The income ceiling for Korea's newlywed special supply (sinhonbubu teukbyeol gonggeup, a set-aside quota in new apartment sales) is 13,069,486 won a month for a dual-income three-person household. For a single-income household it stops at 140%, or 11,435,801 won. Those are the figures produced by applying the statutory 140% (160% for dual earners) of average urban worker household income to the 2026 reference table.
Exceeding the line does not close the door. Thirty per cent of the units are drawn by lottery without regard to income, on condition that the household's combined real estate holdings are valued at 331 million won or less. Income works less like a pass-fail threshold than like a device that decides which queue you join.
The line where units actually run out is 120%, not 140%, because the first 50% of the quota is allocated to applicants at or below 100% (120% for dual earners). For a three-person household that is 9,802,115 won a month, or about 117.6 million won of combined annual income.
The dividing line is 120%, not 140%
As set out by Korea's plain-language legal information service, the newlywed special supply splits into three buckets. Half the units go first to applicants at or below 100% of average urban worker income (120% for dual earners). The next 20% goes to those at or below 140% (160% dual). The remaining 30% is drawn by lottery among qualified applicants, and that bucket stays open to households above the income lines.
Two baseline conditions apply: marriage of no more than seven years as of the announcement date, and membership of a household that owns no home. Priority splits by whether a child was born, conceived or adopted during the marriage, and within the same priority band, local residents and larger families rank ahead.
The income table itself is refreshed annually. Taking the 2026 reference figures published by Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation and arranging them by the brackets that matter here gives the following.
| Household size | 100% (KRW) | 120% (KRW) | 140% (KRW) | 160% (KRW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5,866,270 | 7,039,524 | 8,212,778 | 9,386,032 |
| 3 | 8,168,429 | 9,802,115 | 11,435,801 | 13,069,486 |
| 4 | 8,802,202 | 10,562,642 | 12,323,083 | 14,083,523 |
| 5 | 9,326,985 | 11,192,382 | 13,057,779 | 14,923,176 |
Read the table vertically and one step stands out. Moving from two people to three lifts the reference figure from 5.87 million to 8.17 million won, a 39.3% jump. Three to four adds 7.8%; four to five adds 6.0%. Of all the ways a household grows, only the first child materially lowers the income barrier.
What the brackets look like as combined annual income
Average urban worker income is measured gross, including bonuses and allowances — roughly the annual total on a withholding statement divided by twelve. Converting the monthly brackets into combined annual household income changes how they feel.
| Household size | Single-income priority (100%, KRW/yr) | Single-income ceiling (140%, KRW/yr) | Dual-income priority (120%, KRW/yr) | Dual-income ceiling (160%, KRW/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 70,395,240 | 98,553,336 | 84,474,288 | 112,632,384 |
| 3 | 98,021,148 | 137,229,612 | 117,625,380 | 156,833,832 |
| 4 | 105,626,424 | 147,876,996 | 126,751,704 | 169,002,276 |
A dual-income couple without children is a two-person household, capped at 112.6 million won a year; above that they fall into the 30% lottery bucket. One child — or a documented pregnancy, which counts — makes them three people and raises the ceiling to 156.8 million won. Same couple, same salaries, 44.2 million won of extra headroom.
Aiming at the 50% priority bucket pulls the bar lower still: 117.6 million won a year for a dual-income three-person household, 84.5 million for a two-person one. Given the competition ratios on private developments in Seoul, the lottery bucket and the priority bucket are effectively different exams. Because the sorting runs on income brackets rather than points, the arithmetic differs entirely from the points system used in general supply.
The income test is not a gate but a queueing device. What matters is not whether you cleared it, but which of the 100%, 120%, 140% and 160% bands you land in.
Above the income line, 30% remains — capped at 331m won of property
The lottery bucket was built for households over the income line and for newlyweds without children. According to reporting from when the rule was introduced, moving 30% of the private-development newlywed and first-time-buyer quota to a lottery cut the priority share from 70% to 50% and the general share from 30% to 20%. Applicants above the income ceiling face an asset test instead: combined household real estate valued at no more than 331 million won.
That valuation adds building value to land value — official assessed prices or standard market values for structures, posted land prices for land. Jeonse deposits (lump-sum lease deposits) are excluded. For a household that already meets the no-home requirement, what typically remains is inherited or gifted land, part shares, or an officetel. Because housing-count rules and asset rules run on separate yardsticks, it is worth keeping them apart from how housing counts shift between tax categories.
In short, what blocks an application is the no-home requirement and the seven-year marriage window, not income. Income decides who you compete against at the next stage.
Household size counts the unborn
The boundary between two and three people — the one worth 39% — is where disputes cluster in practice. A foetus counts toward household size, so documented pregnancy qualifies a couple as a three-person household. Two children make four. Dependent parents registered in the household can push the count higher still, raising the income figure with it.
Conversely, a couple that has not registered their marriage is not eligible at all. The seven-year window runs from the marriage registration date to the announcement date, and a single day over reroutes the application into first-time-buyer or general supply. Subscription account requirements run separately, so monthly recognised contributions and cumulative savings need managing alongside.
What to check
- Seven-year marriage window as of the announcement date — counted to the day, so check the announcement date against the registration date
- Household size — documented pregnancy makes three. The income bar widens 39.3% between two and three
- Both spouses' gross annual pay from withholding statements — pre-tax, bonuses and allowances included; the combined figure divided by twelve is what is tested
- The dual-income 120% line — where the 50% priority bucket empties first. For a three-person household that is 9,802,115 won a month
- If over the income line, combined property value of 331 million won or less — assessed building value plus posted land price, excluding jeonse deposits
- When the table is refreshed — urban worker income figures change annually; the table printed in the announcement is the binding one