Never done furusato nozei before? This is the complete, plain-English walkthrough — from calculating your limit to seeing the deduction land on your June tax bill.
Furusato nozei sounds complicated the first time, but the actual process is a lot like ordering from an online store and mailing one form. If you can shop online and stick a stamp on an envelope, you can do this. Below is the entire flow, step by step, the way a first-timer should approach it.
If you don't yet know what furusato nozei is, start with What is Furusato Nozei? for the big-picture explanation, then come back here for the how-to.
Everything starts here. Your benefit is capped at a personal limit set by your income and household situation. Donate up to that limit and your net cost stays a flat ¥2,000; donate over it and the excess is simply lost. So before you look at a single gift, get a number.
Use our free furusato nozei calculator to estimate your ceiling in English. Because your limit depends on your current calendar-year income, it's smart to recalculate later in the year once your salary and bonus are clearer. A good habit: aim for roughly 90% of the estimate so a small income surprise doesn't push you over.
You donate through an online portal that works just like an e-commerce site. The big four each have a slightly different angle:
The main differences: 楽天 wins on points/total value, さとふる wins on ease for beginners, and ふるなび wins on breadth (electronics, vouchers). You can use more than one, but to keep one-stop eligibility simple, many first-timers stick to a single portal.
Sign up like any online store: email, password, name, address, phone. Foreign residents are eligible — nationality and visa type don't matter, only that you pay resident tax in Japan. Enter your name and address exactly as they appear on your official records, because this information flows into your tax paperwork. If you already have a Rakuten account, 楽天ふるさと納税 uses it directly.
Now the fun part. Search by category (beef, seafood, rice, fruit, household goods), by region, or by donation amount. Each listing shows the donation figure and exactly what you'll receive. Add items to your cart like normal shopping, keeping a running total against your limit.
Not sure what to choose? See our best return gifts for 2026. For first-timers, practical, freezer-friendly categories like rice and meat are an easy win.
At checkout you'll usually pay by credit card, but most portals also accept convenience store payment (コンビニ払い) and bank transfer (銀行振込), plus various e-payment methods. Credit card is fastest and the most reliable for meeting the December 31 deadline, since it settles instantly. There is one crucial checkbox during checkout: if you intend to use the simple one-stop filing method, tick the option to request the ワンストップ特例 application for each donation.
After payment you'll receive an order confirmation. Separately, each municipality mails you a 寄附金受領証明書 (donation receipt certificate) — the official proof you donated. Keep every one of these. You need them if you file a tax return. Many portals also issue a consolidated annual statement (寄附金控除に関する証明書) you can use instead of the individual certificates.
Gifts typically arrive 2 to 8 weeks later. Everyday items like rice ship quickly; seasonal goods (fruit, crab) ship when in season and can take longer. Perishables come chilled or frozen, so make sure someone can receive them and that you have freezer space.
This is the step people forget, and skipping it means you get the gifts but no tax reduction. Two routes:
Unsure which applies to you? Our guide on ワンストップ特例 vs 確定申告 has a simple decision flow.
The benefit shows up the following year. Most of it appears as a reduction in your resident tax (住民税) starting from the June bill. If you filed a 確定申告, part also arrives earlier as an income-tax refund. When your 住民税決定通知書 (resident tax decision notice) arrives around June, check it to confirm the deduction landed.
Ready? Calculate your donation limit first, then brush up on the fundamentals in What is Furusato Nozei? and decide your filing method with ワンストップ特例 vs 確定申告.