[What is the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit?] An easy-to-understand explanation of conditions and applications
For those aiming to balance childcare and work, financial anxiety is a major challenge. In particular, if there are no openings at daycare centers after a child turns one, and one is forced to return to work on a short-time basis, income can decrease significantly.
To support such individuals, the "Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit" was newly established. This is a system that allows people raising children under the age of two to receive benefits when they switch to short-time work, and its operation began in the 2025 fiscal year.
Through this system, the government aims to create a "society where people can work with peace of mind while raising children" by compensating for income loss due to short-time work and supporting a return to the workplace without having to resign due to childcare.
Conditions for eligibility for the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit
The Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit is available to employees raising children under the age of two who began short-time childcare work on or after April 1, 2025. Those who were already working short-time hours before this date will be considered to have started short-time childcare work on April 1, 2025, and if they meet each condition, they will be paid for each month from April 2025 onwards.
Must be an insured person under employment insurance.
Must have returned to work on a short-time basis continuously from the end of childcare leave, or within 14 days.
If childcare leave was not taken, there must be 12 full months in the two years prior to the start date of the short-time childcare work where the number of days on which wages were paid was 11 or more (or, if not, where the number of hours that served as the basis for wage payment was 80 hours or more).Scheduled working hours must be shorter than usual.
→ In principle, working hours must be 6 hours or less per day.
Note that this also applies if you once ended short-time work and returned to your original working style, but then switched to short-time work again before the child turns two.
Definition of short-time work (short-time childcare work) eligible for benefits
Short-time work (short-time childcare work) eligible for the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit refers to measures taken by the company at the employee's request to shorten the scheduled working hours per week in order to raise a child under the age of two.
This also applies if the scheduled working hours per week have been shortened due to switching to a short-time regular employee, part-time, or temporary position, or changing jobs.
If working on a shift system, the average working hours per week will be calculated, and if the reduction can be confirmed, it will be accepted.
However, if the scheduled working hours per week after the reduction are less than 20 hours, it is a prerequisite that the employee will return to work with scheduled working hours of 20 hours or more before the child enters elementary school, and this must be confirmable in writing, such as in the rules of employment. Otherwise, the employee will lose their eligibility as an insured person under employment insurance and will not be eligible for the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit.
Conditions for months eligible for the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit
The Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit is applied for every two calendar months starting from the month in which short-time work began. Please note that, unlike the Childcare Leave Benefit, it is not every two months from the start date.
The conditions for the month for which you are applying are as follows.
You must be covered by employment insurance from the first day to the last day of that month.
If you resign in the middle of the month or lose your employment insurance eligibility, that month will not be eligible for payment.You must be working with reduced scheduled working hours per week during that month.
You must not have received Childcare Leave Benefits or Nursing Care Leave Benefits during that month.
That month must not be a month for which you are receiving the Elderly Employment Continuation Benefit.
Amount of Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit
The Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit compensates for the approximate difference in salary before switching to short-time work.
The basic calculation method is as follows:
If the wage amount paid in the eligible month is 90% or less of the monthly wage at the start of short-time childcare work
Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit amount = Wage amount paid in the eligible month × 10%
If your salary during short-time work is 90% or more of your previous salary, or if the calculation result exceeds the payment limit, the payment amount will be adjusted accordingly.
Required documents for Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit application
In principle, the application for the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit is submitted by the company to the competent Hello Work office.
For employees who return from childcare leave and continue working on a short-time basis, the idea is to submit the Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit Application Form instead of the Childcare Leave Benefit Application Form.
Only for the first time, please attach the following documents to confirm the date you started short-time childcare work, the wage amount and payment status, and the weekly scheduled working hours.
Wage ledger
Attendance records, time cards, etc.
Notice of working conditions
Childcare Short-Time Work Application Form
Notice of Childcare Short-Time Work Arrangements, Work Rules, etc.
For applications from employees who have not taken childcare leave and have not received childcare leave benefits, please attach the following additional documents.
Certificate of Monthly Wage at Start of Leave for Employment Insurance Insured Persons, Certificate of Wage at Start of Reduced Working Hours
Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit Eligibility Confirmation Form / Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit Application Form
Maternal and Child Health Handbook
For the second and subsequent applications, please attach the wage ledger, attendance record, time cards, etc., to the application form.
Summary
The Childcare Short-Time Work Benefit is attracting attention as a new system to support employees in balancing their return to work with childcare. For companies, a correct understanding of the system and practical handling are required from the perspective of preventing employee turnover and securing human resources.
