Tequila Sunrise

Thanks. I will ask my HR whether they filed a tax return for me covering the 2022 tax year. They pay me net of taxes each month so it seems they somehow know how much tax I need to pay, this is odd as some of my salary is variable (e.g., annual bonus) so not sure how they know or whether they do adjustments. Thanks for the advice on going to a big-4 firm. Another member also recommended a smaller firm that I assume he personally vouches for. Trust me, all recommendations are gratefully received and I will follow up on these. I do appreciate the help. I have joined the gym, but find most people are walking around with their headphones on not being sociable. Anyway, this is something I can work on. What I meant by friends is someone who has been in Thailand years and has made all the newbie mistakes and can share what works and what doesn't work. It's difficult when working as my free time is extremely limited.

Yes, I am definitely concerned about paying lots of taxes. I understand that a good CPA can cover their costs and more. I started my employment on 7 November 2022 so I guess I was finding accommodation and settling in and assumed that for less than 2 months' employment the tax wouldn't be able to claim much of a refund. I never signed anything or saw any sight of any tax return so I have no idea if it was done or not. I'm OK to let last year go but would like to be better prepared this year. If you notice from my other posts I was asking if anyone can recommend a CPA. My situation might be different to yours as I have no support network in Thailand, I do not yet have a single friend. This is why I joined the forums to seek some hopefully genuine advice. I wouldn't like to just Google "Thai CPA" and select one from the list. Great news. I have collected my LTR HSP today. A very smooth process although my advice is allow 3 to 4 hours as it is not a quick process. My appointment lasted just over 3 hours. Next step is to apply for my work permit. I will share my experience on whether it's a simple process and how long it takes.

My experience on LTR HSP Visa online application: Applied 1st Jun 2023 and have my appointment for Visa collection tomorrow 25th October 2023. At no point did they revert my application requesting for more documents etc. I think it's just a case of sit and wait and maybe keep the pressure on by occasionally calling them to get a progress update. Take with a pinch of salt but I recently spoke to someone from Siam Legal over Line messaging who told me some applications are taking up to 8 months to complete.

This is extremely good info. Last year I did not file any tax return myself so I am assuming my company did it for me. I also assume I have missed out on any chance to optimize my taxes for last year and I do not want to make the same mistake this year. My internal HR and Finance team are a large centralized service serving many hundreds of employees hence no offense to them but you do not receive a very empathetic or personalized service. I think I would rather make my own arrangements with a third party advisor. I'm trying to get the process nailed then I can share back on this group any experiences.

🙂 Yes, I thought it might be an emotive topic. It seems Thailand in general is a mask loving society. There are people in my office who in the 1 year I have worked here I have never seen their face (no exaggeration). Their mask never comes off, even in meetings where they are speaking or presenting. I've even been at my gym, Virgin Active, and seen people running on the treadmills still wearing a mask. I just put it down to personal preference, let people wear the masks if they feel that's the best option for them. Regarding masks at the OSS office. No problem for me, I just follow the rules. It's a public place so there's some logic in requesting masks. I politely complied. In any case I didn't want to annoy them as I was there seeking their help 🙂

Thanks, mate. Just to share my experience of rocking up at the OSS office this morning without an appointment. I couldn't have been treated more nicely. Great experience. Very friendly staff. No queuing. I just quoted my document number and they had a decent computer system and could find my records. They were able to somehow push the application over the line which I do not think would have happened if I hadn't have gone there face to face. Only one slight thing to report, which in no way bothers me. The OSS told me they still have a mandatory mask wearing policy so I had to wear a mask from entering to leaving. Luckily I had a mask in my laptop bag and I have no issues wearing it if that is the rules.

