WingNut

Someone had suggested that submitting a bunch of bank statements with your tax filing might invite unnecessary scrutiny or questioning from a lower-level TRD clerk. My response was meant to clarify that when I submitted my tax filing along with my bank statements, the clerk receiving my documents had no interest in scrutinizing them or asking many questions. I simply mentioned to her that I attached my bank statements showing the incoming transfers that added up to the total income figure I reported for the year. She made a note on one of the pages. I also pointed out that I had used a highlighter pen on the relevant transactions to make them easier to identify. That was the extent of the interaction on my attached bank statements, there was no further questioning or review.

Great, whatever works. Hopefully, there won’t be any questions about it from them in the future. I’m not saying there’s only one way to do things, I’m just sharing what I did. What I submitted wasn’t a requirement; it was simply a suggestion from the department head to include some supporting documentation for the income figure I reported from my overseas remittances in 2024. That said, I’m a bit confused. You mentioned filing tax returns in years prior to 2024 for money you had transferred in at the time. Why would you have done that before 2024?

I believe you can scan and upload additional documents when filing online if you so choose to do so, but I'm not certain. Yes, I had gone to the bank and requested they print out 12 months of 2024 original bank statements for me to submit to the tax office as part of my tax filing. I submitted those originals together with my tax return and they were stapled and attached to my PRD90 when it was submitted. Submitting original bank statements for tax purposes is no different from what I already do each year when renewing my long-term visa. The Thai Immigration Department requires me to submit 12 months of original bank statements as part of the visa extension process, so this procedure of submitting and handing over original bank statements to a Thai government office is nothing new.

Yes, I supplied them voluntary upon the advice given to me by the department head. I don't know what your second question refers to exactly, but I didn't find any of her subordinates to be clueless.

It was a hypothetical question, using a 2023 tax withholding statement as an example in case I decide to bring in more money in a future tax year that could exceed the tax-free limit. However, last year I did not transfer in an amount that exceeds the tax-free threshold, so I don't need to declare any overseas income tax paid for a tax credit on this year's return. My 2024 tax withholding statement won't be available until March of this year, which is why I showed her the 2023 statement purely as a sample. No, obviously not. That wasn't the question I asked her. See above.

Thank you. As I mentioned in my previous post, hopefully, we’ll get more clarity from the TRD on this matter going forward, particularly regarding how DTAs should be addressed within the PRD90 forms. Until then, I have no plans to transfer in any amount of funds that might put me in a position where I could owe tax. So this isn't an issue I will personally need to consider much, or with any degree of certainty at this point. That said, all the uncertainty surrounding Thai tax laws in general and discussions about potential further restrictions on foreign residents overall has made me a bit weary and to further reconsider the risks of keeping too much on deposit in local banks. If regulations were to change in a way that further negatively impacts foreigners, I wouldn’t want to have too much tied up here. Of course, I’ll always need to maintain a certain balance for visa purposes, and some additional funds to cover day to day expenses, but beyond that, I think I’ll take the opposite approach from now on by spending down more of my local reserves rather than continuing to transfer in more in the future to further add to them.

Thank you. I was fortunate enough to transfer in a fair amount right before 2024, so I have enough Baht to cover most of my spending in Thailand for the next couple of years, assuming no large, unforeseen purchases. Bringing in only a nominal amount each year, which is still within the tax-exempt threshold, helps to top up my Baht savings and extend the time before I need to transfer in larger amounts again in the future. This also allows me to wait a couple more years to see how the DTA issue develops with the TRD, which has also been on my mind ever since the announcement of these tax changes for residents. That said, as I mentioned in a previous post, I already discussed this with a woman at the tax office. I showed her one of my overseas statements that displayed both income and tax withholding from a couple of years ago as an example, and she told me that I could report the withheld tax as a credit on page 4, section 11, line 13, which is the section where one can enter foreign tax credits to offset Thai tax liability. However, as others have pointed out within this topic, that may not technically be the correct place to report it. So, as you said, hopefully, we’ll get more clarity on this matter going forward from the TRD to where they address the issue of DTAs within the PRD90 forms and with greater precision. .

