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When you leave a job in Japan, your employer hands you several important documents. These papers are essential for applying for unemployment benefits, completing year-end tax adjustments at your new workplace, and switching health insurance and pension coverage – they directly affect your post-resignation life and procedures. Failing to receive them can result in lost benefits or having to redo administrative tasks.
This article focuses on the five main documents you should receive from your company when you resign, explaining what each is for, when you can expect to receive it, and how to get it reissued if lost. Use it as your pre-resignation checklist.
The documents you receive when leaving a job in Japan fall into three categories by purpose: 'used for unemployment benefit applications,' 'submitted to your new employer,' and 'used for tax and social insurance procedures.' Not every document is needed by everyone – the required papers depend on your post-resignation situation (immediate transfer to a new job, job-searching, or going independent).
The five main documents are listed below. Remember these and you'll cover the vast majority of resignation paperwork.
Let's look at each document in detail – its purpose, when to expect it, and key considerations.
The rishokuhyo (離職票) is the document you must have to apply for unemployment benefits (kihon teate / 基本手当) at Hello Work, Japan's public employment office. It contains the fact and reason for your resignation along with your pre-resignation wages, and these details are used to calculate your benefit amount and number of payment days.
If you don't have a new job lined up immediately and plan to receive unemployment benefits through Hello Work, you must obtain this document. On the other hand, people transferring directly to a new employer or starting their own business are not eligible for unemployment benefits, so the rishokuhyo is unnecessary.
That said, even if you decide at the time of resignation that 'I won't need it because I'm getting re-employed right away,' circumstances can change and you may end up needing unemployment benefits. Requesting issuance just in case at the time of resignation provides peace of mind.
After your resignation date, the company submits a rishoku shomeisho (離職証明書 / leave-of-employment certification) to Hello Work, and Hello Work then issues the rishokuhyo back through the company to you. Companies are legally required to process this within 10 days of the day after you lose employment insurance coverage, and the document typically reaches the resigner about 10 days to 2 weeks after the resignation date.
If more than 3 weeks pass after resignation without receiving it, first contact your former employer. If they still don't respond, consulting Hello Work will get them to follow up with the company.
The rishokuhyo consists of two documents – rishokuhyo-1 (離職票-1) and rishokuhyo-2 (離職票-2) – and you need to receive both.
The reason for resignation on rishokuhyo-2 significantly affects when benefits start and how many days you receive. Since the timing of benefit start differs between 'company-initiated' and 'voluntary' resignations, be sure to file an objection if the stated content differs from the facts.
If you lose your rishokuhyo, the resigner can apply for reissuance directly at a Hello Work counter or through 'e-Gov,' Japan's electronic government portal. You'll need a reissuance application form, ID, and your employment insurance certificate. Applying directly yourself is faster than going through the company.
The koyo hoken hihokensha-sho (雇用保険被保険者証) is a document proving you were enrolled in employment insurance. You'll be asked to submit it when your new employer processes your employment insurance enrollment. It contains an 11-digit insured-person number (hihokensha bango), which carries over to your new workplace.
Everyone planning to switch employers needs it. It's a different document from the 'rishokuhyo' used for unemployment benefits, so be careful not to confuse them.
Remember it as a pair: 'rishokuhyo if you're receiving unemployment benefits' versus 'employment insurance certificate if you're getting re-employed.' This makes it easier to keep them straight.
The employment insurance certificate may be kept by the company while you're employed there, or it may have been given to you at hiring and held by you. If the company doesn't hand it to you at resignation, first check whether you already have it.
It's often handed over together with other documents on the resignation date, but this varies by company. Confirming with HR in advance about 'when you can receive it' makes things smoother.
If you lose it, reissuance is possible at Hello Work. Bringing ID typically gets you same-day issuance. You can also request it from your former employer, but going directly to Hello Work is faster.
The gensen choshu-hyo (源泉徴収票) is a document showing the total salary and bonuses paid by your company that year and the income tax withheld at source. It's indispensable for income tax reconciliation – used for year-end adjustment at your new employer or for filing your own tax return (kakutei shinkoku / 確定申告).
If you transfer to a new company in the same year you resigned, your new employer will need your previous employer's withholding tax slip for the year-end adjustment. This is because they need to combine the income from both jobs to perform the year-end adjustment.
If you don't get re-employed within the calendar year, you'll use the withholding tax slip on next year's tax return to reconcile your income taxes. Without filing, you may miss out on a refund of overpaid income taxes, so be sure to keep it.
Because the withholding tax slip is issued after final salary calculations are confirmed on your resignation date, it's typically mailed about one month after resignation. Some companies hand it over directly on your last day at the office.
If more than a month passes after resignation without receiving it, contact HR or payroll. Japan's Income Tax Act requires issuance within one month of resignation.
If you lose the withholding tax slip, ask the issuing company for reissuance. They'll typically handle it even after you've resigned, but if the company has gone bankrupt, you can file a 'Gensen Choshu-hyo Fukofu no Todokede Tetsuzuki' (non-issuance notification procedure) at the tax office to deal with it.
The nenkin techo (年金手帳 / pension handbook) or kiso nenkin bango tsuchisho (基礎年金番号通知書 / basic pension number notice) contains the 'basic pension number' (kiso nenkin bango) assigned to each pension enrollee. You'll need it for enrolling in employees' pension insurance (kosei nenkin / 厚生年金) at your new employer, or for switching to the national pension (kokumin nenkin / 国民年金) after resignation.
If you're changing jobs, present it when enrolling in employees' pension insurance at your new employer. If you're not getting re-employed right after resignation, you'll need it for the national pension switch at your municipal office.
