Family Care Leave: 10 Days a Year, Eligibility, Documents ========================================================= Family care leave allows up to 10 days a year for urgent family care. Its length-of-service requirements, application documents, and grounds for denial differ from those for a family care leave of absence or reduced working hours. - Family care leave is available for up to 10 days a year, even if you have worked continuously for less than 6 months. - Family care leave of absence is available for up to 90 days a year, including days used for family care leave. - Neither family care leave nor family care leave of absence is legally required to be paid, so check your company's own policies. - Reduced working hours for family care and related needs means working 15 to 30 hours a week after the reduction. - Submit your family care leave application in writing to your company, not through a government portal. Workers who urgently need to care for a family member can apply for up to 10 days of family care leave per year. This also applies to workers who have been employed for less than 6 months. For long-term care, consider a family care leave of absence or reduced working hours. The periods and limits in this article are based on laws that took effect on September 18, 2026. Comparing family care leave, a leave of absence, and reduced working hours If you need to take time off one day at a time, consider family care leave first. A family care leave of absence may be more suitable for long-term care. If you want to keep working while providing care, consider reduced working hours. Category Family care leave Family care leave of absence Reduced working hours for family care and other reasons Main purpose Urgent family care or childcare Caring for a family member due to illness, an accident, or old age Family care, your own health, retirement preparation, or studies Basic limit Up to 10 days per year Up to 90 days per year Up to 1 year How it is used In full-day units If split into periods, each period must be at least 30 days Work 15 to 30 hours per week after the reduction Employed for less than 6 months Can apply Statutory exception to the requirement to grant it applies Statutory exception to the requirement to grant it applies Pay No statutory requirement for paid leave No statutory requirement for paid leave May be adjusted in proportion to working hours Apply to Employer Employer Employer Do not add the 10 days of leave to the 90 days of leave of absence and calculate a total of 100 days. Days of family care leave count toward the family care leave of absence limit. Check the separate rules for any additional leave offered by your company. However, the period of family care leave is included in the period of family care leave of absence. This is the wording of Article 22-2(4)(2) of the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act. You can check it in the relevant provision at the National Law Information Center. Who can take family care leave and for what reasons You can apply if you urgently need to provide care because of a family member’s illness, accident, or old age, or to care for a child. The law specifies which family members are covered. For family members outside the following categories, check your company’s separate leave rules. Grandparents and parents Spouse and spouse’s parents Children and grandchildren Siblings are not covered by family care leave under this law. Your own illness is also separate from the reasons for taking family care leave. You can consider reduced working hours for your own health separately. Can I use it for an entrance ceremony, a hospital visit, or a school break? A child’s school event or a gap in childcare may also be a reason to apply. The system is not limited to sudden illness. The Ministry of Employment and Labor lists attending school events and providing care during school breaks among its examples. Situation What to check Accompanying a parent to a medical appointment Whether urgent care is needed due to illness, an accident, or old age A child’s entrance ceremony, graduation ceremony, or parent-teacher conference An example of childcare recognized by the Ministry of Employment and Labor A child’s school break or school closure Whether an actual gap in childcare has arisen The period between kindergarten graduation and elementary school entry Whether a gap in childcare creates an urgent need to care for the child Family travel or an individual activity Unlikely to qualify as an urgent childcare reason Rather than listing only the event name, explain why care is needed. Preparing a school notice or medical appointment schedule can help establish the reason. You can check recognized examples in the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s response to a family care leave inquiry. Additional conditions for caring for grandparents or grandchildren When caring for grandparents or grandchildren, the circumstances of other direct family members are also considered. For grandparents, this means direct descendants, such as their children. For grandchildren, it means direct ascendants, such as their parents. If those family members exist, a statutory exception to the requirement to grant leave may apply. But the exception is different if they cannot provide care because of illness, old age, disability, or being minors. If the worker applying must provide the care, the employer must grant the leave. Can I apply if I recently started my job? You can apply for family care leave even if you have been continuously employed for less than 6 months. The length-of-service condition for a leave of absence must not be applied to family care leave. The Ministry of Employment and Labor also makes this distinction between the two. For a family care leave of absence, the period of continuous employment is measured through the day before the planned start date. If it is less than 6 months, the company may decline to grant the leave of absence. A statement that you must have worked for a full year does not reflect the current rules. A statutory exception for workers employed continuously for less than 6 months also applies to reduced working hours. Even if you meet the length-of-service condition, check other exceptions separately. The length-of-service rule for family care leave is explained in the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Seoul Nambu District Office guidance. How to apply and supporting documents Submit your application to your company. This is