What does point-hunting pay per hour? The per-task amount that matches Japan's minimum wage of ¥1,177, and the points a typical household earns in a year

The hourly pay of point-hunting (ポイ活) is what one task gives you divided by the time it takes. For fiscal 2026 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's council recommended a national weighted-average minimum wage of ¥1,177 (¥1,121 last year), which is about ¥19.6 a minute. A five-minute task needs ¥99 or more to match it.

What one task must pay to match the minimum wage

The least amount per task, rounded up to the yen, by minutes taken. Minimum wages differ by prefecture: in the recommendation the lowest is ¥1,085 (Miyazaki) and the highest ¥1,280 (Tokyo). Effective dates run from 1 October to 2 December 2026, depending on the prefecture.

The table counts 1 point as ¥1. Cash-out fees and expiry (see when points expire) can lower what you keep.

A typical household's base points per year

This applies the share of spending paid in a way that earns points, and a reward rate, to the Household Survey's 2025 consumption. The share is shown two ways: METI's cashless ratio (58.0% on its domestic measure) and 100%, an upper bound where everything earns points. The cashless ratio is a national figure, not any one household's share, and consumption includes spending that cannot be paid by card.

For two-or-more-person households, 58% at 1.0% is ¥21,854 a year and at 1.2% ¥26,225. Worker households (consumption ¥346,297) earn ¥49,867 a year if everything earns 1.2%; single-person households (¥173,042) earn ¥24,918. At the ¥1,177 minimum wage, the 58% and 1.0% case (¥21,854) is about 18.6 hours of work.

What tax does to the hourly pay

The National Tax Agency treats points earned on a purchase as a discount, so they are not taxed. If you report survey-type points as miscellaneous income, tax comes off. An employee on a ¥5M salary (age 35, no dependants) who earns ¥300,000 of miscellaneous income pays ¥52,155 more income and resident tax and keeps about 82.6%. The hourly pay for the same work falls by that share.

The details are in is point-hunting taxable?

The trap of buying extra

Even at 3%, spending ¥10,000 returns ¥300 and ¥9,700 leaves your wallet. Buying things you did not need for the points increases spending. Only the reward on things you were going to buy, and the time you spent, belong in an hourly figure.

What this page has not verified

• What particular point-hunting tasks (surveys, point-site offers) actually pay and how long they take. I did not look up individual companies' offers; the table is a yardstick to apply to your own task.
• The share of spending earning points differs by household. 58% is a national ratio and 100% is an assumed upper bound.
• Minimum wages are the recommended amounts and take effect on different dates by prefecture. Your employer's rules on side work were not checked.

This is a general calculation from official statistics and the council's recommendation (checked on 11 October 2026), not tax, legal, or financial advice.