A National Health Insurance bill arrives at your Korean address and the total is much higher than you expected.
You recognize your name, but almost everything else is in Korean:
건강보험료, 장기요양보험료, 납부기한, 체납보험료, 납부자번호.
Before paying, there is one question you should answer first:
Why are you receiving the bill directly?
Foreign residents in Korea can be insured in different ways.
If you are an employee covered through a Korean workplace, your share of National Health Insurance is normally deducted from salary and your employer handles the payment.
If you are enrolled as a regional or self-employed insured person, however, you may receive a monthly National Health Insurance Service payment notice and need to pay the premium yourself.
There are also situations where an employed person can receive a separate NHIS charge, so an unexpected bill should not simply be ignored.
Last checked: October 3, 2026. Korean health-insurance rates, foreign-resident contribution rules, payment deadlines, and digital payment services can change. This guide explains the current system generally; ask NHIS about a bill whose eligibility period or calculation you believe is incorrect.
Quick answer: what should you check first?
When you receive an NHIS bill or payment notice, check these items in this order:
- 가입자 구분 — Are you employee-insured or regional/self-employed insured?
- 고지년월 — Which insurance month is being charged?
- 건강보험료 — How much is the National Health Insurance premium?
- 장기요양보험료 — Is Long-Term Care Insurance included?
- 체납보험료 / 연체금 — Is any older unpaid amount included?
- 납부할 금액 — What is the actual total due?
- 납부기한 — When must it be paid?
- 납부방법 — Which bank account, portal, card, or automatic-payment method will you use?
If the insurance period itself looks wrong, do not start by arguing about the total amount.
Check your eligibility status first.
First: 직장가입자 or 지역가입자?
Korea's National Health Insurance system broadly separates insured people into:
직장가입자 — employee-insured
This usually applies when you work for a workplace covered by National Health Insurance.
Foreign employees working at a covered Korean workplace are generally enrolled as employee-insured persons.
For ordinary company employees:
The premium is deducted from salary.
The employer pays the total contribution to NHIS and normally bears 50% of the employee health-insurance contribution.
You therefore usually check your:
급여명세서 — payslip
rather than receiving a normal monthly bill at home for that salary-based premium.
지역가입자 — regional/self-employed insured
This can include long-term foreign residents who are not covered as employees or dependents and meet Korea's enrollment requirements.
In this situation, you normally pay your own monthly premium.
This is the type of foreign resident most likely to receive a National Health Insurance payment notice directly.
If you are employed but receive a bill anyway
Do not assume it must be a mistake.
Possible explanations can include:
- You were previously registered as a regional subscriber.
- Your workplace enrollment started later than expected.
- The notice covers a period before workplace insurance began.
- Your employment ended and your insurance category changed.
- A separate premium or adjustment applies.
Look at the billing period and your:
자격득실 — insurance eligibility history.
If the dates overlap incorrectly with your workplace enrollment, contact NHIS rather than paying twice and trying to solve it later.
2026 employee health-insurance rate
For 2026, the official National Health Insurance employee contribution rate is:
7.19%
of the applicable monthly remuneration.
For an ordinary company employee:
Employer: 50%
Employee: 50%
So the employee does not normally personally pay the entire 7.19% amount from take-home pay.
Long-Term Care Insurance is calculated separately in connection with the health-insurance contribution.
Official source checked: National Health Insurance Service — 2026 Contribution Rate.
What is 장기요양보험료?
This is one of the most common questions when foreigners first read an NHIS bill.
장기요양보험료
means:
Long-Term Care Insurance premium.
It helps fund Korea's Long-Term Care Insurance system for people who need long-term assistance because of aging or qualifying health conditions.
It is not:
- A late fee
- A hospital charge
- An optional private insurance product
For 2026, the Long-Term Care Insurance rate is 0.9448% of income, equivalent to 13.14% of the National Health Insurance premium. Do not multiply the health premium by 0.9448%.
Source: MOHW long-term care premium rates; checked October 9, 2026.So seeing both:
건강보험료
and:
장기요양보험료
on one notice is normal.
The foreign regional-insured average-premium floor
You may encounter 외국인 지역가입자 평균보험료, a minimum for some foreign regional subscribers. Check the applicable year’s amount and separate health and Long-Term Care Insurance lines directly with NHIS. This guide does not quote an independently verified 2026 floor. NHIS foreign-resident guidance explains the general floor and exceptions, not your individual amount; reviewed October 9, 2026.
