Your Contract Says 226 Hours a Month but You Worked More: You Get Paid Separately for the Extra Hours (Farms and Livestock Barns)

When this applies to you

• Your monthly pay is the same every month, but you work far more hours than your contract says.
• Work increased in the busy season, but your monthly pay stayed the same.
• Your employer says, "Farm work has no hour calculation."
• Your 급여명세서 (pay slip) only shows 226 hours and does not show your real hours.

Factories and construction sites have different rules. See If you work 10 hours a day but get paid for 8.

How to calculate

The example below uses the 2026 minimum hourly wage of 10,320원. If your contract has a higher hourly wage, use that wage.

Item	Hours	Amount
Contract hours	226 hours	2,332,320원
Extra hours	34 hours	350,880원
Total	260 hours	2,683,200원

• Hours worked between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. are understood to receive night work pay. Check your own case by calling 1350.
• From January 1, 2027, the minimum wage is 10,700원 per hour. For 226 hours, this is 2,418,200원. Check your pay starting from your January pay.

Steps

1. Find three things in your contract. They are the monthly working hours, the hourly or monthly wage, and the break time. Take a photo of them.
2. Keep a record every day. Write your start time, break time and finish time in your phone's notes. Also keep photos of yourself working or of your workplace.
3. Add up the month. Subtract your contract hours from your real hours.
4. Ask for the money by text message. "In ○ month I worked ○○ hours. My contract is 226 hours. Please pay my wages for the ○○ hours." Do not only say it out loud. Keep it in a text message.
5. If you are not paid, file a complaint about unpaid wages. Follow How to report unpaid wages.

What to prepare

• 근로계약서 (employment contract)
• Working hour records and photos
• 급여명세서 and bank deposit records
• Text messages between you and your employer

Be careful

• Do not give up even if you have no records. If you have no records up to now, work out your hours using photos, statements from coworkers and text messages. See How to make evidence without a pay slip.
• You can claim unpaid wages for up to 3 years. See The 3-year time limit.
• Rest time is not working time. But if you were made to work during rest time, it counts as working time.
• Check dormitory fee deductions too. To see if money was taken out without your written consent, see Dormitory fee of 330,000원 on your pay slip.
• To learn why agriculture has no extra pay, see E-9 workers on farms and in livestock barns.

Frequently asked questions

Q. My contract says, "The monthly pay includes all allowances." A. Even so, you must get at least the minimum wage for all the hours you worked. Calculate whether hours worked × minimum wage is more than your monthly pay. Then call 1350 and ask how your contract is understood.

Q. Some months have less work. Can they be combined with months that have more work? A. It depends on what your contract says. The most accurate way is to have your contract with you and ask 1350.

Q. I am worried my employer will force me out if I say something. A. First, quietly collect your records. Treating you badly because you made a report is prohibited. See If your employer harasses you after you report.

Where to get help

• 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) customer counseling 1350
• 외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workforce Counseling Center) 1577-0071 (Nepali available, 365 days, 09:00~18:00)