separate from applying for government financial support. You can also apply for family care leave electronically. If your company has its own form, check that it includes the information required by law. Choose the arrangement you need. First decide whether you need leave in full-day units or a longer leave of absence. Check how much time you have left. Review the family care leave and leave of absence you have used in the same year. Submit your application. Include the dates you will use and information about the family member who needs care. Discuss the documents needed to verify the reason. Check with your company what it needs and when you should submit it. Keep your application record and the company’s response. Also check the approved period and how your pay will be handled. Arrangement Main items to include in the application When to apply Family care leave Dates of use, family member’s name and date of birth, application date, applicant No uniform statutory number of days’ advance notice Family care leave of absence Family member’s details, reason care is needed, start and end dates, application date, applicant In principle, at least 30 days before the planned start date Reduced working hours Reason for applying, start and end dates, start and finish times, application date, applicant In principle, at least 30 days before the planned start date Do not apply the 30-day advance application rule for a leave of absence to family care leave. If the situation is urgent, tell your company promptly. It is also a good idea to submit an application document. Applying late for a leave of absence does not immediately remove your right to apply. The company must set a start date within 30 days of the application and grant the leave of absence. Whether a statutory exception applies is assessed separately. Is a medical certificate always required? A medical certificate is not uniformly included among the statutory application items for family care leave. For a leave of absence, there is a rule allowing the company to request documents confirming the need for it. The company may also request documents proving the reason for reduced working hours. What needs to be verified Examples of documents to consider preparing Relationship to the person needing care Family relationship certificate or other proof of the relationship Care due to illness or hospitalization Medical visit confirmation, hospital admission and discharge confirmation, and similar documents School event or gap in childcare School letter, event notice, school closure notice, and similar documents Other family members’ inability to provide care Documents confirming those circumstances Not every applicant must submit all these documents. Discuss with your company what proof fits your situation. You can also check the application rules in the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s response to an inquiry about documents. When a company can refuse The exceptions to granting family care leave, a leave of absence, and reduced working hours differ. An explanation that no replacement worker is available cannot be applied to every arrangement. For family care leave in particular, a refusal must be distinguished from a change in timing. Reason Family care leave Family care leave of absence Reduced working hours Less than 6 months of continuous employment Not an exception to granting leave Exception to granting a leave of absence Exception to granting reduced hours Another family member can provide care Separate exception concerning grandparents and grandchildren Exception based on family relationships and ability to provide care Not listed as a separate exception Failure to hire a replacement Not a general exception Exception if statutory recruitment-effort requirements are met Exception if statutory recruitment-effort requirements are met Serious disruption to business operations Timing may be changed after consulting the worker Exception if the employer proves it Exception if the employer proves the statutory conditions are met Less than 2 years since a previous period of reduced hours ended Not applicable Not applicable Exception to granting reduced hours The replacement-worker exception requires a job posting through an employment security agency. In principle, the employer must try to recruit for at least 14 days. The exception does not apply if the employer rejects referred candidates at least twice without a valid reason. A company that does not grant a leave of absence must give its reasons in writing. It must also try to provide alternative support, such as adjusting start and finish times. Refusing reduced working hours requires written notice and discussion of alternatives. The exceptions for family care leave and a leave of absence are set out in Article 16-3 of the Enforcement Decree. Check Article 16-8 of the Enforcement Decree for the exceptions concerning reduced working hours. Example: calculating 10 days of leave and 90 days of leave of absence If you have used 10 days of family care leave in the same year, you have 80 days of leave of absence remaining. This is calculated by subtracting the 10 days of leave already used from the annual 90-day limit. The following example assumes you have used no other time. Item Calculation Combined annual limit 90 days Family care leave already used 10 days Remaining family care leave of absence limit 90 days - 10 days = 80 days Condition for splitting a leave of absence Each period of leave of absence must be at least 30 days You cannot split the remaining 80 days into single-day periods of leave of absence. Family care leave and a leave of absence have different units of use. For long-term care, plan around both your remaining limit and the minimum period of use. Common mistakes about unpaid leave, half-days, and financial support Check your statutory right to take leave separately from whether you will be paid. There is no statutory requirement to pay workers during family care leave or a family care leave of absence. If your employment rules or collective agreement provide for paid leave, check those provisions. Thinking you must use all your annual leave first: Using up annual leave is not a statutory application requirement. Thinking half-day use is guaranteed by law: Current law provides for family care leave in full-day units. Thinking government financial support is paid automatically when you take leave: Taking leave and receiving cash support are separate. Thinking the limit is automatically extended during a