Quick answer

For most private-sector labor disputes, start by filing a Request for Assistance (RFA) under the Single Entry Approach or SEnA. You may file online through the official DOLE Assistance for Request Management System or onsite at a DOLE, National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), or National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) office with a Single Entry Assistance Desk.

SEnA is generally a mandatory conciliation-mediation stage, not yet a formal case. The assigned conciliator-mediator ordinarily has 30 calendar days from the initial conference to help the parties settle or properly refer the unresolved dispute. Either or both parties may ask to pre-terminate SEnA and obtain a referral to the office with jurisdiction. This follows Republic Act No. 10396 and the current Department Order No. 249-25.

If the dispute is not settled:

File a formal complaint with the proper NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch (RAB) if it concerns illegal dismissal, unfair labor practice, damages arising from employment, reinstatement, or other claims within a Labor Arbiter’s jurisdiction.
Follow the referral to the DOLE Regional Office if the issue belongs in a labor-standards inspection, compliance, or summary money-claim proceeding.
Use the specialized forum identified by the desk officer if the matter involves a collective bargaining agreement, voluntary arbitration, a strike or lockout, government employment, or benefits administered by another agency.

Do not assume that filing an online RFA is the same as filing a formal NLRC complaint. Keep the SEnA referral, then complete the separate NLRC complaint process when required.

DOLE, SEnA, and the NLRC perform different functions

The correct route depends on the claim, not simply on which office is nearest.

SEnA: the usual first step

SEnA is a neutral settlement process for labor and employment issues. Workers, groups of workers, kasambahays, OFWs, unions, workers’ associations, federations, and employers may file an RFA. The current online system also permits authorized filing in specified circumstances, such as incapacity or death, subject to supporting documents.

The conciliator-mediator does not decide who legally wins. The officer facilitates discussions, records any lawful agreement, and refers unresolved issues to the appropriate adjudicatory or enforcement office.

DOLE Regional Office: labor standards and limited money claims

A DOLE Regional Office may handle labor-standards concerns such as nonpayment or underpayment of statutory wages and benefits, hours-of-work violations, and occupational safety and health issues through the appropriate inspection or enforcement process.

Where an employer-employee relationship still exists, DOLE’s visitorial and enforcement authority may support compliance orders based on inspection findings. The scope and any jurisdictional exception depend on the records and defenses presented. See Republic Act No. 7730, which strengthened DOLE’s authority under Article 128 of the Labor Code.

Separately, Article 129 authorizes the DOLE Regional Director or an authorized hearing officer to hear a simple money claim when:

it arises from an employer-employee relationship;
it does not include reinstatement; and
the aggregate claim of each employee does not exceed ₱5,000, excluding the distinct operation of DOLE’s inspection and enforcement authority.

An Article 129 decision may be appealed to the NLRC within five calendar days from receipt.

NLRC Labor Arbiter: dismissal and other adjudicated employment cases

Under the current 2025 NLRC Rules of Procedure, Labor Arbiters have original and exclusive jurisdiction over matters including:

unfair labor practice;
termination or illegal-dismissal disputes;
wage and working-condition claims accompanied by a claim for reinstatement;
damages arising from employer-employee relations;
questions concerning the legality of strikes or lockouts;
other employment-related claims exceeding ₱5,000, subject to statutory exceptions;
qualifying OFW money claims;
wage-distortion disputes in unorganized establishments; and
specified disputes involving noncompliance with, or challenges to, compromise agreements.

Disputes involving the interpretation or implementation of a collective bargaining agreement or enforcement of company personnel policies may instead be referred to the contractual grievance machinery and voluntary arbitration.

Step 1: Prepare the facts before filing

Write a dated chronology covering:

when you were hired;
your position, work location, employer, agency, or contractor;
your salary and normal schedule;
what obligation was not paid or what workplace act occurred;
any complaint or demand already made;
any disciplinary process, suspension, resignation, or termination;
the date of each important event; and
the exact remedy you want.

