Section 190 — Calculating the amount in dispute
Statutory text (Thai original)
จำนวนทุนทรัพย์หรือราคาอันพิพาทกันในคดีนั้น ให้คำนวณดังนี้
(๑) จำนวนทุนทรัพย์หรือราคานั้นให้คำนวณตามคำเรียกร้องของโจทก์ ส่วนดอกผลอันมิถึงกำหนดเกิดขึ้นในเวลายื่นคำฟ้องหรือค่าธรรมเนียมศาลซึ่งอาจเป็นอุปกรณ์รวมอยู่ในคำเรียกร้อง ห้ามไม่ให้คำนวณรวมเข้าด้วย
(๒) ในกรณีมีข้อสงสัยหรือมีข้อโต้แย้ง จำนวนทุนทรัพย์หรือราคานั้น ให้ศาลกะประมาณตามที่เป็นอยู่ในเวลายื่นฟ้องคดี
(๓) คดีอันเกี่ยวด้วยทรัพย์สินที่มีข้อหาหลายข้อ อันมีจำนวนทุนทรัพย์หรือราคาไม่เกินสี่หมื่นบาท หรือไม่เกินจำนวนที่กำหนดในพระราชกฤษฎีกา ให้รวมจำนวนทุนทรัพย์หรือราคาเหล่านั้นเข้าด้วยกัน แต่ถ้าข้อหาเหล่านั้นจะต้องเรียกร้องเอาแก่จำเลยหลายคน ถึงแม้ว่าถ้ารวมความรับผิดของจำเลยหลายคนนั้นเข้าด้วยกันแล้วจะไม่เป็นคดีมโนสาเร่ก็ตาม ให้ถือเอาจำนวนที่เรียกร้องเอาจากจำเลยคนหนึ่ง ๆ นั้น เป็นประมาณแก่การที่จะถือว่าคดีนั้นเป็นคดีมโนสาเร่หรือไม่
English translation
The amount in controversy or the value of the property in dispute in a case shall be calculated as follows:
(1) The amount in controversy or the value shall be calculated according to the plaintiff's claim; but fruits not yet due at the time of filing the complaint, or court fees which may be an accessory included in the claim, shall not be calculated together with it.
(2) In case of doubt or dispute, the court shall estimate the amount in controversy or the value as it stands at the time of filing the case.
(3) In a case concerning property with several claims, each having an amount in controversy or value not exceeding forty thousand baht, or not exceeding the amount fixed by Royal Decree, those amounts or values shall be added together; but if those claims are to be demanded from several defendants, then even if adding together the liability of the several defendants would make the case not a small claims case, the amount demanded from each single defendant shall be taken as the measure for determining whether the case is a small claims case.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 190 supplies the calculation rules that make the section 189 ceiling workable. Under (1), the measure is the plaintiff's claim as pleaded, and post-filing interest or fruits and court fees are excluded. Under (2), the court may estimate the value where there is doubt or dispute, judged as at the time of filing. Under (3), several property claims are aggregated, but where the claims lie against several defendants the test is applied to the amount demanded from each defendant individually. The exclusion of interest accruing after filing is significant because it also affects the amount in controversy for appeal thresholds elsewhere in the Code.
Why this matters in practice
Calculating the amount correctly decides which track your case runs on and whether you can appeal on the facts later. A key point: interest that piles up after you file does not count toward the amount in controversy, so a claim just over a threshold on paper may still be under it once post-filing interest is stripped out. If you are unsure how your claim will be valued, a short consultation helps, see our legal fees page.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4499/2551 (2008)
Under section 190(1), interest accruing after the date the complaint is filed is not counted in calculating the amount in controversy; where the disputed amount did not exceed the statutory ceiling, a further appeal on the facts was barred.
The disputed amount was 150,000 baht, and post-filing interest was excluded under section 190(1), so it did not exceed 200,000 baht and the parties were barred from a further appeal on the facts.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Is interest counted in the amount in controversy?
Under section 190(1), fruits not yet due at the time of filing, including interest accruing after the complaint is filed, are not counted toward the amount in controversy.
How is the amount decided if it is disputed?
Section 190(2) lets the court estimate the amount in controversy or the value as it stands at the time the case is filed.
How are multiple defendants treated?
Under section 190(3), where claims are demanded from several defendants, the amount demanded from each single defendant is the measure of whether the case is a small claim.