Pib

Cool...then you can indeed file for the U.S. tax return credit since you did attempt a remedy. But I've seen posts from some U.S. folks over the years who have tax withheld from Thai savings accts who don't file a Thai tax return/refund request (i.e., make no attempt to recover the withholding tax) say they just file for a credit/deduction on their U.S. tax return which is not allowed per IRS instructions as posted earlier.

Happens over and over in Thailand....implement a new program which only works for those possessing a Thai ID card with the program to be updated later-to-never to also work for foreigners with only a passport.

OP, As soon as I saw your comments below where you are running pool pumps during the day and occasional A/C usage "which is included one BIG 36KBTU A/C" (the 36K BTU is probably probably uses a double high outside fan unit which contains a BIG compressor...see image at bottom....an if it's "not" an invertor A/C then it will use about 35% more power than an invertor) I came to conclusion you are probably unaware that A/Cs, whether invertor or fixed speed A/Cs), can be BIG energy consumers....cost more to run than expected/assumed especially if you have been use to living in a small condo which takes a lot less to kept cool. The OP said: Assuming where you said, "....total amount by the kwh as shown on the bill a rate of more than 5 emerges... that means over Bt5 per KWH (it's your use of the word "emerges" that confuses me) then that means you are on a standard residential rate which would work out to around Bt5.5 when the basic rate, Ft charge, meter fee, tax, etc., is included. To help narrow down what equipment is using the most energy you should first turn off all power to your house using the main breaker and then check your electric meter to ensure it shows no power being drawn. If power is still being drawn then you have a problem....an electrical parasite. Hopefully your meter has a "wheel" that turns when power is being drawn....with such a meter even the slightest amount of power being drawn will show movement of that wheel. If running something like a pump, A/C, etc., the turning of the wheel can be easily seen moving along at a good clip....a very slow clip when little power is being drawn. Now if a meter doesn't have a wheel then it can get harder to immediately see a small usage of power unless you watch for a digital readout change after after 30 to 60 minutes....a lot depends on the design of that digital meter as to if/how it shows a small usage of power. You should also try to monitor your usage over a typical 24 hours of usage (day and night) "in order to get an idea of your typical daily usage"....you can then divide this by 24 to get an hourly usage which can come in handy for testing purposes. Now that you have some ballpark figures for usage over a 24 hour and hourly timeframes do some testing by running and not running certain equipment for an hour. Like if you keep that BIG 36K BTU A/C turned off for an hour did that hourly usage drop a lot. Even testing that small 12K BTU A/C by turning it off and on for hour will show a very significant power usage change. I also have a voltage/ammeter on the line coming into my home main circuit box....this makes it real easy to see what equipment uses the most power/amperage. Like when my water pump kicks on the amperage jumps up around 3 amps while the pump is running. It also allows you to see/test amperage/power draw of say an A/C....a very good way to get immediate feedback on how much energy different energy hogs in your house use when running.....then use some math as to how much that equates to baht wise over an hour, day, week, month, etc. I think you are going to find out your pool pumps and A/Cs are using more power than you thought they would use....you were just assuming they would not cost that much to run....but reality costs has now struck. I doubt you will find anyone is tapping into you power line....that can be a common reaction when your electric bill is more than you were expecting. I have a 2 story house in Bangkok....have 7 A/Cs in the house but only two of them are used routinely....the other 5 only get turned on for around 15 minutes every month or so to ensure they still work/exercise them a little. All A/Cs are set for a 26C temp....a setting of 21-23C would use a good amount more power since the A/Cs would have to work harder. The two A/Cs that get used a lot each day are Mitsubishi Invertor 24K BTU A/Cs.....one runs 24/7 to and the other for around 10-12 hours only during the night. I have 3 frigs and 3 fans that run pretty much 24/7....and then the typical fluorescent/LED lighting, TVs, routers, and other typical electrical stuff found in most households. No pool. Just have a home water pump that only turns on when drawing water within/around the house. My electric bill runs from the 13th to 13th of each month...for the last three months (HOT months) my KWH usage/bill has been 1407KWH/Bt7847 for Apr, 1528KWH/Bt8541 for May, and 1508 KWH/Bt8390 for June.....I expect around 80% of those bills is due to those two 24K BTU A/Cs. *************************************** A 36K BTU A/C is a BIG A/C.

