Banking, pensions and tax in Thailand
Thailand taxes pensions and other foreign income that residents bring into the country, if earned from 2024, at 0% to 35%; US Social Security is taxed only in the US under the treaty.
How your pension reaches a Thailand bank, what Thailand taxes, and what you still report at home. Checked against official sources on Oct 8, 2026.
- Tax on a foreign pension
- Taxed if remitted Foreign pensions are taxed when brought in. PwC Tax Summaries; US-Thailand treaty. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Top rate, local income
- 35% Over THB 5,000,000. PwC Tax Summaries; US-Thailand treaty. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- US Social Security
- Direct deposit SSA POMS; US-Thailand treaty. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- UK State Pension
- Frozen GOV.UK. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Canada OAS
- No agreement Canada.ca. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- US FBAR
- Over $10,000 Combined foreign accounts at any time in the year. FinCEN. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Getting your pension paid in Thailand
United States
Social Security
Yes. Social Security can be paid straight into a bank in Thailand by international direct deposit: Thailand is on SSA's list of direct deposit countries. Under the US-Thailand tax treaty, US Social Security paid to a resident of Thailand is taxable only in the United States.
SSA POMS; US-Thailand treaty. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
United Kingdom
State Pension
It can be paid to you in Thailand, but Thailand is not on GOV.UK's list of countries where the State Pension goes up every year, so it stays at the rate you first receive there.
GOV.UK. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Canada
Old Age Security
Paid while you live outside Canada if you lived in Canada for at least 20 years after age 18. Canada has no social security agreement with Thailand, so time in Thailand does not count toward OAS.
Canada.ca. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Other countries: check whether your pension can be paid abroad, whether it keeps rising with inflation there, and whether your country has a social security agreement with Thailand.
How Thailand taxes you
You are tax resident in Thailand if you stay 180 days or more in a calendar year. Residents are taxed on income from work or business in Thailand wherever it is paid. Income a resident earns outside Thailand, including a foreign pension, is taxed only if it is earned in a tax year from 1 January 2024 onwards and brought into Thailand, wholly or partly, in that year or a later one. Taxable income is charged at 0% to 35% after deductions. Under the US-Thailand treaty, US Social Security paid to a resident of Thailand is taxable only in the United States, and private pensions for past employment are taxable only in the country where the retiree lives. Interest from Thai bank deposits has 15% withheld at source. The income tax scale:
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to THB 150,000 a year | 0% |
| THB 150,001 to 300,000 | 5% |
| THB 300,001 to 500,000 | 10% |
| THB 500,001 to 750,000 | 15% |
| THB 750,001 to 1,000,000 | 20% |
| THB 1,000,001 to 2,000,000 | 25% |
| THB 2,000,001 to 5,000,000 | 30% |
| Over THB 5,000,000 | 35% |
PwC Tax Summaries; US-Thailand treaty. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
What US citizens still report
US citizens file a US return on worldwide income wherever they live; the US has an income tax treaty with Thailand, which can decide which country taxes some income. Two reports cover money held abroad:
| FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) | Over $10,000 combined, any time |
| Form 8938, single, living abroad | Over $200,000 at year end or $300,000 any time |
| Form 8938, married filing jointly | Over $400,000 at year end or $600,000 any time |
FinCEN; IRS. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Pension and tax questions
Can I get US Social Security paid in Thailand?
Yes. Social Security can be paid straight into a bank in Thailand by international direct deposit: Thailand is on SSA's list of direct deposit countries. Under the US-Thailand tax treaty, US Social Security paid to a resident of Thailand is taxable only in the United States.
Will my UK State Pension go up each year in Thailand?
It can be paid to you in Thailand, but Thailand is not on GOV.UK's list of countries where the State Pension goes up every year, so it stays at the rate you first receive there.
Is my pension taxed in Thailand?
Yes, if you bring it into Thailand. A resident's foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 is taxed in the year it is remitted to Thailand or later, at 0% to 35%. US Social Security is the exception for Americans: the US-Thailand treaty makes it taxable only in the United States. US citizens still file a US return.
Do I still file a US tax return?
Yes, US citizens file on worldwide income wherever they live, and report foreign accounts on an FBAR once they pass $10,000 combined at any point in the year.
Can I get US Social Security paid in Thailand?
Yes. Thailand is on Social Security's list of international direct deposit countries, so payments can go straight into a bank in Thailand.
Is US Social Security taxed in Thailand?
No. Under the US-Thailand tax treaty, Social Security paid to a resident of Thailand is taxable only in the United States.
Is my foreign pension taxed in Thailand?
If you are resident (180 days or more in a year), foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 is taxed when you bring it into Thailand, at 0% to 35% after deductions. Money you leave abroad is not taxed in Thailand.
Is there a totalization agreement between Thailand and Canada or the UK?
Canada has no social security agreement with Thailand, and Thailand is not on GOV.UK's list of countries where the UK State Pension rises each year, so a UK pension is frozen there.
