How to pay own Thai social security after finishing work at a government university PathumThani?

[mangyH2obuffalo]

Hi, everyone.  I was wondering how one can pay into social security on their own.  I paid into it and had benefits for 3 years until resigning 4 0r 5 months ago.  Can it be done in BKK or would I have to do it in PathumThani since that's where my old job was........the "HR" at my old job has only said that I need to do it on my own but hasn't advised where to go........is it possible to continue paying into it if I haven't since August?  Thanks for any advice.  Cheers.

[scorecard]

First, did you, or your previous HR people make specific arrangements for your membership to continue? Do you have any documents on this point?

 

It can be continued but you have to specifically arrange the continuation in advance.

 

I'm aware of other farang who did arrange the continuation in advance and they pay monthly by internet banking transfer.

 

It's also been mentioned before if you miss one payment membership cancels.

 

Perhaps you need to get yourself (with a Thai speaker) to that government office very quickly and sort it out. 

 

[blackcab]

I believe you have a maximum of 6 months to get the contributions restarted.

 

This means you need to get yourself to your local Social Fund office as a matter of urgency. If you don't speak, read and write Thai then you really do need to take someone with you if at all possible.

 

Take your passport, work permit copy (if you have it), tax number (if you have it) and your bank book. You can normally get copies made at the office or very close by.

 

The worst that can happen is that you will be told to go to the Patum Thani office.

 

You appreciate the government Social Fund coverage is extremely good, as it provides cover to an unlimited amount.

 

From memory you will have to pay less than 500 baht per month.

 

Please update the thread and let everyone know how you get on, as your knowledge will surely help others in the future. 

[jumbo]

I did the same in Ayutthaya few years ago but they required the pink ID card from me as well for some reason, requirements probably depend on the office where you apply.

You need to do in the city/amphur where you are registered as living and need to choose a hospital there as well.

I brought PP/ID card, former registration card from employer, Yellow tabien baan..

You cannot arrange in advance but must do within 6 months of job termination

Price is 432 thb per month, full coverage.

In Ayutthaya one cannot pay direct to bank or direct debit, need to go to 7/11 to pay or at office desk.

 

On a side note.

Recently I started working again and I kept the private SS to prevent issues when quitting and registering again. The company does not provide for me as two SS registration is not possible from what I understood.

 

 

[scorecard]

16 hours ago, blackcab said:

I believe you have a maximum of 6 months to get the contributions restarted.

 

This means you need to get yourself to your local Social Fund office as a matter of urgency. If you don't speak, read and write Thai then you really do need to take someone with you if at all possible.

 

Take your passport, work permit copy (if you have it), tax number (if you have it) and your bank book. You can normally get copies made at the office or very close by.

 

The worst that can happen is that you will be told to go to the Patum Thani office.

 

You appreciate the government Social Fund coverage is extremely good, as it provides cover to an unlimited amount.

 

From memory you will have to pay less than 500 baht per month.

 

Please update the thread and let everyone know how you get on, as your knowledge will surely help others in the future. 

 

Well maybe the rules have been changed.

 

My experience is about 8 years back, I retired, got the SS reimbursement of my contributions and 2 weeks later became aware of the possibility of continuing.

 

I went quickly to the SS office with my Thai adult son (speaks perfect Thai and English).

 

The answer was, you could have continued but you had to indicate this at the same time you got the reimbursement, and no chance whatever of considering any special request for continuation after the event.

 

Perhaps it's all changed, I hope so.

 

Good luck. 

[blackcab]

@scorecard Thank you for the very helpful information for retirees who get reimbursed. I will bear that in mind myself when the time comes.

[mangyH2obuffalo]

Thanks, guess I will have to pester my former "HR" or "Farang Affairs" person.  My contract officially ended August 31 so it's almost been 5 months....hoping  it's a 6 month window so that I will have about another month to figure it out.  We will see what happens ......to be continued.........

