Expat Tax: Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for visiting our Thailand Expat Tax FAQ page. We answer questions received from expats, anonymised for privacy, to help others navigate the new tax rules.
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Tax Advisory Disclaimer
The information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not professional tax advice. For full details, please consult our complete Tax Advisory Disclaimer.
Regarding your overseas dividends, as a Thai-tax resident, these are taxable in Thailand if remitted. You can potentially offset taxed owed with tax credits from taxes paid in Australia. Remember, you’re taxed only on the amount remitted to Thailand.
In the Australian-Thai DTA, bothvivil service and military pensions are exempt from tax in Thailand.
An Australian Veterans’ Affairs Disability Pension is typically classified as a government pension. This type of pension is paid by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) It is distinct from superannuation or private retirement pensions as it serves as compensation for service-related injuries rather than retirement income.
In the context of Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs), a Veterans’ Affairs Disability Pension is typically regarded as a government pension. Our understanding is this is not taxable in Thailand under the Aus / Thai DTA.
You may find our webinar on the Thailand-Australia Double Tax Treaty useful; you can watch it here.
Yes, this asset is a taxable income source when remitted into Thailand, It must be declared.
If you meet the criteria of a Thai tax resident (180 days or more in a calendar year) and you transfer (remit) the your superannuation pension to Thailand, then this is classed as assessable income. This means that if the amount of assessable income remitted to Thailand in a calendar year is over THB220,000 as a married joint filing with a non-working spouse, or THB120,000 for single filing then you will have to file a Thai tax return. You can use the Thai allowances and deductions available..
You may find our webinar on the Thailand-Australia Double Tax Treaty useful; you can watch it here.
This is dependent on the source of the income, whether it’s from assets like pension, income, investments, or capital gains. This is important so you can know if you have to file a tax return.
Superannuation is classed as pension income. I have a video explainer video for the Australian / Thai Double Taxation agreement. Here is the video https://youtu.be/y1chBfp8_XE
If you withdraw and remit (transfer to Thailand) AUD6,000 per month, then AUD72k (1.7m THB) is assessable income.
You can deduct off your allowances and deductions, then you will follow the Thai tax tables.
If you are a Thai tax resident, it is only remittance that becomes assessable. If funds are left overseas, they are not taxed in Thailand. However, if funds are remitted into Thailand, it is potentially taxable. There are no exemptions for pensions for pre-2024 values. You can find detailed guidance on what constitutes assessable income here.
Under domestic Thai personal income tax rules for Thai tax residents (180 days or more in Thailand) you are liable to pay income tax on any pensions remitted to Thailand. You can use any tax already paid as a credit, but as you mentioned this doesn’t help with Superanuation pensions.
Anything remitted to Thailand is taxed as assessable income. It is not on the capital gains, it is a pension, therefore the pension amount you transfer to Thailand is assessable income in Thailand. You get your Thai allowances and deductions and can also deduct up to THB100,000 off the pension before using the tax tables.
This is assessable income. Its likely with your allowances and deductions you will have a little of no tax to pay. We can help you file this with our ‘Essential tax filing’ which is THB7,500 per year.
For more information for Australians watch our webinar here.
This depends on the type of pension that you have. If this is a government pension or civil service pension there are exclusions for tax under the double taxation agreement. If it is a Superannuation, annuity or age pension, then these are assessable income sources if remitted to Thailand if you are a Thai tax resident (180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year)
You may find our webinar on the Thailand-Australia Double Tax Treaty useful; you can watch it here.
Before remitting large sums of money, please seek advice and a consultation before acting. In principle if you are a non-Thai tax resident, you can remit the assets to Thailand as a non-Thai tax resident, or just keep the money in an account in Australia. This can be remitted in the future as the ‘crystalisation event’ took place when you were a non-Thai tax resident. I recommend that you seek advice and clarity before acting.
You may find our webinar on the Thailand-Australia Double Tax Treaty useful; you can watch it here.
You can have a TIN and not be a tax resident in a following year correct.