Korea Real Estate Agent Fee Calculator (Sale, Jeonse and Monthly Rent)
2026 rates · Last checked · Official sources are listed under the basis of calculation below
Enter the sale price, or the deposit and monthly rent, and this calculates the maximum fee you can be charged by a licensed real estate agent (중개보수, often called 복비 or "bokbi"). It uses the rate table in the Enforcement Rule of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act as written. The result is the amount paid by one side only: the buyer or the seller, or the landlord or the tenant. In Korea, jeonse (전세) is a lease where the tenant pays a large lump-sum deposit and no monthly rent, and wolse (월세) is a lease with a deposit plus monthly rent.
Show calculation steps
Step 1, decide the transaction amount. For a sale or exchange, it is the sale price. For jeonse, it is the deposit. For monthly rent, it is the deposit + (monthly rent × 100), and if that total is less than KRW 50 million, it is recalculated as the deposit + (monthly rent × 70).
Step 2, find the bracket. In the rate table below, find the maximum rate and the limit amount for the bracket the transaction amount falls in.
Step 3, calculate. Maximum fee = transaction amount × maximum rate. In a bracket with a limit amount, if this value is greater than the limit amount, the limit amount is the maximum. Fractions of a won are dropped.
Example: for a home with a deposit of KRW 10 million and monthly rent of KRW 200,000, 10 million + 200,000 × 100 = KRW 30 million, which is less than KRW 50 million. So the transaction amount is 10 million + 200,000 × 70 = KRW 24 million, and the maximum fee is 24 million × 0.5% = KRW 120,000. That is less than the limit amount of KRW 200,000, so it is used as is.
How to use
Choose the type of deal and the type of property, then enter the amount. If you choose jeonse or monthly rent, the amount field becomes the deposit and the monthly rent field opens. For jeonse, leave the monthly rent blank. For monthly rent with no deposit, enter 0 as the deposit.
Officetels (offices that people also live in) split into two cases under property type. If the exclusive area is 85㎡ or less, and it has a dedicated kitchen with water supply and drainage, a dedicated flush toilet and bathing facilities, the lower rate is used. If even one is missing, choose "Other officetels, shops, land and so on". If a building mixes housing with other uses, the housing rate applies when the housing area is half or more, and the non-housing rate applies when it is less than half.
Maximum rate table for housing
This is Annex 1 of the Enforcement Rule of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act. The table was created on October 19, 2021, and is unchanged in the current rule in force from August 28, 2026.
| Sale or exchange amount | Maximum rate | Limit amount |
|---|---|---|
| Under KRW 50 million | 0.6% | KRW 250,000 |
| KRW 50 million or more, under KRW 200 million | 0.5% | KRW 800,000 |
| KRW 200 million or more, under KRW 900 million | 0.4% | None |
| KRW 900 million or more, under KRW 1.2 billion | 0.5% | None |
| KRW 1.2 billion or more, under KRW 1.5 billion | 0.6% | None |
| KRW 1.5 billion or more | 0.7% | None |
| Lease and similar amount | Maximum rate | Limit amount |
|---|---|---|
| Under KRW 50 million | 0.5% | KRW 200,000 |
| KRW 50 million or more, under KRW 100 million | 0.4% | KRW 300,000 |
| KRW 100 million or more, under KRW 600 million | 0.3% | None |
| KRW 600 million or more, under KRW 1.2 billion | 0.4% | None |
| KRW 1.2 billion or more, under KRW 1.5 billion | 0.5% | None |
| KRW 1.5 billion or more | 0.6% | None |
Rates for officetels, shops and land
| Category | Sale or exchange | Lease and similar |
|---|---|---|
| Officetel (exclusive area 85㎡ or less, with kitchen, toilet and bathing facilities), Annex 2 | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Other officetels, shops, land and so on, Article 20 (4) item 2 | Within 0.9% | Within 0.9% |
Officetels and other properties have no limit amount. Unlike housing, there is no amount cap per bracket; only the rate is set. In its reply of October 1, 2026 (case 26-0537), the Ministry of Government Legislation interpreted that an officetel that meets both requirements gets this lower rate even if it is used for business, because the provision does not make residential use a requirement.
Housing rates are set by city and provincial ordinance
Under Article 32 (4) of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, fees for housing are set by city or provincial ordinance within the range set by a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ordinance, and fees for properties other than housing are set by a Ministry ordinance. The table above is the nationwide Annex 1 that sets that range. We confirmed that the Seoul table posted on the Seoul Real Estate Information Plaza (in force from December 30, 2021) has the same rates and limit amounts as Annex 1. We could not compare the ordinances of the other cities and provinces one by one, so we suggest checking the website of the city, province or district where the deal takes place once more.
If the location of the property and of the agent's office differ, the ordinance of the city or province where the agent's office is located applies (Enforcement Rule, Article 20 (3)).
