My Thai Tax Office Tax Filing Experience...

[samtam]

On 2/6/2025 at 5:09 PM, samtam said:

 

Foreigner guy asks what to do if we get conflicting statements from TRD office, if you know you owe tax and need to file, but TRD staff send you away.  Answer -- basically, learn Thai.

 

 

 

Translator says "sensative question... hahahah ..(nervous laughter)" to which foreigner guy gives him an out by offering stupid foreigners can't speak Thai.

 

 

 

@NoDisplayName & @KhunHeineken

 

Yes, I felt the same way about this webinar, TRD Q&A. Blaming the various interpretations/responses given by different TRD officers/offices reported by many foreigners "on language difficulties" is completely wrong, (in my experience). Every inquiry I have made to TRD, by phone or in person within Sathorn district (there are several offices) have received varying replies, and have been made by a Thai person in Thai. Language has nothing to do with it. A complete lack of clarity from TRD management is to blame. Of course it's a "sensitive subject", because it exposes the incompetence of this exercise, the norm for Thai bureaucracy.

 

 

 

For me the issue is submitting bank statements of my accounts in another country, where the transactions, (ATM withdrawals, debit card usage, QR debits and pensions and dividends all take place). I have prepared an Excel reconciliation sheet, but it would be difficult to follow if the checker here is not familiar with a composite multicurrency bank statement, and when for example my UK State Pension is paid into my UK account and partially transferred to my foreign multicurrency account in GBP, and then converted to HKD or THB depending on my required usage.

 

But if it's paper they want, however meaningless to them, they can have it. My only fear is giving all this information, like name & account numbers and data protection being flouted, as it routinely is by government agencies.

 

@NoDisplayName

Can you remind me: did you say you submitted supporting documents when you submitted online? Given my situation, (supporting documents would be composite multicurrency account bank statements from a foreign bank), I'm not sure if it's the best course of action to submit, or not.

[NoDisplayName]

48 minutes ago, samtam said:

 

@NoDisplayName

Can you remind me: did you say you submitted supporting documents when you submitted online? Given my situation, (supporting documents would be composite multicurrency account bank statements from a foreign bank), I'm not sure if it's the best course of action to submit, or not.

 

Yes, you can upload required documents when you file online.  If you do not, your return will still be approved, but you'll get an SMS advising you to check status online, and will be directed to upload missing paperwork.  Check status on the web address where you filed, then go to a different address, log in and upload.

 

https://efiling.rd.go.th/rd-efiling-web/authen/MTA2

 

I've had requests to submit a scan of my passport, bank tax withholding statements, and a photo of my marriage certificate as filing jointly.

 

There has been no question of my null filing, no request for proof of sufficient funds, no demand to show how I support my extravagant foreigner lifestyle.  Basically just to properly identify myself and the person filing with me to check boxes and put us in the right category for processing, and then proof of tax withheld for the refund requested.

 

We're still in self-determination land.  I haven't declared any remittances, so don't know if anything would actually be demanded UNLESS you were claiming a foreign tax credit.  If no tax due, that's the end of it.  I tax due and you pay, that's the end of it.  We'll have to see if online filers start getting requests to show proof.

 

In my limited experience in-person in Bangkok and Korat and online, nothing was asked for regarding remittances.  In Korat, i showed the TRD lady a handwritten list of Wise transfers (date and amount), she asked "salary or pension", I said "savings", she said no file unless wanting refund of tax withheld.

[samtam]

35 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

I've had requests to submit a scan of my passport, bank tax withholding statements, and a photo of my marriage certificate as filing jointly.

 

Thanks. That all seems quite reasonable. My quandary is whether to upload foreign bank statements, (which are complicated, as they are a composite multicurrency; if TRD were seeking to verify the amounts they would struggle without a reconciliation, which I have done on Excel). Were you asked for statements, or proof of the figures that were submitted? As I said, I have all of this, but as it's not simply "pension in", "telegraphic transfer out", but more of some portion of pension in (to foreign account), some drawn in ATM withdrawal (using a foreign credit card), some utilised in Thailand for debit card expenditure, (on a foreign issued debit card), some utilised for debit via QR code (on a foreign bank app) and much in between. No Thailand bank inward remittances.

[NoDisplayName]

29 minutes ago, samtam said:

 

Thanks. That all seems quite reasonable. My quandary is whether to upload foreign bank statements, (which are complicated, as they are a composite multicurrency; if TRD were seeking to verify the amounts they would struggle without a reconciliation, which I have done on Excel). Were you asked for statements, or proof of the figures that were submitted? As I said, I have all of this, but as it's not simply "pension in", "telegraphic transfer out", but more of some portion of pension in (to foreign account), some drawn in ATM withdrawal (using a foreign credit card), some utilised in Thailand for debit card expenditure, (on a foreign issued debit card), some utilised for debit via QR code (on a foreign bank app) and much in between. No Thailand bank inward remittances.

 

I do not declare my remittances, as all are non-assessable and have no place on the tax form.  I only file for the tax refund, and to have a history of approved tax filings.

 

If you have ASSESSABLE remittances, you can file online, declare the totals without uploading documents.  At this point, we don't know if those are necessary.

 

If you fall below your TEDA, you don't owe tax.

If you do owe tax, you can pay online.

Either way, you've filed, paid any tax due, and done what's needed.

 

If TRD wants more information, you will be informed, and can upload later.  Although at that point, I'd just go to TRD in person with a stack of copies, let them straighten it out.  Even if that occurs after the 90-day filing season, you should still be good.  No penalties, as you've filed and declared what is required.

