Service
US Pensions & 401(k).
For American expats: what to do with a 401(k) or IRA from Thailand.
Who this is for
People who typically come to me about this.
Persona 1
Americans retiring in Thailand
Hold a 401(k) or IRA in the US, living or planning to live in Thailand, unsure how withdrawals interact with two tax systems.
Persona 2
US citizens with old employer plans
Have one or more 401(k)s left with former employers and want to know whether to consolidate, roll over, or leave them.
Persona 3
Dual-status and green-card holders
Carry US filing obligations alongside Thai residency and need the two positions reconciled before acting.
What's involved
How the work actually plays out.
US citizens and green-card holders are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live, so an American in Thailand is planning inside two systems at once. The work is to make the 401(k) and IRA decisions with both the US and the Thai position in clear view, not one in isolation.
The two-system view
A withdrawal that is efficient under US rules can be assessable when remitted to Thailand by a Thai tax resident under the 2024 remittance position. The decision has to be made with both in view, alongside the US-Thai double tax treaty.
Roth conversions, the timing of distributions, and required minimum distributions each look different once Thai residency is part of the picture.
What I do and do not do
I provide the planning and the framework, with every cost set out in writing before you decide. I do not file US returns or act as your US tax preparer; where US tax filing is needed I work alongside a US-qualified preparer rather than pretending the line does not exist.
Common mistakes
Where this most often goes sideways.
Treating the 401(k) as a US-only decision.
The remittance of distributions into Thailand is part of the decision, not an afterthought. Planning the US side alone can create an avoidable Thai liability.
Cashing out early to simplify.
Collapsing a tax-deferred account for the sake of tidiness can trigger a large bracketed liability in a single year. The orderly path is almost always cheaper.
Assuming a UK-focused adviser understands the US system.
The US system is its own discipline. Ask directly whether the person advising you actually works with the US position or only the UK one.
How I work on this
The process, in three steps.
01
Map both positions
Your US accounts and filing status, your Thai residency, and the treaty position, set out side by side.
02
Model the options
Leave, consolidate, convert or draw, each modelled across both systems over a realistic horizon.
03
Coordinate execution
The plan in writing, coordinated with a US-qualified preparer where filing is involved.
Fees and what to expect
Plain-English fee transparency.
I am paid through commission on the products arranged and an ongoing fee on the assets managed. Every cost, and what it pays, is set out in writing before you decide.
You may ask what any recommendation pays me, and the figures that apply are agreed in writing in the engagement letter before you proceed.
A first 30-minute consultation costs nothing and obliges you to nothing.
Client assets are held in your own name on FCA-regulated platforms or SEC-licensed brokers, never by me.
Questions
Questions about this.
Begin a conversation.
Thirty minutes, by Zoom or in person at the Bangkok, Hua Hin or Pattaya office. Free, and without obligation. You leave with a clearer view of what is in front of you, whether or not the work proceeds.
Book a meeting
Choose a time that suits you.
Thirty minutes with Richard Knight, ACSI directly. By video, phone, or in person. No obligation.
