- 01The lump-sum childbirth allowance gets deducted right at the hospital
- 02The child allowance counts “third child” in a way I didn’t expect
- 03Tokyo residents also qualify for Baby First
- 04Your local municipality may have its own top-up
- 05For larger families, free university tuition comes into view too
- 06Wrap-up
Good morning, it’s まさきん.
Our fourth child was just born. This is my fourth time going through the childbirth paperwork, and somehow the rules have shifted a little each time, so I always end up looking everything up again.
This time I sorted through the benefit programs tied to childbirth and childcare. If you’re also raising several kids, some of this might be useful.
The lump-sum childbirth allowance gets deducted right at the hospital
The baseline benefit is the lump-sum childbirth allowance. Anyone enrolled in public health insurance who gives birth is entitled to 500,000 yen per child, in principle.
What helps a lot is the direct payment system. The health insurer pays the hospital directly, so at the counter you only pay the difference between your total bill and the 500,000 yen. Not having to front the full amount and wait for reimbursement is a small but real relief.
The lump-sum childbirth allowance is 500,000 yen per child, in principle. With the direct payment system, the amount due at the hospital counter is automatically reduced. Many hospitals don’t require any extra paperwork for this.
The child allowance counts “third child” in a way I didn’t expect
Next, I re-checked the child allowance. Since the October 2024 expansion, the third child and beyond gets 30,000 yen a month with no income cap, covering kids from birth through high school age.
Clicking this opens the Rakuten login page. Once you log in, you’ll see the campaign details.
What surprised me was how “third child” gets counted. Even after an older child becomes financially independent, they still count toward the number of dependent children until the end of the fiscal year they turn 22. In other words, as long as our older kids are still students, our newest child keeps qualifying as the “fourth child” for the more generous benefit.
Tokyo residents also qualify for Baby First
Since we live in Tokyo, we also qualify for the metropolitan government’s own “Baby First” program. It provides gift points per child that can be used on childcare items.
There’s also a bonus depending on when the child is born. Babies born within a certain window get an extra amount on top of the standard amount, bringing the total to the equivalent of 130,000 yen.
To receive the gift points, you need to register as a user after the notification arrives. There’s a deadline that starts counting once registration is complete, so it’s worth handling the paperwork soon after the notice shows up.
The range of eligible items was also a relief — everything from strollers to baby carriers. It seems smoothest to buy anything you need right after birth, like a car seat, out of pocket first, then use these points later for other items.
Your local municipality may have its own top-up
On top of Tokyo’s program, cities and wards sometimes run their own additional support. The details vary by municipality — some help with childbirth costs, others offer coupons for childcare services.
Checking our own municipality’s childcare support page, we found a few programs we could apply for. Some notices arrive during pregnancy and others after birth, so it’s worth keeping an eye out so nothing gets missed.
For larger families, free university tuition comes into view too
Looking a bit further ahead, the tuition waiver program for larger families also caught my attention. Starting in fiscal 2025, households supporting three or more children at the same time can get university tuition and admission fees waived with no income cap.
With four kids like we have, it seems worth keeping an eye on the timing between when an older child stops being a dependent and when a younger one starts university.
Wrap-up
Benefits tied to childbirth and childcare turned out to be more varied than I expected, combining national programs with each municipality’s own add-ons. The direct payment system for the lump-sum childbirth allowance, the child allowance’s “third child and beyond” count, and Tokyo’s Baby First program — knowing about these can noticeably change how much you actually receive.
Program details and amounts can change going forward, so before applying, it’s worth double-checking the latest information with your municipality or the official sites.
Having more kids also makes you want to review the whole household budget. We’ve been consolidating our fixed costs around the Rakuten ecosystem. If you’re not on Rakuten Mobile yet, this might be a good moment to take a look at the fee simulator.
Clicking this opens the Rakuten login page. Once you log in, you’ll see the campaign details.
This article contains affiliate advertising. If you sign up for a product or service through a link on this site, we may receive compensation from the partner company. The site operator is also an employee of Rakuten Group and may receive compensation through an employee referral program. The content and opinions here are based on the operator’s own experience and research regardless of any advertising relationship, but please read with the above in mind. See the Disclaimer & Affiliate Disclosure for details. Disclaimer & Affiliate Disclosure
This article includes machine-translated content. Please check the official Rakuten Mobile multilingual page for exact terms.
If you have concerns about Rakuten Mobile coverage or signal quality, you can consult through the official signal improvement request form .
