A Korean 소득금액증명원 (Income Amount Certificate) is the standard proof of declared income issued by the Korean National Tax Service (NTS, 국세청). It travels with applicants to F-2 visas, foreign mortgages, university scholarship applications, and cross-border tax filings — anywhere a foreign agency wants verified Korean income, not just an employer letter. This guide covers who issues it, the annual vs monthly variants, the currency and tax-year traps, and the workflow to translate cleanly.

What 소득금액증명원 actually proves

소득금액증명원 is issued by the Korean National Tax Service (NTS) based on filed tax returns. It states:

The taxpayer's name and RRN
The tax year(s) covered
Aggregate income amount (소득금액) by income category — earned income, business income, interest, dividends, etc.
The issuing NTS office and date

Crucially, the certificate shows declared income — not gross salary. The two differ because Korean income tax allows various deductions before the "income amount" is calculated. The translation should label this clearly to avoid foreign agencies misinterpreting the number.

Annual vs monthly variants

NTS issues 소득금액증명원 in two main forms:

Annual (연도별) — totals for an entire tax year. Most common; used for visa, scholarship, and most mortgage applications.
Monthly / Period (월별 / 기간별) — for a specified period within a tax year. Used when applicants need to show a specific window (e.g., latest 3 months for a quick mortgage approval).

A third related document: 근로소득원천징수영수증 (Wage and Salary Income Withholding Tax Receipt) — issued by the employer, not NTS, but often paired with 소득금액증명원 for visa applications.

Where it is required

F-2 long-term resident visa in Korea (point-system income proof)
Foreign mortgage applications when the borrower has Korean income
University scholarship and tuition support abroad
Foreign tax filings showing Korean-source income for double-tax treaty claims
Cross-border employment — when a Vietnamese-Korean dual employee proves income in both countries
Business loan applications based on Korean-declared business income

Translation pitfalls

Currency notes. Korean income amounts are in KRW without decimals — "₩50,000,000" or "50,000,000원". Translation should keep KRW values as-is; converting to USD/EUR creates outdated and unverifiable numbers. The receiving party converts at its own FX rate.

Income category mapping. Korean tax categorizes income into 6 main types:

근로소득 (employment income) — salary, wages, bonuses
사업소득 (business income) — self-employment
이자소득 (interest income)
배당소득 (dividend income)
연금소득 (pension income)
기타소득 (other income)

Translation should preserve these categories with English labels. Foreign tax systems may use different category names; do not auto-convert.

Tax year. Korean tax year is calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31), which aligns with most foreign systems. The translation should label the year clearly: "Tax Year (YYYY)".

Aggregate vs net income. 소득금액 is income after certain deductions but before personal allowance and tax. Foreign agencies sometimes assume it is gross or net; the translator should add a footnote clarifying "Korean income amount after deductible expenses, before personal allowance".

NTS office identifier. The issuing NTS office (관할세무서) appears on the certificate. Foreign agencies verify authenticity via the NTS portal; the office name must be preserved verbatim.

How ZenTrans handles 소득금액증명원

The certificate is short but information-dense. ZenTrans:

Preserves the income-category table structure
Keeps KRW amounts with thousands separators
Maintains tax-year and period labels clearly
Preserves the NTS office seal and signature
Adds parenthetical English labels for Korean tax terms (e.g., 근로소득 → "Employment income")
15 target languages including English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and major European languages

A single certificate translates in 1–2 minutes. PDF or DOCX output ready for embassy / bank / tax filing.

F-2 visa fit — the specific use case

The F-2 long-term resident visa awards points for income, and 소득금액증명원 is the primary income-proof document. Points scale:

KRW 30M+ annual income → minimum baseline
KRW 50M+ → mid-tier
KRW 80M+ → high score
KRW 100M+ → maximum

For F-2 application, applicants typically need the latest 3 tax years of 소득금액증명원, translated and submitted together. The translation should clearly label each year to avoid Immigration mixing them up.

Step-by-step

Pull the certificate. 홈택스 (online, free PDF) or visit 세무서 in person.
Decide annual or period. Most uses want annual; specific procedures want period.
Upload to ZenTrans. Pick target language. Layout processes in 1–2 minutes.
Review. Verify income amounts, year labels, NTS office name. Edit any line.
Export. PDF for embassy or bank; DOCX for tax preparer.
Notarize if required. Korean notary public adds notarial certificate.
Apostille if international. MOFA issues apostille on the Korean original.
Submit. Most agencies accept emailed PDFs.

Frequently asked questions

My income is mostly freelance. Will 소득금액증명원 show it? Yes — freelance income shows as 사업소득 (business income). The translation should preserve that category label.

I am a Korean working abroad. Can I get 소득금액증명원 covering my foreign income? No — NTS only certifies income declared to Korea. Foreign income paid to a non-Korean entity is not on NTS records.

How recent must the certificate be? For visa: typically issued within 30 days. For mortgage: within 60–90 days. For tax filings: usually the latest tax year + 1 prior year.

Should the translation convert KRW to my country's currency? No. Keep KRW values as-is. The receiving party converts at its own FX rate.

Korean 소득금액증명원 is the highest-trust income proof issued in Korea — it comes from NTS, not from your employer. Translating it once with categories labeled, currency preserved, and tax year clear means you can reuse it across visa, mortgage, and tax filings.

Ready to translate your Korean income certificate? Open ZenTrans and upload your first document — the first 5 pages are free.