[Complete Cost Estimation] SSW2 Construction — 120k–250k yen/person, 360k yen Annual Savings, 8

The 3-Line Summary

The transition from SSW1 to SSW2 costs 120,000–250,000 yen per employee upfront, removes 360,000 yen/year in Registered Support Agency fees, and pays back in 8–10 months.

Combined with the CCUS Utilization Promotion subsidy (up to 1.6 million yen), the move can be effectively cost-negative while improving employee retention.

Outsourcing everything to an administrative scrivener costs around 200,000 yen; doing it in-house costs 40,000–100,000 yen. In-house through the exam, scrivener for the immigration paperwork is the optimal balance.

"How much does SSW2 actually cost?" "Is the 360,000 yen annual saving real?" "What's the ROI?"

As a business owner with 20 years of construction industry experience, this article gives you the full cost of moving one employee from SSW1 to SSW2, with figures detailed enough to make a business decision. For the broader picture, see our Complete Guide to SSW2 Construction for Business Owners; this article focuses purely on the cost estimation.

Conclusion — The Investment Recovery Summary

Just the numbers, first.

| Item | Amount | |---|---| | Initial investment (per employee) | 120,000 – 250,000 yen | | In-house route | 40,000 – 100,000 yen | | Annual savings (Registered Support Agency fees) | Approx. 360,000 yen/person | | Investment payback period | Approx. 8–10 months | | 5-year cumulative return | Approx. 1.7 million yen/person | | 10-year cumulative return | Over 3.5 million yen/person | | CCUS Utilization Promotion subsidy (when conditions are met) | 160,000 yen/person (max 1.6 million yen) |

→ Invest 120k–250k yen upfront → Recover 360k yen annually, meaning investment pays back in 8–10 months.

The real ROI is not the money — it's talent retention

With the 2027 Training and Employment System, foreign workers will be able to change employers more easily. Top talent will stay only at companies that let them bring their families through SSW Level 2. Cost estimation is just one input — the true return is the positioning of being a company top talent chooses to stay at.

1. Initial Investment Breakdown — Every Item with a Price Tag

Here is the full cost estimate for one employee, comparing "outsourcing to an administrative scrivener" vs. "doing it in-house."

Full Cost Items

| Item | Amount | Who Pays | Timing | |---|---|---|---| | CCUS Business Registration (Cap. 5–10m yen) | Approx. 24,000 yen | Company | Once (5-year renewal) | | CCUS Technician Registration (Detailed) | 4,900 yen/person | Company or employee | Once | | CCUS Level Assessment Fee | 3,000 yen/person (Fully subsidized from April 2026) | Company | At Level 3 acquisition | | Card Reader Installation (optional) | From tens of thousands of yen | Company | Once | | JAC Evaluation Exam Fee | 2,000 yen/person | Employee or company | At exam (cash) | | Certificate of Eligibility Change Fee | 4,000 yen/person | Employee or company | Immigration Bureau | | Administrative Scrivener (outsourced) | 80,000 – 200,000 yen/person | Company | At application | | Study Materials (UKARU etc.) | From several thousand yen/month | Company | 2–3 months pre-exam | | Total (with scrivener) | Approx. 120,000 – 250,000 yen/person | | | | Total (in-house) | Approx. 40,000 – 100,000 yen/person | | |

First Employee vs. Subsequent Employees

A point that often surprises business owners: the cost for the first employee is significantly higher than for those who follow.

| Route | First employee (full setup) | Subsequent employees | |---|---|---| | With scrivener | Approx. 250,000 yen | Approx. 150,000 yen (paperwork templates reusable) | | In-house | Approx. 100,000 yen | Approx. 50,000 yen (procedural learning curve gone) |

→ For companies with 3–5 foreman candidates, the most efficient ROI strategy is to invest in the first employee's full setup, then internalize the process for the rest.

2. Where the Savings Come From — Decoding the "360,000 yen/year"

Here is the breakdown of the "360,000 yen annual saving" that owners care about most.

