Remote teams in the Philippines follow a holiday calendar that looks nothing like what you’re used to back in the States.
You might think holidays are straightforward until payday rolls around during Holy Week and you realize you’re not sure what you owe your team or if they even need to work at all.
Even if you hired your VAs as independent contractors, understanding these holidays helps you maintain good relationships and avoid awkward situations when everyone else in their country has the day off.
Getting ahead of this creates clarity for both sides and shows you respect the local culture your team works in.
Building a Holiday Schedule That Works for Remote Filipino Teams
A good holiday coverage plan saves you from scrambling at the last minute and keeps everyone on the same page. Here’s what you need to put in place:
Publish Your Holiday Calendar Early
Start by publishing both the Philippine national holiday calendar and your company’s observed US holidays at the beginning of the year. Don’t make people guess which days are off or which ones require coverage.
Document Your Pay Policy in Writing
Clarify your pay policy in writing. If you’re going beyond the legal minimum (which some companies do for special non-working days), spell that out. If you’re implementing a floating holiday system, explain how it works and when requests need to be submitted.
Configure Payroll Tools Correctly
Payment platforms like Wise handle the transfer side, but calculating holiday pay is still your responsibility. If you’re using payroll software, make sure it’s configured to apply the correct Philippine holiday rates.
Complete List of Philippine Regular Holidays in 2025
Regular holidays are the major national observances in the country. If your using an Employer to Labor Code Article 94 requires you to pay 200% of the daily wage if someone works on these days, and 100% even if they don’t work.
Many employers new to hiring Filipino teams mistakenly think paid time off is optional, but Philippine law treats regular holiday pay as a legal requirement, not a perk.
Regular holidays in 2025 include:
- New Year’s Day (January 1)
- Araw ng Kagitingan (April 9)
- Maundy Thursday (April 17)
- Good Friday (April 18)
- Labor Day (May 1)
- Independence Day (June 12)
- National Heroes Day (August 25)
- Bonifacio Day (November 30)
- Christmas Day (December 25)
- Rizal Day (December 30)
Special Non-Working Holidays
Special non-working holidays include observances where “no work, no pay” generally applies unless your contract states otherwise. VAs who do work on special non-working days earn 130% of their daily rate.
The government designates these to honor cultural or historical events, but they don’t carry the same mandatory paid time off as regular holidays.
Special non-working holidays in 2025 include:
- Chinese New Year (January 29)
- Ninoy Aquino Day (August 21)
- All Saints’ Day (November 1)
- All Souls’ Day (November 2)
- Christmas Eve (December 24)
- New Year’s Eve (December 31)
How to Compute Holiday Pay for Filipino Virtual Assistants
Numbers are where most employers trip up, so pay close attention here. The Department of Labor and Employment publishes official rates every year, and you can’t negotiate around them.
- Regular holiday example: Your VA earns ₱800 per day and takes Christmas off. You pay ₱800. Working that day means you pay ₱1,600. Christmas falls on their rest day and they work anyway? You owe ₱2,080.
- Special non-working day example: Same ₱800 daily rate applies. Your team member takes the day off and you don’t pay them unless your contract specifies otherwise. Working the holiday means ₱1,040. Rest day work bumps that to ₱1,200.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue treats all holiday pay as taxable compensation subject to withholding tax. Social contributions like SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG still apply to holiday pay just like regular wages.
How Most Companies Handle Holidays with Filipino Teams
Most US companies running Filipino teams use a hybrid holiday calendar. They follow the required Philippine holidays and add a few US holidays like Thanksgiving or July 4th as bonus days off.
Adding US holidays on top shows you value their time, effort and sets your company’s culture of inclusivity.
Job platforms like ManagePh recommend this approach because forcing your team to work through their country’s major holidays burns people out fast.
Some companies also offer two or three floating holidays per year. Team members can use these for personal celebrations or local festivals that aren’t national holidays.
Planning Around Holy Week and Christmas
Holy Week and Christmas-New Year represent the two biggest holiday stretches in the Philippines. Most Filipino businesses shut down almost entirely during these periods.
Holy Week 2025 runs from April 17 to April 20, with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as regular holidays. Many Filipinos take the entire week off even though only two days are legally mandated.
Christmas through New Year gets even more intense. December 24, 25, 30, and 31 all carry special or regular holiday status. Rizal Day on December 30 adds another regular holiday into that stretch.
Businesses that can’t pause operations can consider using a “compressed week” approach where team members work slightly longer days leading up to the holiday stretch so they can take more time off without disrupting deliverables.
Do Independent Contractors Get Holiday Pay in the Philippines
Unlike direct employees, contractors aren’t automatically entitled to holiday pay under Philippine labor law. However, many companies still choose to honor major holidays or include holiday pay in their contractor agreements to maintain good working relationships.
If you’re using an employer-of-record service, they handle the compliance side because they’re the legal employer.
From a US tax perspective, any payments you make to contractors, including holiday bonuses or time off compensation, get reported on 1099 forms if they exceed the annual threshold.
Keep good records of what you pay and why, especially if you’re voluntarily compensating for Philippine holidays as part of your contractor relationship.
Let ManagePh Plan Philippine Holiday Pay
Your Filipino team operates in a different labor market with different cultural expectations. Respect that reality and you build trust. Ignore it and you’re constantly putting out fires you created yourself.
Philippine holidays are straightforward once you understand them. Get them right and your team knows you’re serious about treating them fairly.
ManagePH handles time tracking, payroll, and compliance for your Filipino team all in one system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many holidays do Filipino virtual assistants get in 2025?
The Philippines observes 18 national holidays in 2025, divided into 10 regular holidays and 8 special non-working days. Most US companies add a few American holidays like Thanksgiving on top of the Philippine holidays to create a hybrid calendar.
Do I have to pay Filipino contractors for holidays?
Independent contractors in the Philippines are not automatically entitled to holiday pay. However, many companies choose to honor major Philippine holidays to maintain good relationships and respect local culture, whatever you agree to should be clearly documented in your contract.
What happens if payday falls on a Philippine holiday?
When payday falls on a Philippine holiday, you may advance payment to the preceding working day to avoid delays. Philippine banks typically suspend operations on national holidays, which can delay digital transfers and remittances.