How we vet helpers: ID, NBI, references, and medical checks

TL;DR: Helpers shows identity, NBI, and reference checks separately because they answer different questions. Read the status on the individual profile, verify what matters for the role, interview the person, and put the duties, pay, rest, privacy, and benefits in a written agreement before work starts.

Inviting someone into your home to care for your children or run your household is an act of trust. This guide explains exactly how we help you check who you're hiring, and what Philippine law asks of both families and helpers once the working relationship begins.

The legal baseline is Republic Act No. 10361, while current domestic-worker wage floors are published by the National Wages and Productivity Commission. The NBI clearance portal is where an applicant books the government clearance. That paper is not an identity badge, and it is not a reference check.

How we verify helpers

Helpers submit their documents and references, and we verify them. Every profile then shows which checks that helper has passed, so you can see what is confirmed before you reach out. Not every helper has completed every check. The profile shows what is verified and what is still pending.

Government ID verification

A helper uploads a valid government-issued ID along with a selfie, and we check that the person matches the document. Once that's done, their profile shows their identity as confirmed against a valid government ID. This is the baseline that tells you the person you're talking to is who they say they are.

NBI clearance

The NBI clearance is a nationwide criminal-record check issued by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation. Helpers can submit theirs, and we record the clearance along with its expiry date. On the profile you'll see whether an NBI clearance is on file, whether it has expired, or whether the helper hasn't submitted one yet.

The clearance has an expiry date printed on it. Check that date and ask for a current clearance when the role or your risk assessment makes it relevant; do not describe an expired or missing document as "verified."

Work reference checks

Helpers can list references from the households they have worked for before. We reach out to those references to confirm the helper actually worked with them. The profile shows how many of a helper's listed references we have been able to verify, for example "2 of 3 work references verified."

Reading a helper's trust badges

Every profile carries a "Verified by helpers.ph" panel that lays out exactly which of these checks a helper has completed. It's designed to be honest rather than flattering: a helper who has only finished ID verification will show only that, with the rest marked as not yet verified.

Use the panel as a starting point, not a substitute for your own judgment. The strongest hires still come from a real conversation, a paid trial day, and paying attention to the red flags we cover in our hiring guide. Verification tells you who someone is. The interview tells you whether they fit your family. A medical certificate answers a third question, and it is not one of the badges.

Medical and health clearances before day one

Section 12 of RA 10361 is the list. Before the contract is signed, the employer may require:

• a medical certificate or a health certificate issued by a local government health officer
• barangay and police clearance
• NBI clearance
• a PSA birth certificate, or another document that shows age, such as a voter ID, baptismal record, or passport

If a private employment agency (the statute says PEA) facilitated the hire, those four items are standard requirements, not optional extras. The cost is on the prospective employer or the agency. Do not deduct it from her first wage, and do not ask her to "advance" it.

A direct hire may skip the medical certificate. If you want it, say so before the trial day, name the city or municipal health office, and pay the fee. Keep a copy. Return the original with her other papers. Holding the certificate "until she lasts three months" is the same document problem as holding an ID.

The implementing rules repeat that list at Rule II, Section 4. They do not add a chest X-ray, a drug panel, or a psychological test.

This is not an overseas-worker PEME

Families sometimes ask a clinic for a "PEME" because that is the phrase on an OFW poster. The pre-employment medical exam for overseas work sits under the migrant workers law. RA 10022 tells the Department of Health to regulate clinics that examine Filipino migrant workers as a requirement for overseas employment. A yaya starting in a house in Muntinlupa or Quezon City is not in that program.

Order the document Section 12 names: a medical or health certificate from a local government health officer. A mall-lab printout can be extra information you paid for. It does not, by itself, meet the statutory wording. If the health officer wants their own form, follow that form.

What not to require

NBI and government ID stay on the trust panel. They answer identity and the clearance result. They do not say she is well enough to do the job, and the medical certificate does not say she has no criminal case.

Psychological assessment, when you actually want one

Section 12 does not require a psychological test. A family with an infant, an elderly parent, or a live-in room can still decide they want one. Treat it as your extra check, with these limits:

1. Ask in writing, and let her refuse without losing the chance to be interviewed.
2. You pay. The same Section 12 cost rule is the fair one for any pre-employment paper you added.
3. The person who signs the report should be allowed to practice psychology. RA 10029, the Philippine Psychology Act, regulates that practice, including psychological assessment. A 15-minute quiz on a recruiter's phone is not that report.
4. Read it next to the interview and the reference calls. A score does not tell you she will be patient at 2am.
5. Do not post the report in a family group chat. Do not send it to the next household "for their files."

