Text of the provision
Art. 102. Forms of payment. No employer shall pay the wages of an employee by means of promissory notes, vouchers, coupons, tokens, tickets, chits, or any object other than legal tender, even when expressly requested by the employee. Payment of wages by check or money order shall be allowed when such manner of payment is customary on the date of effectivity of this Code, or is necessary because of special circumstances as specified in appropriate regulations to be issued by the Secretary of Labor and Employment or as stipulated in a collective bargaining agreement.
Labor Code of the Philippines, Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended. Reproduced in full from the official enactment and verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings.
What this article means
Wages must be paid in legal tender — never in promissory notes, vouchers, coupons, tokens, tickets, chits or any other object, even if the employee asks for it. Payment by check or money order is allowed where that was already customary when this Code took effect, where special circumstances make it necessary under the regulations, or where a collective bargaining agreement so provides.
Questions about this provision
- Can my employer pay my salary in coupons, chits or store credit instead of cash?
- Is it legal for my employer to pay my salary by check or money order?
Related provisions
- Article 100 — No Diminution Of Benefits.
- Article 103 — Time Of Payment.
A note on article numbers. The articles of the Labor Code have been administratively renumbered, so the same provision is often cited under a different number. Supreme Court decisions write both, in the form “Article 297 [282]” — the new number first, the original in brackets. The text on this page is published under its original number, which is the numbering both source texts use. When citing, check which numbering your source follows.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.