This is a translation of the Japanese original. The Japanese version is authoritative; figures follow Japanese tax law.
A spouse who is a dependent of a company employee pays not a single yen of National Pension contributions. That is what a Category 3 insured person (第3号被保険者) is[Japan Pension Service]. Yet losing just one of the requirements means that, from that month, both the National Pension and National Health Insurance are billed to you. The National Pension alone is 17,920 yen a month, or 215,040 yen a year (fiscal 2026). Add National Health Insurance and the total comes to around 300,000 yen a year. This article sets out the requirements, the seven events that take you out, and the real amounts from the month you come off, using primary sources.
The short answer: the requirements, and what you pay from the month you come off
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Requirements to stay Category 3 | Aged 20 or over and under 60 / a dependent of a spouse enrolled in the Employees' Pension / annual income under 1.3 million yen and less than half the spouse's income / resident in Japan |
| Contributions while you are Category 3 | You pay nothing yourself (borne by Category 2 insured persons as a whole) |
| National Pension from the month you come off | 17,920 yen a month (fiscal 2026) = 215,040 yen a year. Fiscal 2027 is 18,290 yen a month |
| National Health Insurance from the month you come off | Set by each municipality. In Nerima City, Tokyo, with former-proviso income of 130,000 yen, 80,827 yen a year (aged 39 or under) |
| Rough total | About 296,000 yen a year (aged 39 or under) / about 317,000 yen (aged 40 to 64). An estimate by this site |
| Notifications | Becoming Category 3: through your spouse's employer, within 5 days. Coming off and becoming Category 1: to your municipality, within 14 days |
Sources: Japan Pension Service[joining the National Pension][National Pension contributions], Nerima City[how the premium is calculated]
You do not come off in one go at the end of the year. You come off from the month in which a requirement is no longer met. Contributions arise month by month and are due by the end of the following month (same sources).
What a Category 3 insured person is: four requirements
The Japan Pension Service defines it as "a spouse aged 20 or over and under 60 who is a dependent of a Category 2 insured person enrolled in the Employees' Pension (with an annual income under 1.3 million yen and less than half the spouse's annual income)"[Japan Pension Service]. To that is added residence in Japan (with exceptions such as accompanying a spouse posted abroad)[Japan Pension Service].
The 1.3 million yen is "what you expect over the next year"
The 1.3 million yen is not the figure on last year's withholding slip. It is judged on your expected annual income from the day you are certified onwards[Japan Pension Service].
- For salary, 108,333 yen a month or less; while receiving employment insurance benefits, 3,611 yen a day or less
- Income includes unemployment benefits under employment insurance, public pensions, and sickness and maternity allowances
- For people aged 60 or over, and people with a disability of the degree that qualifies for the disability employees' pension, the line is under 1.8 million yen
- For certifications from 1 October 2025, people aged 19 or over and under 23 (spouses excluded) have a line of under 1.5 million yen[Japan Pension Service]
- Living together, income must be less than half the spouse's; living apart, less than the money sent to you
From April 2026, the terms of the employment contract also count
For certifications from 1 April 2026, if the annual income expected from the wage stated in the notice of working conditions is under 1.3 million yen and no other income is expected, you are as a rule treated as a dependent. That wage includes allowances and bonuses[Japan Pension Service]. The change favours the worker, but it cannot be used where the contract runs for less than a year, or where the working hours are stated vaguely, as with shift work (same source). For the thresholds themselves see the 1.06 million yen and 1.3 million yen thresholds, and for the health insurance side see dependents under health insurance.
