When a property is transferred in Thailand, the buyer and seller may need to account for several government fees and taxes in addition to the agreed purchase price. These can include the ownership-transfer registration fee, withholding tax, Specific Business Tax and stamp duty.
The final costs depend on the property, registered owner, official appraised value, declared selling price, period of ownership and circumstances of the transaction. They cannot be calculated accurately from the selling price alone.
The questions below provide general guidance about the charges commonly encountered during a Pattaya property transfer. Buyers and sellers should obtain a transaction-specific calculation and independent legal and tax advice before signing an agreement or deciding how the costs will be divided.
What taxes and fees may apply when property is transferred in Thailand?
The principal government charges commonly encountered during a conventional property sale and ownership transfer are:
- The ownership-transfer registration fee
- Withholding tax
- Specific Business Tax, where applicable
- Stamp duty when Specific Business Tax does not apply
Other expenses may arise from legal representation, banking, currency exchange, mortgage registration, document preparation, company administration, translations or powers of attorney. These are separate from the principal Land Office taxes and registration fees.
Are property tax and transfer costs the same for every transaction?
No. Two properties sold for the same price can produce different transfer costs.
The result can be affected by:
- The official government appraised value
- The declared selling price
- Whether the seller is an individual or legal entity
- How and when the seller acquired the property
- How long the seller has owned it
- The seller’s house-registration circumstances where relevant
- Whether a mortgage must be registered or discharged
- Whether a current government reduction or exemption applies
For this reason, general online calculators and examples should be treated only as estimates.
What is the official appraised value of a property?
The official appraised value is the government valuation used for particular registration and tax calculations. It is not necessarily the same as the property’s asking price, agreed selling price or current open-market value.
A property can therefore have several different figures connected with it:
- The seller’s asking price
- The final price negotiated between the buyer and seller
- The official appraised value used by the authorities
Different fees and taxes may use the official appraised value or the higher of the appraised value and declared selling price. The correct calculation basis must therefore be confirmed for each charge.
What is the standard property transfer fee?
The standard fee for registering an ownership transfer is generally 2% of the official appraised value used by the Land Office.
This should not be confused with a tax calculated from the seller’s profit. It is a registration fee connected with transferring the ownership rights from the current owner to the buyer.
Temporary government measures can reduce the rate for qualifying transactions. The Land Office or appointed lawyer should therefore confirm the rate and calculation applying on the intended transfer date.
Is Thailand currently offering a reduced property transfer fee?
As of July 2026, a temporary government measure reduces the ownership-transfer registration fee from the standard 2% to 0.01% for qualifying transactions completed by June 30, 2027.
The reduction is subject to specific conditions. These include the buyer being an individual Thai national and the qualifying house, condominium or other covered property satisfying the applicable purchase-price and official-appraisal limits of no more than THB 7 million.
The measure does not apply automatically to every property or buyer and should not be assumed to cover a foreign purchaser. Government incentives can also be changed, extended or allowed to expire.
Eligibility should always be reconfirmed with the Land Office or an independent lawyer shortly before completion.
What is Specific Business Tax on a property sale?
Specific Business Tax may apply when a property sale is treated as a commercial or profit-seeking transaction under the relevant tax rules.
Where it applies, the principal tax is generally calculated at 3% of the higher of the registered selling price or official appraised value. A local tax equal to 10% of the Specific Business Tax is then added, creating a combined effective rate of 3.3%.
The seller is generally the person with the underlying tax liability, although the buyer and seller may negotiate how the economic cost will be treated between them within the sale agreement.
Does owning a property for more than five years automatically remove Specific Business Tax?
Not every transaction can be assessed through one simple rule. For some individual sellers, disposing of a property more than five years after acquisition may mean the sale falls outside the category that would otherwise attract Specific Business Tax.
However, the seller’s identity, the nature of the property and transaction, how the property was acquired and other statutory conditions can affect the result. Property held by a company or as part of a business may be treated differently from a private residential property owned by an individual.
Sellers should therefore obtain a calculation based on their own documents rather than assuming that the ownership period alone creates an exemption.
Can Specific Business Tax be avoided when the property has been the seller’s home?
A sale by an individual may fall outside Specific Business Tax in certain residential circumstances, including where the property has been used as the seller’s principal residence and the applicable house-registration requirements have been satisfied for the required period.
