Sending money home to Thailand: what families should know

Maybe your mum needs help with a hospital bill, or you’ve sent something every month for years. Sending money home is one of the most ordinary things in a Thai family, and one of the least explained. Here’s the practical side, and a little of the human side too.

How does money get from abroad to family in Thailand?

There are three common routes. Which one fits depends on how much you send, how often, and what your family has set up on their side.

• A bank-to-bank international transfer. Your bank sends the money to your relative’s Thai bank account, usually over the international SWIFT network. Your bank will tell you which details it needs; typically the account holder’s name, the account number and the Thai bank’s SWIFT code.
• A money-transfer service. Specialist services, apps and some banks’ remittance products send money to a Thai bank account, and some offer other ways to collect. In the US, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau calls these “remittance transfers” and says providers must show you the fees, the exchange rate and the amount expected to arrive, before and after you pay.
• Cards and cash machines. Some families give a relative access to money through a card that works at Thai ATMs. Your card issuer, and the ATM owner, may both charge, so check before relying on this.

Inside Thailand, the Bank of Thailand’s PromptPay system lets people link a bank account to a citizen ID number or a mobile phone number, so others can pay them without full bank details. The Bank of Thailand also lists cross-border payment links as part of PromptPay, but it doesn’t say on that page which countries are covered, so ask your bank.

What does sending money to Thailand really cost?

Two things, and only one of them is labelled “fee”.

1. The transfer fee. A flat or percentage charge for sending. On some bank transfers, other banks along the way may also take a cut, and the receiving Thai bank may charge for incoming transfers.
2. The exchange rate. When your pounds, kronor, euros or dollars become baht, the rate you get is usually a little worse than the mid-market rate (the midpoint between buying and selling prices that you see on financial news sites). That gap is a cost too, even when a service says “no fee”.

The simplest test: compare how many baht will land in your family’s account for the same amount sent. In the US, providers have to show you that figure before you pay; elsewhere, ask for it. Some people also compare the rate they’re offered with the mid-market rate on the same day.

We don’t recommend or rank providers.

For a sense of scale, the United Nations has a goal of bringing the cost of migrant remittances below 3 per cent of the amount sent by 2030. That’s a global target, not a guarantee of what you’ll pay.

What does my family need on the Thai side?

In most cases, a bank account in Thailand in the receiver’s own name. Help them check that the name on the account matches exactly what you type in, including spelling in English.

Ask the bank which documents it needs to open an account. If you’re the one who needs a Thai ID card, our guide to the Thai ID card when born abroad explains how it works. For an older parent, a relative they trust may be able to help with the paperwork, with the parent’s consent. Our guide to caring for ageing parents in Thailand has more on that.

Are there Bank of Thailand rules on money coming in?

Yes, but for ordinary family support they rarely bite. From the Bank of Thailand’s summary of its exchange control rules:

• Foreign currency and baht banknotes can be brought into Thailand without an amount limit, but carrying more than THB 450,000 or more than USD 15,000 (or equivalent) in cash must be declared to Customs. Bank transfers don’t go through Customs, but they do come with the rules below.
• Anyone dealing in foreign currency with a Thai bank must tell the bank the details of the transaction, so the receiver may be asked what the money is for. Answer truthfully, and ask the bank if you’re unsure what it needs.
• For transactions of USD 200,000 or more, banks must ask for supporting documents (unless they’ve done their own business checks on the customer).
• Foreign currency of USD 1 million or more received from abroad must be sold to, or deposited with, an authorised bank within 360 days.

The Bank of Thailand’s page is a summary, and it doesn’t show when each rule took effect. For large sums, such as money for land or a house, talk to the receiving bank first. If land is involved, our guide to inheriting land in Thailand may also help.

Is money sent to parents taxed in Thailand?

Generally not, up to a high limit. Thailand’s Revenue Code (Section 42(27)) exempts income from maintenance, support or gifts from ascendants, descendants or a spouse, up to THB 20 million in a tax year. Above that, the Revenue Code lets the receiver choose a flat 5% rate on the part over THB 20 million.

A separate question is your own tax. The Revenue Department says Thai tax residents (broadly, people in Thailand for 180 days or more in a tax year; the Revenue Code and the Revenue Department’s guide word this slightly differently) pay tax on the part of their foreign income they bring into Thailand. That matters if you live in Thailand and bring in money earned abroad, not when you send money from abroad to your parents. Your home country may have its own gift or tax rules too.

Tax is personal and it changes. For anything beyond the basics, ask a tax professional in the country where you live, and in Thailand if needed.

How do I avoid scams?

• The “family emergency”. The US Federal Trade Commission describes calls or messages from someone posing as a relative, or as a lawyer, police officer or doctor, saying a loved one is in trouble and needs money now. Some even clone a relative’s voice. Its advice: slow down, hang up, call your relative on a number you already know, and talk to someone you trust, even if the caller asked you to keep it secret.
• Romance scams. The FTC’s rule is simple: never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven’t met in person.
• Hard-to-reverse payments. The FTC warns that scammers push wire transfers, gift cards, payment apps and cryptocurrency.

If you’ve already sent money, contact your bank or the transfer service straight away and report it to the police or fraud authority where you live. Being scammed is not a failing. These schemes are built to fool careful, loving people.

Why is sending money home common in Thai families?

In many Thai families, looking after your parents is part of katanyu, the gratitude and duty children feel towards the people who raised them. Money is one way of showing it; so are visits, calls and care.

The World Bank records about US$11.9 billion in personal remittances received by Thailand in 2025. That covers more than family support, but it shows how common sending money home is.

None of this is a test. Some people send every month, some send when they can, and some can’t send at all, or have reasons not to. Love isn’t measured in baht, and no one reading this owes anyone an explanation.

How do we talk about money kindly?

A few things that help many families:

• Agree on the “what for”. A regular amount for living costs feels different from help with a one-off bill. Saying which is which avoids hurt feelings later.
• Talk about changes. If your budget changes, many families find it easier when it’s talked about early.
• Respect their choices. Once it’s a gift, it’s theirs. Your parents may pass some on, make merit, or save it.

Money also shows up at big moments: our guides to wedding money envelopes and gifts for Thai family cover those.

What we couldn’t confirm

• Thai banks’ fees for incoming transfers. Banks publish their own fee schedules and they change; we didn’t verify current amounts, so check with the receiving bank.
• Typical exchange-rate margins. We couldn’t confirm a reliable, current figure for what senders lose on the rate to Thailand, so we give none.
• Thailand’s 2024 change on foreign income. We’ve read the Revenue Department’s general rule on foreign income brought into Thailand, but we couldn’t open the official text of the order (Paw. 161/2566) that changed how it applies from 2024. If you’re a Thai tax resident bringing money in, ask a professional.
• Which countries PromptPay connects to. The Bank of Thailand lists cross-border links but doesn’t name countries on the page we read.