Thailand Social Security Pension Calculator (CARE 2026)
Estimate your Thai Social Security old-age pension using the new CARE formula effective 1 January 2026, for both Section 33 and Section 39, with an old-formula comparison.
Estimated Result
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CARE formula (new)
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Old formula (comparison)
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Details
- Insured category
- Contribution period
- Wage base used
- Accrual rate (CARE)
- Pension per year
What is the CARE formula?
CARE (Career-Average Revalued Earnings) is the new method the Thai Social Security Office (SSO) uses to calculate the old-age pension (บำนาญชราภาพ), effective 1 January 2026 (BE 2569). It applies to both Section 33 insured persons (company employees) and Section 39 insured persons (former Section 33 members who voluntarily keep contributing on their own).
The core change is the wage base. The old formula used only the average wage of the final 60 months (last 5 years) before retirement, which did not reflect a person's true lifetime earnings — especially for those whose income dropped late in their career or who switched to Section 39 with its 4,800 THB base. CARE instead averages the wage of every month you ever contributed, after revaluing (indexing) past wages to present value. This is fairer and more representative of your real working-life income.
CARE also counts fractional months when determining the accrual rate, unlike the old formula which rounded down to whole years. For example, 25 years and 6 months of contributions is treated as 25.5 years under CARE, producing a slightly higher accrual rate.
The CARE pension formula
Formula:
Monthly pension = accrual rate × revalued career-average wage
Accrual rate = 20% + (1.5% × years contributed beyond 15)
The SSO also expresses this equivalently as accrual rate × system-wide average wage × pension credits, where a member's monthly "pension credit" (แต้มบำนาญ) equals their contributory wage that month divided by the system-wide average wage that month. Multiplying credits by the system-wide average yields the same revalued career-average wage.
The minimum accrual rate is 20% at exactly 180 months (15 years), rising 1.5% for each additional year, as shown below (counting fractional months per CARE):
| Contribution period | Accrual rate (CARE) | Example on 15,000 base |
|---|---|---|
| 15 years (180 months) | 20.00% | ฿3,000 |
| 20 years (240 months) | 27.50% | ฿4,125 |
| 25 years (300 months) | 35.00% | ฿5,250 |
| 25 years 6 months (306 months) | 35.75% | ฿5,363 |
| 30 years (360 months) | 42.50% | ฿6,375 |
* The accrual rate (20% + 1.5%/year, fractional months) is verified against official sources; the baht amounts use an illustrative 15,000 base and are estimates.
Worked examples
Example 1: Section 33, 25 years 6 months
- Section 33 member, age 60, contributed 306 months (25y 6m)
- Revalued career-average wage = 15,000 THB
- Accrual rate = 20% + (1.5% × 10.5) = 35.75%
- Pension = 35.75% × 15,000 = 5,362.50 THB/month
Example 2: Section 33, exactly 15 years
- Section 33 member, age 55, contributed 180 months (15 years)
- Revalued career-average wage = 12,000 THB
- Minimum accrual rate = 20%
- Pension = 20% × 12,000 = 2,400 THB/month
Example 3: Section 39, under 180 months (lump sum)
- Section 39 member, age 56, contributed 100 months (under 15 years)
- Fixed 4,800 base; old-age contribution 3% = 144 THB/month per side
- Over 12 months, so both member and employer portions are refunded (144 × 2 × 100)
- Lump sum (excluding interest) = 28,800 THB, paid once
Section 33 vs Section 39
The accrual-rate calculation is identical for both (20% + 1.5% per year beyond 15). The difference is the wage base that is multiplied by the rate.
- Section 33: uses your actual contributory wage, capped at the ceiling in force (17,500 THB in 2026). Best for regular employees with steady income.
- Section 39: uses a fixed 4,800 THB/month base regardless of actual income, because Section 39 is self-paid contribution after leaving formal employment.
A key advantage of CARE: someone who earned a high Section 33 salary for many years and then moved to Section 39 (4,800 base) shortly before retirement receives a substantially higher pension than under the old formula. The old formula averaged only the last 60 months — which for this person would be the low 4,800 Section 39 base — producing a very small pension. CARE blends in the higher earlier wages, so the pension reflects lifetime income.
Under 180 months: the lump sum (บำเหน็จ)
If you contributed fewer than 180 months (15 years), you do not receive a monthly pension but a one-time old-age lump sum, payable from age 55 once insured status ends (or on disability/death). There are two cases:
- Fewer than 12 months: refund of the member's own old-age contributions only.
- 12 to 179 months: refund of both the member's and the employer's old-age contributions, plus investment returns (interest).
The "old-age" portion of the 5% contribution is 3% of wages from each of the employee and the employer (6% per month combined). This calculator estimates the lump sum from that base but excludes the interest the SSO adds, so the actual amount is typically higher.