 

If you have NON-assessable remittances, you can't do that online, at least not yet.  There is no way to deduct them from the PIT calculation, and doing so by the wonky method offered by some TRD offices will likely set off alarms.  If under TEDA, you should be okay as with assessable remittances, but if over TEDA you'll owe tax.

 

I would think if you want to declare NON-assessable remittances in excess of your TEDA, just for the exercise of having it on a tax filing, that you'll need to do that in person.  And 99 times out of 100, the TRD officer won't want to bother with your filing and will actively try to prevent you from adding to the workload.

 

***AS ALWAYS, NOT ADVICE.  OPINION ONLY***

[samtam]

7 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

I do not declare my remittances, as all are non-assessable and have no place on the tax form.  I only file for the tax refund, and to have a history of approved tax filings.

 

If you have ASSESSABLE remittances, you can file online, declare the totals without uploading documents.  At this point, we don't know if those are necessary.

 

If you fall below your TEDA, you don't owe tax.

If you do owe tax, you can pay online.

Either way, you've filed, paid any tax due, and done what's needed.

 

If TRD wants more information, you will be informed, and can upload later.  Although at that point, I'd just go to TRD in person with a stack of copies, let them straighten it out.  Even if that occurs after the 90-day filing season, you should still be good.  No penalties, as you've filed and declared what is required.

 

If you have NON-assessable remittances, you can't do that online, at least not yet.  There is no way to deduct them from the PIT calculation, and doing so by the wonky method offered by some TRD offices will likely set off alarms.  If under TEDA, you should be okay as with assessable remittances, but if over TEDA you'll owe tax.

 

I would think if you want to declare NON-assessable remittances, just for the exercise of having it on a tax filing, that you'll need to do that in person.  And 99 times out of 100, the TRD officer won't want to bother with your filing and will actively try to prevent you from adding to the workload.

 

***AS ALWAYS, NOT ADVICE.  OPINION ONLY***

 

Thanks! Yes, my filing online will be well below my TEDA, giving a total income after TEDA of about THB90k, so no tax due. I think I will just file online and not upload supporting financial documents, and as you suggest, if they want to see them, to go in person. Uploading complicated documents such as I have described, will cause more confusion to the TRD checker and would probably result in the same outcome, (a need to visit in person, and explain). The only fly in that ointment was a comment on the last visit, was that they would need "certified true" copies of statements. (I'm not sure how my foreign bank would react to that; I download my statements online through my online banking.)

 

[Mutt Daeng]

3 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

I do not declare my remittances, as all are non-assessable and have no place on the tax form.  I only file for the tax refund, and to have a history of approved tax filings.

 

If you have ASSESSABLE remittances, you can file online, declare the totals without uploading documents.  At this point, we don't know if those are necessary.

 

If you fall below your TEDA, you don't owe tax.

If you do owe tax, you can pay online.

Either way, you've filed, paid any tax due, and done what's needed.

 

If TRD wants more information, you will be informed, and can upload later.  Although at that point, I'd just go to TRD in person with a stack of copies, let them straighten it out.  Even if that occurs after the 90-day filing season, you should still be good.  No penalties, as you've filed and declared what is required.

 

If you have NON-assessable remittances, you can't do that online, at least not yet.  There is no way to deduct them from the PIT calculation, and doing so by the wonky method offered by some TRD offices will likely set off alarms.  If under TEDA, you should be okay as with assessable remittances, but if over TEDA you'll owe tax.

 

I would think if you want to declare NON-assessable remittances in excess of your TEDA, just for the exercise of having it on a tax filing, that you'll need to do that in person.  And 99 times out of 100, the TRD officer won't want to bother with your filing and will actively try to prevent you from adding to the workload.

 

***AS ALWAYS, NOT ADVICE.  OPINION ONLY***

I like your approach to filing a return. I am not employed in Thailand. I live here on the basis of retirement. I will be filing my return in early March on a paper PND91 form. I'm using that rather than the PND90, because it is a simpler form and all my "income" will be entered under employment. My income consists of 3 pensions which are all remitted to Thailand each month. One is from my employment in UK local government, one is from private sector employment and the last is the state pension. I will not be including the Local Government pension on the form since it is non-taxable in Thailand (as defined in the UK/Thai DTA) and there are no provisions on the current forms to report such non-assessable income. The totals of my other two pensions will not exceed my TEDA + (first 150K @ 0% tax) total, so I shouldn't  be paying any tax in TH. I do pay some UK tax on the private sector pension and normally I would be seeking a tax credit for that amount, but since I wont have to pay any Thai tax anyway, I'm not going to bother looking into that, just in case I over-complicate my situation. I will NOT be "volunteering" any supporting documents with my filing, as this again could IMHO make a "rod for my own back" by overloading the RD officer with potentially unwanted info.. Keep everything as simple as possible is my MO. I have kept good records for 2024 and IMHO I am  confident I can survive an audit. I will have all the supporting docs with me when I file but will only present them if challenged. 

[WorriedNoodle]

On 2/7/2025 at 5:17 PM, KhunHeineken said:

It's possible immigration MAY require a certificate of clearance from a TRD Office at extension time. 

Sorry but none of your rambling reply is based on anything but your assumptions. Facts tell a different story. Here's Ben to help you out.

 

[NoDisplayName]

On 2/7/2025 at 5:17 PM, KhunHeineken said:

It's possible immigration MAY require a certificate of clearance from a TRD Office at extension time. 

 

Here's your buddy saying immigration has no plans to include tax documentation in the extension process.

 

There you have it.  An authentic youtube video, so case closed.