If your property is in Thailand, the rent is Thai-source income, and it is taxable in Thailand whether you live here or overseas. Many foreign owners don't file at all; the Revenue Department is getting better at noticing.
Resident or not?
You are a Thai tax resident if you spend more than 180 days in Thailand in a calendar year. Residents and non-residents are both taxed on Thai rent. Residents can also be taxed on foreign income they bring into Thailand (more on that below).
How the tax is worked out
Rent is "Section 40(5)" income. Before tax, you can deduct either:
- a flat 30% for buildings (15% or 20% for land-only leases), or
- your actual expenses, if you keep the receipts.
Then personal allowances (the basic one is 60,000 baht) come off, and the rest is taxed on the progressive scale:
| Net income (baht) | Rate |
|---|---|
| 0 – 150,000 | 0% |
| 150,001 – 300,000 | 5% |
| 300,001 – 500,000 | 10% |
| 500,001 – 750,000 | 15% |
| 750,001 – 1,000,000 | 20% |
| 1,000,001 – 2,000,000 | 25% |
| 2,000,001 – 5,000,000 | 30% |
| Over 5,000,000 | 35% |
Example: 1,000,000 baht of rent, less 30% (300,000) and the 60,000 allowance, leaves 640,000 baht of taxable income. The tax on that is 48,500 baht.
Withholding tax on rent
When the tenant is a company, it must withhold tax from the rent and give you a certificate (the "50 Tawi"):
- 5% if you are a Thai tax resident,
- 15% of the gross rent if you are a non-resident.
Withholding is not the final tax. It is credited against your annual return, and if too much was withheld you can claim the difference back, but only if you have a Thai tax ID and file a return. In the example above, 15% withholding would be 150,000 baht against a real liability of 48,500.
Holiday lets are different
Short-stay income from Airbnb or Booking.com guests is not usually rent paid by a company tenant, so withholding often doesn't happen. You still owe the tax. Airbnb's own Thai guide notes that if you provide hotel-style services rather than handing over possession, you may only be able to deduct actual expenses. If a management company collects guest payments for you, ask your accountant how it should be reported.
Deadlines
- PND 94 (half-year return for rent earned January to June): due by 30 September, about 8 October online.
- PND 90 (annual return): due 31 March for the previous year, with roughly an extra week if you file online.
- Late payment attracts a surcharge of 1.5% a month on the unpaid tax.
Bringing foreign income into Thailand
Since 1 January 2024, Thai residents are taxed on foreign income earned from 2024 onwards in the year they bring it into Thailand. A relief that would exempt money brought in during the year it was earned or the next was drafted in 2025, but as of October 2026 it has not been enacted. Don't plan around it yet.
VAT
Ordinary residential leases are VAT-exempt. A hotel-style accommodation business turning over more than 1.8 million baht a year may need to register for VAT. Speak to an accountant if you're near that level.
Want someone to handle this?
If you own a villa or condo in Phuket, Pearl Property's management team takes care of the day-to-day paperwork for owners, from TM30 reports to tenant contracts and rental records for your accountant.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Figures were correct on the date shown above; rules change, so confirm with a Thai lawyer, accountant or the relevant office before you act.