10 things you should know about 100,000 yen benefit as one of the emergency economic measures in Japan

The government decided to pay 100,000 yen uniformly to all Japanese nations as special supplementary income payment for one of the emergency economic measures associated with infection spread of Covid 19.

This project cost including necessary expenses is about 13 trillion yen. The supplementary budget bill in 2020 including this project, which run into 25 trillion 700 billion yen, was submitted to the Diet and the government is aiming this budget approval in the first of May.

Initially, the government made a cabinet decision on the supplementary budget bill including special income payment of 300,000 yen to households that are reducing revenue. The ministry of internal affairs and communications announced the standard of households that is subject to this special income payment but it received unfavorable criticism from the Japanese nations and the government has change its policy to 100,000 yen uniform benefits payment.

In 20th of April, the ministry of internal affairs and communications officially announced the guideline of uniform benefits payment. I am going to explain what kind of procedure you need to go through and things you need to know before you get this benefits payment.

Who can get 100,000 yen

All the nations who are listed on the Basic Resident Resister (住民基本台帳). Foreigners who are granted visa status to stay in Japan over 3 months and already have the certificate of residence are subject to receiving this payment. According to MIAC (the Ministry of internal affairs and communications), basically, even if a person who is listed on the Basic Resident Resister lives overseas, he is subject to receiving this payment.

How to receive

Each municipality will send you the application form on which the names of all family members are printed based on the Basic Resident Resister.

The head of the household writes the account number of the financial institution on the form and attaches a copy of the identification document like a copy of Japanese driver’s license on it, and send back these documents to the municipality.

The municipality will transfer as much benefits as the number of family members to applicant’s financial account.

If you have “My Number Card”, you just input the financial account number and upload confirmation document of your bank account from the dedicated website. Then, 100,000 yen will be transferred to your bank account.

When to receive

MIAC takes the stance that it will start paying benefits as soon as possible considering the importance of the emergency economic measures. However, each municipality will decide when it accepts application and pays benefits to the nations.

The application deadline is considered to be within 3months from the day of application acceptance. The Minister of MIAC, Sanae Takaichi showed the prospect of benefits payment from May in the municipalities that have small population at a press conference.

How to do if you don’t want to receive the payment

There is a check box next to the name field on the application form and whether accepting the payment or not is decidable depending on the household.

If all family members have no intention to receive the payment, the procedure doesn’t have to be gone through.
On the other hand, the benefit amount cannot be reduced from 100,000 yen down to 80,000 yen or 90,000 yen.

Is it possible to receive the payment for one of the family members who die after the reference date?

If the family member is registered on the Basic Resident Resister as of 27th of April which is the reference day, he/she has the right to receive the payment. So, even if he/she is dead after the reference date, benefits will be paid.

However, a person who die before the reference day and is newly born after the reference day is not subject to receiving the payment.

I don’t have my savings account. Can I receive the payment?

MIAC announced the policy that each municipality will give the payment at the window of the municipal office individually for those who don’t have bank accounts.

If the payment cannot be transferred to the designated account due to the foreign financial institution, it is likely that you may receive the payment at the window of the municipal office as well.

Is 100,000 yen taxable?

The government presented the viewpoint that income tax and residence tax to 100,000 yen are exempted from taxation.

What if you don’t want to receive all family members’ payments?

　

There is a person who don’t hope to transfer the benefit in bulk to the head of the household because there are sensitive reasons in his/her home environment like a wife and a husband live separately because of divorce mediation , domestic violence or something.

In principle, if both a wife and a husband belong to the same household based on the Basic Resident Register, the benefit will be paid to husband (the head of the household). According to MIAC, if it receives a offer from a wife or a husband who lives apart from the partner because of domestic violence, it considers that a sufferer can receive the benefit apart from the head of the household at the municipality where the place of refuge is located.

Is it possible for a person who doesn’t have a dwelling such as homeless people to apply for 100,000?

MIAC takes the stance that even if the applicant is homeless, if the applicant is registered on the Basic Resident Register, it is possible to receive the benefit.

In case that the resident registration was terminated, if you reregister it at the municipality where you live, it is possible to receive the benefit.

Even if the reregistration is done after 27th of April, you are subject to receiving the benefit.

Can a member of antisocial forces receive 100,000

MIAC says, “this benefit payment system is not to exclude someone belonging to antisocial foreces. We only look whether applicants are registered on the Basic Resident Resister.