List Of Philippine Holidays In 2018 And What They Mean For Your Payslip

You know it’s a good year when you get more days off on top of the 18 national public holidays declared at the onset of year.

June 15, 2018 has just been proclaimed a national holiday in observance of Eid’l Fitr. We’re talking about a long payday weekend right there.

All in all, we can look forward to 11 more holidays for the remainder of the year.

Celebratories aside, what do different types of holidays mean for Filipino laborers and employers really? We answer this in the handy guide below.

Date Day of the week Observance Type
January 1 Monday New Year’s Day Regular holiday
February 16 Friday Chinese New Year Special non-working day
February 25 Sunday EDSA People Power Revolution Special non-working day
March 29 Thursday Maundy Thursday Regular holiday
March 30 Friday Good Friday Regular holiday
March 31 Saturday Black Saturday Special non-working day
April 9 Monday Araw ng Kagitingan Regular holiday
May 1 Tuesday Labor Day Regular holiday
June 12 Tuesday Independence Day Regular holiday
June 15 Friday Eid’l Fitr Regular holiday
August 21 Tuesday Ninoy Aquino Day Special non-working day
August 27 Monday National Heroes Day Regular holiday
November 1 Thursday All Saints Day Special non-working day
November 2 Friday All Souls Day Special non-working day
November 30 Friday Bonifacio Day Regular holiday
December 24 Monday Christmas Eve Special non-working day
December 25 Tuesday Christmas Day Regular holiday
December 30 Sunday Rizal Day Regular holiday
December 31 Monday Last Day of The Year Special non-working day

Regular Holiday: You rest AND get paid

A regular holiday is one that has a fixed date. This means that it happens on the same month and day every year. The only exceptions to this are National Hero’s Day and religious holiday’s such as the days of Holy Week and the Islamic holidays of Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha.

(Read: Bonifacio Day: The Myth Of “Poor” Bonifacio And Other Things To Know) 

One particularly important thing to keep in mind is, despite it being a rest day for workers, you’re still supposed to get paid. And, if your employer asks you to work for some reason or another, they need to pay you extra.

During a regular holiday, an employee who doesn’t work is still supposed to get their daily rate plus a cost of living allowance (COLA).

If you end up going to work, your employer must then pay you twice your daily rate and the COLA.

If you end up going to work and putting in overtime, you get twice your daily rate and the cola AND the hourly overtime rate multiplied by 2.6.

These rates will apply for the following Philippine holidays in 2018:

  • January 1 – New Year’s Day
  • March 29 – Maundy Thursday
  • March 30 – Good Friday
  • April 9 – Araw ng Kagitingan
  • May 1 – Labor Day
  • June 12 – Independence Day
  • June 15 – Eid’l Fitr
  • August 27 – National Heroes Day
  • November 30 – Bonifacio Day
  • December 25 – Christmas Day
  • December 30 – Rizal Day

Special Non-Working Day: You get paid extra if you work

Special non-working days may occur every year, but their dates are more flexible. They can be declared under the judgment of the President or enacted by Congress.

For example, December 24 is usually declared a special non-working day, even though the actual “special day” is December 25. The 24th is usually made a holiday to give people an extra day to spend with their loved ones. Same for November 1, which is All Saints’ Day, and the day after.

List Of Philippine Holidays In 2018 And What They Mean For Your Payslip

During a special non-working day, the rule is “No work, no pay.”  But if your employer requires you to work on those day’s you should expect to see something extra in your payslip.

(Read: Here’s A List Of Mandatory Employee Benefits In The Philippines)

If you work during a special non-working day, you get your daily rate times 1.3.

If you work overtime during a special non-working day, you get your daily rate times 1.3 and your hourly overtime rate multiplied by 1.95.

For 2018, these are the days where you get paid extra for working:

  • February 16 – Chinese New Year
  • February 25 – EDSA People Power Revolution
  • March 31 – Black Saturday
  • August 21 – Ninoy Aquino Day
  • November 1 – All Saints Day
  • November 2 – All Souls Day
  • December 24 – Christmas Eve
  • December 31 – Last Day of The Year

Sources: Rappler, CNN Philippines