Childcare Leave Benefit in Japan: Conditions & Amount [2026]

If you are enrolled in employment insurance (koyo hoken) and take childcare leave, you can receive the Childcare Leave Benefit. Nationality does not matter — foreign employees qualify exactly like Japanese employees.

1. How much do you get?

• First 180 days: 67% of your wage
• From day 181: 50%
• Caps apply: from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, the maximum is about ¥332,454 per 30-day month at 67% and ¥248,100 at 50%. The limits are revised every August 1, so check the current figures with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (see Sources).
• The benefit is tax-free, and social insurance premiums can be exempted on application during leave (conditions on the timing and length of leave apply), so what you actually keep is larger than the percentage alone suggests

2. Up to 80% (almost full take-home) for the first 28 days

Since April 2025, the Post-Birth Leave Support Benefit adds 13% on top of the 67% — a total of 80% for up to 28 days — when both parents each take 14 or more days of leave (papa leave included) in the period right after the birth — within 8 weeks of the birth for a father, and within 16 weeks for a mother who took maternity leave. The top-up is paid together with the base benefit, not on its own. Because it is tax-free and premiums are normally exempted on application, this is close to 100% of take-home pay. Single parents and some other cases qualify with only one parent taking leave.

3. Eligibility

• Enrolled in employment insurance (any nationality; part-time and contract workers count if enrolled)
• 12 or more months with 11+ paid working days in the 2 years before leave starts
• Fixed-term workers: your contract must not be clearly ending before the child turns 18 months
• If you already plan to resign when the leave starts, you are not eligible

4. How long?

• Until the child turns 1 year old in principle
• Extendable to 18 months, then up to 2 years, if you applied for a licensed nursery but could not get a place, or in certain other cases such as a spouse's illness
• Up to 14 months if both parents take leave (Papa-Mama Ikukyu Plus)

5. How to apply

• Applications go to Hello Work through your employer — tell your company you will take leave and ask them to file
• Claims are made every 2 months. The first claim is usually filed after the first two months of leave, and payment arrives about one week after Hello Work approves it (according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

6. Returning to work on shorter hours

If you return to work on shorter hours, the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit (since April 2025) can add up to 10% of the wage you are paid, until the child turns 2. You must be an employment-insurance member and meet the insured-period requirement.

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FAQ

Can foreign workers receive this benefit?Yes. Nationality is irrelevant — if you are enrolled in employment insurance and meet the conditions, you receive it like any Japanese employee.

Can fathers receive it?Yes, if conditions are met. Papa leave (post-birth childcare leave) pays 67%, and if both parents take leave the 13% top-up applies for up to 28 days.

What happens to my health insurance and pension during leave?Premiums can be exempted on application (conditions on the timing and length of leave apply), and the exempted period still counts toward your pension record, so your future pension does not decrease.