Payroll Publishes March 2026 Wage Index 'QPI'
Payroll and QUICK have released the confirmed March 2026 QPI (QUICK Payroll Wage Index). The disposable income QPI rose by +3.43% year-on-year, significantly exceeding the inflation rate. This increase is primarily due to a continued low rise in income tax burden, while stipulated wage QPI also maintained strong growth. Caution is advised regarding potential price re-inflation due to geopolitical risks.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 19:42 (6h 10m after Collected)
Regarding the new wage index "QPI (QUICK Payroll Wage Index)" jointly developed by Payroll Co., Ltd. and QUICK Co., Ltd., we are pleased to announce the confirmed March 2026 QPI and the QPI Monthly Report.
In the calculation results for March, the disposable income QPI recorded a significant positive level, +3.43% year-on-year, approximately 1.9 percentage points above the inflation rate (1.5% as of January). While there is some element of rebound from the low growth last year (+0.84%), the primary factor for the increase in take-home pay is the continued suppression of the income tax burden increase to an extremely low level of +0.27%. The stipulated wage QPI also maintained high growth exceeding 3% at +3.22%, with clear trends showing both gross and net income surpassing inflation. On the other hand, concerns about re-inflation due to geopolitical risks remain, and attention is needed regarding the future movement of real purchasing power.
March 2026
February 2026
Stipulated Wage QPI
+3.22%
+3.11%
Disposable Income QPI
+3.43%
+2.90%
Local Tax QPI
+2.26%
+2.13%
Income Tax QPI
+0.27%
+0.93%
Social Insurance Premium QPI
+2.46%
+2.34%
*For details, please refer to the QPI Monthly Report (March 2026).
*Numbers are rounded to the nearest decimal, so the difference from the previous month may not match the stated figures.
*The data used for analysis is used only for customers who have agreed by contract, and is used without identifying individuals or specific companies.
The preliminary announcement of the April 2026 data is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2026, and the confirmed announcement for Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
About Payroll Co., Ltd.
Established on April 1, 1989. Since its founding, the company has primarily provided payroll processing BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) services for large corporations, handling payroll for 257 companies and 1.14 million employees (as of the end of March 2026). Payroll's general-purpose payroll service "HR BPaaS" integrates proprietary cloud HR payroll software with payroll BPO services, characterized by its high flexibility and scalability while accommodating complex payroll logic unique to customers and promoting standardization for all customers.
In Japan, where the working population is expected to decline, Payroll aims to become a soft infrastructure company that handles specialized operational tasks for HR departments, supporting an environment where HR departments can focus on more strategic work.
In the calculation results for March, the disposable income QPI recorded a significant positive level, +3.43% year-on-year, approximately 1.9 percentage points above the inflation rate (1.5% as of January). While there is some element of rebound from the low growth last year (+0.84%), the primary factor for the increase in take-home pay is the continued suppression of the income tax burden increase to an extremely low level of +0.27%. The stipulated wage QPI also maintained high growth exceeding 3% at +3.22%, with clear trends showing both gross and net income surpassing inflation. On the other hand, concerns about re-inflation due to geopolitical risks remain, and attention is needed regarding the future movement of real purchasing power.
March 2026
February 2026
Stipulated Wage QPI
+3.22%
+3.11%
Disposable Income QPI
+3.43%
+2.90%
Local Tax QPI
+2.26%
+2.13%
Income Tax QPI
+0.27%
+0.93%
Social Insurance Premium QPI
+2.46%
+2.34%
*For details, please refer to the QPI Monthly Report (March 2026).
*Numbers are rounded to the nearest decimal, so the difference from the previous month may not match the stated figures.
*The data used for analysis is used only for customers who have agreed by contract, and is used without identifying individuals or specific companies.
The preliminary announcement of the April 2026 data is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2026, and the confirmed announcement for Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
About Payroll Co., Ltd.
Established on April 1, 1989. Since its founding, the company has primarily provided payroll processing BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) services for large corporations, handling payroll for 257 companies and 1.14 million employees (as of the end of March 2026). Payroll's general-purpose payroll service "HR BPaaS" integrates proprietary cloud HR payroll software with payroll BPO services, characterized by its high flexibility and scalability while accommodating complex payroll logic unique to customers and promoting standardization for all customers.
In Japan, where the working population is expected to decline, Payroll aims to become a soft infrastructure company that handles specialized operational tasks for HR departments, supporting an environment where HR departments can focus on more strategic work.