Persons Eligible to be Dependents

A dependent is defined as a person whose livelihood is mainly supported by the member’s income.

Scope of dependents

Persons who live separately from the member but are still approved to be dependents

1. Spouse (including common-law spouse)
2. Children, parents, grandchildren, grandparents, brothers and sisters

Persons who must live together with the member to be approved as dependents

1. Relatives within the third degree other than above
2. Common-law spouse’s parents and children
3. Surviving parents and children after a common-law spouse's death

Upper limit of dependents’ income

Income type	Under age 60	Age 60 or older
Salary income only	Under 1,300,000 yen/year	Under 1,800,000 yen/year
Earnings in addition to salary (excluding pension benefits)	Under 1,300,000 yen/year	Under 1,800,000 yen/year
Disability Pension benefits	Under 1,800,000 yen/year	Under 1,800,000 yen/year
Old-age/Survivors’ Pension Benefits	Under 1,300,000 yen/year	Under 1,800,000 yen/year

Note 1:
These incomes differ from the “income” prescribed in the income tax law. It is the total amount of annual constant income earned from the time of applying for dependency approval, which includes benefits (Employment Insurance, Sickness and Injury Allowance, etc.) and pension benefits (Survivors’ Pension, private pension, etc.).

Note 2:
For salary and pension benefit income, the income is the amount before the corresponding deductions are made. For business income, the income is the amount after all the necessary expenses are deducted.

Note 3:
If a person is eligible for social insurance from his/her place of employment, the person cannot be a dependent regardless of the employment type. Even when a person is not eligible for social insurance, the person cannot be a dependent either if the monthly salary is expected to exceed the upper income limit (108,333 yen per month).If a person has a pension income whose upper limit of income is 1,800,000 yen, the monthly ceiling including the pension income is 149,999 yen.

• When a married couple is raising a child (or children), regardless of the number of dependents, dependent(s) will be of the party with the higher income in principle.
• Even if a person is eligible to be a dependent, unless the application procedures are made and approved, the person cannot be a dependent. Once approved, a “Membership Card for a Dependent” is issued.