The Philippines has no single national minimum wage. As of September 26, 2026, the daily minimum wage for private-sector workers ranges from ₱401 in BARMM provinces to ₱755 in Metro Manila, set separately by each region's wage board. The rate an employee is owed depends on where they work, and in several regions on the province, city class, or size of the establishment.
Three things change the rate you owe: the region where the employee works (not where they live), how the establishment is classified (non-agriculture, agriculture, or small retail and service), and in some regions the specific province, city, or municipality class. Scheduled increases: Bicol and BARMM on December 1, 2026. Central Visayas rose on October 14, 2026, and CALABARZON on October 26, 2026.
Minimum Wage by Region, as of September 26, 2026
Daily rates for private-sector workers. “Non-agriculture” shows the range across the region's tiers; “lowest rate” is the lowest category in the region, usually agriculture or small retail and service.
| Region | Wage order | Non-agriculture | Lowest rate | In effect since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCR (Metro Manila) | NCR-28 | ₱755 | ₱718 | Sep 26, 2026 |
| CAR (Cordillera) | CAR-24 | ₱505 | ₱505 | Dec 30, 2025 |
| Region I (Ilocos) | RB 1-24 | ₱480 to ₱505 | ₱480 | Nov 19, 2025 |
| Region II (Cagayan Valley) | RTWPB 2-24 | ₱500 | ₱500 | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Region III (Central Luzon) | RBIII-26 | ₱560 to ₱600 | ₱515 | Apr 16, 2026 |
| Region IV-A (CALABARZON) | IVA-23 | ₱550 to ₱645 | ₱550 | Oct 26, 2026 |
| MIMAROPA (IV-B) | RB-MIMAROPA-13 | ₱455 | ₱455 | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Region V (Bicol) | RBV-23 | ₱455 | ₱455 | Apr 8, 2026 |
| Region VI (Western Visayas) | RBVI-29 | ₱525 to ₱550 | ₱520 | Nov 19, 2025 |
| Region VII (Central Visayas) | ROVII-27 | ₱542 to ₱582 | ₱542 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) | RB VIII-25 | ₱470 | ₱440 | Jun 1, 2026 |
| Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) | RIX-24 | ₱464 | ₱451 | Jun 1, 2026 |
| Region X (Northern Mindanao) | RX-24 | ₱485 to ₱500 | ₱485 | May 1, 2026 |
| Region XI (Davao) | RB XI-24 | ₱540 | ₱525 | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) | RB XII-25 | ₱460 | ₱443 | Dec 15, 2025 |
| Region XIII (Caraga) | RXIII-20 | ₱475 | ₱475 | May 1, 2026 |
| BARMM | BARMM-05 | ₱411 to ₱436 | ₱401 | Aug 6, 2026 |
“In effect since” is the date of the latest tranche now in effect. Negros Island Region: its new wage board has not issued a wage order yet, so Negros Occidental still follows Region VI and Negros Oriental and Siquijor follow Region VII. Source: NWPC regional wage pages and wage order texts. Confirm at nwpc.dole.gov.ph before changing payroll.
Running branches in more than one region?
Book a free demo to see YAHSHUA HRIS and Payroll in action and ask how it fits multi-branch payroll.
Changes Already Scheduled, and Regions Under Review
- October 14, 2026, Central Visayas (now in effect): Wage Order ROVII-27 added ₱42, raising Class A (Expanded Metro Cebu) to ₱582 and Class B (including Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor) to ₱542.
- October 26, 2026, CALABARZON (now in effect): Wage Order IVA-23 added ₱25 to ₱45 a day depending on area class and sector, raising non-agriculture to ₱550 to ₱645 and retail and service establishments with 10 or fewer workers to ₱550.
- December 1, 2026, Bicol: the second tranche of RBV-23 raises the regional rate from ₱455 to ₱480.
- December 1, 2026, BARMM: the second tranche of BARMM-05 adds ₱25 to every category, bringing the range to ₱426 to ₱461.
