①Child allowance is to be paid to a person who falls under any of the following items:

②In the case of item (i) of the preceding paragraph, if there are several guardians of a minor who raise a child and share a livelihood with that child, that child is deemed to be raised by, and to share a livelihood with, whichever of those guardians of minors maintains the livelihood of that child to the higher degree.

③In the case of item (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1), if two or more of the father and mother, a guardian of a minor, and a parent's designee raise a child who is a child of the father and mother and share a livelihood with that child, that child is deemed to be raised by, and to share a livelihood with, whichever of that father or mother, guardian of a minor or parent's designee maintains the livelihood of that child to the higher degree.

④Notwithstanding the preceding two paragraphs, if any one of the father or mother, a guardian of a minor, or a parent's designee who raises a child and shares a livelihood with that child lives with that child (limited to the case where that one does not share a livelihood with any other father or mother, guardian of a minor or parent's designee who raises that child and shares a livelihood with that child), that child is deemed to be raised by, and to share a livelihood with, the father or mother, guardian of a minor, or parent's designee who lives with that child.

①Child allowance is to be paid on a monthly basis, and its amount per month is the amount specified in each of the following items according to the category of child allowance set forth in that item.

②In this Article, the meanings of the terms set forth in the following items are as prescribed in those items:

③The "amount for children under three" in paragraph (1) is 15,000 yen, the "amount for children aged three or over" is 10,000 yen, and the "amount for third and later children" is 30,000 yen.

④If a significant change occurs in the standard of living of the people or other circumstances, the amount of child allowance must be promptly revised so as to respond to the circumstances after the change.

①A person who satisfies the requirements for payment of child allowance (limited to those pertaining to Article 4, paragraph (1), items (i) to (iii); hereinafter referred to as a "general eligible recipient") must, when seeking to receive payment of child allowance, obtain certification of the person's eligibility and the amount of child allowance from the mayor of the municipality (including the head of a special ward; the same applies hereinafter) of the place of domicile (or, where the general eligible recipient is a guardian of a minor and is a corporation, the location of the principal office), as provided by Cabinet Office Order.

②A person who satisfies the requirements for payment of child allowance (limited to those pertaining to Article 4, paragraph (1), item (iv); hereinafter referred to as a "facility eligible recipient") must, when seeking to receive payment of child allowance, obtain certification of the person's eligibility and the amount of child allowance, as provided by Cabinet Office Order, from the person specified in each of the following items according to the category of persons set forth in the relevant item:

③If a person who has obtained the certification under the preceding two paragraphs changes the person's domicile (or, where the general eligible recipient is a guardian of a minor and is a corporation, the location of the principal office; where the facility eligible recipient is a person who conducts a child independent living assistance project or a small-scale residential child care project, the place where child independent living assistance is provided or the location of the residence where the small-scale residential child care project is conducted; and where the facility eligible recipient is the founder of a residential facility for children with disabilities, etc., the location of that residential facility for children with disabilities, etc.; the same applies in paragraph (3) of the following Article) to within the area of another municipality (including a special ward; the same applies hereinafter), and seeks to receive payment of child allowance for the period after the change, the same applies as in the preceding two paragraphs.

①The mayor of the municipality is to pay child allowance to general eligible recipients and facility eligible recipients for whom certification has been given under the preceding Article (hereinafter referred to as "eligible recipients").

②Payment of child allowance begins with the month following the month that includes the day on which the eligible recipient made the claim for certification under the provisions of the preceding Article, and ends with the month that includes the day on which the grounds for payment of child allowance ceased to exist.

③If an eligible recipient has changed domicile, or was unable to make the claim for certification under the provisions of the preceding Article due to a disaster or other unavoidable reason, and makes the claim within 15 days after the eligible recipient changed domicile or after the unavoidable reason ceased, notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, payment of child allowance begins with the month following the month that includes the day on which the eligible recipient changed domicile or the day on which the eligible recipient became unable to make the claim for certification due to the unavoidable reason.

④Child allowance is paid in six periods, in February, April, June, August, October and December of each year, covering the portion up to the month preceding each of those months; provided, however, that child allowance that should have been paid in the preceding payment month, and child allowance for the period in the case where the grounds for payment have ceased to exist, are to be paid even in a month that is not a payment month.

①Where the amount of child allowance comes to be increased for a person receiving payment of child allowance, the revision of the amount of child allowance is made from the month following the month that includes the day on which the person made a claim for certification for the revised amount.

②The provisions of paragraph (3) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to the revision under the preceding paragraph.

③Where the amount of child allowance comes to be reduced for a person receiving payment of child allowance, the revision of the amount of child allowance is made from the month following the month that includes the day on which the grounds for it arose.

Child allowance may be withheld in whole or in part if an eligible recipient, without a justifiable reason, fails to comply with an order under Article 27, paragraph (1) or fails to respond to questioning by the relevant official under that paragraph.

If a person receiving payment of child allowance, without a justifiable reason, fails to submit a notification under Article 26 or fails to submit the documents under that Article, payment of child allowance may be temporarily suspended.

①If a general eligible recipient of child allowance dies, and there is child allowance payable to the deceased person (limited to the portion relating to a person who was a child raised by that person) that had not yet been paid to that person, the unpaid child allowance may be paid to the person who was that child.

②If a child placed in a facility, etc. ceases to fall under the children set forth in the items of Article 3, paragraph (3), and there is child allowance payable to the facility eligible recipient that conducted child independent living assistance for that child placed in a facility, etc., the facility eligible recipient to whom that child placed in a facility, etc. had been entrusted, or the facility eligible recipient relating to the residential facility for children with disabilities, etc. in which that child placed in a facility, etc. had been admitted or hospitalized (limited to the portion relating to the person who was that child placed in a facility, etc.) that had not yet been paid to that person, the unpaid child allowance may be paid to the person who was that child placed in a facility, etc.

③If payment has been made under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the payment of child allowance concerned is deemed to have been made to the facility eligible recipient concerned.

If payment has been made as payment of child allowance even though child allowance should not have been paid, the child allowance so paid may be deemed to be an advance payment of child allowance to be paid thereafter. The same applies to the portion that should have been reduced of the child allowance, in the case where, although grounds for reducing and revising the amount of child allowance have arisen, child allowance of an amount not reduced has been paid as the portion for the month following the month that includes the day on which those grounds arose and thereafter.

①If there is a person who has received payment of child allowance by deception or other wrongful means, the mayor of the municipality may collect from that person all or part of an amount equivalent to the amount received, in the same manner as for a disposition for delinquent local taxes.

②The order of priority of the statutory lien on money collected under the preceding paragraph is to rank next after national taxes and local taxes.

The right to receive payment of child allowance may not be transferred, offered as security, or seized.

Taxes and other public charges may not be imposed using money received as child allowance as the standard.

②The provisions of Article 7, paragraph (3) apply mutatis mutandis to the case where a person who has received the certification under paragraph (1) of that Article as deemed to be replaced under the preceding paragraph comes to have a different person who made that certification.

③With regard to a person who has received the certification under Article 7, paragraph (1) as deemed to be replaced under the provisions of paragraph (1), the phrase "changed domicile" in Article 8, paragraph (3) is deemed to be replaced with "had a change in the person who makes that certification".