Job Discussion Forums

TWG · Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 39

The whole process is designed to make you go, "Eff it! Keep the money. If I knew you were so hard up for a couple of thou I wouldn't have asked for it back in the first place.", eh?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

It's your (financial) loss if you choose not to ask for the lump sum withdrawal, and it's your prerogative. Some people think it's a big enough chunk of change to ask for it. Some simply don't want Japan to keep it. Yeah, there are also people who want more returned to them, but that's not the way it works here.

Keep in mind that you might leave shortly after 3 years, or you might stay longer (at which time you would get more back for the 3-year period). You might even fall into circumstances where you'd be here permanently and need the benefits of the pension plan itself.

Your call. I see little cause to grumble about it, though.

TWG · Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 39

Your reply was a shower of letters and I'm glad to have read it.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:12 pm Post subject:

Unless the procedures have changed since I did it, it's relatively easy to get back the bulk of the refund - you simply apply and it eventually gets paid (takes about 2-3 months) into whichever overseas bank account you've nominated. The tricky part is IIRC the 20% or so they still then hold back, which can only be paid into a bank account in Japan, so if you've already left the country you'll need to find somebody trustworthy who'll be willing to access that for you and wire it on to you. That was the one part I couldn't be bothered with/didn't want to impose on anyone for, and thus allowed to lapse (there was a time limit), meaning the Japanese government got to keep about 170K. I saw it ultimately as a little thank you from me back to the people of Japan for having funded me for 3 years on JET. Cool

(Though there were of course times when that money would've come in quite handy!).

G Cthulhu

budgie · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 40

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

As this has been resurrected, I never had to pay into the pension scheme. There is an arrangement with the UK if you are paying NI there (I pay voluntary NI in the UK). When I registered I just said I was paying in the UK, and they said that was fine. I didn't have to provide any paperwork or anything other than my UK passport.

If you are from the UK and aren't planning to stay long term, it would seem like the easiest option.

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

HLJHLJ, I assume you work for a limited company. Those who are employed by prefectural or municipal governments are required to pay NI.

I have a question - I'm paying back payments on NHS. Are NHS and pension tied together? By the time I leave I will only have paid off half of the back payments. Will they let me have my lump sum pension withdrawal? Anybody in the same boat?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Liz,
As far as I know, they are not connected.

Proof? If a person cannot get shakai hoken, which includes both, they must apply for NHI and pension separately.

metropolis · Joined: 01 Nov 2011 Posts: 32

I think I'm still on topic, so please don't grumble too much if you do not agree.

I'm curious how the full-time pension/insurance thing works.

For example: a person works under 30 hours, pays around 2,500 yen a month for health insurance, and has no pension/etc.

How does the full-time thing work? I had a company tell me that it costs around 25,000 yen a month for the insurance/pension package. If you are offered a job that pays 250,000 yen and is full time, does that mean that you must deduct 25,000 from that just to cover the insurance/pension? Or does the employer pay that?

A part-time person earns 240,000 and pays 2,500 for insurance. A full-time person gets 250,000, but has to pay around 25,000/30,000 per month for insurance. So full-time is worse? Am I missing something?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

If the employer doesn't try to avoid his share, he will offer shakai hoken (health insurance plus pension) and pay half.

If he (legally) dodges this, you will be told to get kokumin kenko hoken and kokumin nenkin (separate applications needed for insurance and pension). You will pay it all, then.

First year of kokumin health insurance is about 2500 yen/month.
Shakai hoken begins automatically with teacher and employer splitting the 25,000 or so.

Full-time status is not as clear as you might think. The job may be labeled as such, but if you work 29.5 hours or fewer per week as described by the employer (which often means only the hours in the classroom with students), then he doesn't have to offer shakai hoken. You may feel you are full-time, and in some sense you truly are, but he has this loophole to call you a part-timer to the tax authorities.

Part-time people don't pay a mere 2500. Tax rate still applies to them, so if their total earnings are similar to a FT person, they will pay close to the same amount in premiums.