Contibuting to the National Pension after Reaching 60

[stevendorrans]

I understand that when you reach 60 years old you aren't liable to make pension payments anymore. However, do you have the option of continuing to make payments if you haven't made enough payments to qualify for a full pension?

[kuma]

Yes, voluntary contributions can be made by residents of Japan aged 60-64 under condition (1) below:

The following persons can enroll in the National Pension system on a voluntary basis;
(1) Registered residents of Japan aged 60 to 64 years
(2) Japanese citizens aged 20 to 64 years who reside in a foreign country
(3) Persons born on or before April 1, 1965, aged 65 to 69 years who have not satisfied the minimum qualification period

Source: https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/ ... nsion.html

A much smaller subset of people would be eligible for voluntary contributions from 65-69 under condition (3).

Contributions for a qualifying year are currently 196,800 yen (small discounts available if paying multiple months together), and the current benefit of adding an additional qualifying year (ie the increase to the annual pension payout) is 780,100 / 40 = 19,503 yen per year.