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Thailand Leave Laws & Holidays

Paid Time Off, Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, Bereavement Leave, Jury Duty Leave, Military Leave, and Voting Leave

Table Of Contents

Last updated on Septembre 5, 2024.

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.

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.

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

98 days

A female employee working in Thailand who becomes pregnant is entitled to 98 days of paid maternity leave (90 working days and 8 days of weekends).

Payout

Maternity leave is paid in the following manner:

  • The first 45 days are paid by the employer.
    => An employee receives full wages (100%).
  • The last 45 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

For employees working in the private sector, no statutory paternity leave is required by law. However, employers are encouraged to offer paid time off for paternity leave.

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

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.

Jury Duty Leave in Thailand

Jury duty leave is not specified by law.

Military Leave in Thailand

60 days

Employers must pay regular salaries to employees on leave for military service, up to a maximum of 60 days per year.

Voting Leave in Thailand

Voting leave is not specified by law.

Public Holidays in Thailand for 2024

Date Holiday
January 1 & 2 New Year
February 10 Chinese New Year
February 24 Makha Bucha Day
February 26 Makha Bucha Holiday
April 6 Chakri Day
April 8 Chakri Day Holiday
April 10 End of Ramadan
April 13 to April 16 Songkran Festival
May 1 Worker’s Day
May 4 Coronation of King Vajiralongkorn
May 6 Coronation of King Vajiralongkorn Holiday
May 13 Royal Ploughing Ceremony
May 22 Visakha Bucha Day
June 3 Queen Suthida’s Birthday
July 20 Asahna Bucha Day
July 21 Khao Phansa Day
July 22 Asahna Bucha Day Holiday
July 23 Khao Phansa Holiday
July 28 & 29 King Vajiralongkorn’s Birthday
August 12 Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s Birthday
October 13 & 14 Passing of His Majesty the Late King
October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
December 5 His Majesty the Late King’s Birthday
December 10 Constitution Day
December 25 Christmas
December 31 New Year’s Eve
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).

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

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

All materials have been prepared for general information purposes only to permit you to learn more about this region's leave laws. The information presented is not legal advice, is not to be acted on as such, and may not be current. Please contact your local legal counsel to learn more about the leave laws in your country.

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