A Royal Decree announces the postponement of the start date for collecting employee welfare fund contributions from 1 Oct 2026 to 1 Jan 2027 to ease the hardship of employers and employees caused by flooding.
On 24 October 2026, the Government Gazette website published a Royal Decree dated 22 October 2026, stating that His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun graciously ordered the announcement that it is appropriate to amend the Royal Decree concerning the start date for collecting employee welfare fund contributions. Under the authority of Section 175 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand and Section 163 of the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998), the Royal Decree is hereby promulgated as follows.
Section 1: This Royal Decree shall be called the “Royal Decree on the Start Date for Collecting Employee Welfare Fund Contributions B.E. 2569 (2026)”.
Section 2: This Royal Decree shall come into force from 1 October 2026 onwards.
Section 3: The Royal Decree on the Start Date for Collecting Employee Welfare Fund Contributions B.E. 2568 (2025) is hereby repealed.
Section 4: The collection of employee welfare fund contributions shall commence from 1 January 2027 onwards.
Section 5: The Minister of Labour shall act as the official responsible for implementing this Royal Decree.
The person receiving the royal command:
Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul
Prime Minister
Note: The reason for issuing this Royal Decree is that the previous Royal Decree B.E. 2568 (2025) set the collection start date for employee welfare fund contributions as 1 October 2026. However, due to flooding, affected businesses and employees have suffered hardship. Some employers have had to suspend or slow operations, reducing income, while some employees have lost income or needed funds to repair homes and sustain livelihoods during recovery. Collecting contributions during this period would increase financial burdens on both parties and affect businesses’ ability to maintain employment. Therefore, to alleviate hardship and reduce financial pressure on employers and employees, and to facilitate effective collection, it is appropriate to amend the Royal Decree to postpone the collection start date to 1 January 2027. Thus, this Royal Decree is necessary.