Deputy PM Clarifies Early Retirement Payout Formula

Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapan urged the public to view the early retirement scheme as an investment in the country's future. He explained that the lump sum payment is calculated based on remaining years of service, not by multiplying the final salary, and noted that civil servants have not received pay raises for a long time due to budget constraints.

Speaking at 08:15 on November 3, 2026, at the Montatip Hall in Udon Thani Province, Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapan gave an interview summarizing the early retirement measures after rumors suggested payouts could reach up to 18 times the salary. He said he wants people to see this as doing something for the nation's future because each year a large budget is spent, and what is missing is national development. Over 70 percent of the budget goes to recurring expenses, leaving very little for development.

Mr. Pakorn said the reason civil servants have not had salary increases for a long time is that there is no money to raise them, or if they did, with so many employees each would get only a few baht because the amount must be averaged across a large denominator, which is not beneficial. Therefore, regarding how many times the payout will be, he wants people to view it as a mutual separation, not focused on how much money they will get, because ultimately when they leave everyone still needs to work; no one can live on a pension alone and must have the ability to work.

Mr. Pakorn said the calculation will follow the previous basis used, around 15 times. He confirmed there is a formula and it is not simply multiplying 15 by the final salary as reported on social media, which he said was alarming. The formula will correspond to the remaining service years of participants, not a straight multiplication, because that would create misunderstandings and incorrect expectations.

When asked if there is a chance of reaching 18 times, Mr. Pakorn said they will try to maximize it. When pressed whether those with only 1-2 years of service left would not receive that much, he agreed that was correct.

Asked when the proposal would go to the Cabinet, Mr. Pakorn said they would try to submit it within November. Currently, the Office of the Civil Service Commission, as secretary to the Committee on Civil Service Goals and Policies, is considering the details. The principles will be presented to the Cabinet first because the project requires a certain amount of funding.