How to count "full-time equivalents" (jokin kansan) in disability welfare and long-term care — building shifts that meet the staffing standard

In short: The full-time-equivalent (jokin kansan) method takes the total working hours of an office's staff and divides them by the hours a full-time worker at that office is supposed to work, giving how many full-time workers this equals (long-term care: Ordinance No. 37 of 1999, Article 2; disability welfare: Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare No. 171 of 2006, Article 2). The divisor — the hours a full-time worker is supposed to work — is the figure the office itself sets in its work rules; where that is below 32 hours a week, 32 hours is used as the base. Fractions are generally rounded down below the second decimal place. This page sets out the difference from "full-time," how to choose the divisor, how to count concurrent duties, part-timers and those on childcare leave, what to fix when you are about to fall short, and how labour (a shakai hoken roumushi) and the designation application (a gyoseishoshi) divide up.

To be designated and run disability-welfare or long-term-care services, you must build shifts that meet the staffing standard set for each kind of service. This page is for the office manager and administrative staff, and sets out the very method of counting the "full-time-equivalent number" that sits at the centre of the staffing standard, from the viewpoint of a shakai hoken roumushi's labour management. The final decision on whether a particular office meets the standard is made by the designating authority (the prefecture or municipality), so check with them.

What is the difference between "full-time" and "full-time equivalent"?

They sound alike but point to different things.

Term	Meaning
Full-time (jokin)	For one worker, working the hours a full-time worker at that office is supposed to work (an attribute of the person)
Full-time equivalent (jokin kansan)	Dividing the total working hours of all staff by the hours a full-time worker is supposed to work, to express how many full-time workers this equals (a measure of the office's staffing volume)

"Full-time" is a category for how one individual works. Under the interpretive notice for the staffing standards, "full-time" means that working hours at the office reach the hours a full-time worker set at that office is supposed to work (where that is below 32 hours a week, 32 hours is used as the base) (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare interpretive notice; referenced September 2026).

"Full-time equivalent," by contrast, is a measure of the office's staffing volume — how many full-time workers the whole staff, part-timers included, amounts to. The full-time-equivalent method is defined in the ordinances as "dividing the total working hours of staff by the hours a full-time worker at that office is supposed to work" (Ordinance No. 37 of 1999, Article 2; Ordinance No. 171 of 2006, Article 2). When a staffing standard says "X or more on a full-time-equivalent basis," it means to meet it by this count.

Which working hours do you divide by, and how does this relate to the work rules?

The formula is as follows.

Item	Content
Formula	Full-time equivalents = total working hours of all staff ÷ hours a full-time worker is supposed to work
Divisor	The hours a full-time worker set at that office is supposed to work; where below 32 hours a week, 32 hours is used as the base
Unit of aggregation	In principle aggregated per week or per month
Rounding	Generally rounded down below the second decimal place

The part most easily mistaken is the divisor. It is not fixed at "40 hours" by law; you use the hours a full-time worker is supposed to work as set by that office in its work rules. If scheduled hours are set at 40 a week, the divisor is 40; if at 37.5 a week, it is 37.5. However, by the interpretive notice, where the hours the office sets are below 32 a week, 32 hours is used as the base (referenced September 2026).

The ceiling on scheduled working hours itself is set by Article 32 of the Labor Standards Act (in principle 40 hours a week / 8 hours a day). Making the divisor smaller inflates the apparent full-time-equivalent number, but you cannot use a divisor detached from the work rules or the actual duty pattern. For how scheduled hours and variable-hours systems are arranged, see also Choosing between a variable-hours system and flextime. Because rounding and the fine points of totalling hours can be operated differently by each designating authority, we recommend checking in advance.

How do you count concurrent duties, part-timers, and those on childcare leave?

How each form of work goes into the total working hours changes with the form.

Form	Inclusion in total working hours
Part-time	Include the hours actually spent on that duty
Concurrent duties (holding several duties)	Apportion the hours by duty and put each into the total for that duty
Full-time holding several duties	Even for a full-time worker, only the time devoted to a given duty goes into that duty's full-time-equivalent count
On maternity/childcare/family-care leave	While on leave, in principle cannot be included; the treatment of a substitute worker, etc., follows the interpretive notice and Q&A

For concurrent duties, you do not count one worker straight as "one person"; you put only the time actually devoted to that duty into the total working hours. When a manager or a service-management officer holds other duties, forgetting this apportionment easily leads to believing the staffing standard is met when it is not.

Workers on maternity, childcare or family-care leave cannot in principle be included in total working hours while on leave. The fine points — such as a special rule treating a short-hours worker taking childcare, etc., as full-time under certain conditions — are set in the Ministry's interpretive notices and Q&A (referenced September 2026). Because names and conditions are revised, check whether they apply with the designating authority. For the treatment of travel and standby time in home-visit services, see Is travel time in home-visit care working time; for how on-call relates to full-time equivalents, see On-call allowances and full-time equivalents in home-visit nursing.

What do you fix in shifts and employment contracts when you are about to fall short?

When the full-time-equivalent number looks like it will fall below the standard, you either raise the total working hours (the numerator) or review the divisor setting. But rather than juggling figures, the premise is to align employment contracts, work rules, and the actual duty pattern.

Where to fix	What to do specifically
Employment contract	Review part-timers' scheduled hours and days and reflect them in the contract
Shifts	Clarify the time devoted to a given duty and record the apportionment of concurrent duties in the roster
Work rules	Tidy up the setting of the hours a full-time worker is supposed to work (mind the 32-hour floor)
Hiring	Fill the shortfall by new hires or longer hours, and carry out social-insurance procedures such as enrolment notices

If you keep failing to meet the staffing standard, you may receive operational guidance from the designating authority or become subject to a reduction (a staffing-shortage reduction). Start by matching the roster, employment contracts and work rules against each other and eliminating gaps between reality and paper. Where social insurance is involved, see also Social insurance when you hire for short hours.

