Learn Key Tax Terms (세금 어휘), Practical Expressions, and Cultural Tips for Living or Working in Korea

Whether you’re a resident, a worker, a business owner, or just curious, understanding Korean tax vocabulary (세금 관련 단어) and essential expressions is important for daily life and financial responsibility in Korea.

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📊 Must-Know Korean Tax Vocabulary

Korean	Pronunciation	English
세금	se-geum	Tax
소득세	so-deuk-se	Income tax
부가가치세 (부가세)	bu-ga-ga-chi-se / bu-ga-se	Value-added tax (VAT)
종합소득세	jong-hap-so-deuk-se	Comprehensive income tax
재산세	jae-san-se	Property tax
주민세	ju-min-se	Resident tax
국세청	guk-se-cheong	National Tax Service
세무서	se-mu-seo	Tax office
세무사	se-mu-sa	Tax accountant
납세자	nap-se-ja	Taxpayer
납부	nap-bu	Payment (of taxes)
신고하다	sin-go-ha-da	To declare / report
공제	gong-je	Deduction
환급	hwan-geup	Tax refund
연말정산	yeon-mal-jeong-san	Year-end tax settlement
과세표준	gwa-se-pyo-jun	Tax base
세율	se-yul	Tax rate

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🧾 Useful Korean Tax-Related Verbs & Phrases

Korean	Pronunciation	English
세금을 내다	se-geum-eul nae-da	To pay taxes
세금을 신고하다	se-geum-eul sin-go-ha-da	To file taxes
세금 환급을 받다	se-geum hwan-geup-eul bat-da	To receive a tax refund
공제를 받다	gong-je-reul bat-da	To receive a deduction
연말정산을 하다	yeon-mal-jeong-san-eul ha-da	To do year-end tax settlement
세무 상담을 받다	se-mu sang-dam-eul bat-da	To get tax consultation
소득을 신고하다	so-deuk-eul sin-go-ha-da	To declare income
세무서에 가다	se-mu-seo-e ga-da	To go to the tax office
세무사를 고용하다	se-mu-sa-reul go-yong-ha-da	To hire a tax accountant
종합소득세 신고 마감일이에요	jong-hap-so-deuk-se sin-go ma-gam-il-i-e-yo	It’s the deadline for income tax filing.

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🗣️ Polite and Practical Tax Expressions in Korean

Korean	Pronunciation	English
세무 상담을 예약하고 싶어요.	se-mu sang-dam-eul ye-yak-ha-go sip-eo-yo	I’d like to schedule a tax consultation.
연말정산은 어떻게 해요?	yeon-mal-jeong-san-eun eo-tteo-ke hae-yo?	How do I do year-end tax settlement?
세금이 너무 많이 나왔어요.	se-geum-i neo-mu ma-ni na-wat-seo-yo	I got taxed too much.
세금 환급 받을 수 있나요?	se-geum hwan-geup bat-eul su it-na-yo?	Can I get a tax refund?
신고 마감일이 언제예요?	sin-go ma-gam-il-i eon-je-ye-yo?	When is the filing deadline?
자동 납부 신청하고 싶어요.	ja-dong nap-bu sin-cheong-ha-go sip-eo-yo	I want to apply for auto tax payment.

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🧠 Tax in Korea – What to Know

📅 Korean Tax Season

• 연말정산 (Year-End Tax Settlement) happens every January–February for salaried workers.
• 종합소득세 (Comprehensive Income Tax) is filed in May for freelancers, business owners, etc.
• Deadlines are strict. Late filing can result in penalties.

💵 Tax Refunds & Deductions

• You may receive a 환급 (refund) based on 공제 (deductions) like:
  • 보험료 (insurance premiums)
  • 의료비 (medical expenses)
  • 교육비 (education expenses)
  • 기부금 (donations)

🏢 Who Files Taxes in Korea?

• Employees: via employer’s 연말정산
• Freelancers/self-employed: individual filing required
• Foreigners: must file if you earn Korean income

🇰🇷 Foreigners and Korean Tax

• Foreign residents must file tax based on income source and residency length.
• Some may benefit from tax treaties (조세 조약) between Korea and your home country.
• The flat tax rate option (19–20%) is available for some expats in the first 5 years.

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🧾 Bonus Korean Tax-Related Vocabulary

Korean	Pronunciation	English
급여명세서	geu-yeo-myeong-se-seo	Pay stub
소득공제	so-deuk-gong-je	Income deduction
의료비	ui-ryo-bi	Medical expenses
교육비	gyoyuk-bi	Education expenses
기부금	gi-bu-geum	Donation amount
세금 감면	se-geum gam-myeon	Tax exemption/reduction
연금	yeon-geum	Pension
건강보험	geon-gang-bo-heom	Health insurance
사업소득	sa-eop-so-deuk	Business income
원천징수	won-cheon-jing-su	Withholding tax

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🎯 Vocabulary Quiz

1. What is the Korean word for “income tax”?
2. How do you say “I want to file my taxes” in Korean?
3. Translate: “Can I get a tax refund?”

💬 Share your experience: Have you filed taxes in Korea? Need help understanding your payslip or 연말정산?

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