Rest Day Pay in the Philippines: 2026 Rates and How to Compute

By Robin Salvador, co-founder, Caffeine Brothers
Last updated: November 11, 2026

Quick answer: Under Article 93 of the Labor Code, an employee who works on their scheduled rest day gets at least 30% more than their regular daily wage, or 130% in total. At the Metro Manila minimum of ₱755 a day under Wage Order NCR-28, that is ₱981.50 for eight hours. A special day that falls on the rest day pays 150% (₱1,132.50), and a regular holiday on the rest day pays 260% (₱1,963). Sunday work earns the premium only when Sunday is the worker’s scheduled rest day.

What does the Labor Code say about rest days?

Article 91 requires every employer, “whether operating for profit or not,” to give each employee a rest period of at least 24 consecutive hours after every six consecutive normal work days. The employer sets the schedule, subject to any collective bargaining agreement. If an employee’s preference is based on religious grounds, the employer must respect it.

The Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code (Book III, Rule III) add the details:

• Businesses may open on Sundays and holidays, as long as employees still get their weekly rest day and the pay rules are followed (Section 2).
• An employee who wants a rest day for religious reasons must tell the employer in writing at least seven days before it takes effect. If granting it would seriously disrupt operations, the employer may schedule that day as the rest day at least two days a month (Section 4).
• The rest day schedule must be posted in writing at the workplace at least one week before it takes effect, whether everyone rests on the same day or on different days (Section 5).
• An unworked rest day that was already a paid day off by agreement or practice cannot be cut (Section 8).

How much is rest day pay in 2026?

The table uses the two Metro Manila daily minimums under Wage Order NCR-28, which took effect on September 26, 2026: ₱755 for non-agriculture and ₱718 for agriculture, retail and service establishments with 15 or fewer workers, and small manufacturers with fewer than 10 workers. The multipliers come from the DOLE Bureau of Working Conditions handbook.

The rest day premium for one eight-hour day is ₱226.50 at ₱755 and ₱215.40 at ₱718. A crew member who covers one rest day a month for a year earns an extra ₱2,718 at ₱755 (₱2,584.80 at ₱718), on top of the ordinary pay for those days.

Is Sunday work always paid 130%?

No. Article 93(a) says an employee gets the extra pay for Sunday work “only when it is his established rest day.” A barista whose rest day is Tuesday and who works an ordinary Sunday shift gets the regular daily wage on Sunday and the 130% rate if called in on Tuesday.

There is one exception. Under Article 93(b), when the nature of the work means an employee has no regular work days and no regular rest day can be scheduled, the employer pays at least 30% extra for work on Sundays and holidays.

If a contract or collective bargaining agreement promises a higher premium than the law, the employer must pay the higher rate (Article 93(d)).

When can an employer require work on a rest day?

Section 6 of Rule III lists the cases where an employer may require an employee to work on the scheduled rest day:

1. Actual or impending emergencies caused by serious accident, fire, flood, typhoon, earthquake, epidemic or other disaster, to prevent loss of life or property, or in cases of force majeure or imminent danger to public safety.
2. Urgent work on machinery, equipment or installations to avoid serious loss.
3. Abnormal pressure of work due to special circumstances, where the employer cannot ordinarily be expected to use other measures.
4. To prevent serious loss of perishable goods.
5. Where the work requires employees to work continuously for seven days a week or more, such as crew completing a voyage.
6. Where the work depends on favorable weather or environmental conditions.

Outside those cases, the rule says “no employee shall be required against his will to work on his scheduled rest day.” An employee who volunteers should state it in writing. The rest day premium applies either way.

For a café, a busy Christmas week can look like “abnormal pressure of work,” but the rules do not define it further. The simplest approach is to ask for volunteers, get their written consent, and pay the premium.

Who is covered by rest day pay?

The DOLE handbook says premium pay for rest days and special days covers all employees except government workers, managerial employees and members of the managerial staff who meet the legal tests, kasambahay and others in the personal service of another, workers paid by results under approved output rates, and field personnel whose hours cannot be determined.

