Working in Thailand
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Howdy
Can anyone give me some help on what the state of play is working "on contract" in Thailand please?
The situation is recruitment agent (who seem legit to me, I've no reason to suspect they're not) recruiting for oil company.
All very early stages but the end client want to know an all inclusive day rate (taking into account 37% personal tax, accomm, travel, subsistence (though mob and demob costs are offered separately apparently)).
I guess part of my query is; how does contracting work over there, what's the usual approach?
Will the 37% be the only tax I pay or is there an equivalent of corporation tax on top? (I understand there are other taxes like VAT)
Any help will be very gratefully received.
Can anyone give me some help on what the state of play is working "on contract" in Thailand please?
The situation is recruitment agent (who seem legit to me, I've no reason to suspect they're not) recruiting for oil company.
All very early stages but the end client want to know an all inclusive day rate (taking into account 37% personal tax, accomm, travel, subsistence (though mob and demob costs are offered separately apparently)).
I guess part of my query is; how does contracting work over there, what's the usual approach?
Will the 37% be the only tax I pay or is there an equivalent of corporation tax on top? (I understand there are other taxes like VAT)
Any help will be very gratefully received.
I've never worked in Thailand long enough to pay tax, and John will be along to give you details. But client wanting all in rate sound legit, it's what my Company (Oil Major) likes. Be careful you put in enough money for accommodation in the right place, travel in Bangkok is awful and you need to get the location just right. When i worked there (On Rama 4) we had a place we could walk to work. But you also want a location that allows highway access to get out on the weekend.
Vehicles are expensive, tax at 37% top sounds about right, I normally look at a Price Waterhouse site, they have some very good country guilds that give comprehensive tax advice.
VAT and sales tax are not an issue on domestic purchases, import duties are the problem.
I'm assuming you do not have to consider schooling? You will want medical insurance, I've always found Thai private medical care excellent.
Get it right and Thailand is great I've done a few 4 month type stints there, but get it wrong and commuting is a night mare.
Vehicles are expensive, tax at 37% top sounds about right, I normally look at a Price Waterhouse site, they have some very good country guilds that give comprehensive tax advice.
VAT and sales tax are not an issue on domestic purchases, import duties are the problem.
I'm assuming you do not have to consider schooling? You will want medical insurance, I've always found Thai private medical care excellent.
Get it right and Thailand is great I've done a few 4 month type stints there, but get it wrong and commuting is a night mare.
Thanks very, very much for the info.
You're right that I don't need to consider schooling.
I'll take a look at PWC, I hadn't thought to look there so cheers.
Rents appear.. Variable... To say the least, but I need to research more.
I doubt this is going anywhere but I'd leap at the chance if it could.
Thanks again
You're right that I don't need to consider schooling.
I'll take a look at PWC, I hadn't thought to look there so cheers.
Rents appear.. Variable... To say the least, but I need to research more.
I doubt this is going anywhere but I'd leap at the chance if it could.
Thanks again
let me wake up the other two resident BKK _PH'ers from their alcoholic slumber, as one is an oilie and one is a recruiter so between the two of them they will be able to make up something that sounds plausible.
However - where will you be working, BKK, Sattihip, Somewhere else? Onshore / Offshore? Just on your own, or travelling with family?
to get a thai work permit you will be on a fixed term contract.
However - where will you be working, BKK, Sattihip, Somewhere else? Onshore / Offshore? Just on your own, or travelling with family?
to get a thai work permit you will be on a fixed term contract.
http://taxsummaries.pwc.com/uk/taxsummaries/wwts.n...
This looks like a starting point 35% over 4 million, 4 million is around 80,000 pounds. Taxes are lower here than UK.
Be careful if you are UK resident, you can be liable for UK tax on your income from now until 5th April 2017, OK they will allow you to offset Thai tax but could be an issue if you go over the 50% threshold in the UK, I am vary careful i have A letter from 1997 from UK revenue informing me I do not need to file a UK tax return, they no longer do this, and I am paranoid not to get a UK liability the double tax would cost me a fortune if I got dragged back in.
Rents would vary as I say location is everything,
This looks like a starting point 35% over 4 million, 4 million is around 80,000 pounds. Taxes are lower here than UK.
