Taxes in Thailand

In Thailand

If you have a work permit, you will be required to pay taxes in Thailand. The process is much like that in the United States: your employer should withhold income tax automatically, and at the end of the year you will file a tax form with the Revenue Department. Tax forms must be filed on or before the last day of March each year. As in the United States, you will either get money back or be required to pay more taxes.

Withholding rates are figured on a scale (See Bottom of Page).

Each city district has a tax office from which you can obtain a tax form. To locate the office nearest you or for information on how to file tax forms, the main office in Bangkok has English-speaking staff available.

U.S. Taxes

As an American working abroad, you will be exempt from U.S. income taxes as long as you make less than US$96,000 annually. You should still file a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service. Even though you may not owe any money, not filing can result in huge hassles years down the line when you have long forgotten your failure to file. The burden will be yours to prove to the IRS that you were actually overseas at the time and that you didn’t make enough money to require any tax payment.

For complete information, the IRS publication “Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens Abroad,” is available through the IRS online.

To contact the IRS from the United States prior to your departure, dial (800) TAX-FORM to order tax forms or informational booklets or (800) TAX-1040 for assistance with preparing your taxes. To obtain a list of the regional U.S. tax offices, including numbers that can be dialed from overseas, request publication 910.