Can you work for a foreign company from the Philippines?
Yes: a company abroad can pay you as an independent contractor, employ you through an employer of record, or hire you through its own entity in the Philippines. What changes between the three is who handles tax, what protections you get and how the money arrives.
- Checked 4 November 2026
- Every rule links to its official source
- General information, not tax or legal advice
3,970
remote jobs on RemoteHunt say they can hire someone in the Philippines
Live count, updated hourly
302 of 2,601
of those jobs that state a contract type are contractor roles; 2,162 are full-time
Live count · 2,601 of 3,970 state a type; a job may state both
Three ways a foreign company can pay you
| Question | Independent contractor | Employee through an employer of record | Employee of a company in the Philippines |
|---|---|---|---|
| You sign with | The company abroad (a service agreement) | The employer of record's company in the Philippines | The company's own entity in the Philippines |
| Income tax | You register and file yourself | Deducted through payroll | Deducted through payroll |
| Leave, notice, social security | Only what your contract says | What employment law in the Philippines requires | What employment law in the Philippines requires |
| Ask before signing | The currency, the payment channel and who pays the transfer fees | Which employer of record, and whether the contract is under the law of the Philippines | Whether the job is really remote or tied to an office |
More on each arrangement: contractor vs. employee.
What the law in the Philippines says about income from abroad
- Under the Tax Code, a citizen of the Philippines residing in the country is taxable on income from sources both within and outside the Philippines. Source 1
- The BIR requires a self-employed individual or professional to register on or before commencing business, or within 30 days of the permit or professional tax receipt. Source 2
- The BIR's filing schedule for individuals lists the annual income tax return (BIR Form 1701 or 1701A) as due on April 15. Source 3
- Self-employed individuals and professionals within the 3 million peso VAT threshold may choose 8% on receipts above 250,000 pesos instead of graduated rates and percentage tax. Source 4
- Services rendered by a VAT-registered person to a business outside the Philippines are VAT zero-rated when paid in acceptable foreign currency accounted for under BSP rules. Source 5
Five questions to ask before you sign
- Am I a contractor or an employee, and under which country's law is the contract?
- In what currency am I paid, and who sets the exchange rate?
- Through which channel does the money arrive, and who pays the fees?
- If an employer of record employs me, which one, and will I get a payslip from the Philippines?
- Will anyone ask me to pay for equipment or training? (If yes, walk away.)
This page describes the rules; it does not tell you what to do in your case. Rules change. If something here differs from what the official source says today, the source is right: write to hello@remotehunt.app and we will fix the page.
Sources (each opened on 4 November 2026)
- Republic Act No. 8424 (Tax Reform Act of 1997), Section 23, Supreme Court E-Library, Republic of the Philippines
- BIR Citizen's Charter 2026 Edition (RDO external services), Bureau of Internal Revenue
- Taxpayer's Guide for Online Sellers (registration, filing and payment schedules), Bureau of Internal Revenue
- Revenue Memorandum Order No. 23-2018 (8% income tax rate option), Bureau of Internal Revenue
- Revenue Regulations No. 10-2025 (VAT zero-rating), Bureau of Internal Revenue
- RemoteHunt index: live postings, counted hourly
See the 3,970 jobs that can hire you in the Philippines
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