Earned income and child tax credits, including late filing

The diagram below is a self-made illustration, not a real screen.

The earned income tax credit (EITC) supports low-income working households, and the child tax credit (CTC) supports households with children under 18. These are the 2026 criteria (for 2025 income).

Who this suits

• People with employment, business or religious income in 2025
• People who missed the May regular filing period

1. Income limits (2025 combined total income of the couple)

| Household | EITC | CTC |
|—|—|—|
| Single (no spouse, no dependent child under 18, no parent 70+) | under 22 million won | not applicable |
| Single-earner | under 32 million won | under 70 million won |
| Dual-earner (each spouse earns 3 million won or more) | under 44 million won | under 70 million won |

2. Asset limit

• Total assets of all household members as of 1 June 2025 must be under 240 million won. Debts are not subtracted.
• Assets of 170 million won or more but under 240 million won get 50% of the calculated amount.
• Assets include real estate, cars, presale rights, jeonse deposits, savings, shares and club or resort usage rights (회원권).

3. Amounts

• EITC: from 30,000 won up to 1.65 million won (single), 2.85 million won (single-earner), 3.3 million won (dual-earner)
• CTC: 500,000 to 1 million won per dependent child, minus any child tax credit you already received
• After review, the amount may differ from your notice, or you may receive nothing.

4. Deadlines

• Regular filing: 1 May to 1 June 2026 (payment was planned for 27 August)
• Late filing: until 1 December 2026. You get 95% of the calculated amount (a 5% cut). Payment comes within 4 months of filing.
• Households with only employment income can also file half-yearly.

5. How to file

• If you got a notice, use its QR code, the mobile notice, or ARS 1544-9944.
• Without a notice, you can still file on Hometax (after login) with proof if you think you qualify.
• Help: credit call center 1566-3636 (weekdays 9:00 to 18:00)
• If you agree to auto-filing when you apply, you won’t need to file again through the 2027 tax year, as long as you qualify.

Common mistakes

• Subtracting debts when counting assets
• Missing the 1 December late filing deadline
• Falling for fake NTS texts. The NTS never asks for fees, transfers or account passwords.

Checklist

• ☐ Household type checked
• ☐ 2025 combined total income checked
• ☐ Total assets as of 1 June 2025 checked
• ☐ Late filing done before 1 December
• ☐ Any text you get carries the NTS safety mark

To claim missed deductions from past years, see our year-end tax correction claim guide.

We also have a $4.99 PDF guide that collects more everyday money-saving tips. Take a look if it’s useful →