Job Discussion Forums

[Jon Taylor]

I have recently been informed that my Health Insurance due for the year is 165,700 Yen and will be deducted from my salary each month.

Last year (my first in Japan), I was paying only 2,000 a month.

It's apparently based on earnings and I'm earning around the 320,000 Yen monthly.

I'm pretty gutted about this really.

Does this sound right to you ?

I'm thinking of cancelling my health insurance completely.

Any options as this is an area I know little about ?

[Glenski]

National health insurance, right? The first year it is about 2500 yen/month, but then it goes up tenfold (depending on various circumstances).

If a person doesn't pay into it for a year, then decides to join, he must make the back payments (up to 2 or 3 years' worth). That doesn't mean one must pay it all at once. I've heard of people who can talk to their ward office and not only make it in installments, but can even reduce the amount, again depending on circumstances.

If you cancel, what are you going to use? Many foreign insurance policies are not accepted in Japan. Many also require that you pay the entire bill up front, then wait around to get reimbursed for whatever amount they pay. Even if that's 100%, to be able to pay for the whole bill right away can be daunting.

[Jon Taylor]

That's right Glenski, National Health Insurance.

It really stings you in your second year.

That's the reason why Japanese taxes are so low.

Any other financial surprises that I should budget myself for ?

[yamanote senbei]

Are you a full time employee? If you are, you should be on Shakai Hoken and your employer has to pay half the health insurance premiums. Even if you are part time, and work more than 3/4 the hours of a full time employee doing the same job as you, your employer also must put you on Shakai Hoken and pay half your health insurance premiums.

Look into it because it can save you a lot of money.

Employers don't want their foreign employees on Shakai Hoken because the employers themselves want to save a lot of money.

http://nambufwc.org/issues/shakai-hoken/