Child Allowance procedures

1.Overview of the Child Allowance

The Child Allowance (jido teate) is paid to people raising children up to high school age. High school age means up to the first March 31 on or after the child's 18th birthday. Payments are handled by the municipality (city, ward, town or village) where you live (for public servants, by their employer).

2.Amounts and how the third child onward is counted

The third child onward means the third and later children, counting from the oldest among the child and their older siblings and others.

• Older siblings and others are counted if they are past the first March 31 on or after their 18th birthday and up to the first March 31 on or after their 22nd birthday, and their parent or other guardian bears their financial costs.
• It does not matter whether they are in school, or whether they live with you or apart.
• Children past the end of the fiscal year in which they turn 22 are not counted. Having 3 or more children does not always mean one is counted as a third child onward.

3.Who receives the allowance

When more than one person, such as the father and mother, is raising the child, the person who contributes more to supporting the child's living receives it. Usually this is the parent with the higher income.

• If the recipient is a public servant, the allowance is paid by their employer, not by the municipality where they live. Applications and notifications are also made at the employer.
• As a rule, the bank account for payments must be in the recipient's own name. Payments cannot be made to an account in the name of a spouse or child.
• As a rule, the allowance is paid when the child lives in Japan. A child living abroad to study is eligible if certain requirements are met.

4.Applying when a child is born or when you move in

To receive the Child Allowance, you must submit an "application for certification" (nintei seikyusho) to the municipality where you live and be certified. If you already receive the allowance and the amount increases because a second or later child is born, apply with an "application for revision of the amount" (gaku kaitei nintei seikyusho).

As a rule, the allowance is paid from the month after the month you apply. However, if the date of birth or the planned moving-out date is near the end of a month and your application falls in the following month, payments start from the month of that date as long as you apply within 15 days of the day after it.

• Even if you are temporarily away from your address, for example to give birth in your hometown (satogaeri shussan), apply to the municipality where you live.
• If the recipient is a public servant, apply to the employer.
• In municipalities that support the Child-Rearing One-Stop Service, you can apply online using your My Number Card.

When you apply, you need documents that fit your situation, for example a document confirming your health insurance coverage if you are a company employee, or the confirmation form if you are counting an older child past high school age. Check the required documents with the counter of the municipality where you live.

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5.When a notification or application is needed

If any of the following happens while you receive the allowance, notify the municipality where you live (for public servants, the employer).

When the amount increases, as a rule it increases from the month after the month you apply. Check how to notify and the required documents with the counter of the municipality where you live.

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6.Status report

The status report (genkyo todoke) is a notification that checks your situation as of June 1 each year to confirm that you still meet the requirements to keep receiving the allowance. From the June 2022 payment, as a rule you no longer need to submit it.

• People negotiating a divorce and living apart from their spouse
• People receiving the allowance in a municipality different from the address on their certificate of residence, for example because of violence by a spouse
• People whose eligible child has no family register (koseki)
• Recipients that are a corporation acting as a guardian of a minor, a facility or similar
• Anyone else the municipality has asked to submit it

The people above still need to submit the status report. The municipality may also ask other people to submit it at its discretion.

7.Payment months and the months covered

The Child Allowance is paid in the even-numbered months of February, April, June, August, October and December each year, each time covering the 2 months up to the previous month.

The payment date differs by municipality. Check with the municipality where you live.