No daycare place: what Hello Work needs before it extends childcare-leave pay

If the daycare round says no, many parents ask their employer to extend the childcare-leave benefit (育児休業給付金, ikuji kyūgyō kyūfukin, the leave pay from employment insurance). Since April 2025 the rules for that extension are stricter. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) explains them in a two-page leaflet for parents and employers.

Not getting in is no longer enough

For an extension from April 2025 onward, the leaflet says a refused place alone does not qualify. Hello Work (ハローワーク, the public employment office) has to confirm that you applied for daycare so you could return to work quickly (速やかな職場復帰のために保育利用を申し込んでいた).

The three papers

The leaflet is addressed to parents and to the employers who file the benefit claim. The extension claim needs all three:

1. The extension-reason form: 育児休業給付金支給対象期間延長事由認定申告書 (shikyū taishō kikan enchō jiyū nintei shinkokusho).
2. A copy of the daycare application you sent to your city or ward (申込書の写し). Copy it before you submit it.
3. The city's notice that daycare cannot be used: the hold notice (入所保留通知書, nyūsho horyū tsūchisho) or similar (保育所等の利用ができない旨の通知).

Two date rules

The leaflet sets two conditions on the application:

1. You applied to the city by the day your child "reaches age 1" (子が１歳に達する日までに). The leaflet defines that day as the day before the first birthday.
2. The start date you asked for (入所希望日) is on or before the first birthday (子が１歳に達する日の翌日以前).

For a second extension past 18 months, read "18 months" (１歳６か月) in place of "age 1".

If you missed the city's deadline and so could not file a qualifying application, the leaflet says the extension does not apply. Asking the city by phone whether there is room does not count. You must actually apply by the deadline. The leaflet warns that deadlines differ by city and that the April round closes much earlier than other months.

Two exceptions

• Child who needs special care. If the city will not accept the application because it cannot provide the care, write why on the extension form and attach the disability certificate or a doctor's note. An extension may then be allowed.
• No intake in the birthday month. If your city takes no applications for the month that contains the first birthday, an application with a start date up to two months after the first birthday may be accepted. The leaflet's example: a child born on 1 February 2025, a city with no February or March 2026 intake, and an application for 1 April 2026. Attach the city leaflet saying there was no intake, the application copy and the result notice. This exception does not apply to the extension past 18 months. If your city only accepts applications once a year, the leaflet says to ask Hello Work.

Which hold notice to send

The notice has to show that care was not available on the first birthday. The leaflet accepts one of these:

• A hold notice dated on or after two months before the first birthday (three months before, for an April application).
• If you only have an older notice and the city issues no new one while you wait, write that on the extension form and send the latest notice, as long as the first birthday falls inside its stated hold period.

An older notice whose hold period ends before the first birthday is not enough. The leaflet's example tells that parent to apply for the next one or two months instead.

Before you decide

The leaflet has a separate rule for parents using Papa-Mama Ikukyu Plus (パパ・ママ育休プラス): the reference day can move to the end of the leave. Ask your employer or Hello Work if that applies to you.

Your ward's own application rules sit on top of this leaflet. Read your ward's guide before you file. Hello Work, not the ward, decides whether the extension is granted.