Unemployment Benefit Estimator
Estimates the daily benefit and payment period from age, insured period and average wage.
구직급여 is 60% of your 평균임금 per day, clamped between a floor tied to the minimum wage and a ceiling set by 고용노동부 고시, for a number of days from a table of age at separation against insured period. For most earners the clamp decides the answer, not the salary.
Calculated on the 2026 figures.
구직급여일액 (daily benefit) ceiling 68,100원 · floor 66,048원 (minimum wage 10,320원 × 80% × 8 h) · 60% of the average wage
Frozen at 66,000원 from 2019 and raised to 68,100원 to undo the inversion with the floor. It applies to separations on or after 1 January 2026.
Conditions
Gross, averaged over three months
89–92
Estimated benefit
1일 평균임금 — average daily wage
98,901원
구직급여일액 — daily benefit
66,048원
The floor applied
소정급여일수 — days payable
180 days
3 to 5 years · under 50
Estimated month (30 days)
1,981,440원
Estimated total
11,888,640원
60% of the average wage came out below the floor, so the floor was used. The ceiling and the floor are only 2,052원 apart, so people on very different pay receive much the same amount.
Days payable
| Insured period | Under 50 | 50 or over, or disabled |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 120 days | 120 days |
| 1 to 3 years | 150 days | 180 days |
| 3 to 5 years | 180 days | 210 days |
| 5 to 10 years | 210 days | 240 days |
| 10 years or more | 240 days | 270 days |
고용보험법 별표 1 (amended 27 August 2019). The age is 만 나이 at separation.
Worth knowing
- You need 180 insured days in the 18 months before leaving.
- Resigning voluntarily is excluded as a rule; being asked to leave, a contract ending, and a resignation with good cause can all qualify.
- Claim within 12 months of the day after separation; after that nothing is paid even if days remain.
- The first 7 days after claiming are a waiting period and are not paid.
- Eligibility and the amount actually paid are decided by the 고용센터. This is an estimate.
How to use it
Enter age at separation and insured period
These two decide the 소정급여일수 from the statutory table. Age is at the date of separation, not today.
Enter the average wage
The daily benefit is 60% of it — and then clamped, which is why two people on very different salaries often get the same figure.
Read the total as days × daily amount
The period matters more than the rate for most people. A longer insured period moves the total far more than a higher salary does, once the ceiling is reached.
Common questions
Am I eligible?
This does not compute that, and could not. Eligibility turns on why the employment ended — an involuntary separation, or a resignation with a recognised justifiable cause — and that is a judgement the 고용센터 makes on your record. The figures here assume eligibility.
Why does a higher salary not increase the benefit?
The ceiling. Above roughly the salary at which 60% of the daily average exceeds it, everyone receives the same daily amount. The gap between floor and ceiling is narrow, which is why the benefit compresses so sharply.
Where do the floor and ceiling come from?
The floor is 고용보험법 §46 (Employment Insurance Act, art. 46) — the minimum wage × 80% × 8 hours — so it moves with the minimum wage. The ceiling is a figure 고용노동부 sets by notice and is not a formula. Both are shown on the page with the year they apply to.
Do I get the full amount from the first day?
No. There is a waiting period, payment is made after each 실업인정 at intervals, and the first payment covers less than a full cycle. This estimates the entitlement, not the payment schedule.
Feed it from
Business Registration Number Validator
Checks the 10-digit check sum of a Korean business number and can bulk-validate a pasted column.
Resident Number Format Validator
Checks whether a 13-digit resident number is structurally valid — date part, region rules and check digit.
Resident Number Masker
Finds resident numbers in text or a spreadsheet column and masks them to the legally acceptable form.
Korean Postcode Search
Looks up the five-digit postcode for a road-name or lot-number address, with a bulk column mode.
Next
These accept what this tool produces, so the result can go straight in.
Social Insurance Calculator
Splits national pension, health, long-term care and employment insurance between employee and employer.
Net Salary Calculator
Works out take-home pay from a gross salary after the four insurances, income tax and local tax.
Severance Pay Calculator
Calculates statutory severance from the average wage of the last three months and the service period.
Korean Age Calculator
Works out your 만나이, 연나이 and the old 세는나이 from a birth date, on any reference day.
Annual Leave Calculator
Works out how many paid leave days have accrued by joining date or fiscal year, including the first-year rule.
Business Registration Number Validator
Checks the 10-digit check sum of a Korean business number and can bulk-validate a pasted column.