Guide · as of 2026-08-16
NPS Lump-Sum Refund When Leaving Korea: Who Qualifies, How Much
A foreigner who leaves Korea for good can claim back the full National Pension contribution, both the half deducted from salary and the employer’s matching half (included per 국민연금법 §77). The contribution rate is 9% of the standard monthly income for months through 2025 and 9.5% from January 2026, rising 0.5%p each year to 13% by 2033 under the 2025 pension reform (NPS). The refund adds interest at the 3-year time-deposit rate (2.2% for 2026, NPS notice). Eligibility is not universal: it comes either from visa status (E-9, H-2, and the old E-8 연수취업, regardless of nationality) or from the applicant’s country appearing on the NPS list of 24 social-security-agreement countries and 26 reciprocity countries (NPS list as of 2026-05). The claim is filed at any NPS branch within 1 month of departure with a plane ticket; since 2007-08-29 payment is released only after departure is confirmed, and a same-day cash pickup at Incheon Airport is available. The right lapses 5 years after it arises.
Who qualifies (국민연금법 §126–127)
Three routes, per the NPS foreigner-benefits page:
- Visa status, any nationality: enrolled while holding E-8 (연수취업), E-9 (non-professional employment), or H-2 (working visit). This covers the typical EPS worker. Warning: the current E-8 seasonal-worker status created 2019-12-24 is explicitly not eligible; only the defunct 연수취업 E-8 counts.
- Social security agreement (사회보장협정), 24 countries: including the US, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Luxembourg, India, Türkiye, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, and the Philippines.
- Reciprocity (상호주의), 26 countries whose law refunds Koreans in the mirror case: including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Ghana, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Tunisia, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Grenada, Jordan, St. Vincent, Vanuatu, Bermuda, and the Solomon Islands. Some of these require a minimum contribution period of 6 months or 1 year before a refund is payable (the NPS table splits them 1 / 8 / 17; check your country with NPS 1355 before relying on it).
China and Vietnam appear on neither list (2026-05 NPS table), so their nationals get a refund only via route 1: an E-9 factory worker from Vietnam qualifies; a Vietnamese or Chinese E-7 engineer does not, and their contributions instead stay in the system toward a future old-age pension or an agreement-based totalization.
So for the two typical cases: E-9 always qualifies; E-7 qualifies only if the passport country is on one of the two lists (e.g., India, the Philippines, Türkiye, Thailand, Indonesia yes; Vietnam, China no).
How much
Everything paid in, both halves of the contribution (at 9% of the standard monthly income through 2025, 9.5% in 2026, stepping up to 13% by 2033), plus interest computed month by month at the applicable 3-year time-deposit rate (2.2% in 2026; the rate is reset each January from bank averages). The refund is taxed as retirement income before payout (unverified: exact withholding computation on foreign-departure refunds).
How and where to claim
- Before departure: any NPS branch nationwide, within 1 month of the departure date. Documents: passport, ARC, plane ticket showing departure within 1 month, and a bank account copy (Korean or overseas). Payment is released once departure is confirmed.
- Airport cash option: request 공항지급 when filing at the branch. On departure day, visit the NPS Incheon Airport center (T1 1F between exits 1–2, booths 7–8, 09:00–18:00), then collect foreign currency (16 currencies, no KRW) at the Woori Bank counters before/after emigration control. Conditions: weekday departures only (no weekends, holidays, or the last business day of December), flight departing 10:30–24:00 (T1) or 11:00–24:00 (T2), and the employer must have filed the 퇴사신고 by the day before departure. A backup bank account is still required.
- After departure: claim from abroad by mail directly to NPS or through an appointed agent in Korea, within the 5-year limitation period. Overseas line: +82-63-713-6900.
Leaving-Korea checklist
- Employer 퇴사신고 filed (blocks the airport payment if missing).
- ARC returned to the immigration officer at final departure (출입국관리법 §37; not required when leaving temporarily with re-entry within the permitted period).
- Year-end tax settlement done with the final salary payment; see /guides/year-end-tax-settlement-foreigners.
- NHIS arrears cleared: unpaid premiums surface in immigration records; see /guides/nhis-for-foreigners.
- Bank account kept open until the refund and tax refund land, or an overseas account registered with NPS; close autopay subscriptions (phone, utilities) first.
- Phone line cancelled or converted after the last bank verification you need it for (unverified: carrier-specific settlement rules).
- E-9 only: the 출국만기보험 (departure guarantee insurance, the severance substitute under 외국인고용법 §13) is separate from the NPS refund and is payable within 14 days of departure; claim it through the insurer/HRD Korea channel in parallel.