[mangyH2obuffalo]

Ok, first small step.  New employer gave me the phone number of a social security place that is in the Silom area......02-6340180.  Next step is to get my documents and have a Thai friend call..........In summary, I worked at a government uni for 3 years in PathumThani but live in BKK and social security was deducted from each check.  When I left this job and got a new job nothing was transferred or continued.  The "Farang Affairs" person at the old job has been completely useless from the time before I left until now.  Hoping to avoid a trip to PathumThani............to be continued

[dave s]

I went, by myself, to the Phuket office on the east side of town. THe clerk at least pretended not to speak any English at all. One of the Thai ajarn went with me, and got nowhere in Thai. Ditto someone from HR. The most recent excuse was that a foreigner has to be married to a Thai, or own his own business, to extend and pay for Thai social security himself (you cannot, of course, be working, in your own company or elsewhere, without a work permit, which you can't get on a retirement extension of stay -- lots of obvious nonsense from this office).

[mangyH2obuffalo]

I am still waiting to get my work permit from current employer before I go to the PathumThani office with old SS card (what's the deal with WPs?  Some jobs let you keep them once you get them while others keep them under lock and key). As for the "HR" at old job.........crickets chirping.

 

 I'm also waiting for a Thai friend who is a lawyer to call the number I posted from a previous post that is allegedly a SS office in the Silom area of BKK.

 

Hopefully, today present employer will give me WP and then I will have to bother my friend to call the phone number and ask if I must go to PathumThani or if I can do it down the road in Silom.  Either way, I am going to have to use my only day off to plan for a morning of frustration.

 

I can't complain though.......I live here and don't speak the language......

[mangyH2obuffalo]

Ok, 8 days later I went to the PathumThani SS office.  They were nice.  Got there early in my Sunday best and was the 3rd person.  They sent me upstairs.  A Thai friend gave me a message in Thai to show the officer that stated I paid into SS for 3 years with past job and now want to personally continue payments.  I gave them my old SS card, my 2 older government employer identification cards, my current work permit.

 

The woman was nice and we typed back and forth in google translate.  The translation said, "Can't apply because you are a passports person working in bed"...........hmmm.......  Then she gave me two forms and said my current work needed to fill out the forms.

 

About 500 baht in taxi fares and tolls and it looks like I will be going back with these forms and a "Yellow house sheet information"- I am guessing that is some kind of document to get from my landlord about my current residence.......

[mangyH2obuffalo]

Went to the office in Silom near Chong Nonsi BTS and not happening.......current job only has one year contracts and provides a private insurance.  Last job was goven=rment and had one year contracts......I guess the bottom line was that I have a one year contracted job and a foreign passport so  I no longer qualify............it was good to pursue it before the 6 month period arrived (6 months before the government job's contract expired)....

[orientalist]

On 1/28/2019 at 2:46 PM, scorecard said:

I went quickly to the SS office with my Thai adult son (speaks perfect Thai and English).

 

The answer was, you could have continued but you had to indicate this at the same time you got the reimbursement, and no chance whatever of considering any special request for continuation after the event.

 

 

I also stopped working a decade ago. Since my employer's HR people had screwed up so much for me already, I went to the Din Daeng SS office on my own and threw myself on their mercy. My Thai is pretty good but I still couldn't understand everything, and it seemed odd that they were recommending I STOP paying for 6 months and then start again. Anyway, I did as they advised, although I continued the process at Silom office, which is more foreigner-friendly, and everything turned out OK. If I was required to officially tell them I would continue, I guess they registered that decision for me. If after 6 months they had told me I didn't indicate this intent previously and had lost the right to SS, I'd have been fit to wreck the place.

[janejira]

My understanding is...

- you have a 6 month window to continue payments at 432 THB / month

- to be eligible to continue payments, you need a pink ID card

- to get a pink ID card, you need a yellow tabien baan (house regiatration book for foreigners)

- to get the yellow tabien baan, you need a slew of documents that vary depending on the district you are applying in

 

(The documents I believe are to show you intend to stay in Thailand fairly long term--for me that included marriage certificate, child's birth certificate, work permit, certified translated copy of passport, etc. as well as two witnesses. If you are renting, you would most likely need documents from the property owner and they would need to accompany you to the district office.)