BrokerTH
The big LTF-to-Thai-ESGX switch window — the one with the extended ฿500,000 tax deduction spread over five years — ran from 2 May to 30 June 2025. If you missed it, you can no longer claim that specific deduction package. But there’s still meaningful tax-saving opportunity in Thai ESGX through 2026, and if you have material LTF units sitting idle, it’s worth understanding what your options actually are.
What the 2025 switch window actually offered
Investors who switched all LTF units across all asset management companies into Thai ESGX between 2 May and 30 June 2025 unlocked a tax deduction of up to ฿500,000 spread as ฿300,000 in 2025 plus ฿50,000 per year from 2026 to 2029. That window closed. If you switched during it, the deductions are flowing through your annual tax filings now.
For 2026 onward, Thai ESGX is open for general investment at the standard ฿300,000 annual cap, same as regular Thai ESG. You can invest new money. What you can’t do is get the special LTF-switch deduction retroactively.
Your 2026 options if you still hold old LTF units
You have three realistic paths.
The first: hold the LTF units. If they’re already past their original lock-up period (most LTFs you’d still be holding are well past), they’re freely redeemable. You can sell them whenever you want, take the cash, and reinvest however you choose. No tax penalty if the original holding period was satisfied.
The second: redeem the LTF and invest the proceeds in Thai ESGX as a fresh subscription. You get the ฿300,000 annual deduction this way, but you don’t get the special ฿500,000 spread that switching directly would have provided. The two-step process (sell LTF, buy ESGX) doesn’t preserve the special tax mechanic.
The third: leave the LTF alone and invest fresh capital in Thai ESGX or Thai ESG. This is the cleanest path if you have new money to deploy and don’t need to touch the LTF capital.
Step-by-step: how the 2025 switch worked (and might reopen)
For reference, and in case the government reopens a swap window (the Thai SEC has hinted at flexibility), here’s the process used in 2025:
Step 1. List every LTF position you hold. Pull statements from every asset management company you’ve ever used — SCB, Bualuang (BBL), Krungsri (KSAM), K-Asset, MFC, ASP, UOB Asset, TMB Asset, and so on. Old LTF units from 2010-2019 often hide in dormant accounts.
Step 2. Pick a destination Thai ESGX fund. Major providers include SCB Asset Management (SCBAM), Bualuang Asset Management (BBLAM), Krungsri Asset Management (KSAM), and K-Asset. You can switch into a single Thai ESGX fund regardless of which AMC issued the original LTFs.
Step 3. File the switch request through your bank or AMC. The 2025 process used a unified Cabinet-approved form that triggered a cross-AMC transfer. Each receiving AMC handled communications with the originating LTF managers.
Step 4. Confirm the holding period clock. The five-year lock starts the day the switch settles, not the day you filed. Get the settlement confirmation in writing.
Step 5. Claim the deduction in your annual tax filing. For 2025 switches, ฿300,000 was claimed in the 2025 tax filing (filed by 31 March 2026 for paper filers, 9 April for e-filers). The remaining ฿50,000 per year is claimed in 2026 through 2029 filings.
What to watch in case the window reopens
The Cabinet has flexibility to authorize additional swap windows. With the Bhumjaithai-led government focused on attracting capital and expanding the Thai sustainable finance market, another LTF-to-ESGX window in 2026 or 2027 isn’t off the table. If you have substantial LTF units and didn’t move in 2025, hold tight and watch for announcements through your AMC or the Revenue Department.
One marker to track: the green token initiative the SEC has been advancing. It’s part of the same broader push toward sustainable finance that drove Thai ESGX. Any related expansion of tax-incentivized vehicles would likely come with a swap mechanism.
Common mistakes
The most expensive mistake during the 2025 window was partial switches. Some investors moved only the LTF units at their main bank and forgot smaller positions elsewhere. The all-or-nothing rule meant they lost the deduction entirely. If a future window opens, the same rule will apply: every LTF unit across every AMC must move.
The second common mistake was missing the deadline. The 2025 window was eight weeks. Switches submitted on 28 June 2025 sometimes failed to settle by 30 June because of inter-AMC processing time. If you’re planning a switch in any future window, file at least two weeks before the deadline.
The third: not factoring in the five-year lock. Several investors in their late 50s switched in 2025 without considering that the units now lock until 2030, well into their retirement years. That’s a workable trade for some, a real liquidity problem for others.
