how much is kokumin hoken in retirement?
how much is kokumin hoken in retirement?
I will soon start my second year of retirement. I understand that the kokumin hoken payment for the first year of retirement is based on my last year's income when I was fully employed. So I paid more than ¥350,000 for the first year of retirement. On top of that was the ¥15,000/month for nursing care insurance. Now I have a bill for ¥388,000 for kokumin hoken for my second year of retirement. I think the payment arrangement is still connected with my former university employer. Plus, I do have part-time jobs this year. My question is: how much are people who are have only their pensions, no jobs, paying for kokumin hoken and nursing insurance? I sure hope the figure is much lower than what I am paying now!! If this question is answered elsewhere in the Forum, I apologize for posting here. Please direct me to the answer.
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captainspoke
- Sensei
- Posts: 1578
- Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:44 am
Re: how much is kokumin hoken in retirement?
Question: How old are you? (Still in your 50s? 60-65? Over that?)
IIRC, nursing care insurance, along with kokumin hoken, are based on your previous year's income (same as with residence tax)--and that's the previous year's income, and not the last year that you were fully employed.
Since you have (and presumably have had) part time work, I suspect that that has been enough to put you above certain thresholds, so that your nursing and health insurance premiums are correspondingly higher. (A full part time schedule could do that.)
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There may be some mix up or confusion, since your former employer was a university. University retirees (private) who have been on 私学共済 for insurance can extend that coverage for up to two years after they finish (formally retire, and I did extend mine, and then switched last April).
If you did this (consciously or inadvertently) and have been retired for (almost) two years, the end of March will be the time that you need to switch over to kokumin hoken.
--the bill you have received might be related to coming coverage, from April 1st, 2020. (The bill itself, each payment slip, should have some dates/deadlines that reveal this.)
--the kokumin hoken people may not know that your 私学共済 coverage had been extended (and is presumably still in effect). In this case, you'll have to let them know (at city hall, I think) that you still are legitimately covered.
--or it could be something else.
IIRC, nursing care insurance, along with kokumin hoken, are based on your previous year's income (same as with residence tax)--and that's the previous year's income, and not the last year that you were fully employed.
Since you have (and presumably have had) part time work, I suspect that that has been enough to put you above certain thresholds, so that your nursing and health insurance premiums are correspondingly higher. (A full part time schedule could do that.)
**
There may be some mix up or confusion, since your former employer was a university. University retirees (private) who have been on 私学共済 for insurance can extend that coverage for up to two years after they finish (formally retire, and I did extend mine, and then switched last April).
If you did this (consciously or inadvertently) and have been retired for (almost) two years, the end of March will be the time that you need to switch over to kokumin hoken.
--the bill you have received might be related to coming coverage, from April 1st, 2020. (The bill itself, each payment slip, should have some dates/deadlines that reveal this.)
--the kokumin hoken people may not know that your 私学共済 coverage had been extended (and is presumably still in effect). In this case, you'll have to let them know (at city hall, I think) that you still are legitimately covered.
--or it could be something else.
Re: how much is kokumin hoken in retirement?
Thank you for your reply.
I see now that some things I wrote were my own carelessness, and I'm sorry that I posted the question without thinking things through more clearly.
So:
I am 66. I retired on April 1, 2019.
The ¥388,000 health insurance bill did indeed come from Shigakukyōsai 私学共済, not kokumin hoken. I should have been more attentive.
I did consciously sign up for two years' extended insurance via Shigakukyōsai, so this will be my second year. And, true, as I recognized but do not spell out, the bill is for the coming year.
May I ask: How much will your kokumin hoken bills be? Do you have income besides the pension?
Thank you for your patience.
I see now that some things I wrote were my own carelessness, and I'm sorry that I posted the question without thinking things through more clearly.
So:
I am 66. I retired on April 1, 2019.
The ¥388,000 health insurance bill did indeed come from Shigakukyōsai 私学共済, not kokumin hoken. I should have been more attentive.
I did consciously sign up for two years' extended insurance via Shigakukyōsai, so this will be my second year. And, true, as I recognized but do not spell out, the bill is for the coming year.
May I ask: How much will your kokumin hoken bills be? Do you have income besides the pension?
Thank you for your patience.
