How to claim your nenkin refund (Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment)

If you paid into the Japanese pension system for at least 6 months and leave Japan without becoming entitled to a pension, you can claim a Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment. It is often called the "nenkin refund". This guide covers the claim to the Japan Pension Service (JPS).

1. Before you leave: file your moving-out notice

Submit a moving-out notice (転出届) at your city or ward office. JPS cannot accept a claim while you still have an address in Japan. If you leave on a re-entry permit without this notice, you stay enrolled in the National Pension until the permit expires and cannot claim until then.

2. Get the claim form

Download the "Claim Form for the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payments" from the JPS website. It is bilingual (Japanese and your language) and comes with a filled-in example. You can also get it at a pension office.

3. Prepare the documents

A copy of your passport pages showing your name, date of birth, nationality, signature and status of residence.
A document showing you no longer have an address in Japan. This is usually not needed if you filed the moving-out notice.
Proof of the bank account that will receive the money: bank name, branch name, branch address, account number, and proof the account is in your name (for example, a certificate from the bank).
A document showing your Basic Pension Number (a Basic Pension Number Notice or pension handbook).

Japan Post Bank and some internet-only banks cannot receive the payment. For a Japanese bank account, the account name must be registered in katakana.

4. Send it

Send the form and documents by post, or apply electronically through e-Gov. You may post it just before leaving, but it must arrive on or after your moving-out date. The deadline is 2 years from the day after you leave your address in Japan.

5. Wait for payment

If nothing is missing, JPS pays about 4 months after it receives your claim. A "Notice of Payment of Lump-sum Withdrawal" (脱退一時金支給決定通知書) is sent along with the money. Keep the original: you need it to get the withheld tax back.

Before you claim

Once you receive the payment, all your pension periods before the claim are no longer counted. If you may come back to Japan for long, or your country has a social security agreement with Japan, check whether keeping the periods would give you a pension later.

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Official sources

Last checked: 2026-11-04