Child Allowance（児童手当）

1．Eligibility

A parent or guardian (the main wage earner) of a child with an address in Higashihiroshima City, up to the age of graduation from junior high school are eligible to receive payment of Child Allowance. (The allowance will be paid until the first March 31st after the child's 15th birthday.)

•  'Main wage earner' refers to the person (the child's mother, father, etc.) whose income is the highest and contributes the most to the everyday living costs of the household.

2．Payment amounts (monthly amount for each child)

＜For those whose income is under the limit specified in the income limit system:＞

•  The amount for children under 3 years of age will be paid until the month in which the child reaches 3 years of age.
• 'Third child and after' refers to the third and any subsequent children out of children in the household who are under the age of graduation from high school. A child is counted in this category until the first March 31st after his/her 18th birthday.

<For those whose income is above the specified eligibility limit, but under the maximum income limit:>

If the income (the previous year’s income; for the January to May period payments, the income from two years before) of the person receiving the payments is above the specified eligibility limit, but under the maximum income limit, that person will receive a special limited payment of 5,000 yen per month.

<For those whose income is above the maximum income limit:>

If the income (the previous year’s income; for the January to May period payments, the income from two years before) of the person receiving the payments is above the maximum income limit, that person will be ineligible to receive Child Allowance payments.

Eligibility Limit and Maximum Income Limit

• The income limit for the payment of Child Allowance refers to the income of the person receiving the Child Allowance payments (the main wage earner).
• The ‘reference income’ is calculated based only on income from wages, and as such is only an estimate.

1. The number of dependents includes a spouse and any dependent relatives, who under tax laws can be counted for tax deductions.
2. The income limit (the income-based limit, shown as ‘Income limit’ in the table above) for those with spouses or dependent relatives who can be counted for tax deductions for the elderly as stipulated in the Income Tax Act, shall be raised by 60,000 yen
per qualifying spouse or dependent.
3. In families with six dependents or more, the income limit will be the income-based amount specified in the table above (shown as ‘Income limit’), plus 380,000 yen for each dependent after the fifth dependent (or 440,000 yen in the case of spouses or dependents eligible for tax deductions for the elderly).

3．Payment periods

As a rule, payments are three times a year. The payments are transferred into a bank account in the name of the person registered to receive the payments. The payments are made in June (payment amount for February to May), October (payment amount for June to September), and February (payment amount for October to January).

• Payments are generally made on the 15^th day of the month in question. However, if this day is a Saturday, Sunday, or National Holiday, etc., the payment will be made on the closest weekday prior to this date.

The following rules apply to the Child Allowance system!

1. As a rule, payments are only made for children residing in Japan. Payments cannot be made for children living outside Japan.
   However, in the case of children who do not have an address in Japan because of study abroad, payments can be made if certain conditions are met.
2. If the child’s mother and father are not living together because they are considering divorce, etc., the payments will be made preferentially to the parent with whom the child is living (paperwork certifying that the parents are in divorce negotiations will be necessary).
3.  If the child’s parents are living abroad, if the parents designate a person living in Japan as the person bringing up the child, payments can be made to that person (the person designated by the parents).
4. If the person raising the child is an underage guardian, the payments will be made to that underage guardian.
5. If the child is being looked after in a child welfare facility, etc., or is living with foster parents, as a rule the payments will be made to the facility or to the foster parents, etc.

4．How to apply

【Request for authorization】

When you have a new baby, or if you have moved to Higashihiroshima City from another municipality, please submit a request (application) for authorization without delay. If you are a public employee, please make the application at your place of work.

As a rule, Child Allowance is paid from the month following the month in which the application was made.

If the date of your child's birth, or the date when you moved into Higashihiroshima City (the planned date for moving out of your previous address), is close to the end of the month, and the date when you submit the application is in the following month, as long as the application is submitted within 15 days from the day after the child's birth, or the planned date for moving out of your previous address, payments will be made starting from the month when the application was made.

If you are late submitting an application, as a general rule you will not be able to receive the payment for the months during which your application should have been submitted but was not.

・ A copy of proof of the applicant's health insurance, etc.

• （This is not necessary for those enrolled in the National Pension Scheme. If it is not possible to confirm the applicant's pension enrollment status from the proof of health insurance, it may be necessary to submit proof of pension enrollment.)
• A bankbook (for an ordinary deposit account) in the name of the applicant.
• Documents showing the My Number numbers for the applicant and his/her spouse (Personal Number Card, My Number notification card, etc.)
• Personal identification (driver’s license, etc.)
• If the applicant’s address as of January 1st (in the year used for assessing applications) was outside Japan, the applicant’s passport.

