Everyone who works, lives or buys goods in Japan pays taxes.
In Fukuoka City, the taxes that are collected are used to support residents' daily lives, such as repairing roads and disposing of garbage.
You must pay your taxes by their due date.
You may have to pay late fees if you do not pay your taxes by their due date.
If you do not pay your taxes, you cannot get a tax payment certificate, which you need to renew your status of residence.
⚠ When you cannot pay your taxes, call the Ward Office Multilingual Helpline.
Multilingual support line for all ward offices
Telephone: 092-753-6113
Supported languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali and more
Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00 (closed on public and New Year holidays)
Municipal and prefectural residence tax payment notification
⚠ If you are sent this envelope, open it immediately and check the contents. A tax notification is a piece of paper that tells you how much tax you pay.
A tax payment slip is a piece of paper that you use when paying taxes.
Take the payment slip to a convenience store, bank or post office, and pay your taxes by their due date.
Light vehicle tax payment notification
If you are sent this envelope, open it immediately and check the contents.
Take the payment slip to a convenience store, bank or post office, and pay your taxes by the end of May.
If you have a bank account you can pay by automatic bank transfer. You can set up automatic bank transfers at your bank, a post office or the Tax Payment Section of your local ward office.
You can pay your taxes by credit card through the Local Tax Payment site. You will be charged a handling fee.
Local Tax Payment site: Use this page to pay by credit card or other means
You can pay your taxes using a payment service app on your smartphone by scanning the eL-QR or the barcode on your tax payment slip.
Payment service smartphone app: Use this to pay using a smartphone app
If your income is over 1 million yen in the year between January 1 and December 31, you may have to pay residence taxes.
Residence taxes are paid to the municipality where you live on January 1 of the year following the year you earned the income.
You will receive a tax notice around June 20.
If you live in Fukuoka City on January 1, you must submit a tax return to the Tax Payment Section of your local ward office by March 15 of the same year. The tax retrun must report your previous year's income.
You do not need to file a tax return if your employer reports your income to the city.
You must pay light vehicle tax if you own a moped or other light vehicle on April 1.
You will be sent a tax payment notification around May 15.
If you give your vehicle to someone else or throw it away, you must complete the necessary procedures.
If you do not have a residence or office in Fukuoka City but need to pay taxes to the city, you must choose someone to act as your tax administrator to receive your tax notifications and pay your taxes.
(If the city has recognized that you are fully able to pay your taxes without a tax administrator, you do not need to choose someone.)
Information on tax administrators <leaflet>(PDF:505KB)
When renewing your status of residence, you may need to submit an "individual municipal and prefectural residence taxation certificate" or a "tax payment certificate" to the Immigration Services Bureau. If you have not declared your previous year's income, you cannot receive a "taxation certificate". You must submit a tax return for the previous year to get a "taxation certificate". Take a proof of income document from the previous year (e.g. a withholding tax slip etc.) to your local ward office and report your income. Once your tax amount has been determined and you have paid your taxes, you will receive a "tax payment certificate".
(For postal requests) Application for tax certificate for visa applications(PDF:421KB)
You must pay all outstanding taxes or assign someone to pay your taxes for you (or your tax administrator) and tell your local ward office before leaving Japan.
If you need to pay any taxes, follow the procedure below.
Information on Fukuoka City Taxes
Information on Fukuoka City Taxes in Simple Japanese
Multilingual support line for all ward offices
Telephone: 092-753-6113
Supported languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali and more
Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00 (closed on public and New Year holidays)
Fukuoka City Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents
Telephone: 0120-66-1799 (free)
*You can also call on 092-262-1799 (charges apply).
Supported languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali and more
Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00–18:00 (closed on public and New Year holidays)