A Guide to Group Health Insurance for Your Business in Thailand

Do you own a business in Thailand and need healthcare coverage for your employees?

Of course, you need to pay for public health insurance, which is Social Security, for your employees. But in most case, it isn’t sufficient.

Health insurance is a good way to keep your employees in good health. In Thailand, there are group health insurance plans that are quite affordable and provide good health coverage. It’s much cheaper than individual health insurance and comes with more flexibility.

This article is written based on our experience with buying health insurance for our own company in Thailand.

It will give you a good understanding of how corporate health insurance works in Thailand, including coverage, requirements, application, plans, and where to get coverage.

In case you want to read about group insurance for your family, please read this article instead.

Disclaimer: Some links in this article go to our partners, and we may earn a commission if you use them. It costs you nothing extra, and we only recommend services we'd use ourselves. Read more in our Advertising Disclosure.

Do you need group health insurance for your company?

When running a business in Thailand, you don’t need to provide health insurance for your employees. But it comes with many benefits like:

• employee retention
• company productivity
• tax write-offs

Please note that the group health insurance mentioned in this article is different from Social Security.

Employee Retention

In Thailand, there’s an unwritten rule that companies should offer health insurance to their employees. While it’s not necessary, many companies in Thailand buy health insurance for their employees.

Unlike in many Western countries, many Thais don’t buy health insurance because of its cost. So, when you offer health insurance to them, they’re more likely to stick around.

In addition, a potential employee will pick to work for your company over a company that doesn’t offer health insurance.

Company Productivity

It’s no secret that having healthy employees increases productivity. When they are sick, they can go to a hospital and receive treatment immediately without worrying about the cost. This leads to a faster recovery, allowing them to return to work sooner.

On the other hand, if an employee has to rely on the Social Security System for healthcare, they’re less likely to go to the doctor.

And because they’re less likely to stay home from work, this means they show up to work sick. In turn, they’re less productive and may even spread their sickness to other employees, and maybe even you.

Employees with health insurance are more likely to go to the doctor when they’re sick. They know it’ll be an easier process than dealing with hospitals under Social Security. At the very least, they do not have to wait for many hours just to see a doctor for 1 minute.

When employees are healthy, they become more productive in your company. Human resources are one of the most important assets for running a business, after all.

Tax Write-offs

The cost of group health insurance is considered a company expense. So you can write it off at the end of the year.

Corporate income tax rate in Thailand is 20% for a standard company, so a deductible premium saves you up to 20% of its cost. Small companies pay 15% on profit from THB300,001 to THB3 million, so their saving is 15%.

Here’s what we mean:

If your company’s annual profit is 2,000,000 baht, the corporate tax you’d have to pay is 400,000 baht.

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If you buy group health insurance costing 300,000 baht, your company’s tax amount will be decreased to 340,000 baht, which means you’d get a 60,000 baht discount for buying group insurance.

The deductible amount can be different depending on your company’s income and business type. It’s best to recheck it with your accountant.

Are Group Health Premiums Tax Deductible?

In most cases, yes. The Thai Revenue Department has ruled that a company can deduct the cost of staff welfare benefits when the benefit follows the company’s general rules and applies to employees as a whole. The ruling (no. 0702/2065, dated 9 March 2018) says such payments are not barred as a deduction under Section 65 tri (3) and (13) of the Revenue Code. (Verified October 2026.)

So the policy needs to look like a real staff benefit, not a favour to one person. Put it in your employee handbook or written company rules, and offer it to your staff on the same terms. If you plan different plan levels by position or salary, which insurers allow, ask your accountant to confirm the setup before you buy.

How Much the Deduction Saves You

A deduction saves you your corporate tax rate multiplied by the premium. The standard corporate income tax rate is 20%. Small companies (paid-up capital of THB5 million or less and annual revenue of THB30 million or less) pay no tax on the first THB300,000 of profit, 15% on profit up to THB3 million, and 20% above that. (Verified October 2026.)

Here is the same THB300,000 premium for a company with THB2,000,000 of profit before the premium:

Company type	Tax without the premium	Tax with the premium	Saving
Standard company (20%)	THB400,000	THB340,000	THB60,000
Small company (0% / 15% / 20%)	THB255,000	THB210,000	THB45,000

What Your Employees Pay Tax On

The same ruling covers the employee side. When a company pays a group policy of one year or less with a Thai insurer, the part that covers medical treatment for the employee, spouse, parents and children is exempt from the employee’s personal income tax. Other parts of a package, such as a death or disability payout, are not covered by that exemption. (Verified October 2026.)

Check how your payroll treats the non-medical parts of a plan. Our guide to the taxes a business owner deals with shows where payroll tax fits in.

