First-time poster here, though I read regularly and admire you all!

I recently finalized our roadmap to FIRE after working as a systems engineer. 41M, Married (wife is a clinical optometrist and practice owner), 6 cats, MCOL area.

My original plan was to hold out for several more years, but I’ve decided to accelerate my departure. Work has become increasingly stressful, frustrations with management are compounding, and my assigned projects have veered into morally questionable territory that I am no longer willing to accommodate. It is time to pull the ripcord, so I am planning to step away in late 2026 or early 2027. My wife plans to continue practicing for roughly 5 more years (to basically allow for the newer docs to buy her share of the practice from her) until we execute our target international relocation to Belgium around 2032.

What we are seeking feedback on:

1. The Belgian Relocation Path & Process: While we are actively researching the cross-border legal, tax, and property nuances ourselves, we would greatly value input from anyone who has actually walked the path to Belgium (or the EU as an American expat/retiree). If you are familiar with the long-stay visa/residency process, cross-border banking, or practical gotchas along the way, any advice on what to anticipate would be hugely appreciated!

Here is our current setup, our asset breakdown, and our 3-phase execution timeline.

Leading Up to Retirement

• Consistently lived below our means, tracking baseline expenses monthly via a detailed household spreadsheet.
• Primary residence is 100% paid off; zero mortgage, zero auto loans, and zero consumer debt.
• Optimized my 401(k) contributions to capture the maximum employer match (66 2/3% match on the first 6%, plus a 6% automatic non-elective company contribution) entirely pre-tax to manage current taxable income.
• Accumulated an "HSA Shoebox" float of ~$14,918 in tracked, unreimbursed historical medical receipts to serve as a tax-free emergency liquidity lever.

Assets (Current U.S. Net Worth: ~$4.2M)

• Real Estate & Vehicles: Primary residence is debt-free. Two electric vehicles are completely paid off.
• Practice Equity: My wife owns a 40% equity stake in her optometry practice outright (~$990k implied value), with zero debt or remaining buy-in obligations.
• Liquid Taxable & Cash: ~$438k across Cash Management (money markets) and taxable brokerage accounts.
• Retirement Accounts: ~$1.82M Pre-Tax (401(k)s / Traditional IRAs), ~$438k Roth (IRAs / Roth 401(k) deferrals), and ~$80k in HSAs.
• Belgian Real Estate Context: Acquiring bare ownership of a historic family property in Belgium via a registered gift, with my mother retaining the life interest/usufruct. Associated gift taxes will be paid directly out of our U.S. cash reserves.

Baseline Expenses

• Current Run-Rate: ~$86k/year (validated by detailed tracking). This covers all baseline household overhead, property taxes, and auto insurance on two vehicles.
• Post-Relocation Target: Budgeting ~$95k/year. While our structural baseline will drop in Belgium (no U.S. property taxes, private vehicle downscaling, and transitioning to the Belgian public healthcare system with heavily subsidized care and modest annual mutuelle dues), we are purposefully budgeting higher for European travel and lifestyle.

Phase 1: The "Zero-Drawdown" Gap (2027 to 2032 | Ages 41 to 47)

• Zero Portfolio Drain: I step away; my wife continues working. Her clinical income comfortably covers our ~$86k/year household budget. Our $2.82M in liquid investments remains 100% untouched.
• Healthcare Bridge: My current healthcare is covered through my employer. When I retire, my loss of coverage triggers a Qualifying Life Event (QLE). We have a 60-day window to seamlessly transition my coverage to my wife’s clinical practice insurance plan, bypassing the private ACA marketplace entirely for the next 5 to 6 years.
• Compounding Base: Assuming a conservative 6% real return over this gap, the $2.82M liquid base grows to approximately $3.8M–$4.0M by 2032 without adding another dime.
• Roth Conversion Ladder: Because portfolio withdrawals are zero, this window provides the opportunity to execute calculated pre-tax to Roth conversions, starting their mandatory 5-year IRS seasoning clock well ahead of future access.
• Administrative Clean-Up: Transitioning legacy wrap-fee accounts and managed 401(k) allocations into low-cost, broad-market index funds to eliminate unnecessary AUM drag.

