Foreign-sourced income remitted to Thailand: Por 161/162 and the rule as it stands

Since 1 January 2024 Thailand taxes foreign-sourced income on a remit-when-resident basis. Revenue Department Order Por 161/2566 (issued 15 September 2023), as amended by Por 162/2566, re-reads Section 41 paragraph 2 of the Revenue Code so that two conditions trigger tax: the income arose from 1 January 2024 onward in a calendar year in which you were a Thai tax resident (180 days or more), and it is brought into Thailand in any year — that year or any later one. It is then taxed in the year of remittance. The old folklore trick of parking income offshore for a year and remitting it tax-free is dead.

The Revenue Department's official Q&A confirms the important limits. Income that arose before 1 January 2024 can be remitted any time without Thai tax. Income earned in a year you were not resident is never caught, even if you remit it in a year you are. Only the income element is assessable: bringing back your own capital or savings is not income, unrealised gains are nothing until sold, and a foreign stock gain is measured as sale price minus cost. Remitted amounts convert at the exchange rate on the date the money enters Thailand, and 'bringing in' covers bank transfers, online transfers and carrying cash.

As of 11 July 2026 the drafted remittance-window exemption has not been enacted; Por 161/162 remain the operative rules. A separate proposal to tax worldwide income (not just remittances) was reported in 2024 but was never published in the Royal Gazette and is not law.