How to Set Your Rate as a Helper in the Philippines

TL;DR: Start with the legal wage floor for the place where you will work, then price the real duties, hours, responsibility, commute or live-in arrangement, and experience. State a narrow range, ask for the full offer in writing, and never accept a placement fee, withheld document, or vague promise that pay will be fixed later.

Setting your rate is not about picking the biggest number you can say with a straight face. It is about matching the money to the work, the time, the responsibility, and the cost of showing up — while knowing the legal floor below which the conversation should not go.

Your rate also helps a family decide whether it has described the job honestly. A household that wants childcare, cooking, laundry, errands, overnight availability, and driving is not asking for one tiny task. A clear rate makes the scope visible before either side commits.

The rules behind the floor and deductions are in Republic Act No. 10361, and the SSS household-employer guidance explains how the employer reports a kasambahay and handles the worker share. Use the official pages when a family proposes a term that sounds different from the written agreement.

Start with the legal floor

If you regularly perform domestic work in one household, you may be a kasambahay under Republic Act No. 10361, even if the family calls you a yaya, nanny, cook, cleaner, caregiver, or general helper. The minimum monthly wage is set by the regional wage board. It is not one national number.

The NWPC consolidated table dated 9 July 2026 lists ₱7,800 a month for NCR under Wage Order NCR-DW-06, effective 7 February 2026. Other regions have their own figures, and Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula still show separate amounts for cities or first-class municipalities and other municipalities in that table. The NWPC RA 10361 resource page also links the implementing rules and contract material. Check the place where you will actually work, not where you live now.

The floor is the minimum lawful cash wage. It is not automatically a fair market offer for every role. Do not let a family present the floor as a complete budget: meals, safe lodging for live-in work, statutory contributions, rest, and 13th-month pay sit alongside the cash wage.

There are important classification boundaries. Family drivers and occasional service providers are not covered by the kasambahay wage order in the NCR domestic-worker order. A certified caregiver may be covered by the Caregivers Welfare Act instead. If the role is mixed, ask the family to describe and price each responsibility rather than squeezing everything into “helper.”

Build your personal minimum

The regional floor answers “what is the least lawful cash wage?” Your personal minimum answers “what can I accept and still make this job work?” Write it down privately before you negotiate.

Add up:

• daily transport, or the value of the time you give up in a live-in arrangement;
• mobile data and calls used to communicate about work;
• uniforms, shoes, tools, or supplies you are genuinely expected to provide;
• food and housing costs you still pay yourself;
• the value of the skills and experience you bring;
• the schedule cost of nights, weekends, holidays, split shifts, or being unable to take another job; and
• an emergency margin for a late payment, a gap between jobs, or a necessary trip home.

Do not turn this into a demand that a family pay your entire personal budget. It is a way to see the number below which you will resent the work or be unable to stay.

Price the actual job, not the title

Ask the family to walk through a normal week. Then separate the work into categories:

Each “yes” adds responsibility or time. You do not need a separate fee for every small household task, but the monthly rate should reflect the complete list. If the list grows after you start, ask for a written review instead of silently absorbing the work.

Use experience as evidence

Experience matters most when you make it specific. Instead of saying “I am experienced,” prepare a short record:

• ages and number of children or adults you supported;
• length of each placement and the duties you handled;
• routines you can perform independently, such as infant feeding, school runs, meal preparation, laundry, or mobility support;
• training such as first aid, CPR, TESDA certificates, caregiving coursework, or a driving licence where relevant;
• languages you can use with the household; and
• recent references or platform reviews that confirm the work.

A family should pay for responsibility it needs, not for a vague promise. A helper who has handled newborn routines safely can explain that value. A helper who can cook the family’s regular meals can describe the menu, shopping, and kitchen tasks. A helper who has cared for an older adult can clearly state which tasks were household support and which required professional instruction.

Compare with a range, not one magic figure

Helpers.ph’s salary guide and calculator are starting points, not promises or quotes from every family. The estimator currently illustrates live-out monthly ranges such as:

These are Helpers estimator figures, rounded to simple planning ranges. They are not a guarantee of the rate a family will offer, and they do not settle whether a particular job is governed by RA 10361 or another rule. The salary guide explains the assumptions and the difference between a market estimate and a legal minimum.

Use three numbers:

1. Your floor. The minimum you can accept after transport, time, responsibilities, and legal requirements.
2. Your target. The rate you would be happy to accept for this exact role.
3. Your opening range. A range slightly above your target that leaves room to discuss the job without dropping below your floor.

Do not quote a range so wide that it means nothing. “₱8,000 to ₱20,000” makes the family guess which worker you are. A narrower range signals that you have thought about the role.

Live-in is not automatically cheaper

Live-in work may remove a commute and give you meals or a room, but it also changes your privacy, availability, and ability to leave work behind. A room is not a substitute for a legal cash wage. A family should not subtract food, lodging, or household costs from the minimum wage.

Before accepting live-in work, ask:

• Is the sleeping space private, safe, ventilated, and lockable?
• Can you use your phone and communicate privately during rest time?
• When does your workday end, and what happens if the family wakes you at night?
• Which meals are provided and what happens on your rest day?
• Can you leave the home during time off?
• Are there cameras, and where are they located?

