If you were absent around a regular holiday and your employer removed your holiday pay, the most important question is not simply “Were you absent?” The real question is: Were you present, or on paid leave, on the workday immediately before the regular holiday? Under Philippine labor rules, absence before a regular holiday can affect holiday pay. Absence after the holiday usually does not cancel holiday pay that was already earned, although it may still be treated as an ordinary absence under company policy.

Quick Answer: Does Absence Before or After a Regular Holiday Remove Holiday Pay?

Situation	Holiday pay result
You worked on the workday immediately before the regular holiday	You are generally entitled to holiday pay even if you did not work on the holiday
You were on approved paid leave on the workday immediately before the holiday	You are generally entitled to holiday pay
You were absent without pay on the workday immediately before the holiday and you did not work on the holiday	The employer may withhold the regular holiday pay
You were absent without pay before the holiday but you actually worked on the holiday	You must be paid for work performed on the regular holiday, generally 200% for the first 8 hours
The day before the holiday was your rest day or the company’s non-working day	Look at the last actual workday before that rest day or non-working day
You were absent after the holiday	This usually does not remove holiday pay, but the absence after the holiday may be unpaid or subject to discipline if unauthorized
There are two successive regular holidays, like Maundy Thursday and Good Friday	Special rules apply; absence before the first holiday may affect both holidays unless you work on the first holiday

What Is Holiday Pay in the Philippines?

Holiday pay is the payment of an employee’s regular daily wage for an unworked regular holiday. It is different from ordinary “no work, no pay” rules because regular holidays are paid days for covered employees even when no work is performed.

The Department of Labor and Employment’s workers’ benefits handbook explains holiday pay as payment of the regular daily wage for any unworked regular holiday, and states that a covered employee is entitled to at least 100% of the minimum wage rate even without reporting for work, provided the employee was present or on paid leave on the workday immediately before the holiday.

This article focuses on regular holidays, not special non-working days. The rules are very different:

Type of day	If employee did not work	If employee worked
Regular holiday	Generally 100%, subject to the “day before” rule	Generally 200% for the first 8 hours
Special non-working day	Usually no pay, unless company policy, CBA, or practice says otherwise	Usually 130% for the first 8 hours
Regular holiday falling on rest day	If unworked, regular holiday pay still applies if qualified	Generally 260% for the first 8 hours

Legal Basis for Holiday Pay and the “Absent Before Holiday” Rule

The key legal sources are:

Article 94 of the Labor Code, as amended, which provides the basic right to holiday pay for covered workers.
Book III, Rule IV of the Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code, which contains the detailed rules on absences, successive regular holidays, holiday work, and rest day combinations.
DOLE wage payment labor advisories, which apply the same formulas for specific declared holidays.
Company policy, collective bargaining agreement (CBA), or employment contract, but only if these give benefits equal to or better than the law.

Under Book III, Rule IV of the Omnibus Rules, the holiday pay rule applies to employees except certain excluded groups, including government employees, employees of retail and service establishments regularly employing fewer than 10 workers, domestic helpers or persons in the personal service of another, managerial employees, and certain field personnel whose time and performance are unsupervised. (Supreme Court E-Library)

The Omnibus Rules also state that employees who work on a regular holiday must be paid at least 200% of the regular daily wage for work not exceeding 8 hours, and if the holiday falls on the employee’s scheduled rest day, an additional premium of at least 30% of the 200% holiday rate applies. (Supreme Court E-Library)

The Main Rule: Check the Workday Immediately Before the Regular Holiday

The most misunderstood part of holiday pay is the phrase “workday immediately preceding the regular holiday.”

This does not always mean the calendar day before the holiday. It means the employee’s last scheduled working day before the regular holiday.

Example 1: Holiday is Friday, Thursday is a workday

If Independence Day falls on a Friday and Thursday is your normal workday:

Thursday	Friday regular holiday	Result
Present	Did not work	Entitled to holiday pay
Approved paid leave	Did not work	Entitled to holiday pay
Absent without pay	Did not work	Employer may withhold holiday pay
Absent without pay	Worked on the holiday	Entitled to pay for work on the holiday

The Omnibus Rules say covered employees are entitled to holiday pay when they are on paid leave, but employees on leave without pay on the day immediately preceding the regular holiday may not be paid the required holiday pay if they did not work on the holiday. (Supreme Court E-Library)

Example 2: Holiday is Monday, Sunday is your rest day

If the regular holiday is Monday and Sunday is your rest day, the employer should not simply say, “You were absent on Sunday,” because Sunday was not your workday.

