Key figures
- The scale runs from 10 per cent up to 100 000 000 won to 50 per cent above 3 000 000 000 won, under art. 26 of the Inheritance Tax and Gift Tax Act. Gifts use the same scale, art. 56.
- A resident estate deducts at least 500 000 000 won, the lump-sum deduction of art. 21, unless the spouse is the sole heir.
- The spouse deduction is what the spouse actually receives, at least 500 000 000 won and at most the lesser of the spouse's legal share and 3 000 000 000 won, under art. 19.
- A non-resident deceased is taxed on assets in Korea only, and keeps only the basic deduction of 200 000 000 won (art. 3 and 18, NTS).
- A return filed on time earns a credit of 3 per cent of the tax, under art. 69.
- The return is due six months after the end of the month of death, nine months where the deceased or an heir has an address abroad (NTS).
- As of 27 September 2026, no enacted text lowering the top rate to 40 per cent or taxing each heir's share instead of the estate was found on law.go.kr or nts.go.kr.
Korean inheritance tax simulator
An estimate under the Inheritance Tax and Gift Tax Act in force in 2026. Residence of the deceased comes first: it decides both what is taxed and which deductions apply.
Points to note
- The spouse deduction is at least 500 000 000 won, even where the spouse receives less or nothing, and at most the lesser of the spouse's legal share and 3 000 000 000 won.
- The return is due six months after the end of the month of death, nine months where the deceased or an heir has an address abroad.
- Not modelled: financial property deduction, cohabited house deduction, family business and farming deductions, disability deduction, gifts added back to the estate, prior gifts to the spouse and the credit for foreign tax.
Nothing you enter is stored, sent or logged. The whole calculation runs in your browser.
How Korea computes the tax
Korea taxes the estate, not the heirs. The value of the estate is reduced by deductions, and the remainder is taxed on a five-bracket marginal scale: 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 per cent. The statute states the same scale as a quick formula, tax equals base times rate less 0, 10 000 000, 60 000 000, 160 000 000 or 460 000 000 won; the calculator reproduces those figures at every bracket.
The deductions are where most of the tax is decided. Every estate deducts 200 000 000 won. A resident estate adds 50 000 000 won per child, 10 000 000 won per year until nineteen for each minor, and 50 000 000 won for each heir aged 65 or more other than the spouse. Where that total is below 500 000 000 won, the estate takes the lump sum of 500 000 000 won instead. The spouse deduction comes on top.
The spouse deduction
The deduction is what the spouse actually inherits, with a floor and two ceilings. The floor is 500 000 000 won, granted even if the spouse receives nothing. The ceilings are the spouse's legal share of the estate, one and a half times a child's share under Civil Act art. 1009, and 3 000 000 000 won. A spouse and two children with no will give the spouse three sevenths of the estate.
Because of the floor, a resident couple with children can pass 1 000 000 000 won without tax: 500 000 000 won of lump sum and 500 000 000 won of spouse deduction.
Resident or non-resident deceased
A resident is a person with an address in Korea, or a place of abode there for 183 days or more (art. 2(8)). A resident's estate is taxed on assets worldwide. A non-resident's estate is taxed only on assets situated in Korea (art. 3).
The difference in deductions is stark. A non-resident estate keeps the basic deduction of 200 000 000 won and nothing else: no lump sum, no spouse deduction, no deduction for children. On 1 000 000 000 won of Korean assets left to a spouse and two children, a resident estate pays nothing and a non-resident estate pays 174 600 000 won after the filing credit.
Gifts
Gifts are taxed on the same scale, after a deduction per donor group over ten years (art. 53): 600 000 000 won from a spouse, 50 000 000 won from lineal ascendants (20 000 000 won for a minor recipient), 50 000 000 won from lineal descendants, and 10 000 000 won from other relatives. Since 14 March 2025 other relatives means blood relatives within the fourth degree and relatives by marriage within the third. A non-resident recipient gets no gift deduction (NTS).
What the calculator leaves out
The financial property deduction, the deduction for a house the heir lived in with the deceased, the family business and farming succession deductions, the disability deduction, gifts made before death that are added back to the estate, prior gifts to the spouse that reduce the spouse's ceiling, and the credit for foreign tax. The calculator asks where the deceased lived, and treats the amount entered as worldwide assets for a resident and Korean assets for a non-resident.
| Taxable slice | Rate | Quick deduction |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 100,000,000 KRW | 10 % | 0 KRW |
| From 100,000,000 up to 500,000,000 KRW | 20 % | 10,000,000 KRW |
| From 500,000,000 up to 1,000,000,000 KRW | 30 % | 60,000,000 KRW |
| From 1,000,000,000 up to 3,000,000,000 KRW | 40 % | 160,000,000 KRW |
| Above 3,000,000,000 KRW | 50 % | 460,000,000 KRW |
상속세 및 증여세법 art. 26 and 56
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Basic deduction | 200,000,000 KRW |
| Per child | 50,000,000 KRW |
| Per minor, per year until nineteen | 10,000,000 KRW |
| Per heir aged 65 or more, spouse excluded | 50,000,000 KRW |
| Lump-sum deduction, floor | 500,000,000 KRW |
| Spouse deduction, minimum | 500,000,000 KRW |
| Spouse deduction, maximum | 3,000,000,000 KRW |
| Credit for a return filed on time | 3 % |
상속세 및 증여세법 art. 18 to 21 and 69
Frequently asked questions
› Does Korea tax a foreigner's worldwide estate?
Only if the deceased was a Korean resident, meaning an address in Korea or a place of abode there for 183 days or more. Nationality does not decide. A non-resident's estate is taxed on assets in Korea only.
› How much can a resident pass to a spouse and children without tax?
At least 1 000 000 000 won: the lump-sum deduction of 500 000 000 won and the minimum spouse deduction of 500 000 000 won. More where the spouse actually inherits more, up to the legal share and 3 000 000 000 won.
› What deductions does a non-resident estate get?
The basic deduction of 200 000 000 won only. The spouse, children and lump-sum deductions are not available (NTS).
› Has Korea cut its top inheritance tax rate to 40 per cent?
Not on the primary sources read on 27 September 2026. The 10 to 50 per cent scale of art. 26 is the one used in the Enforcement Rules forms amended on 4 July 2025, and no enacted amendment was found.
› When is the Korean inheritance tax return due?
Within six months of the end of the month of death, or nine months where the deceased or an heir has an address abroad. Filing on time earns a 3 per cent credit.
› Is the gift tax scale different?
No. Gifts use the inheritance scale of art. 26, after the ten-year gift deductions of art. 53.
Sources
Primary sources only: the Inheritance Tax and Gift Tax Act in the official English text of the Korea Legislation Research Institute, the Enforcement Rules forms on law.go.kr and the National Tax Service. The NTS publishes no complete worked example; the calculator is checked against the statutory quick deductions and the NTS lump-sum example.
This page is educational and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Nothing you enter is stored, transmitted or logged; the whole calculation runs in your browser. Amounts are in Korean won, with no currency conversion.
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