Depositing 250,000 won a month into a cheongyak (housing subscription) account does not raise your priority tier for public housing. What it changes is how fast you move up the queue inside that tier. From November 1, 2024, the recognized monthly deposit rose from 100,000 won to 250,000 won, and in the bracket where winners are ranked by total savings, that 2.5x converts directly into time. A 15 million won balance that took 12 years and 6 months at 100,000 won a month takes 5 years at 250,000.
What 250,000 won changes is speed, not rank
First-priority status itself is set by account age and deposit count, not by amount. For national housing general supply in the Seoul metropolitan area, first priority requires one year since opening the account and at least 12 monthly deposits; outside the metropolitan area it is six months and six deposits. In speculation-overheated or subscription-overheated districts the bar rises to two years and 24 deposits. Whether you deposit 20,000 won or 250,000 won, the same deposit count reaches first priority on the same date.
The amount matters at the next step. When applicants tie inside first priority, they are ordered by total savings or deposit count — and the total savings figure counted here is not the sum of what you actually paid in, but the running total of recognized amounts. Deposit a million won in one month and only the cap counts, and that cap moved from 100,000 to 250,000.
250,000 won a month does not change your priority tier. It only changes how fast you move up the queue within it.
Above and below 40㎡, different numbers apply
The ranking rule splits on floor area. For units above 40㎡ of exclusive area, applicants who have been members of a homeless household for three or more years are selected first in order of total savings, followed by total savings alone. For units of 40㎡ or less, the three-year homeless applicants are ranked by number of deposits, followed by deposit count alone.
The practical meaning is clear. If you are only targeting units at or below 40㎡, 250,000 won contributes nothing to your odds — only the count is tallied, so depositing the minimum without ever skipping a month produces the same result. The larger deposit earns its keep on units above 40㎡, which covers most of the sizes ordinary buyers want. How the two markets differ in selection method is laid out in the comparison of first-priority conditions for national versus private housing.
How many years to reach 15 million won
Toss Bank notes that winning a public housing subscription generally requires roughly 15 million won saved in the account. Winning thresholds vary by region and by individual notice, so treat that figure as a reference point for calculation rather than a fixed cutoff. Dividing the target by the recognized monthly deposit gives the months required.
| Target balance (10k won) | At 100k/month (months) | At 100k/month (time) | At 250k/month (months) | At 250k/month (time) | Time saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 100 | 8 yr 4 mo | 40 | 3 yr 4 mo | 5 yr |
| 1,500 | 150 | 12 yr 6 mo | 60 | 5 yr | 7 yr 6 mo |
| 2,000 | 200 | 16 yr 8 mo | 80 | 6 yr 8 mo | 10 yr |
| 2,500 | 250 | 20 yr 10 mo | 100 | 8 yr 4 mo | 12 yr 6 mo |
The larger the target, the larger the saving in proportion: seven and a half years at 15 million won, twelve and a half at 25 million. Measured against the age at which most people open an account, that difference spans a generation. The figures assume never missing a month and always filling to the cap; skipped deposits push everything back accordingly.
What happens to an account filled at 100,000 won
Balances already accumulated stay as they are, and the higher cap applies only from subsequent deposits. There is no retroactive adjustment. Newsis reported that even paying missed months in a lump sum after November 1 leaves everything through October recognized at 100,000 won. Canceling pre-payments made before the change and redepositing was possible, but canceled pre-payments earned no interest for the period held, and redeposited amounts could be excluded from income deduction.
Measuring the remaining distance to 15 million won from an existing balance makes the effect visible.
| Deposits through Oct 2024 | Recognized total (10k won) | Remaining (10k won) | Months at 250k | Months at 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 240 | 1,260 | 51 | 126 |
| 60 | 600 | 900 | 36 | 90 |
| 100 | 1,000 | 500 | 20 | 50 |
| 130 | 1,300 | 200 | 8 | 20 |
An account with 60 deposits closes the remaining 9 million won in 36 months — three years — at the higher cap, against 90 months, or seven and a half years, at the old one. The longer you have been depositing, the smaller the absolute gain from switching; but near the winning threshold, a few months decides a single notice.
When 250,000 won works against you
Three conditions weaken the case for filling the cap. First, targeting only units of 40㎡ or less, as covered above: where only counts are tallied, extra money buys no position.
Second, planning to apply only for private housing. Private housing checks whether you met the regional and size-based required deposit balance by the notice date, after which points and lotteries decide the outcome. Once that balance is cleared, depositing 250,000 won each month confers no subscription advantage over the minimum.
Third, tight cash flow. The income deduction ceiling rose from 2.4 million won to 3 million won — and 3 million a year is exactly 250,000 times twelve, meaning deductions stop at 3 million no matter how much more goes in. The same report notes the interest rate on the comprehensive housing subscription savings account rose 0.3 percentage points, from a range of 2.0–2.8% to 2.3–3.1%. Still, a cheongyak account locks money away with no maturity date, so the right order is to ask how many years that money can stay frozen before raising the monthly amount.
What to check
- Whether your target size is above or below 40㎡ of exclusive area — below it, fill the count rather than the amount
- Your account's current recognized total — read the running total of recognized amounts, not the raw balance
- Whether your homeless period has passed three years — the first slot in the ranking goes to three-year homeless household members
- Whether you are looking only at public housing or private housing too — private switches the standard to required deposit balances and the points system
- Whether you meet the requirements for the 3 million won annual income deduction — miss them and the tax advantage of 250,000 disappears
- The winning savings range in recent notices for your target area — 15 million won is only an average, and every notice differs