Employer of Record in the Philippines: 2026 Guide

Remote operates its own corporation in the Philippines and handles SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG enrollment and monthly contributions directly. Employment contracts comply with the Labor Code and include DOLE-required provisions for regular employment, probationary terms, and security of tenure.

The platform calculates 13th-month pay correctly — 1/12 of total basic salary earned during the calendar year, paid by December 24. Remote also handles the de minimis benefits (rice allowance, clothing allowance, medical cash allowance) that are common in Philippine compensation and have specific tax-exempt thresholds under BIR regulations.

Remote's IP Guard is configured for Philippine IP law, which follows the Intellectual Property Code (RA 8293). Employment contracts include work-for-hire provisions that properly assign copyright and patent rights to the client company.

Multiplier's Southeast Asian focus translates to strong Philippine operations. Their local team understands the nuances of the Philippine Labor Code including the distinction between regular and project employees, the requirements for just cause vs. authorized cause termination, and the 30-day notice to DOLE for retrenchment.

The platform manages all mandatory contributions: SSS (employer share of 9.5% on monthly salary credit), PhilHealth (2.25% employer), and Pag-IBIG (2% employer, capped at PHP 200/month for the mandatory component). Payroll includes BIR withholding tax calculations and generation of BIR Form 2316.

Multiplier offers HMO (private health insurance) as a standard benefit for Philippine employees, which is essential — Philippine employers are expected to provide HMO coverage even though it is not legally required. Not offering it signals a substandard employer.

The Philippines is one of the most common markets for contractor-to-employee conversion. Many companies start by engaging Filipino freelancers on contractor agreements and later want to formalize the relationship. Deel provides a structured conversion path that handles the legal transition, SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG enrollment, and contract reclassification.

Deel's Philippine EOR covers all mandatory contributions, 13th-month pay, and BIR compliance. The platform also supports the calculation of separation pay under the Labor Code — one month pay per year of service for authorized cause termination, or half month per year for certain grounds.

Equipment provisioning through Deel IT is available in Metro Manila and Cebu, which is useful for companies setting up remote employees who need company-provided hardware.

Skuad's $299/mo rate for the Philippines aligns better with local salary levels. A mid-level developer in Metro Manila earns PHP 60,000-120,000/month ($1,100-2,200), so the EOR fee represents 14-27% of compensation rather than the 27-55% that $599 providers add.

The platform handles SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and BIR withholding tax. Employment contracts comply with DOLE requirements for regular employment. 13th-month pay is calculated and distributed by the December deadline.

Skuad's combined contractor and employee management is particularly useful in the Philippines, where teams often include a mix of full-time employees and project-based contractors under different engagement models.

At $199/mo per employee, Remofirst is the cheapest way to employ someone in the Philippines through an EOR. For companies hiring their first VA, customer support rep, or junior developer in the Philippines, this keeps the total cost manageable.

Core compliance is covered: SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG enrollment and contributions, BIR withholding tax, and 13th-month pay. Employment contracts meet Labor Code requirements for regular employment status.

The tradeoff is minimal benefits beyond statutory requirements. Philippine employees expect HMO coverage, and Remofirst does not include it by default. You will need to arrange supplemental health insurance separately or accept that your offer will be less competitive.

G-P's Philippine operation handles the Labor Code's stringent termination requirements, which are among the strictest in Asia. Security of tenure is a constitutional right in the Philippines, and dismissal requires either just cause (employee misconduct) or authorized cause (business necessity), each with specific procedural requirements.

The platform supports twin-notice termination (for just cause: notice of charges, hearing opportunity, notice of decision) and the DOLE 30-day advance filing for authorized cause termination. G-P's local legal team can represent the employer in NLRC (National Labor Relations Commission) proceedings if disputes arise.

G-P also handles the complexity of Philippine holiday pay — with regular holidays, special non-working days, and the varying pay rates for work performed on each. This is one of the most error-prone areas in Philippine payroll.

Rippling's Philippines EOR fits into their broader platform, making it suitable for companies already using Rippling for US or other operations. Philippine employees are managed in the same system as everyone else — same onboarding workflows, same IT provisioning, same benefits enrollment interface.

For the Philippines specifically, Rippling handles SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, BIR, and 13th-month pay. The platform supports the salary structure common in Philippine employment: basic pay plus de minimis allowances (rice, clothing, laundry, medical) configured within their tax-exempt limits.

The main value is consolidation. The limitation is that Philippine-specific complexities like DOLE compliance, Labor Code termination procedures, and NLRC proceedings require deeper local expertise than a platform-first provider typically offers.

Velocity Global assigns dedicated local counsel to Philippine engagements, providing advisory on the Labor Code's complex provisions. This is particularly valuable for the first termination you handle — getting it wrong in the Philippines can result in reinstatement with full back wages, which is a severe financial penalty.

The platform manages all statutory contributions, 13th-month pay, and BIR compliance. Velocity Global also helps structure competitive benefits packages that include HMO coverage, life insurance, and performance bonuses common in the Philippine market.

Their Philippine team provides salary benchmarking by role and location, differentiating between Metro Manila rates and the lower salary expectations in Cebu, Davao, and Clark/Pampanga where many BPO operations are based.