Korea's First-Time Buyer Special Supply — Income Tiers and Volumes

Korea's saengae-choecho (first-time homebuyer) special supply does not look at cheongyak (housing subscription) points. Everyone who clears the no-prior-ownership, income-tax and savings requirements goes into the same lottery. The gate sits on income instead, and its height changes with the type of housing — 130% or less of the urban worker household average monthly income for national housing, 160% or less for private units of 85㎡ and under.

The volume itself also splits by type: 15% for public sale housing, 20% for national housing, and for private units of 85㎡ and under, 17% on public land versus 7% elsewhere. With identical qualifications, the number of units actually in play can differ by more than double depending on which complex you apply to.

That it is not a points contest cuts both ways. A short subscription history and few dependents put you on the same odds as anyone else — but years of waiting earn you nothing extra either.

Four lines of eligibility

The requirements set out by Korea's Easy Law portal run four ways. First, no member of the household may ever have owned a home — the test is not current non-ownership but a first time ever. Second, as of the recruitment announcement date the applicant must be married or have an unmarried child (an unborn child counts); if that is not met, a separate route opens for those satisfying the income standard. Third, the applicant must be a wage earner or self-employed person who has paid income tax within the past year and has paid income tax for five years or more. Fourth, they must be a member of a homeless household qualifying for first priority in the national housing general supply, with savings of 6 million won or more including advance payments.

The third condition trips people up most often. The five years need not be consecutive, but they must be years of tax actually paid. A year where deductions brought the assessed amount to zero may not count, so it is safer to count the years off your Hometax payment record. The 6-million-won figure is an amount, not a number of monthly instalments, so it can be topped up with advance payment. First-priority status for national housing still follows regional subscription-period and instalment rules, which is why the account condition should be checked alongside how subscription account recognized amounts are calculated.

Asset requirements are attached separately in each recruitment notice. Toss Bank's guide cites a real estate value of 331 million won as the standard for national, public and private housing alike. Asset lines are revised annually and some suppliers add a vehicle value cap, so this is an item to re-check in the notice right before applying.

Unit shares and the income ceiling at each tier

Two income systems run under the single name. National and public sale housing split at 100% and 130%; private housing splits at 130% and 160%.

The tiers are built to pass losers downstream. Easy Law specifies that tier-two supply includes "those who were eliminated in the supply above." An applicant under 100% who loses the tier-one lottery re-enters the tier-two draw, and failing that drops to tier three. Lower-income applicants get three shots; higher-income applicants start at their own tier.

How many tiers does your income reach?

A percentage decides nothing by itself. Taking the previous year's urban worker household monthly average income published by LH Apply Plus (the figures applied in 2025) as 100% and multiplying gives the actual won amounts. In cheongyak, households of one to three people are all assessed on the three-person figure.

A three-person household earning 9.5 million won a month before tax is over the 100% line for national housing and starts at tier two (130% = 10.62 million won). The same income lands inside tier one for private housing. Where national housing leaves two of the three chances, private housing leaves all three intact.

A four-person household at 12 million won fails both national tiers and catches tier two of private housing (160% = 14.08 million won). Each additional household member raises the 130% line by roughly 820,000 won and the 160% line by roughly 1.01 million won — so a birth or a household member moving in can shift your tier wholesale. The gap between the two systems traces back to the same root covered in the comparison of first-priority conditions for national and private housing.

In this allocation income is not a penalty against your odds — it decides how many draws your name can appear in.

In a 300-unit complex, how many units are in play?

Converting shares into units changes the feel. Assuming a 300-unit complex, here is the first-time allocation by type and its tier split (tier volumes truncated, the remainder rolling into tier three).

Out of the same 300 units, a private development on public land sets aside 51 for first-time buyers and one on other land sets aside 21. And in every type tier one holds half the volume, which makes landing in a lower income tier the single largest variable. Tier three is called the remainder but runs to 18 units in national housing — more than tier two. Walking away because you cleared the income ceiling is not always the rational read.

What to check

• Five years of income tax — count only the years on your Hometax record where an assessed amount actually arose. Years with income but zero tax need separate confirmation.
• 6 million won in savings — an amount, not an instalment count, so advance payment works. First-priority status for national housing (subscription period, instalments) is a separate test.
• The household-size reference date — income is judged on household composition as of the recruitment announcement date. If a birth or a move-in is planned, check the order against that date.
• What counts as income — whether all household members' income is aggregated, and over what averaging period, is written differently in each notice. Read down to whether bonuses and allowances are included.
• Asset standards — check in the notice immediately before applying whether a vehicle value cap is attached alongside real estate, and which year's figures apply.
• Tier three volume — clearing the income ceiling still leaves the remainder lottery. Count the per-tier unit numbers in that complex's notice yourself.

References

• Easy Law — Apartment supply: first-time buyer special supply
• LH Apply Plus — previous year's urban worker household monthly average income
• Toss Bank — guide to the first-time buyer special supply