Business insurance in Thailand: staff, liability and property cover
Two schemes are compulsory from your first employee. Everything after that is a commercial choice, and group health is the one your staff will ask about at interview.
Business insurance in Thailand stacks up in three layers. The statutory layer is compulsory: social security contributions and the Workmen’s Compensation Fund for every employee on your payroll. The commercial core is group health insurance for your staff. No law forces you to buy it, but Thai employees expect it, and the premiums are a deductible business expense. The third layer protects the business itself: public liability, professional indemnity and property cover. This page explains what each layer costs, what the law actually requires, and how to get group cover quoted. It applies to foreign-owned companies just as much as Thai ones.
- 875 THB monthly social security cap, each side
- 0.2 to 1.0% Workmen’s Compensation rate
- 240,000 THB Workmen’s Compensation wage base cap
- 20% standard corporate income tax
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At a glance (2026 employer duties)
- SSO registration From your first employee
- SSO contribution rate 5% each side
- SSO monthly cap 875 THB each side
- SSO wage base 17,500 THB/month
- Workmen’s Compensation Fund 0.2 to 1.0% of wages
- Workmen’s Compensation cost 480 to 2,400 THB/employee/year
- Group health insurance Voluntary
- Group premiums Tax deductible
The business insurance every company in Thailand needs
Start with a three-line triage. If you employ staff, you owe statutory contributions, and your team will expect group health cover on top. If you have premises, customers or stock, you need property and public liability cover. If you sell advice or handle client money, add professional indemnity.
The statutory layer is where new employers get caught out. From your first employee, you must register them with the Social Security Office (SSO). You then deduct 5% of each monthly wage, capped at 875 THB per employee per month, and pay a matching 5% employer contribution with the same cap. The cap works out as 5% of a 17,500 THB monthly wage base. The rates are set by the Social Security Office, the current 875 THB ceiling took effect on 1 January 2026, and gazetted rises will lift it to 1,000 THB from January 2029 and 1,150 THB from January 2032. On top of that sits the Workmen’s Compensation Fund, an employer-only annual payment covered in the liability section below.
Everything else on this page is voluntary. That does not make it optional in practice. Group health is the benefit Thai staff ask about at interview, and one uninsured liability claim can cost more than a decade of premiums.
Group health insurance for employees
Group health insurance is the commercial core of business insurance in Thailand, and the product that matters most to SMEs. One policy, owned by the company, covers the whole team without individual medical underwriting. Insurers typically ask for a small minimum headcount, and some will write a policy from a single employee. Cover normally runs for employees of working age.
A standard plan pays inpatient treatment in full up to the policy limit, with private room and board. Outpatient cover, maternity benefits and accident benefits are add-ons that raise the premium. Group life and group personal accident sit as riders on the same policy rather than separate products. The usual exclusions apply: pre-existing conditions, chronic conditions that predate the policy, and cosmetic treatment.
For the employer, the case is straightforward. Health cover is the retention benefit Thai employees rank highest, and the premiums are a deductible staff-welfare expense against corporate income tax. The standard corporate income tax rate is 20% of net profit, but most SMEs pay less. Companies with paid-up capital of 5,000,000 THB or less and revenue of 30,000,000 THB or less pay 0% on the first 300,000 THB of profit, 15% from 300,001 to 3,000,000 THB, and 20% above that, under Revenue Department rules. Employees do not normally pick up a tax charge on employer-paid group premiums either.
Claims run one of two ways. In network, the employee shows their insurance card at a hospital in the insurer’s cashless network and the insurer settles the bill directly. Out of network, the employee pays first and claims reimbursement with a claim form, original receipts, ID, the insurance card and a certified diagnosis from the treating doctor. Reimbursement timelines are set by the insurer, so confirm them alongside the quote.
How group policies work
A group policy is a master contract between the insurer and the company. Employees are members, not policyholders, and that structure drives both the advantages and the catches.
The advantages are real. Cover is cheaper per head than the equivalent individual policies, nobody sits a medical, and staff with existing conditions who would struggle to buy cover alone are accepted with the group. The catches are just as real. Benefit limits are one size per employee tier, customisation is limited, and cover ends the day employment does. An employee who leaves must buy an individual policy at their current age and health status, which is why the hand-off to individual health insurance matters.
Premium costs can be split however the company likes. Many employers pay the full premium for a base plan and let staff top up for dependants or richer benefits through salary deduction. Waiting periods for new joiners are set by the employer in the policy terms, so a new hire can be covered from day one or from the end of probation. Part-time staff and long-term contractors can usually join if the company includes them in the declared member list.
Liability cover
Business insurance in Thailand is not only about staff benefits. Liability splits into two halves: what the state makes you pay, and what you choose to buy.
