The Pension Refund

From HyogoAJET

During our time on JET, we have been paying into the Japanese pension system. After we leave JET, we are eligible to receive a portion of this money back. There are two payments we are eligible for: the Pension Refund and the Pension Tax Refund. Although we are eligible for these, you will not receive them unless you follow the following instructions:

Before Leaving Japan

Claim Form for the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments (Part 1). Part 2 can be found here.

1. Choose a person you trust who is staying in Japan to be your Tax Representative. This can be a coworker or a close friend.
2. Get the "Declaration Naming a Person to Administer the Taxpayer's Tax Affairs" (納税管理人の届出書 - Nozeikanrinin no Todokedesho) from your local tax office (either a Social Insurance Office or the Tax Section of your Municipal Office). Fill it in with your Tax Representative and bring it back to your local tax office.
3. Make sure you have your Pension Book.
4. Download the "Claim Form for the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments" and have someone help you fill it out. The form can be downloaded from the Japan Pension Service webpage: [1] This form also goes by the name of "Request of Arbitration for Lump-sum Withdrawal Benefit" (or other similar variations).
5. Turn in your Alien Registration Card at the airport as you leave the country.

The Pension Refund

1. Now that you are home, send:
   1. "Request of Arbitration for Lump-sum Withdrawal Benefit"
   2. Your Pension Book.
   3. Passport Photocopies of the pages showing your name, date of birth, nationality, signature, work visa, and the date of departure from Japan.
   4. A document (copy of your bank statement, bank passbook, etc.) verifying the bank name, branch office name, branch address bank account number, and the full name of the account holder (must be your own).
2. Mail the above documents to:
   Social Insurance Agency
   3-5-24 Takaido Nishi
   Suginami-ku, Tokyo 168-8505
   JAPAN
3. You will receive the "Notice of the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment" in the mail and the Pension Refund in your bank account. You can now file for the Pension Tax Refund

The Pension Tax Refund

1. Make a copy of the "Notice of the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment" and send the original to your Tax Representative.
2. Have your Tax Representative go to the same tax office and before and file the kakutei shinkosho for you. They can go in person, or do this through the mail.
3. The Tax Representative will receive your Pension Tax Refund in their bank account. They can then send this money to you.

Important Things to Remember

1. The Pension Refund you get back initially is actually around 80% of your pension - what is left after taxes are subtracted. The remaining 20% are returned when you file for the Pension Tax Refund.
2. In order to receive the refund, you MUST turn in your Alien Registration Card at the airport upon final departure of Japan.
3. Application for the refunds must be made within two years of leaving Japan.

For more information, check out what CLAIR has to say here and read the General Information Handbook.

The above information was provided in part by the folks in Niigata