Checked October 31, 2026. Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the October 30 Long-Term Care Committee decision, including higher monthly ceilings for home-based long-term-care benefits in 2027. The figures are not a cash payment and do not change a family's current service use automatically.
The announced limits
| Long-term-care grade | 2026 monthly limit | 2027 monthly limit | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | KRW 2,512,900 | KRW 2,891,400 | KRW 378,500 |
| Grade 2 | KRW 2,331,200 | KRW 2,682,300 | KRW 351,100 |
These are the home-care benefit ceilings in the ministry's original PDF, page 2. The covered home-based services described there include visiting care, bathing and nursing, day and night care, and short-term care. The ceiling limits eligible service costs; it is not deposited into a recipient's bank account. Actual use, covered versus non-covered charges and the family's out-of-pocket amount require an individual service plan.
The ministry gives one illustration using three-hour visiting-care sessions: the theoretical monthly maximum rises from 44 to 48 sessions for grade 1 and from 40 to 45 for grade 2. These are examples based on that service duration, not automatic allocations. A family combining visiting care with nursing or day care will need a different calculation.
Three checks before revising a care plan
- Confirm the grade and contract. Check the recipient's long-term-care recognition certificate, validity period and current agency agreement. Do not apply the grade 1–2 table to another grade.
- Review current use. Ask the agency for this year's service types, hours, monthly covered costs and any non-covered items. This shows whether the existing plan is close to the present ceiling.
- Discuss the 2027 plan when applicable. Check the final service schedule, agency availability and expected personal payment. A higher ceiling alone does not guarantee more visits or an unchanged copayment.
The same announcement also plans to increase integrated home-care provider locations from 418 in July 2026 to 700 in 2027. That does not establish that a particular service is available in every area today; verify local availability separately.
Bottom line
The announced increase can create room to reconsider the mix of care delivered at home, especially for people in grades 1 and 2. Keep the current 2026 limits separate from the announced 2027 figures, and make decisions using the recipient's grade, actual use and the provider's explanation.
Figures reflect the ministry's October 30, 2026 announcement. A shorter Korean checklist is available on Life Mokcha's Naver blog.
About the Author
The Life Mokcha editorial team compared the ministry announcement with the grade-specific table on page 2 of the original PDF, distinguishing benefit ceilings from cash payments and individual care plans.