Why Registered Support Agency Fees Disappear

| Status | Need a Registered Support Agency? | Monthly fee | |---|---|---| | SSW Level 1 | Required (in-house support is allowed but most companies outsource) | 20,000–50,000 yen/person | | SSW Level 2 | Not required (the company supports directly) | 0 yen |

→ 30,000 yen × 12 months = 360,000 yen/person/year is removed entirely.

This is the single biggest financial feature of SSW2. The system was designed around the idea that "SSW2 = an independent worker," not "SSW2 = an extension of SSW1."

The Saving Compounds Over Time

If you transition 5 of your 10 SSW1 employees to SSW2:

| Year | Cumulative savings (5 people) | |---|---| | Year 1 | 1,800,000 yen (360,000 × 5) | | Year 5 | 9,000,000 yen | | Year 10 | 18,000,000 yen |

→ Over 10 years, that is 18 million yen in labor cost savings — enough to buy a new vehicle plus hire a strong site manager.

When to terminate the Registered Support Agency contract

The standard practice is to terminate the Registered Support Agency contract at the end of the month in which the SSW2 residence status change is approved. However, if your contract has a "3-month notice" clause, you must prepare before approval. Check your contract's termination clause today.

3. Stacking Subsidies — Targeting Effectively Negative Cost

CCUS Utilization Promotion Subsidy (Workforce Development Support Subsidy)

From fiscal year 2025, the subsidy was expanded to small and medium-sized construction companies (previously limited to industry associations).

Eligibility:

All technicians employed are registered in CCUS.
The wages of technicians who received a level-up evaluation are increased by 5% or more.

Amount: 160,000 yen × number of promoted-and-raised technicians (max 1.6 million yen).

→ In other words, promote 10 employees and raise their wages by 5% to receive 1.6 million yen back. This subsidy is the perfect pairing with the SSW2 promotion track for foreman candidates.

For details, see Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — CCUS Utilization Promotion Subsidy Overview (PDF).

Cost Recalculation with Subsidy

If you transition 5 employees to SSW2 (with a 5% wage increase per person):

| Item | Amount | |---|---| | Initial investment for 5 (with scrivener) | 750,000 yen (150,000 × 5) | | Annual savings for 5 | 1,800,000 yen (360,000 × 5) | | Subsidy (5 × 160,000) | 800,000 yen | | Year 1 net effect | +1,850,000 yen (1.8m + 800k − 750k) |

→ The first year is already in the black. This is exactly why SSW2 promotion should be advanced together with CCUS.

4. Choosing Between In-House vs. Administrative Scrivener

| Step | In-house recommended | Scrivener recommended | |---|---|---| | CCUS business / technician registration | ✅ In-house (easy) | | | CCUS level assessment application | ✅ In-house | | | Exam booking and sitting | ✅ Employee | | | Acceptance plan certification | △ (outsource for the first time) | ✅ | | Residence status change paperwork | △ (only if experienced) | ✅ Strongly recommended | | Immigration response / corrections | | ✅ |

Conclusion: In-house through the exam, scrivener for the immigration paperwork is the optimal balance. Spending 80k–200k yen here dramatically lowers the rejection risk.

Administrative Scrivener Pricing (May 2026)

| Service | Range | |---|---| | Residence status change only | 80,000–120,000 yen/person | | Acceptance plan + residence status change | 120,000–180,000 yen/person | | Full support (including CCUS) | 180,000–250,000 yen/person |

Pricing varies by region and firm size. Get quotes from at least three firms and ask each how they handle a rejection.