Simply living in a property does not necessarily establish the exemption. The seller may need documentary evidence, and the dates recorded within the house registration and property-acquisition documents can be important.
The seller’s lawyer or tax adviser should confirm whether the precise conditions have been met before the expected transfer costs are agreed.
Are inheritance and family transfers automatically exempt from every property tax?
No. Certain inheritance, gift, family or government-related transfers may receive different treatment under particular tax provisions, but this does not mean that every tax and registration fee disappears automatically.
The relationship between the parties, type of transfer, supporting documentation, property valuation and applicable legal provisions must all be considered.
Anyone transferring property by inheritance, gift or between family members should obtain specialist advice rather than applying the rules for an ordinary sale.
What is stamp duty on a property transfer?
Stamp duty is generally calculated at 0.5% of the higher of the registered selling price or official appraised value when it applies to the transaction.
It is commonly relevant where Specific Business Tax is not payable. The two charges are therefore not normally collected together on the same property sale in the usual manner.
The seller is generally associated with the underlying stamp-duty liability, but the parties may negotiate who bears the economic cost as part of their wider transfer-fee agreement.
Do I pay both Specific Business Tax and stamp duty?
Specific Business Tax and stamp duty are not normally both payable on the same conventional property sale.
Where Specific Business Tax applies and is paid, stamp duty is generally not collected. Where the transaction does not attract Specific Business Tax, stamp duty may apply instead.
This does not remove the possible transfer fee or withholding tax, which are separate charges and must be considered independently.
What is withholding tax on a property sale?
Withholding tax is an income-tax collection made when the property ownership or possessory right is transferred. It is connected with the seller and is dealt with as part of the registration process.
The calculation depends significantly on whether the registered seller is:
- An individual person
- A company or other qualifying legal entity
The same percentage should not be used for both types of seller.
How is withholding tax calculated when an individual sells property?
Withholding tax for an individual seller is not normally a simple fixed percentage of the agreed selling price.
The calculation generally uses the official appraised value, the number of years for which the property has been held, prescribed deductions and the applicable progressive personal income-tax rates.
How the property was acquired, including whether it was purchased, inherited or received as a gift, can also affect the calculation method or permitted deductions.
Because the formula is transaction-specific, an individual seller should provide the title and acquisition details to their lawyer, accountant or Land Office representative for an estimate.
How is withholding tax calculated when a company sells property?
When the registered seller is a company or qualifying juristic partnership, withholding tax is generally calculated at 1% of the higher of the registered selling price or official Land Office appraised value.
This withholding is connected with the company’s corporate income-tax position and may be treated as a tax credit within the relevant accounting period.
A company seller may also have accounting, corporate income-tax, Specific Business Tax and other obligations beyond the amount collected at the Land Office. Advice from the company’s accountant and lawyer is therefore essential.
Is there a separate “building tax” when a company-owned property is sold?
The old expression “building tax” should not be used as though it were one standard Land Office charge applying whenever a company-owned property changes hands.
A direct sale of company-owned land or buildings can create transfer fees, withholding tax, Specific Business Tax and corporate accounting or income-tax consequences. A transfer of company shares is a different legal transaction and can create its own tax, legal, due-diligence and corporate-compliance issues.
A share transfer does not automatically change the registered owner of the property because the company remains the owner. Buyers should not treat a company-share purchase as a simple method of avoiding normal transfer taxes without receiving independent legal, accounting and tax advice.
Who normally pays the transfer fee and property taxes?
There is no universal Pattaya rule requiring all costs to be divided in one particular way.
The parties may agree that:
- The buyer pays particular charges
- The seller pays particular charges
- The ownership-transfer fee is shared equally
- The total costs are divided according to another negotiated arrangement
However, an agreement about who bears the economic cost does not necessarily change which party has the underlying statutory tax liability.
The agreed division should be recorded clearly in the reservation document or Sale and Purchase Agreement rather than left for discussion on the transfer date.
What does “50/50 transfer fees” actually mean?
The phrase “50/50 transfer fees” can be ambiguous unless the agreement explains exactly which costs are being shared.
It may mean that only the ownership-transfer registration fee is divided equally. In other transactions, the parties may intend to share a broader group of Land Office costs.
