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Leaving Japan

Pension Refund When You Leave脱退一時金·dattai ichijikin

Claim back the pension you paid into when you leave Japan for good. For many people this is a six-figure sum.

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

If you paid into Japanese pension and leave permanently, you can claim a lump-sum refund of up to five years of contributions. Most people never claim it, because you can only apply after you have already left the country and by then nobody is reminding you. There is a hard two-year deadline from your departure. There is also a second, larger piece almost everyone misses: about 20% is withheld as tax from the refund, and you can claim that back too — but only if you appointed a tax representative before leaving.

Deadline
Within 2 years of leaving Japan
Cost
Free
Time
Set up before departure; the refund takes several months

Do these first

  1. 1Move-in Notification 転入届
  2. 2National Pension 国民年金

What to bring

  • Pension number / handbook年金手帳・基礎年金番号·nenkin techō / kiso nenkin bangō

    Photograph it before you leave. Chasing this from overseas is miserable.

  • Passport copy showing your departureパスポートの写し·pasupōto no utsushi
  • Your overseas bank details海外の銀行口座·kaigai no ginkō kōza

    Must be in your own name. Bank-stamped or a statement is usually required.

  • Proof you deregistered転出届の証明·tenshutsu todoke no shōmei

    You must have filed your move-out notification. Skipping it can block the claim.

How it goes

  1. 1

    Do these three things BEFORE you fly

    File your move-out notification at city hall. Photograph your pension handbook and number. And appoint a tax representative (see the next step) — that one is the difference between getting 80% of the refund and getting all of it.

  2. 2

    Appoint a tax representative — this is the missed money

    File a 納税管理人の届出 (tax representative notification) at your local tax office before departure, naming someone still in Japan — a friend, a colleague, a service. Around 20% of your lump sum is withheld as income tax, and your representative can file to reclaim that after the refund is paid. Without a representative appointed in advance, that 20% is simply gone.

    Say this

    納税管理人の届出をしたいのですが。

    Nōzei kanrinin no todokede o shitai no desu ga.

    I would like to submit a notification of tax representative.

  3. 3

    Apply after you have left the country

    The claim is posted to the Japan Pension Service from abroad. You cannot file it while still resident. Send it as soon as you have landed — the two-year clock started when you left.

  4. 4

    Understand the cap, and think about whether to claim at all

    The refund covers a limited number of months of contributions, so claiming does not return everything you ever paid. It also erases those months from your pension record. If your country has a social security agreement with Japan, those months might instead count toward your pension at home — which can be worth more than the cash. Check your country’s agreement before claiming.

  5. 5

    Then have your representative reclaim the withheld tax

    Once the lump sum arrives, you will get a statement showing the tax withheld. Send it to your tax representative, who files a return on your behalf and receives the refund to pass on to you.