Child-rearing allowance

What is Child Rearing Allowance?

This allowance is paid to families (single-parent families) where there are children who do not live with their father or mother due to divorce, death of the father or mother, etc., with the aim of contributing to the stability of life and promoting independence, and improving the welfare of the children.

Those eligible for payment

The allowance is paid to a mother who has custody of a child who falls under any of the following categories (a child who is between the date of reaching the age of 3 and the first March 31st after that child reaches the age of 20, or a child under the age of XNUMX who has a disability of a degree specified by government ordinance), or to a father who has custody of the child and shares the same household, or to a person who is raising the child in place of the parents.

• Children whose parents have dissolved their marriage (including dissolution of a common-law marriage)
• Children whose father or mother has died
• Children whose father or mother has a disability as specified by government ordinance
• Children whose father or mother is dead or alive
• A child who has been abandoned by his or her father or mother for more than one year
• Children whose father or mother has received a domestic violence protection order from the court
• A child whose father or mother has been detained for one year or more by law
• A child born out of wedlock to a mother

Those who are not eligible for payment

If you fall under any of the following categories, you will not be eligible for the allowance even if you are "eligible for payment."

• When the father or mother is in a de facto marriage (common-law marriage, etc.) even if they have not registered their marriage
• When the person receiving the allowance (father, mother, or guardian) does not have an address in Japan
• When the child does not have an address in Japan
• When the child is in foster care or in a child welfare facility (excluding mother and child support facilities, daycare centers, and daycare centers) or a juvenile prison
• (If the person seeking the allowance is the mother or guardian) If the person shares the same household as the father (excluding fathers who are disabled to a degree specified by government ordinance)
• (If the person seeking the allowance is the father) When he/she lives with the mother (excluding mothers who are disabled to a degree specified by government ordinance)
• (If the person seeking the allowance is the mother or guardian) The child is being raised by the spouse of the mother (excluding the mother who is in a state of disability as specified by government ordinance).
• (If the person seeking the allowance is the father) If the child is being raised by the father's spouse (excluding fathers who are in a state of disability as specified by government ordinance)

Monthly allowance

The amount of the allowance is determined based on the income of the claimant or spouse and person obligated to support them (such as the claimant's parents, siblings, etc. who live with them) from the previous year (for January to September, the income from the year before last).
The amount of the allowance will be revised each fiscal year in accordance with fluctuations in the national consumer price index.

Monthly allowance for fiscal year 2026

	Payment category	Starting from April 2026
Body price	All provided	48,050 yen
	Partially paid	48,040 yen 11,340 circle
Additional amount for second child and beyond	All provided	11,350 yen
	Partially paid	11,340 yen 5,680 circle

Partial payment of allowances

When five years have passed since the first day of the month in which payment began, or seven years have passed since the first day of the month in which the payment requirements were met, the amount of the allowance will be halved. However, if any of the following circumstances apply, you can receive the same amount of the allowance as the month before the five years have passed by filing a notification.

• I am employed.
• They are engaged in activities to become independent, such as job hunting.
• Have a physical or mental disability.
• It is difficult to work due to injury or illness.
• A child or relative under the eligible recipient's care has a disability, injury, illness, or is in need of care, etc., and the eligible recipient needs to provide care, making it difficult for him or her to work.

Income Limit

The allowance will not be paid if the income of the person seeking the allowance, their spouse (in the case of a disabled father (mother)) or the person obligated to support them in the same household (parents, grandparents, children, siblings, etc.) for the previous year (or the year before last for those claiming between January and September) is equal to or exceeds the amount shown in the following table (or the amount in the partial payment column for the person himself/herself).

Income Limit Table

Number of dependents	Eligible recipient		Caregivers of orphans, spouses, and persons obligated to support (no change)
	Full payment (from November 11)	Partial payment (from November 11)
0	690,000 yen	2,080,000 yen	2,360,000 yen
1	1,070,000 yen	2,460,000 yen	2,740,000 yen
2	1,450,000 yen	2,840,000 yen	3,120,000 yen
3	1,830,000 yen	3,220,000 yen	3,500,000 yen
4	2,210,000 yen	3,600,000 yen	3,880,000 yen
5	2,590,000 yen	3,980,000 yen	4,260,000 yen

How to calculate income

Income amount = annual income amount + child support (※) - necessary expenses (salary income deduction amount, etc.) - 80,000 yen (equivalent to social insurance premiums) - "major deductions" below
*8% of the amount of money or other items received by the mother/father of the child for expenses necessary for the upbringing of the child

Main deductions

• Disability deduction: 270,000 yen
• Special disability deduction: 400,000 yen
• Working student deduction 270,000 yen
• Other deductions under local tax laws (medical expenses deduction, special spouse deduction, etc.)

If the recipient of the allowance is a caregiver, the following items can also be deducted:

• Widow's deduction: 270,000 yen
• Single parent deduction: 350,000 yen

Payment method of allowance

If your allowance is approved, it will be paid from the month following the month in which you applied, and the payment will be deposited into your designated bank account. Payments are made on the 1th of January, March, May, July, September, and November, and are paid up to the month before the payment month.
If the 11th falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday, the payment will be made on the next business day of the financial institution.

About application for child support allowance certification (application for payment)

The documents required to be submitted vary depending on your household situation, so please check and consult with your local ward office beforehand before proceeding with the procedures.

Notifications required while receiving benefits

Status report

Recipients are required to submit a notification between August 8st and August 1st every year to confirm the recipient's income for the previous year and the child-rearing situation as of August 8st. Notification documents will be sent out around the end of July, so please submit the notification along with the necessary documents by the deadline. Please note that if you do not submit this notification, you will not be able to receive the allowance from November onwards, so be sure to submit it by the deadline.

Notification of disqualification

In the following cases, you will no longer be eligible to receive the allowance, so please notify us immediately. If you receive the allowance without notifying us, you will have to return the full amount of the allowance you were receiving from the month following the month in which you lost your eligibility.

• When you register your marriage
• When a couple has entered into a de facto marriage relationship (living together with a person of the opposite sex, or frequently visiting each other even if they are not living together, and receiving assistance with living expenses) even if they have not registered their marriage
• When you no longer have custody or care of the child (including when the child is placed in an institution or placed in foster care) When the father (mother) of an abandoned child returns home (including when they contact you by phone or letter expressing concern for your safety)
• When a detained father/mother is released from detention
• When you no longer meet any other eligibility requirements

Other Notifications

In addition to the above, you must also submit a notification in the following cases:

• When receiving a public pension (disability pension, survivor's pension, old-age pension, etc.)
• When the number of dependent children increases or decreases
• When there is a change in your address, name, or account
• When living with or separated from a person with a high income who is obligated to support the family
• When a beneficiary or dependent has filed an amended income tax return

Single-parent family information portal site "Tayotte"

We operate a portal site called "Tayotte" that compiles support measures and information from various organizations for single-parent families and families who will soon become single parents. Please feel free to make use of it.

*Click on the image to go to the site.