Thai old age pension

[zlodnick]

After a Thai person reaches the age of 60 and has filled out all the paperwork for the 600 bt a month pension, how long before they receive the first payment?

[asiaexpat]

My family members received it in about 2 months after registering.

[zlodnick]

Thank you, asiaexpat.

[Henryford]

Wow 20 baht a day. And people say this is not a third world country.

[laochef]

What are the criteria for a Thai person to get a pension ?

[colinneil]

30 minutes ago, laochef said:

What are the criteria for a Thai person to get a pension ?

Well i think they have to be old.

[xerostar]

What are the criteria for a Thai person to get a pension ?

Old enough to live on 20 baht per day ?

Sent from my SM-N915F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[mikosan]

5 hours ago, Henryford said:

Wow 20 baht a day. And people say this is not a third world country.

OK 20 baht per day is very little, but 600 baht a month is much better than nothing.

[mikosan]

A sensible question at #5 with a less than helpful answer at #6.  Yes, what are the criteria for a Thai person to get the pension, other than being old enough, which I guess is 60?  And where do they get hold of the relevant paperwork to apply. 

[colinneil]

4 minutes ago, mikosan said:

A sensible question at #5 with a less than helpful answer at #6.  Yes, what are the criteria for a Thai person to get the pension, other than being old enough, which I guess is 60?  And where do they get hold of the relevant paperwork to apply. 

You say my answer was less than helpful?

You have to be old to apply, so how is that not helpful?

Where do they get the relevant paperwork? Well every Thai knows the answer.

As you are finding things difficult i will tell you...I.D. card, blue book, easy innit.

[mikosan]

2 minutes ago, colinneil said:

You say my answer was less than helpful?

You have to be old to apply, so how is that not helpful?

Where do they get the relevant paperwork? Well every Thai knows the answer.

As you are finding things difficult i will tell you...I.D. card, blue book, easy innit.

Certainly living up to your moniker.  Thanks for your input.

Edited March 28, 2018 by mikosan

[colinneil]

4 minutes ago, mikosan said:

Certainly living up to your moniker.  Thanks for your input.

Yes mate my moniker fits me perfect, happy to help, call me anytime.

One other point, take id, blue book speak to the pu yai bahn, he will sort it.

Edited March 28, 2018 by colinneil

[BEVUP]

7 minutes ago, colinneil said:

You say my answer was less than helpful?

You have to be old to apply, so how is that not helpful?

Where do they get the relevant paperwork? Well every Thai knows the answer.

As you are finding things difficult i will tell you...I.D. card, blue book, easy innit.

Love it Col

Old & with no teeth, because you couldn't eat on 20 bht a day 

[mikosan]

2 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Yes mate my moniker fits me perfect, happy to help, call me anytime.

As I am happy to help you, in this case with your grammar.  The word you used should have been 'perfectly'.  Feel free to call me, any time you need more help.

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, mikosan said:

A sensible question at #5 with a less than helpful answer at #6.  Yes, what are the criteria for a Thai person to get the pension, other than being old enough, which I guess is 60?  And where do they get hold of the relevant paperwork to apply. 

Actually, they need to be 60, but I am not sure if there is not some kind of "poverty limit"...meaning that above a certain threshold of "wealth" they can't get it.

Such a threshold exists for many of the government loans that are handed every year to the poor around the country.

[Brunolem]

7 hours ago, Henryford said:

Wow 20 baht a day. And people say this is not a third world country.

Well, this is a country that lives within its means, while the West is rapidly going bankrupt thanks to his generous pensions to millions of quasi-immortal retirees (retirees collecting for 20 to 30 years are more and more frequent).

In not such a distant future, Thai retirees could find themselves better off than Westerners.

Just wait a little bit more...

[Pib]

A person just has to be 60...rich or poor...to get the pension that starts out a Bt600.....and not already receiving another state pension/permanent salary.   My wife got her first payment the month following her birth month.  Unless something has changed they have one signup period each year...the person should get a letter from their local govt office telling them when and what to do...how and where to sign up.  If they don't sign up during the open season window then no payment occurs.  It's not like the Bt600 automatically starts showing up; a person has to go apply for it, but there no income  testing....just gotta be 60.   After you have signed up they do not require any year to year validation/signup again....just a one time signup....money continues to flow until the person croaks. 

 

Info on Program: http://www.pension-watch.net/country-fact-file/thailand/

 

Been talk off and on by the govt about doing some means/income testing to receive the pension so the govt can use it for other social issues, but so far that has all just been talk.   With elections coming up the govt wouldn't dare try to talk a benefit away....they are in the "give more benefits mode" right now---good politics.

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by Pib

[JulesMad]

....And after 60 years old, they get every 10 more years 100 THB extra (70 yrs=700THB, and so on)

 

Yes, family is VERY important

 

[mikosan]

6 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Actually, they need to be 60, but I am not sure if there is not some kind of "poverty limit"...meaning that above a certain threshold of "wealth" they can't get it.