Be careful if you are UK resident, you can be liable for UK tax on your income from now until 5th April 2017, OK they will allow you to offset Thai tax but could be an issue if you go over the 50% threshold in the UK, I am vary careful i have A letter from 1997 from UK revenue informing me I do not need to file a UK tax return, they no longer do this, and I am paranoid not to get a UK liability the double tax would cost me a fortune if I got dragged back in.
Rents would vary as I say location is everything,
Sound points about the commute etc. I am strategically placed 10 mins from my office and 10 mins from the expressway and that's enough Bangkok for me. Some people love it, and it does have it's plus points but I'd generally rather be out of the city when I can.
As far as I know day rate contracting through a company as a foreigner is not usually possible due to visa and company ownership restrictions, so it would be much more likely a fixed term contract in which case the company would normally sort out the visa and work permit. This basically means you're a full time employee, at least as far as officialdom is concerned.
It isn't usually that complicated provided the company has 4 Thai employees and it's all legit, but it's well worth paying around 20K Baht/400 GBP to have someone do the messing around that goes with this. Thai bureaucracy can be very difficult and frustrating, unless the company already has someone who is familiar with the procedures and has the time to do it.
There's a huge range of accommodation as you can see online. My recommendation would be to get here and stay in a hotel for the first few weeks while you find your feet then get somewhere more permanent when you know what you want and where. The places advertised on expat oriented property sites tend to be very expensive, and if you line them up from afar you could well end up with a 90 minute commute which is not fun. There are hotels everywhere and they're mostly cheap and fairly decent.
As far as I know day rate contracting through a company as a foreigner is not usually possible due to visa and company ownership restrictions, so it would be much more likely a fixed term contract in which case the company would normally sort out the visa and work permit. This basically means you're a full time employee, at least as far as officialdom is concerned.
It isn't usually that complicated provided the company has 4 Thai employees and it's all legit, but it's well worth paying around 20K Baht/400 GBP to have someone do the messing around that goes with this. Thai bureaucracy can be very difficult and frustrating, unless the company already has someone who is familiar with the procedures and has the time to do it.
There's a huge range of accommodation as you can see online. My recommendation would be to get here and stay in a hotel for the first few weeks while you find your feet then get somewhere more permanent when you know what you want and where. The places advertised on expat oriented property sites tend to be very expensive, and if you line them up from afar you could well end up with a 90 minute commute which is not fun. There are hotels everywhere and they're mostly cheap and fairly decent.
This place comes up trumps again.
I've not given you guys much to work with only because I don't know much myself however I'll elaborate as much as I can.
Role appears to be based in Bangkok itself and it'll be office based, I'm fairly sure I know who with and it's a v large oil co. I'll be with girlfriend but no kids.
Thanks v much guys, the fixed term contract makes total sense from what I know and makes me more at ease with the process.
I guess that was the crux of my question.
I suffer from finacialf
kwititis, so at the mere mention of tax laws and implications my head starts to swim and my eyes lose focus. It's not that it's boring, it's just that my brain genuinely seems incapable of understanding it, so if anything comes of this I will need to get my situation looked at. Suffice to say I don't think the 50 per cent tax rate comes into play...
I've not given you guys much to work with only because I don't know much myself however I'll elaborate as much as I can.
Role appears to be based in Bangkok itself and it'll be office based, I'm fairly sure I know who with and it's a v large oil co. I'll be with girlfriend but no kids.
Thanks v much guys, the fixed term contract makes total sense from what I know and makes me more at ease with the process.
I guess that was the crux of my question.
I suffer from finacialf
kwititis, so at the mere mention of tax laws and implications my head starts to swim and my eyes lose focus. It's not that it's boring, it's just that my brain genuinely seems incapable of understanding it, so if anything comes of this I will need to get my situation looked at. Suffice to say I don't think the 50 per cent tax rate comes into play... If its in Bangkok itself then there are 2 big international oilies that come to mind, then one local biggie.
Exxon, Chevron and PTT
What are you planning on blowing up?
Tax here is fairly simple, its just a series of brackets, based on 12 months earnings, so if you were to start now on B2m annual salary, you would only pay tax as if earning B1m, then next year it would be the full wallop
Exxon, Chevron and PTT
What are you planning on blowing up?
Tax here is fairly simple, its just a series of brackets, based on 12 months earnings, so if you were to start now on B2m annual salary, you would only pay tax as if earning B1m, then next year it would be the full wallop
.... you will get on with the Rusty one, he needs some competition! Can you drink Wine out of a tin? 
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