Renting out property in Thailand: rules and tax

Buyers who plan to rent out a Thai property usually ask the same three questions: is the kind of letting I want legal, how is the rent taxed in Thailand, and what do I still owe at home. This guide covers the rules as we could confirm them. It is informational and not tax or legal advice. Rates, thresholds and deadlines should be checked with the Thai Revenue Department and a Thai tax adviser before you rely on them.

Which kind of letting is lawful

The distinction that matters is the length of stay.

• Long lets. A normal residential lease of 30 days or more is the lawful default for a condo or house. Contracts of one year are common.
• Short lets. Under the Hotel Act B.E. 2547 (2004), accommodation let for less than 30 days is treated as a hotel business. Law-firm and press summaries say a hotel licence is needed above four rooms or 20 guests, that the simpler non-hotel licence for small lets is open only to Thai nationals, and that condominiums are residential and short lets in them are generally prohibited unless the building holds a hotel licence. Reported penalties include a fine of up to THB 20,000, an additional THB 10,000 per day, or imprisonment of up to one year. Enforcement has tightened, with inspections ordered in 2025 and arrests of condo owners and agents reported.
• Rules you may have read about, such as 28-day or 90-day thresholds. We could not confirm any such rule in the sources we found, so do not rely on them. The Hotel Act and the Accommodation reform are reported to be under review in parliament in 2026, and until a new law is published in the Royal Gazette the 30-day line is the working rule. Check the current text with a lawyer.

Also read your building's rules. Condo juristic persons often forbid short lets in their house rules. Daily rentals from a Phuket or Bangkok condo can lead to fines, loss of key-card access and disputes with the management even before any state action. Our condo-hotel guide covers units that are inside a licensed hotel.

Thai income tax on rent

Rental income from property in Thailand is assessable income under section 40(5) of the Revenue Code. It is taxed in Thailand whether the owner lives there or not, because the property is there.

• Standard deduction. Accounting firms report that an owner may deduct a flat 30% of gross rent without proof of expenses (the rule differs by property type, so ask your adviser), or may instead deduct documented actual expenses.
• Progressive rates. One Thai accounting firm lists the 2026 personal scale as 0% up to THB 150,000, then 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, up to 35% above THB 5,000,000. Treat the exact bands as reported and verify them on the Revenue Department site.
• Non-residents. Summaries say a 15% withholding tax often applies to rent paid to a non-resident individual, and that this is not necessarily the final tax: if the owner files a Thai return, the withheld tax is credited and the surplus can be refunded. The same accounting firm gives a worked example of THB 1,000,000 gross rent giving a tax of about THB 48,500 after the flat deduction, with over two thirds of the withholding refundable on filing. This is an illustration from a single source, not a promise. When a tenant is a company or when withholding is applied is a question for your adviser.
• Residents. A person who stays in Thailand for 180 days or more in a calendar year is generally a Thai tax resident. Since 1 January 2024, Revenue Department order Por. 161/2023 is reported to tax foreign-sourced income of residents when it is brought into Thailand, regardless of the year it was earned. See our visa article for the other tax residency points.
• Filing. An annual return is the usual way to settle the tax; the deadline is normally in the spring following the tax year. Confirm the date for the year you file.

Land and building tax

Thailand has had a Land and Building Tax since 2020. Condominium units count as residential use even if rented. The Act sets a ceiling of 0.3% of the assessed value for residential use, and the actual rate and any exemption are set by royal decree and local assessment. Early transition rates were far lower than the ceiling, and exemptions for lower-value residential property have existed. We could not confirm what applies in 2026, so ask the local authority or the juristic person of your building for your bill. Payment is due in April each year according to summaries. See prices, yield and rules for the other buying costs.

Tax treaties with Poland and EU states

Thailand has double tax treaties with many countries. From the Revenue Department list as relayed by tax-firm summaries we could find Poland (signed 8 December 1978, in force 13 May 1983), the Czech Republic (in force 1995), Estonia (in force 2013), France (in force 1975, with a protocol) and Germany (in force 1968); sources also list Spain and Italy. We could not confirm Lithuania or Latvia, so check the Revenue Department list for your country.

Under the standard model, income from immovable property can be taxed where the property is, which here means Thailand. The country where you live then gives relief for the Thai tax, either by credit or by exemption, and the method depends on the treaty. For a Polish resident, earlier checks of the Polish Ministry of Finance explanations indicate that the multilateral convention changed the Poland–Thailand treaty to a proportional credit from 2023. We could not read the treaty text, so confirm the method with a Polish adviser. The Polish side also has its own reporting forms; see our Poland-side guide for the money-transfer questions. Keep Thai tax receipts, because you will need proof of tax paid.

For Russian-speaking buyers living in the EU

• Documents. Keep the lease contract, tenant details, rent receipts, Thai tax ID and tax receipts. Your home tax office will ask for proof of foreign income and tax paid.
• Banks. Collect rent into an account in your own name. If you use a Thai manager, agree in writing how rent is collected and how tax is withheld and filed.
• Residence. Your tax residence is decided by the country where you live, not by where the property is. If you live in the EU, you normally declare the foreign rent there, with relief for Thai tax.
• Compliance. Do not underreport rent or split contracts to avoid thresholds. We work only with lawful, transparent arrangements.

FAQ

Can I rent my Thai condo on Airbnb? Under the Hotel Act, lets of less than 30 days are treated as hotel use and are generally prohibited in a condo without a hotel licence. Longer lets are the lawful option.

Is Thai rental tax withheld from foreigners? Summaries say 15% is often withheld for non-resident individuals and is credited if you file a return. Confirm in your case.

Is there a tax-free amount? Thai personal tax has a zero band on the first THB 150,000 of taxable income according to a 2026 summary. Check it.

Do I pay tax in Thailand and in my home country? Both can claim, but a double tax treaty gives relief in the country where you live.

Do I pay Land and Building Tax on a rented condo? Condos count as residential even when rented; the rate and exemptions are local, so ask for your bill.

How we help

We are a trilingual platform that finds properties in Thailand and coordinates independent local lawyers and tax advisers for rental structuring and tax filings. Browse listings in Thailand and use our calculators to model net yield. This text is informational and is not legal, tax or investment advice; rules change, so verify current figures with the Thai Revenue Department (rd.go.th) and a tax adviser.