How much is the Japan pension refund? 2026 amounts and examples
The lump-sum withdrawal payment (脱退一時金, dattai ichijikin) is the partial pension refund foreign residents can claim after leaving Japan. Here is how much you get, with the official 2026 tables and worked examples.
Checked against Japan Pension Service and National Tax Agency documents on 14 October 2026.
Short answer. National Pension only: up to ¥537,600 (last payment in April 2026 to March 2027). Employees' Pension (through an employer): your average monthly pay × up to 5.5. For example, ¥300,000 a month for 3 years gives about ¥990,000 before tax. 20.42% tax is withheld from the Employees' Pension refund, and most people can get all of it back.
Who can claim it
You can claim if all of these are true (Japan Pension Service claim form, English edition):
- You do not have Japanese nationality.
- You paid into the National Pension, or were covered by the Employees' Pension, for 6 months or more.
- You no longer have an address in Japan.
- You have never been entitled to a Japanese pension (including disability allowance).
You must claim within 2 years of the day you stopped having an address in Japan. If you leave with a re-entry permit but did not file a moving-out notice (転出届) at your city office, you are still treated as covered and cannot claim until the permit expires.
National Pension: the 2026 table
If you paid the National Pension yourself (students, freelancers, people between jobs), the amount depends only on how many months you paid and the premium in the fiscal year of your last payment. For a last payment between April 2026 and March 2027 (premium ¥17,920 a month):
| Months paid | Refund |
|---|---|
| 6 to 11 | ¥53,760 |
| 12 to 17 | ¥107,520 |
| 18 to 23 | ¥161,280 |
| 24 to 29 | ¥215,040 |
| 30 to 35 | ¥268,800 |
| 36 to 41 | ¥322,560 |
| 42 to 47 | ¥376,320 |
| 48 to 53 | ¥430,080 |
| 54 to 59 | ¥483,840 |
| 60 or more | ¥537,600 |
If your last payment was between April 2025 and March 2026, the maximum is ¥525,300 (¥509,400 for April 2024 to March 2025). No tax is withheld from the National Pension refund.
Employees' Pension: pay × payment rate
If you worked for a company in Japan, you were almost certainly in the Employees' Pension (厚生年金). The refund is:
Refund = average standard remuneration × payment rate
Average standard remuneration is roughly your average monthly salary, with bonuses spread over the months. It is based on your "standard monthly remuneration" grade, not your exact payslip, so it can be a little higher or lower. Your Nenkin Net record or the yearly "Nenkin Teiki Binsen" letter shows the figures.
The payment rate depends on how many months you were covered (last month April 2021 or later):
| Months covered | Payment rate |
|---|---|
| 6 to 11 | 0.5 |
| 12 to 17 | 1.1 |
| 18 to 23 | 1.6 |
| 24 to 29 | 2.2 |
| 30 to 35 | 2.7 |
| 36 to 41 | 3.3 |
| 42 to 47 | 3.8 |
| 48 to 53 | 4.4 |
| 54 to 59 | 4.9 |
| 60 or more | 5.5 |
Worked examples
Calculated with the same code as our calculator. "Tax you can get back" is an estimate for people with no other retirement payments that year (see how to get the 20.42% back).
| Average pay, time covered | Refund | 20.42% withheld | Paid to you | Tax you can get back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¥250,000 a month, 2 years | ¥550,000 | ¥112,310 | ¥437,690 | ¥112,310 (all) |
| ¥300,000 a month, 3 years | ¥990,000 | ¥202,158 | ¥787,842 | ¥202,158 (all) |
| ¥350,000 a month, 5 years | ¥1,925,000 | ¥393,085 | ¥1,531,915 | ¥393,085 (all) |
| ¥450,000 a month, 5 years | ¥2,475,000 | ¥505,395 | ¥1,969,605 | about ¥493,000 |
If you were in both systems at different times (for example, National Pension as a student and then Employees' Pension at a company), each part is calculated separately, using the same claim form.
The 5-year cap, and what you give up
- Only 60 months count. If you were covered for 7 years, you are paid for 5, and all 7 years are erased from your Japanese record.
- Repeat stays: if you leave and come back (for example, technical intern training, then Specified Skilled Worker), you can claim after each stay, so each period is paid up to its own 60 months.
- 10 years changes everything. With 120 months or more of qualifying periods you cannot claim the refund; you will receive a Japanese old-age pension later instead. Periods in a country that has a social security agreement with Japan (for example the USA, Germany, Australia, India, the Philippines) can count toward the 10 years. If you are close to 10 years, compare before you claim.
- Planned change: the 2025 pension reform law plans to raise the cap from 5 to 8 years and to stop payment while a re-entry permit is valid. The start date has not been set (it must be within 4 years of June 2025). The figures above use the current 5-year rule.
How it is paid
The Japan Pension Service sends the money to the bank account you name on the claim form, usually abroad, converted into the local currency of many countries. A Japan Post Bank account cannot receive it. You need a copy of your passport, proof of the bank account in your name, and your Basic Pension Number (pension book or notice). If you filed the moving-out notice before leaving, you do not need separate proof that you left.
Next step
Enter your own months and pay in the pension refund calculator. If you were in the Employees' Pension, read how to get the 20.42% tax back before you leave Japan: one step has to be done while you still live here.
Sources
- Japan Pension Service, Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments and the English claim form guide (PDF): conditions, tables, payment rates, tax.
- Japan Pension Service, 脱退一時金の制度 (Japanese).
- Planned 8-year change: see method & sources.
General information, not personal advice. Your exact refund is decided by the Japan Pension Service.