I've been pondering how to approach this for a while, I read the topic recently about dying in Probate but it didn't answer all my questions.

Here's a summary of my situation :

In the UK I have a fair chunk of cash in several different offshore accounts, some in a current account for easy access for living expenses and the remainder in fixed rate/term accounts currently earning between 3.2 and 6% which varies everytime one matures but the capital is secure so I am happy with those rates. I'm not looking for financial advice, I've done my time investing in stocks and shares but now I'm happy knowing all is secure as it can be.

I no longer own any property in the UK, just cash.

I have a 13 year old son here with a Thai mother, we are divorced but now have a good relationship, I pay my share of living expenses and pick him up from school twice a week and take him for dinner etc.

I don't have a significant other, I have a relationship with a Thai schoolteacher but not long or deep enough to consider naming her in my will at this moment in time.

I recently transferred ownership of my house and land to him with his mothers consent but I live in the house but it will automatically go to him when I pass away.

I do have a Uk will which I will update this year as it's about 10 years old and everything is left to him. The problem I have is I don't have anyone to be an executor of the will, I'm very green on this subject but I thought I needed one.

So how does my ex or my son contact anyone to execute the will? how does my cash in different accounts get transferred to the beneficiary and how long does it take and what expenses would expect to be deducted.

One solution I've thought of is to buy more property in his name, rent it out which should achieve around 5% if I buy wisely which will approx match the income I'm getting from my fixed bonds in the UK.

I've just agreed a deal on one condo in a building I've been researching and viewing for around a year, I'm happy with the purchase and if I get a long term tenant I will clear 5% p.a after expenses. The unit is in a Thai name only so again I will put it in my sons name, Thai only units sell for around 1 million less than in foreign name. The current owner has been advertising it on Airbnb and booking.com and will transfer her accounts to me. She has earned 20% in the last 6/7 months as she has sent me a copy of her statements although a lot of those will be illegal as they were for less than 30 days so I will pursue a long term tenant as I'm only lookin to achieve a similar income as I get in the bank.

So I see it as a way of transferring my cash over here rather than relying on a will and having its wishes carried out correctly. To this extent I'm looking at buying at leat one more unit.

Anyone and experience or thoughts on what I am trying to achieve?

Am I worrying unnecessarily and should I trust the process in the UK and leave my cash there?

Apologies for the long winded explanation but you need to have the facts to comment sensibly.

Thanks for reading.

Get a Lawyer here with British contacts to be executor of the will. Need to investigate to find the most appropriate lawyer

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Get a Lawyer here with British contacts to be executor of the will. Need to investigate to find the most appropriate lawyer

It was worthwhile me posting just to get the gem of advice, thankyou.

Just spitballing here. I would bring all my assets over to Thailand and invest here, even at the risk of lower return. The reasoning is that, no matter how ironclad your will is and how competent the lawyer, the probate process across two countries might not run smoothly, a situation should it arise that might be hard for your ex-wife and son to disentangle.

On the other hand, if everything's here with his name jointly with yours as owner, then you have complete peace of mind as to how your son inherits your wealth.

Depending on your age and health, maybe look at this. Via Gemini:

In Thailand, a life insurance policy pays out without going through the court probate process, provided a living and legally recognized beneficiary is explicitly named on the policy. By directly designating a beneficiary, the funds are separated from the deceased's estate and can be distributed much faster.

Easiest way? Give it to me now and I'll make sure it gets to the right place.

ideally you require two wills. One to cover Thai assets and the other for the Uk.

The preperation on who gets what is thought provoking and deters people from completing the task. Your lnput now however will ensure peace of mind that your estate will be dealt with as you wish.

On 5/20/2026 at 4:30 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Get a Lawyer here with British contacts to be executor of the will. Need to investigate to find the most appropriate lawyer

Acrually, as an old fart, I wondered a lot about this too. I googled for info and AI was very efficient in providing EVERYTHING i need and needed to do soon. They provided list of ENGLISH-speaking lawyers that have some experience with my particular situation and provided a lot of other information I have very little information on. I do believe that is one source you might try, just to see what it lets you know and then you can operate forward from there. Just a starting point for sure, even gives particular embassy contacts for such a situation etc.

Best of luck

FWIIW, may I suggest, you contact the solicitors office your present will is registered with. Explain your situation and see what they suggest. If as you say, you need to update the will, while doing one, ask the question. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

On 5/21/2026 at 3:57 AM, Autocan said:

Just spitballing here. I would bring all my assets over to Thailand and invest here, even at the risk of lower return. The reasoning is that, no matter how ironclad your will is and how competent the lawyer, the probate process across two countries might not run smoothly, a situation should it arise that might be hard for your ex-wife and son to disentangle.

On the other hand, if everything's here with his name jointly with yours as owner, then you have complete peace of mind as to how your son inherits your wealth.