Seven events that take you out
| Event | What happens |
|---|---|
| Your own annual income is expected to be 1.3 million yen or more | You join the National Pension and National Health Insurance as a Category 1 insured person |
| Your spouse left work or became self-employed | Your spouse is no longer Category 2, so both of you become Category 1 |
| You divorced, or became someone else's dependent | You lose the status. Divorce is listed as a ground for removal |
| You turned 60 | You lose the status. No duty to pay contributions arises either |
| Your spouse turned 65 (the day before the birthday) | If you are under 60, you switch to Category 1 |
| Your spouse died | There is no longer a Category 2 insured person supporting you |
| Living apart, your income exceeds the money sent to you, or living together, it is half or more of your spouse's income | The income requirement fails and a removal notification is needed |
Sources: Japan Pension Service, grounds for removal under "procedures for dependents"[Japan Pension Service], and "procedures for joining"[Japan Pension Service]
Ceasing to have an address in Japan is also a ground for removal (same source). If you do not notice and are taken off the dependent status retroactively, you may be asked to pay back the other 70 percent of medical costs you received at the 30 percent rate (see being taken off a dependent status retroactively and repaying 70 percent of medical costs).
How much you pay from the month you come off
The National Pension is a flat 17,920 yen a month nationwide
National Pension contributions are a flat amount regardless of income. Fiscal 2026 is 17,920 yen a month and fiscal 2027 is 18,290 yen a month[MHLW]. Over twelve months that is 215,040 yen, or 219,480 yen in fiscal 2027.
Contributions you pay are fully deductible as a social insurance premium deduction for income tax and resident tax[Japan Pension Service]. If your own income is small, it pays for the higher-earning spouse to pay on your behalf and take the deduction (see paying a family member's National Pension and National Health Insurance for a full deduction).
National Health Insurance premiums are set by each municipality
Because each municipality sets National Health Insurance premiums by ordinance, there is no national figure. Here is a calculation using the fiscal 2026 rates of Nerima City, Tokyo[Nerima City].
| Component | Income-based portion | Per-capita portion (per person, per year) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (medical) portion | former-proviso income x 7.51% | 47,600 yen |
| Support for the late-stage elderly | same x 2.80% | 17,600 yen |
| Long-term care portion (aged 40 to 64 only) | same x 2.43% | 17,800 yen |
| Child and childcare support portion | same x 0.27% | 1,873 yen |
Source: Nerima City. "Former-proviso income = total income etc. minus the resident tax basic deduction (430,000 yen)"[Nerima City]
Coming off at an annual income of 1.3 million yen (an estimate by this site, Nerima City, twelve months)
- Former-proviso income = 1.3 million yen minus the 740,000 yen employment income deduction[National Tax Agency] minus 430,000 yen = 130,000 yen
- National Health Insurance = 57,363 yen (medical) + 21,240 yen (support) + 2,224 yen (childcare) = 80,827 yen
- Aged 40 to 64, add the long-term care portion of 20,959 yen for 101,786 yen
- Together with the National Pension's 215,040 yen, 295,867 yen a year (aged 39 or under) / 316,826 yen (aged 40 to 64)
Note: this is an estimate in which this site applied Nerima City's rates; it is not a worked example published by the city. Rounding, reductions and the pro-rating from the month you join will change the real figure, so check the page of the municipality where you live.
At 1.29 million yen the premiums are zero; at 1.31 million yen they are about 300,000 yen. This step, where a higher gross income leaves you with less in hand, is what the "1.3 million yen threshold" really is.
Notifications: within 5 days, and within 14 days
- Becoming Category 3. The "notification of a change concerning a health insurance dependent / notification concerning a National Pension Category 3 insured person" is filed through your spouse's employer. The deadline is 5 days from the event, and it is the employer who files it[Japan Pension Service].
- Coming off. The removal is notified on the same form. The starting point is the moment your annual income was expected to reach 1.3 million yen or more (same source).
- Becoming Category 1. The removal alone is not the end. You file the "notification (application) concerning a National Pension insured person" with the city or town office of the place where you live within 14 days (by you or the head of your household)[Japan Pension Service]. The National Health Insurance enrolment is handled at the same counter.
Forget the third step and that period becomes unpaid National Pension. Unpaid months are left out of the calculation of the old-age basic pension, so your future pension is smaller. The difference is that while you are Category 3 a payment record remains, whereas once you are out, nothing you fail to pay leaves anything but a gap. You can check which category you are in now on Nenkin Net or at a pension office.
