How to Pay National Pension in Japan: 2026 Amount, Methods & Exemptions

The most important first step is to confirm your insured category for the exact month shown on the notice. Paying a valid-looking slip without checking recent employment or dependent-status changes can create a duplicate payment that later needs correction.

Category I insured people generally pay National Pension contributions themselves. Category II covers employees enrolled in Employees' Pension Insurance through work. Category III applies to eligible dependent spouses of Category II insured people and does not require a separate monthly National Pension payment.

• Category I: self-employed, student, unemployed, freelance or otherwise not Category II or III.
• Category II: employee enrolled in Employees' Pension Insurance through an employer.
• Category III: eligible dependent spouse of a Category II insured person.
• If you recently joined or left a company, confirm the effective coverage month before paying.

For fiscal year 2026, from April 2026 through March 2027, the standard National Pension contribution is ¥17,920 per month. The contribution amount is reviewed each fiscal year, so do not reuse an old amount when paying a different fiscal year.

The legal due date is the last day of the month following the contribution month. If that day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, national holiday or specified year-end holiday, the deadline moves to the next financial-institution business day.

• FY2026 standard monthly contribution: ¥17,920.
• April 2026 contribution: normally due at the end of May 2026.
• Check the contribution month and the actual date printed on your payment information.
• Optional additional contributions and advance-payment arrangements use separate rules.

Japan Pension Service payment slips can be used through participating financial institutions, Japan Post Bank and post offices, participating convenience stores, Pay-easy and eligible smartphone-payment methods.

The Japan Pension Service does not charge a handling fee for its standard payment-slip methods. Keep the receipt or electronic transaction record until the pension record reflects the payment.

• Check your name, contribution month, amount and deadline before paying.
• Use the original valid slip for an in-person payment.
• Save the convenience-store receipt or bank transaction record.
• Use the institution number, payment number and confirmation number when paying through Pay-easy.
• Do not pay the same month again only because Nenkin Net has not updated immediately.

Supported smartphone-payment apps can pay an eligible National Pension payment slip by scanning its barcode. Check the payer, contribution month and amount on the app before final confirmation.

Some slips cannot be paid by smartphone, including payment slips without a barcode. The Japan Pension Service notes that a barcode is not printed on certain high-value slips and delinquency-charge slips.

• Use a currently supported payment app.
• Scan the barcode on the eligible payment slip.
• Check the amount and contribution month before authorizing payment.
• Do not reuse the same slip at a convenience store after a successful smartphone payment.
• Keep the app transaction history because a paper receipt is not issued in the same way as an over-the-counter payment.

Japan Pension Service now supports payment through information displayed in Nenkin Net. When the eligible contribution information is available, you can use the displayed institution number, payment number and confirmation number for Pay-easy without having the paper payment slip in hand.

After a payment, keep the electronic record and allow processing time before assuming the pension record is wrong. If a payment remains missing after the normal processing period, contact the Japan Pension Service with the transaction evidence.

• Confirm the exact unpaid month in Nenkin Net.
• Use the displayed Pay-easy information only for the intended contribution.
• Save the completion screen or banking record.
• Avoid duplicate payment while the pension record is still updating.

Automatic bank transfer removes the need to pay each monthly slip manually. You must register the account in advance, so continue using the current payment method until the Japan Pension Service confirms the first withdrawal month.

For fiscal year 2026, the regular next-month-end bank transfer is ¥17,920. The early-transfer option withdraws the contribution at the end of the contribution month and is ¥17,860, a ¥60 monthly discount compared with standard monthly payment.

• Check the first scheduled withdrawal month before discarding payment slips.
• Keep enough money in the registered account before the withdrawal date.
• A failed withdrawal may require another payment method.
• Advance-payment bank-transfer options can provide larger discounts.

National Pension contributions can be paid regularly by an eligible credit card after the Japan Pension Service accepts the registration. Check the card expiration date, available credit and any replacement-card procedure.

For fiscal year 2026, standard monthly card payment is ¥17,920. Credit-card advance payment is available for eligible periods and can provide a discount, but the amount and schedule differ from bank-transfer advance payment.

