Holiday Work on Easter Sunday in the Philippines: Pay, Rest Day Rules, and Employee Rights

This guide explains how Philippine labor rules treat Easter Sunday work—what counts as a holiday (and what doesn’t), how to compute pay, what “rest day” rules require, and what rights employees and employers have under the Labor Code and standard DOLE pay principles. It’s written for private-sector employment. CBAs or company policies that are more generous will prevail.

1) Is Easter Sunday a holiday?

Typically, no. In the Philippines, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are regular holidays; Black Saturday is commonly a special (non-working) day; Easter Sunday is usually an ordinary Sunday (i.e., not a holiday).
Possible exceptions, year to year:
- If the President issues a proclamation explicitly declaring Easter Sunday a special (non-working) day, then special day pay rules apply.
- If another movable regular holiday (e.g., Eid’l Fitr/Eid’l Adha) happens to fall on Easter Sunday, then regular holiday rules apply that day.
Always check your company circular for the year’s official holiday list.

2) Quick map of Holy Week pay rules

Day	Typical legal classification	“No work”	If worked (first 8 hrs)
Maundy Thursday	Regular holiday	100% of daily wage (subject to eligibility)	200%
Good Friday	Regular holiday	100% of daily wage (subject to eligibility)	200%
Black Saturday	Special (non-working) day (commonly)	No pay (unless favorable policy/CBA/practice)	130%
Easter Sunday	Ordinary Sunday / Rest day (usually)	No pay (rest day)	130% (rest-day premium)

If a regular holiday falls on a scheduled rest day, the “holiday-on-rest-day” rate applies (see §4).

3) Rest day rules (weekly rest period)

Employees are entitled to a 24-hour consecutive rest period after six (6) consecutive working days.
The employer generally sets the weekly rest day, but must respect religious preferences when possible (e.g., a request to rest on Sunday for worship).
You may be required to work on your rest day only in limited situations (e.g., emergencies, to prevent loss or spoilage, urgent work to avoid serious business prejudice, etc.).
If required to work on a rest day, you’re owed premium pay (see §4A) and you should still get a substitute 24-hour rest within the week whenever feasible.

4) Pay rules you’ll actually compute

Let:

BDR = basic daily rate
HR = hourly rate = BDR ÷ 8
NSD = night shift differential (at least 10% per hour for work between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.)
OT = overtime = work beyond 8 hours in a day

A) Ordinary Sunday (usual Easter Sunday) = rest day

First 8 hours: 130% of BDR
OT hours: +30% of the hourly rate on that day
- Effective OT hourly rate = (HR × 130%) × 130% = 169% of HR
NSD: Add 10% of the hourly rate on that day for each night hour

Example (step-by-step arithmetic): Daily rate ₱800 ⇒ HR = ₱800 ÷ 8 = ₱100

8 hours on rest day: ₱800 × 130% = ₱1,040
+2 OT hours: hourly-on-day = ₱100 × 130% = ₱130; OT add-on = ₱130 × 30% = ₱39; OT hourly = ₱130 + ₱39 = ₱169; 2 × ₱169 = ₱338
Total = ₱1,040 + ₱338 = ₱1,378 (exclude NSD; add it if work falls 10pm–6am: ₱130 × 10% = ₱13 per night hour)

B) If Easter Sunday is declared a special (non-working) day

No work: No pay (unless a company/CBA/practice grants pay)
Worked (first 8 hours): 130% of BDR
If also a rest day: 150% of BDR
OT on special day: +30% of the hourly rate on that day
- Special day OT hourly (not a rest day) = (HR × 130%) × 130% = 169% of HR
- Special day and rest day OT hourly = (HR × 150%) × 130% = 195% of HR

C) If Easter Sunday coincides with a regular holiday (rare case)

No work (holiday pay): 100% of BDR (eligibility rules apply—see §6B)
Worked (first 8 hours): 200% of BDR
If also a rest day: 260% of BDR
OT on a regular holiday: +30% of the hourly rate on that day
- Regular holiday OT hourly (not a rest day) = (HR × 200%) × 130% = 260% of HR
- Regular holiday and rest day OT hourly = (HR × 260%) × 130% = 338% of HR

Stacking logic: Start with the base classification (ordinary/rest day/special/regular holiday), convert to that day’s hourly rate, then apply OT (+30%) and/or NSD (+10%) on top of that day’s rate.

5) Who is covered—and who isn’t

Coverage can differ slightly between holiday pay and premium pay rules, but as a practical guide:

Commonly covered: rank-and-file private-sector employees (probationary, regular, project/seasonal) whose work hours are supervised.

Common exclusions (not exhaustive):

Government employees (Civil Service rules apply instead)
Managerial employees and officers/members of the managerial staff
Field personnel and other employees whose hours and performance are unsupervised, including some purely commission-based or task-based roles
Domestic workers / persons in the personal service of another
Workers paid by results under systems where output rates are fixed by regulation and hours aren’t tracked
For holiday pay (no-work, with pay) specifically, retail and service establishments regularly employing fewer than 10 workers are generally exempt from the no-work, with pay requirement.
- But if such employees are required to work on a regular holiday, the premium (e.g., 200%) still applies.

When in doubt, check your job classification, how you’re paid, and whether your time is supervised.

6) Practical entitlements and common pitfalls

A) Premium pay vs. overtime vs. NSD

These are distinct and can all apply:

Premium pay compensates for rest days, Sundays, and special/regular holidays.
Overtime (OT) is for work beyond 8 hours, with +25% on ordinary days and +30% when the day already carries a premium (rest day/special/holiday).
Night Shift Differential (NSD) is +10% per night hour (10 p.m.–6 a.m.), computed using the hourly rate applicable to that day.

