Last updated on July 20, 2026.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in Thailand

Vacation (Annual Leave) Quota

6 days

Employees in Thailand may take 6 days of statutory paid vacation. This is a legal minimum; an employer may provide their employees with longer vacation leave. An employee may enjoy full vacation entitlement after one year of employment. Any full-time employee whose employment is shorter than a full year receives pro-rated vacation entitlement, according to the number of months of actual service in the company.

Leave for Monkhood or Hajj

Employees eligible for vacation are permitted up to 120 days of leave for monkhood (confinement and devotion to spiritual work for Buddhists) or Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca for Muslims).

Carryover

A company carryover policy is arranged in advance between both parties: an employee and an employer.

PTO payout at the Termination

Employees may be dismissed a number of different bases (even without explicit reason). However, all owed payments—such as severance pay, overtime, but also untaken vacation days, and all compensations outlined in the employment contract—must be settled in 3 days after ending the service of an employee.

Sick Leave in Thailand

30 paid days per year.

Regular employees in Thailand are permitted unlimited unpaid sick leave.

However, the number of paid sick days is limited to 30 workdays per year.

For sick leave lasting 3 days or more, the employer may request a formal medical certificate from an official medical professional.

Payout

An employee is eligible to obtain a regular salary from the employer during their absence, covered by paid sick days.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave in Thailand

120 days

A female employee working in Thailand who becomes pregnant is entitled to 120 days of paid maternity leave (increased from 98 days until 2025.)

Payout

Maternity leave is paid in the following manner:

• The first 60 days are paid by the employer.
  => An employee receives full wages (100%).
• The last 60 days are paid by Thailand’s Social Security Office (SSO).
  => An employee receives half of the wages (100%).

To receive money for social security, an employee had to make contributions to the fund for 5 months within the last 15.

Paternity Leave in Thailand

15 days

Regardless of gender, employees working in the private sector are entitled to up to 15 days of parental leave to support a spouse following childbirth, which must be taken within 90 days of the birth.

Employees working in the public sector may also take 15 days of paid paternity leave.

Payout

Employers must provide full pay while an employee is on paternity leave.

Personal Business Leave in Thailand

3 days

Employees are entitled to a minimum of three working days of paid business leave per year for personal matters, such as bereavement, family emergencies, or urgent personal issues.

Bereavement Leave in Thailand

Bereavement leave is not specified by Thailand leave laws, and is therefore determined by mutual agreement between an employee and the employer and is subject to the company’s leave policy. However, this is typically covered via the statutory 3-day personal business leave. (see above).

Jury Duty Leave in Thailand

Jury duty leave is not specified by law as Thailand doesn’t have a jury duty system.

Military Leave in Thailand

60 days

Employers must pay regular salaries to employees on leave for military service (including military drills, training, or readiness tests), up to a maximum of 60 days per year.

Payout

An employer is required to maintain the employee’s regular salary at the standard rate during this period. Thailand is one of the rare countries where the employer directly pays for military leave.

Voting Leave in Thailand

Voting leave is not specified by law. Elections are held on Sundays.

Public Holidays in Thailand

(*) - Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla Provinces.

(**) - Dates are movable every year according to the Islamic lunar calendar. Observed as a public holiday in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla Provinces.

(***) - A Christian religious holiday, also widely observed in a commercial context.

Exceptions

Celebrated only in the provinces of Satun, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat:

• Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival);
• Christmas;
• The end of Ramadan.

The government sector:

• Does not observe Labour Day (all other sectors observe it).
• Exclusively observes the Royal Ploughing Ceremony and Khao Phansa Day (no other sector observes it).

Substitute Holiday (Time Off In Lieu Holiday)

If a day in which a public holiday occurs is on a Saturday, employees receive an extra day instantly after it, which is then added to their vacation days. This substitute day (time off in lieu) must be used within the year in which it was given and may not be rolled over (carried over) to the next year.

Sources

1. Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/thailand

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Thailand, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/thailand/

3. Definitive Guide to Hiring in Thailand, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/Thailand

4. Financial institutions and specialized financial institutions’ holidays and additional special holiday for B.E. 2569 (2026), https://www.bot.or.th/content/dam/bot/fipcs/documents/FPG/2568/EngPDF/25680162.pdf

Check out our Leave Laws page to learn more about laws in various countries.