Barista Salary in the Philippines 2026: What a Café Really Pays

By Robin Salvador, co-founder, Caffeine Brothers
Last updated: October 16, 2026

Quick answer: In Metro Manila, the legal minimum for a barista at a café with 15 or fewer workers is ₱718 a day from September 26, 2026, under Wage Order No. NCR-28. Larger employers pay at least ₱755. With 26 paid days a month plus the employer’s SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG shares and a monthly share of the 13th month pay, one full-time minimum-wage barista costs a small café about ₱22,770 a month.

What is the minimum wage for a barista in Metro Manila in 2026?

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board for NCR issued Wage Order No. NCR-28 on September 7, 2026. It was published on September 11 and took effect on September 26, 2026. It gives every minimum wage earner in the private sector in Metro Manila a ₱60 daily increase.

The order also explains why the earlier Wage Order No. NCR-27, approved on June 23, 2026, never applied. Courts issued a status quo ante order on July 24, 2026, followed by a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injunction. Payroll should use the NCR-28 rates below.

A café is a service establishment, so the headcount decides the rate. A café or small chain with 15 workers or fewer in total pays at least ₱718. Once you employ 16 or more, use ₱755. The order’s rates cover up to eight hours of work a day, so overtime is paid on top.

What does a barista cost the café each month?

The daily wage is only part of the cost. On top of it, the employer pays its share of three government contributions and must set aside the 13th month pay. Here is what each one adds, using the rules in force on October 16, 2026.

• SSS: Circular No. 2024-006 sets a 15% contribution on the monthly salary credit (MSC), with 10% from the employer and 5% from the employee, effective January 2025. The MSC follows ₱500 pay brackets from ₱5,000 to ₱35,000. The employer also pays an EC contribution of ₱10 below a ₱15,000 MSC and ₱30 from ₱15,000 up.
• PhilHealth: Advisory No. 2025-0002 keeps the premium at 5% of monthly basic salary, with a ₱10,000 floor and ₱100,000 ceiling, and Advisory No. 2026-0042, signed July 21, 2026, restates the 5% rate. Employer and employee each pay half.
• Pag-IBIG: since February 2024, contributions are 2% each from employer and employee on a maximum monthly fund salary of ₱10,000, so each side pays at most ₱200.
• 13th month pay: DOLE Labor Advisory No. 16, s. 2025 requires at least one-twelfth of the basic salary earned in the year, paid by December 24. We spread it as a monthly accrual so you can budget for it.

For the calculation we assume 26 paid days a month, which is a six-day week, with no overtime and no holiday work. Change the days to match your own schedule.

Under the old ₱658 rate, the same barista cost ₱20,891.37 a month: ₱17,108 basic pay, ₱1,730 for SSS and EC, ₱427.70 for PhilHealth, ₱200 for Pag-IBIG and ₱1,425.67 in 13th month accrual. NCR-28 adds ₱1,879 a month per barista at either rate, or ₱22,548 a year. A café with four baristas should budget about ₱7,516 more each month.

The barista takes home less than the basic pay. At ₱718 a day, the employee’s own shares come to ₱925 for SSS, ₱466.70 for PhilHealth and ₱200 for Pag-IBIG, leaving ₱17,076.30 from ₱18,668 before any other deductions.

How much more does a barista cost in December?

December has five holidays in 2026, and cafés often stay open for them. DOLE Labor Advisory No. 12-25 sets the pay rules for 2026. Working a regular holiday pays 200% of the daily wage for the first eight hours. Working a special non-working day pays 130%, or 150% if it also falls on the employee’s rest day.

Overtime on these days costs more again. On a regular holiday, each hour past eight is paid at the holiday hourly rate plus 30%. On a special day, it is the 130% hourly rate plus another 30%. Plan your December roster before you promise extended hours.

What are the minimum wages outside Metro Manila?

Every region has its own wage board and its own rates. The NWPC’s summary dated October 6, 2026 lists these daily minimums for a few regions with many cafés. Check the categories carefully, because some regions set the retail and service rate by number of workers and Cebu sets rates by location.

A five-step way to budget staff costs for a café

1. Count everyone on payroll, including part-timers, to see whether your café has 15 or fewer workers and which NCR rate applies.
2. Multiply the daily rate by the days each person actually works in a month.
3. Look up the SSS bracket for that pay in Circular No. 2024-006 and add 10% plus EC, then add 2.5% for PhilHealth and ₱200 for Pag-IBIG.
4. Add one-twelfth of basic pay each month for the 13th month, which is due by December 24.
5. Add holiday and overtime premiums for December, then compare the total with your sales and coffee costs.

Labor is usually a bigger monthly line than coffee. For the coffee side, our cost per cup breakdown for café owners works out what the beans cost per drink, and our guide to coffee shop permits in the Philippines covers the registration fees you pay before opening. If you are testing the idea first, try the pop-up coffee shop cost calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Wage Order No. NCR-28. RTWPB-NCR, issued September 7, 2026, published September 11, effective September 26, 2026. Used for rates, increase and the NCR-27 court orders.
2. Summary of Current Regional Daily Minimum Wage Rates. National Wages and Productivity Commission, October 6, 2026. Used for regional rates.
3. SSS contribution table (Circular No. 2024-006). Social Security System, effective January 2025. Used for the 15% rate, brackets, employer shares and EC.
4. Advisory No. 2025-0002: Premium Contribution for All Direct Contributors for CY 2025. PhilHealth. Used for the 5% rate, floor and ceiling.
5. Advisory No. 2026-0042. PhilHealth, signed July 21, 2026. Used to confirm the 5% rate in 2026.
6. PhilHealth Contribution Table 2025. Triple i Consulting, June 23, 2025. Used for the equal employer and employee split.
7. Pag-IBIG Fund explains hike in monthly contribution starting Feb 2024. Philippine Information Agency. Used for the ₱10,000 fund salary and ₱200 shares.
8. Labor Advisory No. 16, s. 2025 on 13th month pay. PMAP Circular No. 2025-088, December 1, 2025. Used for the one-twelfth rule and December 24 deadline.
9. DOLE Labor Advisory No. 12-25. Grant Thornton Philippines, October 14, 2025. Used for 2026 holiday pay rules and dates.

Running a café or office pantry? Our wholesale coffee comes in 10 kg boxes with free Metro Manila delivery, and the Coffee Lab has calculators for cost per cup and margins. For the money side of running a café, read financial fundamentals for café owners, or message us for a wholesale quote.