Pension
The Japanese pension for foreigners: pay, exemption, refund or agreement
Foreigners aged 20 to 59 in Japan must join the pension: ¥17,920 a month in FY2026, exemptions, student deferral, PR rules and the choice when leaving.
National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) for foreigners: cost, students and leaving
Foreigners staying over 3 months must join National Health Insurance in Japan. Shinjuku FY2026 costs, student cuts and what unpaid premiums mean for visas.
- Who must join
- Stay over 3 months, no workplace insurance
- Shinjuku FY2026, no income
- ¥67,073 a year before reductions
- You pay at the clinic
- 30% (school age to 69)
- Deadline to join
- 14 days
Short answer
Foreign residents staying in Japan for more than 3 months must join National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) if they have no workplace health insurance. You apply at your city office within 14 days and pay 30% at the clinic. As of October 2026, Shinjuku charges a single person under 40 with no income ¥67,073 a year before reductions, and ¥338,979 on ¥3 million of income. Unpaid premiums can count against visa renewal and permanent residency.
If you live in Japan for more than 3 months and your job doesn’t enroll you in workplace health insurance, you must join your city’s National Health Insurance (国民健康保険), whatever your nationality. You apply at the city office within 14 days and pay 30% of most medical bills. As of October 2026, Shinjuku charges a single person under 40 with no income ¥67,073 a year before low-income reductions.
Shinjuku, FY2026, one person under 40, ¥0 income
¥67,073 a year
Before the 70% low-income cut. About ¥5,600 a month, billed in 10 installments from June (Shinjuku City)
Do foreigners have to join National Health Insurance?
Yes, unless you are covered another way. According to Shinjuku and Meguro wards, a foreign resident with a resident record (住民票) must join if:
- your period of stay is more than 3 months, and
- you are not covered by workplace health insurance (社会保険), and you don’t receive public assistance.
Holders of Entertainer, Technical Intern Training, Dependent or Designated Activities status with 3 months or less can also join if they show objective documents proving they will stay longer than 3 months.
You can’t join on Temporary Visitor (短期滞在) or Diplomat status, after your status has expired, or on Designated Activities for medical treatment or sightseeing.
National Health Insurance or workplace insurance?
| Your situation | Insurance |
|---|---|
| Employee or executive of a company (株式会社, 合同会社 and so on) | Workplace health insurance, through your employer |
| Part-time worker meeting the thresholds (for example 20+ hours a week and ¥88,000+ a month; students excluded) | Workplace health insurance |
| Dependent family of an employee | The employee’s workplace insurance |
| Freelancer, self-employed, unemployed, student, between jobs | National Health Insurance |
The two systems don’t switch automatically. When you leave a job, or get a job with workplace insurance, you must tell the city.
How much does National Health Insurance cost?
Each city sets its own rates. We use Shinjuku City (新宿区), Tokyo, for FY2026 (April 2026 to March 2027). The premium has four parts. Each has a flat amount per member plus a percentage of your household’s assessment base:
| Part | Per member | Rate on income | Yearly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical (医療分) | ¥47,600 | 7.51% | ¥670,000 |
| Elderly support (支援金分) | ¥17,600 | 2.80% | ¥260,000 |
| Long-term care (介護分), ages 40 to 64 only | ¥17,800 | 2.43% | ¥170,000 |
| Child support (子ども・子育て支援金分), new in FY2026 | ¥1,873 | 0.27% | ¥30,000 |
The assessment base (算定基礎額) is your previous year’s total income (総所得金額等) minus ¥430,000. Total income is not your gross salary or take-home pay. For a salaried worker it is the 給与所得控除後の金額 on your withholding slip (源泉徴収票).
Shinjuku’s own estimates for one person, before reductions:
| Total income in 2025 | Under 40 or 65+ | Aged 40 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| ¥0 to ¥400,000 | ¥67,073 | ¥84,873 |
| ¥1,000,000 | ¥127,379 | ¥159,030 |
| ¥2,000,000 | ¥233,179 | ¥289,130 |
| ¥3,000,000 | ¥338,979 | ¥419,230 |
Per month: Shinjuku bills in 10 installments, June to March. Each one covers 1.2 months. So ¥338,979 a year is about ¥28,250 a month spread over 12 months, but each bill is about ¥33,900.
How can I lower my National Health Insurance premium?
1. Declare your income, even if it was zero. Shinjuku cuts the per-member amounts by 70%, 50% or 20% for low-income households. But the cut applies only if the income of every member, including the head of household, is known. If you had no income, file a resident tax declaration (住民税の申告) at the city where you lived on 1 January.
For a one-person household in Shinjuku (FY2026, based on 2025 income):
| Total income | Cut to per-member amounts |
|---|---|
| ¥430,000 or less | 70% |
| ¥740,000 or less | 50% |
| ¥1,000,000 or less | 20% |
After a 70% cut, the per-member part is ¥1,677 a month if you are under 40.
2. Lost your job for company reasons? If Hello Work classes you as a specified eligible recipient (特定受給資格者) or a specified reason leaver (特定理由離職者), and you were under 65, Shinjuku counts your previous salary income at 30%. It lasts until the end of the following fiscal year. Bring your employment insurance card from Hello Work. See unemployment benefits for foreigners.
