Japan’s Rishokuhyō: What to Request and Check When You Leave a Job

2026年8月30日

Leaving a Job in Japan? How to Get and Check Your Rishokuhyō

A rishokuhyō (離職票, employment insurance separation notice) is the document normally used to start an unemployment-benefit claim at Hello Work after leaving a job in Japan. Your former employer begins the process, Hello Work issues the document, and you receive it either through the employer or—when the required setup is complete—through the Myna Portal.

It is not the same as a general certificate proving that you resigned. More importantly, you should check its wage record and stated reason for leaving before using it. Those details can affect how Hello Work handles your claim.

This guide is for foreign workers who were enrolled in Japan’s employment insurance system, especially those who have left a job without another position already confirmed.

The essentials:

Ask your employer to arrange a rishokuhyō if you may apply for unemployment benefits.
Expect two documents: Rishokuhyō-1 and Rishokuhyō-2.
Check your name, employment dates, wages, and reason for leaving.
If it does not arrive or contains disputed information, contact your former employer and then the Hello Work office responsible for your home address.
Since January 20, 2025, eligible workers can receive it directly through the Myna Portal when both the worker and employer meet the electronic-service conditions.

TOC

What a rishokuhyō actually does

The rishokuhyō connects your employment record to an unemployment-benefit application. It is issued by Hello Work after your employer reports that you have left its employment insurance scheme.

Its formal Japanese name is koyō hoken hihokensha rishokuhyō (雇用保険被保険者離職票), meaning “employment insurance insured-person separation notice.”

You generally use it when you go to the Hello Work office covering your place of residence to:

register as a job seeker;
ask Hello Work to determine whether you qualify for benefits;
confirm your insured employment periods and recorded wages; and
have the official reason for leaving assessed.

Possessing the document does not by itself guarantee payment. Hello Work separately checks requirements such as your employment insurance record, ability and willingness to work, current employment status, and reason for leaving.

Rishokuhyō-1 and Rishokuhyō-2

The document comes in two parts with different jobs.

Rishokuhyō-1 (離職票－1) identifies the worker and provides information used for the benefit procedure. When applying, follow Hello Work’s instructions for entering your My Number and payment-account details; do not casually send your My Number to an unofficial intermediary.

Rishokuhyō-2 (離職票－2) contains the detailed employment record. This includes wage information, insured periods, and the employer’s account of why the employment ended.

Rishokuhyō-2 deserves careful attention. A simple-looking choice such as resignation, dismissal, expiration of a fixed-term contract, or employer-encouraged resignation can matter when Hello Work decides the benefit schedule and applicable restrictions.

Who can receive one

Nationality is not the deciding factor; enrollment in employment insurance is. A foreign employee covered by koyō hoken (雇用保険, employment insurance) generally follows the same separation procedure as a Japanese employee.

Check your payslips for a deduction labeled 雇用保険 or ask payroll whether you were insured. A koyō hoken hihokenshashō (雇用保険被保険者証, employment insurance insured-person certificate) or an insurance record shown in the Myna Portal can also help you identify your enrollment.

Not every person who performed work for a business will have a rishokuhyō. Possible exceptions include:

workers who did not meet the employment insurance coverage conditions;
genuinely self-employed contractors rather than insured employees;
some students and other people excluded under employment insurance rules; and
people whose employer processed the separation without requesting issuance because the worker said the document was unnecessary.

Coverage depends on the real employment arrangement, not only the contract’s English title. If you believe you should have been insured but were not, take your contract, payslips, attendance records, and other relevant evidence to Hello Work for individual guidance.

How the document is created

You do not normally create or file the rishokuhyō yourself. The process starts with your employer and ends with Hello Work issuing the official document.

The usual flow is:

Tell your employer that you need a rishokuhyō.
The employer prepares a koyō hoken hihokensha shikaku sōshitsu todoke (雇用保険被保険者資格喪失届, loss-of-insured-status notice).
When a rishokuhyō is required, the employer also submits a rishoku shōmeisho (離職証明書, separation certificate) with wage and separation details.
Hello Work reviews the filing and issues Rishokuhyō-1 and Rishokuhyō-2.
You receive them through your former employer or directly through the Myna Portal if the electronic-delivery conditions are satisfied.

The employer’s filing deadline is generally within 10 days from the day after the loss of insured status. In a standard resignation, insured status is usually lost on the day after the final day of employment. This statutory filing period is not a promise that the completed document will reach you within exactly 10 days; processing and delivery take additional time.