Put the answers in the contract. If the family says “you are always part of the family,” bring the conversation back to hours, rest, privacy, and pay. Warmth is welcome; ambiguity is expensive.

Separate salary from deductions and benefits

Ask for the basic monthly salary in pesos and the payday. The Batas Kasambahay requires wages to be paid directly and on time at least once a month, with a payslip showing the amount paid and deductions.

After at least one month of service, a kasambahay is covered by SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG under Section 30 of RA 10361. The employer remits the contributions. A proportionate worker share may be deducted under the relevant rules once monthly pay reaches ₱5,000, but the employer’s share is not your salary deduction. Ask the family:

• when they will register you;
• what the employer and worker shares will be;
• how each deduction will appear on the payslip; and
• who keeps proof of payment.

You are also entitled to 13th-month pay based on basic salary earned during the calendar year. Keep your own record of monthly pay so you can check the calculation. Use the 13th-month calculator when your salary changes or you worked only part of the year.

Ask for the full offer in writing

Before you accept, send a message that confirms:

“To confirm our agreement: I will work as [role] at [address] from [days and hours]. The duties are [list]. The monthly basic salary is ₱[amount], paid on [date or schedule]. My weekly rest day is [day]. The live-in room/meals/transport are [terms]. Extra hours, driving, travel, or added duties will be discussed and agreed in writing. SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, 13th-month pay, and the payslip will follow the applicable rules.”

Then sign the written kasambahay contract before work starts. A contract protects you too: it gives you something concrete to point to when a “small favour” becomes a second job.

Negotiate without apologising

Use a calm three-part sentence:

1. acknowledge the role;
2. give your rate and the reason; and
3. ask whether the family can meet it or adjust the duties.

For example: “I’m interested in caring for your two children. With the live-out commute and the school-run schedule, I’m looking for ₱12,000–₱14,000 per month. If the budget is lower, could we remove whole-house laundry or agree a different schedule?”

That is not being difficult. It is making the trade-off visible. Never agree to a low rate because the family promises to “increase it later.” Ask what milestone, date, and written change will trigger the review.

When to raise your rate

Review your rate every six to twelve months, or sooner when:

• the number or age-related needs of the children change;
• the family adds cooking, laundry, errands, driving, travel, or overnight care;
• you complete training or take on higher-risk responsibilities;
• your commute, schedule, or rest day changes;
• you have new references and completed work to show; or
• the regional minimum wage changes.

Bring evidence: the old and new duty list, your reliability record, training, references, and the amount of extra time. Give the family enough notice to decide. If they cannot afford the new rate, negotiate the scope or choose an orderly end date rather than continuing an arrangement that no longer works.

Protect yourself from hiring scams

You should not have to pay a placement or processing fee to be considered for a household job. Be cautious when someone asks for money before an interview, wants your original passport or ID, refuses to state the wage and schedule, or insists that you work unpaid “training” for an extended period.

Keep your own copies of the contract, payslips, messages, payment records, and reference contacts. Meet or interview through a safe process, tell someone where you are going, and do not share passwords, banking PINs, or private documents in an open chat. If a family becomes threatening, withholds wages, or controls your documents, prioritise your safety and contact a trusted person or the appropriate local support service.

Your rate in one sentence

Your rate is the cash value of a specific job, on a specific schedule, with specific responsibilities. Start at the regional legal floor, add the value of your skills and time, account for live-in or commute realities, state what is included, and put the agreement in writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I say when a family asks, “How much do you want?”

Give a range and tie it to the job they described: “For two children, school runs, cooking for the children, and a live-out Monday-to-Friday schedule, I am looking for ₱X–₱Y per month.” Then ask whether the family agrees on the duties, hours, payday, rest day, and benefits. A rate without a scope is only a number waiting to be misunderstood.

Can I charge more for extra children or difficult care?

You can negotiate a different rate when the responsibility is different. State what makes the work more demanding: additional children, infant or overnight care, mobility support, medication reminders, pets, travel, cooking for the whole household, or a split schedule. Do not claim a qualification you do not hold; describe the tasks you have actually done and the training you have completed.

What if a family says the legal minimum is the maximum it will pay?

You can decide whether the full role is worth that offer, but you do not have to accept it. The legal minimum is the floor, and the role may require more skill or time than the floor reflects. Ask whether the family will reduce the duties, schedule, or availability expectation. If they refuse to describe the job clearly, keep looking.

Can a family ask me to pay for an NBI clearance or placement?

For a kasambahay hire, Section 12 of RA 10361 says the cost of the listed pre-employment documents is borne by the prospective employer or agency, and Section 13 prohibits charging the domestic worker a share of recruitment or finder’s fees. A first-time jobseeker may have separate government fee assistance. Confirm the current process with the issuing agency, but do not pay someone simply for access to a job.

What should I do if duties expand after I accept?

Write down the original and new duties, hours, rest-day impact, and proposed pay. Ask the family to agree to the change before you start doing it regularly. If the change is not acceptable, ask to return to the original scope or agree an orderly end. Keep the messages and payslips, and do not let a vague “small favour” become permanent unpaid work.

Your rate is easier to defend when your profile shows the same evidence: the roles you have held, children or adults you have supported, specific household skills, availability, references, and the range you expect. Create or update your helper profile, show your rate clearly, and apply only to jobs whose terms you can understand and accept.