How do you hire a Thai employee in 2026?
Register every new hire for Social Security within 30 days, and from 1 January 2026 you contribute against a higher wage base. The monthly ceiling moved to THB 17,500/month, lifting each side's maximum contribution to THB 875/month. Miss the registration window and the penalties land on you.
· Thailand guide
Illustration · Bangkok, Thailand
The Thailand hire process has five steps. Offer letter, work-permit check, written employment contract, Social Security registration, first payday.
Register every new employee for Social Security within 30 days of their start. From 1 January 2026 you contribute against a higher wage base. The monthly ceiling is now THB 17,500/month. Each side pays up to THB 875/month.
Both you and the employee pay 5% into the Social Security Fund. There is no statutory probation period in Thai law. Severance starts once an employee passes 120 days of service.
Thailand has no statutory hourly minimum wage. Pay floors are set per day, and the rate depends on the province. Quote a salary that clears the local daily floor (Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541).
What does the end-to-end Thailand hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip. Offer letter, work-permit check, written contract, Social Security registration, first payday.
The work-permit check for foreign nationals must clear before the start date. Thai citizens can start without one.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary, start date, working hours, and any conditions such as work-permit status | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-permit check | Confirm Thai citizenship, or verify a valid work permit and non-immigrant visa for foreign nationals before the start date | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Written employment contract | Signed written contract covering all terms under the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 | Teamed (legal employer) | On or before day one |
| 4. Social Security registration | Register the employee with the Social Security Office, collect tax and bank details, set up withholding | Teamed | Within 30 days of start |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued, with the new THB 17,500/month contribution ceiling applied, wages paid at least once a month | Teamed | End of first payroll month |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, gross salary that clears the provincial daily floor, start date, working hours, and any work-permit conditions.
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Complete the work-permit check
Confirm Thai citizenship by collecting a national ID copy, or verify the work permit and Non-Immigrant B visa for foreign nationals before the start date. Retain copies of all documents.
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Issue the written employment contract
The signed written contract must be in place on or before day one. Teamed's standard Thailand contract covers the Labour Protection Act and is prepared with qualified local legal partners. Clients choose commercial terms.
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Register for Social Security
Register the employee with the Social Security Office within 30 days of the start date. Set up tax withholding with the Revenue Department, and collect bank details. The new wage ceiling applies from the first run.
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Issue the first payslip and file deductions
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. Remit Social Security and withheld tax to the authorities. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a Thailand offer letter include?
The offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate decides against.
Include role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, working location, weekly hours up to 48 hours, and any conditions such as work-permit status or references.
Three traps to avoid in Thai offer letters:
- Treating probation as a fixed legal period. Thai law sets no separate probation rule. Many employers use an initial period of fewer than 120 days because severance is not owed below that service threshold. State your chosen period clearly, and do not imply it is a statutory entitlement.
- Quoting a daily wage below the provincial floor. Minimum pay is set per day, and the rate varies by province. Quote a salary that clears the daily floor for the work location.
- Overstating discretionary pay. Thailand has no statutory 13th-month salary. Describing a bonus as standard or guaranteed can turn it into a contractual expectation. Mark variable pay as at-discretion.
Teamed's standard Thailand offer letter template covers the required ground and aligns with the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541. Clients choose the commercial elements. Teamed holds the legal-employer position and issues the final contract.
Thailand work-permit checks for foreign national employees
Thai citizens can start work without a permit. Foreign nationals must hold a valid work permit and the right non-immigrant visa before their first day.
Employing a foreign national without a work permit is an offence under the Foreign Workers Management Emergency Decree.
Thai citizens
There is no separate work-authorisation check for Thai nationals. The employer keeps a copy of the national ID card and the house registration document (tabien baan) as standard identity records. These also feed the Social Security and tax registrations that follow.
Foreign nationals
Every foreign national needs a work permit issued by the Department of Employment, plus a Non-Immigrant B visa as the correct visa category for employment. The permit is tied to one employer and one role. Changing employer means a new permit. Some roles are reserved for Thai nationals and are closed to foreign workers entirely, so the job itself has to be eligible before an application can proceed.
The employer usually has to show paid-up registered capital and a ratio of Thai employees per work permit before the Department of Employment will issue one. Allow several weeks for a fresh application, and longer where a new visa is needed from outside Thailand.
The Labour Protection Act governs the employment relationship in Thailand. It sets working hours, leave, notice, and severance, and applies from the first day of employment. Foreign work authorisation runs in parallel through the Department of Employment.