disaster: An extension requires statutory procedures and a notice from the Ministry of Employment and Labor. If you need a half-day, check your company’s separate rules. Do not assume a proposed improvement has taken effect based only on news reports about it. Do not rely on past guidance about COVID-19 family care expense support as a basis for applying now. Conditions to check when choosing reduced working hours If you want to combine care and work, you can consider reducing your schedule to 15 to 30 hours per week. The reduced-hours period is generally up to 1 year. This is separate from the annual 90-day limit for a family care leave of absence. You can apply for the following reasons: Caring for a family member due to illness, an accident, or old age Managing your own health, including an injury caused by illness or an accident Retirement preparation by a worker aged at least 55 The worker’s own studies Reduced working hours for family care, your own health, or retirement preparation can be extended if there is a reasonable reason. The additional extension can be up to 2 years. The total period can therefore be up to 3 years, but studies do not qualify for this extension. You and your company must agree on working conditions after the reduction in writing. Pay may be adjusted in proportion to working hours. The relevant rules are summarized in the Easy-to-Find Practical Law Information guidance on reduced working hours. Application records and severance pay calculations: points that are easy to miss Periods of family care leave or a leave of absence count toward your length of service even if they are unpaid. They are excluded from the period used to calculate average wages. Average wages are a statutory wage measure used to calculate severance pay and other payments. Do not exclude these periods from your length of service simply because they are unpaid. Periods of reduced working hours are also excluded from the average-wage calculation period. For an actual retirement benefit calculation, check the type of retirement pension plan you have. Another point to check is the company’s response to an application for reduced working hours. If it does not notify you within 30 days of the application whether it will grant the request, the request is deemed granted. Do not extend this rule into an automatic approval rule for family care leave or a leave of absence. It is useful to keep the following records: The application and a record confirming when it was submitted The company’s response approving, refusing, or changing the timing The period used and records of how pay was handled Start and finish times after a reduction and the written agreement on working conditions How do short-term parental leave and the rules for public officials differ? Short-term parental leave may be another option for childcare. This arrangement took effect on August 20, 2026. It is different from splitting up family care leave. Category Family care leave for employees Short-term parental leave Family care leave for public officials Applicable rules Equal Employment Opportunity Act Parental leave provisions of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act Applicable public official service regulations Main purpose Caring for family members covered by law Short-term care for a child eligible for parental leave Reasons for care listed in the service regulations Period and unit Generally 10 days per year, in full-day units Once a year, for 1 week or 2 weeks Within 10 days per year, with separate paid and unpaid rules Pay Check the company’s separate paid-leave rules Check employment insurance parental leave benefit requirements Paid-leave rules based on factors including the number of children and reason for care Short-term parental leave can be used for reasons such as school breaks, childcare facility closures, school closures, and hospitalization. The days used are deducted from the total parental leave period. Check the separate eligibility requirements for benefits. See the guidance on the introduction of short-term parental leave for recognized reasons. National public officials have paid-leave rules for certain childcare needs. The basic calculation is the number of eligible children plus 1 day. Additional rules apply to children with disabilities and single-parent circumstances. Do not apply the paid-leave rules for public officials to employees of ordinary companies. Check the service regulations that apply to you for use during school breaks. Public-sector workers who are not public officials have a different employment status, so they should check their employment rules and collective agreements. Where to turn if your request is unfairly refused Refusing family care leave or a leave of absence without a statutory exception may lead to penalties. An unlawful refusal to grant it can result in an administrative fine of up to 5 million won. Dismissing or otherwise treating a worker unfavorably for using it is also prohibited. Ask the company which reason and legal basis it used to refuse your request. Organize the relevant records, including your application and the company’s response. Contact the Ministry of Employment and Labor at 1350 or your local employment and labor office for advice. When seeking advice, specify whether you applied for family care leave, a leave of absence, or reduced working hours. It also helps to explain your length of service and your relationship to the person needing care. You can check the application and penalty rules for a leave of absence in the Easy-to-Find Practical Law Information guidance on family care leave of absence. FAQ Q. Can I take family care leave even if I have worked for less than 6 months? A. You can apply for family care leave even if you have been continuously employed for less than 6 months. The length-of-service exceptions for family care leave of absence and reduced working hours do not apply to family care leave. Q. Do I have to work for at least 1 year to apply for family care leave of absence? A. Under current rules, an exception applies if you have been continuously employed for less than 6 months as of the day before the planned start of the leave of absence. A statement that 1 year of service is required does not reflect the current rules. Q. Will I be paid if I take family care leave? A. There is no legal obligation to pay for it. Check whether your company's work rules or collective agreement separately provide for paid leave. Q. Do I have to use all my annual leave first? A. Using