- NCR: the earlier order NCR-27, including a ₱25 increase once set for January 20, 2027, never took effect because of court injunctions and is before the courts. See our NCR minimum wage guide for the full timeline.
Several wage boards are also reviewing rates, which usually leads to a new order within weeks or months: Western Visayas (public hearings in October 2026), Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, SOCCSKSARGEN, and Ilocos have all held hearings or consultations in August and September 2026. Treat those regions' rates as likely to change before year-end.
Regions With Area or Size Tiers
These regions set different rates within the same region. They are where multi-branch payroll most often goes wrong.
Central Luzon (Region III)
Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales: ₱600 non-agriculture, ₱590 retail and service, ₱570 agriculture. Aurora: ₱560 non-agriculture, ₱545 agriculture, ₱515 retail and service.
CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Since October 26, 2026, non-agriculture is ₱645 in the Extended Metropolitan Area, component cities, and Rosario, Cavite, ₱590 in other 1st class municipalities, and ₱550 in 2nd to 5th class municipalities. Agriculture is ₱550 in every area. Retail and service establishments with 10 or fewer workers pay ₱550 in all areas.
These rates come from Wage Order IVA-23, which replaced IVA-22. The increase is ₱25 to ₱45 a day depending on area class and sector. The earlier rates were ₱600, ₱550 and ₱525 for non-agriculture, ₱525 and ₱508 for agriculture, and ₱508 for retail and service establishments with 10 or fewer workers. The minimum monthly wage of kasambahay in the region rose from ₱6,750 to ₱7,500 under a separate order. Rates apply by where the employee works, so check each branch's city or municipality class.
Central Visayas (Region VII)
One rate for all sectors, split by area. Class A, Expanded Metro Cebu, is ₱582: the cities of Carcar, Cebu, Danao, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Naga, and Talisay, and the municipalities of Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, and San Fernando. All other areas, including Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, are ₱542. These are the Wage Order ROVII-27 rates in effect since October 14, 2026, which added ₱42 to the earlier ₱540 and ₱500.
Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Category I is ₱500: the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Malaybalay, Valencia, Gingoog, El Salvador, and Ozamiz, and the municipalities of Tagoloan, Villanueva, Jasaan, Opol, Maramag, Quezon, Manolo Fortich, and Lugait. Category II is ₱485 for all other areas. Retail and service establishments with 10 or fewer workers pay ₱485 even inside Category I cities, including Cagayan de Oro.
BARMM
Cotabato City, Lamitan City, and Marawi City: ₱436 non-agriculture and ₱411 agriculture and retail. Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur (except Marawi), Basilan (except Lamitan), Tawi-Tawi, and the Special Geographic Area: ₱411 non-agriculture and ₱401 agriculture and retail. Each rises by ₱25 on December 1, 2026.
Size-based tiers elsewhere
Ilocos pays ₱505 to non-agriculture employers with 10 or more workers and ₱480 to those with fewer. Western Visayas pays ₱550 to non-agriculture employers with more than 10 workers, ₱525 to those with 10 or fewer, and ₱520 in agriculture. Eastern Visayas pays ₱470 to non-agriculture and larger retail, and ₱440 to retail and service with 1 to 10 workers, cottage industries, and agriculture. NCR's lower ₱718 rate covers retail and service with 15 or fewer workers and manufacturing with fewer than 10.
Five Rules Multi-Branch Employers Get Wrong
- The rate follows the workplace. Pay each employee the rate of the branch where they report, not their home address and not your head office's region.
- Classify each branch, not the company. A 12-person retail branch in Cagayan de Oro and a 40-person office in the same city owe different rates. Headcount and industry tiers apply per establishment.
- Track tranches, not just orders. Many orders raise rates in two steps months apart. Set a payroll reminder for every scheduled tranche, like December 1, 2026 in Bicol and BARMM.
- Recompute everything built on the daily rate. Overtime, holiday pay, night differential, and the 13th month pay running total all move when the daily rate changes. See our night differential and holiday pay guide for the multipliers.
- Check wage distortion after every increase. When the floor rises, employees just above it can end up earning nearly the same as new hires. Article 124 of the Labor Code requires employers to address wage distortion caused by a wage order.
