Can you claim the lump-sum withdrawal payment after leaving Japan? How the two years are counted, and what to gather before you go

In short: the lump-sum withdrawal payment (脱退一時金) from Japan's pension system can be claimed after you return home. The deadline, however, is "within two years from the day you no longer have an address in Japan", and the claim form must be sent so that it reaches the Japan Pension Service after your moving-out (planned) date. Three things are hard to obtain once you are home: your basic pension number, proof of an account in your own name, and a power of attorney if an agent will file for you. If you keep these three at hand while still in Japan, the claim itself can be made calmly after your return. But if your home country has an agreement with Japan that lets pension coverage periods be totalised, check before claiming whether you are better off not receiving it. Receiving it erases all your Japanese coverage periods.

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A husband from Canada and a wife from the United Kingdom once consulted us about two weeks before leaving Japan (what follows is a fictional case based on several consultations). The husband had run an English conversation school as a company for six years, and before that worked for three years under service contracts. The wife had worked for a Japanese company for six years, and for the following two years was a dependant of her husband. Neither planned to come back, and their first question was: "Can we get back the money we paid into the pension after we go home?"

The answer is "yes". But the places where people who claim after returning home stumble are always the same. And for this couple, the answer may differ between the two of them. Let us take it step by step.

When do the "two years" start and end?

The lump-sum withdrawal payment is a benefit that a person without Japanese nationality can claim, after losing insured status under the National Pension (国民年金) or Employees' Pension Insurance (厚生年金保険) and leaving Japan, within two years from the day they no longer have an address in Japan (Employees' Pension Insurance Act, Supplementary Provisions, Article 29; National Pension Act, Supplementary Provisions, Article 9-3-2).

It is safest to understand the starting point not as "the day you left the country" but as the day after the moving-out (planned) date you gave in the moving-out notification (転出届) at your city office. The Japan Pension Service likewise explains that the claim period is the two years starting from the day after the moving-out date (the day National Pension status is lost).

Case	Planned moving-out date on the notification	Approximate claim period
Husband (Employees' Pension 6 years, National Pension 3 years)	30 November 2026	1 December 2026 to 30 November 2028
Wife (Employees' Pension 6 years, Category 3 for 2 years)	30 November 2026	Same as above

* The actual deadline is determined by the moving-out notification and the pension record. Confirm the individual dates at a pension office.

The danger lies not in a starting point that is "too early" but in one that is "too late". If you leave without filing a moving-out notification and hold a re-entry permit (including a special re-entry permit), you are treated as remaining a National Pension insured person until the re-entry permit expires, and you cannot claim the lump-sum withdrawal payment. If you intend to claim after returning home, always file the moving-out notification before you leave.

What should you gather before leaving Japan?

Listed in order of how hard they are to obtain after you return home.

1. Something showing your basic pension number
A copy of the basic pension number notice (基礎年金番号通知書) (or pension handbook) is an attachment to the claim form. If you do not have it, ask a pension office before leaving to look up your number and reissue the notice. Tracking the number down again from abroad takes time.

2. A document proving the receiving account is in your own name
You show the financial institution's name, branch name, branch address, account number and that the account is in the claimant's own name, using a certificate issued by the institution or similar. The Japan Pension Service states that payments cannot be received at Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) or certain internet-only banks. If you will receive the payment in a bank account in your home country, obtain an account certificate from the bank after you arrive (a bank statement or similar showing the account holder's name and number) and attach it to the claim form. Accounts of family members or friends cannot be used.

3. A power of attorney, if you will use an agent
You can claim yourself or through an agent. If you will entrust the procedure after your return to a shakai hoken roumushi or another agent in Japan, signing the power of attorney before you leave saves sending documents back and forth by international mail.

4. A copy of your passport
Copies of the pages showing your name, date of birth, nationality, signature and residence status are needed. If you filed a moving-out notification, a "document confirming you have no address in Japan (such as a certificate of removal from the residence record, 住民票の除票)" is in principle not required.

5. Your pension coverage record
The claim form has a section for the schemes you belonged to and the periods. Rather than writing from memory, ask a pension office before you leave to look up your record and keep a copy; you can then fill it in accurately. People like the husband, whose periods mix company management and service contracts, should also check here whether any National Pension Category 1 premiums were left unpaid.

How does it proceed after returning home, and where do people stumble?

Where and how to send it　If your periods are only under the National Pension and Employees' Pension Insurance, you post the claim to the Japan Pension Service headquarters (an online application is also possible). Filing at a pension office counter is limited to people visiting Japan for purposes other than work, such as tourism.

Date of arrival　If you still have an address in Japan on the day the claim reaches the Service, you cannot claim. If you post it from Japan before leaving, time the posting so that it arrives on or after the moving-out (planned) date. If you post it after returning home, this is satisfied naturally.

