Leaving Japan or Korea After Graduation: Pension Lump-Sum Refunds, Tax and Account Closure for ASEAN Graduates

Japan's Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment

Non-Japanese nationals who paid into National Pension or Employees' Pension Insurance and leave Japan while no longer covered by either system are eligible to apply for the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment, according to the Japan Pension Service . File the application within two years of the date you leave Japan, so don't leave this until you've settled elsewhere and lost track of the deadline. The Japan Pension Service publishes the current payment rate table and the maximum contribution months counted toward the payment on its English-language site, and it's worth checking this directly before estimating your amount, since the payout depends on your contribution months and average monthly pay.

How to apply for the Japan refund

Submit the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment claim form, available in English from the Japan Pension Service, together with your passport copy, a document proving you're no longer registered as a resident in Japan, and your bank account details for the transfer. Processing after submission takes time, so file the application as close to your departure date as your paperwork allows rather than waiting near the two-year limit.

Korea's National Pension lump-sum refund

Korea's National Pension Service offers a lump-sum refund of contributions to some foreign nationals who leave Korea permanently without qualifying for a monthly pension, but eligibility depends on whether your home country has a reciprocal social security arrangement with Korea. Confirm your own eligibility directly with the National Pension Service or your workplace's HR team before you count this money into your departure budget, since the rule differs by nationality.

Settling your final income tax

In Japan, employees normally have income tax withheld and adjusted through their employer's year-end adjustment (nenmatsu chosei). If you leave partway through the tax year, either your employer completes a final adjustment before your last payroll, or you appoint a tax administrator (nozei kanrinin) to file your final return on your behalf after you've left. In Korea, employed foreign workers go through a similar year-end tax settlement process with their employer, and leaving mid-year normally means the employer runs this settlement as part of your final payroll instead of waiting for the usual February cycle. Ask your employer's HR or payroll team directly what they need from you before your last working day in either country.

Closing accounts and contracts before you leave

Cancel your phone contract and confirm there's no early-termination fee tied to your contract length. Close your bank account only after your final salary, any domestically paid pension refund, and your tax settlement have all cleared, since some refunds require an active local account. Give your landlord written notice according to your lease's notice period, request your housing deposit back in writing, and ask specifically how it will be returned if you've already left the country by the time it's processed. Keep copies of every closure confirmation, pension application, and tax document, since these sometimes matter later for licensing, further study, or tax matters back home.

Health insurance and other refunds to check

Japan's National Health Insurance sometimes carries a final adjustment depending on when in the year you paid premiums and when you deregister at your municipal office, so deregister your residence and health insurance together rather than leaving one open after departure. In Korea, National Health Insurance similarly needs closing out with your workplace or the National Health Insurance Service before you leave, and any premium adjustment settles through the same process as your final payroll. Ask your employer's HR team whether health insurance deregistration happens automatically with your employment end date, or whether it needs a separate visit to a government office.

Returning your residence card and deregistering

In Japan, hand in your Residence Card (zairyu card) at the airport when you leave, unless you're transferring to a new visa status, since keeping it after departure without informing immigration causes problems on a future visit. Deregister your address at your local municipal office before you leave, which also closes out related registrations like health insurance and pension. In Korea, foreign nationals report their departure and, where applicable, return their Alien Registration Card at the airport immigration counter, and this deregistration step ties directly into whether an NPS lump-sum refund or final tax settlement processes smoothly afterward.

Moving your money home

Compare remittance costs before transferring a lump-sum pension refund or final salary to your home bank account, since transfer fees and exchange rate margins vary widely between your Japanese or Korean bank, a money transfer app, and the pension service's own overseas transfer option where offered. Confirm which currency the refund arrives in and whether your home bank charges an incoming transfer fee, so the amount you planned for isn't reduced by fees you didn't expect on either end.

Suggested order before you fly out

1. Confirm your last working day and get your final payslip and year-end tax adjustment from your employer.

2. Submit your pension refund application in Japan, or confirm eligibility with National Pension Service in Korea.

3. Give notice on your lease and get the deposit return process confirmed in writing.

4. Cancel your phone contract and any other subscriptions tied to your residence.

5. Close your bank account last, after all refunds and final pay have cleared.