A Human+ Guide for International Families
Moving to the Philippines? Build your household right.
The laws, the norms, the real costs, and the 30-day checklist — everything the relocation brochures skip.
A plain-language guide to hiring household staff in the Philippines for expat and international families — Batas Kasambahay obligations, wages and benefits, live-in norms, and screening.
Forget the system you came from
If you're arriving from Hong Kong, Singapore, or the Gulf, unlearn that model first. There is no sponsor-visa system, no government levy, no bonded helper scheme here. Your household professional is a Filipino citizen working in her own country — she needs no work permit, and you need no sponsorship approval to employ her.
What replaces all of that is simpler and more personal: you are the direct employer, under a dedicated law — Republic Act 10361, the Batas Kasambahay — whose scope is written into its own text: it applies to all domestic workers employed and working within the Philippines. Foreign resident employers hire under the same standards as Filipino families. The law is short, humane, and very manageable; most of what it asks is what a decent employer would do anyway.
One scope note before we start: this guide covers household employment rules. Your own visa, residency, or diplomatic status is a separate matter entirely — that belongs with your immigration counsel.
Who you can hire — three roles, three legal frames
RA 10361 · Batas Kasambahay
Kasambahay — the household professional
General househelp, cook, laundress, non-medical yaya (nanny), and elderly sitters. This is the core category and the law that governs wages, rest, benefits, and dignity for most household roles.
RA 11965 · Caregivers' Welfare Act
Duly qualified caregivers
For personal, medical-adjacent, or specialized care — "duly qualified caregivers" under the 2023 Caregivers' Welfare Act: TESDA-certified or assessed caregivers, or licensed health professionals. If a parent or family member needs genuine care work rather than companionship, this is the category to hire in.
Civil Code, Arts. 1689–1699
Family drivers
Drivers sit under the Civil Code's household-service rules — Articles 1689, 1697, and 1699 in particular — rather than the Batas Kasambahay, per the Supreme Court's ruling in Atienza v. Saluta, G.R. No. 233413 (2019). Different framework, different terms — worth knowing before you hand over the car keys.
Source: Atienza v. Saluta, G.R. No. 233413 (Supreme Court E-Library)
Source: Republic Act No. 10361 (Lawphil)
What the law asks of you
These are the employer obligations under the Batas Kasambahay — the honest, complete list:
Your obligations as a household employer
Live-in, live-out, and what's normal here
Live-in arrangements remain common in Metro Manila — most condos above a certain bracket have maid's quarters, and villages assume household staff in their design. Live-out arrangements are growing, especially for cooks and cleaners on defined schedules. Neither is "more correct"; what matters is that the arrangement, the rest schedule, and the house rules are agreed before day one rather than discovered during a disagreement.
Two cultural notes worth more than a dozen guidebooks. First, communication runs indirect: a hesitant "yes po" can mean "I'll try," and concerns often surface sideways rather than head-on — ask open questions, and make it safe to say no. Second, her family is part of the arrangement whether visible or not: many household professionals support children or parents in the province, remittances and the Sunday video call are sacred, and an employer who respects that — rather than resenting it — earns a loyalty no salary can buy.
What it actually costs
Transparent numbers, because opacity is how families get burned here:
- Monthly wage: ₱7,800 is the NCR legal floor; ₱12,000+ (roughly US$210 at the time of writing) is where every MaidProvider.ph placement starts, and specialized roles (infant nanny, Caregiver Pro, Family Driver Pro) run higher with experience.
- Statutory add-ons: SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions, plus the 13th month accrual — budget roughly one additional month's wage across the year plus the monthly contributions.
- Agency placement: a one-time ₱28,000 (VAT-inclusive; roughly US$490 at the time of writing) for new families with MaidProvider.ph — you interview before you pay, and the fee is covered by the Six-Month Protection Standard™: days 1–30 free replacement, days 31–180 replacement with a ₱5,000 rescreening, up to three replacements.
The verification problem — and why it matters more here
Here is the honest difference from the systems you may know: the Philippines has no centralized helper registry. No government database of employment histories, no standardized exit reports. Verification is entirely on the hiring side — which is why it's the thing to be most careful about, and why "my friend's cousin knows someone" is how most bad placements begin.
A DOLE-licensed Private Employment Agency exists to close that gap. Ours closes it with the Security Double-Lock™ — Lock 1: the National Dual-Audit™ (NPCS screening across all 18 regions plus NBI biometric verification), and Lock 2: clinical psychological screening at Manila Doctors Hospital — alongside source-verified documents, employer calls, and health screening. If you hire directly instead, at minimum learn what NBI, police, and barangay clearances actually verify — and what they don't.
One more check — on the agency itself
Agency scams target newcomers specifically. Before sending money to any agency, run the five-check test from our verification essay: DOLE PEA license (ours is M-24-04-034), SEC registration (CS201312638), a physical office and landline, named verifiable people, and verified official pages. Run it on us first.
Your first 30 days
The 30-day household checklist
From signed contract to settled routine — in order.
- Sign the written contract before work begins, in a language both sides fully understand, with her copy handed over.
- Register: SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG as her household employer, and the Registry of Domestic Workers at your barangay hall.
- Set the money rhythm: monthly cash payment with a payslip, contributions calendared, 13th month accruing from day one.
- Agree the house rules in writing: rest day, quiet hours, visitors, and a fair phone agreement — and disclose any cameras, room by room.
- Walk the neighborhood together: building admin and staff ID requirements (most Manila condos issue helper IDs), the wet market, the clinic, the barangay hall, emergency numbers on the fridge.
- Schedule the first check-in at week two — small frictions surface early and settle easily when they're invited rather than suppressed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
This guide explains Philippine law and practice in plain language for general information. It isn't legal or immigration advice — your own visa and residency status is a separate matter for your immigration counsel, and specific employment situations deserve advice from counsel who knows the facts.
"The standard is not perfection. The standard is accountability. Documented. Visible. Lived."
— The Human+ Standard
New to the Philippines? Start with a verified household.
Our Care Team works with international families every week — from the first contract to the standards that make placements last. English-speaking, LinkedIn-verified, and happy to walk you through everything above.
DOLE PEA License M-24-04-034 · Setting the standard since 2009