There was no discussion with any lower level TRD agent regarding my bank statements when I submitted them together with my tax filing. The woman who accepted my tax filing also showed no interest in reviewing my attached documents in general. She only asked what they were and why I was submitting them and then briefly glanced at the form to ensure I had filled in all the numbers correctly. After that, she simply stapled everything together and sent me to the next counter, where I submitted the entire package. At the final submission counter, they also didn’t review my forms. They simply entered the information into the system and issued a receipt. Additionally, my bank statements contain no exempt remittances, only the remittances I reported. When I submitted the bank statements with my tax return, I highlighted all remittances with a highlighter pen, and the total of those highlighted amounts matched the amount declared as income on my filing, making it easy for anyone to cross reference the figure stated as income in my tax return. The head of the department responsible for assisting with tax form preparation had specifically advised to me prior that submitting a tax return without any supporting documents, just a single income figure on the form, is not recommended as it could raise questions. So I followed that recommendation and attached my bank statements. They are free to call me in for an audit if they choose, but nothing will change. The numbers are clearly outlined on my bank statements, and there is nothing that should raise further issues. The statements also contain a few transfers between my own local Thai bank accounts, but those are unlikely to be an issue of question either. As I mentioned earlier, I have no intention of bringing in any non assessable income from overseas. I don’t have any non assessable pensions, and I would never attempt to bring in large amounts of long term savings while claiming they are non assessable because they were earned prior to 2024. Those are discussions I have no interest in having. The only money I will ever bring in each year will be an amount that qualifies as tax exempt because of the standard deductions and allowances, unless it becomes clear in the future that they start recognizing DTAs and allow tax that was already paid overseas to properly be declared and credited on an annual Thai tax return. But that still remains to be seen. Quoting further from a post I made previously within this topic: I’ve now decided to avoid transferring any money this year (2025) that exceeds the tax-exempt threshold. Instead, I’ll transfer in only the maximum tax-free amount, as I did last year, and reassess the situation moving forward. I wouldn’t want to find myself in a situation next year where I unexpectedly owe a bunch of taxes on money I transferred in this year. Hopefully, by 2026, there will be clearer guidelines on how to claim foreign taxes already paid under double taxation treaties and then maybe I will bring in more again in the future. That said, you should do whatever you feel is best for yourself. As I have already explained, any information I share on this topic is purely based on my personal experience and opinion. It is not intended as tax advice for anyone else.

Your welcome. The truth is that due to FATCA, many overseas financial institutions refuse to open accounts for Americans to avoid the nuisance of the complex IRS compliance requirements. While Thailand is an helpful exception, in many developed countries, it's significantly more difficult for Americans to even open bank accounts. This means it's also more challenging for Americans to live life as an expat in some Western countries.

Your welcome. I’ve had a Thai TIN for nearly 30 years now because I used to work in Thailand for many years. It originally started as a 10-digit number, which was later changed to a 13-digit number about 10-15 years ago. Then, just yesterday, I canceled my old 13-digit TIN, and my Thai pink card number (also 13 digits) became my new TIN. So, for me, there has never been any question about whether I should have one or not, I’ve always needed one. However, if you have overseas bank accounts or brokerage accounts, whether you are employed or not, you’re typically required to provide a TIN to that financial institution. If you provide your TIN from your home country but reside in Thailand, I believe you should be supplying a Thai TIN. The purpose of providing a TIN to financial institutions is that it should be tied to your country of tax residency. This means that anyone residing in Thailand for more than 180 days per year is considered a Thai tax resident and should have a Thai TIN for any overseas banking purposes. I’m also surprised to hear there might be reluctance to issue a Thai TIN to some foreigners, as issuing one would be another way to bring more people into the tax system and eventually have them start paying taxes. This push to bring more people into the system seems to align with the current effort to tax residents, many of whom are foreigners, on their overseas income brought into Thailand. So any reluctance to issue one is a bit surprising. I wonder what the TRD would say you have no income in Thailand, but that you reside here and need a Thai TIN for overseas banking purposes?

Thank you for your kind words. If the info is useful in some way then that is great. 🙏

Surprisingly, it seems that some TRD district offices have no knowledge of DTAs at all. Hopefully, within the next year or two, they will become more familiar with them, especially as more foreigners file tax returns for income brought into Thailand that has already been taxed overseas.