Actually you can not take the credit if you do not exercise available remedies to reduce the amount "like filing a Thai tax return where you claim and receive a refund of the tax withheld. See below IRS info. https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1116

@oldcpu Keep in mind you can recover that withholding tax by filing an Thai income tax return/refund request each year during the Jan-Mar timeframe. In the past I did this for around 3 or 4 years when I was investing in some Thai bank "fixed savings" accounts. Not hard at all...full refund came in about a month.

Yes, I used the 9 inch by 6 inch envelope as that size allows half folding of the application and plenty of room for the passport.

As posted earlier, my Bangkok to Houston testing in mid 2019 indicated plain old airmail took 11 to 14 days to arrive. Registered airmail took 21 to 33 days to arrive....roughly twice as long as plain old air mail. 2 of the 3 registered airmails did not show final delivery. Getting thru the USPS International Service Center (ISC)/Customs at New York City was where the longest delay occurred....see below post for details of the testing.

USPS is basically saying their registered mail tracking can be spotty from origination to final delivery. Sometimes registered mail seems to get tracked really well along its trek...other times its spotty tracking. Seems to depend on which mail centers/offices the mail goes thru and to. Over the years of reading the annual 7162 posts on AseanNow those who have used registered mail and posted their USPS tracking results have shown results all over the map from quick & detailed delivery to Wilkes Barre while others have shown MIA, spotty, Lost in Space type tracking although the 7162 most likely reached Wilkes Barre SSA....it's just the tracking may not show stops along the way and final delivery. No shortage of USPS customer complaints regarding some mail taking a lot longer to reach some locations, poor tracking, etc. Now I'm a firm believer USPS has an outstanding final delivery statistic based on the Billions of pieces of mail they handle although mail quick arrival/tracking along the way may leave a lot to be desired. And after I did my own controlled regular and registered airmail tests from Bangkok to Houston and LA in mid 2019 (pre-pandemic) I came to the conclusion using regular airmail vs registered airmail resulted in a much faster delivery time and was also a lot cheaper....but no warm-fuzzy tracking which can often give a cold-prickly/angst feeling instead.

From the USPS website regarding Registered Mail https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Registered-Mail-The-Basics#:~:text=Registered Mail is kept highly,speed of delivery is important.

Probably arrived the USPS Internatioal Service Center (ISC) days ago without an arriving tracking scan being done. Probably still processing thru the ISC/Customs. Another example of how registered mail originating outside the U.S. appears to go MIA before eventually popping back up on the radar tracking screen again. The problem is with the USPS tracking which can be spotty for registered mail that originated outside the U.S. Poor tracking just causes angst (and costs a lot more).

Whatever date is shown on your latest Permitted to Stay stamp....this date shows to what date your current visa/extension of stay permits you to stay in Thailand.

According to the Embassy website an international (a.k.a., foreign card like a Thai bank card) can be used.

For a passport "book" the U.S. Embassy website has been rewritten to where renewal of a passport "book" must be done via their online payment system. But the passport return mailing fee must still be paid via Bt100 bank draft. Also, if getting a passport "card" that can still be paid for via bank draft along with the mailing fee. However, in the FAQ Online Payment area there is one Q&A where it says if you "already have" a bank draft then payment can still be made that way. Now I expect if a person simply couldn't accomplish payment via their online system that the U.S. Embassy would still relunctantly accept payment by bank draft and possibly email you the "English" language doc giving details for a bank draft to pay for a "passport book" along with their current baht fee since their passport fee "in baht" occasionally changes.

That's for payment of the Bt100 mailing fee. They have removed the instructions for "passport book payment via bank draft." Even their latest checklist no longer lists an option to pay for a passport "book" via bank draft....but you can still pay for a passport card via bank draft....and whether a passport book or card the mailing fee is still paid via Bt100 bank draft. https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/checklist-DS82-by-mail-online-payment-1080.pdf

Well, I can confirm it works with 6 zits.

