Japan's High School Student Scholarship Benefit (koko-sei to shogaku kyufukin) is a grant that does not have to be repaid. It covers costs other than tuition, such as textbooks and school trips. From fiscal 2026 (Reiwa 8) it has been widened: besides households exempt from resident tax, households earning up to about ¥4.9 million a year (a guide figure) now qualify. For a full-time national or public school, a tax-exempt household gets ¥143,700 a year, and the newly eligible households get ¥35,930 to ¥47,900.[MEXT: FY2026 briefing (in Japanese)]
Most prefectures pay between autumn and winter of the year you apply: from late September to late October in the earliest ones, and in December in Osaka and for private schools in Tokyo. Some pay as late as the following March. You must apply every year, and some prefectures are still taking applications, for example for students at private schools in another prefecture.
Amounts: ¥143,700 for tax-exempt households, ¥47,900 and ¥35,930 for the two new brackets
Brackets are set not by annual income but by the parents' "income-based" resident tax (shotoku-wari). Annual amounts for full-time and part-time (day/evening) courses are:
| Household bracket | Guide income | National/public | Private |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public assistance (receiving the education-related livelihood aid) | - | ¥32,300 | ¥52,600 |
| Exempt from resident tax (income-based portion ¥0 included) | Under ¥2.7M | ¥143,700 | ¥152,000 |
| Combined income-based tax under ¥105,500 (new from FY2026) | ¥2.7M-¥3.8M | ¥47,900 | ¥50,670 |
| Combined income-based tax ¥105,500 to under ¥182,500 (new from FY2026) | ¥3.8M-¥4.9M | ¥35,930 | ¥38,000 |
Correspondence courses: tax-exempt ¥50,500 (national/public) / ¥52,100 (private); under ¥105,500 ¥16,830 / ¥17,370; under ¥182,500 ¥12,630 / ¥13,030. The guide incomes assume a family of four with one working parent, one high school student (16 or older) and one junior high student.[MEXT]
The two new brackets receive one third and one quarter of the tax-exempt amount.
Eligibility depends on the income-based resident tax: under ¥182,500 for both parents combined
The test uses the sum of the municipal and prefectural income-based resident tax of all guardians (usually both parents). For fiscal 2026 it uses the fiscal 2026 resident tax, which is based on 2025 income, and the household situation as of July 1, 2026.
- Employees: the "income-based" column of the special collection tax notice (tokubetsu choshu zeigaku no kettei tsuchisho) your employer hands out around June
- Self-employed, pensioners and others: the same column on the resident tax payment notice sent by your city
- If you have neither: get a tax certificate (kazei shomeisho) at your city office or a convenience store. The application also uses it
Our guide on how to read the resident tax notice shows where to look. The municipal and prefectural amounts are in separate boxes, so add both, and add both parents.
The guide incomes assume one earner and two children. Whether both parents work and how many children you have changes the income-based tax even at the same income. Even if you are slightly above the guide income, check the figure on your notice before ruling yourself out. The tax-exempt threshold is covered in conditions for resident-tax-exempt households.
When it is paid: late September to late October at the earliest, December in many cases, up to March
You apply to the prefecture where the guardians live, not where the school is. If your child attends a school in your prefecture, you apply through the school, and the school sets the deadline. If the school is in another prefecture, you apply directly to your own prefecture by post or online.
