Quick answer
Thailand taxes residents (180 days or more a year) on Thai-sourced income and on foreign income they bring into the country. Personal income tax runs from 0% to 35% in 2026, corporate tax is 20%, VAT is 7%, and there is no separate capital gains tax, wealth tax or exit tax. Inheritance tax applies only above THB 100 million.
Last reviewed: November 2026 · Reviewed by Stéphane Gombauld, tax expert, technologist and digital nomad
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Check my tax setup →You are weighing Thailand as a base, or you already live there and want the whole tax picture in one place. This hub explains how the system works, the main taxes and rates for 2026, the regimes for newcomers, what happens when you move in or out, and how running a business is taxed, with links to the detailed guides for each topic.
Thailand taxes in 2026: the key figures
| Tax | 2026 rate or rule |
|---|---|
| Personal income tax | Progressive 0–35%; first THB 150,000 exempt, 35% above THB 5 million |
| Tax residence test | 180 days or more in a calendar year |
| Foreign-sourced income | Taxed only when remitted to Thailand (income earned from 2024 onwards) |
| Corporate income tax | 20%; SMEs 0% on first THB 300,000 and 15% up to THB 3 million |
| VAT | 7% (statutory 10%, reduced rate extended to 30 September 2026) |
| Social security | 5% employee and 5% employer on wages up to THB 15,000 a month (max THB 750 each) |
| Capital gains | Ordinary income at 0–35%; SET-listed shares and Thai fund units exempt |
| Inheritance and gift tax | 5–10% on inheritances above THB 100 million; 5% on gifts above THB 10–20 million |
Is this guide for you?
Read on if you…
- plan to spend more than half the year in Thailand as a freelancer, remote employee or founder;
- want to know which of your income streams Thailand actually taxes;
- need a map of the Thai tax system before reading the detailed guides.
Probably not your case if you…
- only holiday in Thailand and keep your work and money elsewhere (you are a non-resident with no Thai exposure);
- need Thai customs, excise or land-and-building tax detail (only touched on here).
How does the Thai tax system work?
Thailand runs a hybrid system. Section 41 of the Revenue Code taxes everyone on income sourced in Thailand, resident or not. Residents are additionally taxed on foreign-sourced income, but only when they bring it into Thailand. This is the remittance basis: the money is taxed when it arrives, not when it is earned.
You are a tax resident if you are in Thailand for 180 days or more in a calendar year. There is no centre-of-interests test, no visa test and no treaty-style tie-breaker in domestic law. Count the days. The detail is in tax residency in Thailand.
Three dates matter for the remittance rule:
- Income earned before 1 January 2024: exempt whenever remitted (Departmental Instruction Paw. 162/2566).
- Income earned from 1 January 2024 while resident: taxable in the year remitted, whatever the year (Paw. 161/2566).
- Income earned in a non-resident year: never taxed on remittance.
A 2025 draft decree would exempt foreign income remitted within the year earned or the next; it is not in force until gazetted.
The Revenue Department administers income tax, VAT, specific business tax and stamp duty. The tax year for individuals is the calendar year. Returns are due by 31 March on paper or early April online (8 April in 2026 for the 2025 year, check each year).
What are the main taxes in Thailand?
| Tax | Who pays | 2026 rate | Detail guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal income tax | Residents on Thai and remitted foreign income; non-residents on Thai income | 0–35% in eight bands | Personal income taxes |
| Social security | Employees and employers; voluntary for self-employed under Section 40 | 5% + 5% up to the wage ceiling | Specific taxes |
| Capital gains | Individuals and companies, as ordinary income | 0–35% / 20%; listed shares and Thai funds exempt | Capital gains |
| Corporate income tax | Thai companies on worldwide income; foreign companies on Thai income | 20%; SME 0/15/20% | Corporate income tax |
| VAT | Businesses with turnover above THB 1.8 million | 7% | Specific taxes |
| Specific business tax | Banks, finance, property sales within 5 years | 3.3% on property sales | Specific taxes |
| Wealth tax | Nobody | None | — |
| Inheritance tax | Heirs, on the share above THB 100 million | 5% for ascendants and descendants, 10% others, spouse exempt | Specific taxes |
| Land and building tax | Owners, annually | 0.01–0.3% on residential, up to 1.2% on unused land | — |
Personal income tax bands for 2026 (unchanged since 2017): 0% to THB 150,000; 5% to 300,000; 10% to 500,000; 15% to 750,000; 20% to 1 million; 25% to 2 million; 30% to 5 million; 35% above. Allowances and deductions are generous for families and savers; see personal tax deductions in Thailand.
