What withholding tax rate applies to a Translator?

Generally 3% when the client is a juristic person. For example, a ฿15,000.00 fee is withheld ฿450.00, so you receive ฿14,550.00.

Does a Translator issue the 50 Tawi themselves?

No. On your sales invoice the client withholds and issues the 50 Tawi to you; your job is to keep it as evidence to credit on your annual return.

Freelancer guide

Invoicing & tax for a Translator in Thailand

A Translator in Thailand invoices clients with a receipt or tax invoice; when the client is a company, the client withholds 3% tax on the fee (income type: Service / hire-of-work fees), transfers you the net, and hands you a 50 Tawi (50 ทวิ) withholding certificate as proof. Example: on a ฿15,000.00 fee, the client withholds ฿450.00 and you actually receive ฿14,550.00. You keep the 50 Tawi to credit that tax on your annual return. On your own sales invoice you are the payee — the client withholds and issues the 50 Tawi, not you.

Document translation and interpreting for company clients is a service fee withheld at 3%; translation billed to overseas clients can have different tax treatment.

By the BillsOS team · Updated 9 Jun 2026

A worked example

Say you are a Translator invoicing a corporate client ฿15,000.00 for your work. The income type is “Service / hire-of-work fees”, withheld at 3%. The figures below come straight from the BillsOS engine.

Fee (before VAT)	฿15,000.00
Total invoiced	฿15,000.00
Less withholding tax 3%	-฿450.00
Net the client pays (QR amount)	฿14,550.00

The client withholds ฿450.00 and transfers you ฿14,550.00, handing you a 50 Tawi certificate as evidence.

Who withholds: On your own sales invoice you are the payee. Your client (the payer) is the one who withholds the tax and issues you the 50 Tawi — you do not issue it yourself.

What to watch for in this trade

A Thai juristic client withholds 3% and issues a 50 Tawi; overseas clients usually do not apply Thai withholding, but the income still goes on your annual return.

Real-world scenarios

Scenario 1

A translator interprets at an international seminar for a flat ฿15,000 day rate that bundles in Bangkok travel costs. The event organiser (a company) withholds 3% on the full ฿15,000, since no travel line was itemised separately in advance.

Scenario 2

Another job is a 3-month, ฿45,000 document-translation contract for a government department. The agency withholds 3% on every disbursement just like a private company would, but the payment process and 50 Tawi issuance take noticeably longer than the translator is used to with private clients.

The figures and details above are illustrative examples, not a Revenue Department ruling on your specific case.

Documents you’ll need

Receipt — if not VAT-registered you issue a receipt (only VAT-registered persons issue tax invoices)
Quotation and invoice — before the work and when you bill
50 Tawi — received from the client and kept for every job, to credit on your annual return

Frequently asked questions for this trade

Do overseas clients withhold Thai tax on my translation work?+

Overseas clients generally do not apply Thai withholding, but that income is still reportable in Thailand under residence rules — confirm with your accountant.

I take interpreting gigs at a flat day rate that bundles in travel/meal costs — what's the withholding base?+

If travel/meal costs are baked into one flat day rate with no separate line, the whole amount counts as your interpreting service fee and gets withheld at 3%. To exclude the travel portion from the withholding base, you'd need to agree upfront and itemise it separately as a genuine reimbursed expense on the contract/invoice.

I do translation work for a government agency — is the withholding different from a private company?+

Government agencies have the same withholding duty as private companies, and the rate is still generally 3% for services/professional fees. Government disbursement processes tend to move more slowly, and some agencies apply their own internal rules, so check directly with that agency's finance office and confirm the rate with your accountant.

Tools & guides for this

Other freelance professions

BillsOS issues invoices and receipts that compute the withholding for you, with an exact-amount PromptPay QR embedded so the client scans and pays straight into your own account.

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BillsOS only formats and computes documents for you. This is general information, not tax advice — please confirm with the Revenue Department or your accountant.