Small businesses are not exempt from premium pay. The handbook’s compliance guide marks premium pay as applicable to retail and service establishments with 1 to 5 workers and 1 to 9 workers. What small retail and service businesses with fewer than 10 workers are exempt from is holiday pay, so the 260% regular-holiday-on-rest-day row does not apply to them. Our guide to holiday pay in the Philippines covers that rule in detail.

Which December 2026 holidays fall on a rest day?

Proclamation No. 1006 sets the 2026 holidays. If a worker’s weekly rest day falls on one of them and they work, the higher combined rate applies. This table shows the late-2026 holidays by weekday so you can match them to each crew member’s rest day.

Planning the December schedule early helps. Many cafés rotate rest days so the same people don’t lose every holiday. Our overtime pay guide shows the hourly rates for longer holiday shifts.

How do you compute rest day pay? Worked examples

1. Find the daily rate. For daily-paid staff, it is the daily wage. The hourly rate is the daily rate divided by 8.
2. Check the day type. Is it the employee’s scheduled rest day? Is it also a special day or a regular holiday?
3. Apply the multiplier: 130% for a rest day, 150% for a special day on a rest day, 260% for a regular holiday on a rest day.
4. Add overtime for hours beyond eight at the day’s hourly rate plus 30%.
5. Add the 10% night shift differential for hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., if covered.

Here are four examples using the NCR minimums.

• A ₱718-a-day barista works eight hours on her Sunday rest day: ₱718 × 130% = ₱933.40.
• The same barista works 10 hours that day: ₱933.40 + (2 × ₱151.68) = ₱1,236.76.
• A ₱755-a-day cook covers four rest days in a month: 4 × ₱981.50 = ₱3,926, which is ₱906 more than four ordinary days.
• A ₱755-a-day night baker works 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on his rest day: 8 × ₱134.96 = ₱1,079.65 (₱94.375 × 143% × 8 hours). Our night shift differential guide explains who is covered.

What about monthly-paid employees?

The DOLE handbook defines monthly-paid employees as those paid for every day of the month, including unworked rest days, special days and regular holidays, and uses a factor of 365 days a year to convert their salary. Daily-paid employees who don’t work and aren’t paid on rest days use a factor of 313 (one rest day a week) or 261 (two rest days a week).

So a ₱20,000 monthly salary works out to about ₱657.53 a day on the 365 factor and ₱766.77 on the 313 factor. Which factor applies depends on how the employee is actually paid. The sources we read do not spell out how the 130% rate stacks for a monthly-paid employee whose rest day is already included in the salary. If you pay monthly, confirm the computation with DOLE or your payroll provider.

Keeping a rest day crew going

Rest day and holiday shifts are often short-staffed and long. A simple pantry helps. Two 10 g cups of coffee per worker per shift cost about ₱15.46 using our Batangas Robusta 10 kg wholesale box (₱7,730, checked November 11, 2026), or ₱48 using two of our coffee drip bags at ₱24 each. Our article on coffee breaks and the Labor Code covers which short breaks count as paid work time.

This article is general information based on the Labor Code, its implementing rules and DOLE’s 2023 handbook. It is not legal advice. For a specific case, ask the DOLE regional office or a labor lawyer.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Labor Code of the Philippines, Book Three. Labor Law PH library, modified April 2, 2024. Articles 91 (weekly rest day), 92 (when rest day work may be required) and 93 (compensation for rest day, Sunday or holiday work)
2. Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code, Book III. Labor Law PH library, modified October 9, 2023. Rule III, Sections 1 to 9, weekly rest periods
3. 2023 Handbook on Workers’ Statutory Monetary Benefits. DOLE Bureau of Working Conditions. Compliance guide, premium pay coverage and rates, overtime rates, guide computation table, 365/313/261 factors
4. DOLE: P60 wage hike in NCR takes effect Sept. 26. GMA News, September 26, 2026. NCR-28: ₱755 non-agriculture; ₱718 agriculture, retail and service with 15 workers or fewer, small manufacturing
5. Proclamation No. 1006, s. 2025. LawPhil, signed September 3, 2025. Regular holidays and special days for 2026

Running a café, office or BPO team through the holidays? Our wholesale coffee comes in 10 kg boxes with free Metro Manila delivery, and coffee drip bags make a no-equipment pantry for rest day crews. Contact us for a quote.