| Prefecture | National/public schools | Private schools |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Deadline set by each school (late July to mid-September in 2026). Check the school's notice for the payment date | Applications in July. Paid in late December or late March 2027. A special round for late applicants in early January 2027 |
| Kanagawa | Check the school's notice | For students at private schools outside Kanagawa: by November 13 (postmark). Payment timing depends on when you apply |
| Saitama | For students at schools outside Saitama, the last deadline (October 22) has passed. Paid from late October at the earliest | For students at schools outside Saitama: by November 6 (extended) |
| Chiba | Deadline September 3 in principle, final December 25 (postmark). Paid from late October (later if you apply late) | For students at schools outside Chiba: September 18 in principle, final December 18 |
| Aichi | Students at non-prefectural or out-of-prefecture national/public schools: through the school by November 20 | Applications July 1 to November 20. Paid around December to March |
| Osaka | Regular applications closed. Paid around late December | Closed. Paid in turn from December |
| Hyogo | Deadline set by each school (mid- to late July in examples). Paid around late September to October in examples | General deadline September 30 has passed |
| Fukuoka | For students at public schools outside Fukuoka: by February 26, 2027 | Deadline extended to November 30 |
| Hokkaido | School deadlines around mid-September in examples | Regular applications closed on October 23 |
| Kyoto | Check the prefectural board of education | For students at private schools outside Kyoto: closed on October 30 |
Checked on November 5, 2026 against each prefecture's official pages and prefectural high school notices. Deadlines for "students at schools outside the prefecture" apply when you send the application to the prefecture yourself; for schools inside the prefecture, the school sets the deadline.[Tokyo private school foundation][Saitama][Osaka]
The benefit is paid in one lump sum into the applicant's account. Some prefectures first apply it to any unpaid school fees (Osaka, for example).
How to apply: the school hands out forms in July, and you apply again every year
- Around July: the school distributes a notice and forms. Submit the form, a copy of your bank account details and a tax certificate (or a copy of the notice)
- Every year: having received it last year does not carry over. It is paid once a year per student, up to three times in total (four for part-time and correspondence courses)[Fukuoka]
- Early payment for new students: first-year students can receive a quarter of the annual amount in April to June. Some prefectures limit this to public assistance and tax-exempt households (Saitama), others include the new brackets (Fukuoka). It is judged on the previous year's resident tax, so you apply again from July for the rest
- Tokyo metropolitan high schools: households that do not apply must still submit a "not applying" response
If income drops suddenly because of job loss, divorce or a death in the family, a sudden change in household finances (kakei kyuhen) application judges you on expected income after the change. For changes from July 2 onward the amount is prorated by month (Fukuoka and Hyogo, for example), and many prefectures accept these until January or February 2027 (February 26 in Osaka, February 19 for private schools in Saitama).
A separate scheme from free tuition (the tuition support fund)
The High School Tuition Support Fund (shugaku shienkin), which pays tuition, has had no income limit since April 2026; the school receives it and offsets it against tuition. The scholarship benefit covers other costs, has an income limit and is paid into the guardian's account. It also needs its own application, so applying for the tuition support fund alone is not enough. Caps and prefectural top-ups are covered in free high school tuition in 2026.
The benefit is not subject to income tax (grants for education costs are tax-free).
Summary
- From fiscal 2026, eligibility widened to households earning up to about ¥4.9 million (guide figure). The test is the parents' combined income-based resident tax, with ¥182,500 as the line
- Full-time national/public: ¥143,700 tax-exempt, ¥47,900 under ¥105,500, ¥35,930 under ¥182,500
- Payment comes from late September to late October at the earliest, in December in Osaka and for Tokyo private schools, and up to the following March
- You apply to the prefecture where you live, every year. Private schools in Kanagawa (out-of-prefecture schools, November 13), Aichi (November 20) and Fukuoka (November 30) are still accepting applications
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References (sources)
- MEXT: FY2026 briefing materials for prefectural officials (in Japanese) — amounts, eligibility and budget
- Tokyo Private School Foundation: private high school scholarship benefit (in Japanese)
- Kanagawa Prefecture: scholarship benefit for private high schools (in Japanese)
- Saitama Prefecture: national/public schools and private schools (in Japanese)
- Chiba Prefecture: regular benefit and private school leaflet (PDF) (in Japanese)
- Aichi Prefecture: public schools and private schools (in Japanese)
- Osaka Prefecture: national/public schools and private schools (in Japanese)
- Hyogo Prefecture: support schemes for private high schools (in Japanese)
- Fukuoka Prefecture: public schools and private schools (in Japanese)
- Hokkaido: scholarship benefit for private high schools (in Japanese)
- Kyoto Prefecture: regular application (in Japanese)
Guide incomes follow MEXT's example of a one-earner family of four; the actual test uses the income-based resident tax. Prefectural deadlines and payment dates are as shown on official pages on November 5, 2026, and deadlines for applications through schools vary by school. This article is general information. Please confirm your bracket and deadline with your child's school office or your prefecture.