Digital payment of wages: current designation requirements look set to stay, per subcommittee minutes (not yet decided)The rules for getting your pay into a smartphone wallet look set to stay as they are
On October 20, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare posted the minutes of the 211th meeting of the Subcommittee on Working Conditions of the Labour Policy Council, held on September 16, 2026. The two agenda items were the system for paying wages into accounts at funds transfer service providers, and labour standards legislation. On the first item, the direction indicated keeps the framework of the system unchanged, including retaining the current designation requirement of full repayment within six business days of a provider's failure. This is still at the deliberation stage and nothing has been decided.
- ○Applies: The minutes of the 211th Subcommittee on Working Conditions were posted on October 20, 2026
- ○Applies: The agenda includes the system for paying wages into accounts at funds transfer service providers
- ○Applies: The direction indicated retains the current requirement of full repayment within six business days of a provider's failure
- ×Does not apply: The content of the review has been fixed and a start date set
Key points
- The minutes were posted on October 20, 2026. The subcommittee met on September 16, 2026 from 10:00 to 12:00
- The agenda items were (1) the system for paying wages into accounts at funds transfer service providers and (2) labour standards legislation
- The current designation requirement of full repayment within six business days of a provider's failure is to be retained
- The current requirement limiting the designated alternative account to bank or postal savings accounts, and the requirement allowing withdrawals in units of one yen, are also to be retained
- On certification for handling personal information, the direction indicated is to accept certification equivalent to the Privacy Mark or ISMS certification
What to do in practice
- Since the framework of the system is not expected to change, companies considering adoption can go ahead and settle the list of designated funds transfer service providers and the procedures for the labour-management agreement and individual employee consent
- The other agenda item, labour standards legislation, affects working hours and annual paid leave, so keep checking the materials of future subcommittee meetings
Today, if a worker asks for it, their pay can be sent not to a bank but to a smartphone wallet run by a company licensed to move money. Whether to change the rules on this is being looked at by a government council. On October 20, 2026, the record of a discussion held on September 16, 2026 was published, and it showed a direction of keeping the present rules as they are. Nothing has been decided yet.
Points
- On October 20, 2026, the record of the September 16 discussion was published
- The rule that the full amount must be returned within six business days if the money-moving company fails is to be kept as it is
- It is still at the discussion stage, so nothing has been decided
What the words mean
- funds transfer service provider
- A company that is not a bank but can send and hold money. It has to be registered with the government
- Labour Policy Council
- The forum where the government discusses changes to workplace rules with experts and representatives of employers and workers
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW): MHLW, minutes of the 211th meeting of the Subcommittee on Working Conditions of the Labour Policy Council (held September 16, 2026)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW): MHLW, new postings (items posted on October 20, 2026)
This article previews items that are still under consideration or only requested. Whether they will be adopted, and whether the content or timing will change, is not final. Please check the official source again once a decision is made.
This article summarizes and explains materials published by government agencies and is not advice on any individual case. Rules can change, so for actual procedures and decisions always check the latest original materials and consult professionals such as tax accountants or labor and social security attorneys. English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese versions are translations prepared from the Japanese articles for convenience. If anything differs, the Japanese text and the original source take precedence.