Cap on the amount　The amount is calculated, for the National Pension, from the number of months of paid premiums and similar periods, and for Employees' Pension Insurance, from the months of coverage and the average standard remuneration; the number of months is capped at 60 months (5 years) (where the last month of coverage is April 2021 or later). Both husband and wife had six years (72 months) of Employees' Pension Insurance, but only up to 60 months is used in the calculation. National Pension and Employees' Pension Insurance periods are not combined; each is calculated separately. The wife's "two years as a dependant (Category 3)" are not covered by the National Pension lump-sum withdrawal payment; this point is dealt with separately in Time spent as a spouse's dependant does not count towards the lump-sum withdrawal payment.

Until payment　The money is not paid immediately after the claim; it takes a period measured in months. It is realistic not to count on it for living expenses just after you return.

Tax　When the Employees' Pension Insurance lump-sum withdrawal payment is paid, income tax (20.42%, including the special reconstruction income tax) is withheld. You may be able to obtain a refund by filing under the "elective taxation of retirement income" (退職所得の選択課税), but to file you need to have notified a tax agent (納税管理人) living in Japan before you return home. From here on it is tax territory, so please check with a tax accountant (税理士).

After claiming　Once you receive the lump-sum withdrawal payment, all your Japanese pension coverage periods before the claim cease to count as coverage periods. If you might work in Japan again in the future, decide with this in mind.

Who is better off not claiming?

• People with a qualifying period of 10 years or more　They can receive an old-age pension, so they cannot claim the lump-sum withdrawal payment.
• Nationals of countries whose social security agreements allow coverage periods to be totalised　Receiving it erases all Japanese coverage periods and also removes them from totalisation. The husband's Canada has an agreement with Japan (in force March 2008) that includes totalisation of coverage periods. The husband's Japanese coverage is six years of Employees' Pension Insurance and three years of National Pension — nine years in total. That is short of the 10-year qualifying period for a Japanese old-age pension, but if totalising his Canadian periods under the agreement brings it to 10 years or more, he may in future receive a Japanese old-age pension for his nine years. If instead he chooses the lump-sum withdrawal payment, the calculation is cut off at the 60-month cap and the nine-year record is erased. Which is better is an individual calculation involving age, Canadian coverage and even exchange rates, so this article does not reach a conclusion.
  The wife's United Kingdom also has an agreement with Japan (in force February 2001), but it prevents double payment of contributions and does not include totalisation of coverage periods. Having no totalisation option, the wife simply needs to decide within the deadline whether to claim. Even within one couple, the answer can change this much depending on the home country. For each home country, check on the Japan Pension Service's agreement pages whether totalisation "is / is not" available.
• People planning to re-enter Japan to work soon　The calculation is capped at 60 months, and all past periods are erased. In some cases it is better to claim each time you leave; in others it is better not to.

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Whether to claim depends on your country and your future plans. This article organises the material for that decision; which is more advantageous is confirmed individually by a qualified professional after a meeting.

Does your home country have an agreement with Japan? A list of major countries

The dividing line for "claim or not" is whether your home country's social security agreement with Japan includes totalisation of coverage periods. The following is based on materials published by the Japan Pension Service and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (viewed 20 October 2026).

Countries with agreements in force (24 countries)

Country	In force	Totalisation of coverage periods
Germany	February 2000	Yes
United Kingdom	February 2001	No
South Korea	April 2005	No
United States	October 2005	Yes
Belgium	January 2007	Yes
France	June 2007	Yes
Canada	March 2008	Yes (excluding the Quebec Pension Plan)
Australia	January 2009	Yes
Netherlands	March 2009	Yes
Czech Republic	June 2009	Yes
Spain	December 2010	Yes
Ireland	December 2010	Yes
Brazil	March 2012	Yes
Switzerland	March 2012	Yes
Hungary	January 2014	Yes
India	October 2016	Yes
Luxembourg	August 2017	Yes
Philippines	August 2018	Yes
Slovakia	July 2019	Yes
China	September 2019	No
Finland	February 2022	Yes
Sweden	June 2022	Yes
Italy	April 2024	No
Austria	December 2025	Yes

For the United Kingdom, South Korea, China and Italy, the agreement only prevents double payment of contributions; there is no totalisation of coverage periods. For nationals of these countries, as for countries with no agreement, it is simply a matter of deciding within the deadline whether to claim.

Countries working towards an agreement (not yet in force)

Country	Status (as of April 2026, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
Poland	Signed in April 2026; awaiting entry into force
Turkey, Norway, Vietnam	Intergovernmental negotiations under way
Thailand	Preliminary consultations under way

Until an agreement enters into force, signed and negotiating countries are treated the same as having "no agreement". The timing of entry into force depends on parliamentary approval and other steps, so check the Ministry's latest status before leaving Japan.

Major countries without an agreement (not listed by the Japan Pension Service as of 20 October 2026)

• Asia　Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mongolia, Cambodia, Uzbekistan
• Europe　Portugal, Denmark, Norway (under negotiation), Poland (signed), Greece, Romania, Russia
• Americas and Oceania　Mexico, Peru, Argentina, New Zealand
• Middle East and Africa　United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey (under negotiation), South Africa

Nationals of countries without an agreement have no way to totalise Japanese coverage periods with their home country's pension, so if their coverage is under 10 years, the lump-sum withdrawal payment is close to the only option. Those who may work in Japan again in future should, however, bear in mind that claiming erases their past periods.