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captainspoke
- Sensei
- Posts: 1578
- Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:44 am
Re: how much is kokumin hoken in retirement?
Okay, good--it looks like things have kind of settled out.
Just keep in mind that about a year from now you'll have to remember to sign up and get kokumin hoken started. Even if you leave that till the first days of April, I think it will be okay. It goes by months, and shortly after you sign up you'll get a packet of bills for it from the city. I think when you sign up you can also start auto-deduct from a bank account, but in my case I didn't do that right away and tho I started it soon after, it wasn't until about August that that got going, and I think regardless of when you opt for that, you might have to pay the first 2-3 bills manually. (IMO, actually paying bills monthly is yucky, I/we have everything possible automated.)
As for how much it will be, I can't give a specific number. I had lots of medical stuff going on last year, and worrying about the amount was far less an issue than some other things. I guess I would say that the amount was/is not strikingly different than what the 私学共済 was, or I would have noticed.
For kokumin hoken, and kaigo hoken, you just have to accept that "It is what it is." (like taxes) While on various forums and from others locally I have heard people complain about how much it costs, I have never, ever heard of someone being incorrectly billed for it (eg, too much or too little). As with residence taxes, it's based on your national tax return. You file that as normal, then that info gets relayed to your city/locality, and they base their local tax and other 'contributions' on those numbers.
And if a mistake is made it will be corrected (maybe in your favor, maybe theirs). The most likely thing to cause that--rather than some actual mistake--is an adjustment to your taxes/income, like if you get audited/checked by the national tax people, there's a change in your returns, and then there'll be subsequent adjustments in your local taxes, insurance premiums, nursing care, and so on. (possibly going back as far as the national tax people have taken it) Obviously, make sure you do your taxes properly and there shouldn't be any such surprises.
Just keep in mind that about a year from now you'll have to remember to sign up and get kokumin hoken started. Even if you leave that till the first days of April, I think it will be okay. It goes by months, and shortly after you sign up you'll get a packet of bills for it from the city. I think when you sign up you can also start auto-deduct from a bank account, but in my case I didn't do that right away and tho I started it soon after, it wasn't until about August that that got going, and I think regardless of when you opt for that, you might have to pay the first 2-3 bills manually. (IMO, actually paying bills monthly is yucky, I/we have everything possible automated.)
As for how much it will be, I can't give a specific number. I had lots of medical stuff going on last year, and worrying about the amount was far less an issue than some other things. I guess I would say that the amount was/is not strikingly different than what the 私学共済 was, or I would have noticed.
For kokumin hoken, and kaigo hoken, you just have to accept that "It is what it is." (like taxes) While on various forums and from others locally I have heard people complain about how much it costs, I have never, ever heard of someone being incorrectly billed for it (eg, too much or too little). As with residence taxes, it's based on your national tax return. You file that as normal, then that info gets relayed to your city/locality, and they base their local tax and other 'contributions' on those numbers.
And if a mistake is made it will be corrected (maybe in your favor, maybe theirs). The most likely thing to cause that--rather than some actual mistake--is an adjustment to your taxes/income, like if you get audited/checked by the national tax people, there's a change in your returns, and then there'll be subsequent adjustments in your local taxes, insurance premiums, nursing care, and so on. (possibly going back as far as the national tax people have taken it) Obviously, make sure you do your taxes properly and there shouldn't be any such surprises.
Re: how much is kokumin hoken in retirement?
Thank you for the information.
I am still hoping that, next year, the kokumin hoken amount will be less than I am currently paying for health insurance via shigakukyōsai. To me, it seems like a lot to have to pay one-quarter of my pension (only) income for health insurance and nursing care insurance. Right now, I have some other income, so perhaps that's why it is still rather high. When I am truly truly poor, living only on my pension, I sure hope the health insurance payments are lower.
In any event, I appreciate your patience.
I am still hoping that, next year, the kokumin hoken amount will be less than I am currently paying for health insurance via shigakukyōsai. To me, it seems like a lot to have to pay one-quarter of my pension (only) income for health insurance and nursing care insurance. Right now, I have some other income, so perhaps that's why it is still rather high. When I am truly truly poor, living only on my pension, I sure hope the health insurance payments are lower.
In any event, I appreciate your patience.