Dormitory Standards and Rules for Deducting Housing and Meal Costs

Standards a dormitory must meet

These are the rules from the Labor Standards Act and its Enforcement Decree that often cause problems.

• Number of people and space: A bedroom must be built for 8 people or fewer. Each person must have at least 2.5 square meters of bedroom space.
• Location: A dormitory cannot be in a place with a lot of noise or shaking, a place with high risk of landslides or avalanches, a place that is very damp or may flood, or a place likely to be polluted by dirt or waste.
• Men and women separate: Men and women must not live in the same room.
• No disturbing sleep: As a rule, workers from 2 or more shifts with different work hours should not share the same bedroom.
• Light and air: There must be proper facilities for daylight and fresh air.
• Cooling and heating: There must be proper cooling and heating facilities or devices.
• Fire safety: There must be facilities to prevent fire and to escape safely if there is a fire.
• Privacy: Bedrooms, toilets, and bathing areas must have proper locks. There must be storage space for personal belongings.

Housing in vinyl greenhouses and other temporary buildings

• Since January 1, 2021, 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) does not give employment permits (new hiring, workplace change, special re-entry, re-hiring, and so on) to a workplace that puts a container or prefab panel building inside a vinyl greenhouse and gives it to workers as housing.
• A temporary building counts as a dormitory only if it has a "가설건축물 축조신고필증" (certificate of temporary building report) from the local government.
• Foreign workers who already live in this kind of housing can change workplaces if they want to.

Rules for deducting housing and meal costs

1. Information comes first. When you sign the employment contract, the employer must tell you about the dormitory in advance. This includes the type of housing (house, officetel, gosiwon, container, prefab panel, workplace building, and so on), the location, the facilities, and how much you have to pay. If anything changes after the contract, the employer must tell you again.
2. Your written consent is needed. To take housing and meal costs out of your wages, the employer needs your written consent. Money taken without your consent can be unpaid wages (wage theft).
3. The amount is decided by agreement. The 2017 work guideline on collecting housing and meal costs was cancelled on November 27, 2023. Now there is no set maximum percentage. The employer and the worker agree on the amount and write it in the 표준근로계약서 (standard employment contract).
4. Changing costs are paid by actual use. Costs that change with use, like electricity, gas, and water, should not be taken as a fixed amount every month. As a rule, they are settled later based on how much you actually used.
5. If it is different from the contract, it is a problem. If the housing and meal conditions in the standard employment contract are different from reality, or the employer takes more than the contract says, you can claim it as unpaid wages.

What to prepare

• A copy of your standard employment contract (the part showing the type of housing and how much you pay)
• Your 급여명세서 (pay slip) (to check how much was taken for housing and meals)
• Photos and videos of the housing (inside, toilet, heater, fire extinguisher, windows)
• A copy of any written consent you signed for housing and meal deductions

Things to watch out for

• You can ask for photos of the housing before you sign the contract. The employer must give you dormitory information.
• Housing with no heating in winter, no fire alarm or fire extinguisher, or no locks may break the standards. For winter housing problems, see If your housing is cold or inside a vinyl greenhouse.
• If you moved to different housing and only the housing and meal cost went up, without new consent from you, you can complain about it.
• Even if the employer says "If you don't like the housing, leave," do not decide alone. First get advice from the 고용센터 or 1350.
• Collect evidence early. It is good to take housing photos that show the date.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How much can be taken for housing and meals? A. The law does not set a percentage. Only the amount set by your written consent can be taken. If you never agreed, nothing can be deducted.

Q. Can I change companies if the housing is bad? A. It depends. If the employer gave you housing in a vinyl greenhouse or in a temporary building that breaks the law, this is right away a reason that is not your fault (Ministry of Employment and Labor Notice Article 5 item 5). If the housing fails other dormitory standards, it is not a reason right away. It becomes a reason only if the 고용센터 tells the employer to fix it, and the employer does not fix it in time without a good reason (Notice Article 5-2). The same applies if the employer did not give you dormitory information, or gave information that is different from the real housing. If you change workplaces for these reasons, it does not count toward your number of workplace changes. First take photos of the housing. Then report it to the 고용센터 or call 1350 for advice. Also check with the 고용센터 whether your situation qualifies.

Q. If I do not live in the housing, do I still have to pay for housing and meals? A. As a rule, costs for housing or meals you did not actually receive should not be deducted. Take your contract and pay slip to the 고용센터 for advice.

Q. The company keeps a key to my room and comes in whenever it wants. A. Dormitory bedrooms must have locks, and your privacy must be protected. Get advice from 1350 or the 고용센터.

Q. Several people share one room. How many people are allowed? A. The standard is 8 people or fewer per bedroom, with at least 2.5 square meters per person.

Where to get help

• Ministry of Employment and Labor Customer Counseling Center: 1350 (weekdays 09:00–18:00)
• 고용센터: advice on dormitory problems. Apply for a workplace change at the 고용센터 that covers the address of the workplace where you worked.
• Immigration Contact Center (외국인종합안내센터): 1345 (many languages)
• Fire and emergency: 119