Do remote workers on a DTV visa have to pay taxes in Thailand if they stay more than 180 days?

@Elías *******

The point is that you are NOT making your money there just because you are a citizen there or because the company is located there, you are making the money from working in Thailand = taxable in Thailand.

20 out of 27 countries in the European Union has a double taxation treaty with Thailand, but I don't know for your country.

But the point is, that no matter how much tax your home country tax you, it doesn't magically remove Thailands right to tax the income.

If the work is done in Thailand and you are a thai tax resident (>180 days in Thailand), Thailand has the right to tax the income according to thai law.

And that is why the double taxation treaty is so important - it protects you from being taxed on the same work in both countries.

If there is a double taxation treaty, both countries are obliged to follow that treaty and their own country's taxation law is no longer the one in use.

If your country doesn't have a double taxation treaty with Thailand, then you might be eligible for taxation in both countries 🥺

@André *****

each country has different tax rules. In my home country is not possible (neither legal) to do not pay taxes for money earned there. I know in many European countries is not like that.

CapableCelery590

1. I wasn't talking about money from before 2024, money from prior savings are of course already taxed and not eligible for tax in Thailand

2. I am not here to prove or disprove anything, I am just explaining the rules for when you are considered a thai tax resident and when your work in Thailand is eligible for thai tax. I think you are in for a big surprise, if you think it is up to others to prove anything about your income - it will be entirely up to YOU to document everything.

If you are staying more than 180 days in Thailand it might be hard to convince thai authorities that you haven't worked in that period at all, but if you can prove that you have paid taxes on your income elsewhere it might work out fine.

If you are picked out for audit by immigration it will cause problems if you haven't had the income as stated by the contract used for your visa application.

And if you actually have had that income, but haven't paid thai taxes on it, you should expect to be asked for documentation that you have paid taxes in Malaysia (in your example).

There is no such thing as tax free haven just because you are a DTV visa holder. Not without cheating somehow and it is entirely up to the individual’s conscience, morality, and willingness to take risks how he/she chooses to handle it.

As a side note, I would just like to add that the chances of the DTV surviving beyond the first five years are likely very slim if the majority of those who have spent more than 180 days a year in Thailand either fail to declare any income or consistently report an income of zero.

@André *****

1 - Money earned before 1 January 2024 comes in tax-free. That's not a grey area. It's Revenue Department Order Por. .

2 - Now you need to prove that the work I’m doing here in Thailand is paid work. It’s up to you to prove it, but as far as I’m concerned the actual work is done in Malaysia during my visa run, can’t show you my invoices it’s private.

@Elías *******

my income from my home country is NOT taxable there, it is taxable in Thailand, because it is in Thailand that I have the strongest connection and live my life and in Thailand that the work is being carried out.

That is not an opinion, but a fact.

It is not the location of the employer, but where the work is carried out that is decisive.

It is NOT only if you are working for a Thailand based company that you have to pay thai tax, if you work inside Thailand it is per definition thai sourced income no matter the fysical location of the company......

I have tried to make my point based on facts from my factual situation and you have tried to make yours, let's just agree to disagree 😊

Best of luck

@André *****

what you or me think doesn't matter at all, just the rules matter. Read them by yourself: the taxable income is Thai-sourced income (ie salaries from local companies) and remitted money from abroad.

ResilientZebra5256 then your answer isn't really relevant for the question asked, is it ?

If you are in Thailand more than 180 days you are a tax resident of Thailand

But if your income comes from other sources than normal work other rules might apply, but then it isn't really relevant for a DTV workation holder

Anonymous participant 626 gray area is only for big guys. Not for everyone

Anonymous participant 626 let meet and talk with officials. Than you know rest.

End of discussion.

ResilientZebra5256 you are not going to get PR when you aren’t paying taxes

@Elías *******

I have a confirmation letter from my country where they have stated that I am no longer a tax resident there, but initially they didn't see it like that - they will always try to enforce local rules first.

But when I pointed out the double taxation agreement with Thailand and that Thailand has the right to tax my income, they acknowledged that my strongest ties were to Thailand (due to spending more than 180 days there and my life being based there) and that I was therefore no longer liable for tax in their jurisdiction.

When you elevate the issue to the level of double taxation, the determining factor for your tax residency will always be where you spend the most time and where your life is centered — not which country you are a citizen of.

@André *****

tell that to my home country government. I'm still a tax resident there 🤷🏻 and only there.

@Elías *******

if you are more than 180 days in Thailand you are a thai tax resident and any work done from inside Thailand no matter abroad or not, Thailand has the right to tax that income.

They will not tax it directly from your foreign employer payout, but you must declare it manually on your annual tax return in Thailand.

However, you will receive a tax reduction corresponding to the tax you have paid in your home country (though no more than the tax calculated in Thailand) depending on the double taxation treaty with Thailand and your home country.

Ordinary wage income is not covered by the remittance rules.

The remittance rules applies to foreign income generated from dividends, investment returns, and the like - not normal wage income.

You should not accept being taxed in your home country if you are more than 180 days per year in Thailand, especially if the tax is higher which is often is - that is simply a bad deal for you.

@André *****

Utter nonsense 😂 My home country salary isn't neither assessable nor taxable here, regardless of how many days I spend here in a year. What part of "remitted" don't you understand?

CapableCelery590 I am not working with the Thai tax revenue department or thai immigration, so don't worry about me 😂