Welfare Payments For Thais

[RueFang]

Does Thailand have some sort of social welfare payment system? Do Thais who are low income earners get any supplement from the government (or other) like in a lot of western countries?

[lazeeboy]

Does Thailand have some sort of social welfare payment system? Do Thais who are low income earners get any supplement from the government (or other) like in a lot of western countries?

no

[KhaoNiaw]

There are some benefits for those who have made their social insurance contributions. I'm not sure of the details as they stand at the moment but I think, for example, you can get payments of 50% of your last salary for 6 months after being made redundant.

Of course, the very poorest and most exploited sections of the workforce are unlikely to be covered by the social insurance system.

[cmsally]

Apart from benefits that come with working for certain companies or the government etc. there is the social insurance system, where you pay a percentage of your salary (I think it's 5% to be paid by employer and another 5% by employee). If you continue to pay this you will get health care and some very limited maternity benefits. You can also claim something after retirement and also when made redundant for a period. Once you are in the system you can then continue to pay by yourself , even if you are not in employment. Most people seem to do this as it seems to be regarded as quite a good deal.

Bank of Ayudhya handles all the payments which you have to do by 15th of every month.

[lazeeboy]

Apart from benefits that come with working for certain companies or the government etc. there is the social insurance system, where you pay a percentage of your salary (I think it's 5% to be paid by employer and another 5% by employee). If you continue to pay this you will get health care and some very limited maternity benefits. You can also claim something after retirement and also when made redundant for a period. Once you are in the system you can then continue to pay by yourself , even if you are not in employment. Most people seem to do this as it seems to be regarded as quite a good deal.

Bank of Ayudhya handles all the payments which you have to do by 15th of every month.

well you live and learn ,i was under the impression they got nothing ,apoligies for an earlier post.

[RueFang]

So if they're self employed, there's no benefit from anywhere? Thanks for your answers.

[bina]

social welfare = children to take care of u for the future

for the large majority who are labourers u can forget any kind of welfare/unemployment ; even if they are entitled they dont know it exists...

probably as u go up the socioeconomic and educational ladder more people pay and claim their rights...

[samran]

if you pay into the social secuity system (usally 750 baht per month) there are a range of benefits, including a 6000 baht refund for maternity costs (for mothers or fathers who have been enrolled for +7months), and 100 baht per month for bubs until they reach a certain age which I can't recall.

Being in the social security system through work means that you get to enrol in a choice of three government hospitals for directly paid treatment. Treatment at other hospitals is allowed, but you'll have to pay first and be re-imbursed up to a cap.

There are probably a bunch of other unemployment benefits etc capped for a certain amount of time.

[cmsally]

So if they're self employed, there's no benefit from anywhere? Thanks for your answers.

Only if you can get into the system by being employed for at least a year first. You can be self employed after that and still keep up your own monthly payments and get the same benefits, for as many years as you choose.

As far as I know you can only enter the system through an employer.

[samran]

So if they're self employed, there's no benefit from anywhere? Thanks for your answers.

Only if you can get into the system by being employed for at least a year first. You can be self employed after that and still keep up your own monthly payments and get the same benefits, for as many years as you choose.

As far as I know you can only enter the system through an employer.

would be intersting to know what your options are as a sole trader...

[KhaoNiaw]

for the large majority who are labourers u can forget any kind of welfare/unemployment ; even if they are entitled they dont know it exists...

I quite agree that there are huge numbers of labourers who do not come under the umbrella of the system. But I think you'll find that awareness among those who are entitled is pretty high. It's one of those things that gets around quickly by word-of-mouth and the government does puts slots on the TV and radio at fairly regular intervals.

One problem receiving attention recently, however, was that of employers failing to make their contributions. I don't know how the system is implemented and if this means their employees contributions were being made or not.

[Prakanong]

What is the normal meternity leave in Thailand?

Company I work at gives 75 days paid leave but that includes weekends and an extra month unpaid.

I think we are quite flexible though as I think my pal is just answering emails at home etc during the extra month and will get paid.

She is finding it very hard getting a nanny and lementing at how easy it would be in Singapore to get one.

[llothar]

Wasn't there some plan for very poor people with less then 900 Baht a month in 2004/2005?

Did they stop this or did it never really started?

I remember that they hadn't too many people in this category and i'm pretty sure that they gave

at least a few millions to Mae Hong Song province (which is even poorer then the Issan).

[cmsally]

Social Security

They actually seem to be quite efficient. A couple of times they have not automatically posted new cards to my employees and I called them up. You give them their ID number, they ask you to confirm if the name is correct, they check to see payments up to date in their system and they mail out the new card and we normally receive them in about 2 days.

I would think if you are an employee it would be easy to just call them and check payments are up to date.

Cards are normally valid for about a year and if they use them at chosen hospital and associated clinics they never have to pay anything.

[TerryLH]

Thais also have the 30 baht gold card scheme for health care.

[chownah]

There is money paid in our village to poor people who are old or disabled ...not much...I think it is on the order of 500 baht per month. An uncle of one of my neighbors had a leg severed in a motorcycle accident....he had no savings and had never worked much in his life...I'm reasonably sure he never paid into any insurance or social security scheme and he receives this stipend.....our neighbors (his niece andn nephew) had a small spot of land next to their pond that was not being used and people in the village chipped in with building materials and labor and we built him a rainproof shack with squat toilet....very small....very flimsy but rainproof mostly. About a year later some money appeared from the gov't for housing and he used the money to buy concrete blocks and cement for mortar and some other materials for improvements and now he has a solid shack that is lockable and definitely rain and windproof...he has also been given a prosthetic leg which he doesn't use and an arm powered cart which he doesn't use either.

So...seems like there is some social safety net at least in our village....I don't know what level of the gov't funds this stuff.

Chownah

[ozzydom]

There is a similar scheme operating in our area of Issan. The elderly and extremely poor get a regular handout (every 8 weeks )of about 200 bt per month .

It is handled by the village boss and seems to be based on whether your in the big bosses good books or not, some get it some dont.