# 中小企業退職金共済法 / Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Retirement Allowance Cooperative Act — 第三条 (Article 3)

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- Law: 中小企業退職金共済法 (Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Retirement Allowance Cooperative Act), 昭和三十四年法律第百六十号
- English title "Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Retirement Allowance Cooperative Act": Ministry of Justice translation database, which lists the title
- Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say.
- Provision: 第三条 (Article 3)（契約の締結） — address `art-3`
- Text in force since: 2025-06-01
- URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3
- e-Gov law ID: 334AC0000000160 — never renamed. A permanent link, `/l/{lawId}/{address}` on this site, redirects to the page.
- Every provision below carries its address and its URL on the line under it.
- Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below.

Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text
below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and
says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this
site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names.
They are never merged and never substituted for one another.

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### 第三条（契約の締結） — Conclusion of Contracts
<sup>caption: machine translation, not official</sup>
<sup>art-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3</sup>

  **第一項**  中小企業者でなければ、退職金共済契約を締結することができない。
  <sup>art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-1</sup>
  A retirement allowance mutual aid contract may not be concluded by anyone other than a small and medium-sized enterprise.
  <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

  **第二項**  現に退職金共済契約の被共済者である者については、その者を被共済者とする新たな退職金共済契約を締結することができない。
  <sup>art-3/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-2</sup>
  With respect to a person who is currently a covered employee under a retirement allowance mutual aid contract, a new retirement allowance mutual aid contract naming that person as a covered employee may not be concluded.
  <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

  **第三項**  中小企業者は、次の各号に掲げる者を除き、すべての従業員について退職金共済契約を締結するようにしなければならない。
  <sup>art-3/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3</sup>
  A small and medium-sized enterprise must see to it that it concludes retirement allowance mutual aid contracts for all of its employees, excluding the persons listed in the following items:
  <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **一**  期間を定めて雇用される者
    <sup>art-3/par-3/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-1</sup>
    a person employed for a fixed period;
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **二**  季節的業務に雇用される者
    <sup>art-3/par-3/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-2</sup>
    a person employed in seasonal work;
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **三**  試みの雇用期間中の者
    <sup>art-3/par-3/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-3</sup>
    a person in a probationary employment period;
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **四**  現に退職金共済契約の被共済者である者
    <sup>art-3/par-3/item-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-4</sup>
    a person who is currently a covered employee under a retirement allowance mutual aid contract;
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **五**  第八条第二項第三号の規定により解除された退職金共済契約の被共済者であつて、その解除の日から一年を経過しないもの
    <sup>art-3/par-3/item-5 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-5</sup>
    a covered employee under a retirement allowance mutual aid contract cancelled pursuant to Article 8, paragraph (2), item (iii), for whom one year has not elapsed since the date of cancellation;
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **六**  前各号に掲げる者のほか、厚生労働省令で定める者
    <sup>art-3/par-3/item-6 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-6</sup>
    in addition to the persons listed in the preceding items, a person specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

  **第四項**  機構は、次の各号に掲げる場合を除いては、退職金共済契約の締結を拒絶してはならない。
  <sup>art-3/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-4</sup>
  The Organization must not refuse to conclude a retirement allowance mutual aid contract, except in the cases listed in the following items:
  <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **一**  契約の申込者が第八条第二項第一号の規定により退職金共済契約を解除され、その解除の日から六月を経過しない者であるとき。
    <sup>art-3/par-4/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-4/item-1</sup>
    where the applicant for the contract is a person whose retirement allowance mutual aid contract was cancelled pursuant to Article 8, paragraph (2), item (i), and six months have not elapsed since the date of cancellation;
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **二**  当該申込みに係る被共済者が第八条第二項第三号の規定により解除された退職金共済契約の被共済者であつて、その解除の日から一年を経過しないものであるとき。
    <sup>art-3/par-4/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-4/item-2</sup>
    where the covered employee to whom the application pertains is a covered employee under a retirement allowance mutual aid contract cancelled pursuant to Article 8, paragraph (2), item (iii), and one year has not elapsed since the date of cancellation.
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

    **三**  前二号に掲げるもののほか、厚生労働省令で定める正当な理由があるとき。
    <sup>art-3/par-4/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-4/item-3</sup>
    In addition to what is set out in the preceding two items, where there is a legitimate reason specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
    <sup>machine translation, not official</sup>

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## Cites
- art-3/par-3/item-5: 第八条第二項第三号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第八条第二項第三号 (Article 8, paragraph (2), item (iii)), art-8/par-2/item-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-8/par-2/item-3
- art-3/par-3/item-6: 前各号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第三項第一号 (Article 3, paragraph (3), item (i)), art-3/par-3/item-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-1
- art-3/par-3/item-6: 前各号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第三項第二号 (Article 3, paragraph (3), item (ii)), art-3/par-3/item-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-2
- art-3/par-3/item-6: 前各号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第三項第三号 (Article 3, paragraph (3), item (iii)), art-3/par-3/item-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-3
- art-3/par-3/item-6: 前各号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第三項第四号 (Article 3, paragraph (3), item (iv)), art-3/par-3/item-4 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-4
- art-3/par-3/item-6: 前各号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第三項第五号 (Article 3, paragraph (3), item (v)), art-3/par-3/item-5 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-5
- art-3/par-4/item-1: 第八条第二項第一号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第八条第二項第一号 (Article 8, paragraph (2), item (i)), art-8/par-2/item-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-8/par-2/item-1
- art-3/par-4/item-2: 第八条第二項第三号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第八条第二項第三号 (Article 8, paragraph (2), item (iii)), art-8/par-2/item-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-8/par-2/item-3
- art-3/par-4/item-3: 前二号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第四項第一号 (Article 3, paragraph (4), item (i)), art-3/par-4/item-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-4/item-1
- art-3/par-4/item-3: 前二号 → 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第四項第二号 (Article 3, paragraph (4), item (ii)), art-3/par-4/item-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-4/item-2

## Cited by

4 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction.

- 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第三項第六号（契約の締結） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-3/item-6
- 中小企業退職金共済法 第三条第四項第三号（契約の締結） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-3/par-4/item-3
- 中小企業退職金共済法 第二十七条第一項（過去勤務期間の通算の申出等） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-27/par-1
- 中小企業退職金共済法 第三十九条第一項（特定業種退職金共済契約） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sme-retirement-allowance-act/art-39/par-1

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## Sources

- e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 中小企業退職金共済法 — the text in force from 2025-06-01 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/334AC0000000160/20250601_504AC0000000068), retrieved 2026-11-06
- Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — 中小企業退職金共済法 — its English title as the Ministry of Justice's translation database lists it (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/1775), retrieved 2026-09-23
- claude-sonnet-5-5 — Machine translation, batch sme-retirement-allowance-act-20261106T173426-001, translated 2026-11-07
- claude-sonnet-5-5, corrected on review by claude-opus-5-5 — Machine translation corrected on review, batch sme-retirement-allowance-act-20261106T173426-001, translated 2026-11-07
- claude-sonnet-5-5 — Machine translation, batch sme-retirement-allowance-act-20261106T173426-002, translated 2026-11-07
- This site's parser, version 225 — 中小企業退職金共済法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-11-06