What is it? Let us explain simply
Korea has a system called the "Out-of-Pocket Maximum."
If your annual hospital copayments exceed the "cap," you get the excess refunded.
Anyone enrolled in National Health Insurance qualifies. Foreigners too!
For example, if someone with a cap of 810,000 KRW paid 1,500,000 KRW in a year? → They get 690,000 KRW back.
The cap depends on your income
Most E-7 workers fall in Tiers 1–4.
| Tier | Monthly Premium | Annual Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | ~ 28,000 KRW | 810K KRW |
| Tier 2 | 28,000 ~ 53,000 KRW | 1.01M KRW |
| Tier 3 | 53,000 ~ 79,000 KRW | 1.52M KRW |
| Tier 4 | 79,000 ~ 108,000 KRW | 2.03M KRW |
| Tier 5 | 108,000 ~ 147,000 KRW | 2.54M KRW |
| Tier 6 | 147,000 ~ 208,000 KRW | 3.05M KRW |
| Tier 7 | 208,000 ~ 312,000 KRW | 3.56M KRW |
| Tier 8–10 | 312,000 KRW ~ | 4.3–7.8M KRW |
How much can you get back?
🧮 Refund Calculator
This is an estimate.
How do you get your refund?
There are two ways. One is automatic, and the other requires you to apply yourself.
NHIS calculates your annual total and notifies you automatically the next year.
Notifications usually arrive August–September of the following year.
If you've already exceeded the cap at the same hospital, you can apply right away.
Download the NHIS App
Install the "The건강보험" app. It has English menus.
Register Your Bank Account
Register your "refund account" in the app.
Wait for the Notification
NHIS will text you around August–September the next year.
No notification?
☎️ Call 1577-1000 and ask. Foreign language support available.