How much can be deducted for housing?
The day we opened the government source and matched the numbers. This is not a labor attorney's review.
The company can provide housing and take the cost out of your wages. But there are conditions.
Conditions the company must keep
- The standard labor contract must state the type of housing, whether you pay for housing and meals, and how much. The company collects only within that amount.
- To take it out of your wages in advance, there must be written consent in your own language, given of your own free will. Consent given only by word of mouth is not enough.
- The housing type and amount in the deduction consent form must match the standard labor contract.
- After the first consent to advance deduction, consent must be renewed within 1 year each cycle.
- If anything about housing or meals changes, the company must put it in the contract and report it to the local labor office.
- Housing costs are agreed based on the actual rent, local market prices and the guideline of the local employment and labor office.
Electricity, heating and similar costs are settled at actual cost
How the amount is set
The old guideline that set housing and meal costs at 8–20% of the monthly ordinary wage was abolished on November 27, 2023. Now the amount agreed on the basis of actual rent and local standards is written in the standard labor contract, and the company collects within that amount.
| Case | How housing and meal costs are set |
|---|---|
| The actual rent of the housing can be confirmed. | Both sides agree based on the actual rent. |
| The actual rent is hard to confirm. | Both sides agree by referring to local market prices, the type of housing and the guideline of the local employment and labor office. |
| Several people live together in one place. | The housing cost is split among the people who live there. |
| It is a temporary building with a construction report certificate. | As a rule it should not exceed the lowest monthly rent in that area; both sides agree by referring to the local standard and the level of the facility. |
| You agreed to be given meals. | Meal costs are agreed within the actual cost. |
If you live in a container or a greenhouse
Even for temporary housing, the deduction itself can be lawful. But breaking the housing conditions is set down separately as a reason to change workplace. The two are separate matters — even if the deduction is lawful, illegal temporary housing or a breach of the facility standards can be a reason to change workplace.
Read next
Rules change often, and the same rule applies differently to different people. Check your own case with 1350 (Ministry of Employment and Labor customer center). Its phone counseling in foreign languages is in English and Chinese. For your own language, ask 1345 (Immigration Contact Center).
This is reference material. Rules change often — always confirm with the hotline below before you file anything.
Sources
- Ministry of Employment and Labor — Guideline on housing and meal cost deduction (notice with attachment) 고용노동부 — 외국인근로자 숙식비 공제지침 (지침 원문 첨부) checked 2026-09-13