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do?

四葉社会保険労務士事務所 in Kohinata, Bunkyo-ku, takes on looking up your pension record and confirming your basic pension number before departure, preparing and filing the lump-sum withdrawal payment claim (under a power of attorney), and acting as the point of contact for exchanging documents after you return home. Consultation is free. The service is described on Lump-sum withdrawal payment claims, fees in the fee schedule, the company-side procedures (loss-of-status notifications and so on) in What happens to the pension of an employee returning home?, and the overall picture when closing a company and returning home in When you close a company, what happens to social and labour insurance?.

Whom to consult

The withholding tax on the lump-sum withdrawal payment and the refund filing are the work of a tax accountant. Procedures concerning residence status and re-entry are handled by 四葉行政書士事務所 (an independent business from this office, engaged under a separate contract), and matters in dispute are for an attorney. In every case, no referral fees change hands.

Frequently asked questions

Q. It has been a year and a half since I returned home. Can I still claim?
A. You can claim within two years from the day after your moving-out (planned) date. If little time remains, move ahead first with the account certificate and confirming your basic pension number. If you do not know your basic pension number, you also need to allow time to ask the Japan Pension Service.

Q. I closed my Japanese bank account before going home. What should I use as the receiving account?
A. You can receive it in an account in your own name at a financial institution in your home country. Attach to the claim form a certificate issued by the institution showing the account holder's name, account number and branch address. To receive it in an account in Japan, the account name must be registered in katakana. Japan Post Bank and some internet banks cannot be used as receiving accounts.

Q. My spouse and I have different coverage periods. Can we claim together?
A. Claims are made one person at a time, on separate claim forms. The amount is also calculated per person, with National Pension and Employees' Pension Insurance periods calculated separately. If your home countries differ, whether the agreement allows totalisation differs from person to person too. Periods as a spouse's dependant (Category 3 insured person) are not included in the months for the National Pension lump-sum withdrawal payment, so those with dependant periods should read Time spent as a spouse's dependant does not count towards the lump-sum withdrawal payment.

Q. If I use an agent, do I not need to do anything myself?
A. Only you can provide your signature and the account certificate. The division of work is that you gather the power of attorney, the passport copy and the certificate for an account in your own name, while the agent prepares and files the claim and deals with the Japan Pension Service.

Sources for this article

• Employees' Pension Insurance Act (厚生年金保険法, Act No. 115 of 1954), Supplementary Provisions, Article 29 (lump-sum withdrawal payment; paragraph 1 = requirements and the two-year deadline; paragraphs 3 and 4 = calculation of the amount; paragraph 5 = deemed not to have been insured) — current text confirmed on e-Gov on 21 October 2026
• National Pension Act (国民年金法, Act No. 141 of 1959), Supplementary Provisions, Article 9-3-2 (National Pension lump-sum withdrawal payment) — same as above
• Eligibility, the start of the two years (the day after the moving-out date), the 60-month cap, and that National Pension and Employees' Pension Insurance periods are not combined — Japan Pension Service, "The lump-sum withdrawal payment system", "Procedures for claiming the lump-sum withdrawal payment" and the pension Q&A "What should I note when claiming the lump-sum withdrawal payment?" (viewed 20 October 2026)
• Attachments (passport copy, proof of an account in the claimant's name, basic pension number notice etc., power of attorney), no certificate of removal needed if a moving-out notification has been filed, and that payments cannot be received at Japan Post Bank etc. — Japan Pension Service, "Procedures for claiming the lump-sum withdrawal payment" (viewed 20 October 2026)
• The 20.42% withholding tax on the Employees' Pension Insurance lump-sum withdrawal payment and refund filing under the "elective taxation of retirement income" — National Tax Agency, "Example entries for the elective taxation of retirement income" (viewed 20 October 2026)
• That the agreement with Canada (in force March 2008) includes totalisation of coverage periods, and the agreement with the United Kingdom (in force February 2001) does not — Japan Pension Service, "Dates of entry into force of agreements and social security schemes covered" (updated 27 October 2025, viewed 20 October 2026)
• How qualifying periods are totalised under social security agreements — Japan Pension Service, "Social security agreements" (viewed 20 October 2026)
• Dates of entry into force and totalisation for the 24 countries with agreements in force — Japan Pension Service, "Dates of entry into force of agreements and social security schemes covered" (updated 27 October 2025, viewed 20 October 2026)
• Status of signed (Poland), under intergovernmental negotiation (Turkey, Norway, Vietnam) and under preliminary consultation (Thailand) — Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Status of social security agreements (as of April 2026)" (viewed 20 October 2026)

This article is general information. Whether a claim can be made and whether it is advantageous depend on individual circumstances. Judgments that fit your particular circumstances are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant), Gyoseishoshi (Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist), Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).