The core answer
A company that sells through Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop and its own website will find that the money in the bank is never the same as the sales in the order system. The gap is made of commission, payment fees, shipping charges, vouchers, returns, adjustments and sometimes tax withheld. The fix is not a cleverer spreadsheet. It is deciding once how each of those items is recorded, then matching three reports every month: the orders report, the platform settlement report and the bank statement.
The rule (Revenue Code, Accounting Act). For VAT, the tax base is the total value the seller has received or is entitled to receive (section 79), and VAT liability on goods generally arises on delivery (section 78(1)). So VAT follows the sale, not the payout. VAT-registered businesses must keep reports, tax invoices and supporting documents for at least five years (section 87/3), and the Accounting Act (section 14) sets a similar five-year minimum for accounts and supporting documents. The 3% withholding rate for service payments to companies comes from the Revenue Department's order Tor.Por. 4/2528.
Our practical view. Record each order at its full sale value and book every platform charge as its own expense line. Never post the net payout as "sales". Then reconcile order by order, not only in monthly totals. Where a rule differs by platform (who withholds, how vouchers are documented), do not guess. Read the platform's own statement, write the treatment down and have your accountant sign off before the first filing.
If you are still selling as an individual, read selling online as an individual or a company first. For the books of a new company, see company accounting in the first year.
1. Why does the payout never match the sales?
A platform settles each order after deducting its own charges. A simple order shows how far gross and net drift apart.
Hypothetical example. A customer buys an item listed at 1,000 baht. Your own voucher takes 50 baht off, so the customer pays 950. The platform charges 120 baht in commission and payment fees before VAT, and VAT on those fees at an assumed 7% is 8.40 baht. The payout is 950 − 120 − 8.40 = 821.60 baht. Your sales ledger should show the order, the platform charges should show as expenses with their input VAT, and the 128.40 baht gap between the 950 paid by the customer and the payout should be fully explained by documents.
Typical components of the gap:
| Item | What it is | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Order value | What the customer pays | Orders report |
| Seller-funded voucher | Discount you pay for | Reduces the price of the sale |
| Platform-funded voucher | Discount the platform pays for | Check the platform's statement and terms |
| Commission, payment fee, service fee | Platform charges | Settlement report, platform tax invoice |
| Shipping charged to buyer or seller | Courier cost and subsidies | Settlement report |
| Returns and refunds | Reversed sales | Settlement report and orders report |
| Tax withheld by the platform, if any | A prepayment of your tax | Withholding certificate |
| Adjustments, penalties, reserves | Platform-specific | Settlement report |
2. Should we record the gross sale or the net payout?
VAT. Section 79 of the Revenue Code makes the tax base the total value the operator has received or is entitled to receive. That points to the full sale price, not the payout after platform fees.
Accounting. Our practical view is that a company selling its own stock acts as the seller (principal). It records the sale at the full price and the platform charges as expenses, so that gross margin and fee percentages by channel are visible. Recording only the net payout hides the cost of each channel and breaks the match with the VAT report. If you only introduce buyers to other sellers, or resell on commission, the answer may differ. Raise it with your accountant or auditor.
3. What documents should the platform fees come with?
Platform charges are a separate supply from your own sales. In practice each platform issues its own invoices or statements for them.
| Document | What to check |
|---|---|
| Platform tax invoice for fees | Names your company, tax ID and branch correctly; amounts agree to the settlement report |
| Settlement or statement report | Shows each order, each fee and the net amount |
| Withholding certificate (if the platform withholds) | Amount agrees to the deduction; keep it with your tax records |
| Your own invoice or receipt to customers | Required if you are VAT registered; check which form applies to the sale |
Do not claim input VAT or an expense on a fee that you cannot match to a proper document. Ask your accountant to confirm that each type of platform invoice qualifies before you start claiming.
4. Do we withhold tax on platform fees?
The rule. Tor.Por. 4/2528, item 12/1, sets 3% withholding on service payments to a company or juristic partnership carrying on business in Thailand. The payer remits the tax by the seventh day after the end of the month of payment and gives the payee a withholding certificate (Revenue Department page on section 3 ter). A reduced 1% rate applied to payments made through the e-Withholding system until 31 December 2568 (2025). The Cabinet approved a two-year extension to 31 December 2570 (2027) on 16 June 2569 (2026). Confirm that the extension has been enacted before you rely on it.
What we could not confirm. We found no Revenue Department ruling that classifies each Shopee, Lazada or TikTok charge. Whether a platform automatically withholds for you, or whether the seller company must do it, appears to differ by platform and by charge. Check the settlement statement and the platform's seller terms, and agree the treatment with your accountant. If nobody withholds and the law requires it, the shortfall may be raised later by the Revenue Department.
