Visa Stay and Remittance Optimizer

Plan visa stay duration, overseas income, local costs, and remittance timing across currencies.

Remittance after fees

26,531 host

35,021,480 home at the exchange rate

Monthly surplus

1,452 host

Net income minus recurring costs

Total fees

517 host

24 planned transfers

Remittance capacity

36.7%

Monthly surplus divided by net income

Stay and remittance inputs

Model income, costs, buffer, fees, and exchange rate assumptions.

Net monthly income

3,952 host

1,248 host tax and social reserve

Recurring costs

2,500 host

Rent, living costs, and family support

Emergency buffer

5,000 host

2 month cost reserve

Before fees

27,048 host

Surplus after startup and buffer

Related calculators

What is the foreign visa stay and remittance optimizer?

This calculator helps foreign workers in Korea estimate legal income, social insurance, income tax, Korean living cost, and how much can be sent home each month. It is designed for E-9, E-7, D-10, H-2, F-2, F-4, F-5, and F-3 family-accompaniment situations.

It also compares bank and fintech remittance channels such as Wise, Sentbe, and MOIN, while checking Korean foreign-exchange-law limits.

2026 visa and work assumptions

E-9 non-professional employment

  • E-9 covers manufacturing, agriculture, fishery, construction, and some service work under the Employment Permit System.
  • 2026 minimum wage reference: KRW 10,320 per hour and KRW 2,156,880 per month.
  • Maximum stay is 4 years and 10 months, or 58 months, before return or re-entry procedures.
  • Family accompaniment is not allowed.
  • Industrial accident, National Pension, Health Insurance, and long-term care apply; employment insurance does not generally apply.
  • For Vietnam, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, and other reciprocity-exempt countries, National Pension can be zero.
  • A 19% flat tax election can be available.

E-7, D-10, H-2, and F visas

  • E-7 covers skilled and professional activities across 88 occupational groups and can be renewed long term, with possible F-2 or F-5 transition.
  • E-7 allows spouse and children under F-3 dependent status.
  • D-10 is for job search, internship, and startup preparation. Regular employment is not allowed, and the guide models 6 months + 6 months up to 12 months.
  • H-2 can run 3 years + 1 year 10 months, also 58 months, and allows broad employment for eligible overseas Koreans.
  • F-2, F-4, and F-5 have broader work freedom, with F-5 treated much like a resident for progressive tax and personal deductions.

Income, tax, and living-cost workflow

Social insurance and tax

  • For an E-9 Vietnamese worker earning KRW 2,800,000 monthly, the Korean source shows National Pension at KRW 0 when the reciprocity exemption applies.
  • Health Insurance at 3.595% is KRW 100,660 and long-term care at 12.95% of Health Insurance is KRW 13,030 in that example.
  • Employee National Pension is 4.5% unless exempt.
  • E-7 and many other employees add employment insurance at 0.9%; industrial accident insurance is paid by the employer.
  • Foreign workers can compare the 19% flat tax, including 20.9% with local tax, against progressive tax with deductions.
  • High earners above about KRW 80,000,000 often benefit from the flat tax, while families with income below about KRW 50,000,000 may benefit from progressive tax and personal deductions.

Korean living cost and family accompaniment

  • After tax, subtract housing, food, transport, phone, medical, and daily living cost to find the amount that can actually be sent home.
  • E-9 single workers are modeled around KRW 300,000 dormitory cost or KRW 500,000 studio cost, food around KRW 250,000, and monthly remittance capacity often around KRW 900,000 to KRW 1,200,000.
  • E-7 family accompaniment can create KRW 2,000,000 to KRW 3,000,000 monthly living cost.
  • Moving from a studio to a two- or three-room home can add KRW 300,000 to KRW 500,000 per month.
  • Family food for four is modeled around KRW 500,000 to KRW 700,000, foreign school KRW 1,000,000 to KRW 2,000,000 per month, and international school KRW 3,000,000+.

Remittance law and channels

Foreign Exchange Transactions Act limits

  • Annual no-document personal remittance limit: USD 50,000, about KRW 71,500,000 in the Korean guide.
  • Fintech small overseas remittance one-time limit: USD 5,000.
  • Fintech annual limit: USD 50,000 per registered provider.
  • Transfers at or below USD 5,000 can generally be processed without additional supporting documents.
  • Over USD 50,000 requires prior reporting to the Bank of Korea foreign-exchange center.
  • A single E-9 worker sending KRW 1,000,000 per month sends KRW 12,000,000 yearly, about USD 8,400, safely inside the limit.
  • An E-7 high earner sending KRW 5,000,000 per month sends KRW 60,000,000 yearly, about USD 42,000, using roughly 84% of the limit.

Bank, Wise, Sentbe, and MOIN

  • Bank branch transfer: about KRW 10,000 fee plus 0.5% FX margin, often 1 to 3 business days.
  • Bank mobile transfer: about KRW 5,000 fee plus 0.3% FX margin, often minutes to 1 business day.
  • Wise: about 0.65% of the transferred amount and 0% FX margin in the guide. A KRW 1,000,000 transfer costs about KRW 6,500.
  • Sentbe: KRW 5,000 fixed fee plus about 0.4% FX margin.
  • MOIN: KRW 5,000 fixed fee plus about 0.5% FX margin, with Shinhan Bank cooperation noted in the Korean guide.
  • Sentbe and MOIN are positioned for Vietnam, the Philippines, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Myanmar, and other worker-sending countries.