Contents
- 1. What happens when you leave your job
- 2. Health insurance: three options
- 3. Pension: switching to National Pension
- 4. If you cannot afford the premiums
- 5. Watch out for resident tax
- 6. Notify immigration as well
- 7. Why this matters for your visa
- 8. If you are leaving Japan
- 9. Checklist: before and after you leave your job
Key points
- Your company health insurance and Employees’ Pension end on the day after your last working day. Unless you start your next job without a gap, you must enroll in health insurance and pension yourself, generally within 14 days.
- For health insurance, you can choose National Health Insurance, voluntary continuation of your company insurance, or coverage as a dependent of a family member.
- Your spouse may also be affected. If your spouse was covered as your dependent, they must switch to National Pension and pay premiums too.
- Enrolling late does not save money. Premiums are charged back to the date you lost coverage.
- Not enrolling or not paying can count against you at your next visa extension, change of status or permanent residence application. Work visa holders must also notify immigration within 14 days.
1. What happens when you leave your job
While you work for a company in Japan, you are usually covered by the company’s health insurance (健康保険) and the Employees’ Pension Insurance (厚生年金). Your employer handles the paperwork and deducts the premiums from your salary.
This coverage ends on the day after your last working day. From that day, nobody does the paperwork for you.
- No gap: If you join your next company without a gap (for example, your last day is the last day of a month and you start on the 1st of the next month), your new employer enrolls you. You do not need to switch to the national schemes.
- A gap of even a few days, or no new job yet: You need to enroll in health insurance and pension yourself. Whether premiums arise for a short gap depends on the dates, so ask your city or ward office.
| What to do | Deadline | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Notify immigration that your contract has ended (work visa holders) | Within 14 days | Immigration Services Agency (online, by mail or at the counter) |
| Enroll in National Health Insurance (or apply for voluntary continuation) | Within 14 days (voluntary continuation: within 20 days) | City or ward office (voluntary continuation: your health insurance association) |
| Switch to National Pension (you and, if applicable, your spouse) | Within 14 days | City or ward office |
| Check how your resident tax will be paid | When you receive the payment slips | City or ward office |
2. Health insurance: three options
Everyone living in Japan for more than three months must have public health insurance. When you leave your job, you have three options.
(1) National Health Insurance (国民健康保険)
Enroll at your city or ward office within 14 days. Bring your residence card and a document showing the date you lost your company insurance (for example, a certificate of loss of insurance coverage, 資格喪失証明書, from your former employer). The premium is calculated mainly on your income in the previous year, so it can be high in the first year after leaving a well-paid job.
(2) Voluntary continuation of your company insurance (任意継続)
- Available if you were insured continuously for at least two months up to your last working day.
- You must apply within 20 days of losing coverage.
- Coverage lasts for up to two years.
- You pay the full premium yourself, including the share your employer used to pay. However, there is an upper limit on the premium, and your dependents stay covered at no extra cost.
(3) Coverage as a dependent of a family member
If your spouse or another family member is covered by company health insurance, you may be able to join as their dependent (被扶養者). Income limits apply, and unemployment benefits may count as income. Ask the family member’s employer.
Which is cheaper?
It depends on your income and family. Ask your city or ward office for an estimate of your National Health Insurance premium, and compare it with the voluntary continuation premium. Paper health insurance cards are no longer issued, so you will use a My Number Card registered as a health insurance card, or a certificate of eligibility (資格確認書), to see a doctor.
3. Pension: switching to National Pension
If you live in Japan and are between 20 and 59 years old, you must join the National Pension (国民年金). While you were employed, you were a “Category 2” insured person through the Employees’ Pension. When you leave, you become a “Category 1” insured person and pay the premiums yourself. Report the change at your city or ward office within 14 days.
Don’t forget your spouse
If your spouse (for example, on a Dependent visa) was covered as your dependent, they were a “Category 3” insured person and paid no pension premiums. When you leave your job, your spouse loses Category 3 status. If your spouse is between 20 and 59, they must also register as Category 1 and pay premiums. Your spouse also loses health insurance coverage as your dependent.
Many families miss this step. Unpaid premiums of a family member can become an issue in later immigration applications, especially for permanent residence.
4. If you cannot afford the premiums
Not enrolling is not an option. Enrolling late does not reduce what you owe. Your coverage starts from the day you lost your company insurance, and premiums are charged back to that date. Instead, use the relief schemes below. Applying for relief is very different from simply not paying.
- National Health Insurance reduction for people who lost their job involuntarily: If you were under 65 when you lost your job because of dismissal, company bankruptcy or similar reasons, and Hello Work has classified you as a person who lost their job involuntarily (特定受給資格者 or 特定理由離職者), your previous year’s employment income is counted as only 30% of the actual amount when your premium is calculated. You must apply for this reduction with your employment insurance eligibility card.
- Low-income reductions: National Health Insurance premiums are reduced by 70%, 50% or 20% for low-income households. This applies only if everyone in the household has filed an income declaration.
- National Pension exemption after job loss (失業等による特例免除): If you have lost your job, you can apply for a full or partial exemption or a deferral, regardless of your own income in the previous year. You need a copy of your separation notice (離職票) or employment insurance eligibility card. The income of your spouse and household head is still checked.
