Frequently asked questions
Short answers. See the guides for deeper dives.
Do I need to file a Japanese tax return at all?
If you are a single-employer salaried worker earning up to ¥20 million, with no side income over ¥200,000, and your employer completed year-end adjustment (年末調整), you generally do not need to file. If any of those conditions fail, or you want to claim medical / donation / housing-loan deductions the employer could not apply, you need to file 確定申告.
What is the difference between NPR and PR?
Non-Permanent Resident (非永住者) is a foreign national who has had a domicile or residence in Japan for at most 5 of the last 10 years. NPRs are taxed on Japan-source income plus the remitted portion of foreign income. Permanent Resident (永住者) for tax purposes is anyone who exceeds that 5-of-10 threshold, or any Japanese national, and is taxed on worldwide income.
When is the filing deadline?
The standard filing window is February 16 through March 15 of the year after the income was earned. Right now TaxNinja is centered on tax year 2026, which files between Feb 16 and Mar 15, 2027.
Does TaxNinja JP submit to the NTA for me?
No. We generate a print-ready PDF bundle with every form your situation needs plus a cover letter. You print, sign, and submit by post or walk-in. Direct e-Tax submission is still a future feature.
Is my data safe?
Passwords are hashed with bcrypt, sessions are httpOnly JWT cookies with SameSite=strict, and My Number data is encrypted with a separate key and deleted within 24 hours of package generation. Full posture: /security.
Can I file for a previous year?
Yes. Returns can generally be filed or amended within 5 years. Choose a prior year during onboarding, or via the dashboard.
I am leaving Japan mid-year. What do I do?
Pick the "Departing" residency during onboarding. The bundle will include the tax-representative forms and cover pre-departure timing, plus the resident-tax loose end.
Does this handle 消費税 (consumption tax) for sole proprietors?
Not fully in v1.0. If your two-year-prior revenue exceeded ¥10 million you may be a compulsory 消費税 filer, so consult a 税理士 where needed.
How much does it cost?
Free during the v1.0 beta. We will give at least 30 days notice before introducing any fee.
Which languages do you support?
The UI supports English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese via the language picker in the header or onboarding. The official filing PDFs remain the Japanese NTA forms.
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