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Laundry staff salary in the Philippines: minimum wage, BMBE and SSS
By the Labahan team · October 18, 2026 · 5 min read
Hiring your first staff member is a big step. The daily rate is only part of the cost: as an employer you also pay your share of SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG, and set aside 13th month pay. Here is how to add it all up before you post that “Hiring: laundry attendant” sign.
1. Minimum wage depends on your region
There is no single national minimum wage in the Philippines. Each region has a wage board that issues its own wage orders, with different rates by sector and sometimes by size of business. The official list of current rates for every region is kept by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) under DOLE.
For example, in Metro Manila (NCR), Wage Order No. NCR-28 took effect on September 26, 2026, setting the daily minimum at:
| NCR sector (Wage Order NCR-28) | Daily minimum |
|---|---|
| Non-agriculture | ₱755 |
| Service and retail establishments with 15 or fewer workers (also agriculture and small manufacturing) | ₱718 |
Most small laundry shops have far fewer than 15 workers, so in NCR the ₱718 line is the one to check first. Outside NCR the rates are different, so look up your own region on the NWPC site. Wage orders change often, and NCR orders have recently been questioned in court, so always confirm the rate that applies to you on the date you pay.
2. The BMBE law: what it does and doesn’t do
Republic Act 9178, the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBE) Act of 2002, gives benefits to small businesses with total assets of not more than ₱3 million. Assets bought with loans count; the land where the business stands does not.
- Income tax: a registered BMBE is exempt from income tax on income from its operations.
- Minimum wage: Section 8 says BMBEs “shall be exempt from the coverage of the Minimum Wage Law”, provided that their employees still get “the same benefits given to any regular employee such as social security and healthcare benefits.”
- How to register: the DTI’s BMBE flyer says to file the application form at the nearest Negosyo Center or DTI office, together with your business name registration (DTI, SEC or CDA). It is free, and the certificate is valid for two years, renewable.
3. SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG
Every employer registers with all three agencies and remits both its own share and the employee’s share every month.
- SSS: since January 2025 the rate is 15% of the monthly salary credit (MSC): 10% from the employer and 5% from the employee, with MSCs from ₱5,000 to ₱35,000. The employer also pays a small Employees’ Compensation (EC) premium.
- PhilHealth: the premium rate is 5% of monthly basic salary, with an income floor of ₱10,000 and a ceiling of ₱100,000, shared equally by employer and employee.
- Pag-IBIG: since February 2024 the maximum fund salary is ₱10,000, so the usual contribution is ₱200 from the employee and ₱200 from the employer.
- 13th month pay: rank-and-file employees who worked at least one month in the year get at least one-twelfth of their total basic salary for the year, paid by December 24.
Example: what one staff member costs per month
Example only. One attendant in NCR at ₱718 a day, working 26 days in the month. Basic pay: ₱718 × 26 = ₱18,668. That falls in the SSS bracket for an MSC of ₱18,500.
| Example line | Employer pays | From employee’s pay |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pay (26 days × ₱718) | ₱18,668 | — |
| SSS (10% / 5% of ₱18,500 MSC) | ₱1,850 | ₱925 |
| SSS EC premium | ₱30 | — |
| PhilHealth (2.5% each) | ₱467 | ₱467 |
| Pag-IBIG | ₱200 | ₱200 |
| Monthly cost to you | ₱21,215 | ₱1,592 |
PhilHealth is ₱466.70 each, rounded here. On top of this, set aside about ₱1,556 a month (₱18,668 ÷ 12) for 13th month pay, so the real monthly cost is close to ₱22,770. The staff member’s take-home before any tax is about ₱17,076.
The donut adds rounded figures, so it shows ₱22,771. Overtime, night work, rest-day and holiday pay, and service incentive leave add more. Ask DOLE or your accountant which rules apply to your shop.
Commissions: paying for good work
Many shops add a small commission per load, per kilo or per delivery on top of the daily rate. It rewards the busy days without raising your fixed cost on quiet ones. Write the rule down (“₱5 per load folded”, for example) so everyone knows how it is counted.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or payroll advice. Rates and rules change; confirm them with DOLE, DTI, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and an accountant before you set salaries.
How Labahan helps
In Labahan Manager, staff clock time in and time out on the shop phone on every plan, and on the Pro plan the app works out their pay with commissions, which you can download as a spreadsheet. It does not compute SSS, PhilHealth or Pag-IBIG contributions or run payroll, so use the figures above with your accountant for that part. Every staff member also gets their own PIN, and the app records who received and released each load.