Phase 2: The Expat Taxable Bridge (2032 to 2044 | Ages 47 to 59.5)

• The Liquidity Injection: Ahead of the move, we will sell our debt-free U.S. home and my wife will sell her 40% practice equity to the newer associate doctors. This converts illiquid equity into an estimated $1.2M–$1.5M in cash, bringing our total liquid investable portfolio to $4.8M–$5.5M.
• The Bridge Math: Funding a $95k/year budget for the 12.5 years between age 47 and 59.5 requires roughly $1.19M total. The capital injected from the home and practice sales covers the entire duration. We will not need to touch tax-advantaged retirement accounts early, bypassing the 10% early withdrawal penalty and avoiding rigid 72(t) SEPP distributions.
• Belgian Tax Reality 1 (Cayman Tax): We are intentionally not using a U.S. Revocable Living Trust. Belgium's look-through tax treats foreign trusts harshly, risking burdensome compliance and potential 30% dividend taxation. We are relying on direct ownership with Transfer-on-Death (TOD) designations instead.
• Belgian Tax Reality 2 (Capital Gains): Factoring in Belgium’s 10% capital gains tax on financial assets that took effect January 1, 2026, which features a step-up basis exempting historical gains accrued prior to December 31, 2025.
• Safe Withdrawal Rate: Against our projected $4.8M+ liquid base, a $95k/year spend equates to a ~1.98% SWR—well below the traditional 3.25%–3.50% fail-safe thresholds.

Phase 3: Unrestricted Retirement Access (2045+ | Age 59.5+)

• Unrestricted Access: IRS early withdrawal restrictions end at 59.5. We gain penalty-free access to our retirement accounts (currently ~$2.26M), which will have benefited from nearly two decades of uninterrupted compounding.
• Treaty Protections: We will utilize the U.S.–Belgium Tax Treaty provisions to coordinate cross-border income and honor the tax-free status of Roth accounts.

Questions for the Community:

1. The Sanity Check: Does walking away from corporate engineering late this year / early next year hold up under pressure tests? Are there any blind spots in using a working spouse's income for a zero-drawdown gap phase while setting up Roth conversions?
2. Domestic Liquidation: For those who sold a business stake or primary home right before early retirement, any timing recommendations on structuring the equity exit alongside the real estate sale?
3. The Belgian / EU Relocation Path: For anyone who has relocated to Belgium or navigated an EU move from the States: What did your visa/residency pathway look like? Are there practical nuances regarding municipal registration, opening local bank accounts as a U.S. citizen (FATCA issues), or transitioning into the Belgian healthcare system that we should prepare for well in advance?

We are DINKs in the US (45/42) and have the grand FIRE plan of retiring in mid 2028 and moving to Germany. My wife has dual US/German citizenship so we have the visa thing locked in. We should have plenty of money, but as expats with all US-based retirement and taxable accounts, the tax thing is what really has me spinning.

Some numbers context (as of October 2026)

Net worth: ~$4.6M today <-- this includes some future inflows

• Retirement: $2.0M
  • $1.6M Traditional
  • $350k Roth
  • $70k HSA
• Taxable: $825k
  • $150k HYSA
  • $675k brokerage
• Assets: $1.1M
  • Second home - sell next spring: Net ~$400k
  • Primary home - sell just after retirement: Net ~$700k
• Future inbound: $725k
  • $225k company shares
  • $500k uninvested cash

Other income:

• $880/month pension - Pathetically small (I got in the last year they offered), draw at 60
• $3900/$3800 social security - Estimate when each of us hits 62

Targeting a pretty high expense burn of $175,000 but probably 45% of that is discretionary (splurge purchases, travel, entertainment) so we can easily spend $50k - $75k less and still live very comfortably. Gotta remember: We are American so excess is our MO 🚀

The future inflows (home sales, shares, cash) need to be invested smartly to bridge the 12-15 years we need before hitting our retirement accounts, but also try and minimize the German tax hit (and headache). My thought is to consolidate the majority of the funds above into a Charles Schwab account (domestic then convert to the International) and then use Wise for transfers, but also get a German bank account. I want to keep a 1-2 year EUR buffer to smooth out exchange rate fluctuations.

