2026 tax-year timeline
- Around November — Hometax year-end settlement preview (the 2025 preview opened on 5 November 2025 with Jan–Sep card data).
- Mid-January — simplified service opens (15 January in 2026, final data from 20 January).
- February — most employers settle through pay.
- 10 March — employers’ deadline for filing payment statements.
Main changes
| Item | Change (as announced) | In this app |
|---|---|---|
| Card deduction cap | Raised by number of children: +500,000 KRW per child up to +1M for gross up to 70M; +250,000 per child up to +500,000 above | Not reflected (3M / 2.5M fixed) |
| Childcare allowance exemption | From 200,000 KRW a month in total to 200,000 KRW a month per child | Enter taxable gross only |
| Education credit | Arts and sports academy fees for lower elementary children (under 9) added | Not reflected |
| Hometown donations | Credit rate for the 100,000–200,000 KRW part raised from 15% to 40% | Not reflected |
Start dates and conditions differ by item; check the NTS 2026 tax-year guidance when it is published.
For foreign employees
Under the law in force in 2026, the 19% flat-rate option covers foreign workers who first start work in Korea on or before 31 December 2026, for up to 20 years. If you are planning to start work in Korea in 2027, check whether the deadline has been extended before counting on it.
Adjusting a calculator result
- Children and a card deduction at the cap — your real refund may be larger. Check whether “Card/cash deduction” sits exactly at 3M (or 2.5M).
- Items the app has no field for — actual social insurance, pension savings and IRP, rent, education, donations, child tax credit, marriage tax credit and SME youth exemption. If any are large, your real refund will be larger.
- Personal deduction — the app counts 1.5M KRW per person only, without additional deductions for seniors or disabled dependents.
Using the app now
Use it for direction, not the final number
The app uses the 2025 tax-year formula (earned-income deduction, progressive rates, earned-income tax credit, card spending above 25%, housing savings 40%, medical 15%). Use it to compare choices, then confirm amounts in the Hometax preview.
Match it against the November preview
When the preview opens, enter its final tax and tax already paid in the app and find which item from the list above explains any gap.
The app’s English screens show amounts with the Korean won sign, and the saved-scenario card keeps a few Korean labels in the current version.
FAQ
Are the tax brackets changing?
The 2025 amendments we checked did not change the basic income tax brackets. Confirm with the NTS guidance.
When will the app switch to the 2026 tax year?
No date is set. The note under each result states the tax year the formula is based on.
Sources: Korea.kr, changes from 2026 (Korean) · Korea.kr, card deduction limit by number of children (Korean) · Daily NTN, 2025 tax law amendments (Korean) · Restriction of Special Taxation Act, Art. 18-2 (Korean) · Korea.kr, 2025 year-end settlement preview opens (Korean) · Korea.kr, simplified service opens Jan 15 (Korean)
Year-End Tax Calculator
No sign-up, works offline, and your salary data stays on your phone. Free on Android, in English and Korean.