Starting April 2026, Japan is adding a child/child-rearing support fee onto health insurance payments.
Many people are calling it the “single tax” (独身税／どくしんぜい), but the government did not name it “single tax.” The real name is 子ども・子育て支援金制度（こども・こそだてしえんきんせいど）, and it’s a child/child-rearing support fee added to your health insurance payments starting April 2026 (taken from April, paid from May).
People (Japanese media/people) online started calling it “single tax” because everyone pays (single, married, kids, no kids), but if you don’t have kids it can feel like you’re paying for something you don’t directly benefit from. It’s expected to be around ¥250–¥450/month on average depending on the year and your situation.
I get the goal that my country's birthrate is dropping and they want more money for childcare/support but still: name it clearly, explain it clearly, and don’t hide it inside insurance like a sneaky premium increase.
If the goal is “society supports kids,” fine just say that clearly.
But don’t act like this isn’t basically raising insurance costs and hoping people won’t complain.
I get the idea, they want having kids to feel less financially scary for people.
But then be honest about it and stop hiding it in insurance.
by kigarutalks