The contract should therefore identify each principal charge and state whether it will be paid by the buyer, seller or divided between them. Avoid relying on “50/50” without a written definition.
Can the buyer and seller declare a lower selling price to reduce the taxes?
The parties should provide truthful information and comply with the requirements of the Land Office, Revenue Department and their legal representatives.
Several charges are calculated using the higher of the declared selling price or official appraised value, so declaring an artificially low figure may not produce the expected saving. It can also create legal, tax, banking, accounting and evidential problems.
Cornerstone will not recommend misrepresenting a transaction value or creating side arrangements intended to conceal the true purchase terms.
Are mortgage registration and mortgage-release costs included?
Mortgage-related registration costs are separate from the main ownership-transfer fee and property-sale taxes.
A buyer financing a purchase may need to account for a mortgage registration fee, bank valuation, lending fees, insurance and other lender requirements. A seller with an existing mortgage may need to arrange repayment and discharge of that mortgage before or during completion.
Temporary government measures may reduce mortgage registration fees for qualifying Thai-national buyers and eligible properties, but the conditions must be checked at the time of transfer.
Are estate-agent commission and legal fees included in the Land Office calculation?
No. Estate-agent commission, independent legal fees, accounting fees and other professional costs are separate from the government charges collected in connection with the transfer.
A seller calculating expected net proceeds should therefore consider:
- The outstanding mortgage or other secured debt
- Land Office fees and applicable taxes
- Real estate agency commission
- Legal and accounting expenses
- Outstanding common fees, utilities or property expenses
- Banking and international-transfer costs where relevant
The sale price should not be treated as the amount the seller will necessarily receive after every obligation has been settled.
When should the taxes and transfer costs be calculated?
An initial estimate should be obtained before the buyer and seller finalise the price and agree how the transfer costs will be allocated.
This is particularly important for a seller establishing the minimum acceptable net proceeds from a sale. Discovering an unexpected tax liability after accepting an offer can place the transaction and negotiations under unnecessary pressure.
The estimate should then be checked again before completion because the official figures, documentation, transfer date or applicable government measures may have changed.
What information is needed to estimate the transfer costs?
A reliable estimate may require information including:
- A copy of the land or condominium title deed
- The agreed or proposed selling price
- The official appraised value where available
- The seller’s acquisition date and method of acquisition
- Whether the seller is an individual or legal entity
- Relevant house-registration information
- Details of any existing mortgage or registered obligation
- The proposed allocation of costs between the parties
An estimate produced without these details may overlook an important exemption, liability or calculation factor.
Are the final figures confirmed before the transfer date?
Lawyers, accountants and agents can help prepare an advance estimate, but the final government figures are determined through the relevant official process and documentation.
The parties should confirm the expected total and payment method before attending the Land Office. They should also agree how any reasonable difference between the estimate and final assessment will be handled.
Completion can be delayed if the required funds, payment instruments or supporting documents are not available when the transfer is presented for registration.
Does Cornerstone Real Estate provide tax or legal advice?
No. Cornerstone Real Estate is a real estate agency, not a law firm, accounting practice or tax adviser.
Our experienced team understands the principal costs commonly encountered during Pattaya property transactions. We can help collect the information required for an estimate, record the cost allocation negotiated between the buyer and seller and coordinate with their appointed lawyers, accountants and Land Office representatives.
The final legal and tax analysis must be provided by appropriately qualified independent professionals who have reviewed the complete transaction and supporting documents.
How can Cornerstone help with my property purchase or sale?
Cornerstone can help buyers and sellers understand the practical stages of the transaction, negotiate how the principal costs will be allocated and ensure those agreed commercial terms are recorded clearly.
We can also coordinate with the parties’ independent lawyers, obtain available property documentation and help organise the process leading to completion and ownership transfer.
For a broader explanation of purchasing property, read our complete guide to buying property in Pattaya. Property owners preparing to sell can also contact Cornerstone Real Estate in Pattaya to discuss their property and request assistance with an initial transfer-cost estimate.
Important Information
The information provided on this page is general in nature and should not be treated as legal, accounting, financial or tax advice. Tax rates, exemptions, government incentives, official valuations, Land Office procedures and individual circumstances can change or vary. Buyers and sellers should obtain a transaction-specific calculation and advice from appropriately qualified independent professionals before signing an agreement, allocating transfer costs or completing a property transfer.