Tax
Year-end settlement, the flat tax option, global income filing and refunds when you leave.
16 articles
Korea Inheritance Tax: Who Is Taxed, the Rates, Deductions and Filing Deadlines
Korea's inheritance tax for foreigners — what is taxed based on the deceased's residence, the 10–50% progressive rates, the deductions available, and the 6-month filing deadline.
Korea Business Registration for Foreigners: Visa Rules, Documents and the 20-Day Deadline
How to register a business in Korea as a foreigner: which visa statuses permit it, the 20-day registration deadline, the Hometax or tax-office process, required documents, and what changes on your tax bill.
Korea Freelance Tax: The 3.3% Withholding, the May Filing, and Getting Your Refund
How freelance income is taxed in Korea: the 3.3% withholding on business income, why it is only an advance payment, and how the May comprehensive income tax return settles the real amount.
Korea Local Income Tax: The 10% Surtax, Who Pays It, and How to File
What Korea's local income tax (jibang sodeukse) is, how the 10% surtax on your national income tax is calculated, who withholds it, and how to file it through Wetax.
Taxes in Korea for Foreigners: The Taxes That Apply and What Opens Them
The taxes a foreigner actually meets in Korea — income tax by residency, local income tax, VAT on spending, and the property taxes that arrive with ownership — with the 183-day rule and the flat 19% option explained.
Is There a Tax Treaty Between the US and South Korea? What the Rates Are
Yes — the US and South Korea have had an income tax convention since 1979. Here is what it caps: dividend, interest and royalty withholding, the permanent establishment rule, and how double taxation is relieved.
Seoul Tax Refund for Tourists: How the VAT Refund Actually Works
How to get your VAT refund as a tourist in Seoul — the minimum purchase, the three refund routes (immediate, downtown, airport), and the customs step that determines whether you actually get the money.
Is Korea Tax Free? The Tax-Free Myth vs What Is Actually Exempt
Korea is not tax-free — income, VAT, property and capital gains all apply. What people actually mean by 'tax free': VAT refunds for visitors, the foreign-worker flat rate, and income that is genuinely outside Korean tax.
Korea Resident vs Non-Resident Tax: The 183-Day Test and What You Pay
How Korea decides whether you are a tax resident (183-day domicile or place of residence rule), what residents versus non-residents are taxed on, and the 19% flat rate option for foreign workers.
South Korea Foreign Income Tax: What Residents Pay and How Credit Works
How Korea taxes the foreign-source income of residents: worldwide taxation, the 5-year remittance basis for non-permanent residents, the foreign tax credit, and the May global income tax return.
Does South Korea Tax Foreigners? Income Tax Rules for Expats
Yes — South Korea taxes foreigners on Korean-source income, and tax residents also pay on worldwide income. Resident rule (183 days), 2025 progressive rates, local income tax and withholding explained.
Korea's 19% Flat Tax for Foreign Workers: When It Actually Saves Money
The flat tax election trades every deduction for a single rate on gross salary. Here is how to work out whether it helps you, the eligibility conditions, and how to elect it.
Filing a Global Income Tax Return in Korea: Who Has to and How
When employment income alone is not enough and you must file in May — the residency test, which income gets aggregated, deadlines and what happens if you miss them.
Income Tax Rates in Korea: Brackets, Local Tax and What You Actually Pay
How Korea's progressive income tax brackets work, why your effective rate is much lower than your bracket, the 10% local income tax, and how social insurance changes the picture.
Tax Refund in Korea: VAT Back on Shopping, and Why It Is Not the Same as an Income Tax Refund
Two completely different things get called a Korean tax refund. Here is how the VAT refund on shopping works, who qualifies, and how it differs from the income tax refund residents receive.
Year-End Tax Settlement in Korea for Foreign Employees
How Korea's year-end tax settlement works, which deductions foreign employees can claim, the flat tax alternative, and what to do if you leave the country mid-year.