Quick answer

Start by filing a Request for Assistance (RFA) under the Single Entry Approach, or SEnA. You may file online through DOLE ARMS or personally at a Single Entry Assistance Desk of DOLE, the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), or the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).

SEnA is generally the required first step before a formal labor case. It provides conciliation-mediation, not a ruling on who is legally correct. If the dispute is not settled, obtain a SEnA referral and file the appropriate formal complaint:

With DOLE, usually for labor-standards inspection or a qualifying simple money claim.
With an NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch, usually for illegal dismissal, reinstatement, unfair labor practice, damages, and larger employment-related money claims.

An online RFA is not automatically a formal NLRC complaint. Keep the reference number, attend every conference, obtain the referral or signed settlement, and watch all filing and appeal deadlines.

DOLE or NLRC: which office handles the case?

Issue	Usual formal forum after SEnA
Minimum-wage underpayment, unpaid overtime, holiday pay, service incentive leave, 13th-month pay, or recordkeeping violations while employment continues	DOLE Regional Office may inspect and issue a compliance order under the Labor Code’s visitorial and enforcement powers
Simple recovery of wages or benefits, no claim for reinstatement, and aggregate claim not exceeding ₱5,000 per employee	DOLE Regional Director or authorized hearing officer under Article 129
Illegal or constructive dismissal	NLRC Labor Arbiter
Reinstatement or separation pay arising from dismissal	NLRC Labor Arbiter
Unfair labor practice	NLRC Labor Arbiter
Damages arising from the employment relationship	NLRC Labor Arbiter
Employment-related money claims exceeding ₱5,000, whether or not reinstatement is requested	NLRC Labor Arbiter
OFW money claims arising from an overseas employment contract	Generally the NLRC, subject to applicable migrant-worker laws and DMW processes
Interpretation or implementation of a collective bargaining agreement or company personnel policy	Grievance machinery and, when applicable, voluntary arbitration
Actual strike or lockout, notice of strike or lockout, or preventive mediation	NCMB under its separate rules
SSS, GSIS, Employees’ Compensation, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, or similar social-welfare claims	The agency or forum designated by the governing law
Government employment	Usually the employing agency, Civil Service Commission, or another public-sector forum—not automatically the NLRC

This allocation can change when employment status, the amount claimed, the remedy requested, a collective bargaining agreement, or the employer’s legal character is disputed. DOLE’s inspection authority under Article 128 is not governed by the ₱5,000 ceiling applicable to Article 129 proceedings. However, jurisdiction can shift if an employer contests inspection findings using documentary evidence that was not considered during inspection. See the Labor Code and Republic Act No. 7730.

Step 1: Organize the claim before filing

Prepare a short factual timeline containing:

Your complete name, address, mobile number, and email address.
The employer’s exact registered or business name, address, and known officers.
The names of any agency, contractor, subcontractor, principal, franchisee, recruiter, or foreign employer involved.
Your position, hiring date, workplace, salary or wage rate, and work schedule.
What happened, with exact dates where possible.
Each amount or remedy requested, such as unpaid wages, overtime, reinstatement, separation pay, final pay, certificate of employment, or damages.
What you already demanded and how the employer responded.

For a money claim, prepare a period-by-period computation. Identify the pay period, legal or agreed rate, amount actually received, and difference claimed. Do not submit only an unexplained lump-sum figure.

Step 2: File the SEnA Request for Assistance

Under Republic Act No. 10396 and DOLE Department Order No. 249-25, most labor and employment disputes first undergo mandatory conciliation-mediation.

Where to file

An onsite RFA may be filed at the Single Entry Assistance Desk of:

A DOLE Regional, Provincial, Field, or Satellite Office;
The NCMB or a Regional Conciliation and Mediation Branch; or
The NLRC or a Regional Arbitration Branch.

The requesting worker may generally choose the office nearest their residence, the employer’s principal place of business, or—when a union or workers’ association is involved—the place where that organization operates. Offices can coordinate across regions when the most convenient filing office is far from the employer.

For online filing, use the official DOLE Assistance for Request Management System. The system accepts RFAs and provides a facility to track an RFA using its reference or docket number.

Who may file

A worker, group of workers, kasambahay, OFW, union, federation, or workers’ association may file an RFA. When the aggrieved person is absent or incapacitated, an immediate family member or authorized representative generally needs a Special Power of Attorney. Corporations and juridical entities require appropriate written authority. Heirs filing for a deceased worker should bring the required death certificate and proof of relationship.

