Filing for just part-time work?

[The Enlightened One]

I have lived in Japan for many years now, but embarrassingly enough still don't understand how to properly file my taxes. Mainly because my employer have always filed for me. However, I've now earned quite a bit of money from side gigs and want to claim that part-time taxed income.

For the past year I had my employer, as usual, file for me, but can I file just my part-time income? The simplest way would be online, via E-Tax, but I've not done this before? But if not E-Tax, what's the most painless way to go about this?

[Gareth]

Hi. I understand your feelings about doing a tax return. It's hard to understand it all, but the best way to learn is by doing!

If you still have your main employer, it would be worth having a chat with them first. Then your next port of call would be the tax office. I would do your return with them holding your hand rather than trying to get through the e-Tax system first of all. Once you have it done, you will get a print out of it, and then you can use that as a template for next year's tax filing on the e-Tax system. For this year, because of corona, you need to make an appointment to go to the tax office. You can't just rock up and do it.

However, do be aware that if you haven't been including any side gigs on your tax return over the past few years, you wouldn't have been paying the correct amount of tax over the past few years, so you would need to go back and correct that with the tax office. The folk there are usually very nice. They aren't out to get you. They are there to help you get it right. And if your part time gigs have been taking withholding tax, you may also be due a refund.

It'll be a pain to get it done, but once you have it done, it'll be very satisfying.

Good luck!

[Chris]

For the past year I had my employer, as usual, file for me, but can I file just my part-time income?

Na, if you need to file a Final Tax Return then you need to include everything on it yourself (all income sources and deductibles etc). This includes your main income source regardless if your employer has already filed your end of year adjustment.

The average person with just one source of income (and doing Furusato Nozei using "one-stop") whose employer does their End of Year Adjustment for them does not really need to worry about doing a final Final Tax Return.

But if for whatever reason you need (or want) to file a Final Tax Return then the best way to think of it is wiping clear all the End of Year Adjustment stuff your employer already did and thus requiring a new one (the Final Tax Return) to be submitted.

[TJKansai]

For a long time I only had one salary and my employer handled the taxes.

Then I started a part-time gig and had my wife do the tax form. The next year we spaced it out, and then got a letter from the tax office. When I called they were helpful, but I still had to pay a bit of a late penalty, and we haven't made the mistake again!

[Tkydon]

If your Part-Time income is less than Y200,000, AND tax has been withheld at source (which is most likely), then you do not need to file.

If your total income is greater than Y20,000,000
or
If your Part-Time income is greater than Y200,000, AND tax has been withheld at source (which is most likely)
or
If your Part-Time income has not had Tax withheld at source (which is unlikely)

Then you do have to file.