Failed Basic Pension Applicants Eligible for 'Re-screening' if Income, Assets Drop... Government Establishes New Criteria

The government has established administrative standards for the first time to allow seniors who failed to qualify for the Basic Pension to receive benefits again if their economic situation worsens. On the 17th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced an administrative预告 for an amendment to the notice containing requirements to re-check eligibility for seniors whose income or assets have decreased after being disqualified for exceeding selection criteria. The aim is to reduce the blind spot where seniors meet eligibility requirements post-disqualification but still do not receive the pension. This revision was pursued to increase the effectiveness of the "benefit history management system" and to clarify requirements for re-checking eligibility. The newly established Article 13 of the notice mandates that if data regarding the recognized income amount—such as income and assets of a history management applicant—is newly verified or changed via the administrative network, the possibility of receiving benefits must be confirmed.

According to data submitted to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party from the National Pension Service, the number of people excluded from Basic Pension eligibility due to increased income and assets rose by approximately 60% over three years, from 52,000 in 2021 to 83,000 in 2024. During the same period, the proportion of exclusions due to these reasons also increased from 17.4% to 21.3%. As of 2024, those excluded due to increased income and assets were concentrated in the metropolitan area, including 17,000 in Gyeonggi Province and 11,000 in Seoul.

The government raised the Basic Pension selection threshold for single-person households to 2.47 million won per month this year, an increase of 190,000 won from the previous year. The revised notice will be enforced starting July 30 after gathering opinions through the administrative预告 process.