Thailand Overtime Pay Calculator

Overtime pay in Thailand is governed by the Labor Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998), Sections 61 through 64. The law mandates that employers must compensate employees at premium rates for any work performed beyond regular working hours or on designated rest days and holidays. This is a fundamental right for all employees working in Thailand, including both Thai nationals and foreign workers with valid work permits.

Thailand's overtime regulations are designed to protect employee welfare and prevent exploitation. The law sets clear multipliers for different types of overtime work, ensuring fair compensation for the additional time and effort employees contribute outside their standard working hours. Employers who fail to comply with these regulations face significant penalties, including fines and potential imprisonment.

Understanding your overtime rights is essential whether you are an employee wanting to verify your pay or an employer ensuring legal compliance. This calculator helps you determine the exact overtime compensation based on Thailand's legal framework.

Thai labor law establishes three distinct overtime pay categories:

The multipliers below are the statutory minimums set out in Sections 61 to 63 of the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998). All rates are applied to your hourly wage rate on a normal working day. Employers may pay more than these rates, but never less.

Why "2x" for monthly staff? A monthly salary already includes pay for weekly holidays and public holidays, so the law only requires an additional 1x for the hours actually worked (Section 62(1)). Counting the base pay you already receive, the total value of those hours is 2x — which is the figure the calculator above shows for "Holiday Work". Daily-paid workers, who are not paid when they do not work, receive the full 2x under Section 62(2).

The 30/8 rule. For a monthly-paid employee, Thai labour law derives the hourly wage rate by dividing the monthly salary by 30 to get the daily rate, then by 8 (the maximum normal working hours per day) to get the hourly rate. The divisor is always 30 — it does not change with the number of days in the month or the number of days you actually work. This is why the most common search is literally "25000 / 30 / 8":

• Daily rate = 25,000 / 30 = 833.33 baht
• Hourly rate = 833.33 / 8 = 104.17 baht

You then multiply this 104.17 baht hourly rate by the OT multiplier (1.5x, 2x, or 3x) and by the number of overtime hours worked. The calculator above does all three steps automatically and shows both your daily and hourly rate. Common reference points: a 15,000 baht salary gives an hourly rate of 62.50 baht; 30,000 baht gives 125.00 baht; and 50,000 baht gives 208.33 baht per hour.

Most employees in Thailand — Thai and foreign, monthly-paid and daily-paid — are entitled to statutory overtime pay. However, Section 65 of the Labour Protection Act lists categories of work that are exempt from overtime pay (Section 61) and holiday overtime pay (Section 63):

• Managerial employees — those with the authority to hire, reduce wages, or dismiss staff on the employer's behalf (Section 65(1)). Under Section 66, these employees are also not entitled to holiday pay, though they may receive it voluntarily by contract.
• Work by its nature done outside the workplace where hours cannot be fixed — such as travelling sales representatives (peddling or procuring orders).
• Certain operational roles defined in the Act and ministerial regulations, including rail transport work, water-gate operation, fire-fighting, and premises security/guarding.

Employees in categories (2) onward are still entitled to holiday pay (Section 62) even though they are not paid statutory overtime — only Section 65(1) managers lose both. If your job title says "manager" but you have no real authority to hire or fire, you are generally not exempt, and Thai courts look at the substance of the role rather than the title.

• Consent required — Employers must obtain employee consent before requiring overtime work, except in legally defined emergency situations.
• Weekly OT limit — Overtime hours must not exceed 36 hours per week to protect employee health and safety.
• No deductions from OT — Employers cannot deduct fines, damages, or other expenses from overtime pay.
• Timely payment — Overtime pay must be included in the next pay cycle and cannot be deferred or accumulated for later payment.
• Record keeping — Employers must maintain records of overtime hours worked. Employees have the right to review these records.
• Exempt categories — Certain employees such as senior management, transport workers, hotel staff, and retail workers may have different OT rules as specified by law.
• Pregnant employees — Thai law prohibits requiring pregnant employees to work overtime, on holidays, or during nighttime hours (10 PM to 6 AM).

The Labor Protection Act establishes the following regular working hour limits:

• General work — No more than 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week.
• Hazardous work — No more than 7 hours per day and 42 hours per week.
• Weekly rest days — At least 1 day per week, with no more than 6 consecutive working days.
• Traditional holidays — At least 13 days per year (including National Labor Day).
• Annual leave — At least 6 days per year for employees who have completed 1 year of service.

Any work performed beyond these regular hours constitutes overtime, and employers must pay overtime compensation at the legally prescribed rates.

• OT and social security — Overtime pay is not included in the salary base for social security contribution calculations, as it is considered supplementary compensation.
• OT and income tax — Overtime pay is considered assessable income and must be included in annual personal income tax calculations.
• Employer penalties — Employers who fail to pay overtime as required by law face fines of up to 100,000 baht, imprisonment of up to 6 months, or both.
• Statute of limitations — The right to claim unpaid overtime has a 2-year statute of limitations from the date the violation occurred.
• Negotiable rates — While the law sets minimum rates, employers can pay overtime at rates higher than the legal minimum. Employees should review their employment contracts and company regulations for potentially higher rates.