🇵🇭 Lawful hiring · fair work · child safety
Domestic help and nannies in the Philippines
The Philippines has one of the region's clearest sets of household-employment rules. The Batas Kasambahay covers domestic workers such as general househelp, a nursemaid or yaya, cook, gardener and laundry person, and sets out specific duties for employers.
Last verified 29 August 2026
The short answer
Can a family hire domestic help in the Philippines?
A family directly employing a regular yaya or kasambahay should use the required written contract, pay at least the current regional kasambahay minimum, provide statutory rest and benefits, pay 13th-month pay, register the worker locally and enrol/report them through the unified SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG process. A cleaning-company worker who only visits occasionally may sit outside the Act's domestic-worker definition, so identify the relationship first.
Choose the type of help you need
Four arrangements with different responsibilities
A worker supplied by a company, a part-time household worker and a live-in nanny can create different employment, immigration, insurance and safeguarding responsibilities.
Cleaning company
Occasional or service-based cleaning
Direct kasambahay hire
Regular household work
Yaya / nursemaid
Regular childcare within the household
Licensed private employment agency
Recruitment and placement
Your responsibilities as an employer
What the rules mean for your family
Use this as a starting point, then confirm the current requirements with the relevant authority or a qualified local adviser. Swipe the table on smaller screens.
| Topic | Current position | What the family should do |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | RA 10361 covers a domestic employment relationship including general househelp, yaya, cook, gardener and laundry person; occasional, sporadic non-occupational work is excluded. | Classify the real relationship by regularity and control, not the label on a message thread. |
| Written contract | The Act gives the worker a right to a written employment contract and a copy in a language or dialect understood by both parties. | Use the DOLE form/current guidance and add a child-safeguarding schedule without removing legal rights. |
| Pay and benefits | Use the current regional domestic-worker wage order; eligible workers also receive 13th-month pay and five days' paid service-incentive leave after the statutory service period. | Check NWPC for the exact region and effective date, then keep wage, leave and 13th-month records. |
| Rest and living conditions | The Act includes eight hours' daily rest, 24 consecutive hours' weekly rest, humane sleeping arrangements, adequate meals, medical attendance and privacy. | Write a weekly roster; a live-in worker is not available continuously and cannot lose food or lodging as punishment. |
| Registration | Employers register domestic workers with the barangay and use the unified SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG system; SSS says reporting is due within 30 days of hiring. | Obtain the household-employer IDs, report the worker and calendar contributions from the start. |
| Recruitment and deductions | The law regulates private agencies and protects the worker from recruitment/placement fees; wage deductions and deposits are restricted. | Get an itemised agency invoice and never transfer an employer recruitment fee or unexplained debt to the worker. |
What matters most
Four protections every kasambahay arrangement needs
Calling a worker 'part of the family' does not replace clear pay, time off, benefits and respectful working conditions.
The job is knowable
Duties, hours, pay, rest, leave, accommodation and ending terms are written and understood.
Rest is protected
Daily and weekly rest, leave and personal time exist in the real roster, including for live-in workers.
Benefits are registered
Barangay records and SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG reporting are completed and contributions evidenced.
Home is a safe workplace
Meals, sleep, privacy, communication, faith and freedom from abuse are practical rights.
Hiring a nanny also means making safeguarding checks
Employment checks and child-safety checks are different
Lawful status does not prove childcare competence, and a warm reference does not prove lawful status. Complete both sets of checks before anyone provides sole-charge care.
The law is the floor
A written contract and registrations do not prove childcare competence. Verify identity and direct references for the relevant child ages.
Agree household authority
List authorised collectors, school contacts, spending limits, medical consent, visitors and when the yaya may leave the home with a child.
Prepare for disruption
Practise typhoon, flood, earthquake, fire, power-loss and family-separation procedures; make contacts and documents available offline.
No role inflation
A yaya should not silently become cleaner, cook, tutor, driver and business worker. Recontract and repay when responsibilities genuinely change.
