About this calculator
The Basic Pension （老齢基礎年金） is flat-rate: the FY2026 full amount is ¥847,300 a year if you paid in for 40 years (480 months), and it scales with your coverage months — 20 years gives half, 10 years a quarter. You need at least 10 years of total coverage across the National Pension and the Employees’ Pension to qualify at all; below that there is no old-age pension, whatever you earned. Employees’ Pension months and other National Pension months (self-employed, student, dependent spouse) both count toward those 480 months, which is why the calculator asks for them separately.
The Employees’ Pension （老齢厚生年金） sits on top for employees only, and it is earnings-related: your average standard monthly remuneration — revalued to current value, and including standard bonuses for months from April 2003 — multiplied by 7.125/1000 for each month to March 2003 and by 5.481/1000 for each month from April 2003. Use the revalued average from your pension statement or nenkin.net, not your raw salary history: past pay is revalued upward before the rate is applied, so raw salaries understate the result.
What this calculator does not do: it does not model the transitional addition and fixed-amount portion (they depend on your date of birth and are phasing out), the reduction or suspension that applies while you work and draw a pension, or any corporate pension, iDeCo account or retirement lump sum — those are separate money on top of, or instead of, the figures here. Results are estimates only — not official advice. Your pension statement from the Japan Pension Service is the authoritative figure for your own record.
How to use it
- Enter your National Pension months outside employment (Category 1 / 3), if any, then your Employees’ Pension months split at April 2003.
- Enter each period’s revalued average standard monthly remuneration from your pension statement — including bonuses for the post-2003 period.
- Pick the age you plan to start claiming (65 is standard; 60 earliest, 75 latest) and add a dependent spouse or children under 18 if applicable.
- Read the Basic and remuneration portions separately, then the total at your claim age.
The formula
Worked example, entirely from the official FY2026 parameters: a 40-year Employees’ Pension career entirely from April 2003, average standard monthly remuneration ¥360,000, claiming at 65. Basic = ¥847,300 × 480 ÷ 480 = ¥847,300. Remuneration = ¥360,000 × 5.481/1000 × 480 = ¥947,116.80. Total = ¥1,794,416.80 a year, ¥149,534.73 a month. Claim at 60 instead and the Basic + Remuneration portions fall to 76%: ¥1,794,416.80 × 0.76 = ¥1,363,756.77 a year. Claim at 75 and they rise to 184%: ¥1,794,416.80 × 1.84 = ¥3,301,726.91 a year.
Worked example
A full 40-year Employees’ Pension career entirely from April 2003, average standard monthly remuneration ¥360,000, claiming at 65: Basic Pension ¥847,300 a year, remuneration portion ¥947,116.80 a year, total ¥1,794,416.80 a year — ¥149,534.73 a month. The same record claimed at 60 pays ¥1,363,756.77 a year, and claimed at 75 pays ¥3,301,726.91 a year. Add a dependent spouse under 65 and 20+ years of Employees’ Pension coverage, and the dependants’ addition adds ¥243,800 a year at the FY2026 rate.
Sources: Japan Pension Service — Old-age Basic Pension (FY2026 full amount ¥847,300, 10-year qualification, exemption weights) and Old-age Employees’ Pension (remuneration rates 7.125/1000 and 5.481/1000, dependants’ addition FY2026 rates, in-work ¥650,000 threshold, early/delayed endpoints 76% at 60 and 184% at 75). Verified October 2026. Last updated: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the average on my pension statement higher than my old salaries?
Because past remuneration is revalued to current value before the rate is applied, and because the post-2003 average includes standard bonuses as well as monthly pay. Entering raw historical salaries without revaluation understates the pension — use the revalued average from your statement or nenkin.net.
What if I have less than 10 years of coverage?
Then you do not qualify for the old-age pension at all, however much you earned: the 10-year (120-month) rule counts all National Pension and Employees’ Pension coverage, including exempted periods. The calculator stops with that message rather than showing a partial pension. Ask the Japan Pension Service about lump-sum options for your situation.
Why is there no transitional addition in the result?
The transitional addition (the excess, if any, of the fixed-amount portion over your Basic Pension) depends on your date of birth through a multiplier chart and is phasing out as the specially-provided pension for ages 60–64 ends. The FY2026 fixed-amount unit is ¥1,628 × 1.085, but without your birth cohort the addition cannot be computed honestly, so it is excluded and flagged here rather than estimated. Older retirees should check their pension statement for it.
Does working after 65 change the pension?
Yes, and this calculator does not model it: while you work and are covered by Employees’ Pension Insurance, your Employees’ Pension is reduced or suspended if your monthly pension plus your monthly remuneration exceeds ¥650,000 (FY2026). Continued contributions can also raise the pension at the annual revision. Treat the figure here as the not-working amount.
Are company pensions, iDeCo or retirement lump sums included?
No — this calculator covers only the national pension (Basic + Employees’). Corporate pensions, iDeCo, defined-contribution pots and retirement lump sums are separate and can be larger than the national pension itself; add them separately when planning.
Is the figure before or after tax?
Before tax and before health and long-term care premiums: pension income is taxable (with a pension income deduction) and premiums are deducted from it. Your take-home pension will be lower than the gross figure shown here.
What formula does this Japan Pension calculator use?
Basic (annual) = ¥847,300 × coverage months ÷ 480 (cap 480 months); Remuneration (annual) = avgPre × 7.125/1000 × monthsPre + avgPost × 5.481/1000 × monthsPost; Total at 65 = Basic + Remuneration + Dependants’ addition; Claiming at 60–64: × (1 − 0.4% × months early); at 66–75: × (1 + 0.7% × months late), applied to the Basic + Remuneration portions Worked example, entirely from the official FY2026 parameters: a 40-year Employees’ Pension career entirely from April 2003, average standard monthly remuneration ¥360,000, claiming at 65. Basic = ¥847,300 × 480 ÷ 480 = ¥847,300. Remuneration = ¥360,000 × 5.481/1000 × 480 = ¥947,116.80. Total = ¥1,794,416.80 a year, ¥149,534.73 a month. Claim at 60 instead and the Basic + Remuneration portions fall to 76%: ¥1,794,416.80 × 0.76 = ¥1,363,756.77 a year. Claim at 75 and they rise to 184%: ¥1,794,416.80 × 1.84 = ¥3,301,726.91 a year. The worked example on this page applies the formula step by step with real numbers, so you can verify the result by hand.