National Pension and Basic Pension to Increase by 2.1% This Year... Basic Pension Set at 349,700 Won per Month

Reflecting Last Year's Consumer Price Inflation Rate

The National Pension and Basic Pension benefits will increase by 2.1% this year. As a result, the standard monthly basic pension amount for single elderly households will rise by 7,190 won, from 342,510 won to 349,700 won. For elderly couples, the amount will increase by 11,520 won, from 548,000 won to 559,520 won.

Yonhap News

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on January 9 that the National Pension Review Committee had approved the plan to increase the 2026 National Pension benefit and the standard basic pension amount. The increased benefits will be applied starting from the January payment.

For the National Pension, both the basic pension amount and the dependent family pension amount will increase, reflecting the previous year's consumer price inflation rate of 2.1%. Accordingly, approximately 7.52 million current National Pension recipients (as of September 2025) will receive the increased pension amounts starting in January.

The dependent family pension amount will also be adjusted. The annual amount for spouses will rise by 6,300 won, from 300,330 won to 306,630 won, while for children and parents, it will increase by 4,200 won, from 200,160 won to 204,360 won, respectively. The dependent family pension amount refers to the additional pension paid, beyond the basic pension, to National Pension recipients who have dependent family members living with them, as stipulated in Article 52 of the National Pension Act.

The same rate of increase will apply to the Basic Pension. The standard basic pension amount will be adjusted from 342,510 won in 2025 to 349,700 won in 2026, and about 7.79 million elderly people receiving the Basic Pension this year will receive the increased amount. The government plans to revise the relevant notification in January to implement the increase in the standard basic pension amount.

The upper and lower limits of the standard monthly income, which serve as the basis for calculating pension premiums and benefits, will also be adjusted. As the average income of all National Pension subscribers over the past three years (the A value) increased by 3.4% compared to the previous year, the upper limit of the standard monthly income for 2026 will rise from 6.37 million won to 6.59 million won, and the lower limit will increase from 400,000 won to 410,000 won. The standard monthly income is determined annually, reflecting the change rate of the three-year average income (A value) of all National Pension subscribers, and serves as the maximum and minimum income for calculating pension premiums and benefits.

However, most subscribers, accounting for 86% of all subscribers who do not fall within these income brackets, will not be affected by the adjustment of the upper and lower limits. The government will revise the relevant notification to reflect the committee's decision, with the pension benefit increase taking effect from January and the adjustment of the standard monthly income limits being applied from July.