Coverage

Group health insurance plans for small businesses and large corporations work similarly to individual health insurance plans.

They have similar limits, exclusions, and age restrictions. And they follow the same rule: they don’t pay out benefits for pre-existing conditions.

Here is a list of basic costs you should ask about when buying group health insurance:

• outpatient benefits (OPD)
• room and board
• intensive care unit
• hospital expenses
• emergency outpatient treatment
• surgical treatment and consultation
• ambulance
• personal accidents

Let’s look at each one a bit closer.

Outpatient Benefits (OPD)

OPD coverage may not be important for individual health insurance. However, when it comes to group health insurance, it’s the real key benefits that employees are looking for. If you have some budget for it, choose the plan that pays at least 1,500 baht per OPD visit. This is the average amount you need to pay when visiting a standard private hospital in Thailand.

Tip: Please note that some insurance companies may already include OPD coverage in their corporate group insurance plans, while other companies, you’ll have to buy it separately. But your insurance rates will also be lower.

Room and Board

Coverage for room and board is only eligible for in-patient benefits, or IPD. Coverage includes the cost of the hospital room, food, nurse fees, and other medical charges while at the hospital.

The daily in-patient room rates and nursing care services start at 5,000 baht for mid-range private hospitals and 10,000 baht for top-tier private hospitals. The difference in cost can be justified by the fact that the quality of the rooms and service provided at private hospitals is second to none. 

You can find out more in our guide to private hospitals in Thailand.

Intensive Care Unit

Coverage for the intensive care unit, or ICU, tends to be double that of coverage for room and board, but is capped at 15 days a year.

The average daily cost for a stay in the ICU is 10,000 baht for mid-range private hospitals such as Praya Thai Hospital and Paolo Hospital.

Coverage for ICU comes in handy not because the rooms are so expensive, but because the medical expenses, which we cover in the next section.

Hospital Expenses

Medical expenses can easily sail past the 80,000 baht mark for every day you’re in the hospital.

This amount includes the cost of medicine, materials, x-rays, lab tests, operating room, and emergency treatment.

Emergency Outpatient Treatment

Coverage for emergency outpatient treatment covers you and your employees in the event of an accident.

But to get coverage for accidents, the injured person must go to the hospital within 24 hours of the accident. They’ll also get follow-up treatment up to 15 days after the accident.

Emergency outpatient treatment has its own limits but is usually included in a hospital’s general expenses.

Surgical Treatment and Consultation

As the name implies, this covers surgery consultation fees and surgeons’ fees.

Ambulance

In case of emergency, corporate group insurance covers the cost of an ambulance. The usual limit of this coverage is 1,000 baht to 2,000 baht per time.

The ambulance fee is also included in a hospital’s general expenses. The cost of ambulance fees is based on:

• distance traveled
• medical equipment used
• medical personnel involved

Ambulances can be free if you use the emergency ambulance service from the National Institute of Emergency Medicine by calling 1669.

Or they can cost 25,000 baht if you use a top tier ambulances with doctors and nurses.

But the average cost for a standard ambulance in Bangkok is 2,000 baht.

Personal Accidents

Often confused with emergency accidental outpatient treatment, personal accident coverage provides compensation in case of:

• death
• dismemberment
• loss of sight or hearing
• disability

You’ll only be covered for 50% of the costs of these accidents if you were driving or sitting on a motorcycle.

Price

Group insurance for corporations comes with a discount that is cheaper than individual insurance plans by 20% to 40%. This does not include an indirect discount that comes in the form of a corporate tax deduction.

It’s common to see that group insurance for five people can even be 20% cheaper than individual health plans for three people with similar coverage.

On average, you should expect to pay around 8,000 THB to 12,000 THB per employee per year for a group health insurance plan.

Prices for group insurance depend on the number of employees you have. The higher the number, the cheaper the insurance rates will be per person.

Similar to individual health insurance, your employees’ ages also affect the insurance rates.

Another factor to keep in mind is that certain high-risk industries, including drivers and factory workers, may have higher rates than office workers.

Family Discounts

Group health insurance benefits employees’ families too. The group insurance rates can be applied to any employee who is married or has children.

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To be eligible for the discount, a couple needs to be married legally and have a marriage certificate. And children must be younger than eighteen or twenty-five years old depending on the insurance policy.

Options

You have two options between local insurance and offshore insurance. 

When choosing group health insurance, there’s no definitive best plan. Your choice will be based on your company’s needs.

Local Insurance

Local insurance is the most popular option when it comes to group insurance for businesses in Thailand. Although coverage is somewhat limited, it’s usually enough for middle-tier private hospitals in Thailand. 