Some agencies publish their own screening menus and retention numbers and call the file a transparency report. Those numbers are the agency's account of its own placements. They are not a DOLE pass rate, and this guide does not repeat them. If you hire through an agency, read its report, then still look at the Section 12 papers and the individual helper in front of you.

After she starts

Section 6 still requires appropriate rest and medical attendance if she gets sick or injured during the service, without loss of benefits. The employer cannot withdraw food, lodging, or that medical attendance as punishment. PhilHealth, after one month, is the insurance enrolment under Section 30. It is not a substitute for the certificate you required before day one.

Day-one sequence for a family:

1. ID match and NBI status on the profile, then the originals in the interview.
2. If you will require the city health certificate, book it and pay it before the contract date.
3. References, with her consent.
4. Written contract, including board, lodging, and medical attention, which Section 11 already lists as contract terms.
5. Paid trial only if the hours, the supervisor, and the pay were agreed first.

Your rights and obligations under the Kasambahay Law

Hiring a kasambahay (domestic worker) in the Philippines is governed by Republic Act No. 10361, better known as the Batas Kasambahay or Domestic Workers Act. It sets a floor of rights for helpers and clear obligations for the families who employ them. Here is the plain-English version. For a decision about your own household, check with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Put the agreement in writing

The law requires a written employment contract before service begins, in a language or dialect understood by both parties. The agreement covers duties, period, compensation, authorized deductions, hours and additional payment, rest days and leaves, board, lodging, medical attention, deployment expenses, loans, termination, and other lawful conditions. The employer must register the domestic worker with the barangay where the employer resides and give the worker a signed copy. Our contract template turns those requirements into a completion checklist.

Minimum wage

There is no single national kasambahay wage. Minimum rates are set region by region through the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards. In Metro Manila (NCR), for example, the kasambahay minimum rose to ₱7,800 per month effective 7 February 2026, up from ₱7,000. Other regions set their own rates. Check the current figure for your area with DOLE's National Wages and Productivity Commission.

The minimum is a floor, not a market rate. To see what families in your area actually pay for the experience you need, use our salary calculator.

Rest periods

A helper is entitled to at least 8 hours of rest in each day, and to one uninterrupted 24-hour rest day every week. The specific rest day is agreed between the family and the helper.

13th month pay

A kasambahay who has worked at least one month in the calendar year is entitled to 13th month pay: one-twelfth of the basic salary they earned that year, paid on or before 24 December. The computation guide walks through the payslip total.

Annual leave

After one year of service, a helper is entitled to five days of paid service incentive leave each year.

Government benefits: SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG

Once a helper has completed one month of service, the family must enrol them in the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG. The SSS household-employer guidance explains the unified registration process. The employer shoulders the contributions, while a helper earning ₱5,000 or more may pay a proportionate share under the relevant rules.

Ending the arrangement fairly

Either party can end an open-ended arrangement by giving five days' written notice. Both sides also have just causes that allow immediate termination, such as serious misconduct, abuse, or a breach of the agreement. If a helper is dismissed unfairly, the law provides for the pay they have already earned plus an indemnity equal to 15 days' work.

Who can be a kasambahay

The law prohibits employing anyone under 15 years old. Helpers aged 15 to 17 are covered by additional protections, including limits on hazardous work.

If the law is ignored

Violations of the Batas Kasambahay carry fines of ₱10,000 to ₱40,000. This guide is a starting point. For anything specific to your household, talk to DOLE or a lawyer.

Hiring with confidence

Verification and a fair, legal arrangement work together. Checking a helper's ID, background, and references tells you who you're bringing into your home; meeting the standards of the Kasambahay Law is what turns a good hire into a working relationship that lasts.

What a verification check can and cannot tell you

An identity check answers a narrow question: does the person match the government ID submitted to Helpers? An NBI check answers a different question about the result of the NBI clearance process at the time of issue. A reference check answers whether a named former household confirms the work history. None of these is a guarantee that the person will be a good fit, and none replaces your responsibility to explain the work and supervise a new arrangement.

