Thai Tax Laws for Expats: the Practical Implications versus the Realities

[EVENKEEL]

8 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

Immigration Officer:  "Do you have certificate from TRD?"

 

Expat:  "No."

 

Immigration Officer:  "Must have certificate from TRD to make extension.  You go TRD first."

 

Expat:  "Ok."

 

All it would take is the order to come down from Bangkok, and another document would be needed at extension time.   A lot easy to implement than tourist tax.  

 

No real "communication" needed between the departments.  Just tell one department a certificate is now needed from the other department.  As I have said, they have expats by the b*lls and they know it. 

 

No real "ifs and buts" about it.  It's a no brainer for the Thai government.  The certificate from the TRD will be like the bank document.

 

I would be interested to know how you propose to get around the above? 

The above is beyond fantasy. You don't stop. My condolences if you're bedridden and bored.

[Lacessit]

10 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

The above is beyond fantasy. You don't stop. My condolences if you're bedridden and bored.

Welcome to KH's world, where everything is expressed in negative terms.

 

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

 

 

[KhunHeineken]

19 hours ago, RSD1 said:

Perfect!

Not rocket science, is it? 

[KhunHeineken]

19 hours ago, Yumthai said:

Because, unlike some people may think, history keeps repeating itself in Thailand.

Cannabis is here already, casinos are coming.  Both are just new revenue streams, and so this tax will be also. 

 

The difference is, they can't make you smoke, and they can't make you gamble, but the can make you pay some tax.  

[KhunHeineken]

8 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Welcome to KH's world, where everything is expressed in negative terms.

 

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

 

 

Says he who said they would NEVER legalize cannabis, even after they actually legalized it. 

[recom273]

47 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

 

That's interesting. I'm not a teacher, and my immigration is Bangkok, but I've been asked for at least 10 years to provide the tax receipt. It is a condition of receiving the work permit.

 

Wow! That is interesting. I have never heard from any other teacher that they have needed to show a tax receipt, but it does show that payment of tax could easily be demanded at visa application. When you are a teacher, the schools and the directors are known to the immigration bosses, some schools send an assistant to make sure there are no hitches when applying for an extension, it seems there is a certain amount of leeway. Anyway, let's all wait and see. I will use an agent to process my next visa, so I presume I will have a years grace to assess the situation.

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, KhunHeineken said:

Says he who said they would NEVER legalize cannabis, even after they actually legalized it. 

Please copy and paste the thread post where I said that, I think you have me confused with someone else.

 

Noted you do not attempt to refute my post re negativity, but try a lame deflection instead.

 

IIRC you have nearly 1000 posts on the Australian Age Pension thread. Please quote one - just one - where you have said something positive.

[bkk6060]

46 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

real "ifs and buts" about it.  It's a no brainer for the Thai government.  The certificate from the TRD will be like the bank document.

 

I would be interested to know how you propose to get around the above? 

Yeah, and if a person hires an agent the bank document is provided. So...

[KhunHeineken]

49 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Fear mongering.

How so?  Serious question. 

 

It's the easiest and cheapest and quickest method to ensure compliance.  It makes foreigners go to the TRD Office. 

 

Once again, people ask "why would they" but not ask "why wouldn't they?" 

 

Can you post your reasoning for why you think they will not go down this route, this year, or in the future? 

[KhunHeineken]

50 minutes ago, Yumthai said:

 

You misquoted me.  

[Yumthai]

1 minute ago, KhunHeineken said:

You misquoted me.  

I rectified to better fit the reality.

[KhunHeineken]

52 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

At least as of my retirement extension via 65K monthly NOV2024, there was no mention of taxes.

Not due to 31st March 2025.  Why would there be a mention in November 2024? 

[KhunHeineken]

49 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

The above is beyond fantasy. You don't stop. My condolences if you're bedridden and bored.

Happy to hear why you think it's fantasy. 

 

I'm not the only one to suggest the Thai government may go down this route so ensure compliance. 

 

Are you one of the ones that believe it will all go away and we can all just sit back and do nothing? 

[Raindancer]

On 1/23/2025 at 2:30 PM, motdaeng said:

 

are this two superintendent in charge for any changes for thailand's immigration regulations? if yes, please ask them to clarify the 24 h report ...

 

just keep in mind, this is thailand, the country of flip flops ... next week every thing could look different already ...