What happens next

For an onsite filing, the initial conference date should be set on the day of filing. For an online RFA, it should be set within two days after assignment to a Single Entry Assistance Desk Officer, or SEADO. The initial conference should ordinarily take place within five calendar days, or at the earliest available date not exceeding ten days from assignment.

The defined 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation period begins at the initial conference where both parties appear. The parties may mutually extend it when settlement remains possible, but the extension cannot exceed 15 calendar days.

Parties normally represent themselves during SEnA. Lawyers are not encouraged to participate except in the circumstances allowed by the rules. Conferences may be face-to-face or conducted through an available digital platform.

Information exchanged during conciliation is confidential and privileged. The rules prohibit the parties from using voice, video, or other electronic recording devices during the proceedings, except for the limited official recording permitted when an online settlement is read and accepted.

Issues that do not follow ordinary SEnA conciliation

Department Order No. 249-25 excludes matters governed by separate procedures, including:

Actual strikes or lockouts, notices of strike or lockout, and preventive-mediation notices;
CBA interpretation or implementation and enforcement of company personnel policies, which must pass through the grievance machinery;
Applications for exemption from wage orders;
Certain permit, license, accreditation, and registration issues;
Inter- and intra-union disputes;
Social-security and welfare-law claims;
Claims already covered by a settlement, quitclaim, and release executed before a SEADO; and
Occupational-safety matters involving imminent danger, a dangerous occurrence, disabling injury, or absent or inadequate personal protective equipment.

Do not wait for ordinary conciliation when there is immediate danger to life or health. Report the condition directly to the appropriate DOLE Regional Office and obtain emergency medical or law-enforcement assistance when necessary.

Step 3: Attend and document every SEnA conference

Bring your identification, timeline, computations, and supporting records. Be ready to explain both the problem and the exact result you want.

If the responding party fails to attend two consecutive scheduled conferences despite proper notice, the SEADO may issue a referral. Either party may also pre-terminate conciliation and request referral under Republic Act No. 10396. For multiple claims, settled issues may be documented while unresolved issues are referred separately.

Do not simply stop attending. Ask the SEADO to record any withdrawal, pre-termination, nonappearance, settlement, or referral properly.

If the parties settle

A SEnA settlement should be:

In writing and in a language or dialect the parties understand;
Signed or validly confirmed by both parties;
Attested by the SEADO;
Clear about every issue settled;
Specific about the amount, payment method, installment schedule, and due dates; and
Entered into voluntarily, without fraud, intimidation, violence, or coercion.

Check whether the amount stated is gross or net of lawful deductions. If payment will be made in installments, require exact dates and amounts. For reinstatement, specify the position, reporting date, workplace, wage, schedule, and treatment of benefits.

An attested SEnA settlement is final and immediately executory, subject to the rule against agreements contrary to law, morals, public order, or public policy. Under Department Order No. 249-25, the waiver and quitclaim should be issued only after full compliance with the settlement.

If the other party defaults, report it immediately to the same SEADO. The SEADO should call the parties to seek voluntary compliance. If default continues, obtain a referral and file the appropriate motion for execution with the DOLE Regional Office or NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch.

Step 4: File the formal NLRC complaint when required

If SEnA fails and the dispute belongs to the NLRC, file with the Regional Arbitration Branch having jurisdiction over either:

Your workplace; or
Your residence, at your option.

Under the 2025 NLRC Rules of Procedure, “workplace” includes certain field, mobile, itinerant, telecommuting, and alternative-workplace arrangements. An OFW case may generally be filed where the complainant resides or where any respondent’s principal office is located.

Bring or prepare

The NLRC’s current public-service checklist calls for:

The SEnA referral;
A valid government-issued ID;
The accomplished NLRC complaint form; and
Supporting authority and documents if personal appearance is impossible under an allowed exception.

The complaint must state the names and addresses of all complainants and respondents. Every complainant must sign it and execute the required verification and certification against forum shopping. Include all claims arising from the same employment relationship; omitted causes of action may create unnecessary procedural problems.

The NLRC’s 2025 Citizen’s Charter, Second Edition lists no filing fee for an employee’s RFA or initial complaint.

The 2025 Rules recognize filing through personal submission, registered mail, or an NLRC-authorized courier. However, the Citizen’s Charter’s complaint-intake procedure ordinarily requires personal appearance and identifies limited documentary exceptions. Before mailing an initial complaint, confirm the applicable procedure with the receiving Regional Arbitration Branch. Personal filing remains the safest course when feasible.

What happens after an NLRC complaint is filed

The Labor Arbiter should issue summons within two working days after receiving the complaint or amended complaint. The summons should include two settings for mandatory conciliation and mediation.