ここがポイント: Your company supplies the underlying employment information, but Hello Work issues the rishokuhyō and makes the final assessment of the separation reason for unemployment insurance purposes.

Check the details before you rely on them

Do not treat the rishokuhyō as correct merely because it is official-looking. Compare it with the records you already have.

Personal and employment information

Confirm the following first:

spelling and order of your name;
date of birth;
employment insurance number;
employer’s name;
first and last dates of employment; and
periods counted for employment insurance.

Foreign residents should pay particular attention to names. Differences involving middle names, spaces, name order, or an old surname can make it harder to connect records even when they refer to the same person.

Wage information

Compare the wage entries with your payslips and final payroll statement. The form uses wage information for employment insurance calculations, so this is not merely a record of your last monthly take-home pay.

If an amount looks wrong, gather documents such as:

payslips;
employment contracts and renewal notices;
attendance or time records;
bank records showing salary payments; and
written payroll explanations.

Ask the employer what each disputed amount represents. If the discrepancy remains, show the records to Hello Work rather than trying to rewrite the issued form yourself.

Reason for leaving

Read the rishoku riyū (離職理由, reason for leaving) section carefully. Compare it with what actually happened and with documents such as a resignation letter, dismissal notice, fixed-term contract, non-renewal notice, or written offer of voluntary retirement.

Common descriptions can include:

voluntary resignation;
dismissal;
business closure or downsizing;
employer-encouraged resignation;
expiration or non-renewal of a fixed-term contract; and
retirement at a mandatory retirement age.

The label matters, but the surrounding facts matter too. For example, handing in a resignation letter does not always settle every employment-insurance question if the employer pressured the worker to resign or materially changed working conditions.

What to do if you disagree with the reason for leaving

You can tell Hello Work that you disagree; the employer does not have the final word. State your position in the worker section of Rishokuhyō-2 where applicable and raise the issue during the benefit procedure.

Bring objective evidence connected to the disagreement. Useful items may include:

your employment contract and renewal history;
resignation, dismissal, or non-renewal notices;
emails or messages about the end of employment;
records of proposed changes to pay, duties, hours, or workplace;
documents showing unpaid wages or prolonged leave; and
records relevant to workplace harassment or health-related circumstances.

Hello Work considers the worker’s statement, the employer’s statement, and supporting materials before determining the reason for unemployment insurance. It may contact the employer for more information.

Do not sign or indicate agreement with details you believe are false simply to speed up delivery. If the employer asks you to review the separation certificate before submission, use that opportunity to identify specific errors in writing and keep a copy of your response.

Paper delivery and Myna Portal delivery

There are now two delivery routes, but digital delivery is conditional rather than automatic. The Myna Portal service began on January 20, 2025.

Traditional route through the employer

Under the traditional process:

the employer files the separation documents;
Hello Work returns the issued documents to the employer; and
the employer sends or hands them to you.

Before your final day, give HR a reliable personal postal address and email address. Do not rely on a company email account that will be disabled after departure.

Direct delivery through the Myna Portal

Direct electronic delivery can be used when all the required conditions are met:

your My Number is correctly linked to your employment insurance insured-person number;
you have connected the Myna Portal to the Employment Insurance Web Service; and
your employer submits the separation procedure electronically.

The issued documents arrive as PDF files through the Myna Portal. If the employer files on paper or another condition is missing, the traditional employer-delivery route remains necessary.

Set up the connection before leaving if possible. A connection made only after the employer has already submitted the procedure may be too late for that filing, so confirm the timing with HR and the official instructions.

Even with digital delivery, save the PDF securely and keep a backup. It contains sensitive personal and employment information.

If your rishokuhyō does not arrive

After the employer’s filing period has passed, move from waiting to checking. Delaying the benefit procedure can matter because the process generally begins only after you apply at the Hello Work office responsible for your home address and register as a job seeker.

Use this order:

Check the delivery route. Look at your Myna Portal notifications and confirm the postal or email address held by your former employer.
Contact the former employer. Ask whether the loss-of-status notice and separation certificate were submitted, on what date, and whether Hello Work requested corrections.
Keep the answer in writing. An email creates a useful timeline if follow-up becomes necessary.
Contact your local Hello Work. If the employer has not acted, will not respond, or says it cannot issue the document, ask what evidence to bring.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare advises workers to consult Hello Work promptly when the document has not arrived despite a request. Bring identity documents and proof that employment ended, such as a retirement certificate or employer notice. Hello Work will decide the next procedural step based on the facts.

