Understanding Your Japanese Payslip: Every Line Explained (2026)
Quick Answer A Japanese payslip (給与明細) has three blocks: 支給 (payments — base + allowances), 控除 (deductions — health insurance ~5%, pension 9.15%, employment insurance 0.6%, income tax, residence tax), and 差引支給額 (net pay). Expect take-home of roughly 75–80% of gross. Two classic surprises: residence tax starts only in your second year (June), and bonuses get deductions too. Your contract said ¥300,000 a month. Your bank account says ¥237,000 arrived. Somewhere in that dense little PDF of kanji, ¥63,000 evaporated — and nobody at the office thought to explain where, because to them it’s obvious. ...