Minimum Wage in the Philippines by Region (2026)

One of the first questions a foreign employer asks when planning Philippine headcount is: what do I have to pay? Minimum wage in the Philippines is not a single national figure — it is set by region (and, within several regions, by province, city, or even establishment size), updated periodically by Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs), and can change multiple times in a single year.

This guide reflects the current, verified rate for every region as of 6 July 2026, cross-checked against the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC)’s official consolidated table and, where a region splits rates by geography, the signed wage order itself. Two changes are already scheduled and flagged below — don’t treat this page as static.

How the regional wage system works

The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) provides the policy framework, but 17 regional boards (one per administrative region) issue their own wage orders setting the floor for their respective areas. BARMM runs an entirely separate system — its own Bangsamoro Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (BTWPB), independent of the national RTWPB network.

A wage order specifies:

• The daily minimum wage rate — often split by sector (non-agriculture / agriculture / retail-service with few workers) and sometimes by geography (city tier, province) within the same region
• The effective date, frequently rolled out in two tranches months apart
• Any exemptions or deferment provisions for micro-enterprises

Under RA 6727, a region generally cannot revise its wage order within 12 months of the last one — which is why some regions listed below have rates that are “stable for now” while others have a second tranche already scheduled.

NCR (Metro Manila): a rate change is 13 days away

Currently in force (through 18 July 2026) — Wage Order NCR-26, effective 18 July 2025:

NCR uses a 15-worker threshold for the lower retail/service rate — most other regions use 10. A retail shop with 16+ workers pays the full ₱695, not ₱658.

Superseding — Wage Order NCR-27, granting a ₱85 increase in two tranches, after the wage board denied a ₱1,200 petition from labour groups:

NCR-27’s full text was not yet posted to NWPC as of this update — the figures above are corroborated across PIA, PNA, and Rappler reporting on the board’s announcement. Re-verify against nwpc.dole.gov.ph/ncr once the signed order publishes.

Minimum wage by region (2026)

Luzon

CALABARZON’s city tiers (Wage Order IVA-22) — the region has no single provincial rate; it depends on which tier a city or municipality falls under:

Extended Metropolitan Area includes Biñan and San Pedro (Laguna); Cainta, Antipolo and Taytay (Rizal); Bacoor, Dasmariñas and Imus (Cavite). Component cities include Calamba, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao, San Pablo (Laguna); Batangas City, Lipa, Tanauan (Batangas); Lucena (Quezon); Cavite City, Tagaytay, Trece Martires (Cavite). If you’re checking a smaller Laguna, Batangas, Rizal or Quezon municipality not listed above, confirm its tier against Wage Order IVA-22 directly.

Visayas

Central Visayas (Cebu) tiers — Class A (₱540): Cebu City, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Carcar, Danao, Naga, Talisay, plus Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, San Fernando (“Expanded Metro Cebu”). Class B (₱500): the rest of Cebu province, all of Bohol and Negros Oriental (incl. Dumaguete), and Siquijor. There is no separate lower rate for small retail/service establishments in this region — only a temporary-exemption application process for genuinely distressed employers.

Mindanao

Region X (Northern Mindanao) Category I (₱500): Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Malaybalay, Valencia, Gingoog, El Salvador, Ozamiz, plus Tagoloan, Villanueva, Jasaan, Opol, Maramag, Quezon, Manolo Fortich, Lugait. Category II (₱485): everywhere else, including all of Camiguin.

Davao Region covers Davao City, Digos, Island Garden of Samal, Mati, Panabo, Tagum, and all six provinces — Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, and Davao de Oro — at the single region-wide rate. The original wage order text still uses the pre-2013 names (“Compostela Valley,” undivided Davao del Sur), but its coverage clause extends to all private-sector minimum wage earners in the region, so Davao Occidental and Davao de Oro are covered at the same ₱525/₱515 rate.

Boundary gotchas employers get wrong

Two jurisdictional overlaps trip up even experienced payroll teams:

• Cotabato City follows BARMM, not Region XII. Cotabato City is geographically inside North Cotabato province (Region XII, ₱460/day non-agriculture) but is the seat of the Bangsamoro government and follows the BARMM wage order instead — a lower rate of ₱411/day. The 63 barangays that transferred from North Cotabato to BARMM in 2019 (BARMM’s “Special Geographic Area”) similarly follow BARMM’s rate (₱391), not Region XII’s.
• Negros Island Region (NIR) exists in law, but its wage board has not been constituted or issued a wage order. NIR was created by RA 12000 and DOLE has stood up interim regional-office operations, but the RTWPB-NIR itself is not yet operational. Until it is, Negros Occidental (including Bacolod City) stays under Region VI (₱550), and Negros Oriental (including Dumaguete) and Siquijor stay under Region VII, Class B (₱500).

BARMM’s own wage system

BARMM sets wages through its own Bangsamoro Ministry of Labor and Employment, not the national RTWPB network, under Wage Order BARMM-04 (effective 17 July 2025):

BARMM-04 turns one year old on 17 July 2026 — the normal earliest date for a replacement order (boards can move sooner only for urgent, compelling reasons with NWPC approval). No new order had been issued as of this update; re-check this section after mid-July 2026.

What counts as basic wage

The minimum wage is a cash wage floor — it does not include:

• Board or lodging provided by the employer (which may be credited against the wage in some cases, but only if the employee freely accepts and the deduction does not bring cash wages below the floor)
• Cost-of-living allowance (COLA) where mandated separately by wage order
• Premiums for overtime, night shift, holiday, or rest day work

COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) is sometimes integrated into the minimum wage rate in a wage order — check whether the stated rate already includes COLA or whether COLA is an additional amount.

Allowable deductions

Employers may only deduct from wages what the law explicitly permits:

• SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG employee contributions
• Withholding tax on compensation
• Deductions authorised in writing by the employee (e.g. salary loans, union dues)

The statutory items above (contributions, tax, authorised deductions) routinely bring net take-home pay below the gross minimum wage figure — that’s normal and lawful. What’s prohibited is any other, unauthorised deduction that reduces pay below the minimum wage. Note that minimum wage earners (MWEs) are exempt from income tax on their statutory minimum wage plus holiday, overtime, night-differential, and hazard pay — relevant if you’re computing take-home pay near the wage floor.

Penalties for underpayment

Underpayment of minimum wage is a criminal offence under the Labor Code. Penalties include fines and imprisonment of company officers. The DOLE conducts routine labour standards inspections — a single complaint from an employee can trigger a full inspection of your payroll records.

How employers should monitor wage orders

Employers with headcount across multiple regions need a monitoring process. A practical approach:

1. Check the NWPC consolidated wage rate table quarterly, or subscribe to NWPC email advisories
2. Implement the new rate from the effectivity date in the wage order — there is no grace period
3. Document the wage adjustment in payroll records and notify employees in writing

Our HR and payroll service tracks regional wage orders — including the geographic and sector splits above — and applies updates automatically to managed payroll clients. Use our payroll take-home pay & employer cost calculator to see the real cost of a hire at any of these rates, see our payroll service, or book a consultation to discuss multi-region headcount.