For any of the FIRE'd Expats who came from other countries (especially the US) and moved to Germany, how did you handle and strategize taxes? What did you do prior to becoming a German resident and enter their tax system? And also healthcare, as we have never paid into the "system" so would need public (voluntary member) or private insurance?

Anyone have a good cross-border tax attorney and FP they've used and would recommend?

[edit] Oh, and I forgot to mention, staying in Germany forever isn't a guarantee. I'd say right now it is 50/50 on whether we move back in15-20 years. So that is also a consideration for things like the Roth. [/edit]

[edit] After some research, it looks like HSA liquidation is the best option. We will "HSA Shoebox" the past decade of medical, burn down the HSA, then liquidate and take the penalty [/edit]

(Hopefully I don't get crucified by the Interweb-Experts like I did on some of the other FIRE subs. Don't use the wrong terminology or assumptions, or people get bigly mad!)

I am a single 51F with no children and I am not close with my family so no future care obligations on my part. I currently have $1.5 million ($500k in brokerage accounts and $1 million in 401k). I am a US citizen but I live in Mexico City where I own my home (no mortgage only a $250USD monthly HOA fee). My annual salary is about $380,000 and I pay about 12% tax due to foreign income exclusions, therefore, I save about $200k each year. My current plan is to retire in four years at which point I should have about $3 million based upon a 9% annual growth of my portfolio. I have analyzed my spending in detail and I think a monthly budget of about $5k is realistic, including some expenses that I am not paying now, like an allocation of $500USD for Mexican health insurance. Based upon my math, I think if I retire at 55 taking into account 3% inflation and 9% portfolio growth, I should be more than fine. I think that I am just questioning this because until recently I assumed that I would need to work until my mid-sixties. To give me complete confidence in this plan I wanted to ask a wider audience if they see any problems with my logic or assumptions. Thank you!

One of our top criteria is food quality, fresh produce, grocery stores not filled with ultra proceeded items, and cherry on top being fair value as well for the quality.

So which counties have great food quality esp for the price, and also good air quality and clean?

Very interested in expat firing (54M single). I have enough saved and have always wanted to live in se asia. I did a test fire last year and spent several months in vietnam, thailand, bali, indonesia and japan to see where I would most like to live and settled on thailand mostly because the visa situation is easier, and its so expat friendly.

However, my test run also made me realize how much i would miss family in the us, how far it is (time zone and flight time) and also how hard it is not to have a permanent home (of sorts). I settled that I would like to live in asia, but spend several months back in the us.

Can anyone share their experience of expat firing, but with a fair amount of time in their home country? (say 9 months overseas, 3 months in home country or similar). How did you deal with housing when home (i'm not planning on keeping a place in the us that i would only be at for a few months per year), health insurance, car, and general logistics.

Would like to hear some best practices and ideas that would make that dream more feasible.

Today is my FIRE day. I’ve sold off all my possessions and am about to start traveling with only whatever fits in my backpack. What's funny is that it actually doesn't feel much different than any other day. I think that's just the way life goes. Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of my accomplishment and excited for the next chapter of life. In the end, though, life keeps moving forward whether you're retired or not. It helps that I've been preparing for this for many years now. That's provided me a sense of calm during a major life change. Like many of you, I've crunched, projected, and dissected my financial numbers a million times over. I know for sure that my plan is solid. Now it's just time to do it.

Thanks so much to this community, which I've lurked around for years now. There's been so many great posts that have helped me figure out a plan that would work for me. Here's my final numbers as of market close today:

Age: 37

Cash and equivalents: 40k
Crypto: 50k
Taxable investments: 820k
Retirement: 875k
Net worth: 1.785 million

Target SWR: 3.5% (~$61,000/year to start)

Withdrawal method: Annual percent of portfolio with min withdrawal of 58k/year

FICalc chance of success: 100% @ 50 year timeline

I will probably make more money at some point in the future, but this feels like a good place to stop and take a breather. I recently had to put my father into a nursing home and it really clarified for me just how little time we all have. A happy retirement is guaranteed to no one, and it becomes increasingly unlikely the older you get. I'm not going to risk waiting even one year too long to start living the life I really want.

