Thailand Tax on Foreign Income for Australian Retirees (2024+ Rules)

Since 1 January 2024, Thailand has taxed its tax residents on foreign income earned from 2024 onwards when it's brought into Thailand, whether in the same year or later. For Australian retirees this raises real questions about pensions, super and savings. The answer depends on whether you're a Thai tax resident, what kind of income it is, when it was earned, and the Australia–Thailand tax treaty.

This is general information, not tax advice. International tax is complex and the rules are still being clarified. Get advice from a qualified tax adviser in Thailand and Australia before you move money or file.

Are you a Thai tax resident?

The Revenue Department's 2024 tax return guide says: if you stay in Thailand for at least 180 days in a tax year (the calendar year), you're a Thai tax resident for that year. Under 180 days, you're a non-resident.

Many retirees on one-year extensions spend more than 180 days a year in Thailand, so they're likely to be Thai tax residents.

Australian tax residency is a separate question. The ATO has its own tests. Leaving Australia to live overseas often, but not always, makes you a foreign resident for Australian tax. You could be treated as resident in both countries, in which case the treaty's tie-breaker rules apply. Check the ATO's residency guidance and get advice.

The 2024 change: remitted foreign income

The Revenue Department's Q&A on Orders Por. 161/2566 and 162/2566 says foreign income is taxable in Thailand when both of these apply:

1. you had assessable income from a foreign source from 1 January 2024, in a tax year when you were in Thailand 180 days or more, and
2. you bring that income into Thailand, in that year or a later year.

The income is then taxed in the year you bring it in.

What this means in practice:

• Income earned before 2024 (for example, savings built up from earlier income) falls outside this rule under the Revenue Department's guidance. Keep records showing when money was earned.
• Income earned in a year you weren't a Thai tax resident is also outside it, even if you remit it later. See Money you had before becoming a Thai tax resident.
• Money you leave outside Thailand isn't caught by the remittance rule.
• Non-residents (under 180 days) aren't taxed on foreign income under this rule.

The 2024 return guide also says residents must file if total income exceeds 120,000 baht in the year (220,000 baht for married couples with combined income). Check the current year's guide for thresholds, rates and allowances, since we haven't listed tax rates here.

Money you had before becoming a Thai tax resident

This is one of the most common questions from Australians planning a move: "If I sell up in Australia before I move, is that money taxed when I bring it into Thailand?"

The rule, as the Revenue Department states it

The Revenue Department's Q&A on Por. 161/2566 and Por. 162/2566 says foreign-source income is taxable in Thailand only when both conditions are met:

1. the person has assessable income from a foreign source from 1 January 2024, in a tax year in which they were in Thailand for 180 days or more, and
2. they bring that income into Thailand in that tax year or a later one.

Two separate tests come out of this, and both must apply before remitted money is taxed:

• When the income arose: on or after 1 January 2024. Under Por. 162/2566, income that arose before 2024 follows the old rules and isn't caught when it's remitted later.
• Your residence in the year the income arose: you must have been a Thai tax resident (180+ days) in that year. Residence in the year you remit isn't enough on its own.

So the question isn't only "was it earned before 2024?" It's also "was I a Thai tax resident in the year it was earned?" Thai tax practitioners describe it the same way. Someone who earned money abroad while not resident in Thailand can generally remit it after moving without this charge applying.

Capital vs income

The remittance rule applies to assessable income, such as pension payments, interest, dividends, rent and gains. Your capital, meaning money you already owned, isn't itself new income. In practice what matters is:

• the year the money (or the gain within it) arose, and
• whether you can prove it.

Anything the money earns after you become a Thai tax resident, such as interest on the sale proceeds or gains on investing them, is new foreign income of a resident year. It can be taxed if you bring it into Thailand.

Worked example: selling the house before the move

Facts (illustrative only):

• 2026: Jan and Mark, Australian residents, sell their house in Brisbane. They spend fewer than 180 days in Thailand in calendar year 2026, so they're not Thai tax residents for 2026.
• They put the sale proceeds into a separate Australian savings account used only for that money.
• 2027: they move to Hua Hin on retirement extensions and spend more than 180 days a year in Thailand from 2027 onwards, so they're Thai tax residents from 2027.
• 2027 to 2030: they transfer the proceeds to Thailand gradually, for living costs and their 800,000 THB visa deposits.

How the rule generally applies:

• The sale proceeds, including any gain on the house, arose in 2026, a year in which they weren't Thai tax residents. Condition (1) isn't met for that money, so bringing it into Thailand in 2027 to 2030 isn't generally assessable in Thailand under the Revenue Department's interpretation.
• Interest the account earns from 2027, while they're Thai residents, is new foreign income of a resident year. If that interest is brought into Thailand, it can be taxable (subject to the treaty, see below).
• Pension or other income they receive from 2027 is likewise income of a resident year.

