiling of ₩68,100 and a floor of ₩66,048. The gap is ₩2,052 a day, so below about ₩3.34M a month almost everyone gets the floor and above ₩3.44M everyone gets the ceiling.
Conditions used in the video
- Ceiling on the base daily wage
- ₩113,500
- Daily benefit
- 60% of the base daily wage
- Minimum daily benefit
- 80% of the minimum base
- Minimum hourly wage
- ₩10,320 (2026)
- Contracted hours a day
- on an 8-hour basis
Results
- Ceiling on the daily benefit
- ₩68,100
- Floor on the daily benefit
- ₩66,048
- The gap
- ₩2,052
- Below this, all floor
- ₩3.34M a month
- Above this, all ceiling
- ₩3.44M a month
At a glance
On contracted hours of 8 a day. Monthly pay is converted to a three-month total to give the base daily wage.
- ₩2M a month₩66,048
the floor
- ₩3M a month₩66,048
still the floor
- ₩4M a month₩68,100
the ceiling
- ₩8M a month₩68,100
the same ceiling
Why it works this way
Most people looking into unemployment benefit after leaving a job assume the same thing: I earned a lot, so I will receive a lot. In fact someone on ₩4M a month and someone on ₩8M receive the same figure.
The daily benefit is 60% of the base daily wage, and the base daily wage is the average pay over the last three months divided by the days in that period. So far it does track income.
The difficulty is that there is a ceiling above it and a floor below it, and the two sit very close together.
The two figures come from different places.
- Ceiling on the base daily wage₩113,500 (시행령 제68조)
- × 60%ceiling ₩68,100
- Minimum base × 80%floor ₩66,048
The minimum base daily wage is contracted hours a day times the minimum hourly wage. At 8 hours that is 10,320 × 8 = ₩82,560, and 80% of it is ₩66,048.
The difference between them is ₩2,052 a day, a little over ₩60,000 a month. However far apart two incomes are, the benefit moves only inside that band.
So when does the ceiling apply and when the floor? Where 60% of the base falls short of the floor, you get the floor. Converted back to monthly pay, that boundary sits at about ₩3.34M.
Converted to average monthly pay. It tracks income only in between.
So ₩2M or ₩3M a month both give the floor of ₩66,048, and ₩4M or ₩8M both give the ceiling of ₩68,100. Only those landing in the ₩100,000 band between them receive a figure that reflects their own income.
It is worth knowing how this came about. The ceiling only rises when the decree is amended, while the floor is tied to the minimum wage and rises every year. Moving at different speeds, the two have closed on each other.
Which is why the gap has kept narrowing.
- Ceilingrises only on an amendment
- Floortied to the minimum wage, rises yearly
- Resultthe gap is down to ₩2,052
If the two meet, everyone receives the same figure. Which is why it has to be checked each year.
So if not the amount, what does differ? The number of days payable. How long you receive it varies far more than how much.
고용보험법 별표 1.
- Under 1 year120 days whatever the age
- 10 years or more, under 50240 days
- 10 years or more, 50 or over270 days
Being 50 or over, or registered disabled under 「장애인고용촉진 및 직업재활법」, adds 30 days at the same insured period.
So what to look at is not your salary but two other things: whether the insured unit period has passed 180 days, and how many years you have been insured.
The insured unit period counts the days that pay was based on within the 18 months before leaving. It counts days, not length of service. On a five-day week the weekly paid holiday counts too, so it builds at about six days a week.
Finally there is the reason for leaving. Resign voluntarily and, as a rule, nothing is payable. There are exceptions in the Enforcement Rules where the reason is treated as justified, such as unpaid wages, or the workplace moving so that commuting becomes difficult. If you think one applies, check with an employment centre.
So: the amount is close to fixed, and what varies between people is the days and the eligibility. Start with the insured unit period on your separation certificate.
The legal basis
Drawn from government announcements and the statutes themselves as primary sources, covering only the relevant part.
고용보험법 제45조 (the wage that the benefit is based on)
In force in force
The base daily wage is the average wage as calculated at the last separation. Where it falls below the contracted hours a day multiplied by the minimum hourly wage (the minimum base daily wage), the minimum base applies. Where it exceeds the amount prescribed by Presidential Decree, that amount applies.
What this means
The average wage is the starting point, but it is cut on both sides: the minimum wage from below, the Decree from above.
고용보험법 시행령 제68조제1항 (ceiling on the base daily wage)
In force amended 2025-12-23
Where the base daily wage exceeds ₩113,500, it is taken as ₩113,500.
What this means
Multiplied by 60%, that gives ₩68,100 as the ceiling on the daily benefit. It takes an amendment to raise it, so it moves rarely.
고용보험법 제46조 (daily job-seeking benefit)
In force in force
The daily benefit is the base daily wage multiplied by 60 hundredths. The minimum base daily wage multiplied by 80 hundredths is the minimum daily benefit, and where the 60% figure falls below it, the minimum daily benefit applies.
What this means
Where 60% falls short of the floor, you get the floor. Below about ₩3.34M a month, that is generally the case.
고용보험법 별표 1 (days of job-seeking benefit payable)
In force amended 2019-08-27
Under 50, the days run 120, 150, 180, 210 and 240 by insured period; 50 or over and registered disabled, 120, 180, 210, 240 and 270.
What this means
Since the amount is nearly the same, what settles the total is the days. At the same insured period, being 50 or over adds 30 days.
고용보험법 제40조제1항제1호 · 제2항 (eligibility)
In force in force
The insured unit period within the 18 months before the separation (the base period) must total at least 180 days.
What this means
It counts the days pay was based on, not length of service. Fail here and the amount never comes into it.
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.
Frequently asked
Does a higher salary mean a higher benefit?
Barely. The daily benefit moves only between a ceiling of ₩68,100 and a floor of ₩66,048. Below about ₩3.34M a month most people get the floor; above ₩3.44M everyone gets the ceiling.
Is the ₩66,048 floor the same for everyone?
No. The floor is 80% of the contracted hours a day multiplied by the minimum hourly wage. At 8 hours a day that is ₩66,048; at 4 hours it is half of that, ₩33,024. Part-time workers are on a different figure.
So what does differ between people?
The number of days payable. Under 50 it runs from 120 to 240 days. At 50 or over, or registered disabled, it runs from 120 to 270. Age and insured period set the number. With the amount nearly fixed, the days settle the total.
How is the 180-day insured unit period counted?
It counts the days pay was based on within the 18 months before the separation. It counts days, not length of service. On a five-day week the weekly paid holiday counts too, so it builds at about six days a week.
Do I lose it if I resign?
As a rule, yes. 고용보험법 제58조 sets out the grounds for disqualification. There are exceptions in the Enforcement Rules where the reason is treated as justified, such as unpaid wages, or the workplace moving so that commuting becomes difficult. Check with an employment centre.
When do the ceiling and the floor change?
The ceiling only rises when the Enforcement Decree is amended; the floor is tied to the minimum wage notice and rises each year. They move at different speeds, so both have to be checked annually.
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.