The system consists of nenkan (a right granted as a stipend to members of the Imperial family (including the emperor), consorts of the emperor, some Court nobles, and so forth to nominate a person for a certain government post conferred to them on the occasion of the annual installation of them as government officials) and nenshaku (a right granted as a stipend to a retired emperor, the mother of the Emperor Dowager, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and so forth to nominate a person for a certain rank conferred to them on the occasion of the annual conferment of a rank to them).
年官と年爵からなる。