I'm Retired. Do I Owe Thai Tax?

[OliverKlozerof]

I have a retirement visa as of October last year. I went to the tax help counter, 13th floor Times Square building, like I did last year when I had a work permit and visa and saw the same guy who helped me fill out the forms last year. This time I had the forms I received in the mail. I told him I had no income in 2009. He didn't speak much English, but he seemed to understand well enough to say I didn't owe any tax. I gave him my forms to put in the trash and he did.

This being Thailand, just wanted to check...is this right?

Thx, Oliver

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Sounds right to me.. you pay tax on income in Thailand. if you don't have income in Thailand (and you don't, because on a retirement visa / without a work permit you can't work), then there's no income tax.

Edited March 13, 2010 by WinnieTheKhwai

[TerryLH]

Not legally, anyway.

Edited March 13, 2010 by TerryLH

[IMA_FARANG]

If I understand it correctly as long as you are retired and living on your retirement/pension, and that is your only source of income...you owe no taxes.

Provided that income does not come from a Thai source, that is.

You can't work in Thailand without a work permit, and you can't get a work permit while you're retired, so no tax due.

The only complication is if part of your income comes from a THAI source. If the company you previously worked for was THAI owned, and some or all of your pension comes from that THAI owned company...I think you ought to check with a Thai lawyer who knows about Thai tax law.

If your pension comes from outside Thailand, I expect you are o.k.

Edited March 13, 2010 by IMA_FARANG

[UKresonant]

 That is not the way I understood the various tax guides. I am not resident in Thailand yet, but have been preparing to be, in the not to distant future. There is no tax if you are there less than 180 days per calender year. But if you exceed that, then you are resident ,you are liable to tax on any income arising in that calender year which you transfer into Thailand in that same year, so I presume that you do not have you pension paid directly to Thailand, unless it is the State pension (UK) which is subject to double taxation treaty. If you are transferring Company / Annuity income in the same year as it is paid, I understand it to be Taxable, after 30k personal allowance, 0-150k Bt nil,(<190k if over 65>) 150k bt to 500k bt 10%, 500k to 1m baht 20%. I presume you are paying no tax because the money you are remitting to Thailand is transferred from previous savings originating from income of previous years. (If I'm wrong , and this is not the way it is done, I will be delighted).

[OliverKlozerof]

Yes, the money I live on is transferred from the US. The odd thing was, in the US, even if you owe no tax, you must file a tax return. But the guy in the tax office sure seemed to imply even that was not necessary. Left me with a weird feeling. But then, this is Thailand. I did get his name, but other than that no official 'proof' that I had gone through the appropriate channels. (In case I'm even questioned about it.)

Edited March 14, 2010 by OliverKlozerof

[TerryLH]

"The odd thing was, in the US, even if you owe no tax, you must file a tax return. But the guy in the tax office sure seemed to imply even that was not necessary."

Check out the instructions in the IRS tax book. It tells you if you have to file, or not. It depends on how you file, singl, married...

There are different levels of income that determine whether you have to file, or not.

Unless you have complicated stuff, filing is easy. Form 1040. It should only take a couple of minutes to fill out.

Good luck

[OliverKlozerof]

Yes, I will file a US tax return. what I'm talking about here is a Thai tax return. I'm saying that whereas in the US, most people must file, even if they have no income, the Thai tax man seemed to imply I didn't even have to file a Thai tax return (since he offered to throw it in the garbage for me). But this being Thailand, I'm wondering if he was wrong and that I'm at least required to file a return, even though I had no income. :-}

[TerryLH]

No income here, you do not have to file here.