There is money to claim before you leave
This page is machine translated from Ieumi's guide written in Korean. If the meaning is confusing, please look at the Korean original text. View original text (Korean)
If you don't take care of it before leaving Korea, there is money you may end up leaving behind.
Deadline
Counted from your departure date. Many of these can still be claimed after you leave, but it's much easier before you go.
📌 Key points
Check these four together: the National Pension lump-sum refund, severance pay, departure guarantee insurance (E-9, H-2), and tax refunds from year-end settlement. Each has a different place to claim it and a different deadline.
📍 Where to go
National Pension: 1355; severance pay and departure guarantee insurance: Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service 1588-0075; taxes: relevant tax office · 126.
⚠️ Things to watch out for
If you claim after leaving, your documents need notarization from a notary in your country of residence plus consular authentication, which takes much more effort. Countries party to the Apostille Convention must get an apostille instead of consular authentication. Still, the path is not closed, so if you left without doing this, don't give up.
❗ What happens if you don't
This cannot be undone
If the claim period passes, your right to receive the money disappears. The National Pension lump-sum refund is 5 years from the date the right arose; the departure guarantee insurance and return cost insurance are 3 years from the date the reason for payment arose. After 3 years, that money is transferred to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea.
If it is already late
Don't decide on your own whether the statute of limitations has passed. When counting starts differs for each type of money, and it can also be viewed differently depending on circumstances. Ask the National Pension Service (1355) about the pension, the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service (1588-0075) about severance pay and departure guarantee insurance, and the relevant tax office or 126 about taxes, first. Even if you're outside Korea, the National Pension line +82-63-713-6900 connects.
See also
Basis
- 외국인근로자의 고용 등에 관한 법률 제13조제3항·제4항 · 제15조제3항 — 법제처 API 원문 대조 2026-09-10 (MST 276857, 시행 2025-10-01)
- 같은 법 시행령 제21조제2항·제3항 · 제22조제1항·제2항 — 법제처 API 원문 대조 2026-09-10 (MST 244037, 시행 2023-02-03)
- https://www.nps.or.kr/pnsinfo/ntpsklg/getOHAF0079M0.do
This content was checked on 2026-09-10.