Procedures for Receiving a Lump-Sum Withdrawal Payment

1. Get your employer to withdraw you from Japanese pension systems.
2. Inform city hall that you are leaving Japan in order to be delisted as a resident.
3. Fill out the lump-sum claim form.
4. Designate someone as a tax representative with the nouzeikanrinin no todokedesho Notification of Tax Agent form, available at city halls.
5. Leave Japan, but bring your blue pension book, claim form, and tax agent form. Also bring information regarding the tax agent, employment, and related contact/address information.
6. Send in your claim form, pension book, certified bank information, and copy of passport showing all entry/exits to Japan to the Tokyo pension office:

   Social Insurance Operation Center, Takaido-nishi 3-5-24, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 168-8505
(〒168-8505 東京都杉並区高井戸西 3丁目 5番 24号社会保険業務センター)

7. Get the Notice of Lump Sum Withdrawal Payments (支給決定通知書) and make a copy. This will get you 80% of your money in your US bank account.
8. Send the original Notice of Lump Sum Withdrawal Payments (支給決定通知書) to your tax representative and go through a kakutei shinkoku tax declaration (確定申告).
9. The tax people will refund the last 20% of your money to your tax representative. The money can only be deposited in a Japanese bank account.
10. Have your tax representative send the money over to you by wire.

Please note that bank information needed includes documents that show your bank name, name of bank branch office, branch office’s
address, your account number, and show that the applicant (yourself) is the account holder (any supporting documents issued by your bank). For payments remitted to your bank located
in Japan, your name (account holder’s name) in Japanese KATAKANA characters needs to be registered with the bank. Please note you cannot receive payments at a Japan Post Bank
account.

Lump-Sum Payment Calculation

A lump-sum payment is maximized at three years and differs based on either basic kokumin nenkin or employer-contributed kosei nenkin pension plans.

Lump-sum applications must be made within two years of declaring Japanese non-residency and of withdrawing from the pension system. Payments cannot be received if any disability, unemployment, or other benefits have previously been claimed. Claimants must have at least 6 months of contribution into the pension system to receive any benefits.

National Pension System

The amount that can be expected for kokumin nenkin is listed in the following table and is calculated using this formula (as of 2015):

￥7,625 x (1) + (2) + (3) + (4)

(1) Number of contribution-paid months (no exemption)
(2) Number of three-quarter contribution-exempted months × 3/4
(3) Number of half contribution-exempted months × 1/2
(4) Number of one-quarter contribution-exempted months × 1/4

Payments

Be aware that pension payments are decided yearly and will change with every year, generally increasing.

Employees’ Pension Insurance

The amount that can be expected for kosei nenkin is listed in the following table and is calculated using this formula:

(1) + (2) x Multiplier

(1) 1.0 x Average monthly salary (yearly income and bonuses / months worked) for work after 4/2003.
(2) 1.3 x Average monthly salary for work before 4/2003

Multiplier values

Between 6 and 11 months       0.5
Between 12 and 17 months     1.0
Between 18 and 23 months     1.5
Between 24 and 29 months     2.1
Between 30 and 35 months     2.6
36 months or more                 3.1

Be aware that pension payments are decided yearly and multipliers change with every year, generally increasing.

Japanese Pension System Information

1. Eligibility starting at 25 years of work.
2. Benefits depend on average salary–make more money, get more pension.
3. Unclear “karakikan” allowances for permanent residents that allow for eligibility with less than 25 years of work, but also reduced pension income and payments.
4. Agreements with various countries that allow pension payments to count towards foreign social security or pension systems, as well as elimination of double pension benefits.
5. Lump-sum pension withdrawals equivalent to up to three years of work: around ￥286000 for the basic kokumin nenkin system or 3x the average monthly salary for the employer-supported kosei nenkin system (for those enrolled in shakai hoken).

US Social Security Information

1. Social Security eligibility starting at 40 credits, with up to 4 credits earned per year (10 years of work).
2. Benefits depending on average salary–make more money, get more pension (up to a limit).
3. Agreements with Japan for pension/social security equivalency (1 SS credit is 3 months of Japanese work) and reception of benefits from either Japan or the US.
4. No double pension benefits.
5. Japanese credits count towards US Social Security, but not towards Medicare.
6. SS retirement payment eligibility starting at 40 credits, disability eligibility starting at 6, and survivorship eligibility based on age.

Japanese Pension Retirement Payments

For those who are eligible for a Japanese pension and have worked and made pension payments for 40 years in total, benefits are ￥780,100 / year as of 2015.

US Social Security Retirement Payments

For those claiming a Social Security benefit, the calculation can be confusing and difficult. Please refer to the appropriate publications (See SSA Publication No. 05-10070).

The full calculation follows these steps:

1. Find Earnings x Index Factor (up to yearly maximum)
2. Sum the top 35 years.
3. Divide by 35 years x 12 months (420)
4. Follow the formula:

( (1) + (2) + (3) ) x 0.75

(1) First $0-826 x 0.9
(2) Second $826-4,980 x .32
(3) Third $4,980-35-year-sum x 0.1

Social Security payouts are affected by retirement age and other factors.