Use the checks as a sequence:

1. Identity first. Confirm that the person you interview is the person in the profile. If names, photos, or dates do not line up, pause and ask for clarification.
2. Role-specific checks next. If the job involves infant care, elder care, driving, pets, medication reminders, or overnight work, check the relevant experience and training. A generic clearance does not prove competence for any of those tasks.
3. References with consent. Ask the helper before contacting former employers. Ask about dates, duties, reliability, reason for leaving, pay and rest-day arrangements, and whether the reference would hire the helper again.
4. A real conversation. Explain the schedule, salary, duties, live-in arrangement, household rules, and privacy expectations. Give the helper equal space to decide whether the job is suitable.
5. A written agreement and paid trial if needed. Put the actual terms in writing before work begins. If you use a trial, agree the hours, duties, supervision, and pay in advance.

Keep documents private and proportionate

Government IDs and clearances contain sensitive personal information. Do not post them in a family group chat, send them to unrelated people, or retain them indefinitely. Store a necessary copy in a restricted place, record why you kept it, and delete it when the hiring purpose ends. Never ask for a password, bank PIN, or access to a personal social-media account as a condition of hiring.

The same standard applies to family information. Helpers should not photograph children, addresses, schedules, or documents without permission. Families should not publish a helper's personal details or make a public accusation based on an unverified concern. If a safety issue is serious, preserve the relevant messages and report it through an appropriate channel rather than turning private data into public punishment.

Trust is also about what happens after the check. A family should be able to explain who will supervise the work, how concerns are raised, when wages are paid, and how either side can leave. A helper should be able to ask those questions without losing access to the opportunity. The product can make the facts easier to see; it cannot make a household relationship safe by itself.

What families should see before they contact someone

Before messaging, check that you can answer five questions from the profile or the first conversation:

• What work has the helper actually done?
• Where and when are they available?
• What salary and arrangement are they expecting?
• Which verification and reference checks are complete right now?
• What will you still need to verify yourself?

If a page makes a universal promise such as "every helper is NBI-cleared," treat that as a copy problem and rely on the individual trust panel instead. Helpers.ph's public promise is narrower on purpose: publish the check that happened, show the status that exists, and leave the rest for the family and helper to discuss honestly.

If you are a helper

You can ask a family the same questions. Is the family identity-verified? Who will be in the home? What are the duties, hours, rest day, salary, payday, and sleeping arrangements? Will you receive a contract and payslip? Who will see your documents? Do not pay a placement fee to be considered, and never surrender your original ID, passport, or certificate for "safekeeping."

Frequently Asked Questions

Does an ID-verified profile mean the helper is background checked?

No. It means the submitted government ID was checked against the helper's profile identity. NBI clearance and work-reference checks are separate. A family that needs either should look for its individual status and ask for the current document or reference process before hiring.

What does "NBI clearance on file" mean?

It means an NBI clearance has been submitted and recorded as approved in the profile workflow. Check the expiry date and ask for an updated document when appropriate. A clearance is a point-in-time government record check; it does not assess childcare skill, honesty in every situation, or compatibility with your household.

Can I skip an interview if a helper has every badge?

No. Badges reduce one kind of uncertainty, but the interview covers the role itself: children's routines, care boundaries, schedule, communication, salary, rest, privacy, and emergencies. Use real scenarios and give the helper equal space to decide whether the home and terms are suitable.

Should I contact a former employer without telling the helper?

Ask for consent first. Explain what you will ask, contact only the named reference, and keep the response private. A reference should confirm dates and duties, not become an invitation to collect unrelated personal information or publish a verdict about the helper.

Which medical papers should a family require before a kasambahay starts?

Section 12 of RA 10361 lets you require a medical or health certificate from a local government health officer, and you pay for it. If a private employment agency arranged the hire, that certificate is a standard requirement. It is not the DOH pre-employment medical exam for overseas workers, and the statute does not name an HIV test or a psychological exam.

Before you message anyone

Write the duties, the wage, and whether you will require the city health certificate. Then browse helper profiles, read the ID and NBI status on the person you actually want, and use the family guides for the contract steps. Sign the kasambahay contract template before work begins.

Last reviewed 13 September 2026. Verification workflows and Philippine employment rules can change; check the linked official sources for the current position.