5. Case Studies — Investment Recovery in Real Numbers

Case A: Mid-sized General Contractor (30 employees, 5 SSW1)

Plan: transition 3 of the 5 SSW1 employees to SSW2 within one year.

| Item | Amount | |---|---| | Initial investment (3 × 150,000) | 450,000 yen | | Annual savings (3 × 360,000) | 1,080,000 yen | | Subsidy (3 × 160,000) | 480,000 yen | | Year 1 net effect | +1,110,000 yen | | 5-year cumulative effect | +5,550,000 yen |

Case B: Specialty Contractor (10 employees, 2 SSW1)

Plan: transition 1 of the 2 SSW1 employees to SSW2 within 6 months.

| Item | Amount | |---|---| | Initial investment (1 × 200,000) | 200,000 yen | | Annual savings (1 × 360,000) | 360,000 yen | | Subsidy (1 × 160,000) | 160,000 yen | | Year 1 net effect | +320,000 yen | | 5-year cumulative effect | +1,960,000 yen |

Case C: Major General Contractor (200 employees, 20 SSW1)

Plan: transition 10 of the 20 SSW1 employees to SSW2 over 3 years.

| Item | Amount | |---|---| | Initial investment (10 × 150,000) | 1,500,000 yen | | Annual savings (10 × 360,000) | 3,600,000 yen/year | | Subsidy (capped at 1.6m/year) | 1,600,000 yen | | Year 1 net effect | +3,700,000 yen | | 5-year cumulative effect | +19,500,000 yen |

→ Regardless of company size, the first year is in the black.

6. Hidden Costs — Items to Add to Your Estimate

There are real costs that don't show up in the standard estimate.

Hidden Cost Items

| Item | Approximate amount | Notes | |---|---|---| | Wages during in-work-hours study | 20 hours/month × 2,000 yen/hr = 40,000 yen/month/person | 2–3 months pre-exam | | Travel to the exam venue | 10,000–50,000 yen/person | Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka etc. | | Paid leave for exam day | 1–2 days | Exam day | | Re-examination cost (on failure) | 2,000 yen exam fee + travel | Retake | | Documents (residence card, family register, etc.) | 2,000–5,000 yen/person | At residence status change |

→ Hidden costs realistically add 30,000–50,000 yen per employee. Build a +50,000 yen safety margin into your estimate.

Should you allow study during work hours?

This is a business judgment, but companies that allow in-work-hours study tend to have higher pass rates.

The reason is simple: very few employees can keep up 2–3 months of self-study after long days on a construction site. Securing 20 hours/month × 3 months = 60 hours of study within work hours is the business decision that maximizes pass rates.

UKARU's B2B plan is designed around in-work-hours study

UKARU's B2B plan assumes the owner secures study time and tracks progress. You see each employee's study time, accuracy rate, and weak points in one view, so you can verify the effect of in-work-hours study.

7. Investment Decision Checklist — What to Do This Week

Apply the Cost Estimate to Your Own Numbers

Count SSW1 employees — and check their CCUS registration status.
Confirm the Registered Support Agency monthly fee — this is the actual savings figure.
Estimate subsidy-eligible employees — those without CCUS registration are not eligible.
Set the SSW2 promotion priority — by foreman experience and visa expiry order.
Get quotes from 3 administrative scriveners — full support vs. partial outsourcing.

That's all you need to fit "How much will SSW2 cost us, and when do we break even?" onto a single A4 page.

Decision Schedule

| Month | Action | |---|---| | Month 1 | Cost estimation → candidate list → CCUS registration check | | Month 2–3 | CCUS Level 3 acquisition | | Month 3–5 | Exam preparation (UKARU etc.) | | Month 5–6 | Pass JAC exam | | Month 6–8 | Residence status change → approval → terminate Registered Support Agency contract | | Month 9–10 | Investment recovered |

→ Initial investment can be recovered in as little as Month 9–10.

8. Common Misconceptions — Pitfalls in Cost Estimation

Misconception 1: "SSW2 acquisition costs millions of yen"

→ Wrong. The standard is 120,000–250,000 yen per person. The "millions of yen" figure mistakes total CCUS-related fees for 10 people as a per-person cost.

Misconception 2: "Subsidy applications are too complex to actually receive"

→ Wrong. The CCUS Utilization Promotion subsidy is reliable as long as the conditions are met. A licensed labor consultant (sharoshi) handles the application for 50,000–100,000 yen.