When I spoke to the woman at the TRD yesterday, I got the impression that she was aware of the existence of DTAs and had a general understanding of the major countries that have them in place. However, I can’t say how deep her knowledge on the subject extends beyond that. Since DTAs are part of Thai taxation, one would expect TRD district offices to have at least some familiarity with these agreements. Presumably, DTAs are used not only by foreigners but also by Thais who have earned income abroad and paid taxes on it. So this shouldn’t be an unfamiliar topic to any TRD office, even those in rural areas. For example, migrant workers from rural provinces who work overseas in the agriculture industry may pay taxes abroad and then still need to declare that income in Thailand too in cases where they are transferring the money into Thailand.

That’s absolutely correct, but the future remains uncertain. If fewer than 50% of foreign residents aren’t filing an annual tax return, it seems like a natural progression to encourage compliance or at least require them to obtain a tax clearance certificate. Of course, this may never happen, and we’ll have to wait and see. However, I believe it’s wise to be prepared for that possibility, and at this point, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if such a requirement were eventually introduced.

You're welcome. I think including bank statements is a great idea and that is why I am doing it, even though it isn't compulsory. From my conversations with the TRD, I got the impression that when you submit a tax return, they expect to see supporting documents along with it. If you simply declare an income amount without any presenting documentation, there could be questions later about the source and how the figure was determined. This is standard for any tax filing in general. So, if you don’t include supporting documents with your return, you may be opening the door to potential scrutiny down the line.

In the United States, several laws and regulations require individuals to provide their Social Security Number (SSN) when opening a foreign (overseas) bank account, particularly when they are U.S. persons (citizens, residents, or entities). These laws primarily include: 1. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) – 2010 - Law: 26 U.S.C. § 6038D and Internal Revenue Code (IRC) § 1471-1474 What It Does: FATCA requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to identify U.S. account holders and report their account details to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Why Your SSN Is Required: U.S. persons (citizens, green card holders, residents) must provide their SSN or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) so that foreign banks can report their financial information to the IRS. Non-compliance may lead to withholding penalties or account restrictions.

Good idea. that’s essentially my plan as well for now, at least until we see how things unfold over the next year. When you say you’ll only bring in a maximum of 120,000, is there a specific reason for that amount? I believe the first 150,000 is already tax-exempt, plus you would have a personal allowance on top of that.

Yes, that definitely seems like a possibility. However, not filing at all could also create issues later on, as we’ve discussed. It’s certainly a tough decision for anyone in that situation.

That sounds very promising, but it still seems risky. Once the money is transferred in, if they reject whatever form of statement is provided, it may be too late, and the tax would have to be paid. Personally, I wouldn’t take that risk, especially since I’m not planning any large purchases in the foreseeable future. However, for those who need to do it, I imagine they’ll give it a try. Hopefully, it works out for them. We may hear stories in the future about failed attempts to avoid taxation on large sums brought in as prior savings.