Example table
All values below are results from this calculator, and the marked rows match examples published on local government and legal information sites.
| Deal | Transaction amount | Rate | Maximum fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home sale, KRW 500 million | KRW 500 million | 0.4% | KRW 2,000,000 |
| Home sale, KRW 190 million | KRW 190 million | 0.5% | KRW 800,000 (limit amount) |
| Home sale, KRW 1.2 billion | KRW 1.2 billion | 0.6% | KRW 7,200,000 |
| Apartment jeonse, KRW 200 million (Yangpyeong County example) | KRW 200 million | 0.3% | KRW 600,000 |
| Home jeonse, KRW 90 million | KRW 90 million | 0.4% | KRW 300,000 (limit amount) |
| Villa, deposit KRW 10 million, monthly rent KRW 500,000 (Yangpyeong County example) | KRW 60 million | 0.4% | KRW 240,000 |
| Home, deposit KRW 10 million, monthly rent KRW 200,000 (Sasang District example) | KRW 24 million | 0.5% | KRW 120,000 |
| Officetel, deposit KRW 5 million, monthly rent KRW 350,000 (living law example) | KRW 29.5 million | 0.4% | KRW 118,000 |
Where monthly rent conversion often goes wrong
For converting monthly rent, you first try multiplying by 100, and only when that total is under KRW 50 million do you use 70. You do not choose based on the monthly rent amount or the deposit alone. For example, with a deposit of KRW 20 million and monthly rent of KRW 300,000, the total with multiplying by 100 is exactly KRW 50 million. It is not under KRW 50 million, so 70 is not used, and the 0.4% for the KRW 50 million or more bracket applies, giving KRW 200,000. If the deposit is even a little lower, multiplying by 70 greatly reduces the transaction amount and changes the bracket, so near a boundary it is safer to enter the amounts as they are and check.
Other money you may pay besides the agent fee
- Value-added tax: The rate tables of Seoul and local governments say that VAT is charged separately. The "reference amount with 10% VAT added" in the result is calculated with the 10% rate of the Value-Added Tax Act. The actual charge may differ depending on the type of business, so check your contract and the tax invoice or cash receipt.
- Actual expenses: Costs of checking rights and title or related to returning a deposit can be charged separately with receipts attached (Enforcement Rule, Article 20 (2)). They are not included in this calculator.
Common mistakes
- Treating the cap as a fixed fee: The table is the highest amount that can be charged. The actual amount is negotiated within it between the client and the licensed agent.
- Mistaking it for the total of both sides: The agent fee is received from each side separately, and the limit in the table is what can be received from one of them.
- Using the housing rate for an officetel: Even if you live in it, if the building type is an officetel, Annex 2 or the "within 0.9%" rule applies.
- Entering only the premium for a pre-sale right: According to Seoul's guidance, the transaction amount for a pre-sale right is the amount paid up to the time of the deal (including loans) plus the premium.
Frequently asked questions
When do I pay the agent fee?
According to Seoul's guidance, the payment time is what the parties agreed on, and if there is no agreement, it is the day payment of the transaction price is completed. Setting the timing and the amount together when you sign the contract can reduce disputes.
What if the agent asks for more than the calculated amount?
Article 33 of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act prohibits a licensed agent from receiving money or valuables beyond the set fee or actual expenses under any name, such as a gift or a present. Check the rate table posted in the agent's office, and if it is not resolved, contact the real estate department of the city, county or district office.
Does the same table apply when renewing a jeonse as a monthly rent contract?
If you sign a new contract through an agent, the transaction amount is calculated from that contract's deposit and monthly rent and the same lease table is used. For housing leases, rates are set by bracket even when the transaction amount is large.
If I ask the agent to handle a sale and a lease at once, do I pay both?
If two or more deals including a sale are made for the same property between the same parties on the same occasion, only the transaction amount of the sale contract applies (Enforcement Rule, Article 20 (5) item 3). For an exchange, the larger of the properties' amounts is the transaction amount.
If I live in an officetel, is the housing rate used?
No. The Enforcement Rule divides by building type, area and facilities. With an exclusive area of 85㎡ or less and a kitchen, toilet and bathing facilities, it is 0.5% for a sale and 0.4% for a lease; otherwise it is negotiated within 0.9%.
Basis of the calculation
Base year: 2026 (checked 2026-10-31)
- National Law Information Center, Enforcement Rule of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act Article 20, Annex 1, Annex 2 (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ordinance No. 1611, effective 2026.8.28). The annexes were checked against the original PDF.
- National Law Information Center, Licensed Real Estate Agents Act Articles 32 and 33
- Seoul Real Estate Information Plaza, real estate agent fees: Seoul rate table, payment timing, transaction amount of pre-sale rights, VAT charged separately
- Ministry of Government Legislation legal interpretation 26-0537 (reply of 2026.10.1)
- Easy-to-Find Living Law Information, calculating agent fees, Busan Sasang District Office, Gyeonggi Yangpyeong County Office: calculation examples
Not included: actual expenses, and a comparison of ordinances by city and province (other than Seoul). The amounts you enter are calculated only on this screen and are not stored or sent anywhere.
This is a reference calculation; official guidance from the relevant institution takes precedence. This is a maximum amount, and the actual agent fee is set by negotiation within it.
Calculators to use together
- Korea Property Acquisition Tax Calculator: calculate the acquisition tax, local education tax and special rural development tax that come with buying a home.
- Loan Interest Calculator: see your monthly principal and interest payment in advance.
- Pyeong Calculator: convert exclusive area in ㎡ into pyeong.