Such a threshold exists for many of the government loans that are handed every year to the poor around the country.

Thanks for that response.  I am pretty sure that the Thais I am concerned about will, sadly, easily pass any poverty test!

[mikosan]

5 hours ago, Pib said:

A person just has to be 60...rich or poor...to get the pension that starts out a Bt600.....and not already receiving another state pension/permanent salary.   My wife got her first payment the month following her birth month.  Unless something has changed they have one signup period each year...the person should get a letter from their local govt office telling them when and what to do...how and where to sign up.  If they don't sign up during the open season window then no payment occurs.  It's not like the Bt600 automatically starts showing up; a person has to go apply for it, but there no income  testing....just gotta be 60.   After you have signed up they do not require any year to year validation/signup again....just a one time signup....money continues to flow until the person croaks. 

 

Info on Program: http://www.pension-watch.net/country-fact-file/thailand/

 

Been talk off and on by the govt about doing some means/income testing to receive the pension so the govt can use it for other social issues, but so far that has all just been talk.   With elections coming up the govt wouldn't dare try to talk a benefit away....they are in the "give more benefits mode" right now---good politics.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for that information.

 

[Pib]

You are welcome.  And just for those who didn't review above weblink the below partial quote/snapshot from the weblink pretty much sums up the program.   On the application it's a little more specific in terms of asking about if you are getting permanent salary/pension of X-amount which would disqualify you for the old age Bt600 baht pension, but it's only a few questions on one simple application form.  LOTS of Thais qualify for the old age Bt600 pension.

 

[zlodnick]

Thanks Pib,

 

The way the Pu yai Baan explained things to my wife was a bit confusing. He told her what month she had to sign up, but also, told a neighbor who is a few months younger than her, he had to sign up the same month.

 

 Then the PYB said she wouldn't get her first payment till next year.

 

So, I guess if you're lucky and were born on the right month, the payments will start right away. If not, it will take awhile.

 

The wife opened a Krung Thai savings account and filled out the paperwork so the 600 a month will be deposited there. We just got connected to the Ubonrat dam water system and will have the water bills automatically deducted from that account. The 600 a month, of course is nothing to us, but if we just leave the bank account alone, we will never have to pay a water bill. Just makes life a bit simpler!

 

Thanks again for clearing that up,

[Pib]

Yea, unless something has changed (which is quite possible) since the wife signed up here in Bangkok there is an open window(s) each year for folks almost 60 to signup.  When the wife got the letter from the district office about the window it was around  4 months before she turned 60.   The letter said when she could come to the district office to signup which about 3 months before she turned 60.  She showed up along with a bunch of others nearing 60, filled out the application, and was told she needed  a KrungThai Bank account to receive the monthly direct deposit payment.  Went and did that...came back and gave that bank account info to the district office.  Office then said to come back in one month to confirm all the info they had regarding her application was correct to include the bank account number....this was to confirm all the info "they would be putting into the computer on her" was correct...ensure the paperwork had been entered correctly.  She came back in one month...confirmed the info was correct.   Then she got her first payment the month after she turned 60.   Everything has been on autopilot since....no annual verification of anything, etc....the money just keeps showing up monthly to her KrungThai account.

 

I fully expect across Thailand/from province to province the signup is most likely handled a little differently in regards to where and when, sign-up windows(s), how the word is spread, etc.  

[Brunolem]

17 hours ago, mikosan said:

Thanks for that response.  I am pretty sure that the Thais I am concerned about will, sadly, easily pass any poverty test!

Actually there is no wealth limit condition, even though wealthy enough people are encouraged to voluntarily drop their claim for the minimum retirement allocation.

[paulsingle]

My wife's parents live in a Khon  Kaen village. They are both over 60 and each receive their 600 baht per person per month.

They also receive an allowance of 500 baht per person per month which can be spent on groceries in authorised outlets. Apparently this allowance is granted to pensioners who do not have land on which they can grow rice.

So between the two of them they are in receipt of 2,200 baht monthly.

It's not a lot of money but it's more than I thought they would be getting.

Edited April 4, 2018 by paulsingle
addition

[Pib]

6 hours ago, paulsingle said:

 

They also receive an allowance of 500 baht per person per month which can be spent on groceries in authorised outlets. Apparently this allowance is granted to pensioners who do not have land on which they can grow rice.

That allowance is a welfare/low income card available to any adult at least 18 years old making under Bt100K per year.   But the amount rec'd per month varies from individual to individual depending on how much their income is, value of land/house they might own, etc.  The card includes so much per month for food, so much for transportation, so much for cooking gas, etc.  

 

Below Oct 17 news article gives a good overview of the low income card, although I think a few months ago the govt revised "up" the amount of money most folks get for food purchases....like where some were only getting Bt200/mo it was upped to Bt300/mo, etc.  But below is still pretty accurate.  I have quite a few in-laws with the card....young and old in-laws.

 

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2017/10/24/new-welfare-cards-boost-rich-poor/