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback. Sorry for my lengthy reply to follow, but I’ll do my best to address all your questions in one go and then share a few additional thoughts I’ve gathered after reading everything you’ve all written. Of course, anything I decide to do with my tax situation is based on my own circumstances and is not necessarily the right approach for others, so none of this is intended to be advice, just sharing my ideas. Now that I understand there’s no specific section on the tax form to claim taxes already paid on overseas-earned income (such as using section 11, line 13 to claim a foreign tax credit), I’ve now decided to avoid transferring any money this year that exceeds the tax-exempt threshold. Instead, I’ll transfer in only the maximum tax-free amount, as I did last year, and reassess the situation moving forward. I wouldn’t want to find myself in a situation next year where I unexpectedly owe a bunch of taxes on money I transferred in this year. Hopefully, by 2026, there will be clearer guidelines on how to claim foreign taxes already paid under double taxation treaties and then maybe I will bring in more again in the future. I now have a better understanding of what qualifies as non-accessible income. Since my income is not from a pension, it is entirely accessible. Additionally, while savings accumulated from prior years may be considered non-accessible and not subject to tax in Thailand, I wouldn’t personally attempt to claim money brought in as past savings to avoid taxation. That seems like a gray area I’d rather not try to navigate with the possibility of the claim being outright rejected, even with proper bank documentation, so I’ll avoid doing that going forward as well. It seems risky though not to file a tax return at all, especially for the next few years, even if all of one’s income is considered non-accessible. If I were in that situation, I’d still attempt to report a certain amount of it as accessible income if at all possible, keeping it below the taxable threshold, but in order to at least demonstrate compliance with filing and avoid drawing unnecessary attention otherwise. I’ve heard of people who exclusively use overseas debit cards and carry only cash in and out of the country, never using local banks or transfers. However, I don’t think that’s a viable long-term strategy either. Making inward transfers and declaring some income seems like the best approach, as otherwise, one might risk being questioned about how they sustain themselves in Thailand without any reported income at all, no local bank balances, and no inward transfers. Of course, there are legitimate reasons for handling finances this way that are not illegal, but I believe it’s a conversation best avoided by simply following expected standards, transferring some money in, and filing a tax return. That’s just my perspective and the approach I would take in that situation but again, everyone’s situation is different. As for the bank statements the tax officer suggested I submit, my bank only provides monthly statements, not annual consolidated ones. Initially, I only requested statements from the bank for the months with incoming transfers, assuming that would be sufficient. However, I later realized that submitting only selected months might raise questions later about whether I’m withholding information about incoming transfers from the other months not submitted. To avoid any suspicion, I’ll request the remaining statements from my bank and then submit all 12 months of statements as supporting documents when I file my tax return. I also decided not to request a tax refund for the interest withheld on my bank interest earnings in Thailand from last year. Given the small amount I’d receive, I believe it’s best not to draw any unnecessary attention in that area. In my opinion, the effort isn’t worth the potential scrutiny and diminishing returns. Regarding the language I used when speaking at the tax office, I conducted all discussions in Thai, as I’m fortunate to be proficient enough to do so. To be honest, I’m not sure how far I would’ve gotten though if I had been attempting to discuss these matters with them in English.

Thank you Sheryl. My income is not from a retirement income source or a pension, so I assume that is why my remittances are assessable. What types of income are generally non-assessable? If it were me I would still try to file by telling the tax office that you want to file a tax return in order to have a record of reporting the income you remitted into Thailand in 2024, thus to avoid any penalties in the future for not filing. It surprises me though that there is no way on the current tax forms to indicate non-assessable income. Although this all sounds tricky, there has to be some kind of solution for all of this as I assume many others will be facing the same issue.

Earlier this week, I visited my local district tax office to request filing a tax return for the 2024 tax year (Thai year 2567). I explained that I am a retired resident of Thailand and that I transferred some of my overseas income into my Thai bank account last year, which is the income I would like to report. However, the total amount I transferred in 2024 was below the minimum income threshold for tax liability, so no tax is due. The tax officer informed me that filing a return is now required if you reside in Thailand for more than 180 days during the calendar year, even if no tax is owed. While I was already aware of this new requirement, her mention of it confirmed that the district office is up-to-date on the changes to personal income tax reporting for residents, which we all know began as of last year. She further explained that filing, even without any tax due, is also beneficial in case I am questioned in the future. Having a copy of my tax return will serve as evidence of compliance and help avoid possible penalties for failing to file in the future in case any questions arise. It would also help to avoid possible problems with visa extensions in case the Immigration Department ever starts requiring copies of tax return filings in the future to obtain a visa extension on the basis of retirement. The first step was to cancel my old Thai tax ID number (which was issued about 15 years ago) and update it to match the Thai ID number on my new Thai pink ID card. This required filling out a form, submitting a few photocopies of passport, visa, and Thai pink ID card, and took about 20 minutes to complete. Next, she prepared my tax return for me based on the figure I provided to her for the amount I transferred into my Thai bank account in 2024. The officer recommended also submitting bank statements showing all of my incoming transfers for the calendar year. Although attaching the bank statements isn't compulsory, she said it could help avoid potential audits and save me time in the future. After finishing preparing the tax return, I then went to the bank to obtain the necessary statements for the months that I had incoming transfers. I now plan to return to the tax office to file the return, along with the newly obtained supporting bank statements. Since the funds I transferred in are from overseas income that has already been taxed, I asked if I could claim the tax already paid if, for example, I exceed the tax-free threshold with additional transfers in 2025. She confirmed that I could, as long as I provide documentation from the overseas income source showing the income and the amount of tax already paid/withheld. She also directed me to the relevant section on the PND 90 personal income tax form, which I believe is page 4, section 11, line number 13 where one can enter in the amount of tax credits and/or tax withheld overseas to apply to one's Thai tax liability in Thailand. This would help reduce or potentially eliminate any Thai income tax liability on overseas income transferred into Thailand which has already been taxed overseas. I'm still undecided about whether I'll transfer in more money this year than I did last year, which would then require me to include additional documentation for my overseas income source and taxes already paid if I do. I'll make a decision as the year progresses, but at least I now know they seem to honor the double taxation treaties. There's also a section on the tax form it seems (as noted above) where I can claim a credit for any taxes paid and withheld overseas. It's at least reassuring to know, if it comes to any of this, that I can potentially claim credit for any overseas income tax already paid.

