Leaving Japan
Pension refund calculator (lump-sum withdrawal payment)
Money was taken from every payslip for the Employees' Pension. When you leave Japan for good you can claim part of it back, and then claim back the tax withheld from that payment. Both have deadlines.
- Payment rate for 36 months
- × 3.3
- Lump-sum before tax
- ¥660,000
- Income tax withheld (20.42%)
- -¥134,772
You can claim back the tax: ¥134,772
Appoint a tax representative in Japan before you leave, then file the refund claim for the withheld tax after the payment arrives.
Estimate only. The office uses your recorded standard remuneration, not the number you type here, and the National Pension (for students and the self-employed) is calculated differently. Rate figures apply when your last covered month is April 2021 or later.
Who can claim
- You are not a Japanese national.
- You paid into the pension for 6 months or more.
- You no longer have an address in Japan, and you are no longer covered by the pension.
- You have not qualified for a Japanese old-age pension (that needs 10 years of coverage).
- You claim within 2 years of losing coverage, or of the day you stop having an address in Japan. After that the money is gone.
Read this before you claim: the Philippines has an agreement with Japan
Japan and the Philippines have a social security agreement, so months you paid in Japan can be counted towards pension eligibility in either country. If you take the lump-sum, those months are used up and cannot be counted again. For a short stay the lump-sum is usually the better choice. If you expect to work in Japan for many years, or you are close to qualifying for a pension, ask before you claim.
The two steps, in order
- Before you leave: appoint a tax representative. Someone with an address in Japan who files the tax claim for you. File the notification at the tax office for your last address in Japan. No licence is needed to be one, but they must be reachable after you leave.
- After you leave: claim the lump-sum. Send the claim form with your pension book number, passport copy and bank details. The payment arrives with 20.42% already taken off, together with a decision notice.
- Then: claim the tax back. Send the original decision notice to your tax representative, who files the refund claim at the tax office. The refund is paid into a Japanese account.
What it should cost you
Services that take 20 to 30 percent of your refund exist and are legal, but a licensed professional normally charges a fixed fee, which on a large refund is far cheaper. Ask for the fee in writing before you agree.
Find English-speaking professionals in JapanSources: Japan Pension Service, Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment system (updated 1 April 2026), and the Japan Pension Service leaflet for people leaving Japan (March 2026). Rates on this page apply when your last covered month is April 2021 or later. Hanapon is not a licensed agent and cannot file for you.