Employer of record in the Philippines
You chose the person. Our Philippine partner employs them. You direct the work.
An employer of record in the Philippines is a company that legally employs a person for another business. You choose the person, our Philippine partner employs them and runs payroll and contributions, and you direct their daily work. Priced per employee per month, by quote, plus salary, contributions and agreed benefits. We do not recruit under this service.
Who it is for
Is an employer of record right for you?
Know in a minute whether this fits, and where to go if it does not.
If you have already found someone in the Philippines but have no company there, some of this will sound familiar.
The cost is not the monthly fee. It is the time to learn another country’s employment rules, the risk of getting contributions, 13th-month pay or final pay wrong, and the effort of a local company you may not need yet. With this service, our Philippine partner is already the employer, so the parts that are easy to get wrong are not yours to learn.
- “I’ve found the person I want in the Philippines, but I don’t have a company there.”
- “Setting up a Philippine company for one or two people feels like too much.”
- “I don’t know how SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG or 13th-month pay work, and I don’t want to get it wrong.”
- “I’ve been paying them as a contractor, and I’m not sure that’s what I want for a full-time role.”
- “Every EOR site quotes differently, and I can’t tell what’s in the price.”
- “If it works out, I want to be able to hire them myself one day.”
When is it a good fit?
- You have chosen someone in the Philippines. That includes someone already working for you as a contractor, or someone you hired through our platform.
- You do not have a Philippine company, or do not want one yet.
- You want them employed, not engaged as a contractor.
- You want to direct their work yourself.
- You are fine with a fee whose parts are shown separately: our service fee, the salary, contributions and agreed benefits.
When is another option better?
You need the person found too, and do not want to be the employer.
Need someone found too?We find them, our partner employs them.You need the person found, and will employ or contract them yourself.
Need us to find the person first?We find them, you employ them.You already have a company in the Philippines and employ your staff yourself.
See our payroll serviceYou want a task or a whole team run for you as an outcome.
We do not offer that. Here, one person you chose works under your direction.
How it works
How does an employer of record work in the Philippines?
From “I found someone” to their first payslip, one step at a time.
You bring the person. We and our partner do the employing. These are the steps:
Before anyone starts
- 1A free first call about the person and the role. It commits you to nothing.
- 2We send you a quote: our EOR service fee, per employee per month, plus the employment costs.
- 3You sign the written terms before any work starts.
Our partner employs them
- 4Our partner issues the Philippine employment contract to your person.
- 5Onboarding as an employee of our partner, including SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG registration.
Working and paid
- 6They start on your priorities, with your tools and access, and with equipment you provide (or ask us to assist with, billed separately).
- 7Each month our partner runs payroll, issues the payslip, remits the contributions and withholds tax, and Virtual Staffer invoices you in US dollars. Then comes their first payslip.
The package
What does our partner handle as the employer?
Employment handled item by item, so none of it is yours to learn.
Our Philippine partner is the legal employer. For your employee it handles:
Philippine employment contract.The person is employed under Philippine law, not engaged as your contractor.
Onboarding.They start as an employee of our partner.
Payroll and payslips.Pay is run and documented for you.
SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG.Registration and remittance of the contributions.
Tax withholding and reporting.Handled by the employer, not by you.
13th-month pay and statutory leave.Calculated and paid by the employer.
HR records.Kept by the employer.
Offboarding and final pay.Handled by the employer if the person leaves.
We do not give legal or tax advice, so check your own situation with a qualified adviser.
Who do you contact with HR questions?
Virtual Staffer. We are your single point of contact for HR questions, and we represent our Philippine partner, so you ask us.
Responsibilities
Who does what?
Know exactly who handles each task.
Every task has one owner. You chose the person, our partner is the legal employer, and you direct the work.
The agreement you sign governs.
| Task | Handled by |
|---|---|
| Finding and choosing the person | You, already chosen |
| Philippine employment contract | Our partner |
| Onboarding as an employee | Our partner |
| Payroll and payslips | Our partner |
| SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG registration and remittance | Our partner |
| Tax withholding and reporting | Our partner |
| 13th-month pay and statutory leave | Our partner |
| HR records | Our partner |
| Offboarding and final pay | Our partner |
| HR questions | Virtual Staffer |
| Daily work and supervision | You |
| Schedules and leave approval | You |
| Tools and system access | You |
| Equipment | You provide it. We can assist on request, billed separately |
| Funding salary and costs | You: salary, contributions and agreed benefits, plus the EOR service fee |
| Invoicing | Virtual Staffer, in US dollars |
Price and terms
How much does an employer of record in the Philippines cost?
See every part of the price, quoted before you start.
The price has four parts, and we keep them separate so you can see what your person receives and what the service costs:
Our EOR service fee. Per employee per month, by quote.
The salary you agree with your person.
Employer contributions.
Any further benefits you agree.
Our fee is per employee per month, by quote, plus salary, contributions and agreed benefits. The salary, contributions and benefits are billed in addition to the fee. 13th-month pay is billed as a monthly accrual or once a year, as your company prefers. A deposit is required before the start; the amount is in your quote. This is not an all-inclusive fee. We give you the quote on the first call, which is free and commits you to nothing. Virtual Staffer invoices you, in US dollars.