Immediate red flags: pressure to retain a passport, unexplained recruitment debt, no private contact with the worker, resistance to direct references, a role or employer that does not match permission, or a request to hide the arrangement from an authority.
Research from home
Five steps to hiring safely and fairly
Use these steps before a scouting trip or move. They help you turn a vague plan to “get a helper” into specific checks, questions and records.
- 01
Identify the relationship
Separate occasional company cleaning from a regular household-controlled kasambahay or yaya role.
- 02
Verify and interview
Check identity and references directly; use the family's child ages, language, medical and transport scenarios.
- 03
Check the regional floor
Open the current NWPC wage order for the place and calculate salary, 13th month, leave and contributions.
- 04
Contract and register
Sign understandable terms, complete barangay registration and use the unified SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG process.
- 05
Document the employment
Keep payroll, leave, contributions, changed duties, incidents and the certificate/final settlement when employment ends.
Budget for more than the wage
Work out the complete cost of employing someone
Figures date quickly and roles differ. Collect current written quotes, then compare every required cost on the same basis.
Regional minimum + experience
Kasambahay wage orders vary by region and effective date; a skilled yaya may command more than the floor.
13th-month pay
This is a statutory benefit, not a discretionary Christmas gift.
SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG
Use the current unified contribution rules and household-employer schedule.
Meals, room and medical support
For live-in arrangements these are protected necessities, not wage substitutes or discipline tools.
Rest and leave cover
Daily, weekly and annual protections require another plan for childcare and household work.
Agency/recruitment
The worker should not bear prohibited recruitment or placement charges; price legitimate employer fees openly.
How local arrangements differ
What to expect in different places
- Metro Manila
- Deepest candidate and agency market; long commutes can make live-out shifts fragile.
- Cebu
- Strong local market, but use the Region VII wage order and test cross-city travel.
- Dumaguete
- Smaller referral network; verify specialist child experience rather than relying on social familiarity.
- Key warning
- Minimum wages are regional—an old national figure is not safe evidence.
Continue the family research
Make domestic help part of the wider family plan
Domestic help cannot solve an impossible school run, unsuitable visa or unaffordable budget. Consider it alongside the rest of your household plan.
Common questions
Questions about domestic help and nannies in the Philippines
What is a kasambahay?
RA 10361 defines a domestic worker or kasambahay as a person in domestic employment, including general househelp, nursemaid/yaya, cook, gardener or laundry person. Someone who performs domestic work only occasionally or sporadically and not occupationally is excluded.
Does a yaya need a written contract in the Philippines?
Yes, a yaya within a domestic employment relationship is covered by the Batas Kasambahay. The worker has a right to a written contract and a copy in a language or dialect both parties understand.
How much is the minimum wage for a kasambahay?
It depends on the regional wage order and its effective date. Use the National Wages and Productivity Commission's current matrix or regional board page. Do not rely on an old Manila, Cebu or provincial figure copied into a blog.
What benefits must a household employer provide?
Core benefits include the regional minimum wage, 13th-month pay, qualifying service-incentive leave, daily and weekly rest, SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG coverage, and live-in protections such as meals, humane sleeping arrangements, medical attention and privacy.
When must a kasambahay be registered with SSS?
SSS's current household-employer guidance says the worker should be reported for coverage within 30 days of hiring. The unified system connects SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG registration; barangay registration is a separate Batas Kasambahay duty.
Can an employer deduct agency fees from a kasambahay?
The Batas Kasambahay protects workers from recruitment or placement fees and restricts deductions and deposits. Obtain current DOLE advice before any deduction; normal employer recruitment costs should not be shifted into worker debt.
Can a kasambahay work in the employer's business?
Domestic work is for the household. DOLE guidance says non-household commercial, industrial or agricultural work is not something to assign casually. Obtain advice and a separate lawful arrangement rather than extending the household contract.
Does calling a yaya 'part of the family' change the law?
No. Warmth and inclusion do not replace wages, rest, benefits, privacy, registration or a written contract. Family language can become harmful if it is used to blur working time or prevent a worker asserting rights.