Previously worked at a school - any contributions owed to me?

[mattk1]

Hi everyone,

 

I worked at a school for 4 years up until March 2016 and then left Thailand to go home. I'm back here on holiday and got chatting to a friend who asked did I receive any money back when I left from contributions taken automatically by the school out of my monthly salary. 

 

I hadn't even thought about this and thought I might check it out.

 

Before I head to the relevant offices and potentially waste an hour or two of my holiday, has anyone heard of this before? 

 

I'm not of pension age (32) and I haven't worked in Thailand since March 2016. The figure I seem to remember being taken every month was around 750 Baht. 

 

So anyway I'd be grateful if anyone can shed some light. 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Rhys]

Do you mean for a sort of SS...Social Security?  Did not happen for me...school official said it was only for Thais but you had to pay into it... for the privilege of working in T-land...

 

 

[angsta]

Did you get your tax back every year?

[Preacher]

The 750 you paid every month was your contribution to the social security fund. If you stop working you can indeed get it back, but believe you only have a time frame of 1 year to claim it. So you seem to be too late.

 

As I am not sure about the time frame you could check it with the social security fund.They have a call center: 1506 or call the government information line at 1111.

[stubuzz]

3 hours ago, Rhys said:

Do you mean for a sort of SS...Social Security?  Did not happen for me...school official said it was only for Thais but you had to pay into it... for the privilege of working in T-land...

 

They lied to you.

I believe foreigners can take the money ( a lump sum)  when they hit 55.  Thai's have the option of taking a monthly payment, but a call to 1506 will give a definitive answer.

[stubuzz]

Read This

[puchooay]

3 hours ago, stubuzz said:

They lied to you.

I believe foreigners can take the money ( a lump sum)  when they hit 55.  Thai's have the option of taking a monthly payment, but a call to 1506 will give a definitive answer.

Indeed you have to wait until you are 55. You can also chose to take a monthly sum. The rules are the same for Thais and Foreigners.

 

The 750 a month is the top end. The deductions are 5% of salary or 750 baht, which ever is the least. The school also match the payments. If you decide to stop work you can go to the SS office and start paying it yourself. You have to do this within 3 months of leaving. The new monthly fee is 432 baht a month. This gives you free health cover at a designated hospital.

 

[1SteveC]

9 hours ago, Rhys said:

Do you mean for a sort of SS...Social Security?  Did not happen for me...school official said it was only for Thais but you had to pay into it... for the privilege of working in T-land...

 

 

 

School official was totally incorrect.

[1SteveC]

2 hours ago, puchooay said:

Indeed you have to wait until you are 55. You can also chose to take a monthly sum. The rules are the same for Thais and Foreigners.

 

The 750 a month is the top end. The deductions are 5% of salary or 750 baht, which ever is the least. The school also match the payments. If you decide to stop work you can go to the SS office and start paying it yourself. You have to do this within 3 months of leaving. The new monthly fee is 432 baht a month. This gives you free health cover at a designated hospital.

 

 

Not just healthcare, it also covers pension and a few other benefits - but obviously not unemployment benefit. I have attached the government's leaflet on the SSO scheme in English.

Thai SSO Fund Info.pdf

[1SteveC]

No mention on the SSO page of a payment before retirement age - http://www.sso.go.th/wpr/eng/retrie.html

[1SteveC]

2 hours ago, puchooay said:

Indeed you have to wait until you are 55. You can also chose to take a monthly sum. The rules are the same for Thais and Foreigners.

 

The 750 a month is the top end. The deductions are 5% of salary or 750 baht, which ever is the least. The school also match the payments. If you decide to stop work you can go to the SS office and start paying it yourself. You have to do this within 3 months of leaving. The new monthly fee is 432 baht a month. This gives you free health cover at a designated hospital.

 

 

The contributions are 3 fold, the employee, employer and the Government (at a rate prescribed in Ministerial regulations).

[DavisH]

14 minutes ago, 1SteveC said:

 

Not just healthcare, it also covers pension and a few other benefits - but obviously not unemployment benefit. I have attached the government's leaflet on the SSO scheme in English.

Thai SSO Fund Info.pdf

Can this fund cover all types of employees, including private company / school employees? Or is it only for government employees? It doesn't specify in that document. 

[thequietman]

1 hour ago, 1SteveC said:

 

Not just healthcare, it also covers pension and a few other benefits - but obviously not unemployment benefit. I have attached the government's leaflet on the SSO scheme in English.

Thai SSO Fund Info.pdf

It does cover unemployment benefit. I claimed for 3 months, only because I went home for a month but I could have claimed for 3 months more if I had stayed in Thailand.

[Suradit69]

14 hours ago, mattk1 said:

So anyway I'd be grateful if anyone can shed some light. 

To sum up the responses.

 

You cannot claim anything.

You can claim something.

You only have one year to make the claim.

