Thailand property tax and transfer fees: who pays what

Transfer costs at a glance

The taxes are the seller's by law, but a sale agreement can share them differently. Write down who pays each line before anyone signs, so there are no surprises on transfer day.

Transfer fee: 2% of the appraised value

The Land Office charges 2% of the official appraised value to register a sale. The same rate applies under the Land Code schedule for land and houses and under the Condominium Act schedule for condo units. The appraised value is set by the authorities, and it can differ from the price you agree. Who pays is up to the parties; unless they agree otherwise, the fee is split equally. For land and houses, check the deed type first; our guide to Thai title deeds explains why it matters.

Specific Business Tax or stamp duty

A sale pays one of these, never both.

• Specific Business Tax is 3.3% (3% plus a 10% local surcharge) of the sale price or the appraised value, whichever is higher. It applies to developer sales and to property sold within 5 years of acquisition.
• Stamp duty is 0.5% (THB 1 for every THB 200) of the higher of the two values, and is payable only when Specific Business Tax is not.

Specific Business Tax does not apply if the seller sells more than 5 years after acquiring, if the property was inherited, or if the seller's name has been in the property's house registration (tabien baan) for at least a year from acquisition and it is used as their residence. In those cases stamp duty applies instead.

Withholding tax on the seller

The Land Office also collects withholding tax from the seller on transfer day. A company seller pays 1% of the sale price or appraised value, whichever is higher.

For an individual seller the tax is progressive income tax, worked out on the appraised value. A standard deduction comes off first: a flat 50% for inherited or gifted property, otherwise a deduction based on the years held, falling from 92% for property held 1 year to 50% for 8 years or more (92%, 84%, 77%, 71%, 65%, 60% and 55% for 1 to 7 years). The remainder is divided by the number of years held (counting no more than 10), taxed at the personal income tax rates, and multiplied back. In this calculation the first slice of income is not tax-free, as it is on a yearly tax return. For inherited property, or property acquired without a commercial or profit-making purpose, the tax may not exceed 20% of the sale price. The Land Office does the sum, so ask the seller or their lawyer for the figure in advance.

The 2026 to 2027 fee cut: who qualifies

On 30 June 2026 the Cabinet approved another year of reduced registration fees, and two Interior Ministry notifications, one under the Land Code and one under the Condominium Act, were published in the Government Gazette on 1 July 2026. The scope:

• Runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
• The transfer fee falls from 2% to 0.01%.
• The mortgage fee falls from 1% to 0.01%, when the mortgage is registered at the same time as the transfer.
• The purchase price and the appraised value must each be THB 7 million or less, and the mortgage THB 7 million or less.
• Covers houses, twin houses, townhouses, commercial buildings with their land, and condo units, both new and resale.
• Only Thai nationals buying as individuals qualify. Foreign buyers and companies pay the normal 2%.
• Specific Business Tax, stamp duty and withholding tax still apply in full.

The previous round ran from 22 April 2025 to 30 June 2026 on the same terms, and an earlier one for Thai individual buyers ended on 31 December 2024. If you are a Thai buyer near the cut-off, check whether a further extension has been announced before you set a transfer date.

A worked example

Illustrative figures only. A resale condo has an agreed price of THB 3,000,000 and an appraised value of THB 2,400,000. The seller is an individual who bought it 3 years ago and has not lived there on a house registration.

• Transfer fee: 2% of THB 2,400,000 = THB 48,000, or THB 24,000 each if split equally.
• Specific Business Tax: 3.3% of THB 3,000,000 = THB 99,000, paid by the seller, because the sale is within 5 years.
• Stamp duty: none, because Specific Business Tax is due.
• Withholding tax: the deduction for 3 years is 77%, which leaves THB 552,000 of the THB 2,400,000 appraised value. Spread over 3 years, that is THB 184,000 a year. At the 5% rate that applies to the first THB 300,000, the tax is THB 9,200 a year, or THB 27,600 for the 3 years, paid by the seller.

On these figures the seller pays about THB 150,600 (THB 99,000 + THB 27,600 + a THB 24,000 half share of the transfer fee) and the buyer THB 24,000. The Land Office makes the official calculation on transfer day, so confirm the figures with the Land Office or a tax adviser before you rely on them.

Had the seller owned the unit for 6 years, Specific Business Tax would fall away and stamp duty of 0.5% of THB 3,000,000, THB 15,000, would apply instead. Had the buyer been a Thai individual, the transfer fee under the current cut would be 0.01% of THB 2,400,000, which is THB 240.

Lease registration fees

A lease of more than 3 years must be registered at the Land Office to be enforceable beyond 3 years. Registration costs 1% of the total rent for the whole term plus 0.1% stamp duty, about 1.1% in all. Who pays is negotiable, but landlords usually ask the tenant to pay it. Leases of 3 years or less, such as an ordinary one-year rental, do not need registering; see our guide to renting in Pattaya.

Annual land and building tax

Under the Land and Building Tax Act B.E. 2562 (2019), as reported for tax year 2026:

• An individual who owns the land and house and has their own name in its house registration is exempt on the first THB 50 million of value.
• An individual who owns only the building, for example a house on leased land, with their own name in its house registration, is exempt on the first THB 10 million.
• Condo owners co-own the building's land as common property, so an owner-occupied unit with the owner's name in the house registration is generally treated under the THB 50 million exemption. Confirm this with the local authority.
• Second homes pay 0.02% up to THB 50 million, 0.03% from THB 50 to 75 million, 0.05% from THB 75 to 100 million and 0.1% above THB 100 million.
• Companies get no residential exemption.

Liability is fixed on 1 January each year. Foreign owners can be entered in a yellow house book (tabien baan), but whether a local authority accepts it for the exemption is a matter of local practice rather than settled law.

Using this in Pattaya

For a typical foreign purchase of a Pattaya condo, the costs that matter are your share of the 2% transfer fee, your lawyer, and from then on the common fee and any land and building tax. Agree the costs split when you agree the price. Our guide to buying a condo in Pattaya covers the steps around transfer day, and our foreign ownership guide covers what you can own.

To start looking, see condos for sale and property for sale in Pattaya, or tell us what you want and we look for you. Buyers pay 09Wi no fee. This guide is general information, not tax advice; ask an independent Thai lawyer or tax adviser to check the figures for your case.