Seoul Stepping Stone Income (formerly Seoul Safety Income / "Ansim Sodeuk" 안심소득; Korean: 서울 디딤돌소득, Didimdol Sodeuk)
Seoul Stepping Stone Income is a three-phase, randomized-controlled-trial guaranteed income pilot launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in July 2022 to test a negative-income-tax-style welfare model. Eligible low-income households received monthly cash payments equal to 50% of the gap between their household income and a set threshold (50% or 85% of Korea's standard median income), distributed via debit card, with amounts recalculated monthly based on income/asset means-testing. The pilot recruited households in three waves (2022, 2023, 2024), enrolling roughly 2,076 treatment households and 3,527 comparison households, with benefit payments ending between March and June 2025. Final three-year results (released December 2025) showed higher welfare-exit rates, increased earned income for many households, higher spending on food/health/education, and improved mental health relative to South Korea's existing means-tested welfare system.
Guaranteed Income, Negative Income Tax, Randomized Controlled Trial, Means-Tested, Academic Partnership, Seoul, South Korea
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Seoul Metropolitan Government
- City
- Seoul
- Country
- South Korea
Contact
- ssi@welfare.seoul.kr
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Number of recipients
- 2,076
- Funding type
- Government, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 36 months
- Distribution Type
- Debit Card
- Benefit details
Monthly benefit = 50% of the gap between a household's assessed income and the income standard (50% of Korea's standard median income for Phase 1 & 3 cohorts; 85% for Phase 2), recalculated monthly via income/asset means-testing and paid onto a dedicated debit card. Maximum monthly benefit for a zero-income single-person household was approximately KRW 947,090 (~USD 644 at the July 2026 rate of ~1,471.55 KRW/USD). Phase 1 households (484) received payments for 3 years (Jul 2022-Jun 2025); Phase 2 households (1,100) for 2 years (Jul 2023-Jun 2025); Phase 3 households (492) for 1 year (Apr 2024-Mar 2025).
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants had to be Seoul residents with household income below 50% of Korea's official standard median income (Phase 1 and Phase 3 cohorts) or below 85% (Phase 2 cohort), and household net assets under KRW 326 million (~USD 221,500 at July 2026 rates; cited as ~USD 272,803 in the 2023 trial registry using then-current rates). Unlike Korea's National Basic Livelihood Security System, the program removed the strict family-support-obligor (부양의무자) requirement, lowering entry barriers for households that fell through gaps in the existing welfare system. Applicants were recruited via open public application and then randomly assigned to treatment or control groups.
Financial
- Income as % of Area Median Income
- 8,522,023,501,202,232,000 %
- Asset / net worth limit
- $221,500
Geography
- Countries covered
- South Korea
- Cities covered
- Seoul
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Participants (both treatment and control households) were required to complete a baseline survey plus six semi-annual follow-up surveys over three years and an endline survey one year after payments ended (8 survey rounds total). Participants also consented to administrative income/asset data sharing via the Korea Social Security Information Service, and treatment households' debit-card transaction records were tracked by the research team for benefit-usage analysis.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted through open public recruitment windows run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Welfare Foundation in 2022 (Phase 1), 2023 (Phase 2), and 2024 (Phase 3). Eligible applicants meeting income and asset thresholds were entered into a randomized selection pool for treatment/control assignment. The pilot is now closed; no new applications are being accepted since the three benefit cohorts finished their payment periods between March and June 2025.
- Selection process
Stratified random (computerized) sampling conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government among eligible applicants, stratified by household head's age bracket (under 39, 40-64, 65+) and household size (1, 2, 3, 4+), to assign households to treatment or control groups as part of a formal randomized controlled trial registered with the AEA RCT Registry (AEARCTR-0010958).
