Caregiver Salary in Japan for IndiansPay, Deductions & Take-Home Salary

There is no single fixed salary. Different employers pay different amounts, and Japan does not publish an official salary figure for Indian SSW caregivers.

Four different numbers get called “caregiver salary in Japan”. This table shows what each one is, so you do not mix them up.

The first two are official averages. Here is what each one really measures, and where it stops being useful.

Say it simply: any website that gives you one guaranteed salary number for an Indian caregiver in Japan is guessing.

For eligibility, exams and the visa process, read our guide on the Japan Caregiver Visa for Indians: SSW Requirements & Process.

Japan does not publish a starting salary for Indian caregivers. Your starting pay is decided by the employer and written in your job offer — but it cannot fall below two legal floors.

To check a job offer against Floor 1, divide your monthly gross pay by your monthly working hours. If a full-time contract is about 170 hours a month, a ¥200,000 gross salary works out to roughly ¥1,176 per hour. Compare that result with your own prefecture's rate, not the national average.

Because starting pay is set employer by employer, the honest answer is that you will only know your number when you receive a written offer. What you can do before that is learn to read the offer properly — which is what the rest of this guide covers.

Base salary is your basic monthly pay. Gross salary is your total pay before deductions. Take-home salary is the money that reaches your bank account.

These three words appear on every Japanese salary slip. Learn them and you can read any job offer.

Official data shows how big the gap can be. In the Ministry's survey, the average care worker's ¥338,200 was built like this:

So the basic pay was only a little more than half of the total. Never judge a job by base salary alone.

Pension, health insurance, employment insurance and income tax are taken out every month. Accommodation may also be deducted if your contract says so.

This is normal and legal. Japanese workers pay the same, and your employer pays a matching share of the insurance costs.

• Pension (Employees' Pension Insurance)Rate is 18.3%, shared equally with your employeryour share 9.15%
• Health insurance2026 national average 9.9%, shared equally; changes by prefectureyour share about 5%
• Employment insurance2026 rate for general businessesyour share 0.5%
• Income taxDeducted every month; depends on your incomevaries
• Resident taxUsually starts from your second year in Japanvaries
• Accommodation, utilities or mealsOnly if written in your contractvaries

Rates above are from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan and the Japan Health Insurance Association for the 2026 financial year.

Yes, in many care jobs — but the amount is not the same everywhere.

Under Japanese labour law, work between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am must be paid at least 25% extra. Many care homes also pay a separate night-duty allowance for each overnight shift. That allowance is decided by the employer, not by law.

Check three things in your written offer:

Night shifts can add a lot to your monthly pay. They also change your sleep and daily routine, so ask how they are scheduled.

Yes. Overtime must be paid under Japanese labour law, and that law applies to foreign workers in the same way as to Japanese workers.

The legal minimum extra rates are 25% for overtime, 25% for night work, and 35% for work on a legal rest day. If overtime happens at night, the extra rates are added together.

How much overtime you actually get depends on your workplace. Some care homes have very little. Never assume overtime will fill a gap in a low base salary.

Some employers provide bonuses, but they are not the same for every job.

Bonuses in Japan are usually paid twice a year, often in summer and winter. They are not required by law. The amount can change every year, and some employers pay none at all.

Ask directly: is a bonus included in my contract, and how is it calculated? If the answer is unclear, treat your monthly pay as your real income.

Yes. Pay levels follow the local wage level — and so do your living costs.

Japan sets a minimum hourly wage for each prefecture. For 2026 the national weighted average is ¥1,177 per hour, with the new rates taking effect between 1 October and 2 December 2026. Tokyo's new rate is the highest in the country.

If you are coming from a nursing background, our article on Nursing Jobs in Japan for Indian Nurses covers how that experience maps onto caregiving and nursing pay in Japan.

There is no single savings amount that applies to every caregiver. Anyone who promises you a fixed monthly savings figure is guessing.

Your savings depend on:

Two caregivers on the same salary can save very different amounts, simply because one lives in company accommodation and the other does not.

Tick each line as you find it in your written offer. If a line is missing, ask for it in writing before you accept.

These figures are hypothetical. They show the method, not a real offer.

NAVIS HR does not want any candidate to travel to Japan with the wrong expectation about money.

Before you accept a job, our team walks you through the written offer from the employer. We explain your base salary and each allowance, what deductions will appear on your salary slip, and what your accommodation terms include. We help you understand what your realistic take-home amount looks like, and we answer your questions before you sign — not after.

We do not guarantee any salary or savings amount. We make sure you understand what the employer has actually offered you in writing.

Explore current openings on our Nursing Care Careers in Japan page.