• Do not assume a replacement card number is updated automatically.
• Check the first month covered by the card registration.
• Confirm the credit limit before a large advance payment.
• If a card payment fails, follow the Japan Pension Service instruction for the affected month.

The Japan Pension Service offers advance-payment options such as six months, one year and two years. The discount depends on the payment method and the period selected.

For fiscal year 2026, a two-year payment slip or credit-card advance payment is ¥418,510, while the two-year bank-transfer advance payment is ¥417,150. Before committing to a large advance payment, check your employment plans, cash flow and whether you may move into Employees' Pension Insurance during the period.

• Payment-slip / credit-card two-year prepayment for the 2026 cycle: ¥418,510.
• Bank-transfer two-year prepayment for the 2026 cycle: ¥417,150.
• One-year and six-month options are also available.
• Check the current application and payment deadlines before choosing an advance-payment plan.

Japan has application-based exemption and payment-postponement systems for people who cannot pay because of low income, unemployment or other qualifying circumstances. Students use the separate Special Payment System for Students.

An approved exemption or postponement is not the same as an unpaid contribution. Approval can protect the pension record and the qualifying period for disability, survivors' and old-age pension rights under the applicable rules.

• Full exemption.
• Three-quarter exemption.
• Half exemption.
• One-quarter exemption.
• Payment postponement.
• Special Payment System for Students.
• Separate statutory exemptions for specified circumstances such as maternity or certain disability-benefit cases.

For fiscal year 2026, a three-quarter exemption leaves ¥4,480 per month to pay, a half exemption leaves ¥8,960, and a one-quarter exemption leaves ¥13,440.

If you receive a partial exemption but fail to pay the remaining required amount, that month is treated as unpaid rather than as a valid partial-exemption month.

• Three-quarter exemption: pay ¥4,480.
• Half exemption: pay ¥8,960.
• One-quarter exemption: pay ¥13,440.
• Read the approval notice carefully and pay the remaining amount by its deadline.

If you lose a payment slip, ask the Japan Pension Service for a reissue instead of trying to alter another document. Ordinary contributions generally cannot be paid after two years have passed from the original legal due date.

Approved exemption, payment-postponement and student-special-payment periods use a different recovery system. Eligible approved periods can generally be paid later through the追納 recovery-payment system for periods within the previous 10 years, subject to the applicable rules and additional amounts for older periods.

• Lost payment slip: request a replacement.
• Ordinary unpaid contribution: generally subject to a two-year payment limit from the original due date.
• Approved exemption/postponement/student period: recovery payment can generally reach back up to 10 years.
• Older recovery payments can include an additional amount.

When you start a job covered by Employees' Pension Insurance, the employer handles Category II enrollment. If a National Pension slip arrives for an overlapping month, confirm the coverage date before paying.

When you leave such a job and are no longer Category II or an eligible Category III dependent spouse, you generally need to change to Category I and complete the required procedure. Moving within Japan also requires you to keep your address information current so pension notices reach you.

If you permanently leave Japan, confirm the end of coverage and stop any automatic payment arrangement for months after coverage ends. Some non-Japanese residents may later qualify for a Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment, depending on the official conditions.

• After joining a company: confirm the Employees' Pension Insurance enrollment date.
• After leaving a company: confirm whether Category I registration is required.
• After moving: make sure pension correspondence can reach your new address.
• Before leaving Japan: confirm the end of coverage and future automatic payments.

National Pension contributions you actually pay are eligible for Japan's social-insurance-premium deduction. The Japan Pension Service issues the Social Insurance Premium Deduction Certificate for applicable payments.

Keep receipts, deduction certificates and electronic payment evidence together. If you use advance payment, follow the certificate and tax-filing instructions for the relevant deduction year.

• Keep convenience-store and financial-institution receipts.
• Keep bank and credit-card records.
• Save smartphone and Pay-easy transaction evidence.
• Keep the Social Insurance Premium Deduction Certificate.
• Check Nenkin Net later to confirm the pension record.