If you are not Japanese and leave after paying into the pension for six months or more, you can claim back up to five years of contributions — within two years of leaving. The amounts are fixed by an official table; the form is free in fourteen languages; nobody needs to be paid to file it. The two things that go wrong are claiming when you should not (ten years of coverage earns a real pension) and claiming once when you needed to claim twice.
Key facts
- Maximum refunded
- 60 months (5 years) of contributions
- Claim deadline
- 2 years after losing your Japanese address
- National Pension, FY2026
- ¥53,760 (6 months) → ¥537,600 (60 months)
- Employees' Pension
- average monthly pay × 0.5 (6 months) → × 5.5 (60 months)
- Tax
- 20.42% withheld on the Employees' part, refundable via a tax agent
- Processing
- about 4 months after a complete claim
What you get back, from the official table
Anyone who is not Japanese, paid into the pension for at least 6 months and leaves Japan can claim a lump sum for up to 60 months of contributions — within 2 years of losing a Japanese address. The figures below are the Japan Pension Service's own.
National Pension (国民年金) — FY2026 (令和8年度)
| Months paid | Lump sum |
|---|---|
| 6–11 | ¥53,760 |
| 12–17 | ¥107,520 |
| 18–23 | ¥161,280 |
| 24–29 | ¥215,040 |
| 30–35 | ¥268,800 |
| 36–41 | ¥322,560 |
| 42–47 | ¥376,320 |
| 48–53 | ¥430,080 |
| 54–59 | ¥483,840 |
| 60+ | ¥537,600 |
Applies when your last contribution month falls in 2026-04 → 2027-03. Partial-exemption months count at a fraction; unpaid months do not count at all.
Employees' Pension (厚生年金) — multiplier
| Months paid | × average monthly pay |
|---|---|
| 6–11 | × 0.5 |
| 12–17 | × 1.1 |
| 18–23 | × 1.6 |
| 24–29 | × 2.2 |
| 30–35 | × 2.7 |
| 36–41 | × 3.3 |
| 42–47 | × 3.8 |
| 48–53 | × 4.4 |
| 54–59 | × 4.9 |
| 60+ | × 5.5 |
Amount = your average standard monthly remuneration (bonuses spread across the months) × the multiplier. Thirty-six months at ¥220,000 a month is ¥220,000 × 3.3 = ¥726,000.
Estimate your Employees' Pension lump sum
- Gross lump sum
- —
- Withheld at 20.42%
- —
- Paid to your account
- —
The 20.42% is income tax withheld only on the Employees' Pension part; the National Pension lump sum is not taxed. It is refundable: appoint a tax agent (納税管理人) in Japan before you leave and file a return after the payment arrives.
Who can claim
- Not a Japanese national, and no longer enrolled in any Japanese public pension
- At least 6 months of contributions — National Pension and Employees' Pension months are counted separately, not added together
- Fewer than 10 years of total coverage (at ten years you qualify for an old-age pension instead, and cannot take the lump sum)
- No address in Japan any more — the claim can only be received after your move-out date
- Claimed within 2 years of losing your Japanese address
Read before you claim
- Taking the lump sum erases every month of coverage before the claim — including months beyond the 60-month cap. Nine years of contributions pays out five and wipes all nine.
- If you will reach 10 years of coverage across all your stays, do not claim: ten years earns a Japanese old-age pension paid to you abroad for life.
- Technical intern → Specified Skilled Worker: claim twice — once when you go home after intern stage 1–2 (3 years), once after SSW (5 years). One claim at the end covers only 60 of the 96 months.
- File the move-out notice (転出届) at your city office first. Leaving on a re-entry permit without it keeps you enrolled, and the claim is refused.
The claim form, free, in your language
Open the English / Japanese claim form (PDF) ↗
All fourteen languages: English · 中文 · 한국어 · Português · Español · Bahasa Indonesia · Filipino · ไทย · Tiếng Việt · မြန်မာ · ខ្មែរ · Русский · नेपाली · Монгол
Mail it with a passport copy, proof of departure (not needed if you filed the move-out notice), your pension number and a bank certificate in your own name. Payment arrives about 4 months after a complete claim. A representative may file for you with a power of attorney — no agency fee is ever required.
If your country has a social-security agreement with Japan
Japan has agreements with 24 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, United States, Belgium, France, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, Brazil, Switzerland, Hungary, India, Luxembourg, Philippines, Slovak Republic, China, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Austria. With most of them you can instead keep your Japanese months and add them to your home pension (totalization). The agreements with United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, China, Italy only prevent double contributions — they do not totalize.
Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar have no agreement with Japan: the lump sum is the only way to get anything back.
Japan Pension Service, rules and FY2026 table · 日本年金機構 ↗ · Forms ↗ · Agreements ↗
What it is
Every month you worked in Japan, pension contributions came out of your pay — 9.15% of it on the Employees’ Pension, or the flat ¥17,920 a month on the National Pension. If you leave before ten years, you will never draw a Japanese pension. The lump-sum withdrawal (dattai ichijikin) is the system’s answer: it refunds up to five years of that money in one payment.
The rules are the Japan Pension Service’s, not ours, and the table above is theirs for FY2026. Three facts shape everything else: the cap is 60 months, the deadline is two years after you lose your Japanese address, and claiming erases every month before it — including months the cap did not pay for.
