Reviewed by ThaiLawOnline, a licensed Thai law firm practising in Thailand since 2006. Thai lawyer of record: Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556.
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Social security (ประกันสังคม, prakan sangkhom, often referred to by the office that runs it, the SSO) is Thailand’s compulsory social insurance scheme under the Social Security Act B.E. 2533 (1990), funded by matching contributions from employee and employer plus a government share, and paying seven benefits: sickness, maternity, disability, death, child allowance, old age and unemployment. Every private-sector employee, including a foreigner holding a work permit, is enrolled by the employer. For most expatriates it is their first encounter with Thai public health cover, and the contribution record also matters at work permit renewals.
Table of Contents
How the Act works
Section 33 makes membership compulsory for employees aged 15 to 60 of any private employer, regardless of nationality; an insured employee who turns 60 while still working for a covered employer stays insured. The employer must register a new employee with the Social Security Office within 30 days of hiring, deducts the employee’s contribution of 5% of wages up to the current ceiling, adds its own 5%, and files the monthly return. The wage ceiling was raised in January 2026 and rises again in stages in 2029 and 2032, so the monthly deduction moves with it.
An employee who leaves work after at least 12 months of contributions can keep cover under Section 39 by applying within six months of leaving and paying a fixed monthly contribution. Section 40 is a separate voluntary scheme for people who are not Section 33 employees, such as the self-employed, with eligibility set by royal decree. Civil servants have their own system. Benefits are claimed at the SSO branch or, for medical care, at the hospital the member has chosen from the SSO list; the choice can be changed once a year.
What a foreign employee gets
Health cover. Treatment at the registered hospital is free for the member, with emergency care at any hospital protected. Medical cover starts once three months of contributions have been paid in the previous 15 months (Section 62). Sickness benefit pays 50% of wages for up to 90 days per illness and 180 days a year (Section 64), maternity pays a lump sum plus 50% of wages for 90 days, and disability, death and child allowance follow set scales. The social security guide lists each benefit and its conditions.
Unemployment and old age. An employee laid off after at least six months of contributions within the 15 months before losing the job, and registered with a state employment office (Section 78), receives 50% of wages for up to 180 days, or 30% for 90 days after a resignation, provided registration at the employment office happens within 30 days. Old-age benefit is paid from 55 once insured status has ended (Section 77 bis): a lump sum where contributions total less than 180 months, a monthly pension where they reach 180 months or more. A foreigner who leaves Thailand does not lose the fund, but the claim must be filed within two years of becoming entitled (Section 56), so a member who left years earlier should diarise the 55th birthday. An employer that skips registration leaves the employee uninsured and complicates the later work permit renewal.
Social security compared with the other funds
Three different payroll funds are easily confused. Social security is the joint-contribution scheme above. The Workmen’s Compensation Fund, under a separate Act, is paid by the employer alone and covers injury, illness or death arising from work. From October 2026 an Employee Welfare Fund adds a small further contribution from each side, per the timetable in the guide to coming changes.
| Scheme | Who pays | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Social security (Section 33) | Employee 5%, employer 5%, government share | Seven benefits including non-work sickness, maternity, unemployment, old age |
| Workmen’s Compensation Fund | Employer only, rate by industry risk | Work-related injury, illness, disability and death |
| Employee Welfare Fund (from October 2026) | Employee and employer, small percentage each | Lump sum on leaving employment or death |
| Private health insurance | Individual or employer, by contract | Whatever the policy says; often required for visas |
Last reviewed: 29 September 2026. Social Security Act B.E. 2533 sections 33, 34, 39, 40, 56, 62, 64, 67, 77 bis and 78 were read in Thai in the consolidated text published on law.go.th. The contribution rates, the wage ceiling steps, the maternity lump sum and the unemployment benefit rates are set by ministerial regulation or board notification and were not re-read in this review.
Frequently asked questions
Do foreigners have to pay social security in Thailand?
Yes. A foreigner employed by a Thai employer is registered under Section 33 and pays 5% of wages up to the ceiling, matched by the employer. It is not optional, and immigration expects to see the contribution records at work permit and extension renewals.
What does Thai social security cover?
Seven benefits: sickness, maternity, disability, death, child allowance, old age and unemployment. Medical treatment is at the hospital the member registers with, and cash benefits are usually a percentage of the insured wage for a fixed period.
Can I get my social security contributions back when I leave Thailand?
Not immediately. Old-age contributions are paid out from age 55 once insured status has ended, as a lump sum where there are fewer than 180 months of contributions and as a pension otherwise, and the claim must be filed within two years of becoming entitled (Section 56). Section 77 bis paragraph three adds a route for foreigners: an insured person without Thai nationality whose insured status has ended, and who does not intend to remain in Thailand, is entitled to the old-age lump sum whatever the number of months contributed, on the terms set by ministerial regulation, so ask the Social Security Office how it applies before leaving. The other contributions are insurance premiums and are not refunded.
See also: work permit, 4:1 Thai-to-foreign employee ratio, employment contract, tax identification number, and the guides on social security in Thailand and employee rights.
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