Having a baby this year? Check your Social Security first: how many months you need to pay in to use birth benefits (in case you just changed jobs)

When we plan for a baby, we usually think about our bodies, our savings and the nursery. But there’s one more thing many people only realize several months into pregnancy: “Wait, I just changed jobs. Can I still use Social Security for the birth?”

This is really easy to check if you check early. We’ll sum up how many months you need to pay, how to count them, who’s covered and who isn’t, and how to plan if you’re about to change jobs or quit.

How many months of Social Security contributions do I need to claim birth costs?

Quick Answer: Insured persons under Section 33 and Section 39 need to pay contributions for at least 5 months within the 15 months before the month of birth.

This is the rule that the BOI benefits document and Thai PBS Policy Watch both summarize the same way. The wording in Section 65 of the Social Security Act says you must have paid contributions for not less than five months within the fifteen months before the date you receive medical services.

Count it like this:

1. Check which month your baby is due
2. Count back 15 months (not including the month of birth)
3. Within that period, do your contribution months add up to 5?

For example, if your baby is due in July 2027, the period you count is April 2026 to June 2027. Within that period, you need at least 5 months of contributions.

What do I get when I use the birth benefit?

Quick Answer: A flat birth payment of 15,000 baht per birth, antenatal checkup and care costs of up to 1,500 baht in total, and a mom who is insured gets maternity pay of 50% of wages for 90 days (up to 26,250 baht in 2026).

Benefit	How much	Notes
Flat birth payment	15,000 baht per birth	Give birth at any hospital, no limit on the number of births. If both parents are insured, only one can claim
Antenatal checkups and care	Actual costs, up to 1,500 baht in total	Paid in parts according to stage of pregnancy
Maternity pay	50% of average wages for 90 days	Only for moms who are insured, can be claimed no more than 2 times

Something has changed this year too. Thai PBS Policy Watch reports that from January 1, 2026, the Social Security wage ceiling rose from 15,000 to 17,500 baht, in effect until 2028. So the maximum maternity pay went up from 22,500 to 26,250 baht per birth. The ceiling will rise again to 20,000 baht from 2029 to 2031, and to 23,000 baht from 2032.

As for dads who are insured: if mom isn’t insured under Section 33 or Section 39, dad can claim the birth payment instead, but won’t get mom’s maternity pay. How to actually file the claim after the birth is something you can save for later: Social Security birth payment: can mom and dad both claim, and how to file

Section 33, 39 and 40: who gets birth benefits?

Quick Answer: Section 33 (employees) and Section 39 (former employees who keep paying in themselves) have childbirth benefits. Section 40 (self-employed) has no childbirth benefit.

Type	Who	Childbirth benefit
Section 33	Company employees, whose employer deducts contributions	Yes
Section 39	Former Section 33 members who left their job and signed up to keep paying themselves	Yes
Section 40	Self-employed, online sellers, freelancers	No (Option 3 includes a child allowance, which is a separate benefit)

This is really important for moms who run their own business or freelance. If you’re under Section 40 and your partner is a Section 33 employee, plan to claim the birth payment through your partner’s benefits. There will be no maternity pay, though, because that’s only for moms who are insured persons. If you’re thinking of going freelance, read more in Freelancing for new moms

Just changed jobs, or about to quit? How to plan

Quick Answer: Months paid at your old job and new job count together, as long as they add up to 5 months within the 15 months before the month of birth. If you quit, you can sign up for Section 39 if you paid into Section 33 for at least 12 months and apply within 6 months of leaving your job.

Common cases:

• Changing jobs with no gap: usually no problem, because the months you paid simply continue
• Out of work for several months before a new job: count whether the 15 months before your due date include 5 months of contributions
• Starting your first job: count whether you’ll have paid 5 months by the month before the birth. If not, you may need to use your partner’s benefits for this pregnancy
• Want to quit to raise your baby: talk first about whether to sign up for Section 39. Thai PBS Policy Watch summarizes the conditions: you must have been under Section 33 for at least 12 months and left your job no more than 6 months ago. Section 39 still covers childbirth, but you pay the contributions yourself every month, and maternity pay is calculated from the Section 39 base, which may be less than under Section 33. You can ask 1506 for your actual amount.

If it were us, we wouldn’t quit during pregnancy without checking this first. Call 1506 before handing in your resignation. It only takes a few minutes.

How do I check how many months I’ve paid?

Quick Answer: Log in on the sso.go.th website to see your insured person record, or call the 1506 hotline, which is open 24 hours a day.

Have your ID card number ready, and ask these three questions clearly:

1. Which section am I insured under right now?
2. Which was the last month I paid contributions, and are there any missing months?
3. If my baby is due in (month), will I meet the 5 in 15 months condition?

If you find a month missing even though you were working, talk to your company’s HR first. It may be a payment that slipped through the cracks.

Besides the birth payment, which benefits should I check at the same time?

Quick Answer: The child allowance of 1,000 baht per month per child, from birth to 6 years old, for up to 3 children, for Section 33 and Section 39 members who have paid contributions for 12 months within 36 months. Plus maternity leave days under labor law.

• Child allowance: the condition is different from the birth payment. You need 12 months within 36 months, not 5 within 15. Read more in Social Security child allowance
• Maternity leave days: a right under labor protection law, separate from Social Security pay. Summarized in Maternity leave under Thai law: how many days?
• Free antenatal care: Thai citizens under every scheme also get antenatal care under NHSO (Sor Por Sor Chor, Thailand’s National Health Security Office) benefits. See details in Your first antenatal visit

Social Security checklist before you start trying for a baby

Quick Answer: Know your section and your partner’s, count the months you’ve paid, plan ahead if you’ll change jobs, and agree on who will claim the birth payment.

• Are we under Section 33, 39 or 40? And what about my partner?
• Check your contribution history on sso.go.th or with 1506
• If you’ll change jobs or quit, plan so there’s no long gap in your contribution months
• If you quit, decide about signing up for Section 39 within 6 months
• Agree on whose name the birth payment will be claimed under (if mom is eligible, it’s easiest for mom to file, because she files for maternity pay at the same time)

Social Security numbers can change with laws and announcements. Before making any decisions about work, checking again with sso.go.th or 1506 will give you the most peace of mind. For the bigger picture on preparing in other ways, read Getting ready for a baby: a guide for Thai moms

Money and paperwork may not be very romantic, but if you sort them out now, when you really are pregnant you’ll have the energy to focus on the things that matter more.