How to Maximize Your Housing Subscription Points

In the Korean housing subscription system, points (가점) determine who wins the most desirable new apartments in competitive areas. The maximum possible score is 84 points, and in Seoul's most popular developments, winning scores for the 가점제 (points-based allocation) portion regularly exceed 70 points. Understanding exactly how the three scoring components work — and how to legally maximize each — can be the difference between winning and losing access to the best new housing.

The Three Components of Housing Subscription Points

The 가점 score is determined entirely by three factors:

Component	Korean Term	Maximum Points
Dependents	부양가족 수	35 points
Account holding period	청약통장 가입기간	17 points
Years without homeownership	무주택 기간	32 points

Total maximum: 84 points

Housing Points Kr

Kr Housing Points

Component 1: Dependents (부양가족, 최대 35점)

This component rewards household size, counting each registered dependent (부양가족) as additional points:

Number of Dependents	Points
0 (no dependents, applying alone)	5
1	10
2	15
3	20
4	25
5	30
6 or more	35 (maximum)

Who counts as a dependent: The applicant's spouse; children (including step-children); parents and grandparents of the applicant or spouse (if 60 years or older for men, 55+ for women); and minor grandchildren. All dependents must be registered at the same address on the 주민등록등본 (household registration record) and must not own any property themselves.

Optimization strategy: Bringing elderly parents into the household registration well before applying can add 5–10 points per qualifying parent. Many households time the registration to coincide with parents reaching the age threshold. This is entirely legal but requires genuine co-residence or documented support arrangements.

Component 2: Account Holding Period (청약통장 가입기간, 최대 17점)

The account must have been active with a minimum of 12 monthly deposits to qualify for first priority. Beyond that, points accumulate by year:

Years Held	Points
Under 1 year	2
1 year	3
2 years	4
3 years	5
4 years	6
5 years	7
6 years	8
7 years	9
8 years	10
9 years	11
10 years	12
11 years	13
12 years	14
13 years	15
14 years	16
15 years or more	17 (maximum)

Optimization strategy: Open an account as early as possible — ideally before age 19, when parents can open accounts on behalf of minor children (자녀 청약통장). A child's account opened at age 10 reaches the maximum 17 points at age 25, before most people even begin thinking about homeownership.

Component 3: Years Without Homeownership (무주택 기간, 최대 32점)

This component measures how long the applicant — and their spouse if married — have lived without owning any residential property:

Years Without a Home	Points
Under 1 year	2
1 year	4
2 years	6
3 years	8
4 years	10
5 years	12
6 years	14
7 years	16
8 years	18
9 years	20
10 years	22
11 years	24
12 years	26
13 years	28
14 years	30
15 years or more	32 (maximum)

For applicants under 30 who have never owned a home, this clock starts at age 30 (the reasoning being that homeownership before 30 is uncommon enough that the system standardizes the start). For those who previously owned a home and sold it, the clock restarts from the date of disposal.

Score Simulation and Benchmarking

A dual-income couple, both 38 years old, with two children, both sets of parents not yet at the age threshold:

Component	Score
Dependents: spouse + 2 children = 3 dependents	20
Account held 10 years	12
Homeless 8 years (since selling a previous home at 30)	18
Total	50

A score of 50 would be competitive for outer Seoul and satellite cities but would not win most central Seoul developments where winning scores typically cluster at 60–70+.

What Happens When Multiple Applicants Tie

In the event of tied scores in the 가점제 round, winners are selected by lottery among tied applicants. If the development falls back to the lottery system (추첨제) for unallocated units, all remaining qualified applicants have equal probability regardless of points.