Published May 05, 2026
📅 Last updated: May 2026
Thailand has had an inheritance tax since 2016 — but the threshold is ฿100 million. For most Phuket expats, the headline news is reassuring: unless your Thai estate (assets located in Thailand, owned by a Thai resident) exceeds ฿100 million, no Thai inheritance tax applies. The complications are around what counts, who's liable, and how foreign-asset estates interact with home-country inheritance tax. Here's the honest picture for Phuket retirees and families.
Quick Facts
- Threshold: ฿100 million per inheritor (assets received above this are taxable)
- Rate: 5% for direct descendants, 10% for others
- Who pays: The inheritor, not the estate
- What's taxable: Thai-located assets + Thai-tax-resident decedent's worldwide assets
- Exemptions: Spouse: fully exempt. Government, charity, religious bequests: fully exempt
- Filing deadline: Within 150 days of receiving the inheritance
How Thailand Taxes Inheritance — The Basics
Thailand introduced an inheritance tax effective February 2016 (Royal Decree on Inheritance Tax B.E. 2558). The structure:
- Tax is on the inheritor (the person receiving), not the estate.
- The first ฿100 million per inheritor is exempt. Tax applies only to the amount above ฿100M.
- Rate: 5% for descendants and ascendants (children, grandchildren, parents). 10% for others (siblings, cousins, friends).
- Spouses are fully exempt regardless of amount.
For most Phuket expats, the ฿100M threshold per inheritor is the safety net. A retired couple with ฿20M in assets here? Zero Thai inheritance tax. A family with one inheritor receiving ฿30M of Thai-located assets from a parent? Zero tax (under threshold). The tax exists for high-net-worth estates, not normal expat retirees.
What 'Taxable Estate' Means for Different Scenarios
Two scenarios determine what's in scope:
Scenario 1: Decedent is a Thai tax resident (or Thai citizen). Worldwide assets are in scope for Thai inheritance tax — i.e., Thai-located property + foreign property + foreign accounts + foreign investments. The total goes against the inheritor's ฿100M exemption.
Scenario 2: Decedent is a foreigner not Thai tax-resident. Only Thai-located assets are in scope — Thai property, Thai bank accounts, Thai company shares, Thai vehicles. Foreign assets are not Thai-taxable.
For Phuket expats: if you've spent enough years here to be reliably Thai tax-resident, your worldwide estate counts. If you're a snowbird who keeps domicile elsewhere, only your Thai-side property is in scope. The distinction matters most for retirees who own substantial property abroad and bring assets to Thailand later.
Thai Property and the Foreign-Spouse Question
Common Phuket scenario: a foreigner married to a Thai national, with the family home and condo registered in the Thai spouse's name. If the Thai spouse passes first, ownership transfers to the foreigner — usually with a 1-year requirement to sell (since foreigners can't own land). Inheritance tax: spousal exemption applies, no Thai inheritance tax.
If the foreign spouse passes first, the Thai-located property they owned (typically a condo, since foreigners can own condos directly) transfers to the Thai spouse. Spousal exemption again applies — no Thai inheritance tax on the transfer.
What gets complicated: leasehold rights on land (a 30-year lease + the right to extend) is a property interest, valued at the lease-balance market value at time of death. If you've leased land for ฿5M, your remaining lease term has value, and that value goes into the inheritor's estate.
Get a Thai will. Even if Thai-side assets are minor, a properly drafted Thai will (a separate document from your home-country will, in Thai language with English translation) makes the inheritance process at the Phuket Provincial Court enormously faster. A specialist Phuket lawyer can draft one for ฿15,000–30,000 in a single afternoon.
Foreign Inheritance — Bringing Money to Thailand
Receiving an inheritance from your home country (e.g. a UK aunt leaves you £200,000) and bringing it to Thailand — does the 2024 remittance rule apply?
The Revenue Department's position (clarified mid-2024): inheritance and gifts are not assessable income under Thai tax law. They're capital, not income. Bringing inheritance funds to Thailand does not trigger income tax in Thailand, even under the 2024 rule.
What you need to document: the source (deceased's will, probate documents), the date of the bequest, and the amount. If the Revenue Department ever audits the inflow, you produce these documents and the inheritance is treated as principal. No Thai income tax due.
What's separate: any home-country inheritance tax. UK has IHT at 40% above ฿175K nil-rate band. US has federal estate tax at 40% above $13.61M (2024). Australia has no federal inheritance tax. Thailand's tax is independent — paying inheritance tax at home doesn't exempt you from Thai tax if applicable, and vice versa.
Filing and Practical Process
If you receive an inheritance over ฿100M (assets located in Thailand or from a Thai-resident decedent), the filing process:
- File an inheritance-tax return at the Revenue Department within 150 days of receiving the assets.
- Pay the tax (5% for direct descendants, 10% for others) on the amount above ฿100M.
- The Revenue Department issues a clearance certificate, which the Land Department needs to register property transfers.
For estates under ฿100M, no Thai inheritance tax filing is required. But Thai property transfers still need probate at the Provincial Court (about 4–8 months in Phuket) and Land Department registration. A Thai inheritance lawyer is essential — the process is paperwork-heavy and runs in Thai.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thailand have a gift tax? +
Yes — gifts above ฿20M/year between non-relatives, or ฿10M/year between siblings, are taxable at the same rates as inheritance. Gifts within marriage are exempt.
Will my home-country inheritance tax also apply? +
Almost certainly, depending on your country of citizenship/domicile. UK IHT, US estate tax, Australian state-level taxes — separate from Thai inheritance tax. A solicitor/attorney familiar with cross-border estates is essential for high-net-worth situations.
Is my Thai bank deposit subject to Thai inheritance tax? +
Thai bank deposits owned by a Thai resident are part of the worldwide estate; deposits owned by a non-resident are part of the Thai-located estate. Either way, they go against the ฿100M exemption first.
Do I need a Thai will if I have a UK / US / AU will? +
Strongly recommended. A Thai will covering Thai-located assets sits alongside your home-country will. It speeds the Phuket Provincial Court probate process from 8+ months to 4–8 weeks in most cases.
What about life insurance proceeds? +
Life insurance paid to a named beneficiary in Thailand is not subject to inheritance tax in Thailand. The proceeds bypass the estate. Make sure your policy has a named beneficiary, not 'estate'.
Can I gift my Thai property to my children before death? +
Yes — but transfer fees apply (2% of the assessed value, plus 0.5% stamp duty). Gift tax may apply if value exceeds ฿20M (non-relatives) or ฿10M (relatives) per year.
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