"Can foreign workers get their National Pension back?" Workers who held non-professional employment (E-9), working visit (H-2) or trainee employment (E-8) status can receive the lump-sum refund on returning home, regardless of nationality. The amount paid is the contributions plus interest, and a person who has already departed can claim through a designated proxy and receive payment to a home-country account.
Who is eligible for the refund
In principle, the lump-sum refund is paid to a foreign national only where their home country pays the equivalent benefit to Koreans (reciprocity) or a social security agreement exists between the two countries.
However, workers whose status of stay was non-professional employment (E-9), working visit (H-2) or trainee employment (E-8) receive the refund on returning home irrespective of those conditions. Nationality and reciprocity are not at issue, so a work history under those statuses makes you eligible to claim.
How the amount is structured
The refund is the pension contributions paid, plus interest. The contribution rate is 9% of the standard monthly income — 4.5% from the worker and 4.5% from the employer (as of 2026). Suppose, for example, 58 months of work at a standard monthly income of KRW 2.5M; the calculation runs as follows.
| Standard monthly income | KRW 2.5M |
| Contribution rate | 9% (worker + employer, as of 2026) |
| Monthly contribution | approx. KRW 225,000 |
| Contribution period | 58 months |
| Principal contributed | approx. KRW 13.05M |
| Amount paid | approx. KRW 13.5M after interest |
These figures are estimates based on the assumed case. The actual amount depends on the standard monthly income, the actual months of coverage, and the applicable interest rate (based on the three-year time-deposit rate), and the exact figure is confirmed from the National Pension Service's coverage records.
Claiming after departure and the limitation period
The refund can be claimed before departure, and a person who has already returned home can still claim and receive payment to a home-country account. Where returning to Korea is difficult, a proxy can be designated to pursue the claim.
It should be noted, however, that the claim is time-limited: it must be made within five years of the date the entitlement arose (departure), after which the right is extinguished by prescription.
When the contribution history is not straightforward
Suppose, for example, a person who worked for years under E-9, then changed to another status of stay before departing. Whether and how much can be claimed cannot be judged on general criteria alone: the special rule applies by status of stay, and where status and workplaces changed several times during the coverage period, confirming and computing the history is not simple.
In such matters, 1) the status of stay and coverage history by period, 2) contribution records by workplace, 3) the departure date and time elapsed, and 4) whether a social security agreement applies to the home country are examined together, and the conclusion can differ accordingly, so case-by-case review is required.
The order of preparation
Taking the above together, it is advisable first to confirm your contribution period and expected amount from the National Pension Service's records; if you are still in Korea, to prepare the claim around your departure schedule; and if you have already departed, to proceed with a proxy claim before the five-year period from departure expires.
Frequently asked questions
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The Center was founded through the organic collaboration of attorneys Junwoo Min, Dohyun Nam, and Seungchul Kim — criminal-law specialists who have advised across a wide range of immigration matters — with Senior Advisor Taemin Ahn, who has served at the Seoul Global Center, as a center head at the Ministry of Justice's Global Start-up Immigration Center, and as a member of the Foreign Workers' Rights Protection Council of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration. It is Law Firm Lawyeon's dedicated center for immigration practice.
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This article is intended as general information about the relevant legal framework and is not legal advice on any individual matter. Determinations concerning immigration status may differ depending on specific facts such as residence history, income and contractual relationships. If your situation requires individual review, you may request a consultation with the Immigration Support Center of Law Firm Lawyeon (lawyeonvisa.app).