Lump-Sum Withdrawal: Pension Refund on Leaving Japan
The pension lump-sum withdrawal returns part of your Japanese pension contributions after you leave Japan for good (departure planning). If you paid in for at least 6 months but will never vest in a Japanese old-age pension, this one-time payment is how you recover value from those months.12
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Japan Pension Service site. This article is general information, not tax or pension advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed tax accountant or pension advisor.
Overview
The 脱退一時金 (dattai ichijikin, "lump-sum withdrawal payment") is the refund mechanism for departing non-Japanese residents who contributed to the Japanese pension system but do not expect to claim a regular pension benefit at retirement age.1 It exists because foreign workers on short postings once paid years of contributions without ever vesting; the 2017 reform cut vesting from 25 years to 10, but anyone below that line still needs an exit path.3
Two tracks feed one claim. Employees join 厚生年金保険 (kousei nenkin hoken, "Employees Pension Insurance") through their employer, while the self-employed, students, and part-timers join 国民年金 (kokumin nenkin, "National Pension") directly.12 The claim form and the 2-year deadline are the same for both; only the calculation differs.
This article covers what the payment is and who can claim it. Five siblings carry the detail: the 60-month cap, the 20.42 percent withholding reclaim, the totalization trade-off, the filing timeline, and special cases for survivors and disability.
Who can claim
Every condition below must hold at once. Treat the list as a gate, not a menu.
The six conditions
You must have no Japanese nationality and no address in Japan at claim time.2 You must show 6 months or more of contributions, must not meet the old-age pension qualification period, and must never have been entitled to any Japanese pension benefit, including disability allowance.2 Finally, you must file within 2 years of the date you lost your Japanese address or insured status, whichever is later.2
File with the 脱退一時金請求書 (dattai ichijikin seikyuusho, "Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment Claim Form"), available at pension offices and on the Japan Pension Service site with English guidance.45 Attach a passport copy, proof of your Basic Pension Number, evidence you no longer hold a Japanese address, and bank details for the overseas wire.45
The claim is filed after losing resident status, typically after the move-out notification takes effect and the residence card is returned at departure. Filing while still registered risks rejection.
Who is excluded
Residents who reached 10 years (120 months) of valid coverage vest old-age pension rights instead and cannot claim the lump sum at all.23 Anyone ever entitled to Japanese pension benefits, including disability allowance, is likewise excluded.2 Japanese nationals, including dual nationals, cannot claim regardless of tenure.2
What the payment returns
Expect a partial refund, not your money back. Calibrate now and the number on the notice will not shock you later.
National Pension vs Employees Pension Insurance
National Pension lump sums follow stepped 6-month bands up to 60 months; the top band (60 months or more, last premium between April 2026 and March 2027) pays 537,600 yen (as of 2026-04; confirm current figures with the Japan Pension Service).4 The FY2026 monthly premium behind that figure is 17,920 yen (as of 2026-04).4
Employees Pension Insurance instead multiplies average standard remuneration by a payout rate set from the insured-period band, likewise capped at 60 months (as of 2026-04; confirm current figures with the Japan Pension Service).2 Practitioner sources describe the result as roughly 30 to 50 percent of employee-side contributions, because the employer matching share stays in the fund.45
| Track | Calculation base | Cap | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Pension | Stepped 6-month bands; top band 537,600 yen | 60 months | 2026-044 |
| Employees Pension Insurance | Average standard remuneration times payout rate | 60 months | 2026-042 |
The table bands above carry the currency signal for both rows. Confirm the current band tables with the Japan Pension Service before estimating your own figure.
Why it is not a full refund
Three haircuts apply before money reaches you. The employer half of Employees Pension contributions never enters the calculation.45
Months beyond 60 add nothing to the payout under current rules; a 2025 reform package proposes raising that ceiling from 5 to 8 years within 4 years of promulgation, but it is not in force.26 And Employees Pension lump sums arrive net of 20.42 percent withholding income tax (as of 2026-01; confirm current figures with the National Tax Agency), most of which is reclaimable through a separate tax filing covered in the withholding sibling.7
The 20.42 percent withholding applies to Employees Pension Insurance payments. National Pension lump sums are paid gross.
Good to know
Claiming the lump sum erases those months for pension purposes
Withdrawn enrollment periods disappear from benefit records and can no longer support totalization with a home-country system.2 That treaty path matters only for nationals of the 24 countries with an agreement in force (as of 2026-03-02; confirm current status with the Japan Pension Service), and four of those cover dual-coverage elimination only, not totalization.8 The trade-off sibling walks through the decision bands; never file the claim until that comparison is settled.
The 10-year vesting line ends lump-sum eligibility
Since August 2017, 10 years of valid coverage vests old-age pension rights, which disqualifies the lump-sum claim entirely.3 Workers approaching year nine should check their enrollment history at a pension office before signing another contract year.
File within 2 years of departure
The 2-year window from loss of address or insured status is hard; late claims are not paid.2 Docket the deadline on departure day, not when the payment notice arrives, because processing itself takes months.
See also
- Departure Checklist: The 90-Day Run-Up
- Final-Year Tax Filing and the Nozei Kanrinin
- Lump Sum or Totalization: Keeping Pension Value at Departure
- Residence-Card Surrender at the Airport
- Filing the Tenshutsu (Move-Out Notification)