I am an honest and abiding person, I accept to pay what is due by the laws of the land. However, in all countries there's tricks and ways for those who understand the rules of the game to optimize things. If it's too murky I would avoid it but if it's a legal trick then why not. Wasn't there a famous anecdote where Warren Buffett legally paid less tax than his secretary 🙂 Good news on the LTR HSP visa application. I went down to BOI OSS office this morning in person. Bright and early, I was stood on the doorstep as they opened. They were really nice, professional and welcoming even though I had no appointment. They looked at my application on the system, spoke in Thai for a while then told me they will ensure my application is progressed. By the time I reached home and checked my email the status has changed to approved and I have made my appointment for next week to go for the stamping. After that I believe I just need to apply for the work permit. No explanation was given as to why the application got stuck but I didn't ask for an explanation and I guess it no longer matters. My tax should change to the 17% flat rate and I guess I should accept that and quit whilst I'm ahead. I think 17% is globally competitive so I have no complaints. Many thanks to all who helped, I hope to become a useful and active member of this forum so I can share back my experiences. I think the LTV HSP is probably the most difficult application? As quite a lot of documentation is required but since I went through the process I might be able to help other who want to acquire this visa.

Thanks for this, mate. Very much appreciated.

Thanks. Would you be able to give me a pointer in the right direction to any said "well connected" Thai accountant? I am struggling in Thailand, been here 1 year and haven't made a single friend or connection. Been deceitfully scammed more than once and cannot speak the lingo so basically get ripped off every single day. The work here is much harder than I thought it would be, very long hours and I am the only foreigner in a team of 300 people. Most people in my company can speak great English but they choose not to and I'm starting to feel very alone and lost. My day is basically 8am-8pm work, grab some dinner and sleep. Repeat. Weekends I'm so tired I just stay around the condo and rest. I don't want to give up as I see many expats here have a great life. I have been reading posts on this forum and people seem nice, informative and having a decent sense of humor. Hence I signed up for some friendly support. My current annual income tax liability is millions of THB. I don't want to state the number as it's not polite but let's say more than 4 million and less than 6 million.

Thanks. I am already here in Bangkok, living and working here for the last 1 year on what I think is called a Non-O visa? The visa was provided by my company. I'm trying to convert said visa to the LTR-HSP to help save on tax liabilities. If I shared how much tax I pay your eyes would water. Can you/anyone recommend a good/trustworthy Thai accountant that I can speak to about my taxes? I wish I had used an agent to help me process the application. Thai bureaucracy is not for the faint hearted. In fact to share a story I did use an agent. He collected all my documents and then insisted on 65,000 THB payment upfront. I paid and he disappeared 😞 when I contacted the agency to complain about this agent they basically said they cannot help and it is a police matter I should go to the police. Hence, I was off to a bad start and decided to do the application myself and it has been "stuck" for months. I contacted another agency and asked can I pay them to take over but they said sorry they can't take over any in progress application and that I would need to cancel my application and start again. As recommended I will go down to the BOI office and see why things are not progressing. I found the confirmation online that the LTR-HSP is immediately cancelled should I lose my job (I am assuming with no refund on the 10 year fee). It also states that if I move from one company to another company I need to get permission from BOI to continue the LTR. Thanks for reading and helping.

Hi, folks. Newbie member here, just joined today, this is my first post. A few quick questions to pick the brains of the experienced members: 1. I am in the process of applying for the LTR Visa Highly Skilled Professional. To say I exceed the requirements is an understatement, I am significantly over qualified on all criteria. However, I applied 5 months ago and my application is currently showing as "IMM / DOE pre-approve visa/WP Issuance." I have never been challenged or asked to provide any further documentation / evidence. My application seems to get stuck on each status for many weeks. Has anyone else experienced this? Can I assume it's just Thai inefficiency or is there perhaps something wrong? Maybe already approved too many so hit a short term quota? 2. I am already working in Thailand in the digital industry and am on a different type of work permit that was provided by my company. If/when I get the LTR HSP is this Visa tied to my job? If I lost my job would my LTR be immediately cancelled? Or would it remain valid for the full 5 years regardless? 3. On a separate but related note, I am paying an ungodly amount of taxation in Thailand. It is stopped at source by my company as I am a full time PAYE employee. Is there any way to get any of this tax paid back by using allowances, etc. The main reason I am applying for LTR HSP is to hopefully get the 17% flat rate tax instead of the current 35% I am paying. Many thanks for reading my newbie questions and I'd greatly appreciate any insights or replies. I am hoping to share back my experience of being a full time working professional in Thailand as I notice I might be in a minority category as it seems most members are (lucky) retirees. Additional info: UK Citizen, based in Bangkok. Thanks.