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Career-Up (Regularization) Grant

キャリアアップ助成金（正社員化コース）(Career-Up Grant, Regularization Course)

Retain excellent employees and lower staffing costs. When an SME converts a fixed-term priority-support-target employee to a regular employee, it can receive up to 800,000 JPY per person; the amount is determined by "pre-regularization employment type + whether the person is a priority-support target"

Maximum SubsidySMEs: up to 800,000 JPY per person
Overview

Key Facts at a Glance

Fixed-term → regular, priority-support target
800,000 JPY/person
SMEs, 400,000 × 2 installments
Fixed-term → regular, others
400,000 JPY/person
SMEs, 400,000 × 1 installment
Indefinite-term → regular
400,000 / 200,000 JPY/person
Priority-support target 400,000 / others 200,000
Eligibility

Who Can Apply?

  • Must be an employment-insurance-covered establishment (already enrolled in employment insurance)
  • Must formulate and submit a "Career-Up Plan" to the Labor Bureau in advance
  • The converted employee must have been employed in a non-regular status for at least 6 months
  • After conversion, the employee must be continuously employed as a regular employee for at least 6 months
  • After conversion, the employee's wage must be raised by 3% or more
  • The establishment must not have violated labor-related laws in the past 3 years
Eligible Costs

Which Costs Qualify?

Regularization of fixed-term priority-support targets
Converting a fixed-term priority-support-target person to a regular employee: SMEs 800,000 JPY per person (400,000 × 2 installments)
Regularization of other fixed-term employees
Converting other fixed-term employees to regular employees: SMEs 400,000 JPY per person (400,000 × 1 installment)
Converting indefinite-term employees to regular
Converting indefinite-term employees (e.g., contract employees) to regular: SMEs priority-support target 400,000, others 200,000 JPY/person
Converting dispatched workers to direct employment
Dispatched employee → directly employed regular employee (qualifies as a priority-support target, higher tier applies)
Certification as a priority-support target
Fixed-term employees, dispatched workers, single parents, etc. employed for 3+ years who meet the priority-support-target definition qualify for the higher subsidy amount
Application Process

From Consultation to Receipt, 5 Steps

01
Free consultation and eligibility confirmation
Confirm whether the establishment is enrolled in employment insurance and identify which employees meet the conversion criteria; usually reply within 1 business day.
02
Formulate the Career-Up Plan in advance
Before implementing the conversion, the plan must be submitted to the competent Labor Bureau (at the latest 1 month before the implementation date); we help prepare all documents.
03
Carry out the regular-employee conversion
Revise the employment contract, clarify indefinite-term employment terms, formally complete the conversion procedures, and raise the wage by 3% or more.
04
Wait for the 6-month performance period
After conversion, continuously employ the person for 6 months, retaining wage-payment records, attendance records, and other supporting materials during this period.
05
Submit the application and receive the grant
Within 2 months after the 6-month performance period ends, submit the application to the competent Labor Bureau; once approved, the grant is transferred to your account (about 3–6 months).
Required Documents

Main Documents Needed to Apply

  • Career-Up Plan (must be submitted in advance)
  • Employment-insurance insured-person-related documents
  • Employment contracts (both before and after conversion)
  • Work rules (including provisions for regular and non-regular employees)
  • Wage-payment details for the 6 months after conversion
  • Attendance ledger or time cards
  • Production-efficiency improvement plan (if applying for the add-on)
  • Certificate of registered corporate matters (in the case of a corporation)

※ These are the main documents; the specific files required vary by application type and company situation. We provide full document-checklist support.

FAQ

FAQs about the Career-Up (Regularization) Grant

QMust the Career-Up Plan be submitted before conversion?
AYes, this is a strict requirement. The Career-Up Plan must be submitted to the competent Labor Bureau on the day before the regular-employee conversion is implemented (at the latest before the implementation date). If you forget to submit it, you cannot apply for the grant, so please be sure to contact us in advance to handle it.
QCan I apply for multiple employees' conversions at once?
AYes, each application can include multiple employees (the disbursement-application cap is 20 people per establishment per fiscal year). Each eligible employee can receive the subsidy separately, with the amount determined by each person's pre-regularization employment type and whether they are a priority-support target. Converting several employees at once can add up to a substantial total.
QWhen do the 400,000 and 800,000 amounts apply?
AThe amount is jointly determined by two conditions — "pre-regularization employment type" and "whether the person is a priority-support target" — not by whether they are a new graduate: ① fixed-term → regular, SMEs 800,000/person for priority-support targets and 400,000/person for others; ② indefinite-term → regular, priority-support target 400,000 and others 200,000/person. A "priority-support target" refers to fixed-term employees, dispatched workers, single parents, etc. employed for 3+ years. In addition, newly graduated hires (new graduates employed within 1 year) are not eligible. We will determine which tier applies based on the employee's background.
QIf I also arrange employee training, does the subsidy double?
AThere is no "automatic doubling". The Regularization Course and the Human Resource Development Grant can be applied for in combination and each grant received separately; additionally, regularizing an employee after completing "fixed-term practical training" can raise the expense subsidy rate. This is not "doubling" but rather "two systems each meeting their own requirements and each being paid." We will help you plan a sensible combination.
QCan I apply when converting a foreign employee in Japan to a regular employee?
AYes. As long as the employee holds a legal work-eligible residence status (such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Specified Skilled Worker, etc.) and is enrolled in employment insurance, they meet the application criteria. This is also a major advantage for Chinese-owned businesses in Japan.
QWhat is the 3% wage-increase requirement based on?
AIt is compared against the hourly or monthly wage at the time of conversion, requiring at least a 3% increase after conversion. For example, an hourly wage of 1,000 JPY must reach at least 1,030 JPY after regularization. The Minimum Wage Act must also be observed. We will help you design a reasonable wage structure.
Data Source & Verification

The amounts on this page reflect the SME, Reiwa 8 (FY2026) basis (amounts unchanged from Reiwa 7). From Reiwa 8 (FY2026), the Career-Up Plan is simplified from prior certification to "notification only"; and a new "information-disclosure add-on" is established — publishing an overview and track record of the regularization system on your own website or the MHLW's "Shokuba-lab" adds 200,000 JPY per establishment (large enterprises 150,000 JPY; once only). This is a grant paid in principle when requirements are met (not a competitive-review scheme); it is governed by the latest MHLW guidance.

Last verified: 2026-08-01
※ Subsidy/grant programs and amounts change with official public-offering guidelines; the authority's latest announcement prevails.

Career-Up (Regularization) GrantApplying for the
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