Foreign regional-insurance calculations depend on factors including:
- Visa/status category
- Income
- Property
- Household circumstances
- Applicable reductions
For many foreign regional subscribers subject to the special foreign-resident rules, if the individually calculated premium falls below the applicable average-premium floor, the average premium can be charged instead.
Different rules apply to some categories, including permanent residents and marriage immigrants, and reductions can apply to certain students and other eligible groups.
Do not compare your amount with another foreigner's bill unless your insurance category and status are actually the same.
Students can have a different amount
Foreign students are a good example.
NHIS currently provides a premium reduction for eligible:
- D-2 students
- D-4 general trainees
- Certain F-4 overseas Korean students
The applicable current reduction rate can substantially change the amount shown on the notice.
So if you are a student and your friend on an employment visa pays a different amount:
that difference does not automatically mean one bill is wrong.
How to read the main items on the notice
The exact design can change, but these Korean terms are useful.
고지년월
Billing month.
This tells you which month's premium NHIS is charging.
Do not confuse:
the month printed as the insurance month
with:
the day the notice physically arrived.
건강보험료
National Health Insurance premium.
This is the core health-insurance contribution.
장기요양보험료
Long-Term Care Insurance premium.
보험료 합계 / 납부할 금액
Total amount due.
This is the number you ultimately need to pay.
납부기한
Payment deadline.
Foreign residents should pay particular attention to this because the due date can depend on the type of foreign regional insurance that applies to you.
납부자번호
Payer number.
This number helps NHIS identify the account responsible for the premium.
You may need it when:
- Checking bills
- Setting up automatic payment
- Making online payments
- Contacting NHIS
전자납부번호
Electronic payment number.
This can be used in supported internet/mobile banking and Giro payment systems.
체납보험료
Overdue/unpaid premium.
If this appears, part of the bill is not from the current month.
연체금
Late-payment charge.
If the premium was not paid by the deadline, additional charges may apply under the statutory collection rules.
Why a bill can suddenly be much larger than last month
Check these possibilities before assuming the premium rate suddenly doubled.
1. More than one month is included
You may have:
- Current premium
- Older unpaid premium
- A retroactive premium
on the same notice.
2. Your insurance category changed
For example:
employee → regional
after leaving a job.
3. NHIS received updated income or property information
Regional insurance is affected by the information NHIS uses to calculate your household's contribution.
4. A reduction ended or changed
This can matter for students or another group receiving a reduction.
5. Long-Term Care Insurance changed
The 2026 Long-Term Care Insurance premium rate increased compared with 2025.
6. There is an adjustment
Eligibility can sometimes be corrected retroactively, creating an additional charge or refund.
Foreign regional subscribers can have a different payment deadline
This is one of the most important differences for foreign residents.
Under the National Health Insurance Act, many foreign regional subscribers who fall under the special foreign-resident collection rules must pay the premium for a month by:
the 25th day of the previous month.
In other words, the system can operate as a form of advance payment.
That is different from the ordinary general rule people often read online stating that regional premiums are due on the 10th of the following month.
However, not every foreign resident follows the special 25th-of-the-previous-month rule.
Permanent residents, marriage immigrants, and other categories subject to domestic-style collection rules can be treated differently.
The safest rule is simple: use the 납부기한 printed on your actual NHIS notice.
This is why copying a Korean friend's due date can be wrong
Your Korean coworker says:
“Health insurance is due on the 10th.”
You receive a foreign regional-insurance notice saying:
25th.
Both can be correct under different rules.
Pay according to your own notice.
What is a 독촉고지서?
If a premium remains unpaid, you may receive:
독촉고지서 — overdue/demand notice.
This is different from the ordinary monthly bill.
It means NHIS records an unpaid amount and is requesting payment.
Do not pay the amount from an old screenshot or old paper bill without checking the current balance.
NHIS notes that late-payment charges can be calculated up to the payment date, so the amount payable can differ from an older overdue notice.
What happens if a foreign regional subscriber does not pay?
Do not ignore overdue National Health Insurance premiums.
NHIS can pursue collection of unpaid contributions under Korean law.
For some foreign regional subscribers, continued nonpayment can also affect the use of health-insurance benefits.
The rules changed in 2025 and now include exceptions based on factors such as visa/status and the number of monthly arrears, so older articles saying:
“One late payment immediately cancels all health coverage.”
should not be relied on.
