優先度6位テンプレのマスター版(やさしい日本語+英語)。全言語はここから展開。 This is a general guide, not legal advice. Amounts and rules are set by the Japan Pension Service. これは一般的な案内です。金額・制度の詳細は日本年金機構の情報を必ず確認してください。
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What is this?これは何?
EN: If you paid into Japan's pension system (国民年金 and/or 厚生年金) while working in Japan, and you leave Japan permanently without qualifying for a Japanese pension, you can generally claim back a portion of what you paid in — this is called 脱退一時金 (lump-sum withdrawal payment). This is money coming back to you, but you must apply for it yourself — it is not paid automatically. Many people who could receive this money miss it simply because they didn't know to apply, or applied incorrectly.
Paid into 国民年金 and/or 厚生年金 for a total of 6 months or more (合計6月以上).
Residence status
Must NOT have a Japanese address (住所) at the time of claiming — you generally apply AFTER moving out and losing residency
Pension rights
Must not have met the old-age pension eligibility period (10 years combined, 老齢年金の受給資格期間10年間) and must not have ever held rights to a disability pension or other pension.
Timing
Claim must be submitted within 2 years from the date you lost your status as an insured person (被保険者資格を喪失した日). If you still had a Japan address on that date, the 2-year clock starts from the day you lose your Japan address instead. Do not delay after leaving.
Timeline: what to do before and after leaving Japan帰国前後にやること(時系列)
EN:
Before leaving — a few months ahead: Confirm your pension enrollment history (加入期間) at your local 年金事務所 (Pension Office) or via ねんきんネット. Decide who will receive the refund — an overseas bank account in your own name is generally accepted (a SWIFT/BIC code is required for overseas transfers), but Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) cannot be used as the receiving account, whether domestic or overseas.
Before leaving — get the form: Obtain the 脱退一時金請求書 (Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment Claim Form) — available from the Japan Pension Service website or a Pension Office. You can prepare it in advance but should NOT submit it until after you have moved out.
Complete your other move-out procedures: File your 転出届 (moving-out notification) at your municipal office, cancel your health insurance if applicable, and settle your lease (see the related guides in this series).
Leave Japan.
After leaving — submit the claim: Mail the completed 脱退一時金請求書 to the Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構), together with required documents (see below), from overseas. You generally must NOT have a registered Japan address when you submit this. 要確認(郵送先・様式は請求書に記載の最新版を必ず確認。様式は改定されることがある)
Wait for processing and payment: If your documents are complete with no issues, payment is typically made about 4 months after the claim is received (提出書類に 不備がなければ受付後およそ4カ月後に支払い). Payment is made by bank transfer.
Check for tax withholding: The lump-sum payment is treated as retirement income (退職所得) for tax purposes, and 20.42% is withheld from non-residents at the time of payment. You may be able to claim some of this back via the "退職所得の選択課税" (taxation-by-election for retirement income) procedure, but to file this and receive any refund you must submit a 納税管理人の届出書 (Notice of Appointment of a Tax Payment Manager) to the tax office before leaving Japan.
Same as on your Residence Card / My Number record. 例: NGUYEN VAN A
2生年月日
seinengappi — Date of birth
Western calendar (西暦) is usually fine on this form — check the form
3基礎年金番号
kiso nenkin bangō — Basic Pension Number
Found on your 年金手帳 (pension handbook) or ねんきん定期便
4国籍
kokuseki — Nationality
例: ベトナム / Indonesia / Nepal
5帰国後の住所
kikoku-go no jūsho — Address after returning home
Your overseas address — write clearly, in Roman letters, so it's readable overseas
6受取先金融機関
uketorisaki kin'yū kikan — Receiving bank
Bank name, branch, account number; SWIFT/BIC code required for overseas accounts (not required for domestic Japanese accounts). Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) cannot be used, either as a domestic or overseas-transfer account.
7最後に勤務した事業所
saigo ni kinmu shita jigyōsho — Last employer
Name and address of your last workplace in Japan
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Watch out気をつけること
You generally cannot apply while still registered as a resident of Japan.
File your 転出届 and actually leave first, then submit the claim from overseas — you must have no registered Japan address (住所) at the time of claiming.
There is a time limit: 2 years.
You must claim within 2 years from the date you lost your insured status (or, if you still had a Japan address at that point, 2 years from the date you lose your Japan address). Don't leave this indefinitely.
The refund amount is capped and does not return 100% of what you paid
— it's calculated by a formula based on your contribution months and rate, up to a maximum of 60 months (5 years) of contributions for periods from April 2021 onward (36 months/3 years was the cap for contribution periods ending before April 2021). Do not assume you'll get back the full total you contributed.
Claiming affects your future pension rights
— if you might return to Japan and want to keep accumulating pension credit toward a future Japanese pension, claiming the lump sum resets/removes that contribution history for those months. Think about whether you plan to work in Japan again. 要確認(将来の年金受給権への影響は個別事情により 異なるため、判断に迷う場合は年金事務所に相談してください)
Tax withholding is easy to forget.
20.42% is withheld from the payment. Appointing a 納税管理人 before leaving lets you later file for a partial refund via 退職所得の選択課税 — ask about this before departure, not after.
Keep copies of everything
(pension handbook, request form, proof of mailing) in case of processing questions from overseas, which can be harder to resolve internationally.
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Common mistakesよくある失敗
Leaving Japan without confirming their pension enrollment history first
Submitting the claim while still registered at a Japan address (application rejected)
Missing the after-departure deadline because they didn't check it before leaving
Expecting a full refund of everything paid in, not realizing there's a cap
Not arranging a 納税管理人 for tax withholding refunds, then finding it hard to fix from overseas
Writing the overseas address unclearly, causing mail delivery problems
*Provided free by Japan Paperwork. Not legal advice. For individual visa/legal questions, consult a licensed 行政書士 (immigration specialist). / 個別の在留資格の相談は行政書士(専門家)へ。*
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