Hiring a Household Helper in the Philippines: The Kasambahay Law, a Compliant Contract, and Where to Find One

What a Kasambahay Is: The Household Help You Can Hire

"Kasambahay" is the legal term for a domestic worker employed by a household, covering both live-in and live-out arrangements. It is an umbrella category that includes:

• General househelp — cleaning, marketing, dishes and daily chores; the most common role.
• Cook — dedicated to meals and food prep.
• Laundry helper (labandera) — dedicated washing and ironing, sometimes hired live-out by the day or week.
• Cleaner — focused on deeper cleaning, sometimes merged with a general helper role.

A child-minding yaya and a driver are often discussed alongside household staff but are more specialized roles — see our separate guide on hiring a helper, yaya or driver. A key reminder: one contract, one role. Don't stretch a "general helper" into helper-plus-cook-plus-laundry-plus-nanny. Agree the scope of duties up front — it is both a matter of respect and the foundation for fewer disputes later.

The Kasambahay Law (RA 10361): What Protections Apply

The Domestic Workers Act of 2013 (RA 10361, the "Kasambahay Law") sets a legal floor for all household workers that every employer must observe. Core rights include:

• A written employment contract, in a language both parties understand, with a copy each.
• Region-based minimum wage — set by each regional wage board, differing by region and changing over time, so check the current figure for your area rather than reusing an old number.
• At least one full rest day (24 continuous hours) per week, arranged between the parties, with the helper free to choose a day for religious observance.
• Daily rest — live-in helpers must have adequate continuous rest and sleep.
• 13th-month pay and paid annual leave for those who qualify by length of service.
• Social contributions registered and paid by the employer (see below).
• Decent board and lodging for live-in helpers.
• Minimum age 15, no child labor; humane treatment — no abuse, no arbitrary withholding of wages, and no confiscating the helper's ID or travel documents.

These are minimums you cannot go below; a contract may offer more, never less. Figures such as wages and contribution rates vary by region and policy, so treat the current official rules as authoritative.

The Social Contributions: Who Pays SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG

Once you hire a kasambahay you have a legal duty to register and pay social contributions — one of the most commonly overlooked areas for first-time employers. The three are SSS (social insurance), PhilHealth (health insurance) and Pag-IBIG (housing and savings). Under the law the employer registers the helper for all three. On cost-sharing: when the helper's monthly wage is below a set threshold, the employer shoulders the full premium; at or above it, employer and helper share the contribution at the prescribed rates, with the helper's portion deducted from wages. The exact thresholds and shares are set by each agency's current schedules and change over time, so rely on the latest official figures. For registration steps and payment details, see our guide to SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG registration and payment. Get this in order from the first month rather than letting it slide.

Where to Find One: Agencies, Referrals and Community

There are broadly three routes: licensed placement agencies (they match and pre-screen for a fee, but quality varies, so choose a reputable, properly registered one); referrals from friends, colleagues or neighbors (the most common and often most reliable, because someone can vouch for the person); and community networks (churches, expat or hometown groups, building management, a former employer's departing helper).

Whatever the route, do not skip background checks:

• NBI Clearance to check for a criminal record, especially for live-in staff.
• Basic health check, a safeguard for both sides in a shared home.
• Verify IDs and references with past employers where possible.
• Interview in person to align on expectations and fit.

Always agree a probation period so both sides can observe and adjust before committing long-term. Hiring means letting someone into your home — better to spend an extra two weeks verifying than to rush.

What the Contract Must Cover: Duties, Hours, Pay, Board, Leave, Termination

The law requires a written contract, and a good one settles the likely flashpoints in writing before they become disputes. At minimum, spell out:

• Role and scope of duties — list exactly what the job covers (cleaning, cooking, laundry, marketing, pets) to avoid "endless extra tasks"; state live-in vs live-out and whether duties are shared among several.
• Hours and rest — daily schedule, the weekly rest day, and how overtime is defined and compensated.
• Wages and payment — the amount (no lower than the regional minimum), payday and method; no unjustified deductions.
• Board and lodging (for live-in).
• Leave and benefits — rest day, paid annual leave, 13th-month pay and social registration.
• Probation and termination — probation length, the conditions and the notice period either side must give.

Write it in a language both parties understand, with a copy each. If helpful, the Yixing settle-in team can help draft a bilingual, Kasambahay-compliant employment contract that gets duties, pay, contributions, leave and termination right the first time.

Employer Duties and Common Mistakes: Where People Trip Up

Hiring is easy; hiring right is not. Check yourself against the mistakes first-time employers make most often:

• No written contract, just a verbal deal — the law requires a written contract, and verbal arrangements leave both sides exposed in a dispute.
• No rest day, assuming "live-in means on call around the clock" — at least one 24-hour rest day per week is a legal right.
• Skipping social contributions — registering and paying SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG is a legal duty; missing it risks back-payments and penalties.
• One person doing several jobs — piling childcare, driving and hosting onto a general helper exceeds the agreed role; renegotiate with a pay bump or hire separately.
• Withholding wages or confiscating documents — arbitrary deductions and holding a helper's ID or travel papers are serious violations.
• Firing on the spot — termination must follow the contract and the legal notice period, with reasons given and amounts due settled.

The exact rules for overtime, termination, 13th-month pay and leave follow current DOLE regulations. Beyond compliance, hiring is a long-term relationship: agreeing duties and house rules clearly, respecting the helper's rest day and privacy, paying on time and treating people humanely tends to earn more attentive, more stable care — the spirit behind the Kasambahay Law.

Let Yixing Handle the Hiring: From Recruiting to Compliance

For families newly settled in Manila, the hard part of hiring a household helper is rarely the cost — it is "where do I find someone, and how do I hire compliantly?" Language barriers, unfamiliar channels, and uncertainty about the Kasambahay Law and social contributions make it easy to hire the wrong person or cross a compliance line unknowingly.

Yixing offers hands-on help with recruiting household staff and compliant employment: from mapping the role and budget to your family's needs, connecting you with reliable channels and helping screen, interview and run background checks, to drafting a Kasambahay-compliant written contract and handling SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG registration. Let the Yixing settle-in team start with a needs review, or visit yixingtravel.com to learn more.

This article is general information, not legal advice; minimum wages, contribution thresholds and shares, contract terms, rest days and termination all vary by region and policy, so rely on the Kasambahay Law (RA 10361), current DOLE regulations and case-specific professional advice.