How to hire Filipino staff from Australia

Hiring in the Philippines from Australia is straightforward once you have made a few decisions in the right order. This guide walks through them, and our explainer on offshoring vs outsourcing covers the terms if you are new to them. It is general information. Employment and tax rules depend on your circumstances, so get professional advice before you sign a contract.

1. Define the role

Write down what the person will do each week, not just a job title. A good brief covers:

• Tasks, in your own workflow terms, such as “reconcile bank feeds in Xero daily” for a bookkeeper or “prepare loan files for submission” for a loan processor.
• Software they must already know and what you can train.
• Hours, and how much overlap with your team you need.
• Who they report to and how you will measure the first 90 days.
• What they will not do. Set clear limits for regulated work such as advice, approvals and client sign-offs.

A tight brief is the single biggest factor in a good shortlist, whichever route you take.

2. Set the salary

Benchmark against the market rate for the role and seniority, not the minimum wage. Metro Manila’s minimum is ₱755 a day for most workers under Wage Order NCR-28, but skilled roles working Australian hours are paid well above it. Our minimum wage guide explains the gap and the salary guide gives ranges by role.

If you hire the person directly, budget for the statutory items on top of base pay. These include 13th month pay, holiday pay on Philippine public holidays, and employer contributions to the social security (SSS), health (PhilHealth) and housing (Pag-IBIG) funds. Budget for equipment and internet too if you supply them.

3. Choose how to hire staff in the Philippines

There are four main routes. Prices below are from each provider’s website, checked 12 October 2026.

Route	How it works	Published cost example	Who they work for
DIY job board	You post, screen and interview yourself	OnlineJobs.ph: US$69 or US$99 a month for paid plans	You, directly
Recruiter (one-time fee)	A recruiter sources and screens, and you hire the finalist	Hunt St and Oshore: A$5,000 (Hunt St plus GST). Tarino: $250 upfront + $4,750 on hire = $5,000 excl. GST	You, directly
Managed staffing agency	The agency hires the person and bills you monthly	Staff Domain: A$1,099 per person per month, plus A$1,200 recruitment	The agency
Employer of record (EOR)	An EOR hires the person locally for you and runs payroll	Team Up Now: A$300 per employee per month, plus an optional A$2,000 recruitment fee	The EOR

DIY is cheapest in cash but costs your time. Expect to read a large number of applications and run your own tests. A recruiter costs more upfront but does the sourcing and screening, and you pay nothing ongoing. The offshore staff cost calculator compares a one-time fee with monthly agency fees over time. An agency or EOR costs more over time, but takes payroll, compliance and often equipment off your hands. Our direct hire vs offshore staffing agency page compares the costs over 24 months.

4. Screen properly

Whichever route you use, do not hire from a CV and one call. A sound process includes:

1. CV and written screening against your must-haves.
2. A short video or recorded answer to check communication.
3. A practical task that mirrors real work, such as a sample reconciliation or a mock loan file.
4. A structured interview with the same questions for every finalist.
5. Reference checks, ideally with a previous overseas employer.
6. A check of their home setup: internet speed, backup power and a quiet workspace.

5. Make the offer and agree the contract

Put the offer in writing: salary in pesos or AUD, hours, leave, holidays, notice, probation, equipment and confidentiality. Decide early how you will engage the person:

• Independent contractor. Simple to set up, but the relationship must genuinely work like a contract. Philippine courts look at who controls how the work is done, not just the label on the agreement.
• Direct employee. The clearest status for a full-time, long-term role. It brings Philippine employment obligations, including statutory benefits.
• Employer of record. The EOR is the legal employer and handles payroll and compliance for a monthly fee.

This is the area where professional advice matters most. Our direct hire vs EOR vs contractor page sets out the differences.

6. Pay your staff member

Most direct employers pay monthly or fortnightly into the staff member’s Philippine bank account. Common rails are:

• International transfer services such as Wise, which uses the mid-market exchange rate and shows its fee upfront.
• Your bank’s international transfer. Check the exchange-rate margin as well as the transfer fee.
• A payroll or EOR provider, which also handles payslips and statutory contributions.

Compare the total pesos your staff member receives, agree who carries exchange-rate movement, and pay on the same date every period.

7. Onboard and set the hours

The Philippines runs on UTC+8 with no daylight saving. That is two hours behind AEST and three behind AEDT. Agree the shift in writing, including how it shifts when Australian daylight saving starts and ends.

In the first month:

• set up accounts, a password manager and access controls on day one;
• write down your processes, or record a short screen video for each task;
• book a daily check-in for the first two weeks, then move to weekly;
• give feedback early and specifically; and
• add Philippine holidays to your shared calendar.

Where Tarino fits

Tarino is one of the recruiter options above. We source and screen candidates for Australian businesses, typically from a pool of 1,000+ per role, and send a shortlist of 3 to 4 finalists in about two weeks. You hire and pay the person directly. How our hiring process works sets out each screening stage. The fee is $250 upfront and $4,750 on hire ($5,000 excl. GST), with no monthly fees and 6-month replacement cover. See our pricing for the detail. If you would rather someone else run payroll and employment, an agency or EOR may suit you better.