Job Discussion Forums

Angelfish · Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 131

I've been informed by my well-known eikaiwa that I will receive my leaving bonus 2 months after I finish, fair enough, but that I won't receive any paperwork about it. They'll just stick a lump in my bank account with no account for what's gone out in tax, what exchange rate they used, how much I received from my manager evaluation.

I was told if I think the amount isn't right, I should call their head office (call from the UK to Tokyo) to enquire, at which point I guess they think they could fob me off with any old excuse.

Is this right? Are they by law supposed to provide me with paperwork for any money they pay me?

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

Perhaps they feel the amount specified on your contract is sufficient...?

Angelfish · Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 131

The amount on my contract is stated as a "Lump Sum + 1.5 (length of stay) x Manager Evaluation Score"

After that they'll take off 20% in tax (this is not stated on my contract) and then send it over based on I assume the current exchange rate.

My query is, in the UK (I know it's probably gonna be different in Japan but I can't find this info) if you receive a "bonus" from a company, because it's a bonus, you're not liable to pay tax on it. So, if I am being charge tax, then surely I should receive something similar to my monthly pay slip to tell me exactly what was taken in tax. Also, I think the British government will want to take tax from my bonus, unless I can prove that I've already paid tax on the money in the country where I earnt it.

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

Are you getting pay stubs now on your regular paychecks? If not, I wouldn't expect anything for a bonus payment.

Why do you want such a record? Is it for some sort of tax purposes? If it is something that important, then just ask your employer for a special case piece of paperwork just this one time.

Is your employer guaranteeing that the bonus will be deposited in your UK bank account, or do you still have to retain a Japanese one? Be sure about that.

Bonuses I received in Japan from high school and university were all taxed, so I guess things are different than in the UK. Income is income, they probably figure, so it deserves taxing.

Can you get the 20% tax back? You might want to look into that.