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where you are:SSG Home/the guide/financial info
Getting Paid & Paying Bills
financial info | banking
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| SALARY |
| Each JET will receive the standard JET Programme salary once a month. Each person's salary after pension and insurance fees are paid will amount to approximately 260,000 yen for a one month period. See your contract terms and conditions for details. Prefecture-hired JETs will be paid on the 10th day of each month. Paydays for city/town hired JETs will vary due to differences in local regulations, but they will also be paid once a month. |
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| BILLS |
Unfortunately, living in Japan is like living anywhere else in the world in that there are bills to be paid. In Japan, however, this can be a relatively simple process (after everything is set up). Discuss setting up your accounts with your supervisor. In most cases, the host institution will have set up the accounts for your arrival. Generally, the bills that will be due each month are the electricity bill, NTT phone bill, water bill and gas bill. If you are living in an apartment, in many cases the water fees will be included in your rent. Service companies and rates will vary according to the area in which you are living.
There are a variety of ways to pay your bills. The majority of bills can be paid at the bank. Just hand the bills and cash over to the cashier. However, as banks close around 3:00 on weekdays, this may not be the most convenient method for you. Therefore, many bills are equiped with barcodes and can be paid at the local convenience store. If there is a barcode written on your bill, you can often pay it at Lawson, Hot Spar, 7-11, Heart-in, or a variety of other convenience stores. Some bills can also be paid at the post office. The place where bills can be paid will vary depending on the company and the area you live in, so before you pay, ask your supervisor where each bill can be paid.
Another (very convenient) option for bill payment is the direct withdrawl service ( jidou shiharai sabisu). Through a process at your bank, you can have your bills automatically withdrawn from your account. Ask about the direct withdrawl service when you open your account. However, if you are using direct withdrawl, you should make sure that your account balance will cover your bills. If you are paying through direct withdrawl, a notice will come following automatic payment.
If your bill is not paid on time, an announcement will be sent within the following month. If the bill is not paid within the allotted time period (of approximately one month), a small penalty fee may be added. |
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| USEFUL INFORMATION |
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The following is a list of words you may encounter on your bills:
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| Bill |
seikyuusho |
| Fee |
ryoukin |
| Receipt |
ryoushuusho |
| Announcement |
oshirase |
| Notice |
tsuuchisho |
| Meter reading |
shiyouryo |
| Water |
suido shiyouryou |
| Propane gas |
puropan gasu |
| Electricity |
denki |
| Telephone |
denwa |
| International telephone |
kokusai denwa ryoukin |
| Date due |
oshiharai kigen |
- Amount due (may be written in a variety of ways) kingaku (amount)
goseikyuugaku (billing amount)
shiyouryoukin (usage fee)
goukei (total)
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Bills for orders and reservations that you have placed can be paid through bank transfer. See the section on banking for details.
To pay for bills abroad (or to send money abroad), the postal money order can be used by most nations. See the post office section for details.
The postal money order cannot be used to send money to New Zealand, Ireland, Argentina, Peru, Russia and a number of other nations. The Lloyds Bank remittance service can be used to send money to those nations. For details, see the banking section.
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| MONEY EXCHANGE |
Currency can be exchanged at most banks and post offices. When exchanging currency, you will need your passport or alien registration card. Traveler's checks can be purchased in US dollars, British pounds and some other major currencies at most banks.
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| PERSONAL SEAL: HANKO OR INKAN |
In Japan, people do not often write their signature on official documents. Instead, all adults carry their own personal seal. Each official is original and is registered to its holder. The personal seal, known as the hanko or inkan is used to stamp official documents for the bank, post office, etc. It is very important that you do not lose your personal seal. For example, if you open your bank account by stamping with your personal seal, you must always use the same seal when doing transactions at the counter. Therefore, if you do not stamp documents with the same seal, they cannot be deemed official. Your host institution will provide you with a personal seal upon your arrival to Shiga.
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