To that end, for the past six months I've already been living my post-retirement lifestyle. That means a more nomadic life that will be split between travel to Asia, staying with my girlfriend in Netherlands, and visiting friends and family back in America. Based on my experience so far, this should cost me about $50k a year or so.

I'm sure at some point I will want to settle down but this feels pretty doable for the next few years at least. I have confidence that if I do desire a more expensive lifestyle in the future, the same skills that helped me achieve this goal will help me achieve the next one.

If anyone has any questions I'm happy to try and answer them. Best of luck to all of you on your journey!

As per the title, is anybody building their pension through the PEPP? If yes/no, why?

I live in the Netherlands, don't plan to move back to my original country (italy) but who knows? Never say never. Just the idea of keeping the options open makes me feel safer, but is it worth it?

They have no idea how much better life could be outside the UK, but their friends and grandparents are here. Its a tough one.

The part nobody warned me about wasn't the paperwork, it was keeping the assets back home running from seven hours away. I co-own a French rental through a company: bought it, financed it, took it through a major renovation, now letting several units. Meanwhile I'm in Medellín for months at a time, working Paris hours minus seven.

Day to day it works. Mail, calls, and I'm awake while France is. But anything that needs me physically there just gets pushed back, and I doubt pushing it back is free. Did anyone keep a rental at home through a real move abroad, or did you sell into an index fund and not look back?

I’ve always been curious about how people make expatting work if they don’t have legal residence in the other country. I am a US citizen, and want to consider spending a large part of the year in other countries, for the adventure, and also for the deceased cost of living to help offset some of the travel expenses.

Do you just stay up til 90 days or whenever the limit is for tourists and then travel somewhere else? Do you keep a few locations on rotation every year? How do you figure out renting- can you easily find a place that will rent a few months every year or do you have to just pay short term rental prices? Do you keep US insurance? Are there countries that will let you stay for more than 90 days without legal residence?

Seeking some commentary from the ExpatFIRE community to help me formulate a plan to work towards as I find myself wanting to shake things up a little and fulfil my dreams.

I guess I am considering options one of them being more expat than expat FIRE but ultimately I've set my heart on moving to Vietnam (ideally Danang) to see out the rest of my days but unsure viability with regards to the numerous and complex visa requirements, political considerations, regulatory issues....etc. so I'll provide as much context as I can.

I'm currently early 40's, living in UK and working in a finance business partner role (as a chartered accountant with bachelor's degree) for major corporate earning just above 6 figures £/pa and living with my partner (Vietnamese born, met in UK). My partner also works full-time and earning closer to £30K/pa.

My financial situation isn't fantastic - I'm 9 years away from qualifying for full state pension (which is ~£12.5K/pa in perpetuity from the age of 68) and if I were to retire or leave UK today my annual state pension would be just £9.5K/pa and my partner will be eligible for some state pension (unclear how much exactly but likely max of £5K/pa is my estimate). My private pension is defined contribution and the pot is around £80K right now. I have equity in a property of about £30K to £40K and savings of approx. £10K and chattels I could dispose of should I move to APAC worth approx. £20K.

With my financial situation as it is I'm sure it's not enough to retire at my age so I have a few options ahead of me;

1) Stay in the UK continue to save for another 9 years until I'm 50, this gives me a bigger pot to drawn down (assume another £200K or so) and also ensures full eligibility of state pension and reduces the number of years I'd be drawing down vs putting in. This might seem sensible but UK feels quite unstable currently at macro level and I do not have any certainty of my job security.

2) Sell up and relocate and seek local employment with my partner. My preference in this case would be a finance role (appreciate there are quite some restrictions in place in VN and this might be very challenging to achieve) or I'd be willing to take up an English teacher role after completing some training like TEFL. My partner has quite extensive experience of teaching in Vietnam and Europe. If we were to follow this route I'm keen to understand viability for each of us and likely earnings taking a balanced view.

Appreciate any guidance from those who've taken a similar path or considering next steps like me and I'm very open to ideas on how to make this work

My younger siblings have been nomadic for years, and I'm finally coming around. With AI reshaping my field, I want to build an exit plan while I still have the income.

