I require a Thai tax residency certificate ,

[liddelljohn]

I have lived in Thailand for 17 years and never had an problem before but now my current offshore contract employer is requiring me to show a Thailand tax return certificate proof of residency or they will no longer be able to pay me !!!

I dont work in Thailand and no longer have any assets or banking in UK , the employers are UK multinational based but i work for the UAE office but due to some new UK HMRC requirments on UK companies ,,,,all they need is some official paperwork from Thai Tax authorities and then they can continue to pay me ,,,,my banking and investments are held in Thailand and Singapore .

So how do I get aThai tax certificate ,,,???????????????????

[ubonjoe]

You can find info here on certificates on revenue department website. http://www.rd.go.th/publish/21975.0.html

The question will be do you or have you spent 180 days in Thailand to be a resident for tax purposes.

[liddelljohn]

If its 180days continuous the No ,, but in one year i spend abot 150 -200 days in total depending on work ?

but if I cant get a certificate then i will not be able to continue to work for this company ...

[ubonjoe]

It is 180 total in a year. This page has info: http://www.rd.go.th/publish/6045.0.html

In order to get the certificate as a resident you will need to file a tax return. You will also need to get a tax ID number http://www.rd.go.th/publish/21987.0.html

[Langsuan Man]

Seems to me that the UK is getting like the US, they are going to tax you unless you prove that you are paying taxes somewhere else. Good luck if you have been living tax free for the last 17 years, it may be a painful reckoning

[liddelljohn]

I have paid a lot of taxes else where over the years , Norway, Singapore, USA ,,,even UK I am clear with the UK HMRC up till 2010 but it new regulations that are the problem JUST GETTING PAID IS THE PROBLEM , not about paying tax that is not a problem if its due .I am not living in UK and dont have any assets ,or accounts even UK tax authority admits Its all clear ,,

[thepool]

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I have paid a lot of taxes else where over the years , Norway, Singapore, USA ,,,even UK I am clear with the UK HMRC up till 2010 but it new regulations that are the problem JUST GETTING PAID IS THE PROBLEM , not about paying tax that is not a problem if its due .I am not living in UK and dont have any assets ,or accounts even UK tax authority admits Its all clear ,,

Doubt you will find an answer here . The case sounds to be complex if not unique ,

I hate to suggest this but perhaps you should seek help from a Tax Lawyer

[ubonjoe]

The best thing to do would be to got the revenue department office where you live. They will help you get the tax ID number and the other documents you need.

Just click on the region where you live on the map here to find the office near you. http://www.rd.go.th/publish/38156.0.html

[Arkady]

You have to file a tax return with the Thai Revenue Dept and you can get a certified tax receipt from them. This is basically a copy of your tax return form signed and stamped by the RD. Then you would need to get a certified translation and get that notarised by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Section which the translation agency can do for you.

The deadline for filing personal tax returns (PNG 90 or 91) passed at the end of March but you can still do a late filing and pay a moderate fine. If you were in Thailand, for more than 180 days in total in 2013 and earned over B150,000, you should file a tax return. Since you were not working in Thailand, income for you is defined as income that you remitted to Thailand within 12 months of it arising. Thus is would be quite easy to declare some income and pay some tax. They might require evidence of your remittances but it is probably quite unusual that anyone ever declares this type of income which they have no way to police. I don't know, if your employer needs to see that you have paid tax on all the income you received offshore or just a token amount. The tax return forms have to be completed in Thai. Although there are translations of the forms on the RD's website, the forms are quite complex, particluarly the PNG 90 which you will have to complete for any unusual income. So you will need an accountant to to do it for you. If your accountant goes down to the RD office with you to file the tax return, you should be able to get it processed immediately. Otherwise, if you file online it could take some weeks to get a response which might include a request for supporting documents.

The UK HMCR is getting tougher on people trying to leave their tax net. For some years they have required evidence of paying tax elsewhere to release former UK residents. Now they may be investigating retroactively those that have already left the tax net to ensure they are paying tax overseas, whenever the opportunity arises.

[liddelljohn]

Problem is i am working now and unlikely to return to thailand for 2 months meanwhile te employer refuses to pay me without thai tax certificate and UK tax lawyer told me my employer is both correct and wrong ,, the employer could pay me via a LTD company if I dont have Thai tax certificate and as I dont have any UK liability ,, problem is The company a major multinational has its own ideas .

I have worked for this company for over a year with no issues until now ...

Its a nightmare .....I am owed 6 weeks salary already , thats over $18k

[ubonjoe]

Do you have anybody here that you could give power of attorney to handle things for you. That is the only thing I can think of other than trying some other means of getting your employer sorted out.

[mahjongguy]

I have a Dutch friend who needed the same documentation to prove that he no longer needed to pay for government health insurance in the Netherlands. He went to the Revenue Department and found it quite simple to arrange. Because he had no actual Thai income to declare, rather than file an income tax form they only required him to open a fixed account at a Thai bank. They said a deposit of 10,000 baht was sufficient. That is logical to me, because the 15% withholding on such accounts will trigger a link to his newly acquired Tax Identification Number.

In the case of the OP, I don't see any solution until he returns to Thailand. Even if he sent a lawyer or accountant, he would need to provide his passport.