But unpaid premiums can still become a serious issue.
If you receive a delinquency notice and cannot understand why:
contact NHIS immediately.
How can you pay the bill?
NHIS provides several payment methods.
Depending on the account and service, these include:
- Automatic bank transfer
- Automatic card payment
- Bank account transfer
- Virtual account
- Internet Giro / Mobile Giro
- Social Insurance Integrated Collection Portal
- NHIS mobile app services
- Supported simple-payment services
Virtual account payment
You may obtain a:
가상계좌 — virtual account.
Transfer the exact premium amount to the issued account.
Check the expiry and payment window shown when the virtual account is issued. An account obtained earlier may no longer be valid; ask NHIS for current instructions if unsure.
Check the account and amount carefully before transferring.
Payment account printed on the bill
A notice can also show a:
입금전용계좌 — dedicated payment account.
Follow the amount, deadline and account instructions on your current notice. If overdue or the amount changed, ask NHIS whether that account can still be used.
If the bill is already overdue, check the updated balance and payment method rather than transferring the old amount blindly.
Can you pay by credit card?
Yes, supported NHIS payment systems allow credit and check-card payment.
But there is an important cost:
Credit card payment agency fee: 0.8%
Check card payment agency fee: 0.5%
NHIS’s official premium-payment guide confirms that these card-processing fees are included in the payment. It states that the fee is excluded from a subsequent premium refund, credit-card payments cannot be cancelled, and overseas-issued cards are not accepted; checked October 27, 2026. Confirm the applicable fee and conditions on NHIS’s current payment screen before authorizing payment.
Foreign-issued cards can be a problem
Before relying on an overseas-issued card, check whether the current payment service accepts it. Supported methods can vary by service; keep another supported route available before the deadline.
You may need another payment method, such as:
- Korean bank transfer
- Virtual account
- Another supported local payment route
Confirm that your chosen payment method works before the final hour of the due date.
Internet Giro and Mobile Giro
NHIS premiums can also be paid through Korean:
인터넷지로 / 모바일지로.
Depending on the service, payment options can include:
- Bank transfer
- Korean credit/check card
- Supported simple-payment methods
Use only the options shown on the live payment screen. Check authentication, fees and confirmation of receipt; this guide does not guarantee support for a named wallet.
Automatic payment is useful for long-term residents
If you expect to pay premiums yourself every month, consider:
자동이체 — automatic payment.
NHIS allows automatic payment applications through its online services.
You can register an eligible:
- Bank account
- Credit/check card
depending on the available service.
Automatic payment helps avoid accidentally missing a premium while traveling or forgetting a paper bill.
But do not assume automatic payment worked
If the bank balance is insufficient or the payment method fails, the premium can remain unpaid.
If a deduction fails, ask NHIS whether another attempt is scheduled, whether you need to pay separately and how to avoid double payment. A failed attempt does not settle the premium.
Check:
- Whether the deduction actually occurred
- Your NHIS payment history
- Your bank/card statement
after the first automatic-payment month.
Ask about electronic notices and reminders
Ask NHIS which electronic billing options are available and how to register. Check the delivery channel, whether it replaces paper bills and how overdue notices are handled.
If using 국민비서 or another reminder service, confirm the relevant notice is currently supported and enabled. This guide does not establish a 2026 expansion date or guarantee KakaoTalk/LMS delivery. Verify your actual NHIS balance and deadline.
Paper bill did not arrive?
Do not assume:
“No bill = nothing to pay.”
A notice can fail to reach you because:
- Your address changed
- Your mailbox name is different
- You activated electronic notice
- The notice was lost
Check the amount through NHIS or the Social Insurance Integrated Collection Portal.
If you recently moved, make sure your official residence and NHIS contact information are current.
고지서 and 납부확인서 are different documents
This is very useful to remember.
보험료 고지서
Premium bill / payment notice.
It tells you how much you need to pay.
보험료 납부확인서
Premium Payment Certificate.
It proves what you already paid.
You may later need a payment certificate for:
- Administrative procedures
- Tax-related records
- Other proof-of-payment purposes
NHIS currently allows an individual to view payment history and issue a payment certificate online, including selecting the relevant period and insurance type.
Do not submit a bill when someone asks for proof of payment
A bill proves that NHIS asked you to pay.
It does not prove that you actually paid.
If an organization asks:
건강보험료 납부확인서
issue the payment certificate instead.