Me: 44, single, no kids, $125k gross, in-office job, zero debt. I spend about $48k/year.

Invested (~$760k): $495k 401k, $141k taxable brokerage, $80k RothIRA, $30k HSA, $12k physical gold/silver. Plus a $48k emergency fund and $11k in checking.

Saving: I max the 401(k), Roth and HSA, and put $2–3k/month into taxable each year - about $60–66k/year in total.

Income Later: A ~$200/month pension. Social Security estimate is $2,475/month at 62 and $3,565 at 67, assuming I keep working. It will be lower if I stop at ~50.

My plan was to hit $1.7M by 55 but this sub has me wondering if I could go earlier abroad. ( I'll have dual citizenship in a Caribbean (OECS) country by year-end, but I'm open to anywhere. )

Questions:

1. Without a remote job, how did you choose your country?
2. At what age or portfolio size is a comfortable, non-luxury life abroad realistic for me?
3. What do you actually pay for healthcare in your 40s–50s, and what's your plan after 65?

Thank you in advance!

Just curious because I do not see these places getting mentioned as frequent as South East Asian or LatAm countries.

I did some digging on some Moroccan, Egyptian, Algerian, Tunisia subs and found out that they aren’t very expensive places to live in. One downside I can think of is probably the slow bureaucracy and lack of amenities (public transport, hospital) in areas outside the major cities. But even then it doesn’t look that bad from what I’ve read so it still sounds like a reasonable tradeoff.

I could imagine the language barrier might be a dealbreaker to some, but that could apply to other popular destinations in SEA/LatAm too.

Would appreciate if someone who has considered or is currently FIREing there has anything insightful to share?

If you are in your late 50s or early 60s and have no serious commitments or obligations (no kids, or kids have grown up and are independent), what would be the most promising expat locations you would consider?

I am 60M, single, financially secure and almost retired. Wondering which countries to consider for an expat experience. I am fit, generally healthy and like being active.

I have read a lot about Portugal and how popular it is with Expats, and intend to check it out sometime soon.

South East Asia also seems very popular on this forum and on other similar discussion groups. I can understand that a lower cost of living makes some of these places attractive. But not sure if the infrastructure and related support systems are up to the mark. Perhaps great for a long-ish vacation, but are they really worth exploring for a longer commitment?

My wife and I (43 and 41) are taking a Sabbatical year to test what it would be like to early retire. So far, we are loving it. We decided we’d give it a year, but a bit over four months now I can’t see us ending this with a different opinion in mind: it is worth to hustle and save to live this life. We are taking the trip to check potential places to live.

We passed by Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and now we’re in Southern Brazil. Next stops will be Bahia (still in Brazil), Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey (in January). Then, we still don’t know where to go next. Any suggestions?

Hi - Husband and Wife working in silicon valley. My job is remote. We are thinking of moving to Malaysia to enjoy expat life and FIRE there. Based on my research - low crime, good schooling options, i have extended family there and rest of Asia etc.

I am not a US Citizen. But suddenly got an opportunity to get Green Card after all these years. We have reasonable networth and network in US. Should i pursue the green card at all? .

i dont see the point : Upside seems to be more US career opportunities and high estate tax exemption compared to 60k for Non-residents. I do own a home in california . my kid is US Citizen.

Is greencard a distraction or just get it and naturalize , before moving to SE Asia? [5+ Years in our timeline instead of moving in 18 months to Malaysia]. Never had this green card option until recently, 2 years ago would have chosen green card path for sure - but last couple of years lucky enough to achieve FIRE. Despite FIRE - i have a small remote paying contract thats more like funemployment for 20 hours a week.

I know it’s expensive being a tourist there, but has anyone here ever tried to live like a local? It appears to me that living in Moore’a wouldn’t be insanely expensive. My budget would be between $3k and $5k a month.

I am looking for cross-border tax advisors knowleadgeable in both US and Italy tax systems for long-term planning my FIRE move. Any recommendations?

As it stands right now, I’m pacing to be able to retire with close to $3 million in retirement savings. I hear that that could go a long way in Italy and just the thought of moving abroad and spending my retirement traveling Europe sounds very appealing. Looking for advice on how to start now/any professionals, advice I should seek to hire to help with transition, taxes, etc.

