Mike Teavee

4 hours ago, n00dle said:

so far he seems to be correct.... unless you have evidence to the contrary.

Seems he was sent to jail for refusing to cooperate (speak with Police) & remains there having refused his wife’s offer to pay bail or any help from his embassy 

just seems to be refusing to acknowledge anything happened

1 hour ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

To be clear, for the retirement visa all they require is that you will not be working in Thailand... it does not prevent you from getting a work permit though which would allow you to work in Thailand, but the retirement visa does not...   People retire and work at the same time... in fact my father did... he retired from head of a public Technical College in one province - and was able to collect his pension and start working at another 

There is nothing to stop you claiming your Pension & Working elsewhere (or even at the same place) but you cannot get a Work Permit on a Non-IMM O "Retirement" Visa so you would need to switch to a Non-IMM O "Marriage" Visa or get a Non-IMM B / one of the BOI Visas (a couple of the LTR Visas allow you to work).

I would suggest your father either had a Work Permit or a Non-IMM O "Retirement" Visa but not both.

Irrelevant to this thread anyway as the Swiss guy was on a Business Visa despite what was printed in a couple of the papers, there would have been an absolute <deleted> storm if he'd been found to have a Retirement Visa at age 45. 

14 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

So can the Thai tax authorities, contact the UK tax authorities to check the tax status of a UK citizen residing in Thailand ?

I guess they probably could, but I can't see why they would & if they wanted to know that information are much more likely to ask you to show you're UK tax resident rather than ask HMRC. 

Even if you're claiming relief under a DTA then being UK Tax Resident alone wouldn't be enough proof, you would need to show that you've paid Tax on that income in the UK via something like a UK Tax Return or P60 etc... & these are things that you would have regardless of UK Tax Resident status.

19 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Check out Utube on rents, but bet you'll find higher rent and lower quality condition than Thailand. Unless you want that third worldish experience, I'd pick Thailand every time to live. I haven't been to Subic since 2019, it's fun to visit, just not to live.

 

8-9 years back my Ex went back to Uni to finish her degree & over the years I rented 2 different apartments for her in Davao City, both we're >15,000 THB equivalent & would go for more like 5,000 THB in Pattaya.

1 thing you need to make sure is that the room has hot water & AirCon, I viewed rooms that didn't have them (or had them but the boiler/AC Unit was owned by the tenant & they were taking the units with them) so you were expected to provide your own or go without! 

Another example, 5-6 years ago I considered a job move to Bonifacio Global City & looking at the Condo prices for units within walking distance of the office, they were more expensive than what I was paying in Singapore for similar units.

BGC is a really nice place though, if I had to work/live in Manila I'd want to live in the BGC/Taquig area but for retirement I would choose Cebu or Davao & they remain my plan B from Thailand. 

This guy has some good advice on a range of health & wellness topics for >50s… 

15 hours ago, Stocky said:

We use Maxim a lot in Hat Yai, very reliable and you know what you're paying, so better than the laughable Hat Yai (No) Meter taxis, and cheaper and more comfortable than a local tuk-tuk. 

 

I've used Grab in Bangkok, with varying results.

Always used Grab in Hat Yai & found the drivers very reliable (Had 2 very positive experiences with 1 driver being very understanding when I booked the wrong "Central" hotel for pickup, another let us know that the restaurant we were aiming for had moved & took us to the right place. 

I haven't heard of Maxim before but will download it now & use it try it out on my next trip to Satun.

The Thais clearly didn’t spot the beach towel he’d left there early that morning…

15 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

you don't understand how Thais do numbers. I hope you are a newbie otherwise the post is embarrassing.

I’m confused, Thai’s do numbers like everybody else or were you trying to be funny (it didn’t work but then again it is 6:20am so my sense of humour might not have woken up yet)  - but 10,000 units X 146 is 1.46Million even on the Fahrenheit scale (Hey, my sense of humour is waking up 😊).
 

Edit: The only reason I made the post is because the author writes Millions instead of Billions 2 out of 2 times, once is careless but twice would seem to suggest that she genuinely meant Millions.

Yes you do need the 800K in the bank at least 2 months before your extension is due but would be best to say which immigration office you’re using so people can give you a more accurate response. 
 

E.G. About 5 months back Jomtien IO changed their requirements so you now need a TM30 dated since your last entry into Thailand when doing your extension, previously any TM30 was ok.
 

16 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

That pension will have been subject to the UK tax process but not taxed

I’d word this part differently…

“That pension will have been subject to the UK tax process & taxed at the 0% rate). 
 

1 hour ago, john donson said:

if your passbook has monthly updates, that is...

 

it is my first renewal after my initial retirement extension last year.

 

I was on other type non-o before (Parent of Thai child)Technically you need to show that… 

As this is not your 1st extension, (technically) you need to show that… 
   1. You maintained 800K in your account for at least 3 months after your previous extension. 
   2. You maintained at least 400K for 7 months after that 

   3. You have had at least 800K in the bank for the previous 2 months. 
 

So (Technically) a 12 month statement is required. 
 

Practically it depends on which Immigration Office you use, some want 12 months others might be happy with as little as 3 months, best to go in & check with them if you can. 

8 hours ago, roobaa01 said:

G' day

 

If I calculate a fiktiv Pension income Overseas of thb 490000 annually from Europe I would

receive the first then thb 150000 tax free, then tax rebate thb 100000 as pension receiver , another  tax rebate THB 120000 for being 65 + , then tax rebate thb 120000 for being married so it comes down to zero right. Hence why would I need to file a tax return?

