Join National Pension (国民年金)
For you if: you are 20 to 59 years old, and you have no pension from work.
Not for you if: you are in Employees' Pension (厚生年金) at your company. Your company does the steps.
- Join National Pension (国民年金) within 14 days.
- Where: your city office (市役所・
区役所・ ).町村役場 - You pay the same amount every month. If paying is hard, ask about exemption (免除).
Steps
- Go to the city office where you live.
- File the form to join National Pension.
- Pay when the payment notice comes. Pay at a bank, a convenience store, by bank transfer, or by credit card.
More details
What it is. People aged 20 to 59 who live in Japan join the public pension. It pays old-age, disability, and survivor pensions.
Who files where.
- Self-employed people, students, and others: file at the city office yourself.
- Company workers in Employees’ Pension: the company files.
- Dependent spouses of those company workers: the spouse’s company files.
Paying. You get a discount if you pay in advance. Did your income go down, or did you lose your job? You may get an exemption or a delay. Ask your city office or a Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) office.
At the end, check at the counter. You can show this card.
窓口の方へ
国民年金に入る手続きをしたいです。
This card says: “I want to join National Pension.”
窓口の方へ
国民年金保険料の免除を相談したいです。
支払いが難しいです。
This card says: “Paying the National Pension premium is hard for me. Please tell me about exemption.”
Official information
- Guidebook on Living and Working, 7th edition (English, March 2025)Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁)www.moj.go.jp · Opens an English website
- Enforcement Regulations of the National Pension Act, Article 1-4 (Japanese)e-Gov (デジタル庁) — 国民年金法施行規則 第1条の4laws.e-gov.go.jp · Opens a Japanese website