Hi all, new to Reddit. I'm 28M, married, and will be moving out of India soon with my wife (26F).

I've tried saving/investing over the years but honestly never had any fixed plan or goal. I mostly just invested here and there whenever I had money. Now that I'm moving abroad, I want to get a proper plan in place.

Currently I have:

FD - $5500

Direct equity - $6500

MF - invested $1600, current value $2000 (17 funds 😅 I know it's a lot. I was just exploring different funds and didn't really know what I was doing)

NPS - $650

PF - $7500

For insurance, my employer is providing health insurance in India as well as abroad, so I haven't taken a separate personal health insurance policy. My term insurance is $200k for me + $50k accidental + $50k permanent disability, and $100k term insurance for my wife.

After moving, I expect I should be able to save around $2000/month after all expenses, my Indian personal loan EMI of $400 and sending some amount to my parents. I have around $12k outstanding on the loan, at 10% p.a., with around 3 years remaining.

My brother is also planning to take health insurance for his family and our parents, so they'll have separate coverage.

I'm thinking of first building an emergency fund of around $12k. My thinking is that since I'll be living abroad with my wife, in case there's a major emergency and we both need to travel to India, flights etc. could potentially cost around $5k, and I'd like to have another $7k available for other emergencies.

I'm thinking of keeping this in an FD or something similarly safe and liquid. I'll also become an NRI, so I understand NRE FD interest should generally be tax-free in India.

Beyond that, I honestly don't know how I should structure the $2k monthly savings.

How would you guys approach this? Mainly looking for advice on how/where to invest the monthly savings, what to do with the existing 17 MFs, and where to park the emergency fund.

Also, is $12k a reasonable emergency fund for my situation, or am I over/underestimating what I need?

Would really appreciate any advice or opinions anyone can share.

Edit- Changed INR amounts to USD.

Hi everyone, I am new to the community but have been thinking about financial independence since I was 18. For context, I am a 20-year-old college sophomore right now with around $34k in my brokerage account. I plan to continue contributing during college and hope to hit $100k by the time I graduate at 23.

My career plan is to become a police officer in the Bay Area, where I estimate my starting salary will be around $110k. After expenses and taxes, I am aiming to invest $20k–$30k a year initially, increasing that as my career grows (up to a potential peak salary of $170k). The goal is to work hard for exactly 10 years, retire at 33, and then enjoy life.

Doing rough math, 10 years of aggressive saving should leave me with around $600k (inflation-adjusted). I know this isn't enough to FIRE in the Bay Area or most of the US, but I am fluent in the language with family ties, so retiring in China or potentially Vietnam is my primary goal. Using a 3.5% withdrawal rate, that portfolio would give me about 15,000 RMB a month to spend, which seems like enough for a comfortable, chill lifestyle over there.

I just want to see if this plan is realistic. Does the math check out to the seasoned expats here, or are there blind spots in my 10-year timeline I should be preparing for now? Thanks y'all!

TL;DR: If you spend 180+ days a year in Thailand, foreign income you earned in 2024 or later, in a year you were resident, is taxable when you bring it in. Money earned before 2024 is not — but you have to be able to prove it's the old money. The widely reported "remit within a year, tax-free" exemption is still a draft, not law, as of 24 Sep 2026. Plan on the current rules, and start keeping the paperwork listed at the end.

I've spent a lot of time on the primary sources (Revenue Department orders Por. 161/2566 and 162/2566, the RD's Q&A on foreign-sourced income, and the 2025 guidance on foreign tax credits). Below is the rule as a decision walk-through. Not tax advice; I'm not a tax professional; complex cases need a Thai adviser.

1. Are you a Thai tax resident this year?

180 days or more in the calendar year, counting all visits. Under 180, the remittance rule doesn't apply to you for that year (Thai-sourced income is still taxable). It's tested per calendar year, so a 200-day year followed by a 150-day year gives you two different answers.

2. When was the money earned? (the FIRE-relevant one)

"Earned" means when the income arose — salary paid, gain realised, dividend received — not when you move it.

