How Much Is Japan's National Pension? The Full Amount and What Unpaid or Exempt Years Cost

The full national pension is 847,300 yen a year

The basic old-age pension is calculated as the full amount × months of premiums paid ÷ 480 months. Paying for all 40 years (480 months) from age 20 to 60 gets you the full amount, which in fiscal 2026 (from April 2026) is 847,300 yen a year, or 70,608 yen a month.

Each year paid adds 21,183 yen a year. Time in the employees' pension as a company employee or public servant, and time as an employee's dependent spouse (Category 3 insured person), also count as paid months, so people who were always employees and full-time homemakers normally get the full basic pension. For an employee's total, see the table by income and years enrolled.

How much unpaid premiums reduce it

Months with no premium paid (unpaid months) aren't reflected in your pension at all. Here's the basic old-age pension with unpaid periods within the 40 years from 20 to 60.

Being 42,365 yen a year short from 2 unpaid years lasts for as long as you receive the pension. Over 25 years, from 65 to 90, that's a total difference of about 1.06 million yen. You can pay premiums retroactively for up to the past 2 years, so if you notice unpaid months, pay them soon.

How full exemption and student deferral differ from unpaid months

If your income is too low to pay premiums, you can apply for an exemption or deferral. Unlike unpaid months, these count toward the 10-year eligibility period, and a full exemption is also partly reflected in your pension.

A full-exemption period counts as 1/2 in your pension, representing the portion the government funds through taxes, so even 5 years of full exemption gives you 52,956 yen a year more than unpaid months. The student deferral isn't reflected in your pension, but within 10 years you can make a catch-up payment, after which those months count as paid. If you never pay back 2 years of university deferral, your pension is 804,935 yen a year (42,365 yen less than the full amount).

Ways to increase your national pension

• Additional pension: paying an extra 400 yen a month adds "200 yen × months paid" to your pension each year. 10 years adds 24,000 yen a year, 20 years adds 48,000 yen and 40 years adds 96,000 yen
• Voluntary enrollment: between 60 and 65, you can voluntarily join the national pension to fill any months lost to unpaid or exempt periods, up to 480
• Catch-up payments: for student deferral or exempt periods, you can pay premiums later, within 10 years, to get closer to the full amount
• Delayed claiming: starting at 70 raises your pension by 42% to 1,203,166 yen a year (for the full amount)

The additional pension pays back what you put in (400 yen × months) after 2 years of receiving it, which makes it an easy way for self-employed people and freelancers to raise their pension. People enrolled in a national pension fund can't pay the additional premium, though. The break-even point for delayed or early claiming compares what starting at different ages gets you.

Check your paid months and calculate your amount

1. 1

   Find your paid months on your Nenkin Teikibin

   Your annual pension notice lists your national pension paid months, full-exemption months, student deferral months and so on by type. Nenkin Net also shows your monthly record.

2. 2

   Add the months remaining until 60

   Adding the months you plan to keep paying until 60 gives you your expected final number of paid months.

3. 3

   Enter it in the Pension Amount Calculator

   If you've never been in the employees' pension, set that period to 0 years and enter your unpaid, fully exempt, student deferral and additional pension years to see your annual and monthly basic old-age pension.

If you've worked as a company employee even for a short time, the employees' pension for that period is added on top. See how the employees' pension is calculated.

FAQ

What's the full amount of the national pension?

In fiscal 2026 (from April 2026), the full basic old-age pension is 847,300 yen a year, or 70,608 yen a month. That's the amount if you paid premiums for the 40 years (480 months) from age 20 to 60, and it's revised every April.

How much do 5 unpaid years reduce my pension?

By 105,912 yen a year, to 741,388 yen a year (61,782 yen a month). Unpaid periods aren't reflected in your pension, so each year costs you 21,183 yen a year. You can pay retroactively for premiums up to 2 years old.

How is a full-exemption period reflected in my pension?

Full-exemption periods from April 2009 on count as 1/2 of what you'd get if you'd paid. With 5 years of full exemption, the basic old-age pension is 794,344 yen a year, or 52,956 yen a year more than if unpaid. You can also get closer to the full amount with catch-up payments within 10 years.

How much does the additional pension add?

Months of additional premium paid (400 yen a month) × 200 yen is added to your pension each year. Paying for 10 years adds 24,000 yen a year, and 40 years adds 96,000 yen. You recover what you paid after 2 years of receiving it.