The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday urged private employers to release the mandated 13th-month pay on time, saying this will help ease the financial needs of Filipino workers during the holiday season.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma issued Labor Advisory No. 16, Series of 2025, reiterating President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure timely benefits for employees.
DOLE stressed that employers must release the 13th-month pay on or before December 24, 2025. No exemptions or deferred payments will be allowed.
“The 13th-month pay is a statutory right of workers. Employers must ensure timely and full compliance, as this benefit is crucial in supporting Filipino families during the holiday season,” Laguesma said in a statement.
Under the advisory, all rank-and-file employees in the private sector are entitled to the benefit regardless of position, employment status, or wage payment method, as long as they have worked for at least one month during the year.
This includes piece-rate workers, employees receiving fixed wages plus commissions, those with multiple employers, and workers who resigned, were terminated, or were on maternity leave with salary differential.
The 13th-month pay should be at least one-twelfth of an employee’s total basic salary earned within the calendar year. Basic salary covers earnings for services rendered but excludes allowances and other monetary benefits unless considered part of basic pay under company rules or collective agreements.
For piece-rate workers, the amount is computed based on total production earnings divided by 12. For employees receiving fixed wages plus commissions, the computation applies only to the fixed wage, in line with Supreme Court rulings.
The department said its regional and field offices will monitor compliance through regular inspections and enforcement activities to protect workers’ rights.