Note that those who joined the pension system on or after April 2022 receive a 'basic pension number notice' rather than a pension handbook. Both contain the basic pension number and serve the same role.
Pension handbooks may be in two states: held by the company since hiring, or kept by you personally. If the company has it, make sure to get it back at resignation.
Personal custody has become the mainstream practice recently, but some older customs keep it at the company, so the first step at resignation is checking 'do I have it?' or 'is the company holding it?'
If you lose your pension book or basic pension number notice, you can apply for reissuance at a pension office or via 'Nenkin Net.' If you're still employed, you can also apply through your workplace. If your My Number is linked to your basic pension number, you can use My Number as a substitute in more situations.
The kenko hoken shikaku soshitsu shomeisho (健康保険資格喪失証明書) is a document certifying that you've left the company's health insurance coverage due to resignation. It's needed if you're enrolling in the national health insurance (kokumin kenko hoken / 国民健康保険) or joining a family member's insurance as a dependent after resignation.
If you choose either of the following for your post-resignation health insurance, you'll need this certificate:
Those transferring directly to a new job will enroll in their new employer's health insurance, so the loss certificate is generally unnecessary. There's also an option called 'voluntary continuation' (nin'i keizoku / 任意継続) for health insurance – if you choose this, the procedure must be completed within 20 days of the day after resignation, so take note.
The health insurance loss certificate is typically issued about 10 days to 2 weeks after resignation. If you want to enroll in national health insurance immediately, requesting issuance before resignation can sometimes get it to you around your last day.
There's a deadline of '14 days from the day after resignation' for switching to national health insurance, so if it looks like the document will take time to arrive, explain the situation and consult your municipal office. Other documents such as a certificate of resignation (taishoku shomeisho / 退職証明書) can sometimes serve as substitutes.
Beyond the main five, there are other documents you might want to receive depending on your circumstances. Check that you haven't missed any.
A document certifying the fact of your resignation. It's used when becoming a dependent on a family member's health insurance, for national pension and national health insurance procedures, or when requested by your new employer. The company will issue it on request. Under the law, the company has an obligation to issue it without delay when requested by the resigner.
This is a document you submitted to the company during employment. It may be needed for year-end adjustment at your new employer in the same year, so keeping a copy makes things smoother.
A document issued to people who received retirement allowance (taishoku-kin / 退職金). Retirement allowance is treated as 'retirement income' separately from regular salary income, with different tax calculations. A refund may arise on your tax return, so keep it on hand.
The final pay slip at resignation often contains items different from regular months – settlement of unpaid overtime or commute allowances, final adjustments to social insurance premiums and resident tax. Be sure to verify the contents and keep it. It's also useful as income verification material until the withholding tax slip arrives.
The required documents change depending on your post-resignation situation. Check the pattern that applies to you.
Once your resignation is decided, be sure to confirm with HR 'the list of documents you can receive at resignation' and 'when and how you can receive them.' Some companies hand them all over on your last day at the office, while others mail them after resignation.
Because the rishokuhyo and withholding tax slip are often issued after resignation, double-check that the mailing address on file is correct for peace of mind.
Keep all received documents together until your re-employment or procedures are complete. Organizing them in a clear file makes things smoother when carrying them to Hello Work, municipal offices, or a new employer.
Handle the withholding tax slip and rishokuhyo with particular care, as reissuance can take time if you lose them.
Some post-resignation procedures have set deadlines. The main ones are as follows:
Missing deadlines can complicate procedures or even disqualify you from benefits, so the iron rule is to move quickly once documents are in hand.
The rishokuhyo and withholding tax slip typically arrive within 10 days to 1 month after resignation. The employment insurance certificate is often handed over on the resignation date. The health insurance loss certificate is issued about 2 weeks after resignation. If any document hasn't arrived within a month, contact your former employer.
First, send a reminder email or call your company's HR or accounting team. If they still don't respond, consult Hello Work for the rishokuhyo, or the tax office for the withholding tax slip – they can instruct the company to issue them. The certificate of resignation is legally required to be issued by the company under the Labor Standards Act, so if they refuse, consider consulting the Labor Standards Inspection Office.
The withholding tax slip may be used for tax returns or mortgage screenings, so keep it for at least several years. The rishokuhyo serves its purpose once unemployment benefits have been fully received, but it's safer to keep it for a few months just in case. The employment insurance certificate is submitted to your new employer after job change, so keep it carefully until re-employment.
The employment insurance certificate and pension handbook are typically requested within 1–2 weeks of joining. The withholding tax slip is usually submitted by around November of that year, in time for the new employer's year-end adjustment. Your new employer's HR will give specific deadlines – follow their guidance.
If your My Number is linked to your basic pension number, more new-employer pension enrollment procedures can be handled with My Number. However, the pension handbook hasn't become unnecessary for all procedures, so it's safer to keep it on hand just in case.
The documents you receive at resignation are many and easy to confuse because each is used in different contexts. But if you anchor your checks around the five core documents – 'rishokuhyo,' 'employment insurance certificate,' 'withholding tax slip,' 'pension handbook or basic pension number notice,' and 'health insurance loss certificate' – you won't miss much.
The required documents vary by post-resignation situation, but receiving all of them just in case is the safest approach. Confirm receipt methods with HR before resignation, keep all documents together once they arrive, and tackle time-sensitive procedures first – this way, you can move on to your next stage without panic.
Resignation is the first step toward something new. Get your documents in order and transition smoothly into a new job or new life.
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