Lump-sum withdrawal payment calculator
How much pension you can get back when you leave Japan
If you are not a Japanese citizen and leave Japan after working here, you can receive part of the pension premiums you paid as a lump-sum withdrawal payment (脱退一時金). Enter your months of coverage and your average monthly pay to see the estimated amount and the tax withheld. HR staff can use this page to explain the payment to employees who are returning home.
Checked against the official Japan Pension Service and National Tax Agency pages in October 2026.
Key points
- Foreign nationals who paid into Japan's public pension for 6 months or more can claim within 2 years after they stop living in Japan
- Employees' Pension: average standard remuneration × payment rate (5.5 for 60 months or more). 20.42% income tax is withheld, but you may get it back
- If you receive the payment, all of your Japanese pension coverage periods are cancelled
This site is mainly in Japanese. English pages: Leaving a job in Japan (checklist) ・ Unemployment benefits calculator ・ How to quit a job ・ Immigration notification ・ Resident tax ・ Health insurance and pension ・ Lump-sum withdrawal calculator
Who can receive it
- You do not have Japanese citizenship
- You paid National Pension premiums, or were covered by Employees' Pension, for 6 months or more
- You do not meet the 10-year requirement for an old-age pension, and you have never had the right to a disability pension
- You no longer have an address in Japan when the claim is received, and it is within 2 years after you lost coverage (or stopped living in Japan)
How it is calculated
Employees' Pension: average standard remuneration × payment rate. National Pension: premium × 1/2 × the number for your months. Months are counted in 6-month brackets, up to 60 months.
| Months of coverage | Employees' Pension rate | National Pension (FY2026) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 11 | 0.5 | ¥53,760 |
| 12 to 17 | 1.1 | ¥107,520 |
| 18 to 23 | 1.6 | ¥161,280 |
| 24 to 29 | 2.2 | ¥215,040 |
| 30 to 35 | 2.7 | ¥268,800 |
| 36 to 41 | 3.3 | ¥322,560 |
| 42 to 47 | 3.8 | ¥376,320 |
| 48 to 53 | 4.4 | ¥430,080 |
| 54 to 59 | 4.9 | ¥483,840 |
| 60 or more | 5.5 | ¥537,600 |
The Employees' Pension rate is the premium rate (18.3%) × 1/2 × the number for your months. National Pension uses the premium for the fiscal year of the last month you paid (the table uses the FY2026 premium of ¥17,920 a month).
Getting the withheld tax back
20.42% income tax is withheld from the Employees' Pension portion (nothing is withheld from the National Pension portion). You may get it back by filing a refund return for the separate taxation option for retirement income (退職所得の選択課税による還付のための申告書) at the tax office for your last address in Japan.
- Before you leave Japan, choose someone who lives in Japan (a coworker or friend) as your tax representative (納税管理人) and notify the tax office (National Tax Agency No.1923, in Japanese). If you did not, you can submit the notification together with the return
- Send the original Notice of Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment (脱退一時金支給決定通知書), which arrives with the payment, to your tax representative
- Your tax representative files the return and receives the refund
How to claim
- Send the claim form to the Japan Pension Service by mail, or apply online through e-Gov. Claim forms are available in 14 languages, each with Japanese
- You need a copy of your passport, a document showing your bank account in your name, and a document showing your Basic Pension Number. If you filed a moving-out notification before leaving, you do not need a document proving you have no address in Japan
- Japan Post Bank and some online banks cannot receive the payment. If you use a bank in Japan, the account name must be registered in katakana
- Payment arrives about 4 months after your claim is received
Before you claim
- All of your Japanese pension coverage periods are cancelled. If you may work in Japan again, or may reach 10 years of coverage, think carefully before claiming
- If your country has a social security agreement with Japan, your Japanese periods may count toward your home country's pension. After you receive the payment, they can no longer be counted
- Resident tax (住民税) is charged by the city where you lived on January 1, and you still owe it after you leave. Pay before you leave or appoint a tax representative
FAQ
I paid into both National Pension and Employees' Pension.
Each is calculated separately, and you can receive both if you have at least 6 months in each.
I worked in Japan for more than 5 years.
Only up to 60 months (5 years) are counted. If you receive the payment, all of your coverage periods are cancelled. If you have 10 years or more of coverage, you are not eligible and can receive a Japanese pension later instead.
Can I claim before I leave Japan?
Yes, if you have filed a moving-out notification (転出届) at your city office, you can mail the claim so that it arrives on or after your moving-out date. If you leave with a re-entry permit without filing the moving-out notification, you cannot claim until the permit expires.
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