Injoys
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.
Family-care leave is available for up to 10 days a year, and applications go to the employer.
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.