Today/30 June I did a Bt100K transfer from Krungsri Bank to Bangkok Bank using the Krungsri mobile app. I had to do the facial recognition thing which worked like a charm. Money immediately transferred/posted to the Bangkok Bank. acct.

Do yourself a favor.....just go mail it at the Thai post via "regular airmail" (not registered airmail, not EMS),,,,just regular airmail. Cost will be approx Bt59. It should arrive Wilkes Barre PA in 2 to 3 weeks. Regarding delivery by DHL the cost would be around Bt1,107 according to the DHL Thailand website when I punched in the weight & size of the 7162 mailing envelope going to Wilkes Barre https://www.dhl.com/th-en/home/get-a-quote.html

At the bottom is an old newspaper article that talks the SSA BIC codes in layman's terms. Since the article is long in the tooth (outdated) in some aspects like talking about SSNs on Medicare cards and also talks medical insurance coverage I "partially" quoted the article below to weed-out some stuff/keep it more focused on what a BIC means on your SSA 7162. But you can read the entire article by clicking on this Weblink to News Article. And if you want to see all the possible SSA BIC codes (dozens upon dozens are possible) you can see them at this SSA POMS Weblink. And remember, based on BIC code info in the previous post if your 7162 shows a BIC code of "B, D, J, F, or W" and you have a Thailand address on-file with the SSA then you should only be receiving a 7162 every two years vs year....which also means your 7162 has "not" been getting lost in mail half of the time/every other year because the SSA simply did not request/require one for certain years...and did not need any 7162 response from you for certain years. Like talked in my earlier post my wife has a "spousal" type pension based on my SSA earnings record....her SSA BIC code is a "B" and she has only been receiving a bar-coded 7162 during even numbered years. But I have a BiC code of "A" and have been getting a bar-coded 7162 every year. For years I wondered why receipt of my wife's bar-coded 7162 seemed to be hit-and-miss....I figured it was lost in the mail and then manually complete & mail back a non-barcoded 7162. However, my bar-coded 7162 arrived each & every year without fail....and each of us have the exact same Thailand address on-file with the SSA. Yeap, the wife's bar-coded 7162 has "not" been getting lost in mail every other year because the SSA did not require/mail her a bar-coded 7162 each year....the SSA only requires/mails her a bar-coded 7162 on even numbered years. For other folks it could be on odd-numbered years. So, I will no longer get upset the wife's 7162 only seems to arrive every other year, probably got lost in mail, etc., as I now know what her 7162 schedule is every two years on even numbered years and mine is every year. So, do you know what your SSA BIC code is?...take a look at one of your past 7162's (hopefully you kept a copy). Have you been wondering why you or your spouse only seem to receive a bar-coded 7162 every other year here in Thailand? Well, if you are drawing your pension based on some one else's SSA earnings record you are probably drawing a type of spousal pension and your assigned BIC code may dictate a 7162 every two years vs every year....and the SSA mailed bar-coded 7162 did "not" get lost in Thailand/U.S. mail trying to find your Thailand address. ???? "Partial" quote from the news article

