The new education-training leave benefit created in October 2025 — a benefit for employees who take unpaid leave to reskill, and the employer's procedures

In short: The education-training leave benefit lets an in-service general insured person under employment insurance who takes unpaid leave to reskill receive an amount equivalent to the basic allowance. It was created on October 1, 2025 (Reiwa 7) (amendment to the Employment Insurance Act under Article 2 of Act No. 26 of 2024). The number of days paid is 90, 120, or 150 depending on the base period, and individual eligibility is decided by Hello Work. This article only introduces the framework.

For owners and HR staff at small and medium-sized companies who want to allow employee reskilling through unpaid leave, this article organizes the framework of the education-training leave benefit newly created in October 2025 and what employers should prepare in work rules and procedures. Individual eligibility and the benefit amount are matters Hello Work decides; this article only introduces the system. Among the 2025 employment-insurance reforms, the easing of the post-separation benefit restriction and the raise of the education-training benefit are organized in the 2025 employment insurance reform: how did the benefit restriction for voluntary resignation and the education-training benefit change.

What is the education-training leave benefit, and when was it created?

The education-training leave benefit is a system that pays an amount equivalent to the basic allowance (unemployment benefit) when an in-service general insured person takes unpaid leave to receive training. Its distinctive feature is supporting the living expenses of a person who reskills without leaving their job. The basis is the amendment to the Employment Insurance Act under Article 2 of the Act Partially Amending the Employment Insurance Act and Other Acts (Act No. 26 of 2024), which took effect October 1, 2025 (Reiwa 7). The details are set out in the Ministerial Order Partially Amending the Enforcement Regulations of the Employment Insurance Act and others.

Item	Content
Creation	October 1, 2025 (Reiwa 7)
Basis	Amendment to the Employment Insurance Act under Article 2 of Act No. 26 of 2024
Who is covered	An in-service general insured person under employment insurance (a person who has not separated)
Premise leave	Unpaid education-training leave (taken while remaining in service)
Nature of the benefit	An amount equivalent to the basic allowance (the same idea as unemployment benefit at separation)

Until now, the employment-insurance benefit related to training has centered on the education-training benefit (Article 60-2 of the Employment Insurance Act), which subsidizes part of the course cost. The education-training leave benefit is a separate benefit, differing in that it supports "living expenses during the leave" rather than "course costs." To avoid confusing the two, you must explain them separately when fielding a consultation.

What kind of leave and which employees are covered?

To be covered, both the requirements of the leave itself and the requirements on the employee's insured period must be met. The published requirements are as follows (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidance, referenced October 2026; confirm the details with the latest information).

Category	Main requirements
The employee's status	An in-service general insured person under employment insurance
Insured period	A deemed insured period of 12 months or more in total in the 2 years before the leave begins, and a base period of 5 years or more
Nature of the leave	Unpaid leave the employee takes voluntarily based on a labor agreement or the work rules
Days of leave	30 days or more
Employer's involvement	The employer has approved taking the leave, and there is no plan to dismiss during the period
Income	The person earns no wages or other income during the leave period

The key is that this leave is "unpaid" and that the employee "takes it voluntarily." If the company has the employee take training by a work order (wages are paid), it is not the education-training leave meant here. The structure is that the employee themselves takes unpaid leave to reskill, and employment insurance supports their living expenses during that time. Because the insured-period requirement branches finely by rules such as aggregation where there is a separation period, confirm individual eligibility with Hello Work.

How are the benefit amount and payment period determined?

The amount paid per day is calculated on the same idea as the basic allowance received at separation. The number of days paid (the prescribed number of benefit days) is determined by the base period (the employment-insurance enrollment period).

Base period	Days paid
5 years to under 10 years	90 days
10 years to under 20 years	120 days
20 years or more	150 days

• Amount per day: as with the basic allowance at separation, it is calculated, in principle, by multiplying the wage daily amount based on the wages for the 6 months before the leave begins by a benefit rate (roughly 45–80%). The wage daily amount and the basic-allowance daily amount have caps by age bracket, and the specific figure changes by year and age, so confirm it with the latest information from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Hello Work before receiving (referenced October 2026).
• Payment period: the period during which the benefit can be received is, in principle, up to 1 year. If the leave is interrupted for pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, or the like, there is treatment allowing the period to be extended within a certain range.
• The reference date: the base period on which the days paid are based is judged as of the day before the leave begins.

The fact that the days paid fall in the same brackets as the prescribed number of benefit days of the basic allowance (for an ordinary separatee) shows the nature of the system. The idea is to extend equivalent living-expense protection to a person who reskills while remaining in service, instead of separating and receiving unemployment benefit. Because a simulation of the specific amount and days is shown on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare site, in a consultation it is safe to explain the "rough framework" and have the fixed amount confirmed at Hello Work.

What should the employer prepare in work rules and procedures?

The education-training leave benefit is a benefit the employee themselves receives, but the unpaid education-training leave that is its premise is a company scheme. So there are preparations the employer side should arrange.

• Stating it in the work rules / labor-management agreement: set the education-training leave (unpaid) scheme in a labor agreement or the work rules. Make clear who is eligible, the days that can be taken, the application procedure, and that it is unpaid.
• Certification regarding wages: when the employee applies to Hello Work, there are documents the company prepares and submits, such as a certification of the monthly wage (a wage certification equivalent to the separation certificate).
• Confirming there is no plan to dismiss: because it is a requirement that there be no plan to dismiss during the leave period, the employer needs to confirm and certify that point.

