On 14 July 2026, The Thai cabinet has approved the draft Ministerial Regulation on Old-Age Benefits submitted by the Social Security Office, which is expected to take effect in 2026. This reform introduces a new calculation formula known as Career Average Revalued Earnings (“CARE”), completely replacing the long-standing Final 60 Months Average Salary (“FAE”) method. This reform not only impacts the retirement benefits of millions of Thai workers, but is also a critical policy shift that investors in Thailand must pay close attention to regarding labor relations and compensation planning. The draft will be submitted to the Council of State for legal review and will take effect 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.

泰國內閣已於2026年7月14日核准社會保險辦公室提交的《養老退休金部級法規草案》，預計將於 2026 年正式上路。這次改革引入全新的全生涯平均薪資(“CARE”) 計算公式，完全取代過去實施多年的「最後 60 個月平均薪資」(“FAE”)舊制。這項改革不只影響數百萬泰國勞工的退休權益，也是在投資人在泰國勞資溝通與薪酬規劃上必須關注的重要議題。該草案將提交國務委員會進行法律審查，並將於發布於皇家公報後 180 天生效。

A brief overview of this reform is as follows:

本次改革簡述如下

1.         " CARE " replaces the last 5 years' average

「全生涯薪資」取代最後 5 年平均

FAE: pension was calculated based on the average contribution wage during “the final 60 months” before retirement. If an employee's salary dropped in their late career, or if they transitioned to voluntary contribution after leaving their jobs, their pension benefits accumulated over decades of higher earnings were severely dragged down.

FAE: 以退休前最後 60 個月的平均投保薪資計算。若員工在職涯後期薪資下降，或離職後轉為自願投保，過去幾十年高薪累積的權益會被嚴重拉低。

CARE: pension is calculated based on the employee's earnings throughout their entire contribution history. Historical earnings will be revalued to reflect their present value before the calculation. This is particularly beneficial for senior workers who were long-term Section 33 under Social Security Act[1] employees and later switched to Section 39 under Social Security Act[2], significantly increasing their monthly pension.

CARE: 退休金係根據員工在其整個投保期間薪資來計算。歷史薪資在計算前會進行重新估值，以反映其現值。對於曾長期以《社會保險法》第33條[3]身分參加社會保險，後來轉為《社會保險法》第39條[4]身分之資深員工而言，能顯著增加其每月退休金。

2.         Monthly accrual for contributions beyond 15 years—no fraction of a year wasted

超過 15 年年資按月計息，零碎月份不浪費

FAE: for contributions exceeding 180 months, an additional 1.5% pension rate was added for every “completed 12-month period”, meaning any remaining fraction of a year was completely disregarded.

FAE： 投保滿 180 個月後，每滿「整整 12 個月」加計 1.5% 退休金額度，未滿 1 年的零碎月份直接被捨棄。

CARE: for contributions exceeding 180 months, the additional pension rate is calculated monthly at 0.125%. Every single month of contribution counts, ensuring full recognition of workers' actual service duration.

CARE: 超過 180 個月的部分，改為每月加計 0.125%。只要多投保 1 個月就能累積年資，保障每位勞工的實際貢獻。

3.         Enhanced lump-sum gratuity for less than 1 year contributions

年資未滿 1 年離職，一次性退休金

FAE: workers who leaves their jobs with fewer than 12 months of contributions only received a refund of their own contributions and related investment income.

FAE: 投保未滿 12 個月即退職者，僅能退還員工自己提繳的部分及相關投資收入。

CARE: workers with fewer than 12 months of contributions will receive a lump-sum payout equal to "Employee Contributions + Employer Contributions + Investment Returns," offering far more comprehensive protection. Eligibility for this lump-sum benefit will no longer depend on a minimum contribution period.

CARE: 未滿 12 個月退職者，可一次領回「員工提繳 + 雇主提繳 + 基金投資收益」，權益保障更全面。領取此一次性退休金的資格將不再受限於最低提繳期限。

4.         Transitional Protections for Pensioners

對於退休金領取者的過渡期保障 

Existing Pensioners: Those whose benefits would increase under the CARE formula will receive the higher amount, while those whose benefits would be lower will continue to receive their current pension, with no retroactive payments for past benefit periods.

現有退休金領取者：若在 CARE 公式計算下退休金增加，將可領取較高的金額；若新制計算結果較低，則繼續領取其原有的退休金，且不追溯補發過去期間的差額。 

New Pensioners: If CARE produces a lower pension than the FAE, the government will provide 100% compensation for the difference in the first year, gradually decreasing over five years (80%, 60%, 40%, 20%). The CARE will be fully implemented starting from the 6th year.

新退休金領取者：若 CARE 金額低於 FAE，第 1 年政府提供 100% 差額補貼，隨後逐年遞減（80%、60%、40%、20%），第 6 年起全面實施 CARE。

[1] An employee whose age is not below fifteen years and not over sixty years shall be an insured person.  

When an employee, who already is an insured person under paragraph one, reaches sixty years of age and is still an employee of the employer who is subject to this Act, such employee shall continue to be an insured person.

[2] If any person who was an insured person under section 33, having paid contributions for a period of not less than twelve months and having his or her insured status terminated according to section 38 (2), wishes to continue to be an insured person, he or she shall, within six months from the date of the termination of insured status, express his or her intention to the Office in accordance with the Rules prescribed by the Secretary-General.

[3] 年滿十五歲且未滿六十歲之受僱人，應為被保險人。

依前項規定已成為被保險人之受僱人，於年滿六十歲後，如仍受僱於受本法適用之雇主者，應繼續為被保險人。

[4] 原依第33條為被保險人，且已繳納保險費不少於十二個月，並依第38條第(2)款規定喪失被保險人資格者，如欲繼續成為被保險人，應自被保險人效力消滅之日起六個月內，依秘書長所訂規則向辦公室表示其意願。

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