About six months ago I picked up an "HJC i10 Robust". Really nice, full face helmet. Heavier than some, but that's a good thing in terms of safety. Excellent build quality. I got it for 4,700 Baht and it is Snell approved. Which means it's also track approved as well. Many of their other models are not Snell approved though. So if Snell is also important to you then the i10 Robust is a good choice. HJC is a Korean brand which now sells more helmets worldwide than any other brand. Top quality stuff in general and at reasonable prices. That's why they seem to dominate the world market now.

I recently changed tires again on my older Honda CBR250R. And since buying the bike new in 2011, I've had various sets of tires on there. First I had the original IRC tires on there that came with the bike, which, after a while, I discovered were awful, very slippery, and eventually turned hard as a rock after using them for not very long. I'm glad I got rid of them when I did. I felt like they were a liability and a danger driving on them after a while. Then I think my second set of tires were a pair of Michelin Pilot Street tires. They were fine, but nothing to write home about if I'm to be honest. And they even seemed a bit slippery at times too. After that, I switched to a Thai brand which were very inexpensive, a brand called Quick at the time. But they are no longer available as far as I know. I really liked those. Very sticky and really good quality IMHO. But then I had to switch brands again when that brand became no longer available. So after those, I switched to a pair of Corsa tires made in Indonesia, this was back in 2021. They were really good and I liked them. Drove around on those for a bit longer than 3 years, but I only put about 6000 km on them as I don't drive very often or far distances anyway. Then, eventually, they started to get a bit hard last year so then I decided to change tires again. Then, a few weeks ago, I was going to replace the existing Corsa pair with a new pair of the same tires, but when I checked the price now, the cost had risen by about 50%. Seemed like too much for Indonesian made tires. Maybe the import duty had gone up on them, but I'm not sure. So I started looking into other options for about the same price and I discovered that Continental, the German tire brand, started manufacturing tires locally in Thailand in their own factory for smaller bikes with a line of sport touring tires that they named ContiRoad tires. These ContiRoad tires were basically the same price as the Corsa tires from Indonesia. But these are made by a German company, which I prefer. I believe they started the factory up in 2021, so they're still fairly new to manufacturing tires here in Thailand. And I paid about ฿4000 for the pair, installed. Seems like good value. I've had them on the bike for a few weeks now. As I said, I don't ride very much, and mainly just locally, so I've only put a bit over 100 km on these new tires thus far. But they look really good. Meaning, the rubber is very nice, soft, and the treads look really high-quality in terms of design. They remind me of the high quality of the imported Continental tires I've had on my bigger bike for many years already. These new tires are still in what's considered to be the "break-in period" for the first 200 km, but last night I did do a bit of cornering on them to push them a bit more to see how they handle and they were fine. No slipping at all. Felt just perfect. I was wondering if anyone else has tried out any of these newer tires from Continental made in Thailand yet and can share any further thoughts on them?

Just wondering if anyone has any experience collecting a Thai passport from the Department of Consular Affairs office in CW? Are there normally long queues and waiting times to pick up a passport? Or any other things one can do to save time when picking it up? The passport is ready. So it just needs to be collected. I just want to make sure I go about it in the right way so I don't waste time making any mistakes. Thank you.