Source: Ministry of Labour Thailand
Ongoing permit renewals
Work permits and visas are time-limited and must be renewed before they expire. A lapse can void the right to work and trigger penalties for both sides. Teamed tracks every permit and visa expiry and alerts the employee and client ahead of the renewal deadline.
The Thailand written employment contract: what must it contain?
Thailand has no single codified statement like the UK's Section 1 statement. A clear written contract is still the safe practice and the binding document.
Sign it on or before the first day of work. The offer letter is not the contract.
What a Thailand written employment contract should cover under the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541:
- Names and addresses of the employer and the employee
- Start date of employment and contract type (indefinite or fixed-term)
- Job title and a description of the work
- Place of work
- Gross salary, pay components, and any allowances
- Pay interval, with wages paid at least once a month
- Working hours, up to 48 hours per week and 8 hours per day for non-hazardous work
- At least 1 day of weekly rest, with no more than six consecutive working days
- Overtime treatment, with a premium of at least 1.5 times the hourly wage on a normal working day
- Annual leave of at least 6 days per year after one full year of service
- Paid public and traditional holidays of at least 13 days per year, including Labour Day
- Paid sick leave of up to 30 days per year, with a medical certificate allowed for sick leave over 3 days
- Notice and severance terms under the Labour Protection Act
The contract may be in Thai or bilingual. A Thai version helps if a dispute reaches the Labour Court. Teamed's standard Thailand contract satisfies the Labour Protection Act and is prepared with qualified local legal partners. Clients choose commercial terms. Teamed signs as the legal employer.
Key source: Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998) via ILO NATLEX.
Onboarding admin in the first week
The first week covers contract signing, Social Security registration, tax setup, and bank details.
Social Security registration is due within 30 days of the start date. Teamed handles it for you.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Written employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-permit and visa check completed | Teamed | Day 0 (before start for foreign nationals) |
| National ID and house registration copied | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| Social Security Office registration | Teamed | Within 30 days of start |
| Tax withholding setup with the Revenue Department | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Bank account details collected for payroll | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Provident fund enrolment confirmed, if offered | Client and Teamed | Day 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Thailand employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Thailand for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
The Labour Protection Act, the Social Security Fund, and Revenue Department withholding all run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Thailand hires, from the first offer letter through every monthly Social Security and tax remittance. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice, including the new THB 875/month maximum Social Security contribution per side.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A Thailand contractor who converts to direct employment keeps their record. EOR is the right model until it isn't. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the point where your Thailand headcount makes it cheaper to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Thailand hiring overview. Each guide here takes one layer of Thai employment law.
Key sources: Ministry of Labour, Social Security Office, and Revenue Department.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Thailand through Teamed?
Teamed can onboard a Thai citizen within a few business days once the offer is accepted. The contract must be signed on or before day one. Social Security registration is completed within 30 days of the start date. Foreign nationals who need a work permit and Non-Immigrant B visa must have both in place before the first day, which adds lead time depending on the role and the Department of Employment processing queue.
Is there a statutory probation period in Thailand?
No. Thai law sets no separate probation period. In practice many employers use an initial period of fewer than 120 days, because severance is not owed once service stays below that threshold. Employees who reach 120 days of continuous service become entitled to severance on dismissal without cause, starting at 30 days' wages.
What does the Social Security change on 1 January 2026 mean for employers?
From 1 January 2026 the monthly wage ceiling for Social Security contributions rose to THB 17,500/month. Both the employer and the employee contribute 5% of wages up to that ceiling. The maximum contribution per side is now THB 875/month. Employers must apply the new wage base from the first 2026 payroll run or risk under-remitting.
What is the minimum wage for a Thailand employee?
Thailand has no statutory hourly minimum wage. The minimum is set per day, and the rate depends on the province, with the highest tier covering provinces such as Phuket and Chon Buri and the lowest covering Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala. Quote a salary that clears the daily floor for the work location under the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541.
What leave is a Thailand employee entitled to?
Employees get at least 6 days of paid annual leave per year after one full year of service, plus at least 13 days of paid public and traditional holidays including Labour Day. Paid sick leave runs up to 30 days per year, and an employer may ask for a medical certificate where sick leave exceeds 3 days. There is no statutory paternity leave for the private sector.
The Social Security ceiling change on 1 January 2026 quietly raised the maximum employer cost per Thai hire. Most companies running their own payroll miss the new wage base and under-remit. Get the ceiling right from the first run or you owe back contributions plus a fine.
From 1 January 2026, the Thai Social Security ceiling rose to a higher wage base, lifting each side's maximum contribution to 875 baht a month.
There is no statutory probation in Thailand. Severance starts the day an employee passes 120 days of service.
The contract belongs on day one. Social Security registration follows within the first 30 days.