5. How do COD, returns and vouchers work?
COD (cash on delivery). VAT liability on goods generally arises on delivery (section 78(1)), and earlier if payment is received or a tax invoice is issued before delivery. COD cash is collected by the courier and remitted to you later, so book the sale on delivery and the courier's remittance as collection of a receivable. Missing COD remittances are among the most common reconciliation breaks.
Returns. Section 82/10 allows a credit note to reduce output tax for listed reasons, including goods that are defective, do not match the description, or other reasons the Director-General prescribes. A refund for a change of mind may not fit those reasons, so check the cause before adjusting VAT.
Vouchers. A seller-funded voucher reduces the price of your sale. A platform-funded voucher is different: the customer pays less, but you may be compensated by the platform. We found no Revenue Department ruling dealing with platform-funded vouchers as such, so treat the correct VAT and accounting treatment as an item to settle with your adviser, based on the platform's terms and the settlement statement.
6. What does a monthly reconciliation look like?
Each month, match three sources.
| Step | Source | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orders report from each channel | Is every delivered order in the sales ledger? |
| 2 | Platform settlement report | Does each order's net amount equal price − discounts − fees − adjustments? |
| 3 | Bank statement | Does every payout appear in full on the bank side, and on what date? |
| 4 | Unmatched items | Orders with no payout, payouts with no order, refunds, COD in transit |
| 5 | Totals | Sales ledger, VAT report and platform reports agree by channel |
Rules that keep this manageable:
- One bank account per company, not the owner's personal account.
- Reconcile by order ID, not only by month total.
- Close each month: download platform reports on a fixed date, because dashboards may not keep old data.
- Keep a list of aged unmatched items and clear it every month.
- Record who approves adjustments, and keep the evidence.
7. How long must we keep the records?
A VAT-registered operator must keep reports, tax invoices, copies and supporting documents for at least five years from the date of filing or preparing the report. The Director-General can extend this, but not beyond seven years (section 87/3). The Accounting Act section 14 requires accounts and supporting documents to be kept at least five years from the closing date, with a possible extension up to seven. In practice, store the settlement exports, platform invoices, withholding certificates and bank statements together, by month.
8. What does the Revenue Department see?
Two reporting streams exist. We describe them so you know that third-party data exists, not because your obligations change.
- Platform special account. A Director-General announcement dated 27 December B.E. 2566 requires Thai-registered electronic platforms with income above 1,000 million baht to keep a special account of the income they receive from each operator and submit it electronically within 150 days of the period end. It applies to accounting periods starting on or after 1 January 2024. The obligation is the platform's, not yours. The announcement itself does not stop the Revenue Department from checking your records.
- Bank reports. Under the Revenue Code amendments of 2019 (Act No. 48), banks and e-money providers report accounts with 3,000 or more deposits or incoming transfers a year, or 400 or more totalling 2 million baht or more. The Revenue Department says that a transfer is not automatically taxable income.
The practical point: platform statements and your bank data already exist outside your books, so your sales figures should agree with them.
9. When must we register for VAT?
An operator whose income from sales or services exceeds 1.8 million baht a year must apply for VAT registration within 30 days of the date the income passes that figure. Online sales count. If you sell through several channels, add them together. See the first-year accounting guide for the first-year routine, and what foreign owners of Thai companies must file.
10. Checklist
- Choose one policy: record sales gross, platform charges as expense lines.
- Collect each platform's invoice types, statement format and withholding practice, in writing.
- Ask your accountant to confirm VAT and withholding treatment per platform and fee type.
- Set one bank account for payouts.
- Reconcile orders, settlements and bank by order ID every month.
- Track COD remittances and unmatched refunds separately.
- Agree a rule for credit notes with the accountant before large return periods.
- Download and store platform statements monthly; keep records for at least five years.
- Review whether you are near the 1.8 million baht VAT threshold across all channels together.
Further reading
- Selling online as an individual or a company
- Company accounting in the first year
- Changing accountants and filling missing filings
- Accounting and tax duties of a foreign-owned Thai company
Treat the platform as a supplier and a data source: book the full sale, book each fee separately, and reconcile orders, settlements and bank every month.
We help e-commerce companies set up their bookkeeping policy, review platform terms and prepare for tax filings. Initial consultation is free — call +66 92 254 2045 or send us the details. See also accounting and tax compliance.
This guide is published by Suwanvara Law Firm — a Khon Kaen law firm established in 1986. General information only, not legal advice on a specific matter.
