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"Thailand work permit minimum salary" is often answered with a single number that supposedly changes by nationality. We have not verified such a number for any specific application route. A work permit application tests the employer first: the standard rule asks for THB 2 million of paid-up capital and four Thai employees for every foreign worker, checked when the permit is first issued and again at every renewal, under the Foreign Workers Management Emergency Decree B.E. 2560 (2017). Thai law firms report one exception, among others covered below: when a foreign employee earns at least THB 50,000 a month and the company has at least THB 1 million of registered capital, the ratio can drop to 1:1. We have not verified an official table of salary floors by nationality.
In short
- The core employer tests are THB 2 million of capital and a 4:1 Thai-to-foreign staff ratio, checked at application and at every renewal.
- A salary of THB 50,000 a month, together with THB 1 million capital, is one reported route to a 1:1 ratio instead of 4:1; other exceptions exist too.
- We have not found an official government table that sets a minimum salary by nationality for this route; check any table you see against a primary source before relying on it.
- BOI-promoted companies and LTR visa holders are exempt from the staff ratio altogether.
- The salary on the work permit application should be reflected accurately in what the company reports to the Revenue Department and the Social Security Office, each under its own rules.
Where the foreign minimum salary comes from
A work permit authorises the foreign employee to work for a specified employer, and it needs a Non-Immigrant B visa or another status that allows work. The legal basis is the Foreign Workers Management Emergency Decree B.E. 2560 (2017). In practice, employers are tested against THB 2 million of capital and 4 Thai staff per foreigner, the benchmarks most guides describe as "the rule." Thai press calls these "planning benchmarks" rather than one universal law, because BOI and LTR routes sidestep them entirely and several other categories reduce the ratio, as the sections below cover. Our lawyers check these benchmarks against a client's actual numbers before filing.
Thresholds by nationality: what is confirmed
We have not found a government source publishing a salary table by nationality for this route. Check any salary table against an official source for the relevant application route before relying on it. What we have verified sits in employer tests, not passport tests:
| Situation | Requirement | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Standard case | THB 2 million capital and 4 Thai employees per foreign worker | Reported benchmark, check before filing |
| Salary ≥ THB 50,000/month and capital ≥ THB 1 million | Ratio reported to drop to 1:1 | Reported by Thai law firms, check it applies |
| Representative office, regional office, branch of a multinational, or a certified startup in one of 18 targeted industries | Ratio reported to drop to 1:1 | Reported by Thai law firms, check it applies |
| Foreign employee married to a Thai national | THB 1 million capital reported for that person's own permit | Reported by Thai law firms, check it applies |
| Company holding a US Treaty of Amity certificate | THB 3 million capital reported | Reported by Thai law firms, check it applies |
| BOI promotion or LTR visa | No staff ratio applies | Official, Board of Investment |
| A separate figure by nationality (UK, US, Russia and others) | — | We have not verified official guidance |
For a Russian employee specifically, we have not verified a separate salary figure. When a client asks how much a Russian citizen's salary should be, we check the same employer tests as for any other nationality, and whether one of the exceptions in the table applies.
Separate thresholds for BOI companies
A company with BOI promotion is exempt from the 4:1 ratio altogether, and so is an LTR visa holder, whose work permit comes bundled with the visa itself. Depending on the category, BOI promotion can also let a company be wholly foreign-owned in its promoted activity and own the land the activity needs, with tax holidays reported at three to thirteen years. We have not verified an official minimum salary figure that BOI sets specifically for a foreign employee's pay, separate from the general tests above; where guides quote one, check it with the Board of Investment before relying on it. What BOI promotion confirms is the staff ratio and the ownership rules; the salary question needs checking separately.
Salary, tax and social security: what immigration sees
The Thai-staff side of the ratio is proven through Social Security filings, so a company's declared headcount should match what it reports to the Social Security Office every month. Thai press reports that from 1 January 2026 the wage ceiling used to calculate social security contributions rose from THB 15,000 to THB 17,500 a month, for a maximum contribution of THB 875 from each side, citing a Social Security Office ministerial regulation; we have not read that regulation's primary text, so we check the current ceiling with the Social Security Office rather than treat the figure as settled.
Since 13 October 2025, work permit applications, renewals, notifications and cancellations go through the e-Work Permit system. That makes the paperwork mostly digital; we have not verified whether it changes the underlying capital and staff tests, so we check the current requirements for each filing.
The practical point for anyone planning a salary: the figure written on the work permit application should be reflected accurately in payroll and in what is reported to social security, even though each is calculated under its own rules. Our lawyers check that these figures line up before they file a work permit or a renewal.
Exceptions to the thresholds
The salary-based exception, BOI promotion and LTR visas are reported ways to reduce the 4:1 ratio; the spouse and Amity conditions above affect the capital test rather than the ratio itself. Other exceptions may apply too, and each needs checking before you rely on it. Working outside the permit's description — in a different role, for a different employer or without the authorisation a change needs — is an offence: the employee risks a fine of THB 5,000 to 50,000, the employer THB 10,000 to 100,000, and deportation is possible, as Thai law firms describe the penalty; check what authorisation a change of role, employer or workplace needs before you make it. We never advise paying a foreign employee less than the figure declared on the application. A lower salary does not meet the reported condition for the 1:1 ratio; whether other exceptions still apply needs checking separately.
What to do next
Before you set a salary or file a work permit application, it is worth checking your company's numbers against the tests above: paid-up capital, Thai headcount in the social security system, and the salary you plan to pay. Send us your company's capital, current staff and the salary you are considering, and we will answer within 24 hours with what needs to be done and what it will cost; we fix the price before we start.
If the company does not exist yet, our guide on how to register a company in Thailand covers the capital test for incorporation, which should be checked separately from the work permit test above. For the full application process, see how to get a work permit, and for work permit and Non-B support our lawyers handle the filing itself. A typical situation showing how the pieces fit together is in a company and work permit in six weeks.
