English

Social economy & employment certifications

Standard Workplace for Persons with Disabilities Certification and Subsidies — 10 Disabled Workers, 30%, Subsidiary-Type Quota Recognition

A standard workplace for persons with disabilities is a workplace certified by the Minister of Employment and Labor (applications filed with the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities) after meeting these standards: at least 10 disabled workers, disabled workers making up at least 30% of regular workers, the required number of severely disabled workers by size, accessibility facilities, and wages at or above the minimum wage. Certified workplaces become eligible for priority purchasing and private contracts by public institutions, and for a subsidiary-type standard workplace in which a company with a disability employment obligation owns more than 50% of the issued shares, its disabled employees are counted as employees of the parent company. At the establishment stage, a company may apply for a non-repayable subsidy of up to three quarters of facility investment costs, up to 1,000,000,000 won in total.

Written by Hwang Yunsang, Administrative Agent · Published 2026-10-06 · Updated 2026-10-06

Procedure

  1. 1. Calculate whether the certification standards are met

    There must be at least 10 disabled workers, making up at least 30% of regular workers. Severely disabled workers must number at least 15% of regular workers if there are fewer than 100 regular workers, 10% plus 5 persons for 100 to fewer than 300, and 5% plus 20 persons for 300 or more, with fractions discarded. Accessibility facilities under the Act on Guarantee of Promotion of Convenience of Persons with Disabilities, the Aged, and Pregnant Women and wages at or above the minimum wage are also required, and vocational rehabilitation facilities for persons with disabilities cannot be certified.

  2. 2. Check the subsidiary-type ownership structure

    If a company with a disability employment obligation owns more than 50% of the total issued shares or total capital contributions of the standard workplace, it is a subsidiary-type workplace and is counted toward the parent company's employment. If several companies invest together, the workers are counted in proportion to each company's share, and subsidiaries and sub-subsidiaries of a general holding company have a special rule allowing them to establish a jointly invested corporation. A parent company that wants to support its subsidiary-type standard workplace must disclose the support targets and methods in advance through the media or its website.

  3. 3. Apply for the non-repayable subsidy and selection

    Submit the subsidy application with an investment plan and an integrity pledge to the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and for leased premises also a consent to install accessibility facilities for persons with disabilities. The Agency reviews the application and selects recipients within 90 days of receipt. Within 30 days of being notified of selection, the recipient provides performance security through a performance guarantee insurance policy or a real estate mortgage and signs an agreement.

  4. 4. Complete the investment and hire new disabled workers

    The first installment is 90% of the subsidy, and the investment must be completed within 180 days of receiving it (extendable once by up to 60 days for justifiable reasons). The recipient must newly hire as many disabled workers as the total subsidy divided by 40,000,000 won, with at least half hired before applying for the second installment and the rest within 1 year of receiving the second installment. Newly hired disabled workers must have contractual working hours of at least 80 hours per month.

  5. 5. Apply for certification and follow-up inspections

    Submit the certification application to the Agency with copies of documents proving disability or severe disability and a copy of the wage ledger paid in the month before the application month; the processing period is 60 days. Employers that received the subsidy must obtain certification within 1 year of receiving the second installment. After certification, the Agency inspects compliance with the standards at least once a year, and certification may be revoked if the standards are no longer met.

Required documents

  • Application for certification as a standard workplace for persons with disabilities
  • Copies of documents proving that the workers are persons with disabilities or severely disabled persons
  • Copy of the wage ledger for disabled workers (wages paid in the month before the application month)
  • Corporate register certificate and business registration certificate (checked by the Agency; a copy of the business registration certificate if the applicant does not consent to administrative information sharing)
  • Application for the standard workplace subsidy
  • Investment plan
  • Integrity pledge
  • Consent to install accessibility facilities for persons with disabilities (leased premises)
  • Performance guarantee insurance policy or real estate mortgage documents (after selection as a recipient)

Fees

Generally in the range of several hundred thousand won to several million won in the industry · we will advise after consultation depending on whether the workplace is a general or subsidiary type, whether the subsidy application is included and the scope of the investment plan. Government fees are separate (there is no fee for the certification application).

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

  • Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 2
  • Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 22
  • Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 22-2
  • Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 22-3
  • Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 22-4
  • Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 22-5
  • Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 86
  • Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 21-2
  • Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 21-4
  • Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 3 and Annex 2
  • Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Article 7-4
  • Regulation on Support for Standard Workplaces for Persons with Disabilities (Ministry of Employment and Labor Notice)

Checked against the statutes on

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

  • If you receive the non-repayable subsidy, you must keep the newly hired disabled workers, numbering the total subsidy divided by 40,000,000 won, for 7 years, and the retention period is extended by the months in which the standard was not met.
  • Using the name standard workplace for persons with disabilities or a similar name without certification, or lending the certificate, is subject to a fine of up to 10,000,000 won, and certification obtained by false or fraudulent means is subject to revocation.

Frequently asked questions

How many disabled workers must be employed to be certified as a standard workplace for persons with disabilities?
At least 10, and at least 30% of regular workers. In addition, severely disabled workers must number at least 15% of regular workers for fewer than 100 regular workers, 10% plus 5 persons for 100 to fewer than 300, and 5% plus 20 persons for 300 or more. Disabled workers must be paid at least the minimum wage.
Are disabled workers employed at a subsidiary-type standard workplace counted toward the parent company's mandatory employment quota?
Yes. If the parent company owns more than 50% of the total issued shares or total capital contributions, those disabled workers are treated as the parent company's workers for the employment obligation and the employment levy. However, disabled workers who are neither women nor severely disabled are counted as one half, and months in which the workplace falls short of the standard workplace criteria are not counted.
How much can be received as a standard workplace subsidy?
Up to three quarters of the costs of installing or purchasing facilities and purchasing commuter vans, up to 1,000,000,000 won in total. A workplace that has received at least 90% of the subsidy may apply for more up to 1,500,000,000 won in total, and up to 2,000,000,000 won is available when a public institution establishes a subsidiary-type workplace together with a private company. Business owners within 3 years of start-up who intend to be certified may receive start-up funds of up to 50,000,000 won.
Can we receive the subsidy if we move disabled employees from the head office to the subsidiary?
No. Employers that transferred disabled workers they directly employed before establishing the subsidiary-type standard workplace to the subsidiary, or transferred equipment they owned to the subsidiary for consideration, are excluded from the non-repayable subsidy. The obligations attached to the subsidy are based on newly hired disabled workers.
Does an administrative agent handle applications for standard workplace certification and subsidies?
Yes. Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office prepares calculation sheets on whether the certification standards are met, drafts the certification application, drafts the subsidy application and investment plan, organizes supporting documents and submits them to the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities on the client's behalf, and drafts applications for reissuing the certificate.

Other guides in this area

Contact us

Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office in Songdo, Incheon prepares and submits administrative documents and explains the procedure. If your situation is similar, send us a message.

📞 Call 010-3374-2687 💬 KakaoTalk 📅 Book a free 1-hour consultation 💬 WhatsApp ✍️ Request a consultation for this service
See the related service Fees and official charges

📍 2697, 26F POSCO Tower-Songdo, 165 Convensia-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea · 📞 010-3374-2687 · 🌐 hwangadmin.com

This guide is general information based on public sources. Requirements, documents and deadlines differ by case and by the competent agency, so please confirm them before you proceed.