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Even if an employee says "I want to reskill" while the work rules have no provision for education-training leave, the premise of the benefit is not in place. A company that introduces the scheme should, as a practical point, first complete the arrangement of the work rules. Drafting and amending the work rules is an area a Shakai Hoken Roumushi can support. Whether to make the leave unpaid or paid, and how to design the number of days, is a matter of the company's scheme design and must be decided consistently with the benefit requirements (unpaid, 30 days or more).

Who handles the application, the work rules, and the training selection?

The work involved in the education-training leave benefit is handled by different parties.

Point	Who handles it
Arranging the education-training leave scheme in the work rules / labor-management agreement, supporting employer-side procedures such as the wage certification, and acting for the benefit application	Shakai Hoken Roumushi (our office)
Accepting the benefit application and deciding individual eligibility, the amount, and the days paid	Hello Work (the person/employer confirms)
Selecting which training to take and at which educational institution	The employee and the educational institution

The benefit application is made to Hello Work, and a Shakai Hoken Roumushi can act for the employer in the procedure. On the other hand, the decision on individual eligibility, the amount, and how many days are paid is made by Hello Work. Which course to take (selecting where to attend) is a matter the employee decides with the educational institution. A Shakai Hoken Roumushi can support arranging the work rules and the application, but it helps prevent misunderstanding to make clear at the outset of a consultation that individual eligibility is a matter for Hello Work's decision. This article only introduces the framework and does not decide individual eligibility or amounts.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When is the education-training leave benefit a benefit you can receive?
A. It is a benefit an in-service general insured person under employment insurance can receive—an amount equivalent to the basic allowance—when they take unpaid education-training leave to reskill. It was created on October 1, 2025 (Reiwa 7). It is a separate system from the education-training benefit, which subsidizes course costs; this one supports living expenses during the leave. Individual eligibility is decided by Hello Work.

Q. Is everyone covered?
A. It is required that the person be an in-service general insured person with a deemed insured period of 12 months or more in total in the 2 years before the leave begins and a base period of 5 years or more. In addition, it must be voluntary unpaid leave based on a labor agreement or the work rules, 30 days or more, with the employer's approval and no plan to dismiss. Because fine eligibility branches by things such as whether there is a separation period, confirm with Hello Work.

Q. About how much is the amount and the days paid?
A. The amount per day is calculated on the same idea as the basic allowance at separation—in principle, the wage daily amount based on the wages for the 6 months before the leave begins multiplied by a benefit rate (roughly 45–80%). The days paid are, by base period, 90 days for 5 to under 10 years, 120 days for 10 to under 20 years, and 150 days for 20 years or more. The wage daily amount has a cap by age bracket, and the figure changes by year and age, so confirm it with the latest information from Hello Work before receiving.

Q. What should the company prepare?
A. Set the premise unpaid education-training leave in a labor agreement or the work rules, making clear who is eligible, the days that can be taken, and that it is unpaid. When the employee applies, there are documents the company prepares and submits, such as a certification of the monthly wage, and it is also necessary to confirm there is no plan to dismiss during the leave. A Shakai Hoken Roumushi can support arranging the work rules and the application.

Sources

• Basis of creation: the amendment to the Employment Insurance Act (Act No. 116 of 1974) under Article 2 of the Act Partially Amending the Employment Insurance Act and Other Acts (Act No. 26 of 2024). The education-training leave benefit took effect October 1, 2025 (Reiwa 7) (e-Gov Law Search; check the effective date and latest amendment each time).
• Where the details are set: the Ministerial Order Partially Amending the Enforcement Regulations of the Employment Insurance Act and others (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidance, referenced October 2026).
• Who is covered / leave requirements: an in-service general insured person with a deemed insured period of 12 months or more in total in the 2 years before the leave begins and a base period of 5 years or more; voluntary unpaid education-training leave (30 days or more) based on a labor agreement or the work rules, with the employer's approval and no plan to dismiss, among others (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidance, referenced October 2026; details such as aggregation where there is a separation period should be confirmed with the latest information).
• Days paid: by base period, 90 days for 5 to under 10 years, 120 days for 10 to under 20 years, and 150 days for 20 years or more (judged by the base period as of the day before the leave begins; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare / Hello Work guidance, referenced October 2026).
• Amount and period: the same calculation method as the basic allowance at separation (in principle, the wage daily amount based on the wages for the 6 months before the leave begins multiplied by a benefit rate of roughly 45–80%; the wage daily amount has a cap by age bracket). The period the benefit can be received is, in principle, up to 1 year (with extension treatment where interrupted for pregnancy, childbirth, etc.; because the detail of the amount differs by year and age, confirm with the latest information before receiving).
• Distinction from the education-training benefit: the education-training benefit that subsidizes course costs is a separate system under Article 60-2 of the Employment Insurance Act.
• Business of a Shakai Hoken Roumushi: Article 2 of the Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant Act.

This article does not decide whom to consult. 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 can advise on arranging the education-training leave scheme in the work rules and labor-management agreement, supporting employer-side procedures such as the wage certification, and acting for the benefit application. The decision on individual eligibility, the amount, and the days paid is for Hello Work; selecting which training to take is for the employee and the educational institution. For fees, see the fee schedule; for frequently asked questions, see the FAQ.

This article is general information. Whether a particular employee is covered by the education-training leave benefit and how much the amount and days paid will be depend on the circumstances. Application of the system and individual judgments are made by a qualified professional after a consultation, in light of the latest primary sources (the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Hello Work, e-Gov, etc.) and individual circumstances. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi, Gyoseishoshi, Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).