Identify the employer’s complete legal name and address. If a manpower agency, contractor, platform, franchise, foreign principal, or related company is involved, list each potentially relevant entity and describe what it did. Do not name individual officers automatically; personal liability depends on a separate legal and factual basis.

For monetary claims, prepare a simple computation by pay period. Separate basic wages, overtime, holiday pay, rest-day pay, night-shift differential, commissions, 13th-month pay, service incentive leave, deductions, and other benefits. State what has already been paid.

Evidence to preserve

Keep originals where possible and make secure copies of:

employment contracts, job offers, company IDs, assignment orders, and job descriptions;
payslips, payroll registers available to you, bank-credit records, and proof of cash payments;
time records, schedules, biometrics, time sheets, logbooks, and leave records;
SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and tax records relevant to employment or compensation;
notices to explain, written explanations, preventive-suspension orders, investigation records, warnings, and termination notices;
resignation letters, quitclaims, releases, settlement proposals, and final-pay computations;
emails, text messages, chat exports, screenshots, voice messages, and attachments;
proof that you reported or attempted to report for work;
records of denied entry, account deactivation, removal from schedules, or instructions not to return;
the applicable handbook, policy, collective bargaining agreement, or compensation plan;
medical or safety records when health, injury, pregnancy, disability, or workplace hazards are involved;
names and contact details of witnesses with personal knowledge; and
envelopes, email headers, courier records, acknowledgment receipts, and screenshots showing when notices were received.

Preserve complete conversations rather than isolated screenshots. Keep account names, dates, attachments, and surrounding messages. Do not edit evidence or obtain records by unlawfully accessing another person’s account or the employer’s systems.

Step 2: File the SEnA Request for Assistance

Online filing

Use the official DOLE ARMS portal. Select the correct filer category and supply accurate contact information. Describe the dispute clearly enough to identify:

the employer and workplace;
the parties involved;
the important dates;
each issue or claim;
the amount claimed, if known; and
the relief requested.

Save the electronic confirmation, RFA reference number, and every uploaded document.

Onsite filing

An RFA may be filed onsite at:

a DOLE Regional, Provincial, or Field Office;
the NCMB Central Office or a Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch; or
the NLRC Central Office or a Regional Arbitration Branch.

Bring identification, your chronology, the employer’s details, and available supporting documents. Ask for a copy of the accomplished RFA and the assigned reference or docket number.

The NLRC 2025 Citizen’s Charter lists no filing fee for an RFA. For personal filing through an NLRC office, the requesting party ordinarily appears personally. An absent or incapacitated person may need a Special Power of Attorney; a juridical entity may need an SPA, board resolution, or secretary’s certificate; and heirs filing for a deceased person need proof of death and relationship.

What happens in SEnA

Attend the scheduled conference and bring your computation and essential evidence. The parties may negotiate payment, reinstatement, separation, correction of employment records, issuance of a certificate of employment, or another lawful solution.

A settlement should identify:

the exact amount and whether it is gross or net;
the payment date, place, and method;
any installment schedule;
the claims being settled or preserved;
whether employment continues, ends, or resumes;
tax and contribution treatment when relevant;
what happens if a party defaults; and
any nonmonetary obligation.

Do not sign a blank form, an incomplete quitclaim, or an agreement you do not understand. Ask that the terms be explained in a language or dialect you understand. Obtain a signed copy before leaving.

If no settlement is reached, ask for the SEnA referral slip or equivalent referral document and confirm the office to which the dispute is being referred.

How to follow up a SEnA request

Use the Track RFA Status function on DOLE ARMS with the reference or docket number. For an onsite filing, contact the office that received or currently handles the RFA.

In every follow-up, provide:

your full name;
RFA reference or docket number;
filing date;
employer’s name;
assigned conciliator-mediator, if known;
last conference date; and
the specific information requested, such as the next setting or status of the referral.