What if your bill covers a period before you arrived in Korea?
Check immediately.
Prepare:
- Passport
- Residence Card
- Entry/exit information
- Employment dates if relevant
- NHIS notice
Then contact NHIS and ask them to confirm:
your eligibility-acquisition date.
Do not simply pay an obviously incorrect period because you are worried about being late.
What if the bill covers a period when your employer already deducted insurance?
Compare:
- Payslip
- Employment start date
- NHIS eligibility history
- Billing month
Then ask NHIS:
직장가입자로 보험료를 납부한 기간과 지역보험료가 겹치는 것 같아요.
It looks like the regional premium overlaps with a period when I was paying as an employee-insured person.
NHIS can determine whether the eligibility or premium needs correction.
What happens when you leave a job?
If your employer-insured status ends and you remain eligible to stay in Korea, your insurance status can change.
Do not assume:
“I left my employer, so my Korean National Health Insurance disappeared permanently.”
Depending on your circumstances, you may:
- Become a regional subscriber
- Join another workplace
- Become an eligible dependent
- Use another applicable insurance-status arrangement
This is one reason an NHIS bill may arrive shortly after resignation.
Related AllThingsK8282 guide:
Resigning from a Job in Korea: Final Pay, Documents, and What to Check Before Leaving
What if you leave Korea permanently?
Before leaving, confirm:
- When your NHIS eligibility ends
- Whether there is a final premium
- Whether you have unpaid premiums
- Whether an automatic payment should be canceled
- Whether NHIS owes you a refund
Do not simply close your Korean bank account and leave an unresolved NHIS bill behind.
Related AllThingsK8282 guide:
How to Close Korean Utilities and Accounts Before Leaving Korea
What if the amount seems too high?
Do not compare only with another person's premium.
Check:
1. Your insurance category
Employee or regional?
2. Visa/status category
Are special foreigner rules or reductions involved?
3. Number of months
Is the bill for one month or several?
4. Current + overdue amounts
Are previous unpaid premiums included?
5. Long-Term Care Insurance
Is the amount you are comparing health insurance only, while your bill includes both?
6. Income/property changes
Did the calculation basis change?
If none of these explains the amount, contact NHIS and ask for the calculation basis.
Useful Korean words
- 국민건강보험 — National Health Insurance
- 국민건강보험공단 — National Health Insurance Service
- 건강보험료 — health-insurance premium
- 장기요양보험료 — Long-Term Care Insurance premium
- 직장가입자 — employee-insured person
- 지역가입자 — regional/self-employed insured person
- 피부양자 — dependent
- 고지서 — bill / payment notice
- 납부기한 — payment deadline
- 납부자번호 — payer number
- 전자납부번호 — electronic payment number
- 체납보험료 — overdue premium
- 연체금 — late-payment charge
- 독촉고지서 — overdue/demand notice
- 자동이체 — automatic payment
- 가상계좌 — virtual account
- 납부확인서 — payment certificate
Useful phrases when calling NHIS
I received a health-insurance bill
건강보험료 고지서를 받았어요.
I received a National Health Insurance bill.
I want to know why this amount was charged
이 금액이 왜 부과됐는지 알고 싶어요.
I would like to know why this amount was charged.
I think the insurance period is wrong
보험료가 부과된 기간이 잘못된 것 같아요.
I think the period being charged is incorrect.
I already paid through my employer
회사에서 직장가입자로 이미 보험료를 납부했어요.
I already paid health insurance through my employer.
I want to apply for automatic payment
자동이체를 신청하고 싶어요.
I would like to set up automatic payment.
Do I have any overdue premiums?
체납된 보험료가 있나요?
Do I have any overdue premiums?
I need a premium payment certificate
건강보험료 납부확인서가 필요해요.
I need a National Health Insurance premium payment certificate.
NHIS foreign-language customer service
The National Health Insurance Service currently provides foreign-language consultation in:
- English
- Chinese
- Vietnamese
- Uzbek
From Korea:
1577-1000 → extension 6
or:
033-811-2000
From overseas:
+82-33-811-2001
Current consultation hours are:
Weekdays 09:00–18:00.
A practical example: employee in Korea
You work for a Korean company.
Your payslip already shows:
건강보험
and:
장기요양보험.
Then a separate regional-insurance bill arrives at home.
Do this:
- Check the insurance month on the bill.
- Check your employment start date.