The rule looks back to the workday immediately before the rest day. For many employees, that would be Saturday or Friday, depending on the work schedule.

The Omnibus Rules provide that if the day immediately before the holiday is a non-working day in the establishment or the employee’s scheduled rest day, the employee is not considered on leave on that day. The employee is entitled to holiday pay if the employee worked on the day immediately before that non-working day or rest day. (Supreme Court E-Library)

Example 3: Holiday is Tuesday, Monday was company shutdown

If Monday was a company-declared non-working day and Tuesday is a regular holiday, the relevant day may be the last actual workday before Monday. If you worked that last workday, you should not lose holiday pay just because Monday was not a working day.

This is a common payroll error in businesses with long weekends, compressed workweeks, or temporary shutdowns.

What If the Employee Is Absent After the Regular Holiday?

For ordinary regular holidays, Philippine labor rules condition holiday pay on the employee’s status before the holiday, not after it.

So if you:

worked on the workday immediately before the regular holiday;
did not work on the regular holiday; and
were absent without pay on the day after the holiday,

your absence after the holiday does not automatically cancel the holiday pay.

However, the day-after absence may still have separate consequences:

it may be unpaid under the “no work, no pay” rule;
it may be charged to available leave credits if approved;
it may be treated as unauthorized absence if not approved;
repeated unauthorized absences may lead to disciplinary action, following due process.

The important distinction is this: disciplining an employee for an unauthorized absence after a holiday is different from forfeiting statutory holiday pay that the employee already qualified for.

Successive Regular Holidays: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

Successive regular holidays need special attention. The most common example is Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Under the Omnibus Rules, when there are two successive regular holidays, an employee may not be paid for both holidays if the employee was absent from work on the day immediately before the first holiday, unless the employee works on the first holiday. If the employee works on the first holiday, the employee becomes entitled to holiday pay for the second holiday. (Supreme Court E-Library)

Practical example

Assume Wednesday is a regular workday, Thursday is Maundy Thursday, and Friday is Good Friday.

Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Result
Present	Did not work	Did not work	Entitled to holiday pay for both Thursday and Friday
Approved paid leave	Did not work	Did not work	Entitled to holiday pay for both
Absent without pay	Did not work	Did not work	Employer may withhold holiday pay for both
Absent without pay	Worked Thursday	Did not work Friday	Paid for Thursday work; entitled to Friday holiday pay
Present	Worked Thursday	Worked Friday	Paid holiday work rates for both days

This is why payroll often becomes complicated during Holy Week. Employees and HR should check not only attendance on the holiday itself, but also the last workday before the first regular holiday.

Holiday Pay Computation When Absence Is Involved

The absence rule tells you whether holiday pay is due. After that, the wage formula tells you how much should be paid.

Situation	Minimum pay rule
Qualified employee did not work on a regular holiday	100% of daily wage
Employee worked on a regular holiday, first 8 hours	200% of daily wage
Employee worked overtime on a regular holiday	Hourly rate on that day + 30% of that hourly rate
Employee worked on a regular holiday that is also the employee’s rest day	260% of daily wage for first 8 hours
Employee worked overtime on a regular holiday that is also a rest day	Hourly rate based on 260% + 30%

The Omnibus Rules state that regular holiday work not exceeding 8 hours is paid at least 200%, and overtime work on a regular holiday is paid with an additional 30% of the rate for the first 8 hours. If the holiday work also falls on the scheduled rest day, the regular holiday-rest day rate is 200% plus 30% of that 200% rate. (Supreme Court E-Library)

Sample computation

Assume the employee’s daily wage is ₱700.