Crypto has its own layer: 15% withholding, VAT exemption on licensed exchanges and, from 2025 to 2029, a personal income tax exemption on gains made through SEC-licensed Thai exchanges. Full detail in cryptocurrency taxes in Thailand.
Which special regimes exist for newcomers?
Thailand does not have a general "new resident" regime like Italy or Portugal. It has targeted ones:
- LTR visa (Long-Term Resident): a 10-year visa with a flat 17% income tax for highly skilled professionals, or a full exemption on foreign-sourced income for wealthy citizens, pensioners and employees of foreign companies working remotely. Income threshold USD 80,000 a year for most categories.
- Eastern Economic Corridor: flat 17% for executives and specialists of promoted companies.
- International Business Centre: flat 15% for expatriate staff.
- DTV visa: a five-year remote-work visa with no tax benefit at all.
All of them are compared in tax breaks for expatriates and digital nomads in Thailand. For most freelancers the real "regime" is the remittance basis itself, combined with careful separation of old and new money.
What happens when you move in or move out?
Moving in
- Decide your residence year. Arriving in August means you are non-resident for that year (under 180 days), so income earned that year is never taxed on remittance. Arriving in January makes the whole year resident.
- Document your capital at the date of arrival: statements of every account, so later remittances can be shown to be pre-arrival savings.
- Get a Thai tax identification number once you have Thai-sourced income or remit taxable income.
- Check your previous country's exit rules; Thailand has 61 double tax treaties and the tie-breaker will usually favour where your home and family are. See tax treaties of Thailand.
Step by step in the practical guide to obtaining your tax residency in Thailand.
Moving out
Thailand has no exit tax and no deemed disposal. Residence ends by fact: spend fewer than 180 days in the year and you are non-resident for that whole year. Loose ends are your final return, closing VAT registration if you had a business, and the status of foreign income earned while resident, which stays taxable if remitted later. The practical guide to ceasing your tax residency in Thailand covers the sequence.
How is running a business taxed in Thailand?
Most foreigners choose between operating as an individual (taxed at 0–35% with a 60% standard expense deduction for most business income, or actual expenses) and a Thai limited company (20% corporate tax, 10% withholding on dividends). The Foreign Business Act limits foreign ownership to 49% in many service sectors unless you hold a BOI promotion, a Foreign Business Licence or use the US–Thai Treaty of Amity. The options are compared in legal forms of business in Thailand.
Key company rules in 2026:
- Corporate income tax 20%, with SME rates of 0% on the first THB 300,000 and 15% up to THB 3 million for companies with paid-up capital of THB 5 million or less and revenue of THB 30 million or less.
- Half-year return (P.N.D. 51) within two months of the half-year, annual return (P.N.D. 50) within 150 days of year end.
- VAT registration above THB 1.8 million turnover; 3% withholding on most service fees between Thai businesses.
- A 15% global minimum top-up tax for groups with revenue of EUR 750 million or more, from 2025.
Deductibility of costs, depreciation and the entertainment cap are in business expenses in Thailand. The penalty regime, from the 1.5% monthly surcharge to criminal fraud, is in laws on tax fraud in Thailand.
Example – Jonas, Danish founder, 41, moving to Bangkok in January 2026
Jonas owns a Danish software company paying him EUR 120,000 a year and has EUR 400,000 of savings documented at 31 December 2025. In 2026 he is resident from day one. He lives on THB 2 million remitted from the documented savings: tax THB 0, because it is capital earned before arrival. His 2026 salary stays in Denmark; nothing is taxed in Thailand until he remits it. He also consults for a Thai client for THB 600,000, which is Thai-sourced and taxable: after the 60,000 personal allowance and 50% expense deduction capped at THB 100,000, his tax is about THB 21,500. His effective Thai tax rate on THB 2.6 million of cash used in Thailand: under 1%. Denmark's exit rules are the bigger question, and the treaty decides who taxes the salary.
Jonas's position depends on three dates: arrival, remittance and residence. Yours probably does too.
Get a quick map of what Thailand would tax in your setup before you book the flight.
Check my tax setup →Common mistakes (and what they cost)
- Counting residence by visa type instead of days → a DTV or tourist-visa holder who stays 180 days is resident and owes tax on remitted income.
