Applications Available on the Ministry of Employment and Labor Website from the 28th
Payments for Child and Family Care Related to COVID-19 from the 9th
Only for SME Workers... Excluding Large Corporations and Public Enterprises
Workers Must Apply Themselves Within 2 Months of Usage Date
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Starting today (28th), the government will accept additional applications for family care cost support for workers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Workers who took family care leave to care for family members or children due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic can apply for an additional 5 days (250,000 KRW) of support.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor will invest 56.3 billion KRW from the supplementary budget starting on the 28th to provide additional support for family care costs to prevent care gaps caused by the COVID-19 situation and reduce the burden on workers.
Workers who have already received support for 10 days (500,000 KRW) of family care costs can also receive support for an additional 5 days (250,000 KRW) starting today. For dual-income couples, the maximum support amount increases from 1 million KRW to 1.5 million KRW.
This is a follow-up measure after the government extended the annual family care leave period in response to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Since the 9th, the family care leave period has been extended from a maximum of 10 days per worker per year to 20 days (single parents from 10 days to 25 days).
The additional family care cost support is available to workers of priority support target enterprises (SMEs) who took unpaid leave for family care related to COVID-19. Priority support target enterprises refer to companies with a certain number of regular employees or fewer, depending on the industry. Whether a company qualifies as a priority support target enterprise can be confirmed by the employer.
Even workers employed as non-regular employees who effectively work regularly can receive support if they used family care leave. However, workers belonging to large corporations and public institutions are not eligible for support.
Family care related to COVID-19 refers to cases where ▲ children aged 8 or younger or in the 2nd grade of elementary school, or disabled children aged 18 or younger require care due to daycare closures, online classes, or school closures, and ▲ family members such as grandparents, parents, or spouses are classified as COVID-19 patients or suspected patients and require urgent care.
Applications for family care cost support can be made through the Ministry of Employment and Labor website. Support is available for family care leave used from the 9th until December 31. The worker must apply within two months from the date of use.
Below is a Q&A with the Ministry of Employment and Labor regarding the extended family care leave and cost support.
- Can all workers apply for cost support for the extended family care leave?
▲ The additional support for the extended family care leave is for workers belonging to priority support target enterprises. Workers in large corporations or public institutions are not eligible for additional family care cost support but can use the extended 10 days of leave.
- When can the extended family care leave be used?
▲ It can be used from September 9, the date of the ministerial announcement, until the expiration date of the announcement on December 31.
- Until when must the cost support application for the extended family care leave be submitted?
▲ Applications must be submitted within two months from the date the leave was used.
- Where can I apply for cost support after using the extended family care leave?
▲ Applications can be made through the Ministry of Employment and Labor website starting September 28.
- I used 15 days of family care leave before the announcement (September 9) but did not receive support for 5 days. Can I apply for the extended care cost support for those 5 days?
▲ The extended family care leave can only be used after the announcement date. Family care leave used before the announcement cannot be considered extended family care leave and is not eligible for extended family care cost support.
- Are workers in large corporations or public institutions excluded from all family care leave cost support?
▲ Workers in large corporations or public institutions can use the extended 10 days (15 days for single parents) of family care leave. However, they are not eligible for cost support for the extended family care leave. They can receive cost support for the original 10 days.
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