Options for softening the burden
Work 20 hours a week or more and join the Employees' Pension yourself
- At 20 or more contracted working hours a week you join the Employees' Pension and health insurance
- Premiums are split evenly with the company and deducted from pay
- Your pension is the basic pension plus the employees' pension. Sickness and maternity allowances become available too
- The "1.06 million yen threshold", the wage requirement of 88,000 yen a month or more, is due to be abolished in October 2026
Pay the whole thing yourself as a Category 1 insured person
- 17,920 yen a month, entirely at your own expense. The company contributes nothing
- National Health Insurance has no employer share either, and no sickness or maternity allowance
- Your future pension is the old-age basic pension alone
- If your income falls there are exemption and deferral schemes
Sources: MHLW, "key points of the expansion of coverage"[MHLW] and "on the expansion of those covered"[MHLW]. The types of exemption and deferral are set out by the Japan Pension Service[Japan Pension Service]
The MHLW puts it this way: "once annual income reaches 1.3 million yen or more, even someone working under 20 hours a week comes off the spouse's dependent status (Category 3 insured person) and National Pension and National Health Insurance premiums arise" (same source). In other words, the worst position of all is to pass 1.3 million yen while still working under 20 hours a week. Either raise your hours and join the Employees' Pension, or stay below 1.3 million yen; leaning one way or the other protects your take-home pay.
Abolition was shelved, and a study group has begun
You may see it said that "Category 3 will be abolished". In the 2025 pension reform, no revision was written into the body of the law. All that was placed in the supplementary provisions of the reform act (Act No. 74 of 2025) was a clause about studying the question.
"Recognising that a national debate is needed on the future of the Category 3 insured person (abridged), research shall be conducted on the actual circumstances of Category 3 insured persons so as to inform that debate, and consideration shall be given to the future of the system"[MHLW, terms of reference]
Following that, the first meeting of the MHLW's "Study Group on the National Pension Category 3 Insured Person System" was held on 4 September 2026[MHLW]. The terms of reference also refer to the "Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2026" (cabinet decision of 21 July 2026), which says that "a concrete design will be drawn up during fiscal 2026 and implemented in stages" (same source). At the time of writing only the first meeting has been held, the minutes are unpublished, and nothing has been decided about how the system will change.
Frequently asked questions
I went over 1.3 million yen partway through the year. Do I have to pay again from January?
No. You stop being Category 3 from the point at which you no longer meet the requirements. That said, if the removal from the dependent status is processed retroactively, premiums can be charged back to that month.
Is the 1.3 million yen judged on last year's income?
No. It is judged on the annual income you expect from the day you are certified onwards. For salary alone, the guide is 108,333 yen a month or less; while receiving employment insurance benefits, 3,611 yen a day or less. From 1 April 2026 the amount expected from the wage in the notice of working conditions can also be used.
My husband has turned 65. Does his wife have to do anything?
Yes, a procedure is needed. When a spouse reaches 65 (on the day before the birthday), a Category 3 insured person aged under 60 switches to Category 1. Complete the National Pension enrolment at your municipal counter.
Is the Category 3 insured person going to disappear?
The 2025 pension reform shelved any revision and said in the supplementary provisions that the question would be studied. The MHLW study group held its first meeting on 4 September 2026, and no conclusion has been reached.
Reference links (sources)
- Japan Pension Service, Procedures for joining the National Pension (the requirements, a spouse turning 65, the 14 days)
- Japan Pension Service, Procedures for certifying a dependent (the 1.3 million yen, the grounds for removal, the 5 days)
- Japan Pension Service, Contributions of a Category 3 insured person
- Japan Pension Service, National Pension contributions (17,920 yen a month, the payment deadline)
- MHLW, Pension revision for fiscal 2026 (the contribution amounts for fiscal 2026 and 2027)
- Japan Pension Service, Certifying a dependent from the terms of the employment contract (from 1 April 2026)
- Nerima City, How National Health Insurance premiums are calculated
- MHLW, Terms of reference of the Study Group on the Category 3 Insured Person System
- MHLW, Key points of the expansion of social insurance coverage for short-time workers (20 hours a week, the wage requirement)
Note: this article is general information. For an individual decision, check with a pension office, your municipal counter or a certified social insurance labour consultant.