NOT good advice. Anyone would be responsible for foreign sourced income TAX on the amount. Additionally there are little investment opportunities in Thailand like he has which pay a percentage to keep the value of money the same adjusting for inflation.

In addition when gifting it legally needs to go from a foreign account directly to the gift receiver. Whenever foreign sourced accessible income enters Thailand it is taxable by the receiver.

Even if gifted the same day.

My advice is that most know when their health is failing but prepare ahead of time.

You can gift for childrens school and it is not taxed up to a certain amount.

Medical Health Insurance is not taxed to a certain amount. A gifted to Thai bank account of a Thai relative is not taxed.

Sit down figure the amounts out you want to transfer yearly.

Maybe think of putting your account credentials somewhere safe. A way to transfer (wire, etc) and any amount left they can transfer when you are on your death bed.

My issue is I would like my investments to transfer over let's say 10 years time. Figuring out a way for automatic distribution I am still investigating.

Edited May 30May 30 by J Branche

On 5/20/2026 at 11:12 AM, YorkshireTyke said:

I do have a Uk will which I will update this year as it's about 10 years old and everything is left to him. The problem I have is I don't have anyone to be an executor of the will, I'm very green on this subject but I thought I needed one.

So how does my ex or my son contact anyone to execute the will? how does my cash in different accounts get transferred to the beneficiary and how long does it take and what expenses would expect to be deducted.

Normally it is the court in country of primary residence that will handle the last will. If you're living in Thailand, it should be a Thai court. Thai lawyers advice to make two last wills, one in your home country covering assets ithere, and another in Thailand covering assets here. Without a will assets will be distributed in accordance with the law, which will only leave 50% to your son. Property might however always be handles in the country, where proerty is localed, as property is immovable assets. If you haven't appointed an executor, the court will assign one.

Placing free funds in property in your son's name seems like an excellent solution.

1 hour ago, J Branche said:

Whenever foreign sourced accessible income enters Thailand it is taxable by the receiver.

I take it you mean assessable?

Personally I don't think'gifting' under any circumstances (unless non tax resident) is as black and white as you proclaim but we can agree to disagree as discussed beyond death in the past......

On 5/20/2026 at 4:12 PM, YorkshireTyke said:

The problem I have is I don't have anyone to be an executor of the will, I'm very green on this subject but I thought I needed one.

Personally I would suggest you should look at appointing whoever is doing your will and obviously leaving contact details with whoever in Thailand - although the UK executor will be responsible for contacting any beneficiaries.

On 5/20/2026 at 4:12 PM, YorkshireTyke said:

how does my cash in different accounts get transferred to the beneficiary and how long does it take and what expenses would expect to be deducted.

The executor (whether your appointment or court appointed) will be responsible for that - which means they really need to have an idea where it is, or your beneficiary in Thailand needs to have the information to be able to tell them.

If it has to go through probate it could take a while (like many months) and may also depend if there is any IHT to pay.

Expenses could be executor fees and administration costs, probate fees and any tax. bear in mind most solicitors would be charging either a fixed % age or an hourly rate........

25 minutes ago, topt said:

I take it you mean assessable?

Personally I don't think'gifting' under any circumstances (unless non tax resident) is as black and white as you proclaim but we can agree to disagree as discussed beyond death in the past......

Do you have a question?

It is accessible and assessable when brought into Thailand.

Do as you wish. Every will goes through probate. The priority order in the Civil and Commercial Code (e.g., Section 1739) is followed by the Court Appointed Estate Administrator, ( could be heir) they settle all debts during probate including paying any taxes owed. The Estate Administrator will file a Tax Return with the Revenue department if required.

Just invest wisely, give it to me, and I'll look after it for you..........promise!

On 5/20/2026 at 4:12 PM, YorkshireTyke said:

I've been pondering how to approach this for a while, I read the topic recently about dying in Probate but it didn't answer all my questions.

Sorry this made me smile, I think you mean "Dying Intestate" for which the simple answer is to make sure you have Will(s) covering all of your assets, normal advice is to have separate Wills for each country where you have assets.

Am going through a similar process myself at the moment & in addition to sorting out a UK WIll, I'm also starting to do some Inheritance Tax planning by moving into "FORTRA" (Free Of Tax to Residents Abroad) assets, mainly long term dated UK Government Bonds, that the GF can inherit free of IHT.

I'm also starting to realise the built up Capital Gains I have in shares I've held for 40 years to re-benchmark the cost of the Asset & again reduce any Inheritance Tax my heirs would need to pay... Check the 30 day repurchase rule on this, I don't believe they apply to Non-UK Tax Residents but need to double check with my accountant when we're doing last year's tax return at the end of June.