How to keep it clean:

1. Keep the proceeds in a separate, clearly labelled account. Don't pay pensions, interest from other accounts or new income into it.
2. Consider moving interest out of the account (for example, sweeping it to a different account) so that the "pre-residence" account holds only the original proceeds. Ask your adviser how best to do this.
3. Keep the paperwork:
   • the contract of sale and settlement statement,
   • bank statements showing the deposit of proceeds and the balance at the date you became Thai resident,
   • a dated trail of every transfer to Thailand, showing it came from that account,
   • records of your days in Thailand each year (passport stamps and travel records).
4. Remit from that account only when you intend to bring in pre-residence money, so each transfer can be traced.

Australian side: selling your home while still an Australian resident usually has its own Australian tax treatment (for example, the main residence exemption from capital gains tax, subject to the ATO's rules). Selling after you become a foreign resident for Australian tax can change that significantly. Get Australian advice before you sell or move.

The same logic for pre-2024 savings

Money that arose before 1 January 2024 is outside the remittance rule under Por. 162/2566, whether or not you lived in Thailand then. The same record-keeping advice applies: separate it, document it, and trace each transfer.

Draft changes: not yet law

Since 2025 the Revenue Department has publicly discussed a royal decree that would exempt foreign income remitted in the year it's earned or the following year. As of August to October 2026, tax practitioners report that it hadn't been published in the Royal Gazette, so it isn't law. Plan on the current rules.

The Australia–Thailand tax treaty

The double tax agreement (DTA) between Australia and Thailand can change the result. From the Revenue Department's published text:

• Article 18 (Pensions and annuities): subject to Article 19, pensions and annuities paid to a resident of one country are taxable only in that country.
• Article 19(2) (Government service pensions): a pension paid for government service, for example an Australian Public Service or ComSuper pension, is taxable only in Australia, unless the recipient is a resident and citizen of Thailand.

How the ATO has applied this: in ATO ID 2003/154, a veteran's pension paid to a Thai tax resident wasn't government-service employment, so Article 18 applied and the pension was not taxable in Australia. The other side of that is that Thailand has the taxing right.

So, broadly:

Income	Who can tax it under the DTA (general position)
Government-service pension (e.g. a former Commonwealth employee pension)	Australia only (unless you're a Thai resident and Thai citizen)
Other pensions paid to a Thai treaty resident (likely to include the Age Pension and super income streams)	Thailand only under Article 18. Thailand may tax it when it's remitted
Interest, dividends, rent, capital gains	Depends on other DTA articles. Get advice

Important caveats:

• Whether a particular payment (the Age Pension, an account-based super pension, a lump sum, a defined-benefit pension) counts as a "pension" under Article 18 is a technical question. Get advice.
• The treaty's tie-breaker rules decide which country you're "resident" in for treaty purposes.
• The ATO may still treat you as an Australian resident for other purposes.

The LTR exception

The Board of Investment lists a tax exemption on overseas income as a benefit of the LTR visa, including the Wealthy Pensioner category. If tax is a big concern and you qualify, this can be a key difference. See our visa comparison.

Practical steps for retirees

1. Count your days in Thailand each calendar year.
2. Separate your money: keep pre-2024 savings in a separate Australian account from post-2024 income, with statements.
3. Plan what you bring in. Living costs and visa deposits funded from savings may be treated differently from current-year income.
4. Keep transfer records of every transfer to Thailand. See our money transfer guide.
5. Get a Thai Tax ID (TIN) if you need to file. Ask the Revenue Department or an accountant.
6. Get advice in both countries before your first full year in Thailand.

Summary

• Stay 180+ days in a calendar year and you're a Thai tax resident.
• From 2024, Thai residents are taxed on foreign income earned from 2024 when it's brought into Thailand.
• The DTA generally gives Thailand the right to tax pensions paid to Thai residents. Government-service pensions stay taxable only in Australia.
• LTR holders have an overseas income tax exemption.
• Keep records and get professional advice.

What we couldn't verify

• How the Age Pension and super pensions are treated under the DTA: we found no official ruling confirming whether each is a "pension" under Article 18.
• Current Thai tax rates and allowances: check the Revenue Department's current guide.
• Further Thai guidance: the proposed exemption for income remitted in the year it's earned or the next year remains a draft, according to practitioners as of October 2026. We'll update this page if it's published in the Royal Gazette.
• Mixed accounts: the Revenue Department hasn't published official guidance on how it treats accounts holding both pre-residence capital and later income, or on the order in which money in a mixed account is treated as remitted. Keep the money separate to avoid the question.
• Burden of proof: we found no official statement of what evidence the Revenue Department requires to show that remitted money arose in a non-resident year or before 2024. Keep full records.
• Capital vs income: official materials say "assessable income"; we found no Revenue Department statement specifically on returning capital (principal), although it isn't income in ordinary terms.
• Treaty interaction: how the Australia–Thailand DTA applies to gains or interest that arise after you become resident depends on the type of income and your treaty residence. Get advice.
• Legal status: a departmental instruction such as Por. 161 sets out how the Revenue Department reads the law. Practitioners note it binds the department but not the courts.