Scenario	Formula	Amount
Qualified, did not work on regular holiday	₱700 × 100%	₱700
Worked on regular holiday	₱700 × 200%	₱1,400
Worked on regular holiday that is also rest day	₱700 × 260%	₱1,820

If the employee was absent without pay on the workday immediately before the holiday and did not work on the holiday, the employer may withhold the ₱700 holiday pay. But if the employee actually worked on the holiday, the employee must be paid for the holiday work.

Common Payroll Scenarios and How to Analyze Them

“I was absent the day before the holiday, but I filed vacation leave.”

If the leave was approved and paid, the employee is generally entitled to holiday pay. The DOLE handbook specifically recognizes entitlement when the employee is on leave of absence with pay on the workday immediately preceding the regular holiday.

If the leave was not approved, was unpaid, or was treated as absence without leave, the employer may deny holiday pay if the employee also did not work on the holiday.

“I was sick the day before the holiday.”

Check how the sick day was treated in payroll.

Treatment of sick day	Effect
Approved paid sick leave	Holiday pay generally due
Unpaid sick leave	Holiday pay may be withheld if employee did not work on the holiday
SSS sickness benefit or employee’s compensation benefit	Special rules may apply; the employee may receive the same percentage of holiday pay as the benefit granted by the competent authority, whichever is higher

The Omnibus Rules include a rule for employees not reporting for work while on employee’s compensation or social security benefits. (Supreme Court E-Library)

“The company says I must be present before and after the holiday.”

Many companies use a “before and after holiday” rule in attendance policies. That may be used for internal discipline or leave management, but statutory holiday pay under the Omnibus Rules focuses on the workday immediately before the regular holiday.

A company policy cannot reduce a mandatory labor standard. The Omnibus Rules expressly state that the rules should not justify withdrawing or reducing benefits provided under an individual agreement, CBA, or employer practice. (Supreme Court E-Library)

“I am monthly-paid. Is holiday pay already included?”

Monthly-paid employees are often told that “holiday pay is already included.” Sometimes that is correct, but it depends on how the monthly salary is structured.

The Omnibus Rules say employees uniformly paid by the month, regardless of the number of working days, with salary not less than the statutory or established minimum wage, are paid for all days in the month whether worked or not. (Supreme Court E-Library)

In practice, review:

your employment contract;
payroll divisor used by the company, such as 261, 313, 314, 365, or another factor;
payslip entries for holiday pay;
company handbook;
CBA, if unionized;
whether holiday work is separately paid at the correct premium rate.

Even if monthly salary already includes pay for unworked regular holidays, work actually performed on a regular holiday should still be paid at the proper holiday work rate.

“The day before the holiday was my rest day.”

You should not be considered absent on your rest day. The correct question is whether you worked on the last scheduled workday before that rest day or non-working day. This is especially important for employees on shifting schedules, BPO workers, security guards, healthcare staff, restaurant workers, and employees under compressed workweek arrangements.

“I work for a foreign company in the Philippines.”

Foreign ownership does not exempt a Philippine-based employer from Philippine labor standards. If the employment relationship is governed by Philippine labor law and the work is performed in the Philippines, holiday pay rules generally apply to covered employees.

For expats and foreign workers employed locally, the same attendance and holiday pay analysis normally applies. For remote workers hired by an offshore entity, seafarers, OFWs, or workers deployed abroad, the controlling contract, place of work, and applicable labor framework may change the analysis.

Step-by-Step Guide: What to Do If Your Holiday Pay Was Removed

1. Confirm the holiday classification

Check whether the date was a regular holiday or only a special non-working day. Regular holidays are usually listed in the annual presidential proclamation, while Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha are declared based on Islamic calendar determinations.

For 2026, Malacañang issued Proclamation No. 1006 declaring the regular holidays and special non-working days for the year, and official announcements identify the listed regular holidays such as New Year’s Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Araw ng Kagitingan, Labor Day, Independence Day, National Heroes Day, Bonifacio Day, Christmas Day, and Rizal Day. (Presidential Communications Office)

2. Identify your last scheduled workday before the holiday

Do not assume it is the calendar day before. Check your schedule.

Ask:

Was the day before the holiday a rest day?
Was it a company non-working day?
Were you on a compressed workweek?
Was there a temporary shutdown?
Were you on shifting schedule?

