The amount I received is less than what I calculated. Why?
It is not a mistake. Departure Guarantee Insurance and your legal severance pay are calculated on two different bases.
| Basis | |
|---|---|
| Departure Guarantee Insurance | 8.3% or more of the monthly ordinary wage written on your Employment Permit, deposited every month (MOEL Notice No. 2011-33) |
| Legal severance pay | Average wage over your last 3 months × 30 days × years of service (Employee Retirement Benefit Security Act, Art. 8) |
The wage on your Employment Permit is the figure declared when you were hired. There is no rule requiring that basis to be updated when your pay goes up. So if your wage rose, if you worked a lot of overtime, or if you changed workplaces, the insurance kept growing on the old, lower number.
Here is how that plays out. Suppose your Employment Permit was filed at ₩2,100,000 a month. Three years later, with overtime, you are earning ₩2,900,000.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Insurance deposited (₩2.1m × 8.3% × 36 months + interest) | about ₩6,300,000 and up |
| Legal severance (₩2.9m × 3 years) | ₩8,700,000 |
| The difference your employer must pay | about ₩2,000,000 – ₩2,400,000 |
This is an example only. Your own wage and dates decide the real figure. Interest is added to the deposit, so the actual payout is higher than ₩6,300,000 — the policy says interest is compounded annually at "the accrual rate at the time of payment", but that rate is not published.
Legal severance − insurance payout = the difference your employer must pay you
This is not your employer's choice. The law makes it an obligation (Enforcement Decree Art. 21(3)). The Ministry of Employment and Labor states the same thing:
A migrant worker can find out the expected insurance payout in writing before departure, and use that as the basis to claim the severance difference from the employer.
— Ministry of Employment and Labor, Uijeongbu Office, 18 July 2022
Kori Care Severance CalculatorWork out your legal severance — one minute, free, no sign-up
How do I find out what is actually in my insurance?
You do not need to pay an agent for this. There are two ways, and both are free.
1. Check it yourself in the app — this is the fastest
Install EPS 전용보험. It is the official app made by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance. Search for it on Google Play or the App Store.
- Expected payout — you can see the amount accumulated so far, right now
- You can also file your claim and check its status in the app
- It supports 19 languages, including Thai and Vietnamese
No phone call, no paperwork.
2. Demand it in writing — the government set this up
If an employer or a migrant worker asks the insurer to confirm the insurance amount, the insurer issues the expected payout in writing, immediately. This system is in operation.
— Ministry of Employment and Labor
The law says the same:
The insurer shall confirm the lump sum in writing (including electronic documents) without delay.
— Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Workers Employment Act, Art. 21(4)
If you ask, the insurer cannot refuse. Samsung Fire foreign worker line 1600-0266 (from overseas 82-2-2261-8400), weekdays 09:00–18:00. On the ARS menu you can select your country and speak in your own language.
Three steps
- Calculate your legal severance with the Kori Care calculator
- Check your expected payout in the EPS 전용보험 app
- Compare the two. If the insurance is lower, that gap is money you are owed
If you changed workplaces or renewed your contract, check again. A new contract means a new Employment Permit, and the deposit basis should have been raised to your new wage. Often it was not.
What is Departure Guarantee Insurance?
If you work on an E-9 or H-2 visa, your employer does not pay your severance directly. They deposit into an insurance policy with Samsung Fire every month, and you receive it when you leave Korea (Foreign Workers Employment Act, Art. 13(1)). You cannot claim it while you are still in Korea.
Once the employer enrolls, they are deemed to have set up a severance pay system (Art. 13(2)). But as shown above, being enrolled does not mean your full legal severance is guaranteed.
My insurance does not exist at all
You may not have been eligible. Employers are only required to enroll workers who have 1 year or more remaining on their employment activity period. If you started with less than a year left, there is no policy.
Your severance right still stands. If there is no insurance, the employer must pay you directly.
If you were eligible and your employer did not enroll you, that is punishable by a fine of up to ₩5,000,000. Falling three or more months behind on premiums also carries penalties of ₩800,000, ₩1,600,000 and ₩3,200,000 for the first, second and third offence.
What if I do not reach one year?
You receive nothing, and the money goes back to your employer.
Where the insured has worked for less than one year, the lump sum shall belong to the employer.
— Enforcement Decree Art. 21(2)2, proviso
This is why contracts sometimes end just before the one-year mark. Keep your own record of the days and hours you worked. Even if the work was split into several short contracts, Korean courts add continuous periods together.
When and how do I claim?
You must do this in two places. Doing only one will not release the money.
| 1 month before departure | Report your planned departure to the Employment Center |
| At least 7 days before departure | Apply to Samsung Fire for payment — app, the dedicated call centre, or fax 0505-161-1421 (from overseas 82-505-161-1421) |
Payment is made within 14 days from the date you leave the country (Art. 13(3)).
Four ways to receive it
| Method | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Remittance-only Korean account | Kookmin, Shinhan, KEB Hana, Woori. You must visit that bank in person to register it as your foreign-exchange bank |
| Ordinary Korean account | Some banks ask for extra documents |
| Your home-country account | Must be an account in your own country. SWIFT code required |
| Cash at the airport | See the procedure and time limit below |
If you choose a bank account, the money is sent after the Ministry of Justice confirms you have actually left.
If you want the airport option, you need a document in advance. When you apply, select airport payment and the insurer issues a payment instruction (보험금 지급지시서). Without it you cannot collect at the airport.
- On the day you fly, bring your passport, flight ticket and the payment instruction to the designated bank counter inside the airport
- The bank checks them and gives you an exchange receipt
- After immigration, present that receipt at the exchange counter inside the duty-free area and receive the money in the currency you want
Incheon is served by KEB Hana, Woori and Kookmin; Gimhae by Busan Bank.
At Incheon, the counters only handle flights departing between 07:30 and 01:59, and you must arrive 4 hours before your flight. If your flight leaves between 02:00 and 07:30, you cannot collect at the airport. Choose a bank account instead.
I already left Korea and still have not been paid
You have three years. If you do not claim within three years of the payment becoming due, the right lapses and the financial institution transfers the money to HRD Korea within one month (Art. 13(4)).
After that, Samsung Fire says HRD Korea runs a dormant insurance search service. However, the procedure for an individual to reclaim it is not confirmed in published sources. Claiming before the three years are up is the certain route.
What if my employer will not pay the difference?
Start with what is free.
- 1577-0071 — Foreign Workers Counselling Centre. Thai and Vietnamese supported. Every day 09:00–18:00
- 1350 — Ministry of Employment and Labor. English and Chinese. Weekdays 09:00–18:00
- File a report at your local labour office. No cost
Since 6 November 2025, when a labour inspector investigates unpaid wages, they do not report you to immigration. This does not make your stay legal, and it does not cover being stopped in any other way.
Kori Care can help
If the Korean paperwork does not make sense, or you do not know who to ask about what, contact Kori Care. It is free.
Some cases cannot be settled with basic support and need a licensed labour attorney (공인노무사). Even then, a professional working with Kori Care will speak on your side.
Kori Care Severance CalculatorCheck your figure before you file
Korean words you will hear
These words appear on your documents and at the counter. Each card shows the Korean word, what it means, and how to say it. You can show a card to the staff.
