Thailand's annual property tax — the land and building tax — is one of the smallest ongoing costs of owning here: a typical Pattaya condo generates a bill of a few hundred to a few thousand baht a year, and paying it takes minutes. Foreign owners pay exactly the same way as Thais. Here is what you will owe, how the bill reaches you, and how to settle it in 2026.
What you actually owe
The land and building tax applies annually to the government appraised value of your property at low residential rates — bands run from roughly 0.02% to 0.1% for residential use. Realistic Pattaya numbers: a ฿3 million condo used as a residence commonly attracts a bill in the region of ฿600–3,000; even a ฿10 million villa is typically in the low tens of thousands of baht. Owner-occupiers whose name is on the house registration (tabien baan) enjoy generous primary-residence exemptions — many pay nothing at all. Properties left vacant or used commercially sit in slightly higher bands, and rates for land left unused rise over time.
How the bill arrives
Assessment notices are issued by the local authority — for most of our owners, Pattaya City Hall or the Nongprue/Huay Yai municipality — early in the year, with payment traditionally due by 30 April (deadlines are periodically extended). Notices are in Thai and are sent to the property or the address on file. Practical reality for absentee foreign owners: the letter often sits in your condo mailbox. Your juristic person office usually holds mail, and any decent agent — us included, for clients whose properties we manage — will collect the notice, translate the figure and handle payment on your behalf.
How to pay
Three easy routes: pay in person at the local district office (bring the notice and your passport — it takes ten minutes); pay at a Thai bank counter or via mobile banking QR using the notice's reference; or have your property manager or lawyer pay under authorisation and send you the receipt. Keep the receipts — buyers' lawyers ask for them when you eventually sell, and a clean tax history keeps the transfer smooth. Late payment attracts surcharges, but the sums are small; the main sin is simply not knowing a notice existed.
If you rent your property out
Two separate obligations apply. The land and building tax still applies (rented residential property is assessed as residential). Separately, rental income is taxable in Thailand whatever your residency: after a standard 30% expense deduction (or actual documented expenses) it falls into progressive bands starting at 5%, with personal allowances often wiping out tax on a single modest condo. Our guide to renting out property as a foreigner covers the details, including the 5% withholding when your tenant is a company.
What Thailand does not charge
No annual council tax on the British model, no wealth tax, no separate capital-gains tax for individuals beyond the withholding settled at transfer, and no extra levy for being foreign. Combined with modest common-area fees, the total holding cost of a Pattaya condo is remarkably low by international standards.
We manage tax notices, payments and compliance for owners who live abroad — one less thing to think about. Ask about our property management, or browse current Pattaya listings if you are still choosing your property.