3. Other cuts. Pre-school children’s per-member amount is halved automatically. Under-18s pay no per-member child-support amount. There is a reduction around childbirth, and a general reduction (一般減免) if you can’t pay after dismissal, illness or disaster. Apply for the general reduction before the due date.
Do international students have to pay National Health Insurance?
Yes. Shinjuku lists foreign students among the residents who join, and students are excluded from the part-time thresholds for workplace insurance. Because most students had little or no Japanese income the year before, the low-income reduction usually matters most. File the income declaration every year so it applies.
How do I join?
- You, at the city office Register your address Move-in notification at the city office. This creates your resident record.
- You Apply at the insurance counter Within 14 days of moving in or leaving a job. If you left a job, bring the certificate that your workplace insurance ended (健康保険資格喪失証明書). Shinjuku also accepts online and postal applications.
- City office Receive your proof of coverage Use a My Number Card registered as a health insurance card (マイナ保険証), or the certificate of eligibility (資格確認書) the city sends.
- You Pay the bills Bills arrive from mid-June. In Shinjuku you can also pay by account transfer or a smartphone payment app.
Late is expensive: if you join late, you still owe premiums back to the date you became eligible.
What happens if I don’t pay National Health Insurance?
Three things, as of October 2026:
- Collection. Shinjuku says it may investigate your bank savings and seize assets without notice if you don’t pay without a special reason. If you can’t pay, ask for a payment consultation (納付相談) first.
- Visa renewal and change. The Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) guideline says serious cases (悪質なもの) of large or long-term unpaid NHI premiums are treated like unpaid tax: a negative factor. Since its June 2026 revision, it also says immigration may decide using payment information it receives from other agencies. You show your health insurance at the counter when you apply.
- Permanent residency. The PR guideline (revised February 2026) requires taxes, pension and health insurance premiums paid properly. Premiums paid late, even if settled before applying, are in principle judged negatively.
What do I do with National Health Insurance when I leave Japan?
- File your moving-out notification (転出届) at the city office.
- Then file the loss of eligibility (資格喪失) at the insurance counter. Bring ID (passport, residence card or My Number Card) and your 資格確認書 if you have one.
- Settle the premium. In Yokohama, if every NHI member in the household leaves, the premium is settled at the counter.
As long as your resident record stays in Japan, you stay enrolled and keep owing premiums. For the full list of things to close, see the leaving Japan checklist.
This page is general information. For your own case, ask your city’s NHI counter, or a licensed immigration specialist (行政書士) about visa questions.
More guides
- The Japanese pension for foreigners: the other premium you pay with NHI.
- Resident tax for foreigners: the tax data your premium is based on.
- Child allowance and childbirth payments: includes the ¥500,000 childbirth lump sum.
- Visa renewal in Japan
- Permanent residency requirements
Questions people ask
How much is National Health Insurance per month in Japan?
It depends on your city and last year's income. In Shinjuku for FY2026, a single person under 40 with ¥0 to ¥400,000 of income pays ¥67,073 a year before reductions, about ¥5,600 a month, billed in 10 installments.
Do foreign students have to join National Health Insurance in Japan?
Yes, if you stay more than 3 months and have no other public insurance. File a resident tax declaration even with no income, so the city can apply the 70%, 50% or 20% low-income reduction.
Can I skip National Health Insurance if I have private or travel insurance?
No. The cities' rules make enrollment compulsory for residents staying over 3 months without workplace insurance. If you join late, you pay the premiums back to the date you became eligible.
Do unpaid National Health Insurance premiums affect my visa?
They can. The immigration guideline says serious cases of large or long-term unpaid premiums are treated like unpaid tax in renewals, and the permanent residency guideline requires premiums paid on time. Some cities, including Shinjuku from June 2026, share data on long-term non-payers with immigration.
How do I stop National Health Insurance when I leave Japan?
File your moving-out notification (転出届) first, then the loss of eligibility at the city's insurance counter. If everyone in the household leaves, the premiums are settled on the spot.
Sources
- 国民健康保険の加入資格, Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 外国籍のかたの国民健康保険の加入, Meguro City (目黒区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 国民健康保険 令和8年度の保険料 (広報, 2026-04-15), Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 令和8年度 国民健康保険料 概算早見表（総所得金額等）, Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 令和8年度 国民健康保険料 概算早見表（給与／年金のみ）, Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 保険料の減免について, Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 令和8年度 国民健康保険料 減額基準額早見表, Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 非自発的失業者の国民健康保険料の軽減, Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 国民健康保険料に係る東京出入国在留管理局への滞納者情報の外部提供について, Shinjuku City (新宿区) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 在留資格の変更、在留期間の更新許可のガイドライン, Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 永住許可に関するガイドライン, Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 海外転出時の国民健康保険の手続き, Yokohama City (横浜市) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 県内に居住している外国人の方へ, Kanagawa Prefecture (神奈川県) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- National Health Insurance (Kokuho), Shinjuku City (English) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- お医者さんにかかるとき（療養の給付）, Kashiwa City (柏市) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- 外国人の国保保険料収納状況の把握・入管庁との連携について, Cabinet Secretariat (内閣官房) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Japan to Counter Foreigners Refusing to Pay Health Insurance Premiums, Jiji Press via Adnkronos (secondary) (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
Spotted something out of date or wrong? Email [email protected] and we will check it against the source. See our corrections policy.
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