Transition period 2570-2573
To avoid disadvantaging members from an abrupt change, the SSO set a transition period. Pensions first payable during these years use a weighted blend of the old and CARE formulas, with the CARE share increasing each year:
| Year (BE) | Old formula share | CARE share |
|---|---|---|
| 2568-2569 | 100% | 0% |
| 2570 | 80% | 20% |
| 2571 | 60% | 40% |
| 2572 | 40% | 60% |
| 2573 | 20% | 80% |
| 2574 onward | 0% | 100% |
Crucially, there is a guarantee that members receive no less than the old formula would have paid. This calculator therefore shows the higher of the two results as the headline figure.
Wage ceiling used in the calculation
The average wage used to calculate the pension is capped at the ceiling in force at the time, under the 2568 ministerial regulation, even if your actual salary is higher:
| Period (BE) | Wage ceiling | Max contribution/month |
|---|---|---|
| 2569-2571 | ฿17,500 | ฿875 |
| 2572-2574 | ฿20,000 | ฿1,000 |
| 2575 onward | ฿23,000 | ฿1,150 |
Raising the ceiling increases contributions, but over time it also raises the pension base, so higher earners can expect larger pensions in the future.
Limitations and caveats
- This is an estimate: the true CARE calculation needs the wage-revaluation index and system-wide average wage published officially by the SSO, which are not yet available for the public to compute with. This tool asks you to enter your own career-average wage instead.
- Enter a revalued wage: past wages have different value than today's. CARE indexes them to present value before averaging, so estimate your average wage in present-day terms.
- Lump sum excludes interest: the lump-sum estimate counts contributions only, not the investment returns the SSO adds — actual amounts are usually higher.
- Confirm your exact entitlement with the Social Security Office hotline 1506 or the SSO Connect app before making financial decisions.
- Do not rely on the pension alone: the old-age pension is just one retirement income source. Combine it with a provident fund, RMF/SSF, and personal savings.
Official Sources
FAQ
What is the CARE formula and how does it differ from the old one?
CARE stands for Career-Average Revalued Earnings. It is the new formula the Thai Social Security Office (SSO) began using on 1 January 2026 (BE 2569). The key difference: the old formula based the pension on the average wage of the final 60 months (last 5 years) before retirement, while CARE averages the wage of every month you ever contributed, after revaluing (indexing) past wages to present value. CARE also counts fractional months in the accrual rate, so it reflects your true lifetime earnings more fairly.
What is the CARE old-age pension formula?
Monthly pension = accrual rate × your revalued career-average wage. The accrual rate is 20% once you have contributed 180 months (15 years), plus 1.5% for each additional year beyond 15. CARE counts fractional months: for example, 25 years 6 months (306 months) gives 20% + (1.5% × 10.5) = 35.75%, whereas the old formula counts whole years only, giving exactly 35%. The SSO also expresses this as accrual rate × system-wide average wage × pension credits, which yields the same result.
How many months must I contribute to receive a monthly pension?
You must contribute at least 180 months (15 years) and be at least 55 years old with your insured status ended to receive a monthly old-age pension for life. If you contributed fewer than 180 months, you instead receive a one-time old-age lump sum (บำเหน็จชราภาพ). This calculator automatically chooses the correct benefit based on the number of months you enter.
What do I get if I contributed fewer than 180 months (lump sum)?
You receive a one-time old-age lump sum. If you contributed fewer than 12 months, you get back only your own old-age contributions. If you contributed 12 or more months (but fewer than 180), you get back both your own and your employer's old-age contributions, plus investment returns (interest). The old-age portion of the contribution is 3% of wages from each of the employee and the employer. This estimate excludes the interest component.
How do Section 33 and Section 39 differ?
The accrual-rate calculation is the same; the difference is the wage base. Section 33 members (company employees) use their actual contributory wage, capped at the ceiling (17,500 THB in 2026). Section 39 members (former Section 33 who voluntarily continue) use a fixed notional wage base of 4,800 THB per month. A major benefit of CARE is that someone who earned a high Section 33 salary and then moved to Section 39 late in their career receives a much higher pension than under the old formula, which was based only on the last 60 months (the 4,800 base, producing a very low pension).
How does the 2570-2573 transition period work?
For pensions first payable during the transition years, a weighted blend of the old and CARE formulas applies, with the CARE share rising each year: 2570 (old 80% + CARE 20%), 2571 (60% + 40%), 2572 (40% + 60%), 2573 (20% + 80%), and from 2574 (2031) onward CARE applies 100%. Importantly, members are guaranteed to receive no less than the old formula would have paid, so this calculator shows the higher of the two results.
What is the wage ceiling used to calculate the pension?
The contributory wage ceiling (also the cap on the pension wage base) rises in steps under the 2568 ministerial regulation: 17,500 THB for 2569-2571, 20,000 THB for 2572-2574, and 23,000 THB from 2575 onward. This means the average wage used to calculate your pension is capped at the ceiling in force at the time, even if your actual salary is higher.
How accurate are these numbers?
This is an estimate for planning only. The CARE formula requires the wage-revaluation index and the system-wide average wage that the SSO publishes officially, which are not yet available in a form the public can compute with. This tool therefore asks you to enter your own approximate revalued career-average wage. Actual figures may differ — verify your exact entitlement with the Social Security Office hotline 1506 or the SSO Connect app.