Korea National Health Insurance Dependents

Korea's National Health Insurance (국민건강보험, NHI) system covers the entire population through two main categories: workplace subscribers (직장가입자) who are formal employees, and local subscribers (지역가입자) who are self-employed, retired, or not in formal employment. Dependents (피부양자) of workplace subscribers can be covered under the employee's workplace insurance without paying separate premiums — a significant financial benefit that makes the Korean health insurance system function similarly to a family plan. Qualifying dependents include spouses, parents (with income below KRW 33.6 million per year and assets below certain thresholds), children under 19 (or under 23 if enrolled in education), and grandparents or siblings who meet income and asset requirements. The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) regularly audits dependent qualifications and removes those who no longer qualify — particularly common when adult children gain employment or when parents have significant financial assets or property income. For local subscribers (지역가입자), the monthly premium is calculated based on a points system (점수) that considers income, property value (including real estate and vehicles), and age/gender factors. This makes local subscriber premiums considerably more complex than workplace subscriber premiums, which are simply 7.09% of salary (split equally between employer and employee at approximately 3.545% each in 2024). The Geomgangae (거강보험 경감) system provides premium reductions for low-income local subscribers through various exemption programs.

Calkulon makes complex calculations simple — built for students and everyday problem-solvers.

1. 1Workplace subscribers have premiums automatically calculated and deducted from monthly salary at 3.545% employee share, matched by employer.
2. 2Add long-term care insurance (장기요양보험) premium at 12.95% of the NHI premium amount.
3. 3Dependents are registered on the employee's NHI family plan — they receive full coverage without separate premiums.
4. 4For local subscribers, submit income and asset data annually to NHIS; premiums are recalculated each November based on the prior year's data.
5. 5Dependents must meet income tests (typically annual income ≤ KRW 33.6 million), asset tests, and family relationship criteria.
6. 6When dependents gain employment or their income/assets change, notify NHIS within the required period to avoid retroactive premium assessment.
7. 7For premium reduction programs (Geomgangae), apply through NHIS with documentation of qualifying low-income status.

• !Å ikke varsle NHIS når en forsørget får jobb — manglende fjerning av en inhabilitet forsørget fører til tilbakevirkende premievurdering for den ansatte.
• !Forutsatt at alle familiemedlemmer automatisk kvalifiserer som forsørgere uten å sjekke inntekts- og formuesgrenser - dette er den vanligste NHI-overholdelsesfeilen.
• !Glemmer å omregistrere forsørgere etter pensjonering, når abonnenten går fra arbeidsplass til lokal abonnentstatus.
• !Søker ikke om fritak for langsiktig omsorgsforsikring for personer med svært lav inntekt som kan kvalifisere for reduserte priser.
• !Lokale abonnenter underrapporterer eiendomsmidler til NHIS, noe som kan føre til tilbakevirkende premiejusteringer når det nasjonale eiendomsregisteret revideres.
• !Foreldre med pensjonsinntekt nær grensen på KRW 33,6 millioner overvåker ikke årlig om de fortsatt kvalifiserer som forsørgede.