{"id":6615,"date":"2026-09-05T19:11:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/glossary\/social-security\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T19:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:11:13","slug":"social-security","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/social-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Security in Thailand (Social Security Act B.E. 2533)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>Social security<\/strong> (\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e2a\u0e31\u0e07\u0e04\u0e21, <em>prakan sangkhom<\/em>, often referred to by the office that runs it, the <em>SSO<\/em>) is Thailand&#8217;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.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>\u0e2a\u0e32\u0e23\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e0d<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#how-the-act-works\">How the Act works<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-a-foreign-employee-gets\">What a foreign employee gets<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#social-security-compared-with-the-other-funds\">Social security compared with the other funds<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#frequently-asked-questions\">\u0e04\u0e33\u0e16\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e1e\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-the-act-works\">How the Act works<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>Section 33 makes membership compulsory for employees aged 15 to 60 of any private employer, regardless of nationality. The employer must register a new employee with the Social Security Office within 30 days of hiring, deducts the employee&#8217;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.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>An employee who leaves work can keep cover under Section 39 by applying within six months and paying a fixed monthly premium. Section 40 is a separate voluntary scheme for self-employed Thais. 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.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-a-foreign-employee-gets\">What a foreign employee gets<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>Health cover.<\/strong> Treatment at the registered hospital is free for the member, with emergency care at any hospital protected. Sickness benefit pays 50% of wages for up to 90 days per illness, maternity pays a lump sum plus 50% of wages for 90 days, and disability, death and child allowance follow set scales. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/social-security-in-thailand\/\">social security guide<\/a> lists each benefit and its conditions.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>Unemployment and old age.<\/strong> An employee laid off after at least six months of contributions 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 claimed at 55: 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; it is claimed at 55 like any other member&#8217;s. An employer that skips registration leaves the employee uninsured and complicates the later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/work-permit\/\">\u0e43\u0e1a\u0e2d\u0e19\u0e38\u0e0d\u0e32\u0e15\u0e17\u0e33\u0e07\u0e32\u0e19<\/a> renewal difficult.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"social-security-compared-with-the-other-funds\">Social security compared with the other funds<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>Three different payroll funds are easily confused. Social security is the joint-contribution scheme above. The Workmen&#8217;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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/social-security-in-thailand-changes-for-the-next-years\/\">guide to coming changes<\/a>.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Scheme<\/th><th>Who pays<\/th><th>\u0e40\u0e19\u0e37\u0e49\u0e2d\u0e2b\u0e32\u0e04\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e04\u0e25\u0e38\u0e21\u0e2d\u0e30\u0e44\u0e23\u0e1a\u0e49\u0e32\u0e07<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Social security (Section 33)<\/td><td>Employee 5%, employer 5%, government share<\/td><td>Seven benefits including non-work sickness, maternity, unemployment, old age<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Workmen&#8217;s Compensation Fund<\/td><td>Employer only, rate by industry risk<\/td><td>Work-related injury, illness, disability and death<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Employee Welfare Fund (from October 2026)<\/td><td>Employee and employer, small percentage each<\/td><td>Lump sum on leaving employment or death<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Private health insurance<\/td><td>Individual or employer, by contract<\/td><td>Whatever the policy says; often required for visas<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">\u0e04\u0e33\u0e16\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e1e\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22<\/h2>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Do foreigners have to pay social security in Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">What does Thai social security cover?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Can I get my social security contributions back when I leave Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Not immediately. Old-age contributions are paid out at age 55, as a lump sum where there are fewer than 180 months of contributions and as a pension otherwise. The other contributions are insurance premiums and are not refunded.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>\u0e14\u0e39\u0e40\u0e1e\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e40\u0e15\u0e34\u0e21: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/work-permit\/\">\u0e43\u0e1a\u0e2d\u0e19\u0e38\u0e0d\u0e32\u0e15\u0e17\u0e33\u0e07\u0e32\u0e19<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/four-to-one-ratio\/\">4:1 Thai-to-foreign employee ratio<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/employment-contract\/\">employment contract<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/tax-id\/\">\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e32\u0e22\u0e40\u0e25\u0e02\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e08\u0e33\u0e15\u0e31\u0e27\u0e1c\u0e39\u0e49\u0e40\u0e2a\u0e35\u0e22\u0e20\u0e32\u0e29\u0e35<\/a>, and the guides on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/social-security-in-thailand\/\">\u0e23\u0e30\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e2a\u0e31\u0e07\u0e04\u0e21\u0e43\u0e19\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e40\u0e17\u0e28\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22<\/a> \u0e41\u0e25\u0e30 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/employee-rights-in-thailand\/\">employee rights<\/a>.<\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social security (\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e2a\u0e31\u0e07\u0e04\u0e21, prakan sangkhom, often referred to by the office that runs it, the SSO) is Thailand&#8217;s compulsory social [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":214,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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ThaiLawOnline","rank_math_description":"Social security in Thailand: the compulsory scheme under the Social Security Act B.E. 2533 covering every employee, Thai or foreign, and its seven 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