One other thought for people who still have UK property, you might want to consider putting a provision in the Will that any tax/costs associated with the inheritance of the property be provided by other parts of your estate otherwise whoever inherits it could see themselves with a massive tax bill even before they've sold it.

Edited May 30May 30 by SamSpade

On 5/20/2026 at 4:12 PM, YorkshireTyke said:

I do have a Uk will which I will update this year as it's about 10 years old and everything is left to him. The problem I have is I don't have anyone to be an executor of the will

If you already have a Will then you should already have Executors, but if for some reason you don't want to stick with these I believe CO-OP offers a service at a much more reasonable rate than a typical lawyer would charge.

Edited May 30May 30 by SamSpade

7 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

I don't believe it applies to Non-UK Tax Residents

No CGT (generally apart from property) if non UK tax resident.

14 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

FORTRA" (Free Of Tax to Residents Abroad) assets,

Thanks for mentioning that. Very interesting

On 5/21/2026 at 7:27 AM, JerryM said:

Depending on your age and health, maybe look at this. Via Gemini:

In Thailand, a life insurance policy pays out without going through the court probate process, provided a living and legally recognized beneficiary is explicitly named on the policy. By directly designating a beneficiary, the funds are separated from the deceased's estate and can be distributed much faster.

I signed up a few weeks ago for a policy with Bkk bank. I should have had someone who could read Thai and speak English with me.

It pays like .08% a year.

On 5/20/2026 at 4:30 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Get a Lawyer here with British contacts to be executor of the will. Need to investigate to find the most appropriate lawyer

+1

I used this law firm a few years ago https://anglothailegal.com/

4 hours ago, topt said:

No CGT (generally apart from property) if non UK tax resident.

It's not about the CGT for me, it's about the IHT for her... but I'm not 100% on the rule about buying the same Asset back in 30 days which to a UK Tax Resident would mean that any attempt to "Bed & Breakfast" to reset cost of purchase would be pointless.

Everything I've read suggests (as you do) that CGT (Ex Property) rules don't apply to me & I can sell & buy back the stocks to reset purchase price on the same day (taking the spread/dealing commision hit) but I will double check with my UK accountant when I explain to them where a lot of the stocks I used to get Dividends on are now replaced with UK Gilt interest :)

Edited May 30May 30 by SamSpade

buy a few condos, in your name, and add your son as co owner...

you die, he will get it

the mother will help manage it, till he is 20

then he can sell it all, give all to mummy or gamble it away

Have you looked at setting up a trust? You said your funds are offshore, so the trust could also be offshore. That would ensure your funds are protected for your son, and it would be tax-efficient for IHT purposes

Don't forget to factor in the Thai Taxes on Rental Income

AI Overview

In Thailand, rental income is treated as personal income and is subject to both annual income tax and local property taxes. Foreigners and citizens alike are taxed on their Thai-sourced rental earnings. [1, 2, 3]

1. Personal Income Tax (PIT)

Rental income is added to your other yearly earnings and taxed progressively using the Thai Revenue Department's standard brackets:

2. Allowable Deductions

Before applying the tax rates, the Revenue Department allows you to reduce your gross rental income: [1, 2]

• Standard Deduction: A flat 30% deduction is applied to your gross rental income for general expenses.

• Actual Expenses: Alternatively, you can deduct documented actual expenses (such as maintenance costs, repair fees, and agent commissions) if they exceed the 30% allowance. [1, 2]

3. Withholding Tax (WHT)

If you rent to a registered company, they will likely deduct 5% to 15% of the rent as withholding tax and pay it directly to the government on your behalf. [1, 2]

• If you are a non-resident living outside of Thailand: Offshore transfers of rent are typically subjected to a 15% withholding tax.

• ro-Tip: This withholding is not a final tax. By obtaining a Tax Identification Number (TIN) and filing an annual tax return, you can use withholding taxes as credits. Many individual property owners get significant tax refunds because their progressive tax rate ends up being much lower than the withholding rate. [1, 2, 3]

4. Annual Property Tax

In addition to income tax, you are liable for the annual Land and Building Tax. This local tax ranges from 0.02% to 0.1% of the property's appraised value. (Previously, a 12.5% "House and Land Tax" applied solely to rental agreements, but this has been replaced by the modern Land and Building Tax). [1, 2, 3, 4]

5. Filing Requirements

To comply with Thai tax laws, you need a Tax ID Number (TIN). You are generally required to complete two filings each year: [1, 2]

1. Mid-year Return (PND. 94): Due by September 30th.

2. Annual Return (PND. 90): Due by March 31st of the following year. [1]

If you want, I can help you estimate your exact tax liability if you tell me:

• Your annual gross rental income

• The approximate appraised value of your property

• If you have any other sources of income in Thailand

Dinga said : If you want, I can help you estimate your exact tax liability if you tell me:

I don't own the property.