Then identify the last actual workday immediately before the holiday or before the non-working/rest day.

3. Check how your absence was encoded

Payroll codes matter.

Look for labels such as:

present;
rest day;
approved vacation leave;
approved sick leave;
leave with pay;
leave without pay;
AWOL;
unpaid absence;
suspension;
company-declared non-working day.

A paid leave code usually supports holiday pay. A leave-without-pay or AWOL code may justify withholding holiday pay if you did not work on the holiday.

4. Compute the amount

Use your daily wage or the daily equivalent of your monthly salary.

For a basic check:

Determine your daily basic wage.
Identify whether you worked on the holiday.
Apply 100%, 200%, or 260%, depending on the situation.
Add overtime, night shift differential, or rest day premium only if applicable.
Compare with your payslip.

5. Ask payroll or HR for a written explanation

A simple, neutral message often works:

“May I request clarification on why my regular holiday pay for [date] was not included? My understanding is that I worked on [last workday before the holiday] / was on approved paid leave on that date. I would appreciate a copy of the attendance basis and payroll computation used.”

This creates a written record without immediately escalating the issue.

6. Gather documents before filing a complaint

Document	Why it matters
Payslip covering the holiday	Shows whether holiday pay was included or removed
Daily time record, biometrics, logs, or screenshots	Shows attendance before, during, and after the holiday
Work schedule or roster	Shows the correct “workday immediately preceding”
Leave form or HR approval	Proves paid leave if applicable
Company handbook or memo	Shows holiday policy
Employment contract or CBA	May provide better benefits than the law
Messages from supervisor or HR	Shows instructions, approvals, or payroll explanations
Bank payroll credit	Confirms actual amount paid

7. Use DOLE SEnA if the issue is not resolved

For unpaid or underpaid holiday pay, workers commonly start with the Single Entry Approach (SEnA). SEnA is a mandatory conciliation-mediation mechanism intended to provide a speedy, impartial, inexpensive, and accessible settlement process for labor issues. RA 10396 institutionalized conciliation-mediation for labor disputes, and NCMB describes SEnA as a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation process. (Lawphil)

SEnA requests may be filed onsite or online, depending on the appropriate DOLE, NCMB, or NLRC office. The DOLE ARMS portal also states that RFAs may be filed by workers, groups of workers, unions, kasambahay, OFWs, and employers, and that onsite filing may be made at DOLE Regional/Provincial Offices, NCMB offices, or NLRC offices. (SENA Web App)

Practical Timelines and Where the Case May Go

Stage	Usual practical timeline	What happens
Internal HR/payroll clarification	A few days to one payroll cycle	Payroll may correct the payslip or explain the basis
SEnA filing and conference	Up to 30 days for conciliation-mediation	Parties try to settle before formal litigation
If unresolved	Depends on amount and issue	The matter may be referred to the proper DOLE office, NLRC, or other appropriate forum
Formal money claim	Several months or longer	Evidence, position papers, hearings, and decisions may be required

For small holiday pay disputes, settlement at HR or SEnA level is common because the computation is usually document-based. The bottlenecks are often incomplete attendance records, unclear leave coding, or disagreement over whether the relevant day was a workday, rest day, or non-working day.

Common Mistakes Employees and Employers Make

Mistake 1: Treating the calendar day before the holiday as the only relevant day

For employees with rest days, shifting schedules, or company shutdowns, the law looks at the workday immediately before the holiday, not always the calendar day immediately before.

Mistake 2: Assuming absence after the holiday cancels holiday pay

The regular rule is about the workday immediately before the holiday. Absence after the holiday may be a separate attendance issue, but it is not the usual legal condition for earning holiday pay.

Mistake 3: Confusing paid leave with unpaid leave

Approved leave is not always paid leave. Holiday pay entitlement is stronger when the employee was on leave with pay on the workday immediately before the regular holiday.

Mistake 4: Applying special non-working day rules to regular holidays

A special non-working day is usually “no work, no pay” unless the employee works or a better policy applies. A regular holiday is different because covered employees may be paid even without working.

Mistake 5: Forgetting the special rule for successive holidays

Holy Week payroll errors often happen because HR treats Maundy Thursday and Good Friday separately without applying the successive-holiday rule.

