Job Discussion Forums

[showmenshow]

Hi,

I started working in Tokyo in Jan 30 2014. I'm trying to decide to leave either end of this year Dec31/2016 or end of next year Dec 31 2017. But I'm trying to figure out when best to leave based on financially benefits.

First, I read that as long as I leave tokyo before /on Dec 31 2016, I dont need to pay my ward tax for next year, what that will safe me around 160,000yen. But if I do leave on Dec 2016, I will only worked in Japan for 35 months and according to the pension refund website, if I worked 36 months and more I would get pension refund. Btw I'm paying almost 50,000 yen toward my pension every month.

Can someone shed some lights on this matter?

Thanks

[Harp]

Ward tax - if you left on 31st Dec 2016 (or 2017 for that matter) you would be required to pay off the rest of the current year's city tax. You'll get a bill around now to be paid in installments until the same time next year, this should be paid in full before you leave. What the deadline means is that if you left on 31st Dec 2016 you wouldn't be liable for the bill that would come to you around May/June 2017.

Lump sum pension withdrawal - you don't have to pay in for 36 months to get your money back. The system is that you can claim *up to* 36 months back, so from 1 month to the full 3 years and all points in between. If you stayed until December 2017 then you would lose anything over that 36 month period (11 months going by your original post).