Documents to Request When Leaving a Job in Japan
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The documents needed on leaving a Japanese employer depend on your next job, benefit application and insurance arrangements. Separate documents the company must issue or process from identification numbers you already hold. A fixed list of five new papers is not appropriate for everyone.
Choose documents by purpose
Document or information | Purpose | Contact |
|---|---|---|
Rishokuhyo 1 and 2 | Employment-insurance basic allowance procedures | Former employer and Hello Work |
Salary withholding statement | Year-end adjustment or a tax return | Former payroll team |
Evidence of loss of health-insurance eligibility | Changing health-insurance arrangements | Employer, insurer and receiving office |
Certificate of retirement | Proof of requested employment details | Former employer |
Employment-insurance number | New employer’s procedures | Existing certificate or former employer |
Basic pension number | Pension procedures where required | Number notice or existing pension handbook |
Confirm the delivery plan before leaving. Salary withholding statements for midyear leavers must generally be provided within one month of departure. A retirement-income withholding statement concerns severance payments and is separate. A certificate of retirement is not automatically interchangeable with a rishokuhyo.
Confirm how the separation certificate will arrive
Employer filing, Hello Work processing and delivery to you are different stages. A filing deadline is not a promised delivery date. Ask promptly if the stated delivery date passes or another application deadline is approaching.
Since January 20, 2025, eligible people can receive separation documents through MyNaPortal. Conditions include the required number registration, service linkage and the employer’s electronic filing. Review MHLW’s instructions and agree the method with the employer. Check the reason for separation and recorded pay when the documents arrive.
Distinguish missing issuance from a lost copy
Problem | First step | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
Separation certificate has not arrived | Ask the company about filing and delivery; consult Hello Work | Do not wait indefinitely |
Salary tax statement was never issued | Request issuance and keep a record | Check the tax office’s non-issuance process |
An issued tax statement was lost | Ask the issuer for another copy | The non-issuance procedure is not a reissue service |
Pension handbook was lost | Check which number or document is required | A replacement is a basic pension number notice |
Japan Pension Service guidance explains replacement of a lost handbook or number notice. Keep an existing handbook; do not assume every departing worker should receive a new pension handbook from the employer.
A fictional request
Subject: Documents following my departure
Dear HR team,
Please confirm the delivery method and expected date for my separation documents and salary withholding statement following my departure on [date].
Please also advise whom to contact for proof of loss of health-insurance eligibility.
Delivery details: [provide through the agreed channel]
Name and department: [ ]
Ask only for what you need. Avoid sending personal numbers or bank details through ordinary email unnecessarily. Record the request date, response and next action.
After receipt
- Check identity, dates, employer and pay information.
- Match each document to a procedure and deadline.
- Confirm whether an original, copy or electronic version is accepted.
- Store the records securely and keep a permitted copy before submitting an original.
Related guides
Sources and further checks
Public information checked on October 4, 2026. These sources concern Japan; verify the conditions that apply to your case.
Related Otame4 guides above are in Japanese. Japanese wording in the examples is provided for applications and workplace documents in Japan.