For those of you who has a spouse that receives SS pension benefits "based totally or partially on your earnings record" and both of you live in Thailand you may (probably) experienced the issue where the spouse hasn't been receiving a 7162 "every" year (i.e., 1st or 2nd SSA mailing in Jun & Sep, respectively), but you have been receiving your 7162 each & every year assuming you are not on a spousal pension yourself. You then start wondering why didn't the spouse's 7162 arrive? You probably figure it got lost in the U.S./Thai mail, or maybe SSA screwed-up by just not mailing one. And you also probably start worrying about the spouse's SS pension being suspended starting Feb, you contact SSA about the MIA 7162, probably fill-out a blank 7162 and mail it in....then keep your fingers crossed the SSA receives and process it. Well, based on some SSA documents (one of them shown at the bottom) I read last night in those cases where a person is receiving a "spousal" pension (that is, the pension is based on some one else's earnings record vs the pensioner's own earnings record) the person receiving the spousal pension will only receive a 7162 on a biennial basis (every 2 years)....and if the last two digits of SSN shown on the 7162 "which will be the primary earner's SSNs vs the pensioner's SSN" falls between 00 to 49 that 7162 will be received on even numbered years (e.g., 2022, 2024) and if the last two digits fall between 50 to 99 the 7162 will be received on odd numbered years (e.g., 2021, 2023). And most likely right after the SSN appearing on the 7162 there will also be a BIC (Beneficiary Identification Code) of B, D, F, J and W which means a type of spousal pension. B generally means a living wife/husband spouse, D a surviving/divorced spouse, F a mother/father, and W a disabled widow/widower. There are actually many specific variations of the B, D, F, and W codes but possibly the most common is just the B code which means "Wife, 62 or older" since it's not uncommon for the wife to not have worked 10 years to qualify for a SS pension based on her own earnings record since she probably spent most of her potential working years as an unpaid homemaker/raising kids vs working at a paid job. I started drawing SS pension in early 2017 and the wife in late 2018. Since my wife did not work 10 years/earn 40 SS credits (she fell just short of the requirement) her SS pension was based totally on my earnings record and receives a pure spousal pension. And since she is receiving a spousal pension based totally on my earning record the 7162 she receives reflects my SSN (not hers) and also reflects BIC suffix of "B"....and toss in the fact that the last 2 digits of my SSN (and even the wife's SSN) falls between 00 to 49 according to the SSA POMS below (POMS is like a SSA regulation) she will receive a 7162 on a biennial basis on even number years. When I looked back thru our 7162 records going back to 2017 I had been receiving a 7162 annually but she only received a 7162 every other year on even numbered years....like she got a 7162 in 2022 but not this 2023 year...and this pattern repeated for earlier years. We reside at the same Thailand address and this address is correctly reflected in both our SSA records...neither of us .have ever had any problem receiving mail from the U.S. like SSA mail such as the annual SSA 1099R tax doc, SSA COLA notification, etc. However, for the wife a 7162 would never arrive during odd numbered years like 2023/this year, but would only arrive during even numbered years. And thanks @flexomike whose posts above help confirm what is said in the SSA POMS regarding annual or biannual 7162 receipt. His wife has been receiving her 7162 each & every year but her 7162 reflects her SSN (vs flexomike's) and a BIC of "A". And since her BIC code is not a B, D, F, or W but an "A" that "A" code reaffirms her pension is primarily/totally based on her earnings record which combined with a Thailand address means she receives a 7162 every year. P.S. And for those of you currently on a biennial 7162 if you are lucky enough to live to 90 you will start receiving a 7162 every year as shown in the POMS below. I sure hope the wife makes it to 90...sure hope I do to. ???? Weblink to SSA POMS document taking 7162 mailing frequency....partial snapshot from doc also below....please pay particular attention to where it talks "BIC" https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655005

Thanks. Since her SSN is showing this confirms her benefit is based primarily or totally on her earnings record although she may also being receiving a "spousal" pension "top-up" since you said earlier her benefit is based on a percentage of your earnings. BIC Code A means the primary claimant...the SSN which the benefit is primarily/totally based on. If part of her pension is indeed based on your earnings this would not be a pure spousal pension but what is also referred to as a top-up or auxiliary amount added to her basic pension....but some people still refer to this top-up amount as a spousal pension add-on. And since her address is in Thailand, her pension based primarily on her earnings, "and" her SSN (vs your SSN) is reflected on the 7162 this means she will get a 7162 on an annual vs biennial (every 2 years) basis. Your answers has added more proof of what I gleamed from some SSA documents last night as to which pensioner receive a 7162 on an annual or biennial basis which is riddled with conditions/fine print to determine which schedule a person is on. My wife who is on a pure spousal pension since she only 9.5 years of SS work credits under her belt....her benefit is totally based on my earning records...and my SSN appears on her 7162 which she has been getting here in Thailand every 2 years on even number years which is in sync with the SSA documents I will post details tonight or tomorrow explaining more, referencing the SSA docs, etc. The info may be helpful to those folks on a spousal pension living in Thailand whose 7162 only seems to arrive every 2 years vs every year. Big thanks for your answers.

