Starting on the 18th, the government will accept applications for the second round of "high oil price relief payments" targeting about 70% of the population. About 36 million people are eligible, and the amount will vary by place of residence up to a maximum of 250,000 won.
The payment amounts are 100,000 won for residents of the Seoul metropolitan area, 150,000 won for non-metropolitan areas, 200,000 won for preferential support areas with population decline, and 250,000 won for special support areas. Applications are open through Jul. 3.
Eligibility covers households in the bottom 70% based on the out-of-pocket health insurance premium in March this year. The government decided to define a household as those in the same registered household on the resident registration card as of Mar. 30 this year.
However, even if addresses differ, a spouse and children who are dependents under the National Health Insurance Act are considered the same household. Parents, even if they are dependents, are classified as a separate household.
Dual-income couples are, in principle, treated as separate households, but if it is advantageous to combine health insurance premiums, they are recognized as the same household.
For single-income employees covered by workplace insurance, a one-person household is eligible if the health insurance premium is 130,000 won or less, and a two-person household if it is 140,000 won or less. For regional plan enrollees, the thresholds are 80,000 won for a one-person household and 120,000 won or less for a two-person household.
For multi-income households, such as dual-income households, the eligibility threshold adds one person to the household size compared with single-income households. For example, a four-person household with two workplace enrollees is subject to the five-person threshold of 390,000 won or less, not the general four-person threshold of 320,000 won.
To screen out high-wealth individuals who are hard to identify with health insurance premiums alone, the government also applied separate criteria for property and financial income. Households are excluded if the combined tax base for this year's property tax for household members exceeds 1.2 billion won, or if the combined financial income last year exceeded 20 million won. The government expects about 937,000 households, or around 2.5 million people, to fall under this.
Starting at 9 a.m. on the 18th, people can check eligibility and payment amounts through credit card company websites and apps, call centers, ARS, and the National Health Insurance Service website and app.
Applications are available both online and offline. For credit and debit card payments, applications can be made via card company websites, apps, and bank branches, while applications for local gift certificates or prepaid cards can also be made at eup, myeon, and dong Community Service Centers.
To prevent system congestion in the first week of applications, a weekday system based on the last digit of the birth year will apply. On Monday, only those with 1 and 6; Tuesday, 2 and 7; Wednesday, 3 and 8; Thursday, 4 and 9; and Friday, 5 and 0 can apply. There is no restriction on weekends.
The relief funds can be used only within the local government jurisdiction of the registered address. Local gift certificates can be used at affiliated merchants with annual sales of 3 billion won or less, and credit, debit, and prepaid cards can be used at small businesses with annual sales of 3 billion won or less, except for certain sectors. Gas stations can be used regardless of sales size.
The deadline to use both the first and second-round funds is Aug. 31. Any remaining balance not used by the deadline will expire.