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lalalateda
Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 72
Location: JAPAN
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 Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 2:25 pm Post subject: Paying For Retirement? |
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I've only been in Japan for about 2 months. When I went to get my gaijin card and sign up for health insurance, I filled out a form that was meant to exempt me from paying retirement fees. But the other day I got a bill for this. Apparently they want me to pay $100 every month for retirement. The school manager said that if I decide not to pay it there will be no consequences. Does anyone know about this sort of thing?
p.s. sorry for writing 'gaijin' card I didn't know what else to call it. |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:25 am Post subject: Re: Paying For Retirement? |
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| lalalateda wrote: |
I've only been in Japan for about 2 months. When I went to get my gaijin card and sign up for health insurance, I filled out a form that was meant to exempt me from paying retirement fees. But the other day I got a bill for this. Apparently they want me to pay $100 every month for retirement. The school manager said that if I decide not to pay it there will be no consequences. Does anyone know about this sort of thing?
p.s. sorry for writing 'gaijin' card I didn't know what else to call it. |
It sounds like you have been enrolled in the kokumin nenkin hoken which is the national health insurance which includes insurance and pension. Technically speaking if you are over 20 and working full time it should be compulsory and I dont know anything about being able to get an exemption.
If you just ignore it the debt will pile up and you could end up being hit with a huge bill. It is after all mandatory to be enrolled and your employer is supposed to pay 50% of the pension premium as well and you pay 50%. Employers often avoid signing up employees in the Pension plan as they have to cough up for premiums as well.
Im not sure if you know, but if you leave Japan after 3 years you will get the pension premium portion refunded to you when you go back to your own country, but you have to file for the refund once you have left Japan.
I would check with the city or ward office about your payment options. as they may not let you cancel it if you dont have something to replace it with.
PS the gaijin card is also called the Alien Registration Card or ARC. |
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lalalateda
Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 72
Location: JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:38 am Post subject: |
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| It is after all mandatory to be enrolled and your employer is supposed to pay 50% of the pension premium as well and you pay 50%. Employers often avoid signing up employees in the Pension plan as they have to cough up for premiums as well. |
The employer is supposed to pay 50%?! I definitely don't think they plan on doing that.
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| I would check with the city or ward office about your payment options. as they may not let you cancel it if you dont have something to replace it with. |
Alas, they don't speak English at my city ward office. Is there any information about this on the internet that anyone knows of?
Cheers! |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:48 am Post subject: |
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One thing I forgot to mention. If you are a full time employee with your employer you can ask to be put on Shakai Hoken which includes pension and insurance. By law they are supposed to for full time employees, whether they want to or not. They have no choice but get around it by classifying you as part time by only counting your teaching hours, not your work hours.
Kokumin Nenkin Hoken is for students over 20, part timers, self employed people who pay their own health insurance and pension. To my knowledge you cover this yourself with no employer participation.
| lalalateda wrote: |
| IThe employer is supposed to pay 50%?! I definitely don't think they plan on doing that. |
He may have no choice if its Shakai Hoken
| Quote: |
| I would check with the city or ward office about your payment options. as they may not let you cancel it if you dont have something to replace it with. |
Alas, they don't speak English at my city ward office. Is there any information about this on the internet that anyone knows of?
Cheers![/quote] |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:48 am Post subject: |
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One thing I forgot to mention. If you are a full time employee with your employer you can ask to be put on Shakai Hoken which includes pension and insurance. By law they are supposed to for full time employees, whether they want to or not. They have no choice but get around it by classifying you as part time by only counting your teaching hours, not your work hours.
Kokumin Nenkin Hoken is for students over 20, part timers, self employed people who pay their own health insurance and pension. To my knowledge you cover this yourself with no employer participation.
| lalalateda wrote: |
| IThe employer is supposed to pay 50%?! I definitely don't think they plan on doing that. |
He may have no choice if its Shakai Hoken
| Quote: |
Alas, they don't speak English at my city ward office. Is there any information about this on the internet that anyone knows of?
Cheers! |
http://www.kcif.or.jp/en/benri/03_01.html |
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lalalateda
Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 72
Location: JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| They have no choice but get around it by classifying you as part time by only counting your teaching hours, not your work hours. |
Wow, I feel really stupid now. They asked me if i wanted them to say full time or part time on that form and explained that if i said full time i would have to pay more taxes. They made it sound like I would save money by agreeing to say I worked part time. |
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moot point
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 441
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| Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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| tell them to talk to your employer. you think you are full-time but like previously mentioned posts your employer is classifying you as a part-time employee to avoid themselves paying additional taxes and benefits. |
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BradS
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 173
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 3:05 am Post subject: |
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Here's a question. I just quit Nova (last working day a week or so ago) and terminated my insurance thing that they do. Now I'm supposed to sign up for the national insurance, right?
But I don't have a job right now.
Am at a loss really.
All help appreciated. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:14 am Post subject: |
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| BradS wrote: |
Here's a question. I just quit Nova (last working day a week or so ago) and terminated my insurance thing that they do. Now I'm supposed to sign up for the national insurance, right?
But I don't have a job right now.
Am at a loss really.
All help appreciated. |
If you have been on JMA (private insurance) I have heard (but cant confirm independently) that if you sign up for national health insurance the city office may try and hit you for back payments of national health insurance premiums from when you came to japan. Don't ask me why they do that but its one of those inscrutable Japanese customs
Before you sign up for national health insurance find out from the city office whether you will be up for any retroactive back payments because you were on private insurance. get this in writing or a second opinion before you sign up for national health.
PS you would also be required to pay national health premiums even if you dont have a job. Not earning an income is your problem, not theirs. I would wait till you get a job or even ask JMA if you can continue paying premiums. |
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BradS
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 173
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:42 am Post subject: |
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NOVA kind of forces teachers (or instructors, whatever) to unenroll from JMA as a kind of "rule" for quitting. Not sure why. I've already unenrolled from it.
Thanks for the advice though. I'm heading down to the office today.
If I DO wait until I get a job (hopefully within the next 20 days) and THEN enrol, will I be penalised? Or should I do it immediately? |
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