- Payment plans: If you already have arrears, talk to your city or ward office or pension office about paying in instalments. Keep the documents showing the arrangement.
5. Watch out for resident tax
Resident tax (住民税) is usually deducted from your salary. When you leave your job, it may switch to payment by yourself (普通徴収) using payment slips sent by your city or ward office. Depending on when you leave, the remaining amount may instead be deducted in one lump sum from your last salary.
Unpaid resident tax after a job change is one of the most common problems we see in visa applications. From March 2027, tax and social insurance records will be required for most visa applications. See our article From March 2027: Tax and Social Insurance Records Required for Most Visa Applications in Japan.
6. Notify immigration as well
If you hold a work status that depends on your employer, such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Skilled Labor, Specified Skilled Worker or Highly Skilled Professional, you must notify the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) within 14 days after your contract ends. When you sign with a new employer, you must notify again within 14 days. Holders of statuses such as Spouse or Child of Japanese National, Long-Term Resident or Permanent Resident do not need to file this notification.
Also note that if you do not engage in the activities of your work status for three months or more without a valid reason, your status of residence can be revoked. Actively looking for a new job, such as attending interviews, is given as an example of a valid reason, so keep records of your job search.
For the details, including how to file online, see our article Changing jobs on a work visa in Japan: the 14-day notification and why you may need a Certificate of Authorized Employment.
7. Why this matters for your visa
- Extension and change of status: The ISA’s guidelines treat failure to pay taxes as a negative factor. The ISA also checks whether you are enrolled in social insurance. If you are not even enrolled in National Health Insurance and National Pension, your extension may be refused.
- Specified Skilled Worker: When changing to this status, you must already submit proof of National Health Insurance payments and your National Pension records for the past 24 months, if you were enrolled in these schemes.
- Permanent residence: You must have properly met your public obligations, including pension and health insurance premiums. Paying after the due date can also be treated as not meeting this requirement. The records of your family members are also reviewed in practice. See our page on permanent residence.
- From March 2027: Tax and social insurance records will become standard documents for almost all applications. The ISA is also expected to receive National Health Insurance and National Pension payment information from municipalities through data linkage using My Number.
A few months of missed premiums between jobs can stay on your record for years. It is much easier to enroll on time than to explain a gap later. See also our page on extension of period of stay.
8. If you are leaving Japan
If you leave Japan after quitting your job, you do not need to enroll in National Health Insurance or National Pension for the period after you leave. File a moving-out notification (転出届) at your city or ward office before you leave. Your National Health Insurance ends with it. See also Returning Your Residence Card in Japan.
If you paid into the Japanese pension system for six months or more and do not qualify for a Japanese pension, you may be able to claim a Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment (脱退一時金) after you leave. You must claim it within two years after you no longer have an address in Japan. Currently, the payment covers up to five years of contributions.
Upcoming changes to the lump-sum payment
Under the pension reform law of 2025, the maximum period will be raised from five to eight years. In addition, people who leave Japan with a re-entry permit will not be able to claim the payment while the permit is valid. The start date is to be set by Cabinet Order, and as of October 21, 2026, the Japan Pension Service still shows a maximum of five years. Check the Japan Pension Service website for the latest information before you claim. Also keep in mind that once you receive the payment, your past contribution periods no longer count toward a Japanese pension.
9. Checklist: before and after you leave your job
Before your last day
- Confirm the start date of your next job, if you have one.
- Compare the National Health Insurance premium with the voluntary continuation premium.
- Ask your employer when you will receive your certificate of loss of insurance coverage and separation notice.
Within 14 days after your last day
- Notify immigration that your contract has ended (work visa holders).
- Enroll in National Health Insurance, or apply for voluntary continuation within 20 days.
- Switch to National Pension.
- Complete the same steps for your spouse and children, if they were your dependents.
After that
- Pay resident tax, National Health Insurance and National Pension premiums by the due dates, and keep the receipts.
- If you cannot pay, apply for a reduction or exemption instead of leaving it unpaid.
- When you join a new company, notify immigration again within 14 days.
- If you already have arrears, settle them or arrange a payment plan before your next visa application.
Sources
- Japan Pension Service, “National Pension procedures when you leave a company” (Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service, “Procedures when your spouse changes jobs or leaves a job” (Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service, “Exemption and deferral of National Pension premiums” (Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service, “Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment” (Japanese)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Outline of the Act Partially Amending the National Pension Act, etc. (Act No. 74 of 2025)” (Japanese)
- Japan Health Insurance Association, “Voluntary continuation of health insurance” (Japanese)
- Shinjuku City, “National Health Insurance premium reduction for people who lost their job involuntarily” (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency, “Notification regarding the contracting organization” (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency, “Guidelines for change of status of residence and extension of period of stay” (Japanese)
- Immigration Services Agency, “Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence” (Japanese)
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice on any individual case. The information is based on sources available as of October 21, 2026. Premium amounts, reductions and procedures differ by municipality and health insurance association, so please check with your city or ward office, health insurance association or pension office. Laws, guidelines and their application may change without notice. TKG Immigration Consulting Office accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this information. In case of any difference between our English descriptions and the original Japanese texts, the Japanese texts prevail.