Payment Requires Verification of Income Reduction or Other Conditions in December Last Year or January This Year
Citizens visiting the Employment Welfare Plus Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 8th, when the offline application for the 3rd COVID-19 Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund began, applying for the support fund. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Applications for the 3rd Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund (3rd Support Fund), which provides 1 million KRW per person to special employment workers (SEWs) and freelancers struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began on the 22nd.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that applications for the 3rd Support Fund will be accepted on the website from 9 a.m. on the 22nd until 6 p.m. on the 1st of next month.
The support targets SEWs and freelancers who did not receive the 1st and 2nd support funds last year and earned more than 500,000 KRW between October and November last year. Those enrolled in employment insurance during this period are excluded from eligibility.
Those registered as business operators with the National Tax Service as of the announcement date, the 15th of this month, are also not eligible. However, they are included in the Small Business Resilience Fund support by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
However, SEWs in 14 occupations subject to industrial accident insurance, such as insurance planners, private tutors, and delivery drivers, who have a business registration certificate are exceptionally eligible for the 3rd Support Fund.
Additionally, applicants must have an annual income of 50 million KRW or less in 2019 and must confirm that their income in December last year or January this year decreased by 25% or more compared to the reference period. The reference period can be chosen from the average monthly income in 2019, December 2019, January last year, October, or November last year.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to allocate the support funds within the budget based on a ranking determined by 2019 annual income, income reduction rate, and income reduction amount if the number of applicants exceeds the budget.
The 2019 annual income is primarily based on National Tax Service reported data. Therefore, failure to submit related documents such as comprehensive income tax return details may result in lower priority.
Those who find online application difficult can apply offline at Employment Welfare Plus Centers from the 28th to the 1st of next month.
The Ministry plans to select recipients after screening and pay 1 million KRW per person uniformly by the end of next month.
The 3rd Support Fund cannot be received concurrently with livelihood benefits under the Emergency Welfare Support System (household heads receiving benefits from December last year to January this year), the Small Business Resilience Fund, or the temporary support fund for visiting care workers.
Those who received the Employment Success Package job promotion allowance or youth job-seeking activity support fund from December last year to January this year will receive the difference between 1 million KRW and the amount received from the 3rd Support Fund if the amount is less than 1 million KRW.
Participants in the National Employment Support System cannot receive the job promotion allowance in the month they receive the 3rd Support Fund. The corresponding allowance will be paid in installments during the remaining participation period in the National Employment Support System.
The Ministry has been paying 500,000 KRW per person from the 11th for SEWs and freelancers who received the 1st and 2nd Emergency Employment Stability Support Funds.
Lee Jeonghan, Director of Employment Service Policy, emphasized, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor will do its best to ensure that support for the livelihood stabilization of SEWs and freelancers is provided as quickly as possible."
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