up your annual leave is not a legal requirement for applying for family care leave. You only need to check the conditions for family care leave, including the reason for providing care and the number of days you have left. Q. Can I use it to accompany a parent to the hospital? A. You can apply if a parent urgently needs care due to illness, an accident, or old age. Explain why you need to accompany them to a medical appointment in your application. Q. Can I use it for my child's school entrance ceremony or school vacation? A. The Ministry of Employment and Labor lists attendance at school events, such as entrance ceremonies and parent-teacher meetings, as accepted examples. You can also apply if a school vacation creates an actual gap in childcare. Q. Can I use family care leave for a sibling's illness or my own illness? A. Siblings and you yourself are not among the family members covered by this program. If you have a health issue, check the rules on reduced working hours or your company's sick leave policy. Q. Can I take family care leave in half-day increments? A. Under current law, family care leave is taken in full-day increments. If you need a half-day, check whether your company has separate rules or whether you can reach an agreement. Q. Do I have to submit a medical certificate when I apply? A. The rules for applying for family care leave do not list a medical certificate as a document required in every case. Check with your company about the documents needed to verify your reason for taking leave and when to submit them. Q. Can I use the 10 days of leave and the 90 days of leave of absence separately? A. Days of family care leave count toward the annual 90-day limit for family care leave of absence. If you have used 10 days of leave in the same year, you have 80 days of leave of absence remaining. Q. Can my company refuse my leave because it has no replacement staff? A. Failure to hire replacement staff is not a general exception to granting family care leave. If the leave would seriously disrupt business operations, the company can discuss changing when you take it with you. Q. How long can I have reduced working hours? A. The basic period is up to 1 year. For family care, your own health, or retirement preparation, you can extend it by up to another 2 years if there is a reasonable reason. Q. Is unpaid family care leave of absence excluded from my length of service? A. Periods of family care leave of absence and family care leave count toward length of service. They are excluded from the period used to calculate average wages. Q. Do I apply for family care leave through 정부24? A. Employees apply for family care leave to their employer in writing. This is separate from the process for applying for government support payments or separate pay. Q. Do the rules for paid family care leave for public officials also apply to company employees? A. The service regulations that apply to public officials do not apply unchanged to employees at ordinary companies. Company employees should check the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and their company's separate rules on paid leave. Q. Is short-term parental leave deducted from family care leave? A. Short-term parental leave is deducted from the total parental leave period. It is separate from the annual 10 days of family care leave. Sources - National Law Information Center, Article 22-2 of the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act: https://www.law.go.kr/lsLinkCommonInfo.do?chrClsCd=010202&lsJoLnkSeq=1030171147 - National Law Information Center, Article 16-3 of the Enforcement Decree of the Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act: https://law.go.kr/lsLinkCommonInfo.do?chrClsCd=010202&lspttninfSeq=153389 - Ministry of Employment and Labor, Seoul Southern District Office, Information on eligibility, duration, and how to apply for family care leave: https://www.moel.go.kr/local/seoulnambu/news/notice/noticeView.do?bbs_seq=20200301026 - Ministry of Employment and Labor 1350, Advice on family care leave for childcare: https://1350.moel.go.kr/rtmview.do?id=1000323029 - Ministry of Employment and Labor 1350, Advice on family care leave applications and supporting documents: https://1350.moel.go.kr/rtmview.do?id=1000320049 - Easy-to-Find Practical Legal Information, Family care leave of absence: https://easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?ccfNo=1&cciNo=3&cnpClsNo=1&csmSeq=1380 - Easy-to-Find Practical Legal Information, Family care leave: https://www.easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?ccfNo=1&cciNo=3&cnpClsNo=2&csmSeq=1380&popMenu=ov&search_put= - Easy-to-Find Practical Legal Information, Reduced working hours for family care and other purposes: https://www.easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?ccfNo=1&cciNo=3&cnpClsNo=3&csmSeq=1380 - National Law Information Center, Provisions on reduced working hours for family care and working conditions: https://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=221503&viewCls=lsRvsDocInfoR - Korea Policy Briefing, Information on the implementation of the short-term parental leave system: https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148970780 - Ministry of Employment and Labor 1350, Advice on the duration of short-term parental leave and how it is deducted: https://1350.moel.go.kr/rtmview.do?id=1000325483&page=1&type=ALL - Guidelines on the Service and Discipline of National Public Officials, Family care leave: https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/flDownload.do?bylClsCd=&flSeq=160550387 - Ministry of Employment and Labor, Information on emergency support for COVID-19 family care expenses in 2022: https://www.moel.go.kr/news/cardinfo/view.do?bbs_seq=20220400304 Images - A shop employee hands a form across the counter while an elderly woman with a cane waits by the door.: https://injoys.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MjI2NzcsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--b4307ab0350e7e706a87e9b37a0482d056f72d3a/ai-bc910f89.webp - A father talks on the phone while holding his daughter's hand outside a primary school in autumn.: https://injoys.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MjI2ODMsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--837c92d74c6c8ad81dd433da73f4489dbf0d8d1d/ai-4a21741c.webp --- Category: Policy Guide Source: https://injoys.com/en/articles/family-care-leave-10-days-eligibility-and-application License: cc_by Translation-Status: reviewed