Ask concrete questions: Has the RFA been assigned? Was the other party notified? What is the next conference date? Has a referral or settlement document been issued?

If the 30-day conciliation period has elapsed without disposition, or continued discussions are no longer useful, make a written request for the appropriate action or referral. Under RA 10396, either or both parties may pre-terminate conciliation-mediation and request referral or endorsement.

If the parties settled but the employer did not comply, promptly notify the assigned officer and submit the agreement plus proof of default. Under the current SEnA rules, enforcement may require a motion for execution before the proper DOLE Regional Office or NLRC RAB, depending on the agreement and referring office.

Step 3: File the formal NLRC complaint after referral

Choose the proper Regional Arbitration Branch

For ordinary local employment cases, the current NLRC Rules permit filing in the RAB with jurisdiction over either:

the complainant’s workplace; or
the complainant’s residence,

at the complainant’s option.

“Workplace” may include the place of assignment, the place to which a temporarily detailed worker should report back, the reporting or payment location of mobile or itinerant workers, and an alternative workplace used in telecommuting or a similar arrangement.

An OFW may generally choose the RAB covering the worker’s residence or the principal office of any respondent.

Bring the required documents

The current NLRC Citizen’s Charter generally requires:

the SEnA referral slip or RFA referral;
one valid government-issued ID, with a copy;
the accomplished NLRC complaint form; and
personal appearance by the complainant, subject to limited documented exceptions.

If personal filing is impossible because of death, qualifying illness or medical condition, or presence outside the country, a representative may need an SPA and the prescribed proof of the circumstance. Confirm the requirements with the particular RAB before sending a representative.

The complaint must state the names and addresses of all complainants and respondents, include every cause of action arising from the same employment relationship, and be signed by all complainants with a verification and certification against forum shopping. Filing the complaint is listed as free in the Citizen’s Charter.

Be specific. If you claim illegal dismissal, identify it expressly. Do not write only “money claims” if you also seek reinstatement, backwages, damages, or relief from constructive dismissal.

Personal filing remains the ordinary route

DOLE ARMS is an online system for the SEnA RFA. It is not an online substitute for the formal sworn NLRC complaint. The current Citizen’s Charter ordinarily requires personal complaint filing and administration of the oath, with documented exceptions.

After a case has been docketed, subsequent pleadings are filed with the proper NLRC docketing unit. The current Rules recognize personal filing, registered mail, and courier authorized by the Commission. A party filing a pleading must also serve the other side and retain proof of service. Do not assume that an ordinary email to an NLRC address constitutes a valid filing.

What happens after the NLRC complaint is filed

Obtain and keep:

a stamped copy of the complaint;
the complete case or docket number;
the RAB and assigned Labor Arbiter or sala;
the filing date; and
any initial notice or conference schedule.

The case is raffled to a Labor Arbiter. Under the current Rules, the Labor Arbiter issues summons within two working days from receipt of the complaint or amended complaint, with two settings for mandatory conciliation and mediation.

Mandatory conferences

The Labor Arbiter first attempts settlement. The NLRC mandatory conference should, absent justifiable grounds, end within 30 calendar days from the first conference.

If a duly notified complainant fails to attend both settings, the complaint may be dismissed without prejudice. A second dismissal for the same unjustified nonappearance may be with prejudice. If the respondent fails to attend both settings despite proper service, the Rules permit the case to proceed and may treat the failure as a waiver of the right to submit a position paper.

Position papers and replies

If the case is not settled, the Labor Arbiter sets a date—within 10 calendar days after termination of the mandatory conference—for simultaneous filing of verified position papers with supporting documents and affidavits.

A reply may be filed within 10 calendar days from receipt of the other party’s position paper, on the scheduled date set before the Labor Arbiter.

A complainant who fails to submit the required position paper risks dismissal. A respondent’s failure may be treated as a waiver, allowing decision on the existing record.

