👴 Japan Public Pension Estimator
Estimate your future Japan public pension (公的年金) benefit — the flat National Pension base plus the earnings-related Employees' Pension portion — based on your career earnings and chosen claiming age.
What is this tool?
Japan's public pension (公的年金) is a two-tier system that nearly every resident joins. The first tier is the 国民年金 (National Pension, KOKU-NEN), a flat-rate program whose full benefit at age 65 is ¥781,700 per year (about ¥65,142/month in FY2026) after 40 years of contributions. The second tier, the 厚生年金 (Employees' Pension, KŌSEI-NEN), is earnings-related and covers company employees and public servants on top of the base. Your total old-age pension is therefore the base plus an earnings-related portion calculated from your average monthly standard remuneration (平均標準報酬月額) over your career. The system is designed to replace roughly 40–50% of pre-retirement earnings for an average earner. Critically, the benefit is adjusted for when you claim it: claiming early from age 60 reduces the pension by about 0.5% per month, while deferring past 65 increases it by about 0.7% per month (up to age 70). This estimator models both tiers so you can see the trade-off between claiming early and waiting. To see the contributions that fund this, check our employees' pension premium tool and national pension premium tool, or model private top-ups with the iDeCo/NISA simulator.
How it works
The calculator first derives your contribution months from your chosen claiming age (assuming contributions began at age 20, capped at 480 months = 40 years). The National Pension base is ¥65,142/month scaled by your proportion of full contribution months. If you were in the Employees' Pension, an earnings-related portion is added: roughly 22.8% of your average standard monthly remuneration, also scaled by contribution months. Finally, an early/late claiming adjustment is applied — a 0.5% per month reduction for claims before 65, or a 0.7% per month increase for deferrals up to 70.
| Claiming age | Base adjustment | Typical monthly (avg earner) |
|---|
The two public pension schemes in Japan (FY2026) Everyone working in Japan joins the National Pension as the base, and employees additionally join the Employees’ Pension on top.
| Scheme | Who joins | Premium / contribution |
|---|---|---|
| National Pension (Category 1) | Self-employed, students, unemployed | ¥17,380/month (fixed) |
| Employees’ Pension (Category 2) | Company employees (aged 65 or below) | 18.300% of monthly salary + bonuses |
| Voluntary (Category 3) | Spouse of a Category 2 member | ¥17,380/month (paid by the Category 2 member) |
| --- | --- | --- |
|---|
| 60 | −30% | lower |
|---|
| 65 | 0% (full) | reference |
|---|
| 70 | +42% (max) | higher |
|---|
How to use
- Enter your current age.
- Enter the age at which you plan to start receiving the pension (60–70).
- Enter your average monthly earnings in 万円 (used as standard remuneration).
- Choose whether you were enrolled in the Employees' Pension (company) or National Pension only.
- Click Calculate to see the estimated monthly and annual benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the full National Pension base amount?
For someone with a full 40-year (480-month) contribution record, the flat National Pension base is ¥781,700 per year, or about ¥65,142/month in FY2026. Partial histories receive a proportional amount.
How is the earnings-related (厚生年金) portion calculated?
It is based on your average standard monthly remuneration over your career, multiplied by roughly 22.8% and scaled by your contribution months (capped at 480). Higher and longer careers receive a larger earnings-related portion.
What happens if I claim before 65?
Claiming early from age 60 reduces the benefit by about 0.5% for each month before 65 — up to a 30% reduction at age 60. The reduction is permanent.
Is it worth deferring to age 70?
Deferring past 65 adds about 0.7% per month, reaching a maximum +42% at age 70. Because the increase is inflation-indexed and lifelong, deferring is often the stronger financial choice for healthy people.
Does this include the 繰下げ (deferral) bonus correctly?
The model applies the standard 0.7%-per-month deferral increase up to age 70. It does not model the separate 在職老齢年金 income thresholds or survivor/spouse splits.
This tool is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial professional for advice specific to your situation.
Tips & Advice
The single biggest lever on your public pension is the claiming age: deferring to 70 can raise the monthly amount by up to 42% compared with claiming at 60, and that increase is inflation-indexed for life. If you keep working past 65, you also keep contributing and can earn 厚生年金 concurrently (在職老齢年金 rules phase out part of the benefit only above an income threshold). Women often claim earlier on average, but because they live longer, deferring is frequently the better financial choice. Note that the flat base is the same for everyone, so the earnings-related portion is what drives differences between high and low earners. Pair this estimate with our private pension simulator to see how iDeCo or NISA can fill the ~50% income gap that public pension alone does not cover.
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Sources & References
Last reviewed: August 2026.
- Japan Pension Service — Public Pension (Kokumin / Nenkin).
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — Pension system.
Limitations
Disclaimer: This tool provides an educational estimate using FY2026 base amounts and a simplified earnings-related formula. Actual pensions depend on your exact contribution record, indexed earnings, inflation adjustments, and law changes. It is not official pension advice — obtain your official estimate from the Japan Pension Service (ねんきんネット) before decisions.