If you work for an employer in Thailand, you are normally insured with the Social Security Office (SSO) under Section 33. You and your employer each pay 5% of your wage, capped at 875 baht a month each since 1 January 2026, and in return you get free treatment at a registered hospital, sick pay, maternity and unemployment benefits and an old-age benefit.
Many foreign employees first notice the scheme as a deduction on their payslip and a hospital card, and never look further. That is a pity, because the rules decide what you can claim if you fall ill, lose your job or leave Thailand, and some of them run against common belief. The figures below come from the SSO's own benefit pages and from the 2025 ministerial regulation on contributions, checked in October 2026. This is a summary, not legal advice; the SSO hotline 1506 answers questions about your own record.
Thai social security in brief (October 2026)
- Section 33
- Employees: 5% from you + 5% from the employer
- Wage ceiling
- 17,500 baht a month from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028 (maximum 875 baht each)
- Minimum wage base
- 1,650 baht a month
- Section 39
- Voluntary cover after leaving a job: 432 baht a month
- Hospital care
- Free at your registered hospital after 3 months of contributions within 15 months
- Old-age benefit
- Paid from age 55; a pension after 180 months, otherwise a lump sum
- SSO hotline
- 1506
Section 33: what you and your employer pay
Section 33 covers employees of businesses in Thailand. Your employer registers you, deducts your share from your salary and pays both shares to the SSO. Contributions are 5% from you and 5% from the employer, calculated on your wage between a floor of 1,650 baht and a ceiling.
The ceiling rose on 1 January 2026 under a ministerial regulation dated 11 December 2025. It is now 17,500 baht a month, so the most you pay is 875 baht a month, and your employer pays the same. The old figures of 15,000 baht and 750 baht, still found on many websites, are out of date. The regulation raises the ceiling in phases, so expect further increases in later years; the SSO's own benefit pages already use the 17,500-baht figure.
Because the ceiling also limits the wage used for benefits, someone earning 80,000 baht a month is insured as if they earned 17,500. That is one reason most foreign professionals keep private insurance as well; our guide to health insurance for expats compares the options.
Your SSO hospital and what treatment is free
Each insured person is registered with one hospital. Once you have paid contributions for at least 3 months within the 15 months before treatment, care for illness or injury not caused by work is free at that hospital and at clinics in its network. If the hospital cannot treat you, it is responsible for referring you to a better-equipped hospital and for the cost.
You can change your registered hospital once a year. A 2024 news report on the SSO's procedure gave the window as 16 December to 31 March, with changes made online at sso.go.th, in the SSO Connect app, through the SSO's LINE account or at any SSO office. Check the current window with 1506, because we could not read the rule on the SSO's own site.
Pick a hospital near where you live or work, not one across town. You will use it for routine visits, and in practice the distance decides whether you use the scheme at all. If you want a particular private hospital, check that it is on the SSO's list before you choose it. For a wider view of the hospital system, see our guide to hospitals in Thailand.
Emergencies at another hospital
In an emergency you may go to the nearest hospital. According to the SSO, at a public hospital you can claim the actual necessary cost, for an inpatient up to 72 hours (not counting public holidays), with room and food up to 700 baht a day. At a private hospital, outpatient emergency treatment is reimbursed up to 1,000 baht, and inpatient care by the medical committee's rates for up to 72 hours. In a critical emergency you do not pay up front: the SSO pays the private hospital until you are out of the critical state, for up to 72 hours. After that, you are expected to move to your registered hospital or pay yourself.
What is not covered
The SSO lists eight exclusions: cosmetic treatment without a medical reason, experimental treatment, infertility treatment, tests beyond what the treatment needs, gender reassignment, artificial insemination, convalescent stays, and glasses (except after cataract surgery when an artificial lens cannot be fitted). Dental care is covered up to set amounts; at a private clinic, fillings, scaling and extractions are capped at 900 baht a year. Our page on dental treatment in Thailand covers dentistry more broadly.
Sick pay, maternity and child benefits
If a doctor orders you to stop work, the SSO pays 50% of your insured wage for up to 90 days per illness and up to 180 days a year (365 days for a chronic illness). With the 17,500-baht ceiling, that is at most 8,750 baht a month.
| Benefit | Qualifying contributions | What the SSO pays |
|---|---|---|
| Illness or injury (not work-related) | 3 months within 15 months | Free treatment at your hospital; 50% of wage while off work |
| Maternity | 5 months within 15 months before the birth | A flat 15,000 baht per birth for medical costs, plus a maternity allowance for insured women |
| Child allowance | 12 months within 36 months | 1,000 baht a month per child, up to 3 children at a time |
| Disability | 3 months within 15 months | Benefits set by the SSO's medical committee |
| Death | 1 month within 6 months | A death benefit paid to the family |
| Unemployment | 6 months within 15 months | Benefit if unemployed for 8 days or more and registered online |
For unemployment benefit you must register online with the Department of Employment's e-service. We could not verify the current percentages and durations for dismissal and resignation, so ask 1506. Losing a job also affects your visa and work permit, which our guide to the Non-B visa and work permit explains.