- Check your payslip.
- Check NHIS eligibility history.
- Call NHIS if the periods appear to overlap.
Do not simply pay both without understanding why.
Another example: foreign regional subscriber
You do not have workplace insurance and receive a monthly NHIS notice.
Check:
- Health-insurance premium
- Long-Term Care Insurance premium
- Reduction, if one applies
- Total amount
- Due date
- Whether older arrears are included
If everything is correct, pay using the provided account, automatic payment, or another supported NHIS method.
Another example: you receive a second bill after forgetting to pay
The second document says:
독촉.
Do this:
- Check the current outstanding balance.
- Check whether a late-payment charge has been added.
- Use a payment method valid for overdue premiums.
- Confirm the payment was received.
Do not send only the amount printed on an old regular notice if the current arrears have changed.
A simple NHIS bill checklist
- ☐ Is this my name and payer number?
- ☐ Am I employee-insured or regional-insured?
- ☐ Which month is being charged?
- ☐ What is the 건강보험료 amount?
- ☐ What is the 장기요양보험료 amount?
- ☐ Is a reduction shown?
- ☐ Is there an overdue premium?
- ☐ Is there a late-payment charge?
- ☐ What is the total due?
- ☐ What is the exact payment deadline?
- ☐ Is my automatic payment active?
- ☐ Did NHIS actually receive the payment?
The biggest mistake: looking only at the total
You open the envelope and see:
₩318,000.
That number alone tells you very little.
It could represent:
- One month's normal premium
- Two months
- A current premium plus arrears
- A retroactive adjustment
- A premium after your insurance category changed
Instead, read:
billing period → health premium → long-term care premium → arrears → deadline → total.
That order tells you what the bill actually means.
Bottom line
A Korean National Health Insurance payment notice becomes much easier to understand once you know your insurance category.
Employee-insured:
Your normal salary-based contribution is usually withheld through payroll and shared with your employer.
Regional/self-employed insured:
You generally pay the monthly premium yourself and may receive a bill directly.
On the notice, separate:
건강보험료
from:
장기요양보험료.
Then check:
납부기한, 체납보험료, 연체금, and the final amount due.
For foreign regional subscribers, do not assume the due date is always the same as it is for Korean regional subscribers; some foreign-resident premiums are payable in advance by the 25th of the previous month.
And if a bill does not match your employment, immigration, or insurance history:
ask NHIS to verify the eligibility period before treating the notice as automatically correct.
Related guide: Finding suitable hospital care in Korea.
Related AllThingsK8282 guides
- Resigning from a Job in Korea: Final Pay, Documents, and What to Check Before Leaving
- How to Close Korean Utilities and Accounts Before Leaving Korea
- How to Use Government24 in Korea as a Foreigner: Login, Certificates, and Common Problems
- Korean Digital Certificates for Foreigners: 공동인증서, 금융인증서, and PASS Explained
- How to Update Your Korean Phone Number Across Banks, Apps, and Government Services
Sources and verification scope
- NHIS foreign-resident guidance: categories, general floor and exceptions; confirm the numerical floor.
- NHIS contribution rates: 2026 health rate 7.19%.
- MOHW Long-Term Care Insurance: 0.9448% of income, equivalent to 13.14% of the health premium.
- Foreign-resident rules, Article 9 and NHIS Act Enforcement Decree: advance payment and arrears exceptions.
- NHIS premium-payment guide: card fees, acceptance restrictions, and refund conditions; checked October 27, 2026.
- NHIS foreign-language contacts.
Reviewed October 9, 2026. The scanned 2026 average-premium notice and payment/electronic-notice portal conditions were not independently readable; this guide directs confirmation rather than asserting those figures or conditions.
Editorial note: This article was checked against official National Health Insurance Service and Korean statutory information on October 3, 2026. Premium amounts and deadlines depend on insurance status, visa/status, household, income, property, reductions, and whether special foreign-resident collection rules apply. For an individual bill dispute, confirm the eligibility period and calculation directly with NHIS.
Editorial update: October 12, 2026. Replaced the representative image to remove fixed minimum amounts and confusing rate calculations; retained the current bill-reading guidance.
Update — October 27, 2026: Replaced the mismatched NPS fee reference with current NHIS payment guidance and updated the fee-refund and card-acceptance cautions. The supported 0.8% credit-card and 0.5% check-card rates are unchanged; no personal payment was tested.
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