You can claim something when you're 55.

There is no unemployment benefit.

There is an unemployment benefit.

 

[1SteveC]

8 hours ago, thequietman said:

It does cover unemployment benefit. I claimed for 3 months, only because I went home for a month but I could have claimed for 3 months more if I had stayed in Thailand.

 

Sorry if my post was misleading, I was referring to the continuation payments of 432 Baht after finishing employment. Yes of course the 750 Baht you pay whilst employed covers unemployment.

[1SteveC]

10 hours ago, DavisH said:

Can this fund cover all types of employees, including private company / school employees? Or is it only for government employees? It doesn't specify in that document. 

 

It is mandatory for all companies with over a certain size workforce, (the figure of 10 people sticks in my head)

[DavisH]

6 hours ago, 1SteveC said:

 

It is mandatory for all companies with over a certain size workforce, (the figure of 10 people sticks in my head)

I just read the social security ACT on their website. It states this does not apply to private school teachers. However, in the news today it was reported that they may be a law passed that will make a provident fund compulsory for all other workers. Let's hope there are no more convenient exceptions to this rule. 

[sandemara]

The Thai education employment system is a giant rip-off scheme. It is the only industry in the country without regulation. Even government schools are not subject to any industrial relations control. Corruption and outright dishoinesty among employers/business operators is endemic.  People often express wonder at some of the scandalous policies and behaviours exhibited by school authorities that, in the long run, mean perpetuation of an incompetent, unprofessional local education woirkforce and little reason for optimism about the prospects for Thailalnd's youth (future workforce and community leaders. Overseas staff are a perennial easy target for the greedy and corrupt who delight in recruiting overseas-trained staff who, unfortunately, often believe integrity has a role in the local industry shambles. Normal practices - unless changes are demanded by the industry's clients and enacted - have doomed aspirations of the young and general Thai society for at least another generation or two. I wish you luck in getting anything more than lies from your enquiries.  

[Oceanbat]

Sure they don't mean provident fund? I pay 5% of my salary and my employer matches it. When I leave I can withdraw it minus tax as it's paid initially gross.

OB


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[stubuzz]

1 hour ago, Oceanbat said:

When I leave I can withdraw it minus tax as it's paid initially gross.

It can be withdrawn when you are 55 years old, but i would be happy to be wrong. Do you have any evidence to back your claim?

[Oceanbat]

Yes, when I changed jobs they wrote me a cheque.

OB


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[puchooay]

1 hour ago, Oceanbat said:

Yes, when I changed jobs they wrote me a cheque.

OB


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So you are/were not in the Social Security scheme. Out of interest, who wrote you a cheque? 

[Oceanbat]

I pay into both. The company wrote me a cheque. I had the option to roll into a new PF or take the cash. There are rules on how much of the co portion is paid dependent on length of service. There may be some accommodation for foreigners given they are unlikely to stay working in Thailand until 55.

To be clear I am talking provident find here not SS.

OB


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[Oceanbat]

Given the OP mentioned receiving "money back" and when I changed jobs I received my "money back" I think possible his friend was talking about the provident fund. It's a company benefit though so I'd guess not all employers would set it up or contribute.

 

OB

 

 

 

 

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[mattk1]

Guys thanks for all the replies here and apologies for the delay getting back on.

 

I got some updates to post when I get home, some info for others in a similar position to me might appreciate it. The short of it is that I do have money in an account waiting for me, but I can't have it until i'm 55...

 

Update coming cheers

[Rhys]

On 7/11/2017 at 1:06 PM, DavisH said:

I just read the social security ACT on their website. It states this does not apply to private school teachers. However, in the news today it was reported that they may be a law passed that will make a provident fund compulsory for all other workers. Let's hope there are no more convenient exceptions to this rule. 

Thus I'm still out.. semi-autonomous school... uni...

 

[Rhys]

On 7/11/2017 at 6:30 PM, sandemara said:

The Thai education employment system is a giant rip-off scheme. It is the only industry in the country without regulation. Even government schools are not subject to any industrial relations control. Corruption and outright dishoinesty among employers/business operators is endemic.  People often express wonder at some of the scandalous policies and behaviours exhibited by school authorities that, in the long run, mean perpetuation of an incompetent, unprofessional local education woirkforce and little reason for optimism about the prospects for Thailalnd's youth (future workforce and community leaders. Overseas staff are a perennial easy target for the greedy and corrupt who delight in recruiting overseas-trained staff who, unfortunately, often believe integrity has a role in the local industry shambles. Normal practices - unless changes are demanded by the industry's clients and enacted - have doomed aspirations of the young and general Thai society for at least another generation or two. I wish you luck in getting anything more than lies from your enquiries.  

 Agree with you on this. A few in the personnel office, and few organizations, sadly GOVT,  creating their own rules, such as a 15K deposit before you are hired... they called it an assurance program so you would not pull a runner...