New Guidelines on the Payment of Overtime Services of Teachers

New Guidelines on the Payment of Overtime Services of Teachers

The Department of Education (DepEd) has released new guidelines regarding the payment of overtime services for public school teachers. The new rules, outlined in DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2025, aim to provide a clear framework for compensating teachers for work performed beyond their regular hours and duties.

Highlights of the key provisions:

Eligibility and Scope
* These guidelines apply to all DepEd-employed, full-time teachers engaged in classroom teaching, including Alternative Learning System (ALS) teachers, who hold permanent, substitute, or provisional appointments.

* Overtime services that are eligible for pay must be performed within school premises and are limited to teaching-related assignments.

These assignments include being a school coordinator for subjects like Reading/Literacy or ICT, a trainer/adviser for programs like the School Paper or Sports Development, or a chairperson for a Grade Level or Learning Area.

* Monetary compensation is only granted if the overtime service is for at least two hours. If the service is less than two hours, the compensation will be converted into Vacation Service Credits (VSC).

* To be eligible for paid overtime work, a teacher must have completed at least six hours of actual classroom teaching per day and a minimum of 30 hours per week.

* Overtime work is only authorized when it is "extremely necessary" and cannot be completed within regular work hours. The non-completion of the work must either cause a financial loss to the government, cause embarrassment due to unmet commitments, or negate the purpose of the work activity.

Work Hours and Compensation

* A public school teacher's regular workday is eight hours, with six hours dedicated to actual classroom teaching and two hours for "ancillary tasks" that can be done inside or outside school premises.

* Overtime pay can be claimed for services rendered beyond the six hours of actual classroom teaching and class advising per school day. It can also be claimed for work on weekends or holidays, provided the teacher has completed their 30 required hours of classroom teaching for the week.

* Overtime pay for teaching-related assignments on weekends and holidays is limited to a maximum of four hours per day. Services beyond this limit will be converted to Vacation Service Credits (VSC).

* Overtime pay is calculated based on the teacher's actual hourly rate, with different rates for regular days and weekends/holidays. The formula is as follows:

* Actual Hourly Rate (AHR) = \text{Actual Basic Salary per month} / (22 \times 8).

* Overtime Rate for Ordinary workdays = AHR + 25% of AHR.

* Overtime Rate for Saturdays, holidays, and non-working days = AHR + 50% of AHR.

* Overtime pay is considered taxable income.

Requesting and Processing Overtime

* Teachers must submit a "Request for Authority to Render Work Beyond Regular Hours, Weekends and Holidays" (Annex A). This request must include the date, time, specific task, and a justification for the overtime.

* School heads or an authorized approving authority will review and approve or disapprove the request based on its urgency and relevance.

* Each month, the school head submits a report on authorized overtime services to the Schools Division Office (SDO), including the purpose, names of the teachers, and justification.

* Required documents for processing payment include the approved request (Annex A), an individual accomplishment report (Annex C), a duly signed Daily Time Record (DTR)/CS Form 48, and the approved Designation Order for the teaching-related assignment.

* The SDO Administrative Unit will consolidate and validate the documents and prepare the payroll for approval by the Schools Division Superintendent. The validated documents are then forwarded to the Finance Division for processing.

* If funds are insufficient, the authorized overtime services will be converted into Vacation Service Credits (VSC).

These guidelines are part of a broader effort by DepEd to recognize the contributions of teachers and provide fair compensation for their extended work. They work in conjunction with other DepEd policies, such as DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 on teaching overload and DepEd Order No. 013, s. 2024 on Vacation Service Credits.

September 6, 2025 DO 026, s. 2025 – Guidelines on the Payment of Overtime Services of Teachers - Download DepEd Order