Understanding DepEd’s New Overtime Pay Guidelines for Teachers
Have you ever wondered if your teachers receive extra compensation for working beyond their regular hours? The Department of Education (DepEd) recently released DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2025, a set of clear rules to ensure public school teachers are fairly compensated for overtime work. Let’s break down what this means in simple terms!
What’s This All About?
This DepEd Order creates a standardized system for paying teachers when they do tasks beyond their normal duties. Before this, rules for overtime pay were unclear. Now, there’s a framework to make sure teachers get recognized (and paid!) for extra time spent on school activities.
Who Gets Overtime Pay?
The guidelines apply to all public school teachers in the Philippines, including:
· Regular, substitute, and provisional teachers.
· Those teaching in elementary, junior/senior high schools, and Community Learning Centers (CLCs).
· Even Alternative Learning System (ALS) teachers!
What Counts as “Overtime Work”?
Overtime isn’t just about teaching longer hours. It includes teaching-related tasks done outside the regular schedule, like:
· Coaching sports teams.
· Organizing school events (e.g., intramurals, parent-teacher meetings).
· Training other teachers.
· Working on projects outlined in the school’s improvement plan.
Importantly, overtime only covers tasks that can’t be finished during regular hours and are approved by the school head.
How Do Teachers Get Paid for Overtime?
Here’s the step-by-step process:
1. Request Approval
Teachers (or school heads) submit a form called “Request for Authority to Render Work Beyond Regular Hours” (Annex A). This explains:
· What task needs doing
· When/where it will happen.
· Why it’s necessary (e.g., “We need to finish the school yearbook by Friday”).
2. Get Approved
The school head reviews the request. If it’s urgent and valid, they approve it. The approved form becomes the “permission slip” for overtime.
3. Report and Get Paid
After finishing the overtime work, teachers submit:
· A report of what they did (Annex B).
· Proof of hours worked (like a timesheet).
Schools then process these documents, and teachers receive payment based on their hourly rate.
How Is Overtime Pay Calculated?
Pay depends on two things:
1. The teacher’s hourly rate: Found by dividing their monthly salary by 22 (working days/month) and then by 8 (hours/day).
Example: If a teacher earns ₱25,000/month, their hourly rate is ₱25,000 ÷ (22×8) ≈ ₱141.76/hour.
2. When the overtime happens:
· Weekdays: 125% of the hourly rate (₱141.76 × 1.25 ≈ ₱177.20/hour).
· Saturdays, holidays, or non-working days: 150% of the hourly rate (₱141.76 × 1.50 ≈ ₱212.64/hour).
So, if a teacher works 3 extra hours on a Saturday, they’d earn ≈ ₱637.92 (3 × ₱212.64).
Why Is This Important?
Teachers often go above and beyond for students—their lesson planning, grading, and extracurricular support take extra time! This order ensures they’re rewarded for their hard work, which:
· Boosts morale and motivation.
· Helps teachers focus more on teaching (instead of worrying about unpaid extra hours).
· Shows DepEd values educators’ contributions.
Key Rules to Remember
1. Overtime can’t replace “undertime”: Teachers can’t use overtime to make up for leaving early.
2. Work must be at school: Overtime tasks happen on school grounds or CLCs.
3. Limits on hours: On weekends/holidays, overtime is capped at 4 hours/day.
4. No pay for some tasks: Routine tasks (like daily classroom prep) don’t count.
In a Nutshell
DepEd’s new guidelines make overtime pay fair, transparent, and easy to access for teachers. By clarifying rules and ensuring proper compensation, this order supports our educators, who are key to giving us quality education!
For more details, check out the full DepEd Order here. And next time you see your teacher staying late? Remember: They might be earning well-deserved overtime pay for going the extra mile!
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