The substance of the staffing standard for each kind of service (which job types and how many) is covered in Staffing standards and labour for Type A/B employment support and Staffing standards and labour for child-development support and after-school day services. This article is confined to the "how to count full-time equivalents" that underlies them.

How do labour (a shakai hoken roumushi) and the designation application (a gyoseishoshi) divide up?

Full-time equivalents straddle both the labour papers and the designation papers. The party in charge differs by task.

What to do	Whose work it is
Managing working hours and attendance; arranging employment contracts and work rules; social- and labour-insurance procedures; payroll	A Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant) (this office)
Interpreting the designation standards; drafting the designation application and change notices filed with the designating authority	A Gyoseishoshi (Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist)
The final decision on whether a particular office meets the staffing standard	The designating authority (prefecture or municipality)
Labour-management disputes and disputes over dismissal	An attorney
Filing of fees and tax	A tax accountant

This office is limited to providing information and handling procedures for labour management. We can connect you to 四葉行政書士事務所 for interpreting the designation standards and for the designation application and change notices; on the premise that shakai hoken roumushi work and gyoseishoshi work are each carried out by an independent business entity and are contracted separately. We do not take on everything under a single contract. The final decision on whether a particular office meets the staffing standard is made by the designating authority (prefecture or municipality).

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do for you?

四葉社会保険労務士事務所 in Kohinata, Bunkyo Ward, handles, for disability-welfare and long-term-care offices, attendance and working-hours management, arranging employment contracts and work rules, social- and labour-insurance coverage procedures, and payroll. We also help design the scheduled hours that form the divisor for the full-time-equivalent count, and reflect the apportionment of concurrent duties in the roster. The initial consultation is free. For how fees are thought about, see the fee schedule; the questions we are asked most often are on the FAQ page.

We guide you to 四葉行政書士事務所 (an independent business entity, contracted separately) for the designation application and change notices filed with the designating authority, and to an attorney for labour disputes. This office does not accept referral fees.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is the divisor for full-time equivalents always 40 hours a week?
A. No. The divisor is the hours a full-time worker is supposed to work as set by that office in its work rules, etc. If set at 40 a week, you use 40; if 37.5 a week, 37.5. However, by the interpretive notice, where the hours set are below 32 a week, 32 hours is used as the base (referenced September 2026). You cannot set a divisor detached from reality.

Q. If a manager also holds another duty, may I count them straight as one person?
A. No. For concurrent duties you apportion the hours by duty and include, in each duty's total working hours, only the time actually devoted to it. Even a full-time worker contributes only the time for a given duty to that duty's full-time-equivalent count. We recommend recording the breakdown of hours in the roster.

Q. Can a worker on childcare leave be included in full-time equivalents?
A. While on leave, in principle they cannot be included in total working hours. The fine points — such as a special rule treating a short-hours worker taking childcare, etc., as full-time under certain conditions — are set in the Ministry's interpretive notices and Q&A (referenced September 2026). Because conditions are revised, check whether they apply with the designating authority.

Q. Our full-time-equivalent number looks like it will fall short. What do I check first?
A. Start by matching the roster, employment contracts and work rules against each other and eliminating gaps between reality and paper. Then top up the numerator (total working hours) by reviewing part-timers' scheduled hours or by hiring. Because the final decision on meeting the standard is made by the designating authority, consulting them before making changes is safer.

Sources for this article

• Ordinance on the standards for personnel, facilities and operation of designated in-home service businesses (Ordinance No. 37 of 1999), Article 2 (the definition of the "full-time-equivalent method" = dividing the total working hours of staff by the hours a full-time worker at the office is supposed to work) / confirmed against the e-Gov law text (referenced September 2026)
• Ordinance on the standards for personnel, facilities and operation of designated disability-welfare service businesses under the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare No. 171 of 2006), Article 2 (the definition of the "full-time-equivalent method") / confirmed against the e-Gov law text (referenced September 2026)
• The meaning of "full-time" (reaching the hours a full-time worker set at the office is supposed to work; where below 32 hours a week, 32 hours as the base), the rounding of full-time equivalents (rounded down below the second decimal place), and the treatment of workers on maternity/childcare leave and of concurrent duties, confirmed against the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's interpretive notices and Q&A on the personnel/facility/operation standards for each service (referenced September 2026); names and conditions may be revised
• Labor Standards Act (Act No. 49 of 1947), Article 32 (the principle for working hours = 40 hours a week / 8 hours a day) / confirmed against the e-Gov law text (referenced September 2026)

This article does not go so far as to decide whom you should consult. Managing working hours and attendance, arranging employment contracts and work rules, social- and labour-insurance procedures, and payroll are the work of a shakai hoken roumushi. Interpreting the designation standards and drafting the designation application and change notices filed with the designating authority are the work of a gyoseishoshi; labour disputes are the work of an attorney; the filing of fees and tax is the work of a tax accountant. Shakai hoken roumushi work and gyoseishoshi work are each carried out by an independent business entity and contracted separately. This office does not accept referral fees. The final decision on whether a particular office meets the staffing standard is made by the designating authority (prefecture or municipality). The cost of consulting 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 is set out in the fee schedule, and the questions we are asked most often are on the FAQ page.

This article is general information. 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).