I’m not sure if there is another thread on this specific issue, my bad if there is one already.
I have been in Japan for 5 years, 4 of those years living in a student dorm as an undergrad student. I have moved out of that dorm and into an apartment in Tokyo (Setagaya), and have been living there for a couple months. I’ve been in grad school for a year and have a year remaining.
Recently, I got mail that my friend who understands Japanese says is some sort of housing tax form. My landlord has not once mentioned anything about this. I’m not sure what it’s called in Japanese. I also have not paid a single yen of pension, on the assumption that students/non-permanent residents don’t have to pay for it.
I’m probably overthinking it, because I have not been directly contacted via my phone this whole time, but what exactly am I supposed to pay? I’m planning to work and live here after I graduate, and I assume the rules will completely change. I hope nothing will bite me in the ass with the way things are going right now.
Thanks!
3 comments
The first thing to do is to figure out what exactly the form is. Why not go to the city/ward hall to inquire?
Also, you have to apply for a student exemption every year for your pension. Otherwise you’ll be expected to pay in full.
Perhaps it was a notice pertaining to the calculation of resident tax. Was the specific amount of tax stated?
Yes:
If you have declared last year’s income, the amount will be calculated based on that. Now is the time to be notified of the results of that calculation.
No:
If you did not declare last year’s income, you must declare it. The document you received is probably a warning (the amount of inhabitant tax could not be calculated).
The important point is that if your income is low, you will be exempted from the tax, but only if you apply for it.
What you got is most likely a payment form for 住民税 (juuminzei, resident tax).
All incomes (from Japan or outside) you get while living in Japan, must be reported at the beginning of each year- the process is called 確定申告 (kakutei shinkoku). For example, you should report your 2022 income at the beginning of 2023. Then if you exceed the exemption, on June 2023, the bill will start coming.
Resident tax exemption only applies if you earn under 450,000 (freelancing, etc) in a year, or 1,000,000 if the income is earned in Japan (working part-time, etc.) [Source](https://www.city.musashino.lg.jp/faq/kurashi_tetsuzuki/zeikin/zeigaku/1025965.html)
Since you mentioned below 100k a month, I’m gonna assume your yearly income from freelancing exceeds 450,000 and therefore is taxable.