Pension Payment Postponement and Contribution Exemption

Payment Postponement

Payment Postponement is for temporarily postponing pension payments. For example, you can apply for a postponement if you are temporarily unable to pay your pension for health or financial reasons.

Health Reasons: Can be applied when a person is temporarily unable to work due to a serious illness or injury.

Economic Reasons: This may apply when a person has difficulty paying his/her pension due to living expenses or other financial difficulties.

However, Payment Postponement is only a temporary measure, and you will be required to pay the postponed amount later. If you choose to use Payment Postponement, it is important to have a solid repayment plan for the future.

*Through June 2016, the program is for those under 30 years of age, and after July 2016, it is for those under 50 years of age.

Contribution Exemption

Contribution Exemption is a program that exempts you from paying part or all of your pension. This is applied by meeting certain conditions. The applicant submits an application and, if approved, is exempted from contributing.

Conditions for Contribution Exemption include, for example, the following:

For the elderly: A person may be exempted from all or part of the pension due to a decrease in income or difficulties in living due to old age.

Disability: A person may be exempt from some or all of the pension due to severe physical or mental disability.

Whether one can be exempted depends on the pensioner’s situation, so specific conditions and details are case-by-case. In most cases, documentation such as certificates or a record of medical diagnostics must be submitted.

There are four types of exemptions: full, three-fourths, half, and one-fourth.

Pension deferments and exemptions are designed to provide more flexible access to the pension system and are applied according to individual circumstances. It is important to consult with public pension agencies and government offices for applications and procedures.

National Pension Contribution Special Payment System for Students

The National Pension Plan covers all residents of Japan who are 20 years of age or older, but there is a ” Special Payment System” for students. This is a system that allows students to defer payment of insurance premiums while in school if they apply. Applications can be made at the pension office, the national pension counter of the city (ward) office or town/village office, or in some cases, at the school to which the student belongs.

Certain criteria must be met to be eligible for the program:

Impact on Permanent Resident Visa Application

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, participation in the public pension system is “obligatory” for anyone living in Japan, including foreigners.

“Not have been sentenced to a fine or imprisonment. That he/she has properly fulfilled his/her public obligations (tax payment, payment of premiums for public pension and public medical insurance, and notification and other obligations stipulated in the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act).”

According to the guidelines for permanent residence applications, the official obligations are as described above.

Not only are they required to pay the tax, but they are also required to pay it at the proper time (on the due date).

In addition, as materials to be submitted, the applicant is required to submit “materials proving the most recent (past two years) payment of public pension premiums,” which basically means that the most recent two years will be checked.

Therefore, foreign nationals who plan to apply for a permanent residence visa must first check the status of their participation in the National Pension Plan, Employees’ Pension Plan, etc., and payment of pension premiums.

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Summary

In this issue, we explained the pension deferment and exemption system.

For foreign nationals living in Japan, compliance with legal obligations is important for all statuses of residence, but if payment is unavoidably difficult, it is possible to take advantage of the pension deferment, exemption, and student payment exception systems.

If you are concerned about your pension, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation.

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We are Yanagi Group, which have offices in Osaka (Abeno and Tennoji), and our affiliated offices in Tokyo (Shibuya and Ebisu) are also available for an on-site consultation. We have handled many applications for permanent residence permits, naturalization permits, work visas, college student visas, management visas, etc., as well as visa renewal procedures related to the status of residence with the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Bureau) as a one-stop service. Our experienced administrative scriveners are also available to help you with any problems you may have.

We also have staff members who can speak each of the native languages and can assist you in obtaining a visa.

※If you wish to be consulted in Nepali or Bengali, please inform us in advance via our website or social media, and the translator will contact you ahead of time.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your status of residence or visa, even if they are trivial.

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