You just hired your first Filipino remote worker. Or maybe your fifth. Either way, you’re staring at the same question every international employer hits eventually: how often should I actually be paying these people?
It’s not a small decision. Get it wrong and you’re either drowning in weekly payroll admin or accidentally violating Philippine labor law. Neither is great.
Let’s cut through the confusion. Here’s what you actually need to know about pay periods, what the law requires, and how to set this up so it works for both your accounting team and your remote workers.
Understanding Philippine Labor Law Requirements
According to Article 103 of the Philippine Labor Code, you must pay wages at least twice a month, at intervals not exceeding sixteen days.
Paying monthly? Not legal for employees. Doesn’t matter if that’s standard practice in your country. Doesn’t matter if your worker says they’re fine with it. The labor code is clear.
You can pay more frequently if you want. Weekly payroll is perfectly legal and actually preferred by many Filipino remote workers.
You can structure payments around project milestones or deliverables. But for ongoing work, you still can’t stretch beyond that 16-day limit.
Most international employers land on either biweekly or semi-monthly schedules. Both satisfy the legal requirement while keeping your admin and cash flow manageable.
Weekly Payroll Schedule
When you run weekly payroll, you’re processing paychecks 52 times a year. Sometimes 53, depending on how the calendar falls.
The math breaks down like this:
- 52 weeks in a standard year equals 52 paychecks
- Some years have 53 paydays when January 1 falls on certain weekdays
- Each pay period covers exactly 7 days
Weekly payroll gives you real-time visibility into labor costs. You’re reviewing hours every single week, which means you catch time tracking issues before they snowball.
If someone’s logging 60-hour weeks when you budgeted for 40, you know immediately.
The downside is exactly what you’d expect. You’re running payroll every. Single Week. That’s 52 times you’re reviewing timesheets, calculating payments, processing transfers, and updating your books.
Biweekly Payroll Schedule
Biweekly means every two weeks. Not twice a month (that’s different, we’ll get to it). Every 14 days, like clockwork.
This creates 26 pay periods in most years. Occasionally 27 when the calendar creates an extra period.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 26 two-week periods in a standard year equals 26 paychecks
- Some years include 27 pay periods based on calendar alignment
- Each pay period covers exactly 14 days
This is the most common schedule for international employers managing remote teams. It balances regular payments for workers with reasonable processing frequency for you.
Biweekly also aligns well with how most global payroll platforms operate..
Semi-Monthly Schedule
People confuse these constantly. They sound similar but work completely differently.
Semi-monthly means twice per month on specific calendar dates. Usually the 15th and last day of the month. That’s exactly 24 pay periods per year.
Here’s where it gets messy. Some periods are 13 days, others are 16. This may create confusion around hourly rates.
Biweekly maintains consistent 14-day periods year-round. Every pay period is identical.
In the Philippines, many local employers default to semi-monthly because it aligns with traditional 15th and 30th payday expectations.
Choosing The Right Pay Frequency
Your ideal schedule depends on factors specific to your team and business model.
Weekly makes sense when:
You’re mostly paying hourly workers who need immediate cash flow. Weekly paychecks matter more to people living paycheck to paycheck.
It also makes sense if your business has tight margins (You can simply terminate contracts next week) and you’ve already got payroll automation set up.
Biweekly works better when:
You’re managing salaried remote workers or contractors. You want to reduce the admin burden on your operations team.
You’re using international payment platforms that charge per transaction. You’re trying to scale past 10-15 workers without hiring dedicated payroll staff.
Semi-monthly fits if:
Your local Philippine team expects traditional 15th and 30th payments. You’re comfortable dealing with variable pay period lengths.
Align Invoice Submissions with Your Pay Schedule
Many Filipino contractors prefer submitting invoices rather than tracking hours. Your pay frequency affects this workflow too.
With weekly periods, contractors submit invoices weekly. Steady flow of paperwork, smaller individual invoices. Some contractors like this because it matches their cash flow needs. Others find it tedious.
Biweekly periods mean larger invoices covering more work. Most contractors prefer this because they’re spending less time on admin.
The critical part is aligning invoice submission deadlines with your pay period close dates. If your biweekly period ends Sunday, require invoices by Monday morning.
This gives you several days to review, request clarification if needed, approve, and process payments before payday.
Processing International Payments on Schedule
Wise and PayPal have become standard for international contractor payments. Fast, relatively cheap, widely accepted in the Philippines. But even “instant” transfers take time.
Account for processing windows. International transfers can take 1-2 business days depending on banking hours and weekends. If Friday is payday, initiate transfers by Wednesday to ensure funds arrive on time.
Batch processing saves time and often reduces fees. Instead of sending 10 individual payments, process them as a single batch. Most platforms support this and handle currency conversion at better rates when you batch.
Nothing erodes trust faster than a paycheck that arrives late or short because you didn’t account for exchange rate fluctuations.
Building Systems That Scale Past Your First Five Hires
What works for three people breaks completely at 30.
Manual payroll processes don’t scale. You need systems that automatically calculate hours, generate invoices, compute withholdings, and create payment batches.
The best platforms integrate everything into one workflow. Time tracking feeds invoice generation. Invoices connect to payment processing. Payments link to compliance reporting. Information flows through without manual data entry.
Look for platforms that handle multiple pay frequencies. You might start biweekly for most of your team but need weekly for certain roles. Your system should accommodate both without requiring separate processes for each.
Real-time dashboards give you visibility into payroll status at any moment. You should see pending timesheets, submitted invoices, scheduled payments, and compliance requirements without digging through spreadsheets or asking your team for updates.