 

Wbr

Roobaa01

Because the Revenue Department might want to check that you're calculations/allowances are correct E.g. are you sure you get another 120,000 for your wife? I thought this was 60,000 - But then again you haven't included the 60,000 that you are entitled to on top of the > 65 allowance.  

As an aside, I (via my accountant) have to file a Tax Return in the UK every year and every year it's either I don't need to pay any additional tax or they owe me a few pennies (literally like 12p or so) but it still costs me £240 for my accountant to file it :( 

22 hours ago, Badrabbit said:

I have 3 Pensions tottaling 75,000bht per month, London Fire Brigade, Tesco UK and the UK Government State Pension.

How do I get a tax Id code from, where do I go and will it cost me money.

You get your Tax Identification Number (TIN) from your local Tax office, it's free to get &  you'll need your Passport, Lease/Ownership Agreement, 2 Photos + Certificate of Residency with the stated purpose that it is for obtaining a TIN.

The Certificate of Residency is got from your local Immigration Office (300B) and will need your Passport, Lease/Ownership Agreement, 2 Photos + TM30 (Definitely need TM30 for Jomtien, not sure about other Immigration Offices), they will ask what it's for, just tell them it's to obtain a Tax Identification Number.

11 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

I'm very very worried about this, I have always done the right thing here, wear a crash helmet, have a licence, have never been a problem to anyone.

I've been very very ill over the last 3 years, I've got no one to help me, I don't know what to do or how to do it, I'm feeling very low and scared about my future now, Im 68 soon, I pay tax on my pensions from the UK and have done since being here(16 years) I want to do what's right but my mental health is a mess, I'm confused, scared and feel like life is not worth living, no I'm not going to anything silly I'm just very worried and in constant pain.

I honestly wouldn't worry about it as Thai RD already know how to handle people who's only income comes from Pensions & you can be assured that unless you have a huge pension any tax due in Thailand will be minimal. 

I'm not sure which country you're from but if you're from the UK you should get an annual statement for your Pensions (P60 for private ones, not sure what the State Pension one is called) & this/these are all you'll need to provide to the RD should you need to complete a Tax Return... They will pro-rata these out for you if your tax year doesn't align to the Thai Tax year (UK being 6th April - 5th April).

It's people who have more "Complicated" income like Salary/Income from Businesses outside of Thailand, Royalties, Capital Gains, Rental Income etc... That might have a harder job in completing their return & may need to file Tax Returns in the other countries to provide evidence to RD.

6 hours ago, jayboy said:

I know of at least two people who have recently acquired a TIN not so much because of the recent tax change but because their banks in Jersey and Isle of Man were making ominous noises they would be trouble ahead if they didn’t have one.

I got one in Feb 2023 because my UK banks were making noises about needing one.

Having jumped through the hoops to get one, I filed a Tax Return to reclaim the withheld interest from 2021 & 2022, still haven't received the refund so am in 2 minds about whether to bother filing a return for 2023. 

22 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

I am vaccilating between 2 different strategies:

 

1) spend less than 180 days in Thailand

 

2) not transmit so much cash into Thailand that I am liable for filing a tax return. This entails me wiring a boatload of money to Thailand in 2023, and then only sending my US Social Security pension in 2024. And, using my US bank account to make major payments in Thailand.

 

I am hoping that the entire tax scheme goes away, however. I just can't see the hordes of retirees in Thailand filing tax returns in 2025.

(Technically) if you spend > 179 days in Thailand and remit > 60K THB then you're liable to file a Tax return. Doesn't matter that this income is covered by a DTA, that will just mean that there is no tax to pay on it & it will be a "Nil Return".   

The reality thus far is they've let people decided for themselves whether any of the money they've remitted is taxable & whether they need to file a Tax Return, I don't see this changing anytime soon for somebody who's just bringing over US SS, but somebody who plans on transferring a large sum of money whilst being Tax Resident should probably file a return even if they know there's no Tax due at the end of it. 

FWIW I have the same plan, I'll live on the money I already have over her until either the situation becomes clearer & I feel safe bringing in my UK Rental/Dividend income (I'm 2 years away from getting the 1st of my pensions so this is the only income I get) OR spend 2026 non Tax resident during which I'll transfer over the 25% Tax Free lump sum I'll be taking when I get my pension*. 

*This 25% will be used to meet the $250,000 investment I need to make to get the Wealthy Pensioner Long Term Residency Visa (LTR), unless things change between now & then, this will mean that I don't have to pay Tax on income remitted in the same year it was earned once I have the Visa

If your income is >$80K pa OR is >$40K pa & you're willing to invest $250K (NB Existing Investments in Thailand count, so if you already had a Condo over her in your name that would count towards the $250K)  then it might be worth looking at getting an LTR.

On 1/17/2024 at 4:34 PM, Danderman123 said:

So, I am lounging in Copacabana, Brazil, part of 6 months outside of Thailand, wondering if there is an update on whether I will be required to file Thai income tax next year.

If you spend < 180 days in Thailand & earn less than 60K THB income from work/assets in Thailand then there is no need to file a Tax Return.

My passport will expire June 2025 so my plan is to either renew it on my next trip to the UK (May) or wait until after that trip & renew it when I get back. 
 

Either way I’ll be renewing it before my next extension is due (Sept).

Received the reminder email from (Jomtien) Immigration on Monday morning that my 90 Day Report was due on 30th January, applied at 5:51AM  & received the approval email at 3:16PM.

Friend of mine's 90 Day was also due on 30th January, he did his 1st Online application on Saturday & it was approved at 3:30PM on Tuesday (also Jomtien IO). 

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Why wouldn't it be God?

Dunno...