The old-age benefit and the lump-sum myth
Many foreigners are told they can "cash out" their social security when they leave Thailand. The SSO's own conditions say otherwise. The old-age benefit comes in two forms, and both are paid from age 55, once your insured status has ended:
- Old-age pension. If you paid for at least 180 months (they need not be consecutive), you receive a monthly pension of 20% of your average insured wage over your last 60 months, plus 1.5% for every further 12 months of contributions beyond 180.
- Old-age lump sum. If you paid for fewer than 180 months, you receive a single payment. With under 12 months, it equals your own old-age contributions; with 12 months or more, it equals both your and your employer's old-age contributions plus the returns the SSO declares.
The SSO's page lists three conditions for the lump sum: fewer than 180 months of contributions, insured status ended, and age 55, disability or death. It does not mention leaving Thailand as a reason to pay early. If you leave before 55, keep your SSO number, your passport details and a record of your employers, and ask 1506 how to claim from abroad when you reach the age. If you die, the benefit goes to your heirs, which is worth noting in your will and estate papers.
Do not count on an exit payment when you leave Thailand. The SSO's published conditions pay the old-age lump sum at 55, or on disability or death, not when you resign or move abroad. If an agent offers to "claim your social security" for a fee, ask the SSO first.
Section 39: keeping cover after you leave a job
If you stop working for an employer, you can keep some cover by joining Section 39 voluntarily. You qualify if you paid Section 33 contributions for at least 12 months and you apply within 6 months of leaving the job. You must not be receiving SSO disability benefit.
You apply in person, with form SSO 1-20 and photo ID, at the SSO area office in Bangkok or the provincial office elsewhere. The contribution is a flat 432 baht a month (9% of a notional wage of 4,800 baht), payable by the 15th of each month at SSO offices, by bank deduction, at 7-Eleven counters, post offices and in some banking apps, with no fee. Late payment costs 2% a month extra.
Section 39 keeps six benefits: illness, maternity, disability, death, child allowance and old age. It does not include unemployment benefit. Membership ends if you miss three months in a row, or pay fewer than 9 months in any 12, so set up a bank deduction if you travel. Whether Section 39 makes sense depends on your age, your private insurance and how long you will stay.
Teachers, nomads and the self-employed
Teachers on a school payroll are usually Section 33 employees like anyone else; our guide to teaching English in Thailand covers contracts and paperwork. Remote workers paid from abroad, on a DTV or another visa, have no Thai employer and so no Section 33 cover. Thai social security also counts as one way to meet the health requirement of the Long-Term Resident visa, if you are insured.
Keep an eye on your own record. The SSO website has a log-in for insured persons, and your payslips should show the deduction every month. If months are missing, raise it with your employer's HR first and then with the SSO.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Thai social security contribution in 2026?
From 1 January 2026, 5% of your wage from you and 5% from your employer, on a wage of up to 17,500 baht a month. The maximum is 875 baht a month each. Before 2026 the ceiling was 15,000 baht and the maximum 750 baht.
Can I get my Thai social security money back when I leave Thailand?
Not on leaving, according to the SSO's published conditions. The old-age lump sum for people with fewer than 180 months of contributions is paid once insured status has ended and you are 55, or on disability or death. Ask 1506 how to claim from abroad later.
Do foreigners have to pay Thai social security?
Employees in Thailand are registered by their employer under Section 33, and foreign employees are included. If you are paid by a company abroad and have no Thai employer, you are not in Section 33. Ask your employer if you are unsure whether you are registered.
How do I change my social security hospital?
Changes are allowed once a year. A 2024 news report on the SSO's procedure gave the window as 16 December to 31 March, online or at an SSO office. Call 1506 to confirm the current dates and the hospitals available near you.
Does Section 39 include unemployment benefit?
No. Section 39 keeps six benefits: illness, maternity, disability, death, child allowance and old age. The flat contribution is 432 baht a month, and you must have paid at least 12 months under Section 33 and apply within 6 months of leaving your job.
Sources
- Social Security Office – Benefits (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Social Security Office – Old-age benefit conditions (Thai, August 2024) (checked October 2026)
- Social Security Office – Illness and injury benefits (Thai, August 2026) (checked October 2026)
- Social Security Office – Hospital services and excluded treatments (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Social Security Office – Section 39 membership (Thai, April 2025) (checked October 2026)
- LawPlus – Social security contribution ceiling from 1 January 2026 (checked October 2026)
- Thansettakij – Changing your social security hospital (January 2024) (checked October 2026)