What 24 hour report?

 

I would rather listen to the local immigration superintendent, than some uninformed TRD clerk.   

 

Pointless post.   I did add the caveat, but this is Thailand, so who knows?

 

Obviously your post is intended to elevate your importance, and designed to provoke controversy.  Wrong person!

[KhunHeineken]

20 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Yeah, and if a person hires an agent the bank document is provided. So...

Banks are corporations. 

 

The TRD is a government department.

 

The way the agents take care of the bank document couldn't be done that way with the TRD. 

 

However, as I have said in the past, the Certificate of Clearance could end up being like the Certificate of Residence.  We all pay a flat fee of say 1000 baht to the TRD, NO RECEIPT, so you know where the money goes, right? 

 

We give it to immigration and we are good for the extension.  

 

For high net worth individuals, they might pull out the rule book.   

 

Time will tell how all this unfolds.

[KhunHeineken]

16 minutes ago, Yumthai said:

I rectified to better fit the reality.

I just addressed this in another post. 

 

I doubt agents can take care of a tax clearance certificate in the same way they take care of a bank document, but who knows here. 

[KhunHeineken]

54 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Welcome to KH's world, where everything is expressed in negative terms.

 

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

 

 

Do tell us all about the positives of paying tax. 

[jerrymahoney]

37 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

1 hour ago, jerrymahoney said:

At least as of my retirement extension via 65K monthly NOV2024, there was no mention of taxes.

Not due to 31st March 2025.  Why would there be a mention in November 2024? 

They could have easily said that this is the last extension you will get without a submitted tax form -- just as I was told a few years back that this the last extension you will get based upon submitting an embassy income affidavit.

[oldcpu]

On 1/23/2025 at 12:03 PM, Presnock said:

One reason is that locals with foreign bank accounts never worried that the over seas banks would advise the TRD of the Thai individuals' bank accounts.  Now with the joining of Thailand with all the rest of the OECD and CRS FACTA exchange of banking information, the TRD may learn about citizens that have those foreign bank accounts.

 

There are limits to what accounts OECD via CRS has access to.

 

For example:

 

In the Canadian agreement with OECD it is quite clear that information on Canadian government regulated accounts for individuals (ie registered Canadian tax free accounts for money growth such as RRSPs, RRIFs and some others) are NOT reported to OECD  via CRS, and Canada is under no obligation to provide such to OECD.

 

Thailand has a similar agreement for Thai government regulated accounts of individuals.  

 

That may be a mute point - but I thought it important to make the observation that all information on all accounts is NOT provided via CRS to OECD.

[ChumpChange]

4 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

BS!

Not. 

[flexomike]

22 hours ago, RSD1 said:

Was that money that you received from a foreign source less than a total of an equivalent of ฿150,000 for the entire year?
 

If so, then I believe you're not obliged to file a personal income tax return for the year, in which case you don't need a TIN either. 

For a single person it is 60,000 baht, 120,000 if filing jointly 

[EVENKEEL]

3 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Happy to hear why you think it's fantasy. 

 

I'm not the only one to suggest the Thai government may go down this route so ensure compliance. 

 

Are you one of the ones that believe it will all go away and we can all just sit back and do nothing? 

Did you live your entire life being fearful? I worked with a guy who was so cautious he used to wear these huge google looking glasses to keep dust away. He wore protective gloves doing mundane non physical work. If I had to guess I'd say you still wear a mask everywhere you go. 

[RSD1]

1 hour ago, flexomike said:

For a single person it is 60,000 baht, 120,000 if filing jointly 

Correct. That's for the additional personal allowance, but that's in addition to the first 150,000 which is exempt and tax free for everyone:

 

So a single person filing individually is entitled to at least 210,000 Baht in income tax free. 

[biervoormij]

7 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

The limit is 60K (single)/120K (married) baht of assessable remittances technically requires filing a tax return.  In practice, many TRD offices don't want a filing unless tax is due.

 

The other number quoted was the limit of assessable remittances after TEDA where tax would be due.  Your limit depends on your TEDA.

 

Pre-2024 earnings, and income exempted by TDA are excluded from PIT calculations and don't need to be reported. 

 

......................at least not yet.

Thank you for the clarification. I was confused by the 210K and it has nothing to do with if you are required to file at this amount but it is the amount that is taxed at 0% if single and under 65. 

