I think it is always better to be prepared for the worst, because life could come very fast at you.
My spouse basically is a stay at home wife, doing some small baito, well under the taxable income threshold and she is covered by my shakai hoken.
She has her bank accounts and a small NISA.
We are close to become 50, both PR.
I started to ponder what she has to do if I had to die.
If there is a best order to take care of the things listed below please let me know.
0.reporting death
1.Immigration
2.Bank accounts
3.Nisa
4.Inheritance and taxes
5.Pension
6.Health insurance
7.Housing
8.Foreign government
9.Vehicles (EDIT1)
10.funeral (EDIT2)
It is better to avoid touching the money on my accounts after I die, even if I leave behind a written will to authorize my wife to use it?
What is the best course of action from the PRACTICAL (not strictly legal) point of view to avoid a bureacratic empasse?
- reporting death: I think that it is done at the city hall? Probably depending on the cause of death (e.g. road accident, not at home death) , could it be an hospital wil inform the municipality in place of your family?
Also she have to contact my company if I happen to die outside working hours.
is there some grace period to report death to the government or some pitfall to avoid?
1.Immigration: it should be fine with PR, so she can stay in the country taking care of the bureaucracy related to my death.
2.Bank accounts and credit cards: I currently take care of all the house bills and mobile phones payments, and most are on my personal credit card.
Wife has its mobile billed on the family credit card which again takes the money from my bank account.
What is the best course to avoid everything being frozen?
For bank account like JP post, I use to pay rent, I read there is a procedure to switch the account on her name, but for other banks we both hold an account is it possible to do the same and "merge" mine with hers? (prestia,sbi, or other main national banks)
It is better my wife gets a credit card on her own ASAP? will she be able to apply a new CC even as a stay home wife?
3.NISA: is it possible to transfer my account to hers or she must sell off mine and close it?
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Inheritance and taxes: it should not be a big problem as our assets are well below 100M, no house owned. I think she have to file something with NTA?
Also things like my company DC, company lufe insurance, if liquidated to her, must be declared and are they taxable income?
Is it advisable to file a tax declaration for both national and a local taxes? -
Pension: she should be able to get a survival pension in Japan.
I think she could apply at the pension office and depending on my age and contribution at the time of death she can get some additional help.
At 65 I could have like 28 yrs of contributions here in Japan.
Foreign pension: I must check how the japanese pension interact with our foreign one and if there is a cap on how much my wife is entitled.
Also, if I die before she gets 60 she must also enrol in the national pension and pay her contributions, losing my shakai hoken coverage as dependent.
She must enroll at the city hall.
- Health insurance: If I die she lose my shakai hoken and must enroll in the NHI at the city hall.
7.Housing: we live in a UR, and the contract can be transferred o her name, I think she can simply apply at our danchi office.
For all utilities, I think she needs to change the contract and the payment terms (depending on the above bank point) so it is better to have a list of username and passwords to handle those contract stuff online.
- Foreign government: our embassy should be informed of the death since we are registered in their foreign residents list.
I apologize for the volume of questions, I just had the necessity to put my thoughts in written to start thinking about it.
EDIT1:
after posting I realized another point.
9.vehicles: she needs to move the property of the vehicles, their insurances (自賠責保険、任意保険、ロードアシスト) , but she does not have a japanese driving license by choice, so I think she should just ask somewhere to pick up the vehicle and file a 廃車届出？
EDIT2:
good catch from the comments
10.Funeral: we both are just for a no fuss body disposal, no religious stuff needed, stil I have no idea of its implications… I thinkit means additional costs and the city hall may have some funeral company list to suggest?
by Itchy-Emu-7391