Asking the HR person at work about the year-end tax adjustment (年末調整)

年末調整 is how your employer settles a year's income tax with you: the tax withheld from each paycheck gets matched to your real annual tax. Three forms matter. The 扶養控除等申告書ふようこうじょとうしんこくしょ must be submitted even if you have no dependents; without it, a higher withholding rate (the 乙おつ column) applies to your pay. The 基礎控除申告書きそこうじょしんこくしょ is easy to forget, and if you don't submit it you don't get the basic deduction, which for 2026 is up to ¥1.04 million (for total income up to ¥4.89 million). The 保険料控除申告書ほけんりょうこうじょしんこくしょ covers life and earthquake insurance, and you submit the required payment certificate from your insurer. For electronic submission, use insurer-issued electronic certificate data in a format your employer accepts; a photo or scan of a paper certificate does not by itself replace the required certificate, so HR may also need the paper original. In the dialogue, uploading the certificate means sending that electronic data; if yours comes on paper, ask HR how to hand it in. New for 2026: a special rule for the general life-insurance deduction if you have a dependent under 23, so parents should check that box. The National Tax Agency also posts these forms in foreign languages.