 

 

[NoDisplayName]

7 hours ago, No Forwarding Address said:

I don’t usually jump in to these conversations, but what you say intrigues me, I have delved in Stock Investments recently, not in Thailand, but when I make my move - I intend to play the SET………are you saying Stock investments are not taxable in Thailand??   I find that hard to believe, but if it is - YES!!     Thanx in advance

 

No tax on capital gains from sale of SET stocks.

No deduction of capital losses when calculating PIT.

10% tax on dividends withheld at source.

You can claim a refund of dividend withholding same as for 15% bank interest withholding.

 

If you prefer mutual funds sold through banks, most are structured to not pay dividends.  (No dividends to tax.)

No tax on capital gains from sale of Thai mutual funds sold through a Thai bank or brokerage.

You can buy Thai-registered funds that simply hold a single overseas fund.  No dividends paid, and no capital gains tax rule applies, but you'll be paying multiple layers of management fees.

 

If you are property of the US government, Uncle Scam will want his cut of your Thai-sourced interest and dividends and capital gains.

[KhunHeineken]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

Did you live your entire life being fearful?

Certainly not. 

 

Like most who have retired to Thailand, we can consider ourselves not "mainstream" thus, hardly fearful. 

 

That's at a very basic level. 

 

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

I worked with a guy who was so cautious he used to wear these huge google looking glasses to keep dust away. He wore protective gloves doing mundane non physical work.

I've worked in some real dangerous sh*t holes in the world, and goggles and gloves aside, yeah, I was cautious. 

 

When one's environment presents a level of threat that puts risk to your survival, you get cautious.

 

You laugh at at your former colleague, but have you ever heard of dust disease?  What about asbestos, heard of that?  Nasty stuff. 

 

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

If I had to guess I'd say you still wear a mask everywhere you go. 

No.  

 

I'm fine with my health and physical security.  

 

I just happen to think this Thai tax policy will have something in it for everyone.  

 

Clearly, you disagree, and that's fine.  I, like many others, really do hope you are correct, but I don't think you are.

 

Time will tell.   

[KhunHeineken]

50 minutes ago, RSD1 said:

Correct. That's for the additional personal allowance, but that's in addition to the first 150,000 which is exempt and tax free for everyone:

 

So a single person filing individually is entitled to at least 210,000 Baht in income tax free. 

The numbers have been crunched, and crunched, and crunched, several times in the past.

 

Most pensions from around the world go over the threshold, meaning, there will be some tax to pay, however small, but some tax to pay, should the whole pension be remitted every month, government service pensions aside, which many DTA's seem to exempt. 

[rickudon]

8 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

The numbers have been crunched, and crunched, and crunched, several times in the past.

 

Most pensions from around the world go over the threshold, meaning, there will be some tax to pay, however small, but some tax to pay, should the whole pension be remitted every month, government service pensions aside, which many DTA's seem to exempt. 

Depends on what you mean by 'most'. There are other allowances that pensioners can also claim; an exemption of up to 100,000 baht on your pension, spouse allowance, parents of a Thai child and more. I reckon i have at least 400,000 baht of allowances and exemptions, plus also a pension covered by a Double taxation agreement. I expect to pay no tax. Also, you can gift to a spouse up to 10 million baht a year! (but careful how you gift it).

[Jingthing]

I do understand people who are skeptical that this remittance based tax will actually be enforced meaning people that technically do need to file and/or pay some tax can safely just ignore it.

This is Thailand after all!

Wasn't it widely broadcast that "recreational" cannabis would be criminalized again by now? 

You never know until you know.

On the other hand we're hearing more that global non remittance based taxation is coming down the pike here.

We need to be a patient and see what happens.

[KhunHeineken]

8 minutes ago, rickudon said:

Depends on what you mean by 'most'. There are other allowances that pensioners can also claim; an exemption of up to 100,000 baht on your pension, spouse allowance, parents of a Thai child and more. I reckon i have at least 400,000 baht of allowances and exemptions, plus also a pension covered by a Double taxation agreement. I expect to pay no tax. Also, you can gift to a spouse up to 10 million baht a year! (but careful how you gift it).

I was posting in general, not specific to you circumstances. 

 

The numbers have been crunched.  Most pensions go over the threshold, and allowances. Simple as that.  

 

If you have to pay no tax, good luck to you.