How to Get a Certificate of Income in Korea

Before you start

• Get the Korean document name and the institution's deadline in writing.
• Confirm the income year, required language and maximum age of the issued document.
• Ask which identity and address details must be visible.
• Check the publication timetable for the income year before assuming a missing record is an error.

What you need

• Your own authenticated access to an official online service, or valid identity for a visit
• The requesting institution's document requirements
• The income year or period needed
• Payer statements or a return receipt if an income record needs investigation
• A secure way to retain the issued document and application reference

Steps

1. Step 1: Match the request to the document

   Confirm the request is for a certificate of income, rather than a tax-payment or withholding document. Record the income year, language and disclosure required.

2. Step 2: Check whether the income year is available

   NTS guidance uses different release schedules for comprehensive income-tax filers and other income-certificate cases. Recent late filing can require processing before a certificate becomes available.

3. Step 3: Open the official application

   Search Hometax or Government24 for 소득금액증명 and verify the service title. Authenticate as the person whose certificate is needed.

4. Step 4: Review the application choices

   Check the period, language, purpose, recipient, disclosure and delivery options offered. Follow the requesting institution's requirements rather than copying someone else's settings.

5. Step 5: Review and retain the issued document

   Compare the document title, identity, income year, issue date and visible information with the request. Use the official output or delivery option and keep the application reference.

What to check before submitting

Translate the request into five precise choices

Before opening an application, ask the bank, immigration office, employer or other recipient for these details:

The examples describe what to ask; they are not universal institutional requirements. Keep the actual reply with your application records. A certificate issued today can still describe an earlier income year.

Check availability before changing your account

The NTS certificate instructions distinguish ordinary release times: comprehensive income-tax filers from July of the following year, and other income-certificate cases from May. The same instructions warn that late-filed returns require tax-office processing before issuance.

Consequently, an unavailable year or an incomplete amount is not automatically a login error. Record the income year, when the underlying return or payer report was submitted, and which item you expected to see. Do not choose a different year simply to obtain a nonblank page.

Apply through an official service

Open Hometax directly and search for 소득금액증명, or use the specific Government24 certificate-of-income service. Check the full service title before entering personal information. The settings and layout can differ between the services.

Work through the options actually presented. Match the income period and language to the request; check purpose, recipient and delivery choices where offered. Set disclosure deliberately. If a recipient requires an unmasked identifier, confirm that requirement with it rather than publishing more personal information by default.

Government24 lists online, in-person and other issuance routes, and states that the service has no fee. It allows an applicant or representative but excludes proxy applications online. For a visit, it lists a valid foreigner registration card among accepted IDs; an English certificate or proxy application can require additional information. Read its current checklist before travelling.

Review the document, not just the completion message

Check that the resulting output has the requested document title, identity, income year, issue date and disclosure. Then compare the income information with the records you expected it to reflect. Keep the official issued file or accepted delivery record with its application or issuance reference.

Use the output function supplied by the service. Do not assume that an ordinary screenshot, browser preview or altered PDF meets the recipient’s requirement. If no suitable print or electronic-delivery option is available, ask the issuing service and recipient about the accepted route.

Fictional example: a new issue date, an older income year

Priya is asked in October 2026 for proof of 2025 income. She first selects 2026 because that is the year of her appointment. After checking the request, she applies for the 2025 period and verifies the newly issued document. The income year and issue year serve different purposes.

If the institution actually needs her current 2026 earnings, she asks which interim documents it accepts. She does not change the certificate’s year or add recent payslips to its printed income total.

Investigate a blank or unexpected amount

Use a short discrepancy record: “For income year [year], I expected [payer/income item], based on [statement or return reference]; the certificate shows [result].” Ask the payer about its report and the tax office about the record’s status. Keep the original certificate unchanged.

If the deadline arrives first, ask the recipient whether it will accept a withholding receipt, filed-return receipt or other specific evidence temporarily. Acceptance belongs to that institution. For the conceptual differences between documents, read the certificate-of-income guide.

Common mistakes

• Requesting a different document with a similar English name
• Selecting the submission year rather than the income year
• Treating unavailable records as proof of no income
• Choosing disclosure settings from an unrelated online example
• Editing the issued PDF instead of correcting the underlying record

What to do if you are stuck

• Year unavailable: compare the ordinary release timetable and any recent filing date.
• Income differs: check the year and payer statements, then ask the tax office about the missing item.
• Online authentication fails: check the official in-person route and identification requirements.
• Deadline arrives first: ask the receiving institution which temporary evidence it will accept; do not assume a substitute is valid.

FAQ