• It may be necessary to submit documents or paperwork other than those detailed above.

1. If the number of children being raised by the person receiving the payments increases because of the birth of a child, or if the person receiving the payments stops raising a child, etc., and this means that he/she no longer has any children eligible for Child Allowance.

→ It is necessary to complete formalities within 15 days, counting from the day after the change in the circumstances of the person receiving the payments.

Similar formalities are also necessary when the child enters or leaves a child welfare facility.

2. If the person receiving the payments moves out of Higashihiroshima City.

→ It is necessary to submit a 'Notification of Expiration of Eligibility for Payment' in Higashihiroshima City, and to complete the formalities for a request for approval in the municipality the person is moving to. The request for approval should be submitted within 15 days, counting from the day after the planned moving date.

3. If the child's custodian (the main wage earner as defined above) changes (through adoption, divorce, etc.).

→ The new custodian should complete the formalities for a request for approval within 15 days, counting from the day after the change.

4. If the person receiving the payments moves to a country other than Japan.

→ If the person receiving the payments moves to a country other than Japan because of a work transfer, etc., and his/her spouse and the child remain in Japan, the spouse etc. should complete the formalities for a request for approval within 15 days, counting from the day after the planned work transfer date.

5. If the person receiving the payments becomes a public employee, or ceases to be a public employee.

→ The relevant formalities should be completed within 15 days, counting from the day after the change. These formalities can be completed at Higashihiroshima City Office, or at the person's place of work.

6. If the person receiving the payments and the child are living in different addresses.

→ If the person receiving the payments will continue to have custody of the child, it is necessary to submit a ‘Petition regarding Living-Apart Custody’.

7. If the person receiving the payments dies.

→ The child's custodian should complete the formalities for a request for approval within 15 days, counting from the day after the death.

8. If there is a change to the address of the person receiving the payments, their spouse or the child.

→It is necessary to submit a Notification of Change.

9. If there is a change to the name of the person receiving the payments, their spouse or the child.

→It is necessary to submit a Notification of Change.

10. If there is a change to the situation of the household to which the child belongs, through marriage, divorce, etc.

→It is necessary to submit a Notification of Change.

11. If there is a change to the public pension in which the person receiving the payments is enrolled (including if the person receiving the payments becomes a public servant).

→It is necessary to submit a Notification of Change.

12. If the phone number of the person receiving the payments changes, or if it is desired to change the bank account used to receive Child Allowance payments (to another account in the name of the person receiving the payments).

→ It is necessary to complete the relevant formalities if the phone number of the person receiving the payments changes.

Formalities for a change of bank account details should be completed by the end of the month before the payments are due to be made.

13. If the person receiving the payments wishes to continue to receive Child Allowance payments (for the period from June onwards each year).

→ It is necessary to submit a Notification of Current Situation (in June each year) only if one or more of the following applies:

i. The current Certificate of Residence of the person receiving the payments is not in Higashihiroshima City, as a result of violence from a spouse, etc.

ii. The person receiving the payments is separated from his/her spouse, and discussing divorce.

iii. The person receiving the payments has been directed by the city to submit a Notification of Current Situation.

The Paperwork for Notification of Current Situation is necessary in order to provide details of the household’s situation as of June 1st each year, and to allow the City Office to confirm that the requirements to continue receiving Child Allowance for the period from June onwards continue to be met (for example, who is responsible for the child, what the household does for a living, etc.).

※ If you need to submit a Notification of Current Situation, but the paperwork is not submitted, you will not be able to receive Child Allowance for the period from June onwards. Please be careful!

→ How to submit the Notification of Current Situation

  At the end of May, the paperwork for the Notification of Current Situation will be sent to those who need to submit the paperwork.

Please fill in the relevant sections of the paperwork, and return it by the end of June in the return envelope provided. Please ensure that you include any necessary documents. For more details, please see the information sent with the paperwork at the end of May.

14. If you wish to make a donation.

→ If you wish not to receive all or part of your Child Allowance payments, and instead donate the amount to Higashihiroshima City, to be used to support the healthy growth of children in the area, then please complete the paperwork for donations. For more details, please contact the Children and Family Support Division.

Children and Family Support Division  General Child Raising Section (Kodomo Katei-ka Kosodate-somu-gakari, こども家庭課 子育て総務係) : 082-420-0941

Location: 2F Main building