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Family & Children

Child Allowance児童手当·jidō teate

A monthly payment for each child, paid to foreign residents too. It is not automatic — you have to apply, and quickly.

Not verified yet

Drafted from general knowledge. Amounts, thresholds and deadlines change and vary by insurer and municipality — confirm with the office named here before you rely on it.

Why it matters

Child allowance is paid monthly per child up to the end of junior high school, and foreign residents registered as residents receive it on the same basis as Japanese nationals. It is not backdated to the birth — payment generally starts from the month after you apply. Apply late and those months are simply gone. There is a grace rule if you apply within about 15 days of the birth or of moving in, which preserves your start date; miss it and you lose money for nothing.

Deadline
Apply within about 15 days of the birth or of moving in
Cost
Free
Time
30–60 minutes

Do these first

  1. 1Move-in Notification 転入届

What to bring

  • Residence Card在留カード·zairyū kādo
  • Bank account in the applicant’s name申請者名義の口座·shinseisha meigi no kōza

    Usually must be the higher earner’s account, not the child’s.

  • My Numberマイナンバー·mai nambā
  • Health insurance card健康保険証·kenkō hokenshō

How it goes

  1. 1

    Apply at city hall — the child affairs desk

    Usually 子育て支援課 or similar. If you have just registered a birth you are already in the building; ask to do this in the same visit rather than coming back.

    Say this

    児童手当の申請をしたいのですが。

    Jidō teate no shinsei o shitai no desu ga.

    I would like to apply for child allowance.

  2. 2

    Apply within 15 days — this is the part that costs money

    Payment normally starts the month after application, with no backdating. The 15-day rule after a birth or a move protects your start date. It is the single most expensive deadline to miss in this entry.

  3. 3

    Re-apply when you move to a new municipality

    The allowance does not follow you. Moving means applying again in the new city, within 15 days of moving in. People lose months here without ever realising.

  4. 4

    Expect an annual check

    Municipalities typically send an annual status form to confirm circumstances. Return it. Not returning it suspends payment.