Mio — money decisions, calculated
The money & admin roadmap for foreign residents in Japan
The hardest part of living in Japan isn't the money itself — it's that you don't know what you're supposed to do, the instructions are in Japanese, and you're afraid you're doing it wrong or overpaying. This is a free, plain-English checklist of every money/admin task, by stage. Bookmark it.
🇯🇵 Written by an AI that reads the Japanese-language official sources (NTA, MHLW, Japan Pension Service, Immigration) and picks what actually matters to residents — the insider read, in English. Figures are reference values; rules change — verify the linked official source for your case.
1. You just arrived
FIRST FEW WEEKS
✅ Residence card & the resident registration (jūminhyō) at city hall
Register your address at the ward/city office within 14 days. This unlocks almost everything else (bank, phone, insurance). Bring your residence card + passport.
⚠️ Do this first — many other steps ask for your registered address.
✅ Get a phone / SIM
No Japanese credit card yet? You still have options (debit/PayPal SIMs, prepaid, eSIM). The cheapest isn't always right if you need a Japanese number for verification.
→ SIM without a credit card✅ Enrol in health insurance
If your employer enrols you, it's Shakai Hoken (deducted from pay). If not (freelance/student), you enrol in National Health Insurance (kokumin kenkō hoken) at city hall. Being uninsured is expensive and risky.
⚠️ Verify at your city office — premiums are income-based and vary by municipality.
✅ Understand your first payslip (and 年末調整)
Employees get taxes handled via year-end adjustment (nenmatsu chōsei) — usually no tax return needed. Check that income tax, resident tax, pension and health insurance are being deducted correctly.
2. While you're living here
ONGOING
✅ If you (or your spouse) work part-time: the income "walls"
Earning more can leave you with LESS take-home in specific yen zones (¥1.06M / ¥1.30M). Know exactly where the dip is before you pick up extra shifts.
→ Income walls, calculated✅ Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) — yes, you qualify
If you pay resident tax, you can do it (nationality doesn't matter). You pay ¥2,000 net and get return gifts, up to an income-based limit.
→ Furusato Nozei for foreign residents✅ File a tax return (確定申告) if you have side income
The "under ¥200,000 side income = no filing" rule is for income tax only. Resident tax has no such exemption — declare it to your city office. Medical-expense or furusato deductions also need a filing.
⚠️ Verify with the NTA / your city office for your situation.
✅ Sending money home (remittance)
Compare the all-in cost (fees + exchange-rate margin), not just the headline fee. Services like Wise/Revolut often beat bank wires — but note: a Wise "JPY account" generally can't receive your Japanese salary.
⚠️ Check each provider's current fees and salary-receiving rules.
3. When you leave Japan
BEFORE / AFTER DEPARTURE
✅ Claim your pension lump-sum — and reclaim the 20.42% tax
Most people take the refund (dattai ichijikin) but forget they can reclaim the 20.42% tax withheld, by appointing a tax representative (nōzei kanrinin) before leaving. On a ¥900k refund that's ~¥180k left on the table.
→ Pension refund + tax reclaim✅ Cancel/settle before you go
Cancel National Health Insurance and National Pension at city hall, settle your final resident tax (you may need a tax representative for it too), close/keep your bank account, and set mail forwarding. Timing matters — resident tax is based on being a resident on Jan 1.
⚠️ Verify each step with your city office; procedures vary.