You hired a Filipino VA.
Things are going great.
Then they ask for time off.
You’re not sure what to say.
Are you supposed to pay them? How many days is normal? What if they take too much time off?
Most employers managing Filipino VAs mess this up.
Not because they’re bad people. They just never figured out the actual rules.
Here’s what usually happens:
Your VA asks for time off for a family event. You say yes because you’re nice. Then another request comes. Then another. Soon you’re wondering if you’re being too generous.
Or the opposite happens.
You deny a request because “contractors don’t get PTO.” Your best VA quits. Now you’re scrambling to replace someone who knew your entire system.
Both situations suck.
Both are completely avoidable.
This guide shows you exactly how to handle time-off requests.
How to Design Your Time-Off Policy
You need a clear policy before your VA asks for time off.
Not after. Before.
Here’s how to build one that works:
Start with annual PTO allocation
For contractors, many clients mirror the Philippine SIL standard or go slightly above it. Five to ten paid days per year after a probation period.
If your VA works part-time, prorate it. Someone working 20 hours a week shouldn’t get the same days off as someone working 40 hours.
Make the accrual rules clear. Do they get all the days on their anniversary? Do they accrue them monthly? Can they roll over unused days or do they expire?
Write this down.
Decide your holiday strategy
You have a few options here:
Option A: Pay for your country’s public holidays only. Let your VA take Philippine holidays as unpaid unless you agree otherwise case by case.
Option B: Offer a small pool of cultural days (maybe 2-3) that your VA can use for major Philippine holidays, in addition to your country’s holidays.
For actual employees in the Philippines, you don’t have a choice. Philippine regular holiday rules on pay are mandatory. Remote status doesn’t change that.
Set notice and approval rules
Require minimum notice for planned leave. Two weeks is reasonable for most businesses.
Define blackout dates during critical launches or busy periods. Make these clear upfront.
Set rules for emergency sick days. Same-day notification is usually fine, but require it in writing via Slack or email, not just a missed clock-in.
Keep records
Track all time-off requests, approvals, and how they affect pay.
For employees, the Philippine Telecommuting Act requires you to keep documents showing that telework terms were voluntarily adopted. Even for contractors, maintaining clear contracts and time-off logs protects you if there’s ever a dispute.
If you’re withholding tax or providing BIR forms, those records need to match your time-off and payment records.
Make it accessible
Your VA should be able to see their remaining balance, submit requests easily, and get quick approval or denial.
Some platforms let you track leave for contractors as a courtesy feature. That doesn’t turn contractors into employees, but it does make your life easier.
The goal is to remove ambiguity.
Your VA should never wonder if asking for time off will annoy you or put their job at risk.
What About Sick Days
Sick days are different from vacation days.
Most clients handle them as unpaid for contractors, but don’t make the VA jump through hoops to report them.
If your VA is genuinely sick, they should be able to send a quick message in the morning saying they’re not working that day.
Requiring a doctor’s note for a contractor in the Philippines is usually overkill unless it’s an extended absence.
For employees, Philippine law treats sick leave differently depending on whether it’s a government mandate (SSS sickness benefit) or company policy.
Service Incentive Leave can be used for sick days, but many employers separate vacation and sick leave in their policies.
The main thing is to be humane about it.
When to Say No
Sometimes you need to deny a time-off request.
That’s okay.
If it’s during a critical deadline and you genuinely can’t function without that person, say no.
But give them an alternative.
The goal is to show you’re trying to accommodate them while meeting your business needs.
What destroys trust is arbitrary denials with no explanation or alternative.
“No, you can’t have that day off” with nothing else kills morale fast.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: No written policy
The biggest mistake is handling every request ad hoc. You say yes when you’re in a good mood and no when you’re stressed. Your VA never knows what to expect.
Write it down. Even if it’s just a Google Doc.
Mistake 2: Treating contractors like employees (or vice versa)
If you’re paying someone as a contractor, don’t require them to work specific hours like an employee. If you’re treating them like an employee with fixed schedules and direct supervision, don’t be surprised when a labor audit says they should have been getting employee benefits.
Match your policy to their actual classification.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Philippine holidays completely
Even if your VA is a contractor and you’re not legally required to pay for Philippine holidays, completely ignoring them sends a message that you don’t care about their culture.
At minimum, acknowledge major holidays and be flexible about unpaid time off for them.
Mistake 4: Making them feel guilty for asking
Your VA should never feel like asking for time off is risking their job. If they’re following your policy and giving proper notice, approve it without drama.
Sighing heavily or making comments about how inconvenient it is makes them stop asking. Then they either burn out or quit.
Mistake 5: Changing the rules retroactively
If you said they have 5 paid days and they’ve already planned to use them, don’t suddenly decide they need to make up those hours instead.
Honor what you agreed to.
The Bottom Line
Handling time-off requests for Filipino VAs doesn’t have to be complicated.
Most employers mess this up because they never took the time to think it through. They just react to each request as it comes and hope it works out.
That’s a recipe for resentment on both sides.
Your VA wants to know they can take time off without drama or risking their income.
You want to know you’ll have coverage when you need it and that you’re not being taken advantage of.
A clear policy gives both of you that certainty.
Set it up once. Communicate it clearly. Stick to it.
Then time-off requests stop being a source of stress and become just another part of running a remote team smoothly.