Release 13th-month pay on time, DOLE tells private employers
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reminded all private sector employers to release the 13th month of their workers on time.
The early release of the 13th month pay is stipulated in the Labor Advisory No. 25-2023 signed by DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma.
Under the law, the 13th-month pay shall not be less than one-twelfth (1/12) of the total basic salary earned by an employee within a calendar year.
Employees who have worked for at least one month during the calendar year are eligible for benefits, regardless of their job, designation, or employment status, or the method by which their salaries are received.
The Labor Department also issued a guideline for computing the required 13th-month pay based on the current daily basic wage.
To compute the appropriate 13th-month collectibles, DOLE said the 13th-month pay provisions will be calculated as the total of the basic salary for the entire year, divided by 12.
Private sector employers are required under Presidential Decree No. 851 to provide their rank-and-file employees with 13th- month pay. (Trixee Rosel)