Japan Tax Refund Fee 2026: Who Sets It and How Much?

• Who Travellers claiming the refund on purchases from November 1, 2026, at shops and operators that each set their own fee.
• What The government takes no fee, and any deduction comes out of the tax: at most ¥1,000 on an ¥11,000 tag.
• When It applies to purchases from November 1, 2026; up to October 31, 2026 the tax came off at the register and no refund fee arose.

The Japanese government takes no handling fee and sets no rate for the tax refund that began on November 1, 2026 — Japan Tourism Agency, FAQ for tax-free shops, question 17 (checked November 2, 2026).

As of November 2, 2026 each shop or refund operator decides its own fee, so the deduction runs from nothing at some shops to an unpublished rate at others depending on where you buy, and taking the money as cash at an airport can take a further amount off.

Is a handling fee taken out of a Japan tax refund?

Sometimes, and the shop decides. The government does not collect a fee and has not said whether the traveller or the shop should carry the operator's cost. That question is left to each shop and the operator it contracts with.

The ceiling has not changed. A tax-included tag of ¥11,000 holds ¥1,000 of consumption tax at the 10% rate, and ¥1,000 is the most that purchase can send back. Any fee comes out of that ¥1,000, not out of the ¥11,000.

Which shops have announced their fee?

Don Quijote's parent company PPIH announced on October 5, 2026 that it will not charge a fee on refunds — PPIH announcement of October 5, 2026 (checked November 2, 2026). The same announcement makes one exception. If you take the refund as cash at an airport, the cash operator's fee applies.

Many department stores state only that a "prescribed fee" is deducted, without giving a rate. Fee figures for other chains have appeared in news coverage; they are not listed here, because a shop's own announcement is the only thing that binds it.

Short version: ask at the till which operator handles the refund and what it deducts.

How much does airport cash cost?

Cash Japan deducts 10% of the refund amount — Cash Japan terms and conditions (checked November 2, 2026). The 10% applies to the refund, not to the price of what you bought, which makes it roughly 1% of the price.

The table assumes the shop itself deducts nothing. Where the shop also charges a fee, that comes off first. Cash Japan operates at six airports, rolling out from November 1, 2026 — Cash Japan announcement of October 19, 2026 (checked November 2, 2026).

Self Tax Refund at Haneda, Narita and Naha also pays cash after fees and other deductions, without a rate in its announcement — Haneda Airport announcement of October 21, 2026 (checked October 25, 2026). The details are on our airport cash page.

What is fixed about the amount that comes back?

Two things are fixed: the tax-included price paid in the shop and a ceiling of one eleventh of it, ¥1,000 on an ¥11,000 tag. The refund follows the customs check at departure. The method and the fee differ from shop to shop, so neither is one national figure.

• The shop takes the tax-included price. Nothing is removed at the register from November 1, 2026.
• The tax inside a 10% tag is one eleventh of it. That is the ceiling, before any fee.
• The refund follows the customs check at departure. Green means you pass, Red means you show the goods — Japan Customs, information for foreign travellers (checked November 2, 2026).
• The refund method differs from shop to shop, and so does the fee that comes with it.

What has not changed?

Three rules carry over unchanged: a minimum of ¥5,000 before tax at one shop on one day, the customs confirmation at departure within 90 days, and registration of serial numbers or similar details for an item of ¥1,000,000 or more. A fee changes none of them.

• The minimum is ¥5,000 before tax at one shop on one day. Receipts from different shops do not combine as a rule; a tax-free counter a shop has outsourced to can add up one buyer's same-day purchases to judge the minimum, though not every counter does.
• The customs confirmation has to happen at departure within 90 days. Day 1 is the day after you buy, and the last day is day 90: a November 1 purchase can be confirmed until January 30.
• An item of ¥1,000,000 or more needs its serial number or similar details registered at the shop.

The minimum is set out by the Japan Tourism Agency, information for travellers (checked November 2, 2026), and the way the 90 days are counted and the registered details by the National Tax Agency Q&A (checked November 2, 2026).

How should I plan around the fee?

Budget on the tax-included tag and treat one eleventh as the best case. Assume a shop fee may come off it, take another 10% off the refund if you plan on airport cash through Cash Japan, and ask at the till which operator handles your refund.

You are budgeting for the trip

Budget on the tag price. Treat one eleventh as the best case and assume a shop fee may come off it. If you plan to take airport cash, take another 10% off the refund, not off the price.

You are choosing between card and cash

A refund to a card avoids the cash operator's 10%, though the shop's own fee, if any, still applies. Cash is quicker to hold but smaller. On a ¥10,000 refund the difference is ¥1,000.

You want to ask at the till

Ask two things: which refund operator the shop uses, and what it deducts. The staff can answer for their own shop. Nobody can answer for the whole country, because there is no national rate.

Your trip crosses October 31 and November 1

Purchases up to October 31, 2026 stay under the old system, where the tax came off at the register and no refund fee arose. Purchases from November 1, 2026 fall under the new one.

What is still open about the fee?

Two things remain open as of November 2, 2026, on the Japan Tourism Agency's shop FAQ and the announcements cited here: many shops have not published a rate, and the government sets no rule on who carries the operator's cost. Shops and operators can still change their guidance.

Standing at the till with a basket? Ask what the operator deducts before you pay, while you can still decide.

What else do travellers ask?

Most questions come down to one fact: there is no national rate. The government takes no fee, each shop or operator sets its own, and one app cannot collect every refund. The most that can come back is one eleventh of the tax-included price, and the minimum is ¥5,000 before tax.

Does the Japanese government take a fee?

No. The government collects no fee and sets no rate.

Can one app get my refund from every shop?

No. The refund is paid by the refund operator the shop chose, so who pays it, and how, differs from shop to shop. The RefundJapan app does not pay refunds. Whichever operator a shop uses, the app keeps your purchases and receipts in one place and walks you through the order: buy, register, airport, refund. It is free; the Android version is on Google Play, and the iPhone version is in preparation.

Is there one fee for every shop?

No. Each shop or operator sets its own, from nothing at some shops to an unpublished rate at others.

Does Don Quijote charge a refund fee?

PPIH has announced no fee, except that airport cash brings the cash operator's fee.

Does Cash Japan take 10% of the price?

No. Cash Japan takes 10% of the refund amount, about 1% of the price. On ¥11,000 that is ¥100.

What is the maximum that can come back?

One eleventh of the tax-included price at the 10% rate. A tag of ¥11,000 holds ¥1,000.

Why do other pages show one percentage?

Some quote a single shop's fee, some quote press reports, and some describe the old system. No single national rate exists.

Should a budget be built on the price before tax?

No. Use the tax-included tag price, because that is what you pay in the shop.

How long does the money take after the fee?

No government rule sets the number of days. It depends on the operator and the way you take the money.

What is the minimum purchase?

¥5,000 before tax at one shop on one day.

When did the new system begin?

November 1, 2026. Purchases up to October 31, 2026 stay under the old one.