B) Eligibility for “no-work, with pay” on regular holidays

Typical rule of thumb: You must be present or on leave with pay on the workday immediately preceding the holiday to get the 100% holiday pay when not worked.
Being absent without pay right before the holiday often disqualifies you from the no-work holiday pay (but if you work on the holiday, premium rules apply regardless).

C) Monthly-paid vs. daily-paid employees

Monthly-paid (often using a 365-day factor) typically already include regular holidays in the monthly salary; additional premiums (rest day/OT/NSD) are still added when applicable.
Daily-paid receive pay only for days worked, plus any holiday pay they’re legally entitled to.

D) “Sandwich” absences

Some employers deny no-work holiday pay if an employee is absent on the workday before and after a holiday (“sandwich rule”). The law focuses on presence before the holiday; company rules may be stricter only if they don’t erode statutory minimums.

E) On-call work on rest days

If you must stay on the premises (or so close you cannot use the time freely), the period usually counts as hours worked; if you’re free to go home and just be reachable, it usually doesn’t.

7) Rights and remedies (employees)

Right to premium pay for work on rest days, Sundays, and holidays as applicable.
Right to refuse rest-day work except in the limited cases the law allows (emergency, to avoid serious loss/spoilage, etc.).
Right to a weekly 24-hour rest—premium pay does not replace the right to a rest day.
Religious accommodation: The employer should respect reasonable requests to align the weekly rest day with religious observance.
Non-diminution of benefits: Existing, more favorable company practices/policies cannot be unilaterally reduced.
Enforcement: You can raise concerns internally (HR) and, if unresolved, lodge a complaint with the DOLE Regional/Field Office with jurisdiction over your workplace.

8) Compliance notes (employers)

Circulate the official holiday calendar each year and state the classification of Holy Week dates.
Identify scheduled rest days per shift pattern; keep records showing who was required to work and why, if on a rest day.
Compute premiums transparently: show base rate, day classification, OT and NSD layers separately on the payslip.
Respect religious rest-day preferences where practicable; schedule a substitute rest day if you required Sunday work.
Do not offset the weekly rest by paying a premium; workers should still receive their 24-hour rest.

9) Worked illustrations (clean formulas you can reuse)

Let BDR = ₱800; HR = ₱800 ÷ 8 = ₱100.

Ordinary Easter Sunday (rest day), 8 hrs (no OT), all daytime Pay = BDR × 130% = ₱800 × 1.30 = ₱1,040
Same day, 10 hrs (2 hrs OT), all daytime
- First 8 hrs = ₱1,040 (from #1)
- Hourly-on-day = ₱100 × 1.30 = ₱130
- OT hourly add-on = ₱130 × 30% = ₱39
- OT hourly = ₱130 + ₱39 = ₱169
- 2 OT hrs = 2 × ₱169 = ₱338
- Total = ₱1,040 + ₱338 = ₱1,378
Regular holiday that falls on Sunday (and Sunday is your rest day), 8 hrs (no OT) Pay = BDR × 260% = ₱800 × 2.60 = ₱2,080
Regular holiday + rest day, 10 hrs with 2 hrs OT
- First 8 hrs = ₱2,080
- Hourly-on-day = ₱100 × 2.60 = ₱260
- OT hourly add-on = ₱260 × 30% = ₱78
- OT hourly = ₱260 + ₱78 = ₱338
- 2 OT hrs = 2 × ₱338 = ₱676
- Total = ₱2,080 + ₱676 = ₱2,756
Rest day night work (ordinary Sunday), 8 night hours
- First 8 hrs (rest day): ₱1,040
- NSD per hour = (HR × 130%) × 10% = (₱100 × 1.30) × 0.10 = ₱13
- NSD for 8 hrs = 8 × ₱13 = ₱104
- Total = ₱1,040 + ₱104 = ₱1,144

Adjust the base numbers to your actual daily rate and hours.

10) FAQs specific to Easter Sunday

“My employer says Easter Sunday isn’t a holiday—no pay if I don’t work.” That’s generally correct. It’s usually a rest day, not a holiday. No work, no pay (unless your pay scheme or company policy says otherwise).
“I worked on Easter Sunday. What premium should I get?” If it was your rest day, at least +30% (i.e., 130% of your daily wage for the first 8 hours), plus OT/NSD if applicable.
“What if our company declared Easter Sunday a special day?” If it’s declared a special (non-working) day, pay is 130% if worked (or 150% if it also happened to be your rest day). If not worked, no pay unless a favorable policy/CBA applies.
“What if Easter Sunday also happens to be a regular holiday?” Then the regular holiday rules apply (200% if worked; if it’s also your rest day, 260% for the first 8 hours), with OT/NSD stacking as shown.

11) Bottom line

Easter Sunday is not ordinarily a Philippine holiday. Treat it as a rest day unless a proclamation or overlapping movable holiday says otherwise.
If you work that day, compute premiums based on the day’s classification, then layer OT (+30% on that day’s rate) and NSD (+10% per night hour).
Employees: you’re entitled to weekly rest, correct premiums, and religious accommodation where feasible; escalate issues to HR or DOLE if needed.
Employers: classify the day correctly, compute transparently, and keep the weekly 24-hour rest intact.

Note: This article summarizes standard Labor Code/DOLE pay principles without case-specific advice. For the current year’s holiday classifications and any new issuances, check your HR circular or DOLE/OP proclamations.