Local insurance is also affordable. You should expect to pay around 8,000 baht to 12,000 baht per employee per year. The annual premium can be lower or higher depending on your plan and options. 

Since major local insurance companies in Thailand offer group insurance, using the health insurance comparison website CheckDi will help you make a better decision and find the right plan for your company.

Their comparison tool is comprehensive and covers a majority of local insurance companies in Thailand.

We asked around to see what other companies in Thailand are using for group insurance. And here’s what the people said:

• AIA
• Muang Thai insurance
• AXA
• Allianz Ayudhya

Offshore Insurance

If you have a team of remote workers, you need to check out offshore insurance. It comes with full health coverage in over 175 countries for all of your employees who live both inside and outside of Thailand. 

However, it’s also much more expensive. You will be paying over 30,000 baht per year per employee. As of now, Remote Health is one of the few offshore insurance companies that offer group insurance. 

They also cover pre-existing conditions if your team has ten or more members, which is a really good benefit that isn’t usually offered with other insurance companies. 

Requirements

When you buy local group health insurance for your business, you’ll need to meet five requirements.

1. Your company must be registered in Thailand with the Department of Business Development. You’ll need your business registration certificate to prove this.
2. Your company must work and have an office in Thailand. It can be a traditional office, a serviced office, or a virtual office.
3. Your workforce size must fall in the range each insurer sets. At Allianz Ayudhya, Employee We Care covers businesses with 5 to 50 employees and SME Smart Health covers 11 to 100.
4. Your employees must usually be between fifteen and sixty-five years old (sixty on some plans). Some insurers cap the average age at 45 to 48.
5. Your business must fall in an occupation class the insurer accepts, which rules out high-risk work.

If you don’t have a registered company in Thailand, you need to look at offshore insurance instead.

Minimum Group Size and Eligibility Rules by Plan

Every insurer sets its own rules, and one insurer can run several products with different limits. Allianz Ayudhya publishes two small-business group health plans, and the gap between them is a good picture of what to expect. (Verified October 2026.)

Rule	Employee We Care	SME Smart Health
Company size	5 to 50 employees	11 to 100 full-time employees
Employee age	15 to 60, full-time	15 to 65, full-time
Average age of the group	48 or under	45 or under
Occupation risk	Occupation Class 1 and 2	Up to Occupation Class 3
Minimum premium per policy	Not stated on the page	THB10,000 a year
Who must join	All employees	All employees
Owners and directors	Not stated on the page	Not eligible unless actively working full-time

A few points that catch small companies out:

• Everyone joins. You cannot pick only your managers. Insurers do allow different plan levels by position, salary or length of service, as long as people in the same role get the same plan.
• Social Security comes first for very small teams. For businesses with 5 to 19 employees, Allianz requires every employee to be a Social Security member.
• Age and risk class can disqualify you. A young team in an office usually passes. A group with a high average age or a high-risk occupation may be declined or priced higher.
• Family cover needs everyone in. If you extend cover to spouses and children, all employees and all their dependents must join the plan.

Other insurers use different numbers, so ask a licensed broker to check your headcount and average age against each insurer’s current rules before you apply.

Buying Group Insurance

It’s common in Thailand to purchase group insurance through brokers instead of insurance companies. The rates you get from brokers are the same rates you’ll get buying directly from insurance companies.

The major benefit to using brokers is that you have more choices, and they can suggest a plan based on your requirements.

Here at Thailand Starter Kit, we also got group insurance from a broker. We contacted a brokerage company, and they sent us a few plans based on our needs. And then we picked the plan that was most suitable for us.

When buying corporate group insurance, you need the following documents:

• company registration
• vat registration (Por Por 20)
• application form for employer
• application form for employees

You’ll have lots of flexibility when buying group insurance for your company. You can choose different plans for your employees based on their positions and salary ranges.

You can also add new hires to the group insurance plan. The rate will be on a pro rata basis after the plan has begun.

If an employee leaves the company, you can get a refund under the same basis.

Renewal

Group insurance plans can be renewed every year. A few months before the plan expires, an insurance rep will get in touch with you.

They’ll send you a list of coverage options and rates for you to consider again. But this time you won’t have to resend your company documents. You’ll just have to send your payment.

Self-employed

What if you’re self-employed? Can you get group health insurance for digital nomads or freelancers who work together but don’t have a registered company in Thailand?

Unfortunately, group insurance for the self-employed is unavailable. Most of the time, the insurance companies will ask you to buy individual health insurance instead.

What about Social Security?

The public health insurance system in Thailand is part of Social Security, which your employees get if they work legally in Thailand. And although it’s cheap, it offers limited coverage and is complicated to use.