Important stages include:

Mandatory conferences. Settlement remains encouraged. Unless justified, this stage should end within 30 calendar days from the first conference.
Position papers. If no settlement is reached, the Labor Arbiter generally directs simultaneous filing of verified position papers, supporting documents, and witness affidavits within ten calendar days after termination of the conferences.
Reply. A reply may generally be filed within ten calendar days after receipt of the opposing position paper, on the schedule set by the Labor Arbiter.
Clarificatory proceedings. The Labor Arbiter decides whether a hearing or clarificatory conference is necessary. Witness testimony is not automatic; affidavits ordinarily serve as direct testimony.
Decision. The Labor Arbiter must render a decision within 30 calendar days after the case is submitted for decision. An OFW case is subject to a 90-calendar-day decision period measured from filing. These are rule-based adjudication periods; service problems, permitted proceedings, appeals, and execution can extend the total time before recovery.

Failure by a complainant to attend both scheduled mandatory conferences may cause dismissal without prejudice. A second case dismissed for the same unjustified nonappearance may be dismissed with prejudice. Failure to submit a required position paper can also lead to dismissal. Never assume that an unresolved settlement discussion excuses a filing deadline.

Every later pleading or paper ordinarily needs proof that a copy was served on the opposing party, unless it is filed simultaneously during the scheduled proceeding.

How to follow up a SEnA request

Use the reference number shown on the RFA receipt or confirmation email.

Check the status through DOLE ARMS.
Contact the same DOLE, NCMB, or NLRC office where assistance was first requested.
Provide the reference number, parties’ names, filing date, and assigned SEADO.
Ask whether the RFA has been assigned, whether notice was served, when the next conference is scheduled, and whether any document or action is required from you.
Confirm your current mobile number, email, and address in writing.
If the 30-day period has expired, settlement is remote, the respondent twice failed to appear, or only some issues were settled, request the appropriate written referral.
Save the status response, email, text message, and any new conference notice.

Do not file duplicate RFAs with several offices merely to obtain faster action. RFAs involving the same respondent and issues may be consolidated, and duplicate filings can cause confusion.

How to follow up a formal NLRC case

Use the complete NLRC docket number and contact the Regional Arbitration Branch of origin through the official NLRC contact directory.

Ask the Records and Docket Unit, Public Assistance Desk, or assigned Labor Arbiter’s office to confirm:

Whether the complaint was docketed and raffled;
The assigned Labor Arbiter;
Whether summons or an order has been issued;
The next scheduled conference;
Whether a position paper, reply, or other submission is due;
Whether a decision or order has been released; and
How to obtain an official or certified copy.

Limit a status inquiry to administrative information. Do not privately argue the merits with the Labor Arbiter or staff. If the case requires a formal request, manifestation, or motion, file it through the proper docketing channel, serve the opposing party, and retain proof of filing and service.

Record the actual date you or your authorized representative received every decision or order. Appeal periods run from receipt—not from the date you happened to learn informally that a decision existed.

Deadlines that require immediate attention

Labor Arbiter decision: An appeal to the NLRC must be perfected within 10 calendar days from receipt. No extension is allowed. If the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day.
DOLE Regional Director decision under Article 129: The appeal period is five calendar days from receipt.
Employer appeal involving a monetary award: The employer must generally post a cash or accredited surety bond equivalent to the monetary award, excluding damages and attorney’s fees.
Reinstatement order: The reinstatement portion is immediately executory even while an appeal is pending.
Ordinary employment-related money claims: These generally prescribe in three years from accrual.
Illegal-dismissal claim and the backwages and damages resulting from it: The Supreme Court has applied a four-year period, as explained in Arriola v. Pilipino Star Ngayon, Inc..
Unfair labor practice: The Labor Code states a one-year filing period from accrual.

The accrual date and effect of prior demands, proceedings, acknowledgments, concealment, or continuing violations may be disputed. Do not wait until the apparent last day, and do not assume an informal inquiry or settlement conversation preserves the claim.

Evidence to preserve

Keep originals and make secure copies of:

Employment contracts, job offers, appointment letters, and agency agreements;
Company IDs, certificates of employment, and BIR Form 2316;
Payslips, payroll acknowledgments, bank statements, e-wallet records, and remittance receipts;
Daily time records, biometric logs, schedules, attendance sheets, trip records, and work assignments;
Emails, text messages, chat exports, memoranda, and written instructions;
Notices to explain, suspension or termination notices, return-to-work directives, resignation documents, and quitclaims;
Performance evaluations, disciplinary records, and the relevant company policy or collective bargaining agreement;
SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contribution histories;
Photographs, videos, and electronic files in their original form, with dates and metadata preserved;
Medical records, incident reports, and safety complaints when relevant;
Names and contact details of witnesses with personal knowledge;
Your demand letters and proof they were received;
Every RFA, referral, complaint, notice, order, submission, receipt, and proof of service.

