Australian WHV for Remote Work

4 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Australian WHV for Remote Work**

   Hi,

   Could I use a WHV to work remotely in Japan?

   For context, I work in Australia as a Software Engineer and an applicable for a WHV for Japan. I have the capability to work remotely and Japan seems like a great place to do so. I am wondering if the Tax Treaty with Australia and WHV can facilitate that, so that I am not double taxed whilst working remotely.

   I have a concern with the “don’t stay in one place for more than 3 months”. Does having a week off to travel to let’s say Osaka from Tokyo count as moving around? My intention is to rent a place in Tokyo for at least 6months but travel around on long weekends/weeks off.

   The final concern is related to pets, I have a pet cat I would like to take with me. They are 8 months old and I’m from a designated region. So as long as the apartment I am renting supports pets and her blood work/requires vaccinations are up to date, I should have minimal issues bringing her into the country?

   Thanks!

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2. >Could I use a WHV to work remotely in Japan?

   Sure, that’s fine.

   ​

   > I am wondering if the Tax Treaty with Australia and WHV can facilitate that, so that I am not double taxed whilst working remotely.

   You’ll want to double check the specifics, but yeah in general you’d owe taxes to Japan as you’re living in Japan and likely wouldn’t owe (or owe as much) to Australia.

   ​

   > Does having a week off to travel to let’s say Osaka from Tokyo count as moving around?

   Depends on what you mean. You certainly wouldn’t have to submit moving out notice at your cityhall before taking a short trip to Osaka. But having plans to take holidays and enjoy Japan is certainly within the scope of the arrangement.

   ​

   >The final concern is related to pets

   Have a look at the guide here: https://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/animal/dog/import-free.html

3. >I am wondering if the Tax Treaty with Australia and WHV can facilitate that, so that I am not double taxed whilst working remotely.

   You won’t be double taxed, but you *will* be taxed in Japan, because Japan considers any work done while physically in Japan to be “working in Japan”.

   And it’ll be taxed at the non-resident rate of 20.something percent.

   >I have a pet cat I would like to take with me

   If you were moving long term this would be fine, but for a year long WHV? It’s not a good idea, and it’s not really fair to your cat.

   >So as long as the apartment I am renting supports pets

   That’s a pretty huge assumption. Finding pet friendly housing in Japan is *hard*. Finding pet friendly housing as a foreigner on a short-term WHV is going to be ridiculously hard. It’s difficult to do, and it’s not really something you’ll be able to do before you arrive.

   Read our [pet wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/wiki/pets/)

4. No one is checking where you actually are in Japan, you don’t have to stick to your plan while you are here. Its recommended not to mention work on the application, though.

   Do not bring your cat for one year. They are transported via cargo and it is a super stressful experience to only do it again less than one year later.

   Also something to look into is if your employer allows you to work outside of the country. Even remote jobs are usually locked to a state or at least the country.