Country file
What it costs an employer to hire in Philippines
An employer in the Philippines pays ₱1,374,761 on a gross salary of ₱1,200,000. That is 14.6% more than the salary.
At ₱2,400,000 the employer adds 11.4%, because the contribution ceilings start to bite.
Every rate below comes from a statutory source with the date it was read. The figures are for 2026.
A mid salary of ₱1,200,000
| Contribution | Rate | Annual base charged | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSS, employer share | 10.00% | ₱420,000 | ₱42,000 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| PhilHealth, employer share, half of the 5% premium | 2.50% | ₱1,200,000 | ₱30,000 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| Pag-IBIG, housing fund, employer share | 2.00% | ₱120,000 | ₱2,400 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| SSS Employees' Compensation, employer-paid | 0.09% | ₱420,000 | ₱361 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| Statutory employer contributions | ₱74,761 |
Scroll sideways on a phone.
| Gross salary | ₱1,200,000 |
| Statutory employer contributions | ₱74,761 |
| Mandatory extra pay (1 months) | ₱100,000 |
| Total employer cost | ₱1,374,761 |
| Added on top of the salary | 14.6% |
A senior salary of ₱2,400,000
| Contribution | Rate | Annual base charged | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSS, employer share | 10.00% | ₱420,000 | ₱42,000 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| PhilHealth, employer share, half of the 5% premium | 2.50% | ₱1,200,000 | ₱30,000 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| Pag-IBIG, housing fund, employer share | 2.00% | ₱120,000 | ₱2,400 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| SSS Employees' Compensation, employer-paid | 0.09% | ₱420,000 | ₱361 | source checked 2026-08-21 |
| Statutory employer contributions | ₱74,761 |
Scroll sideways on a phone.
| Gross salary | ₱2,400,000 |
| Statutory employer contributions | ₱74,761 |
| Mandatory extra pay (1 months) | ₱200,000 |
| Total employer cost | ₱2,674,761 |
| Added on top of the salary | 11.4% |
The formula
Each ceiling above applies only to its own line, which is why the employer percentage for Philippines is not the same at both salaries. Employer contribution ceilings, country by country lists where every ceiling on this site sits.
Time off, extra pay and leaving
| Statutory paid leave | 5 days |
| Public holidays | 12 |
| Mandatory extra pay | 1 months |
| Minimum employer notice | 4 weeks |
Service Incentive Leave is five paid days a year after one year of service, under Article 95 of the Labor Code. There are 12 regular holidays, paid even when not worked, plus special non-working days proclaimed each year.
13th month pay is statutory under Presidential Decree 851 for every rank-and-file employee with at least one month of service, equal to the total basic salary earned in the year divided by twelve.
Termination for an authorized cause such as redundancy is one month's pay or one month per year of service, whichever is higher. Retrenchment or closure due to losses is half a month per year of service (Article 298).
What the percentage hides
Every one of the four employer charges is capped, and the caps are low: the SSS monthly salary credit tops out at 35,000 pesos and Pag-IBIG at 10,000 pesos a month. Above those levels the marginal statutory cost is zero, so the employer burden on a senior salary is very small in percentage terms.
The Pag-IBIG monthly compensation ceiling of 10,000 pesos means the 2% employer rate yields at most 200 pesos a month whatever the salary.
PhilHealth's 5% premium for 2026 is described by the Philippine Information Agency as the final scheduled adjustment under the Universal Health Care Act.
Not confirmed on a statutory source, and therefore not in any figure above: a machine-readable SSS circular from sss.gov.ph (the table is an image); the count of special non-working days, set by proclamation each year.
Using an employer of record in the Philippines
Everything above is what the state takes. An employer of record adds its own fee on top, and that fee is a flat monthly amount rather than a percentage, so it weighs far more on a junior salary than a senior one. The published prices are here, and the calculator will add one to the figures on this page.
Compare with another country
- Philippines compared with United States
- Philippines compared with United Kingdom
- Philippines compared with Germany
- Philippines compared with France
- Philippines compared with Netherlands
- Philippines compared with Spain
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the providers named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Page last updated 2026-08-30. Sources: statutory bodies only, listed per figure. Rates last verified 2026-08-21. This is not legal, tax or payroll advice and we do not file anyone's payroll.
Every formula on this site is written out in full on Method. Ordering is by computed cost, never by what a provider pays us.
Corrections: contact form.