- Mixing pre-2024 savings with new income in one account → you cannot prove which part is exempt, so remittances risk being taxed in full.
- Assuming no return is needed because tax was withheld → residents with Thai income above the filing threshold must file; late filing costs a fine plus 1.5% a month.
- Holding 49% of your own company through nominees → illegal under the Foreign Business Act, with criminal exposure for both parties.
- Leaving mid-year and forgetting the final return → the year you spent 180 days remains resident; income remitted that year is taxable.
Frequently asked questions
Is Thailand a tax haven for digital nomads?
No, but it is favourable. Residents pay 0–35% on Thai-sourced income and on foreign income they remit. Foreign income kept abroad, income earned before 2024 and income earned in non-resident years are outside the net. The LTR visa adds a full foreign-income exemption for qualifying remote employees. Thailand is not territorial like Singapore or Hong Kong.
What is the tax rate in Thailand for foreigners?
The same as for Thais. Residents pay progressive rates of 0% to 35% in 2026, with the first THB 150,000 exempt. Non-residents pay the same scale on Thai-sourced income, and 15% final withholding on certain Thai investment income. Flat 17% (LTR, EEC) and 15% (IBC) rates exist for specific employment categories only.
Does Thailand tax worldwide income?
Not yet. Thailand taxes foreign-sourced income of residents only when remitted. A proposal in 2024 to move to full worldwide taxation has not been enacted as of November 2026, and a counter-proposal to exempt income remitted within a year is pending. Watch the Royal Gazette before relying on either.
Are there wealth, inheritance or exit taxes in Thailand?
No wealth tax and no exit tax. Inheritance tax applies only to the portion of an estate above THB 100 million received by each heir: 5% for parents and children, 10% for others, spouse exempt. Gift tax of 5% applies to gifts above THB 20 million from ascendants, descendants or spouse, and above THB 10 million from others.
How does Thailand compare with Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia?
Singapore and Hong Kong are territorial with no capital gains tax and lower top rates (24% and 15%), but far higher costs and stricter visas. Malaysia also taxes remitted foreign income, with a top rate of 30%. See the overviews of Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
When are Thai tax returns due in 2026?
Individuals file P.N.D. 90 or 91 for calendar year 2025 by 31 March 2026 on paper or 8 April 2026 online. Freelancers and landlords also file a half-year return (P.N.D. 94) by 30 September for income from January to June. Companies file within 150 days of their year end, so 29 May 2026 for a December year end.
Thailand tax guides
- Tax residency in Thailand – the 180-day test and what it triggers.
- Practical guide to obtaining your tax residency in Thailand – your move-in plan, step by step.
- Practical guide to ceasing your tax residency in Thailand – how to leave cleanly, with no exit tax.
- Personal income taxes in Thailand – the 0–35% scale, filing and withholding.
- Personal tax deductions in Thailand – allowances, insurance, RMF and other reliefs.
- Capital gains taxation in Thailand – gains by asset type and the listed-share exemption.
- Cryptocurrency taxes in Thailand – the 15% withholding and the licensed-exchange exemption.
- Tax breaks for expatriates and digital nomads in Thailand – LTR, EEC, IBC and the DTV reality check.
- Legal forms of business in Thailand – sole trader, limited company, BOI and the Foreign Business Act.
- Corporate income tax in Thailand – 20% rate, SME bands, withholding and filing.
- Business expenses in Thailand – what is deductible, depreciation and the entertainment cap.
- Specific taxes of Thailand – VAT, specific business tax, stamp duty, inheritance and land taxes.
- Tax treaties of Thailand – the 61 treaties, tie-breakers and foreign tax credits.
- Laws on tax fraud in Thailand – penalties, surcharges and how to regularise.
Related guides
- Tax landscape overview of Singapore
- Tax landscape overview of Hong Kong
- Tax landscape overview of Malaysia
- Tax residency in Thailand
- Tax breaks for expatriates and digital nomads in Thailand
- All country tax guides
Sources
- The Revenue Department of Thailand – English portal
- The Revenue Department of Thailand – Personal income tax
- Office of the Council of State – Thai legislation
- Thailand Board of Investment – Long-Term Resident visa
- Social Security Office, Thailand
- Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce
- OECD – Tax treaties
This guide is general information, not personalised tax advice. See how we research and review.
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