Ask how payroll handles a new wage order.
YAHSHUA HRIS comes with YAHSHUA Payroll. Book a free demo and ask how it handles a new wage order, including employees whose basic pay falls below the new floor and pay items that depend on the daily rate.
See how YAHSHUA handles wage order updatesFrequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in the Philippines in 2026?
There is no single national minimum wage. As of September 26, 2026, daily minimum wages for private-sector workers range from ₱401 (agriculture and small retail in BARMM provinces) to ₱755 (non-agriculture in Metro Manila under Wage Order NCR-28). Each region's rate is set by its own wage board.
Is there a national minimum wage in the Philippines?
No. Under the Wage Rationalization Act (RA 6727), minimum wages are set region by region by Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards, with BARMM setting its own through the Bangsamoro wage board. Each board issues its own wage orders on its own schedule.
Which region has the highest minimum wage in the Philippines?
The National Capital Region: ₱755 per day for non-agriculture workers from September 26, 2026 under Wage Order NCR-28. The next highest are CALABARZON, where non-agriculture rates reach ₱645 per day in the highest-paying areas since October 26, 2026 under Wage Order IVA-23, and Central Luzon, at up to ₱600 per day.
What is the provincial minimum wage in the Philippines in 2026?
Outside Metro Manila, there is no single provincial rate. Each region sets its own, and several split it by province or city class. As of October 27, 2026, non-agriculture rates run from ₱411 in parts of BARMM to ₱645 in the highest-paying CALABARZON areas, and most regions fall between ₱411 and ₱550 per day. Central Luzon reaches ₱600, and Central Visayas reaches ₱582 in Class A areas such as Cebu. Use the table above to find the rate for the region and city class where the employee works.
What is the minimum wage in Cebu in 2026?
Under Wage Order ROVII-27, effective October 14, 2026, the minimum wage is ₱582 per day in Class A areas of Expanded Metro Cebu (the cities of Carcar, Cebu, Danao, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Naga, and Talisay, and the municipalities of Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, and San Fernando) and ₱542 per day everywhere else in Central Visayas. The order added ₱42 to the earlier ROVII-26 rates of ₱540 and ₱500, which took effect October 4, 2025.
What is the minimum wage in Davao in 2026?
Under Wage Order RB XI-24, the minimum wage in the Davao Region is ₱540 per day for non-agriculture and ₱525 per day for agriculture, after the second tranche took effect on September 1, 2026. There are no separate city or province tiers.
What is the minimum wage in Cagayan de Oro in 2026?
Under Wage Order RX-24, the minimum wage in Cagayan de Oro is ₱500 per day, the Category I rate for Northern Mindanao, after the second tranche took effect on May 1, 2026. Retail and service establishments with 10 or fewer workers pay the Category II rate of ₱485 per day, even inside Cagayan de Oro.
Which rate applies if an employee lives in a different region?
The rate follows where the employee works, not where they live. A worker who lives in Bulacan but reports to an office in Makati is paid the NCR rate. For multi-branch employers, each branch pays the rate of its own region, and in some regions its own province, city, or municipality class.
Are small businesses exempt from the minimum wage?
Some can be. Barangay Micro Business Enterprises registered under RA 9178 with a valid certificate are exempt from the minimum wage law. Retail and service establishments with 10 or fewer workers can apply to their regional wage board for exemption from a specific wage order, but they are only exempt once the board approves the application.
Written by YAHSHUA HRIS Team · Published September 2026
Rates verified on September 25, 2026, with the Central Visayas order added October 1, 2026 (DOLE, via BusinessWorld and The Philippine Star), and with the Central Visayas rates re-checked and CALABARZON Wage Order IVA-23 added on October 23, 2026 and confirmed in effect on October 27, 2026, against the National Wages and Productivity Commission's regional wage pages and the text of each wage order, with DOLE, PIA, and PNA announcements as cross-checks. Wage boards issue new orders often, so confirm current rates at nwpc.dole.gov.ph before updating payroll. This article does not constitute legal advice.