Why the people who need it most get it wrong
The people who leave Japan on a schedule — technical intern trainees and Specified Skilled Workers — are exactly the people whose stays add up past the cap. A trainee who finishes three years, goes home, and comes back for five years under SSW has 96 months of contributions. One claim at the end pays 60 and erases 96. The Japan Pension Service says so in its own Q&A: claim twice, once after each stay.
The second mistake is the opposite one. Ten years of coverage — across any number of stays, with gaps — earns a Japanese old-age pension that is paid to you abroad for the rest of your life. If you are on a path that reaches ten years, the lump sum is the worst deal available: it hands you five years’ money and deletes the ten.
The tax, and how to get it back
Employees’ Pension lump sums are paid with 20.42% withheld as income tax. The National Pension part is not taxed. The withholding is not lost, but it is only recoverable through a person in Japan: before you leave, register a tax agent (納税管理人) — any adult with a Japanese address — at your tax office. When the payment notice arrives, they file a return and the tax comes back to a Japanese bank account, which is why the estimate above shows both figures.
What nobody should charge you for
The claim form is published by the Japan Pension Service in fourteen languages, with a bilingual layout and a filled-in example. The documents are a passport copy, a bank certificate, your pension number and — unless you filed the move-out notice — proof that you left. That is the whole procedure. Agencies in Vietnam, Nepal and Indonesia advertise this service for 10–20% of the payment; what they do is post the envelope. If you want help, a friend in Japan can file for you with a power of attorney, for nothing.
If your country has an agreement
Japan has social-security agreements with 24 countries. For most of them — Brazil, the Philippines and India among them — you can choose to keep your Japanese months and add them to your home pension instead of cashing out. The agreements with the UK, South Korea, China and Italy only prevent double contributions and do not merge periods. Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar have no agreement: for their citizens the lump sum is the only route, which is why getting the timing right matters most for them.
See also how health insurance and pension work while you are here and what happens to your taxes in the year you leave.
Step by step
- File the move-out notice (転出届) at your city office
Do it before you leave. Without it you stay enrolled and the claim is refused — even if you left on a re-entry permit.
- Appoint a tax agent (納税管理人) before departure
A friend or colleague with a Japanese address, registered with your tax office. Only they can file the return that refunds the 20.42% withheld from the Employees' Pension part.
- Gather four documents
Passport copy (name, birth date, nationality, signature, status pages); proof of leaving (not needed if you filed the move-out notice); your basic pension number; a bank certificate showing an account in your own name. Japan Post Bank and some online banks cannot receive it.
- Fill in the free form in your language and mail it
Download it from the Japan Pension Service — never pay for it. Send it so that it arrives on or after your move-out date, to JPS headquarters. A representative may file with a power of attorney.
- After payment, have the tax agent file the return
The payment notice (支給決定通知書) arrives with the money; send the original to your tax agent. They file a return and the withheld tax is refunded to a Japanese account.
Common mistakes & warnings
- Claiming erases every month of coverage before the claim, including months beyond the 60-month cap. If your stays will total ten years, do not claim — ten years earns a Japanese old-age pension paid abroad for life.
- Technical intern → Specified Skilled Worker: claim twice, once after each stay. One claim at the end pays 60 of 96 months and erases all 96.
- National Pension and Employees' Pension months are counted separately. Four months of each is not eight — it is two claims that both fail the six-month minimum.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I get back from the Japanese pension when I leave?
It depends on which system you paid into. National Pension: a fixed table — for a last payment in FY2026, ¥53,760 for 6–11 months up to ¥537,600 for 60 months or more. Employees' Pension (the one deducted from a salary): your average monthly standard pay times a multiplier from 0.5 (6 months) to 5.5 (60 months). Three years at ¥220,000 a month is ¥726,000 before tax.
Can I file before I leave Japan?
Yes. File the move-out notice at your city office first, then post the claim so that it arrives at the Japan Pension Service on or after the move-out date written on that notice. If it arrives while you still have an address in Japan, it is rejected.
Is the lump sum taxed?
The Employees' Pension part has 20.42% income tax withheld; the National Pension part is not taxed. The withholding is refundable: appoint a tax agent in Japan before you leave, and after the payment they file a return on your behalf.
Do I need an agency to claim it?
No. The form is free from the Japan Pension Service in fourteen languages, including Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Burmese, Portuguese and Chinese, and a friend can file it for you with a power of attorney. An agency that charges 10–20% is charging you for a stamp and an envelope.
Official sources
- Japan Pension Service — lump-sum withdrawal rules and FY2026 amounts (2026-09-17) — eligibility, 60-month cap, National Pension table, Employees' Pension multipliers
- Japan Pension Service — how to claim (documents, where to send) (2026-09-17) — documents, mailing, four-month processing
- Japan Pension Service — Q&A on the lump-sum withdrawal (2026-09-17) — claiming before departure, technical intern → SSW two claims, ten-year rule
- Japan Pension Service — claim forms in 14 languages (2026-09-17) — the form itself states the 20.42% withholding and the tax-agent refund
- Japan Pension Service — social security agreements in force (2026-09-17) — 24 countries; totalization not available with UK, Korea, China, Italy
This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration rules change; always confirm details with the official sources listed above before making decisions.