Mistake 6: Relying only on verbal explanations

Holiday pay disputes are usually resolved by documents: schedule, leave approval, DTR, payroll register, and payslip. Written proof matters more than verbal assurances.

Official References Worth Checking

Reference	Use it for
Omnibus Rules Implementing the Labor Code, Book III, Rule IV	Detailed rules on holiday pay, absences, successive holidays, rest days, and certain employees
Presidential Decree No. 850, which amended the Labor Code holiday pay provisions	Basic statutory rule on regular holiday pay
RA 10396 on conciliation-mediation for labor disputes	Legal basis for SEnA
NCMB Single Entry Approach page	Practical information on SEnA filing and 30-day mediation
DOLE ARMS / SEnA portal	Online filing of a Request for Assistance

Frequently Asked Questions

If I am absent one day before a regular holiday, do I still get holiday pay?

You generally get holiday pay if you were present or on approved paid leave on the workday immediately before the regular holiday. If you were absent without pay on that workday and you did not work on the holiday, the employer may withhold holiday pay.

What if I was absent before the holiday but I worked on the holiday?

You must be paid for work actually performed on the regular holiday. For the first 8 hours, the minimum rate is generally 200% of your daily wage. The absence before the holiday does not allow the employer to make you work on a regular holiday without the proper holiday work rate.

Does being absent after a regular holiday remove my holiday pay?

Usually, no. The legal condition focuses on the workday immediately before the regular holiday. Absence after the holiday may be unpaid or may lead to discipline if unauthorized, but it does not normally erase holiday pay that you already qualified for.

What if the day before the holiday was my rest day?

You are not considered absent on your rest day. The employer should look at the workday immediately before that rest day or non-working day. If you worked that earlier workday, you generally qualify for holiday pay.

What if I filed sick leave before the holiday?

If your sick leave was approved and paid, you generally remain entitled to holiday pay. If it was unpaid or treated as AWOL, the employer may withhold holiday pay if you did not work on the holiday.

Are probationary employees entitled to holiday pay?

Yes, if they are covered employees. Holiday pay is not limited to regular employees. Probationary, project, seasonal, or fixed-term status does not automatically remove holiday pay rights, although some workers may be excluded based on the nature of work or the specific coverage rules.

Are monthly-paid employees entitled to holiday pay?

Monthly-paid employees may already have unworked regular holidays included in their monthly salary, depending on the salary structure and divisor used. But if they actually work on a regular holiday, the proper holiday work premium must still be checked.

Can a company policy require attendance before and after the holiday?

A company may have attendance rules, but it cannot reduce mandatory holiday pay below what labor standards require. A “before and after” policy may be relevant to discipline or leave approval, but statutory holiday pay is primarily governed by the legal rule on the workday immediately preceding the regular holiday.

How long do I have to claim unpaid holiday pay?

Money claims arising from employment should be acted on promptly. Labor Code money claims generally have a three-year prescriptive period from the time the cause of action accrued, so employees should not wait too long before raising unpaid holiday pay issues. (Department of Labor and Employment)

Where do I complain for unpaid holiday pay?

You may start with HR or payroll. If unresolved, workers commonly file a Request for Assistance under DOLE’s SEnA process. Depending on the amount, employment status, and related issues, the matter may later be referred to the proper DOLE office or the NLRC.

Key Takeaways

Absence before a regular holiday matters; absence after the holiday usually does not cancel holiday pay.
The key test is whether the employee was present or on paid leave on the workday immediately preceding the regular holiday.
If the day before the holiday was a rest day or company non-working day, check the last actual workday before that.
If the employee was absent without pay before the holiday and did not work on the holiday, the employer may withhold holiday pay.
If the employee worked on the regular holiday, the employee must be paid the proper holiday work rate, generally 200% for the first 8 hours.
Successive regular holidays, especially Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, have a special rule.
Company policy, contracts, and CBAs may give better benefits, but they cannot reduce mandatory labor standards.
For unpaid or underpaid holiday pay, keep payslips, DTRs, schedules, leave approvals, and payroll messages before going to HR or filing through SEnA.