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How it works
- The refund is everything paid in: your 4.75% and your employer's 4.75% of monthly pay in 2026, plus interest.
- You can claim it when you leave Korea for good, if your country or visa qualifies.
- E-8, E-9 and H-2 visa holders qualify whatever their nationality.
- Claim within 5 years. Leaving from Incheon Airport, you can take it in cash there.
Refund for 24 months of work, before interest
Work from November 2024 to October 2026 with the same pay every month.
| Monthly pay | Your share | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| ₩2,000,000 | ₩2,210,000 | ₩4,420,000 |
| ₩2,500,000 | ₩2,762,500 | ₩5,525,000 |
| ₩3,000,000 | ₩3,315,000 | ₩6,630,000 |
| ₩4,000,000 | ₩4,420,000 | ₩8,840,000 |
| ₩6,590,000 | ₩7,281,950 | ₩14,563,900 |
Rates of 9% up to 2025 and 9.5% in 2026. Pay above ₩6,590,000 counts as ₩6,590,000. First day 2024-11-01, last day 2026-10-31.
Who can get it
Foreigners working in Korea pay into the National Pension (국민연금) like Koreans. The lump-sum refund (반환일시금) is paid to foreigners only in three cases, as listed by the National Pension Service (NPS) on June 15, 2026:
- Visa: E-8, E-9 or H-2, for the months worked on that visa.
- Social security agreement (24 countries): Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Luxembourg, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Türkiye, United States, Uruguay.
- Reciprocity (26 countries): Bermuda, Cambodia, Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Vanuatu. With at least 12 months: Bhutan, Cameroon, Grenada, Jordan, Laos, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand, Zimbabwe. With at least 6 months: Belize.
Agreements with Denmark, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden do not allow the refund.
How the amount is worked out
Monthly contribution = standard monthly income × 9.5% (2026)
Standard monthly income is your reported pay rounded down to the nearest ₩1,000, between ₩410,000 and ₩6,590,000 (July 2026 to June 2027). Months count from the month after you start work, or the same month if you start on the 1st, to the month of your last day.
Interest uses the 3-year time deposit rate, from the month after each payment to the month the refund becomes due. NPS does not publish the yearly rates in English, so this calculator leaves interest out.
How to claim
Apply at an NPS office within one month before you leave, with your passport, alien registration card, a bank account copy and proof of your departure date. From abroad, you can apply by mail or through an agent. Departing from Incheon Airport, you can choose to receive it in foreign cash at the airport on a weekday.
FAQ
Can foreigners get their Korean pension back?
Yes, if you are on an E-8, E-9 or H-2 visa, or your country is one of the 24 agreement countries or 26 reciprocity countries NPS lists. Other nationalities usually cannot.
How much is the Korea pension refund?
All contributions paid for you, your share and your employer's, plus interest. For ₩3,000,000 a month over 24 months it is about ₩6,630,000 before interest.
Can Americans get a National Pension refund in Korea?
Yes. The US is on the NPS list of social security agreement countries that allow the lump-sum refund.
Is there a deadline to claim?
Yes. If you do not claim within 5 years of becoming entitled, the right lapses. NPS says you may claim again within 10 years after you turn 60.
Can I get the refund at the airport?
Yes, at Incheon Airport, if you apply at an NPS office within one month before departure and choose airport payment. It is paid in foreign currency, not won, on weekdays only.
Sources
- National Pension Act (국민연금법) Article 77: lump-sum refund on reaching 60 with under 10 years, on death, or on losing nationality or emigrating. The amount is contributions paid, including the employer share, plus interest
- National Pension Act (국민연금법) Article 126(4): foreigners get the refund only under home-country reciprocity, as foreign workers under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers (E-9, H-2), or as industrial trainees (E-8). Article 127: social security agreements take priority
- National Pension Act (국민연금법) Articles 11, 12 and 17: coverage starts on the day employed, ends the day after employment ends, and counts from the month after the start month (the start month if it begins on the 1st)
- Enforcement Decree of the National Pension Act (국민연금법 시행령) Article 50: interest at the 3-year time deposit rate from the month after each payment to the month of entitlement
- National Pension Act (국민연금법) Article 88 and Act No. 20903 Addenda Article 4: contribution rate 9.5% in 2026, rising 0.5 points a year to 13% in 2033 (same module as the Korean calculator)
- NPS, Foreigners and Lump-sum Refund, countries paying the refund as of 2026-06-15, airport payment and 5-year limit: https://www.nps.or.kr/eng/ntnlpnsplan/frgnrlpsmrfnd/getOHAI0015M0.do
- NPS, Social Security Agreement, Lump-sum Refund: https://www.nps.or.kr/eng/soclsecuagre/overview/getOHAI0024M0.do
- NPS, Contributions: standard monthly income rounding, 9.5% rate, ₩410,000 floor and ₩6,590,000 cap: https://www.nps.or.kr/eng/ntnlpnsplan/cntb/getOHAI0013M0.do
Rules last checked on October 12, 2026.
Not included
- Interest (NPS adds it at the 3-year time deposit rate)
- Pay that changed over the years, and past floor and cap amounts
- Months before 2000, unpaid months and months on other visas
- Disability and survivor benefits, and the lump-sum death payment