2024년 출산혜택There are many new policies that will change in 2022 as well. Among them, the area the government is focusing on reforming recently is the system related to childbirth and childcare. In 2021, the birth rate broke an all-time low of 0.8, which was the lowest birth rate among OECD member countries.
The annual number of births, which was in the 1 million range in the 1970s, sharply decreased to 500,000 in 2001 and to 300,000 in 2017. Since then, the number has decreased to around 200,000. That’s how serious the population cliff in Korea has become.
The government believes that the next three to four years will be a golden time to increase the birth rate and is significantly increasing support for childbirth and childcare. Let’s find out how the related system will change in 2022 in today’s Bee Journal.
A ‘First Meeting Voucher’ will be issued to babies born after January 1, 2022. With the First Meeting Voucher, you can receive a one-time maternity support payment of 2 million won as a lump sum. Although maternity support has been paid depending on the region so far, this is the first time it is being paid at the government level. Please note that this is a new maternity subsidy that will be paid from 2022.
Starting in 2022, medical expense support benefits for pregnancy and childbirth will be expanded. Even now, when you become pregnant, you can receive support through a pregnancy voucher. Starting this year, the subsidy that can be received will increase from 600,000 won to 1 million won. Additionally, pregnant women with multiple children can receive 1.4 million won, and adolescent mothers can receive 1.2 million won.
Infants and toddlers who do not use daycare centers or child care services receive childcare allowances in stages according to their age. And starting in 2022, the amount of support will increase as a new infant allowance is established.
Previously, children under the age of 0 received a childcare allowance of 200,000 won per month, and children under the age of 1 received a childcare allowance of 150,000 won per month. Now, infants under 24 months of age can receive a monthly infant allowance of 300,000 won. The existing allowance of 150,000 to 200,000 won will be increased.
However, children over 2 years old but under 7 years old receive a monthly childcare allowance of 100,000 won as before.
This infant allowance is expected to continue to increase in the future. The subsidy is planned to increase sequentially to 350,000 won in 2023, 400,000 won in 2024, and 500,000 won in 2025.
Child allowance is a child care subsidy paid separately from the infant allowance and childcare allowance mentioned above. Originally, a child allowance of 100,000 won per month was paid to children under the age of 7. From 2022, the target will be expanded to children under 8 years of age.
Parental leave is a system that allows parents to take a certain period of leave from work to raise children under the age of 8 or in the second grade of elementary school. Even during the period of leave, you can receive childcare leave benefits.
Previously, 80% of regular wages (maximum 150, minimum 700,000 won) were paid for the first three months of parental leave. After four months, 50% of the regular wage (maximum 1.2 million won, minimum 700,000 won) was paid. However, starting from 2022, you will be able to receive 80% of your regular wage even after 4 months. From 1 month to 12 months of childcare leave, you can receive 80% of your regular wage.
Among the childcare leave-related systems in 2022, the 3+3 parent childcare leave system has been newly established. This is a system that allows parents of children under 12 months of age to receive up to 100% of their childcare leave pay for the first three months when taking childcare leave.
However, the 3+3 parental leave system applies only within the limit. The limit is 2 million won in the first month, 2.5 million won in the second month, and 3 million won in the third month. If you are within this limit, you can receive 100% of your salary for 3 months of parental leave.
Parental leave support is also a new system established from 2022. Under this system, priority support companies that allow childcare leave, not parents, receive subsidies. Target companies will receive support of 300,000 won per month for one year. In addition, if employees with children under 12 months of age are allowed to take parental leave for more than 3 months, they can receive a subsidy of 2 million won per month for the first 3 months.
As we have seen, support systems related to childcare and childbirth will be expanded in 2022 as well. These systems may not be a fundamental solution to the declining birth rate, but they may be of some help to those raising children. We hope that related support systems will be further expanded and established to resolve the birth rate issue.