On the 7162 she receives is "her" SSN or "your" SSN reflected in the block that's directly to the right of the name/address block? And what BIC code is shown right after the SSN regardless of which SSN (your or hers) is shown? Thanks.

@flexomike Since both you and your wife got 7162s would you mind telling if both of you are receiving your SS pension based on your individual earnings records....repeat, based on your individual earnings records. That is, both you and the wife worked at least 10 years/earned at least 40 SS credits which enables each of you to receive a SS pension based on "their individual earnings records" vs one of you receiving their SS pension based on someone else's earning record (like a current/divorced spouse earnings record). And if one of you is receiving their pension based on another person's earning record (like a spouse) which is typically referred to as a "spousal" pension does the last two digits of of the "primary earner" SSN end between 0-49 or does it end between 50 to 99? Also, if one of you is receiving a spousal pension does the 7162 for the person receiving this spousal pension reflect their actual SSN "OR" does it reflect the SSN of the other person (i.e., the primary earner) in addition to probably having a BIC of "B" following the SSN? The reason I'm asking is your answers would help to possibly confirm what I think I figured out last night from review of SSA regulations/policy as to why my wife who draws a SS pension did not receive a 7162 this year but I did...and also explain why in a previous year she did not get a 7162 while I did. Thanks.

Yeap....IMO sending a 7162 via regular airmail vs registered airmail is the best way to go as the mail will usually arrive faster and the mailing cost is significant cheaper. But to each his own. I base my opinion "on my personal testing in 2019" of sending mail to a U.S. location via regular and registered mail.....and also many posts over the years of people who mail their 7162s to Wilkes Barre via registered mail. As mentioned it's also cheaper at Bt59 to send via regular airmail vs Bt355 for registered airmail. But I realize many people want the warm, fuzzy feeling of being able to track a registered item even though many times the tracking seems to create angst due to tracking that shows the registered item has went MIA along the way, got stuck at an interim location in the U.S., never got confirmation of final delivery, etc. Since registered mail is handled differently than regular mail the registered mail often travels slower for part of its trek due to various reasons such as security, handling, customs, tracking requirements, etc. And whether the registered mail was mailed from a foreign country or within the U.S. can also make a difference. Anyway, my below post post sums up my mid 2019 testing (pre-COVID pandemic) of sending mail via regular and registered mail from Bangkok to a mail forwarding address I have in Houston, Texas where I get an email & scan of the mail the same day the mail is actually delivered. You will see in the testing (3 tests involving 6 envelopes consisting of 3 regular airmails and 3 registered airmails) the regular airmail arrived much faster and even though every registered mail did arrive (since I got a delivery email/scan from my mail forwarder) in the majority of cases I never got final "USPS tracking confirmation" of delivery other than it was in-transit to the final delivery location in Houston.....kinda like how many 7162 related posts have been talked over the years that say tracking showed the 7162 arriving the Wilkes Barre Post Office but not final delivery to the SSA facility or pickup at the post office by a SSA rep. Note: in 2019 sending via registered airmail was only approx 1/3 the cost it is now so it could get costly to repeat the same testing in 2023.

BOI is basically quoting from paragraph 4.1 of below BoI SMART visa webpage. But there is also an alternate method which is the "report by mail option" also spelled out in paragraph 4.1 just below where they talk reporting in person/authorized rep. https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/pages/how-to-manage.html

KrungThai has 5 different debit cards, ranging from no annual fee to Bt1,599/per year....the more costly cards come with benefits a person may or may not want or need like some kind of insurance. Always beware of banks reps trying to get you to sigin-up for one of there more costly debit cards. The free card is really a virtual card. Probably the most common KrungThai debit card issued is the card that costs Bt200/year....my wife has one of those. https://krungthai.com/en/personal/cards/debit-card