• Waiting Time: First, you spend the whole day at the hospital just to see the doctor for a common ailment. Once you do see the doctor, you might get a few minutes to explain yourself before the doctor quickly looks you over and rushes you out the door.
• Limited Choice of Hospital: Second, you need to go to a hospital listed on your Social Security card. If you don’t, you have seventy-two hours from the time of your medical treatment to get to the Social Security Office and ask for a reimbursement. Social Security will reimburse you only if you have the right documents. You need a Social Security form, medical certificate, receipts, and a copy of your bank book.

Because of these two negatives, business owners and employees in Thailand tend to ignore medical treatment benefits from Social Security and opt for private group health insurance instead.

Don’t get us wrong, Social Security can help you and your employees in a life-threatening situation. Any insurance is better than no insurance. But when it comes to getting health coverage for yourself and your employees, Social Security should not be your go-to insurance.

Find out more: Thailand SSO vs. Private Health Insurance: Which One Is Better?

Social Security Contributions vs Group Health Insurance

Group health insurance sits on top of Social Security. It does not replace it. Every employee you register still has Social Security deducted from their pay, and you pay a matching amount.

The rate is 5% of monthly wages for you and 5% for the employee. That is 4.5% for the main benefits plus 0.5% for unemployment. The wages counted are capped. From 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028 the base runs from THB1,650 to THB17,500 a month, so the most either side pays is THB875 a month, or THB10,500 a year. (Verified October 2026.)

An employee earning THB12,000 contributes THB600 a month, and you add THB600. A team of 10 earning THB17,500 or more costs you THB8,750 a month in Social Security (THB105,000 a year), before any group premium.

The ceiling rises on a fixed schedule. It becomes THB20,000 from 1 January 2029 (maximum THB1,000 per side) and THB23,000 from 1 January 2032 (maximum THB1,150 per side). (Verified October 2026.)

	Social Security	Group health insurance
Who pays	You 5% and the employee 5% of capped wages	Usually the employer, for the employee and any covered family
What you pay	Fixed percentage, up to THB875 per side a month	Premium set by plan level, ages, headcount and occupation class
Plan choice	One standard package	You pick plan levels, by position, salary or length of service
Legal status	Contributions are due monthly for covered employees	Optional, your decision

How the Two Work Together

Insurers expect your staff to have Social Security and price around it. Allianz Ayudhya’s Employee We Care plan offers an optional daily cash benefit (HB Incentive) when an employee is hospitalised and the policy is not used, for example because they were treated through another benefit such as Social Security.

Budget for both lines. Social Security is a payroll cost you cannot skip, and the group premium is the extra spend that buys the shorter queue and the wider choice of hospitals. For how the two compare in daily use, read Thailand SSO vs. Private Health Insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to buy group health insurance for my employees in Thailand?

No. A private group policy is optional. Social Security is separate: you and each covered employee pay monthly contributions. Many Thai employers add a group policy on top because it helps with hiring and retention.

How much is the Social Security contribution per employee in 2026?

Each side pays 5% of monthly wages, counted on a base between THB1,650 and THB17,500. The maximum is THB875 a month for you and THB875 for the employee. The base stays at THB17,500 until the end of 2028.

How many employees do I need to qualify for a group plan?

It depends on the insurer and the product. Allianz Ayudhya’s Employee We Care plan is for 5 to 50 employees, and its SME Smart Health plan is for 11 to 100. Other insurers set their own limits, so ask a broker for current rules.

Can my company deduct group health insurance premiums as an expense?

Generally yes, if the benefit follows your company’s general staff welfare rules. The Revenue Department has ruled that welfare costs of this kind are not barred as a deduction under Section 65 tri (3) and (13). Confirm the details with your accountant.

Do my employees pay income tax on a group health policy I buy for them?

Not on the part that covers medical treatment, when the policy runs for a year or less with a Thai insurer. Other benefits bundled in the package, such as a death or disability payout, are treated differently, so check with your accountant how to handle them in payroll.

Does a group policy replace Social Security?

No. You keep paying Social Security for registered employees. Some insurers go further. For businesses with 5 to 19 employees, Allianz Ayudhya requires every employee to be a Social Security member before it will issue its Employee We Care plan.

Now, on to You

Now that you know how to buy group health insurance for your Thailand company, go to CheckDi and compare a few different plans to see which one best suits your needs. Quotes are free and you’ll get to compare different plans all in one convenient place.

Disclaimer: We are not insurance brokers and don’t sell insurance plans. The information provided in this article is based on our intensive research on the topic. However, it’s important to recheck the information again with insurance brokers or insurance companies.