National Pension: Procedures to update residential address when moving house

photo by Katy Ereira

Packing, sending, sorting and going to the local office, you have to deal with so many things when moving house. Probably, the first things you think you have to do at a local office are moving-in, moving-out notification or change of address notification. In addition to notifications relating resident register, there is another application you can complete when visiting a local municipal office, change of address notice to National Pension Service. Especially, people who are covered only by National Pension System, not enrolled in Employees’ Pension Insurance or other pension systems, have to visit a local office by themselves to file a notification. So, let’s have a quick look how to notify National Pension Service of your change of address.

Where to apply: check type of your pension insurance first

Notifying National Pension Service of a change of address is easy and simple. Just fill out the form and hand it in. One thing you need to remember is, where you submit the form differs depending on what category of insured person you are. Firstly, categories of insured person are divided as below.

Category Ⅰ insured persons: Persons who are covered by the National Pension System. E.g. Self-employed persons, students, unemployed people.
Category Ⅱ insured persons: Members of the Employees’ Pension Insurance system. E.g. Corporate employees, government employees, school teachers.
Category Ⅲ insured persons: Spouses of category Ⅱ insured persons such as corporate employees, government employees and school teachers (However, spouses of CategoryⅡinsured persons whose annual income is JPY1,300,000 or over is classified as CategoryⅠinsured persons).

※All limited to persons aged 20 to 59 years.

Secondly, persons in each categories are required to submit the change of address form at the below places.

Category Ⅰ insured persons: Local municipal office
Category Ⅱ insured persons: Employer they work for
Category Ⅲ insured persons: Employer their spouse works for

Change of address procedures for Category Ⅰ insured persons

Category Ⅰ insured persons such as international students and self-employed need to go to a local municipal office to submit a change of address form. The same as the change of address procedures of the resident registration system, different procedures are required depending on whether the person is moving to other municipality or within the same municipality.

Moving within the same municipality

In majority of municipalities, your residential address in National Pension System will be automatically amended once your file a change of address notification. Therefore no extra procedure is required.

Moving to other municipality

If you are moving to other municipality, you need to notify the municipal office of your new address of a change of address. Fill out the form at the Pension Division counter and hand it in. Bring your pension book and inkan (personal seal). There is no procedure in a municipal office of your old address.

Change of address procedures for Category Ⅱ and Ⅲ insured persons

Category Ⅱ insured persons are members of Employee’s Pension Insurance, or other pension system, and their spouses. Corporate businesses that permanently employ workers or proprietors that permanently employ more than 5 workers must enroll their employees in Employees’ Pension Insurance System. Employees must arrange all the applications relating to Employees’ Pension Insurance System on behalf of their employees, including a change of address notice. Accordingly, category Ⅱ and Ⅲ insured persons need to fill out the change of address form and pass it to their employers.

Difference between National Pension and Employees’ Pension Insurance

Employees who work for businesses are required to enroll in Employees’ Pension Insurance. While contribution rate of National Pension is at flat rate, premiums of Employees’ Pension Insurance is calculated by applying the same premium rate (18.182% in 2016 financial year) to employees’ monthly salaries. An employee and an employer pay half each of the employee’s monthly premium. This is how Employees’ Pension Insurance System works. In addition, part of the employee’s premium will be paid as National Pension contribution and an employee is classified as category Ⅱinsured person. A dependent spouse of a member of Employees’ Pension Insurance is classified as category Ⅲ insured person.

Be updated

Applications relating to resident register, it is something you should never overlook when you moving house in Japan. So, just spare some more time to complete a change of address notice of National Pension as well. But remember, it is only category Ⅰinsured persons such as self-employed, student and unemployed who have to visit a local municipal office by themselves to do so. Employees who works for businesses are members of Employees’ Pension Insurance, so application must be dome through their employers. Just talk to an office administrator in your company first. Don’t forget to fiile your dependent spouse’s notice too, if you have one!