Include all important evidence at this stage. Witness affidavits ordinarily take the place of direct testimony. A courtroom-style trial is not automatic; the Labor Arbiter decides whether a hearing or clarificatory conference is necessary.

Decision period

A Labor Arbiter must generally decide within 30 calendar days after the case is submitted for decision, without extension. OFW cases are subject to a separate rule requiring decision within 90 calendar days after filing of the complaint. These decision periods do not necessarily predict the total elapsed time from filing because service, conferences, submissions, amendments, and other incidents occur first.

How to follow up an NLRC case

Contact the RAB’s docket or records unit, the office of the assigned Labor Arbiter, or the official public-assistance desk. Use the current NLRC contact page or office list in its Citizen’s Charter rather than an unverified number found on social media.

Always provide:

the full docket number;
case title;
RAB and Labor Arbiter;
your role as complainant or respondent;
the last order or conference date; and
the exact status requested.

Appropriate questions include:

Has summons been issued and served?
What is the next conference or filing date?
Was my position paper received and docketed?
Has the case been submitted for decision?
Has an order or decision been released?
Is there a pending execution motion or writ?

Follow up on status through official channels, but do not attempt to discuss the merits privately with the Labor Arbiter. Any argument, evidence, or request affecting the case should be placed in a proper pleading served on the other party.

Inspect the docket when necessary and ask for a certified copy through the branch’s prescribed process. Remember that personally obtaining a copy of an order or decision upon inquiry may constitute service and start a deadline.

Protect yourself from missed notices

Give the RAB a reliable physical address and contact details. Check registered mail and courier notices. If your address or representative changes, file a formal notice of change and furnish the opposing party.

Keep a receipt log containing:

Document	Date received	How received	Deadline	Filing proof
Summons or conference notice
Order to file position paper
Opposing position paper
Labor Arbiter decision
NLRC resolution

Count procedural deadlines from the legally relevant date of receipt, not merely from the date printed on the document.

Critical appeal deadlines

A Labor Arbiter’s decision becomes final unless appealed to the Commission within 10 calendar days from receipt. A DOLE Regional Director’s Article 129 decision must be appealed within five calendar days from receipt. If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the current Rules move the deadline to the next working day. No extension to perfect the appeal is allowed.

The appeal must be filed with the RAB or DOLE Regional Office of origin. A notice of appeal alone is insufficient. The appellant must comply with the verified memorandum, copies, fees, proof of service, and other requirements. An employer appealing a monetary award must generally post the required cash or accredited surety bond.

A motion for reconsideration of an NLRC Commission decision must generally be filed within 10 calendar days from receipt, must be based on palpable or patent errors, and must include proof of service. Only one motion for reconsideration from the same party is allowed.

These are short, strict deadlines. Seek legal assistance immediately upon receipt of an adverse decision instead of waiting for a status follow-up.

Prescription: do not delay the initial filing

Different claims have different prescriptive periods:

Ordinary wage and benefit claims arising from employment generally must be filed within three years from accrual.
An illegal-dismissal action generally has a four-year period from accrual under Article 1146 of the Civil Code. The Supreme Court confirmed this distinction in Arriola v. Pilipino Star Ngayon, Inc..
Unfair labor practice and claims governed by special laws may have different or shorter periods.

Accrual and interruption of prescription can depend on the claim, demands, prior proceedings, and controlling rules. Never assume that negotiations or an unresolved follow-up give you a new full filing period. File promptly and obtain case-specific advice when a deadline may be close.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating a SEnA RFA as the formal NLRC complaint.
Filing against a trade name while omitting the correct corporation, agency, contractor, or other responsible entity.
Giving an incomplete or obsolete employer address, causing service problems.
Omitting a cause of action or requested remedy from the complaint.
Filing duplicate proceedings without disclosing them.
Missing a conference because the employer said it was “cancelled” without official confirmation.
Relying on an oral extension of a filing deadline.
Submitting screenshots without the complete conversation, date, account identity, or attachments.
Failing to prepare a pay-period computation for money claims.
Signing a quitclaim or resignation without understanding the amount and scope of release.
Failing to keep the RFA number, referral slip, NLRC docket number, receipts, and stamped pleadings.
Moving or changing representatives without filing a notice of the new address.
Using a fixer or an unauthorized non-lawyer representative.
Waiting for repeated follow-ups while a prescription, appeal, or reconsideration deadline continues to run.

