Quitting a Job in Korea: What Expats Must Do First

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The first thing most people think about when quitting a job in Korea is the resignation letter. The paperwork that follows — the health insurance deadline, the pension decision, the tax filing you have to do yourself — that part catches almost everyone off guard. If you also have family members covered under your employee insurance, like a spouse or a child, the urgency doubles immediately. Before you touch any government office or online portal, there is one thing you need to sort out first. You’ll also want to check your health insurance payment history in Korea so you have a clean record before your status changes.

Step 0: Get Your Documents From Your Company First

Before any government office, before any online form — secure your paperwork from your employer. This is the step nobody writes about, and it is the one that matters most.

You will need your employment certificate (재직증명서), your salary statements, and your resignation acceptance confirmation. Without these, you cannot apply for unemployment benefits, you cannot accurately calculate your pension exemption, and you may hit delays at every counter you visit.

If your company takes extra days to issue these after your last day, get a written promise with a date. Do not leave without that commitment. Everything else in this guide depends on having clean documentation in your hands.

Health Insurance After Resignation: Your Three Options

This is where most expats get an unpleasant surprise. The moment you leave your company, you become a 지역가입자 (jiyeok-gaipja) — Regional Subscriber. And regional subscriber rates are not calculated on your income alone.

The Korean government looks at your total assets: your apartment’s jeonse deposit, your car, your financial holdings. For many expats, that first bill arriving in the mail is significantly higher than anything they paid while employed. The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has adjusted the average regional subscriber flat rate upward for the 2024/2025 fiscal period, making this more urgent than ever.

You have three realistic paths:

• Option 1 — Dependent Registration: If your spouse is employed in Korea, the cleanest solution is registering under their company’s national insurance. No separate premium for you. If you have children covered under your previous policy, they move with you under the employed spouse’s plan. For our family, this was the answer — my daughter’s regular hospital visits continue without interruption under her mother’s coverage.
• Option 2 — 임의계속가입 (imui-gyesok-gaip), the Voluntary Continuous Subscription System Korea: You apply to keep your previous employee insurance rate for up to three years. You must have maintained employee subscriber status for at least one cumulative year in the 18 months before resignation. You must apply within exactly two months of receiving your first regional insurance bill. Miss this window and it is permanently closed — no appeals, no exceptions.
• Option 3 — Pay the Regional Rate: The default if you do nothing. Compare the numbers before accepting this. For long-term foreign residents on E-1 through E-7, F-2, and F-4 visas, the government charges a flat rate based on the average Korean regional subscriber amount rather than assessing your individual assets.

To apply for the voluntary continuous subscription, visit your nearest National Health Insurance Corporation branch office or apply by phone, mail, or fax. Bring your resignation document and your first regional premium bill.

National Pension Payment Exemption Korea: How to Pause the 9%

While employed, you and your employer each paid 4.5% of your pre-tax salary into the National Pension. Once you resign, the National Pension Service (NPS) expects you to cover the full 9% yourself as a regional contributor. On a modest salary, that is a significant monthly drain with zero income coming in.

If paying is genuinely difficult without income, you can apply for 납부예외 (napbu-yewae) — Payment Exemption. This pauses your contributions for up to three years. The catch: the exemption period does not count toward your total pension subscription years, which can reduce your eventual payout.

There is also the option to pay back the missed contributions later — either in a lump sum or installments — once income resumes. This is called 추후 납부 (subsequent payment), and it allows you to recover the lost contribution period if your financial situation improves.

To apply for the exemption, visit your local National Pension Service branch, send an application by mail or fax, or use the National Pension app to fax the form. You need documentation confirming you have no current income.

Need help translating these pension application forms or figuring out which option fits your specific visa and income situation? JustAskJin can walk you through the paperwork step by step — get in touch here.

Unemployment Benefits: What Your Visa Actually Allows

Here is the misconception that costs expats the most: not all foreign workers in Korea are entitled to 실업급여 (sileop-geupyeo) — Unemployment Benefits — even if they paid taxes and were dismissed unfairly.

F-5, F-2, and F-6 visa holders are enrolled in Employment Insurance automatically, the same as Korean citizens. If you hold one of these visas and were paying in, you can claim benefits.

E-7 and F-4 visa holders are different. Enrollment in Employment Insurance is opt-in. If you did not explicitly choose to pay the premium during your employment, you are not covered — and you will receive nothing when you resign or are let go. Check your pay stubs now, before you leave, to confirm whether you were enrolled.

If you are eligible, the Worknet Employment Insurance portal sets a hard 12-month deadline from your resignation date to claim any benefits. After that, unpaid benefits expire permanently. The application process requires registering as a job seeker on Worknet, completing mandatory online training, and submitting in person at an Employment Welfare Plus Center within 14 days of finishing the training.

Comprehensive Income Tax Return Korea Foreigner: The May Filing

When you resign mid-year, your company’s HR processes a final tax settlement — but it is a stripped-down version. They use only the most basic legally required deductions. Your credit card spending history, medical bills, and education costs are not included. That means you almost certainly overpaid on your way out.

To claim that money back, you must file a 종합소득세 (jonghap-sodeukse) — Comprehensive Income Tax Return yourself. The window is May 1st to May 31st of the year following your resignation. If you do not file in that month, you lose those deductions permanently.

This applies if you were not re-employed by the end of the calendar year. If you started a new job and your new employer ran a year-end tax settlement, you may already be covered — but verify that the previous employer’s income was included in the calculation.

Foreign workers also have a unique option: apply a flat 19% tax rate to gross income for up to 20 years instead of using progressive Korean tax brackets. The trade-off is that you cannot claim any additional deductions under this flat rate. Check with the National Tax Service (NTS) English portal to determine which method works in your favour before filing.

If you have children and want to understand how dependent registration affects both your insurance and your tax situation, see our guide on pregnancy and family benefits available in Korea.