Do not alter screenshots or discard the device containing the original conversation. Keep a separate chronology explaining who created each record, when it was received, and what it shows.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating a hotline inquiry or social-media message as a completed RFA without obtaining a reference number.
Assuming an online SEnA filing is already an NLRC case.
Naming only a supervisor instead of the correct employer, contractor, agency, principal, or corporate entity.
Giving an incomplete or outdated employer address, which can delay service.
Omitting claims arising from the same employment relationship.
Submitting an unexplained total instead of a pay-period computation.
Missing a conference because a notice went to an old phone number, email, or address.
Failing to serve the opposing party with later pleadings.
Secretly recording a SEnA conference despite the confidentiality rule.
Signing a quitclaim before receiving the promised payment.
Accepting an installment settlement without exact due dates and amounts.
Relying on verbal assurances after a formal deadline has begun.
Filing an appeal in the wrong office or asking for an extension that the rules do not allow.

When legal help is urgent

Seek advice immediately from a labor lawyer, qualified union representative, or recognized legal-aid office when:

A position paper, appeal, or response is already due;
The three-year, four-year, or one-year prescriptive period may be close;
The employer disputes that you were an employee or claims you were an independent contractor;
Several agencies, contractors, recruiters, principals, or foreign employers may be liable;
You were asked to sign a waiver, resignation, settlement, or quitclaim you do not fully understand;
A settlement has been breached;
The company is closing, transferring assets, or becoming insolvent;
The dispute concerns an OFW’s disability, death, repatriation, recruitment, or overseas contract;
Retaliation, threats, violence, discrimination, or evidence destruction is occurring;
Multiple workers, a union, a strike, or a collective bargaining agreement is involved; or
There is imminent danger, a serious workplace accident, or inadequate protective equipment.

For wage-related proceedings, Article 118 of the Labor Code prohibits an employer from refusing or reducing wages or benefits, discharging, or discriminating against an employee for filing or testifying in a complaint under the wage title. Other retaliation claims depend on the specific law and facts, so document every adverse action promptly.

Frequently asked questions

Can I file while I am still employed?

Yes. Current employees may request SEnA assistance, and DOLE’s inspection and compliance authority is particularly relevant when the employer-employee relationship continues.

Do I need a lawyer?

A lawyer is not required to file an RFA, and parties normally represent themselves during SEnA. A worker may also file an NLRC complaint personally. Legal help becomes especially valuable when preparing position papers, addressing disputed employment status, computing substantial claims, or meeting an appeal deadline.

What if the employer ignores SEnA?

After two consecutive nonappearances despite proper notice, the SEADO may refer the unresolved matter to the competent office. Nonappearance does not automatically award the worker money; a formal DOLE or NLRC proceeding may still be required.

Is filing free?

The NLRC Citizen’s Charter lists no fee for filing a SEnA RFA or an employee’s initial complaint. Fees may apply to appeals, bonds, certified copies, and other later services.

Can I follow up online?

Yes. An RFA filed or recorded through DOLE ARMS may be tracked at arms.dole.gov.ph using the reference or docket number. Formal NLRC case follow-up should be directed to the Regional Arbitration Branch of origin.

What if I cannot personally file?

SEnA and NLRC procedures recognize limited representation for absence, incapacity, illness, death, or being outside the country, usually with a Special Power of Attorney and supporting documents. Confirm the precise checklist with the receiving office before filing.

Can I withdraw a complaint?

An RFA may be withdrawn or pre-terminated, but a formal NLRC case has separate consequences for dismissal, refiling, and prescription. Do not simply stop appearing; make the request formally and understand whether dismissal will be with or without prejudice.

How long does the entire case take?

SEnA ordinarily has a 30-day conciliation period, subject to a mutually agreed extension of up to 15 days. An unresolved formal case then has separate conference, submission, decision, appeal, and execution stages. The rules set specific periods for many stages, but the total duration depends on service, attendance, complexity, appeals, and enforcement.

Official references

This article provides general legal information, not legal advice or a prediction of any case’s outcome. Jurisdiction, prescription, liability, and available remedies depend on the documents and specific facts. Official sources and procedures were checked as of August 11, 2026.