Your company provides the equipment. Virtual Staffer and its Philippine employment partner can assist with equipment procurement, delivery, and setup upon request. Equipment costs are billed separately and are not included in the monthly staffing or EOR service fee.
No replacement under this service.You chose the person, so there is nothing to replace. If you need someone found, offshore staffing or recruitment and placement does that.
Written terms before any work starts.Nothing begins until they are agreed.
A notice period to end it.The arrangement ends with the notice period set in your written terms.
The agreement you sign governs.This page summarizes the terms.
Side by side
How does it compare with your own company, our other services or a contractor?
Three ways to get a person employed or engaged through Virtual Staffer. Each fits a different situation, and none is the right one for everybody.
| Employer of record (this page) | Offshore staffing | Recruitment and placement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds the person? | You, already chosen | Virtual Staffer | Virtual Staffer |
| Who interviews and chooses? | You, already chosen | You, from our shortlist | You |
| Who is the legal employer? | Our Philippine partner | Our Philippine partner | You, as employee or contractor |
| Who directs the daily work? | You | You | You |
| How is it paid? | Per employee per month, by quote, plus salary, contributions and agreed benefits | One all-inclusive monthly fee per staff member, by quote | $800 once: $400 at shortlist, $400 at start |
| If the person leaves early? | Not applicable, you chose them | One free replacement if they leave within 30 days (not if you end the arrangement) | One free replacement search if they leave within 30 days of starting |
| Moving them onto your own contract later? | Free after 12 months, $800 placement fee before | Free after 12 months, $800 placement fee before | Already yours |
| Agreement | Signed terms before the start | Signed terms before the start | Signed agreement before any introduction |
| Need someone found too?We find them, our partner employs them. | Need us to find the person first?We find them, you employ them. |
Both employer of record and offshore staffing are delivered with our Philippine partner as the legal employer. The difference is who finds the person.
Still looking for the person? Our candidate pool has 2,600+ complete profiles.
How is it different from setting up your own Philippine company?
Your own companyWith your own company, you set up and keep a local entity and become the employer, so contracts, payroll, contributions, tax and HR are yours to run. If you already have one and only need payroll run, see payroll.
With an employer of recordWith an employer of record, our partner is already the employer, so you can employ the person you chose without a company there. You can start with an employer of record and set up your own company later.
We do not give legal or tax advice, so check your own situation with a qualified adviser.
How is it different from engaging them as a contractor?
A contractorWith a contractor arrangement, you engage the person directly, not as an employee, and the terms are yours to set and check.
With an employer of recordWith an employer of record, the person is our partner’s employee, with a Philippine employment contract, and payroll, contributions, 13th-month pay and statutory leave are handled by the employer.
Which arrangement suits you depends on your business and the rules where you operate. We do not give legal or tax advice, so check with your own adviser.
Contractor or employee: what changes?
| What changes | Contractor (you engage them directly) | Employer of record (our partner employs them) |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the employer? | Nobody: a service contract between you and the person | Our Philippine partner, under a Philippine employment contract |
| Who runs pay? | You pay their invoice | Payroll and deductions run by the employer |
| Government contributions (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG) | The person handles their own | Paid by the employer |
| 13th-month pay and statutory leave | Only what your contract says | Covered as Philippine law requires |
| Cost | Usually lower | Usually higher: a monthly fee plus employment costs |
| What decides which one it really is? | How the work actually runs, not what the contract calls it. A contractor you direct like an employee may be treated as one. | Settled: they are an employee |
Which arrangement suits you depends on your business and the rules where you operate. We do not give legal or tax advice, so check with your own adviser.
Can you move them onto your own contract later?
Start with an employer of record, employ them yourself when you are ready.
Yes. You can move the person onto your own contract later: free after 12 months of service, counted from when your contract is signed, or for the $800 placement fee before that, paid one month before the move. The move needs your own employing entity or contractor arrangement and the person’s agreement.
- Of service, counted from when your contract is signed. After that, the move is free.
- 12 months
- The placement fee for an earlier move, paid one month before the move.
- $800
Before you choose
What should you check before choosing an EOR?
We will not tell you we are the best. These are the questions to ask any provider, with our answers.
- Who is the legal employer, and is it in the Philippines?
- Our answerOur Philippine partner. We say so openly and do not publish its name
- What is included, item by item?
- Our answerThe eight items in the package above
- How is the fee built?
- Our answerOur EOR service fee per employee per month, by quote, plus salary, contributions and agreed benefits, kept separate
- Who answers your HR questions?
- Our answerVirtual Staffer, your single point of contact
- What is in writing, and how does it end?
- Our answerWritten terms before any work starts, and a notice period set in the terms
- Can you hire the person yourself later, and on what terms?
- Our answerFree after 12 months from signing, $800 before
- What currency are you invoiced in?
- Our answerUS dollars
- Who handles equipment?
- Our answerYou provide it. We can assist on request, billed separately
What do people ask before they book an EOR call?
Ready to employ the person you chose?
Book a call, tell us about the person and the role, and we will explain what the quote would look like. The first call is free and commits you to nothing.
- Need someone found too?We find them, our partner employs them.
- Need us to find the person first?We find them, you employ them.