South Korea Raises Health Insurance Contribution Cap for High-Income Employees in 2026

Starting in 2026, South Korea has increased the maximum monthly health insurance contributions for high-income salaried workers, including top corporate executives and business owners, as part of an annual adjustment tied to average wage growth.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on January 5, the revised regulation on monthly health insurance contribution limits has officially taken effect, raising both the upper and lower contribution thresholds.

Under the new rules, the cap on health insurance contributions calculated from regular monthly salaries has been increased from 9,008,340 won to 9,183,480 won. Since contributions are shared equally between employees and employers, the maximum amount paid directly by an individual employee has risen from 4,504,170 won to 4,591,740 won per month.

This means affected high-income workers will pay approximately 87,570 won more each month, or about 1.05 million won more annually.

The contribution cap for additional income—such as interest, dividends, or rental earnings—has also been raised to the same level. Employees with substantial non-salary income are now required to pay up to 4,591,740 won per month solely under this category.

In cases where both salary-based and additional income-based contributions reach the maximum, an individual’s total monthly health insurance payment can exceed 9 million won.

The government explained that these annual adjustments are linked to changes in the average health insurance contribution of salaried workers. The system aims to prevent unlimited contribution increases while maintaining fairness by reflecting overall wage trends.

At the same time, the minimum monthly health insurance contribution for employees and self-employed individuals has been slightly increased, from 19,780 won in 2025 to 20,160 won in 2026, to strengthen protections for low-income and socially vulnerable groups.

While the changes are expected to have limited impact on most workers, officials emphasized that the revision supports the financial sustainability of the national health insurance system and reinforces the principle of income-based contribution equity.