The statutory half is the Workmen’s Compensation Fund, administered by the Social Security Office under the Workmen’s Compensation Act. Employers pay the whole contribution and employees pay nothing. The rate runs from 0.2% of wages for low-risk office work to 1.0% for hazardous industries, charged on a wage base capped at 240,000 THB per employee per year. That prices the scheme at 480 to 2,400 THB per employee per year, paid annually in January, separate from your monthly SSO remittances. In return, the fund covers work-related injury: medical costs, compensation for lost working capacity, disability, death and funeral costs, and rehabilitation.
Private cover builds on that base. Employer’s liability insurance tops up the statutory scheme with higher limits and legal defence costs. Public liability insurance covers injury to third parties and damage to their property, the classic risks of running premises: a customer slips in your restaurant, a sign falls on a parked car, a delivery goes wrong at a client’s office. Professional indemnity covers the advice businesses, consultancies, agencies, accountants and anyone handling client data or client money, against claims that your work caused someone a financial loss.
Business property and other cover
Property insurance covers the physical side: the premises if you own them, the fit-out if you rent, plus stock and equipment against fire, flood and theft. A shophouse restaurant and a fifth-floor consultancy carry very different property risks, so policies are priced on location, construction and contents. For building-level detail, see our property insurance guide.
Two smaller covers round out an SME programme. Business travel policies cover staff who fly for work, with medical and trip benefits per journey or per year. And if you employ foreigners, insurance does not replace immigration paperwork: those staff still need a valid work permit, and their SSO registration is compulsory too.
How to choose business insurance in Thailand: 5 steps
- Understand what each cover does.
Group health protects your people, liability protects you from claims by other people, and property protects your assets. Most SMEs buy in that order, but map all three before you buy any.
- Match cover to your business type.
A restaurant’s big exposures are customer injury and kitchen fire, so public liability and property lead. A consultancy’s exposure is bad advice, so professional indemnity leads. Both need group health the moment they hire.
- Choose coverage over cost.
The cheapest group plan often strips out outpatient cover and caps room rates below what private hospitals charge. Match the benefits to the hospitals your staff will actually use.
- Read the policy before you sign.
Check the exclusions, the benefit limit per condition, and how the insurer defines pre-existing conditions for group members.
- Mind the deductible.
On liability and property lines, a higher deductible cuts the premium but means you self-insure small incidents. Set it at a level your cash flow can absorb.
Group premiums are quoted on headcount, age profile and industry, so no generic price table will match your company. Tell us how many employees you have and we will arrange a group health quote from a licensed broker.
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What to do next
Take the layers in order. Register every employee with the SSO from their first month and set the payroll deduction at 5% up to the 875 THB cap, then diary the Workmen’s Compensation payment for January. With the statutory layer settled, price group health against the hospitals your staff would actually use, not against the cheapest premium. Last, match liability cover to what your business does: premises and customers point to public liability and property, advice and client money point to professional indemnity. Group cover is quoted on your headcount and industry, so the only number that means anything is a quote for your own company.
FAQ
How many employees do I need for group insurance?
Most insurers set a low minimum headcount, typically a handful of staff, and some will quote from a single employee. Confirm the exact threshold when you request a quote, because it varies by insurer.
Is group health insurance tax-deductible in Thailand?
Yes. Premiums the company pays for employee group health cover are a deductible staff-welfare expense against corporate income tax. The standard rate is 20%, with lower progressive rates for qualifying SMEs.
Do I legally have to insure my employees?
Two schemes are compulsory: SSO registration and contributions from your first employee, and the annual Workmen's Compensation Fund payment. Private group health insurance is voluntary, but Thai employees widely expect it as a standard benefit.
Can part-time staff and contractors join the group plan?
Usually yes. The company decides who goes on the declared member list, and insurers generally accept part-timers and long-term contractors listed there.
Can employer and employees split the premium?
Yes, and the split is flexible. A common setup is the employer funding a base plan in full, with employees paying to add dependants or upgrade benefits through salary deduction.
What is excluded from group health cover?
Pre-existing conditions, chronic conditions that predate the policy, and cosmetic treatment are the standard exclusions. Personal accident cover is excluded unless it is added as a rider.
What happens to an employee's cover when they leave?
It ends with their employment. That is the biggest drawback of group cover, and departing staff should arrange an individual policy before their notice period runs out.
Does a foreign-owned company qualify?
Yes. Any registered Thai entity can take out a group policy, and there is no nationality bar on the shareholders. If you are still setting up, start with our company registration guide, then insure the team.
What liability insurance does a restaurant or shop need?
Public liability comes first, because customers on your premises are your main exposure. Add property cover for the kitchen, stock and fit-out, and group health once you take on staff.