Korean Weekly Holiday Allowance: Rules, Formulas, and Common Mistakes

1. What the weekly holiday allowance is

Korea's weekly holiday allowance (*juhyu sudang*) is one paid day's wage granted to a worker who completes their contracted workdays in a given week. It is a statutory allowance under Article 55 of the Labor Standards Act and applies to part-time, fixed-term, and full-time workers alike, regardless of company size or industry.

A common misunderstanding: this is not payment for an extra day worked. It is payment for a day not worked. If you actually work on the weekly holiday, wages for that day arise separately.

2. Three conditions

All three must hold.

Contracted weekly hours of 15 or more. Contracted hours means the hours agreed in the contract; overtime does not count toward this threshold.

Full attendance on that week's contracted workdays. A single unexcused absence removes the entitlement for that week.

The employment relationship continues.

3. Formulas

40 or more hours per week:

Allowance = hourly wage × 8 hours

Under 40 hours per week:

Allowance = (weekly contracted hours ÷ 40) × 8 × hourly wage

The second formula simply prorates the 8-hour benchmark granted at a full 40-hour week.

4. Worked examples

Example 1 — 15 hours per week at 10,000 KRW/hour
(15 ÷ 40) × 8 × 10,000 = 30,000 KRW
Weekly pay: 150,000 for hours worked + 30,000 allowance = 180,000 KRW.

Example 2 — 40 hours per week at 10,000 KRW/hour
8 × 10,000 = 80,000 KRW
Weekly pay: 400,000 + 80,000 = 480,000 KRW.

5. Frequently misunderstood points

Lateness and early departure are not absences. If you reported for a contracted workday, attendance stands. An actual absence, however, cancels that week's entitlement.

Monthly salaries usually already include it. For salaried workers the allowance is normally folded into the monthly figure. Check the wage composition before assuming it is owed separately.

The 15-hour threshold uses contracted hours, not hours actually worked. A 14-hour contract worked up to 16 hours through overtime needs individual assessment.

The final week of employment is generally treated as producing no allowance, since the employment relationship ends that week.

6. The 3.3% withholding versus social insurance

The 3.3% rate is withholding on freelance (business income) contracts. An employment contract normally requires enrolment in the four social insurances. Classifying a de facto employee as a freelancer is a frequent source of disputes; what matters is not only the contract wording but whether direction and supervision actually existed.

7. Using the calculator

EVEDAYS PayCal computes pay from an hourly rate and hours worked, with options for the weekly allowance and the 3.3% deduction. Treat results as approximations: real pay also depends on overtime, night and holiday premiums, non-taxable allowances, and that year's insurance rates.

8. Sources and disclaimer

Minimum wage figures change annually and are deliberately not printed here. Check the current amount at the primary source.

Minimum Wage Commission — annual minimum wage notices

Ministry of Employment and Labor — administrative interpretations

Korean Law Information Center — Labor Standards Act, Article 55

This article is general information, not legal or labor advice. For wage disputes, contact the Ministry of Employment and Labor counselling line (1350) or a certified labor attorney.