When legal help is urgent

Consult a labor lawyer, union counsel, or qualified legal-aid office immediately when:

a five-day or 10-day appeal period has started;
a money claim, dismissal case, or unfair-labor-practice claim may be nearing prescription;
the employer denies that an employment relationship or dismissal existed;
you are being pressured to sign a resignation, quitclaim, waiver, or backdated document;
a contractor, manpower agency, platform, foreign principal, or several related companies are involved;
the dispute involves union organizing, discrimination, retaliation, pregnancy, disability, harassment, violence, or an imminent safety danger;
a CBA or grievance procedure may control the forum;
you are an OFW or seafarer whose contract and special statutes may affect the parties, remedies, or deadlines;
reinstatement has been ordered but not implemented;
a settlement has not been paid; or
a case has reached the NLRC Commission or Court of Appeals stage.

A lawyer is not required to file an RFA or initiate an NLRC complaint, but legal assistance can be important for position papers, complicated employment arrangements, appeals, execution, and court review.

FAQ

Should I file with DOLE or the NLRC?

Usually, begin with SEnA through DOLE ARMS or a DOLE, NCMB, or NLRC desk. After conciliation, the referral determines the proper formal forum. Illegal dismissal, reinstatement, unfair labor practice, employment-related damages, and most larger adjudicated claims generally go to an NLRC Labor Arbiter. Labor-standards inspection or qualifying Article 129 claims may go to a DOLE Regional Office.

Can I file the entire case online?

The SEnA RFA may be filed online through DOLE ARMS. A formal NLRC complaint is a separate sworn filing and ordinarily requires personal appearance under the current Citizen’s Charter, subject to limited documented exceptions.

Is there a filing fee?

The current NLRC Citizen’s Charter lists no fee for filing an RFA or labor complaint. Appeals, bonds, certified copies, clearances, and other later transactions may have separate costs or requirements.

Do I need all my evidence before filing SEnA?

No, but bring enough information to identify the parties, issues, dates, and requested relief. Continue preserving records because a formal NLRC case will require a complete position paper and supporting evidence.

What if the employer ignores SEnA?

The conciliator-mediator may dispose of the RFA under the applicable rules and issue the proper referral. The employer’s absence does not itself prove the claim, so preserve evidence for the formal proceeding.

Can another person file for me?

Only in circumstances and with documents recognized by the applicable procedure. An SPA and proof of incapacity, absence, death, corporate authority, or overseas presence may be required. Confirm the exact requirements with the receiving office.

Can I follow up without a lawyer?

Yes. Use your RFA reference or NLRC docket number and contact the official office handling the matter. Follow-up does not replace attendance, proper pleadings, or compliance with deadlines.

What if a settlement is not paid?

Notify the office or officer that handled the settlement and provide the signed agreement and proof of default. Enforcement may require a motion for execution before the proper DOLE Regional Office or NLRC RAB.

How long will the case take?

SEnA and NLRC rules contain specific periods for conferences, submissions, and decisions, but no single duration applies to every case. Service problems, amendments, multiple parties, hearings, appeals, and execution can extend the actual timeline.

Official sources

This article provides general Philippine legal information, not advice for a specific dispute. Jurisdiction, deadlines, liability, and remedies may change based on the documents, employment status, applicable special laws, prior filings, and procedural history. Official sources and procedures were checked as of August 18, 2026.