Check Your Parental Benefit Cash Difference When Using Daycare

So at age 0 you keep KRW 416,000 a month, and at age 1 there is no cash left.

How much is the parental benefit in 2026?

The amounts are the same as in 2025. Income and assets are not considered, and every child under 2 receives it.

The groups are split by months of age counted from the birthday. Knowing in advance that the amount switches to the age 1 figure from the month your child turns 12 months makes household planning easier.

Why does the amount shrink if you use daycare?

When you use daycare, the parental benefit is first used as a childcare fee voucher. If anything is left after using the voucher, you receive that difference in cash. Here is the 2026 calculation the government announced.

At age 1 the basic childcare fee is higher than the parental benefit, so no cash is left. The benefit has not been cut off. The whole amount goes to the childcare fee.

When is it deposited?

The deposit date depends on how you receive it.

• Raised at home: The full parental benefit arrives on the 25th of every month.
• Daycare difference: The difference arrives on the 20th of the month after the month of use.

For example, if a child at age 0 attended daycare in March, the March difference of KRW 416,000 arrives on April 20. For how it is handled when the date falls on a weekend or a public holiday, check the Bokjiro notice.

How do you apply?

You must apply within 60 days of the date of birth to receive the benefit retroactively from the month of birth. There are three ways to apply.

1. At the neighborhood administrative welfare center (eup, myeon, or dong), apply through the Happy Birth one-stop service when you register the birth. The child allowance and the First Meeting Voucher are applied for at the same time.
2. Apply online on Bokjiro.
3. Apply online on Gov24.

If you decide to send your child to daycare, you have to apply separately for the infant childcare fee. When you use the full-day childcare helper service, the government subsidy application is also separate.

What is easy to miss?

• If you are about to start daycare, factor into your household plan that no cash will be left after age 1.
• If you put off the birth registration beyond 60 days, you may not receive several months of the parental benefit at the start.
• If your type of care (home care, daycare, childcare helper) changes, you need to file a change application for the right amount to be deposited.

Last checked: 2026-10-13. Please check again with the Ministry of Health and Welfare Counseling Center at 129 or your city, county, or district office for your individual eligibility and the difference calculation.