Incheon launches new baby vouchers and infant allowances
Starting next year, newborn babies can expect much better financial support.
From January 2022, families with new babies can expect to receive up to KRW 5.6 million in support for a full year.
The Incheon Metropolitan City Government will also offer “new baby vouchers” and a special infant allowance to babies born in 2022 and later. Upon childbirth, Incheon will send out vouchers worth KRW 2 million, and every child under the age of two (born in 2022 and later) will be eligible for a monthly infant allowance of KRW 300,000.
The newborn vouchers are a nationwide version of the voucher systems created by each local government to stimulate childbirth. The central government consolidated these disparate baby voucher programs at the regional level to introduce some consistency to childbirth support and reduce expectant parents from relocating to different jurisdictions to benefit from better financial support for their babies.
▲ The Incheon Metropolitan City Government will also offer “new baby vouchers” and a special infant allowance to babies born in 2022 and later. Upon childbirth, Incheon will send out vouchers worth KRW 2 million, and every child under the age of two (born in 2022 and later) will be eligible for a monthly infant allowance of KRW 300,000. Photo from a childcare center in Incheon
Under the consolidated newborn vouchers program, each newborn child is entitled to a KRW 2 million voucher via the National Happiness Card (available in expendable points form) regardless of whether the newborn child has siblings or a part of a multiple births (e.g. twins, etc.) However, for infants and toddlers under the protection of social welfare facilities, cash payments will be made to their Didim Seed Account.
The points paid to newborns can be used in all businesses, excluding those registered as entertainment, sanitation, leisure, or gambling establishments. All points must be used within one year from the baby’s date of birth. Points not used within the one-year period will automatically expire after the expiration date.
Meanwhile, the infant allowance is a combination of the childcare voucher parents can use at daycare centers (approximately KRW 500,000 for a newborn childcare class), and the childcare allowance received when parents care for their children at home (KRW 200,000 for each newborn baby, KRW 150,000 for each 1-year-old baby). Under this consolidated system, parents can receive KRW 300,000 for each child up to the age of one.
Parents can receive the allowance either in the form of cash (KRW 300,000 per month for childcare), childcare vouchers (when using daycare), or government subsidy for full-day childcare (when using full-day childcare service, child must be 3 months of age or older) depending on their preference. Parents can switch between services. To change services, however, they must apply for the desired service in advance.
The newborn vouchers and infant allowances are paid to all children who were born on or after January 1, 2022, and who have been given a resident registration number.
Parents can apply for newborn vouchers and infant allowances online through the Bokjiro website (www.bokjiro.go.kr) and the Government24 website (www.gov.kr). Alternatively, they can visit their local Administrative Welfare Center. The infant allowances program will begin in January 2022, followed by the newborn voucher program in April 2022.
Once the newborn vouchers program begins, Incheon will discontinue its childbirth and childcare subsidy (KRW 1 million) in 2022.
Instead, the budget previously used for the city’s childbirth and childcare subsidies, which were paid to promote and support childbirth, will be expanded to include childcare support and child-rearing support, such as free childcare support for children up to five years old, additional childcare centers, and financial support for fertility treatment.