Using it at Hello Work

The correct office is generally the Hello Work office covering your home address, not the office nearest your former workplace. Procedures are normally handled on weekdays, but reception times and interpretation support vary by office.

The national guidance lists these core items for an unemployment-benefit application:

Rishokuhyō-1;
Rishokuhyō-2, including all separation notices if you have more than one;
documents confirming your My Number;
valid identity documents;
photographs when required; and
a bankbook or cash card for an account in your own name.

A My Number Card can cover both My Number and identity confirmation. Official guidance also allows photographs to be omitted in certain procedures when the applicant presents a My Number Card as instructed. Local offices may request additional documents based on the case, so check before visiting.

If you need language support, ask the office whether an interpreter is available and on which days. Interpreter schedules are local services, not a uniform national guarantee.

Make a copy of the rishokuhyō before submission if you may need its information for another procedure. Some Hello Work offices expressly warn that submitted originals will not be returned.

Documents with similar names are not substitutes

Several post-employment papers serve different systems. Asking for “the leaving document” can therefore produce the wrong item.

Taishoku shōmeisho: proof of leaving employment

A taishoku shōmeisho (退職証明書, certificate of retirement or separation) is issued by the employer as proof of facts about the end of employment. It may be useful for a new employer or another administrative procedure.

It does not replace Rishokuhyō-1 and Rishokuhyō-2 in the normal unemployment-benefit application.

Gensen chōshūhyō: income-tax record

A gensen chōshūhyō (源泉徴収票, withholding tax statement) records salary and tax information. A new employer may need it for year-end adjustment, or you may need it for a tax return.

It is a tax document, not an employment insurance separation notice.

Koyō hoken hihokenshashō: insurance identifier

The koyō hoken hihokenshashō identifies your employment insurance record. Give its information to a new employer so that your existing record can be continued where appropriate.

It does not contain the full wage and separation details used in the rishokuhyō procedure.

Foreign residents have a separate immigration task

Receiving a rishokuhyō does not notify immigration that you left your employer. These are separate systems run for different purposes.

Many mid- to long-term residents with work-related statuses must notify the Immigration Services Agency when they leave an affiliated or contracting organization. For covered statuses, the deadline is generally 14 days after the event. A new contract may require another notification.

The exact obligation depends on your status of residence. It does not apply identically to every foreign resident, so check the official page for your status rather than assuming that HR will complete your personal notification.

Also remember that leaving employment may require separate action for:

health insurance;
pension enrollment;
resident tax payments;
employer-provided housing; and
permission to engage in the work offered by a future employer.

The rishokuhyō completes none of those tasks.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most preventable problems come from waiting too long or confusing separate documents. Before your last working day, use this checklist:

Do not assume the company will issue a rishokuhyō without being asked.
Do not confuse it with a taishoku shōmeisho or withholding tax statement.
Do not provide only a company email address for later contact.
Do not ignore an incorrect wage period or separation reason.
Do not assume a Myna Portal account alone guarantees direct delivery.
Do not wait indefinitely when the employer has missed the filing timetable.
Do not submit the only copy without saving the information you may need later.
Do not treat the employment insurance procedure as an immigration notification.

A practical leaving-job checklist

The safest approach is to settle the delivery method and preserve evidence before access to company systems ends.

Before leaving:

tell HR in writing that you want a rishokuhyō;
confirm your recorded name, personal address, and employment insurance number;
ask whether the employer will file electronically;
complete the Myna Portal connection if you want direct delivery and qualify;
download your contracts, payslips, and employment notices lawfully available to you; and
check whether your residence status requires an immigration notification.

After leaving:

monitor the agreed delivery route;
review both parts of the rishokuhyō immediately;
question errors with specific supporting documents;
contact Hello Work promptly if the document remains unavailable; and
confirm the documents and language support required by your local office before visiting.

The most important watchpoint is Rishokuhyō-2’s account of why the job ended. Delivery can be fixed later, but a disputed reason is easier to explain when emails, contracts, notices, and payroll records are still available.

This article reflects public information checked on August 22, 2026. It provides general guidance, not individual employment, immigration, tax, or legal advice.

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