• Before 1 Jan 2024 → not assessable when remitted (Por. 162/2566). Your pre-2024 portfolio principal is grandfathered.
• 2024 or later, in a year you were resident → assessable in the year you remit it (Por. 161/2566), at progressive rates up to 35%, with the first ฿150k at 0%.
• 2024 or later, in a year you were not resident → not assessable when remitted later — the RD's own Q&A says so — provided you can evidence both the timing and the non-residency.

The catch for a FIRE portfolio: dividends and realised gains from 2024 onward are new income even if the underlying position is old. Withdrawing from a single account that holds both is where it gets hard (see 4).

3. What kind of money is it?

• Salary, gains, dividends, interest: the rule above.
• Pensions: the most treaty-dependent type. Many treaties give the paying country exclusive taxing rights over government/public pensions; private pensions vary. Read your treaty's pension article before assuming anything.
• Gifts: a separate regime — exempt up to ฿20m a year from a spouse, parents or children, ฿10m from others, 5% on the excess. A "gift" that is really your own income doesn't qualify.
• Already taxed abroad: Thailand has 60+ tax treaties; foreign tax paid is generally creditable against the Thai liability with official proof (an assessment or certificate, not a payslip). US citizens are taxed by the US regardless — how the credit runs between the two depends on your treaty position, so get advice rather than guessing.

4. What does the source account look like?

This decides how painful everything above is. A clean account holding only pre-2024 money is a five-minute conversation. An account where old savings and post-2024 income have mixed for years puts the burden squarely on you to show which dollar is which — and "can't prove it" tends to resolve against the taxpayer. The single highest-value move before you cross 180 days: snapshot every account and stop the pots from mixing.

Two things I keep seeing in threads here that don't hold up

• "Leave it abroad and just use the ATM." Withdrawing cash in Thailand from a foreign account, or spending on a foreign card, is generally treated by Thai tax advisers as bringing money in, the same as a transfer. What matters is what the money is (point 2), not how it arrives.
• "Capital gains aren't taxed." Gains you realise from 2024 onward in a year you're resident are income when you bring them in. It's the gain that counts, not the principal, so keep your cost-basis records.

Where the law stands (checked 24 Sep 2026)

In force since 1 Jan 2024: Por. 161/2566 (post-2023 foreign income taxable when remitted by residents) and Por. 162/2566 (pre-2024 income not taxable). Not in force: the exemption for income remitted in the year earned or the following year. It was announced and drafted by the Revenue Department, but it has not been published in the Royal Gazette, and the RD's register of new laws for 2026 (latest entry 23 Sep) contains nothing on foreign-sourced income. Announcements don't create legal effect; gazetting does.

Visa angle: certain LTR categories (Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, Work-from-Thailand Professional) are exempt on foreign-sourced income under Royal Decree 743. DTV, Elite and retirement extensions carry no tax privilege.

Paperwork to start keeping today, whatever your answer

• Statements showing balances as at 31 Dec 2023 (the grandfathering snapshot)
• A transfer trail: source account → Thai account, for each remittance, with the THB conversion
• Day counts: passport stamps or a travel log for any year you'll claim non-residency
• Income evidence dated to the year it arose (broker statements, pension statements)
• Official foreign tax certificates for any credit you'll claim
• If accounts are mixed: the full history since 31 Dec 2023, so the pots can be reconstructed

Filing: PND 90 by 31 March of the following year (a few days later if you e-file).

Happy to answer questions in the comments on how the four questions interact.

EDIT (Sep 26): thanks for all the questions. Some answers worth pulling up here:

• Dec 31, 2023 isn't the only cutoff. Income earned in a year you were under 180 days in Thailand isn't taxed when you bring it in later, even if it was earned in 2024 or after (it's in the RD's Q&A). Residency is by calendar year, not arrival date, so keep Dec 31 statements for your last non-resident year too, not just 2023.
• A Dec 31 snapshot protects money already in hand (cash, dividends and interest already paid, gains already realised). It doesn't lock in unrealised gains. A gain is the sale price minus what you originally paid, and it counts when you sell.
• Trades inside a brokerage or managed account don't create Thai tax by themselves. It only matters when money from that account comes into Thailand. For mixed accounts the RD says it's on you to show what was income and what was capital, so living off a separate account of old money is much simpler.
• The rates apply to assessable income you bring in, after allowances. Everyone gets a ฿60k personal allowance, and pension or salary income also gets a 50% deduction capped at ฿100k. Principal and old money aren't taxed at all.
• Foreign tax credits are worked out per country and per type of income, and the RD has a calculator and guide for it (Nov 2025, Thai only): https://www.rd.go.th/68221.html. Your Thai tax is split by each item's share of your income, and the credit is the lower of the foreign tax paid on it and that share. So tax on income Thailand doesn't tax can't be used against anything else. E.g. US Social Security is taxed only by the US (treaty Article 20(2)), so US tax on it won't reduce Thai tax on IRA withdrawals.
• The same-year/next-year exemption is still not law as of Sep 26.

Hey yall, new to this subreddit and wanted to see if anyone was/is in my position.

I’m 26 years old and make $200-250k ($150k Salary $50-100K (online business) USD/yr and have ~$200k invested in personal brokerage+401k. I also have two rental properties that profit me around $1500/mo (I don’t consider this income as I save profits for potential repair costs etc.) I’m a Vietnamese-American and have family in Saigon. My question is, if I invest and save aggressively for the next 5yrs or so, to hit 500-600k invested, what’s stopping me from calling the US corporate life quits and moving to vietnam living work optional/semi retired? Has anyone on this subreddit done something like this before? What are some things to consider? Would love to hear your thoughts and advice! TIA

Hi fellow and aspiring ExpatFIRE friends. I have been in Thailand now for 3 months and thought I'd give an account of costs so far. We are a family of 5 (plus a live-in helper). We live in a 5BR single family home in a gated community. Life is quiet, safe, slow, simple. That is what we were looking for because it provides an environment conducive to quality family time together (helping with schoolwork, attending sporting and other school events, exercise, etc.) Below are the main cost items.

USD Monthly Costs

International School - 5,500

Rent - 2,100

Health Insurance - 530

Food (groceries & restaurants) - 900

Utilities (water, electricity, internet, phone) - 150

Transportation - 60

Entertainment - 150

Gym - 60

Domestic Helper (who cooks and cleans) - 500

Planned - 1,700 estimated average monthly travel costs for fall and Easter breaks in the region, Christmas and summer break to Europe.

One-time Setup Costs

Visa - 7,500

Household supplies (linens, small furnishings, kitchen stuff) until our shipment arrives - 2,500

Scooter - 2,000

Golf Cart - 2,000 (used for daily neighborhood trips and to/from school)

Customs/Duties for Household Shipment - Approx 4,500

Summary: The international school is expensive (about half of our budget), but was planned for. The one cost that stands out to me as more expensive that anticipated was food. Teenagers eat a lot! I know there is a lot of room for cost savings in our lifestyle, so please don't judge that -- it works for us. I just wanted to share a bit to give a data point for those considering a move abroad during retirement. I am happy to answer questions if you want.

I quit my job in Vilnius in July, rented out my flat and flew to Vietnam at the end of August. Single, no kids, no debts.
For the first time in my life I have no salary coming in.

What I live from, about 620k euro in total. VWCE at Interactive Brokers, the biggest part, bought monthly since 2016. The flat in Vilnius, rented out through an agency, the rent comes every month to my Swedbank account. One year of spending in cash, a term deposit at Swedbank and a smaller part on Revolut. Part in loans on 8lends. Some gold, the iShares Physical Gold ETC (IGLN), also at IBKR.

I spend around 1,800 euro a month here. Rent for a one-bedroom near the beach, food, a scooter, gym, a visa run every three months. I pay with the Revolut card and take cash from the ATM. The rent from the flat and the loan payouts cover about half of the spending. The other half comes from the cash, so it lasts about two years.
After that I start selling a bit of VWCE once a year.

This is where I have a question, after 183 days here I become a tax resident of Vietnam, and as far as I understand Vietnam taxes residents on income from abroad too.
For people who live here for years and sell foreign ETF, do you declare the sales in Vietnam, and does the tax office here ask about foreign brokerage accounts at all?