Misconception 3: "You still need a Registered Support Agency after SSW2"

→ Wrong. SSW2 does not require a Registered Support Agency. This is the source of the 360,000 yen annual savings.

Misconception 4: "Without an administrative scrivener, the application gets rejected"

→ Half right. The paperwork is complex, so a scrivener is recommended for the first time. From the second time onward, many construction companies handle it in-house.

Misconception 5: "CCUS Level 3 acquisition is the biggest cost"

→ Wrong. CCUS registration costs only a few thousand to ten thousand yen per person. The biggest cost is the immigration application (80,000–200,000 yen including the scrivener).

9. What UKARU Provides — Optimizing Exam Preparation Costs

UKARU is an exam preparation app dedicated to SSW2 Construction.

Fully aligned with the official exam: 40 academic / 25 practical / 75% to pass
Covers the three categories: Civil Engineering / Building Construction / Lifeline & Equipment
810+ original practice questions
Auto-furigana on every kanji (10-language support)
B2B plan: owners and managers see all employees' progress in one view

UKARU handles the exam preparation side; CCUS procedures and administrative scrivener work are not provided. Clear role separation maximizes the owner's time efficiency.

B2B Plan Pricing

| Plan | Monthly | Included | |---|---|---| | Individual | From several thousand yen/person | Self-study only | | B2B Reports add-on | From several thousand yen/organization | All-employee progress, weak points, exam scheduling |

→ Since each SSW2 acquisition returns 360,000 yen/year, the B2B plan's monthly fee is recovered in just a few months.

10. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. How long does CCUS Level 3 acquisition take?

A. 6 months from scratch, 3 months if already in progress. The longest part is accumulating the work history record, which cannot be shortened.

Q2. What is the cost if an employee fails the exam?

A. Just an additional 2,000 yen exam fee plus travel. Retakes are unlimited, and CBT format gives you flexible venues and dates.

Q3. What if the employee changes employers after acquiring SSW2?

A. The investment is wasted. To prevent this, the "a company where you can live in Japan with your family" positioning is essential. See 10-Year Talent Strategy: From SSW to the Training and Employment System.

Q4. I want to verify whether my own estimate is correct.

A. UKARU's B2B sales window offers a free consultation. Share your employee count, SSW1 count, and CCUS registration status, and we will reply with an A4 cost estimate sheet.

Q5. How do I choose an administrative scrivener?

A. The selection criterion is at least 10 SSW construction cases handled. Generalist immigration scriveners can handle the work, but construction has unique paperwork (acceptance plan certification etc.) where experienced firms are recommended.

Q6. Who applies for the subsidy?

A. The standard is to outsource to a licensed labor consultant (sharoshi). The market rate is 10–20% of the subsidy amount as a success fee — more reliable than self-application.

Q7. Will the 2027 Training and Employment System change costs?

A. The Training and Employment System launches in April 2027. Advancing SSW2 acquisition under the current pre-revision system is the business decision that avoids the procedural complexity to come. See 10-Year Talent Strategy: From SSW to the Training and Employment System.

Primary Sources

Reference links you will use in practice.

CCUS / Subsidies

JAC / Immigration Services Agency

Closing — Cost Estimation as the Starting Point of Business Judgment

Acquiring SSW Level 2 is not just a cost-cutting measure — it is a strategic talent-defense investment.

The numbers say it all: 120,000–250,000 yen per person, 360,000 yen annual savings, 8–10 month payback. By the numbers alone, there is no reason not to do it.

But the real return comes from being recognized as "a company where you can live with your family in Japan" at the moment when the 2027 Training and Employment System makes employer changes easier.

How many employees do you want to transition to SSW2, and by when? Once you have a number and a timeline, UKARU's B2B plan covers progress management, study materials, and owner-facing reports end to end.

Start with a candidate list and a CCUS registration check.