Online Workers Guide to Getting Payments

How do you get paid and how often?

This is one of the first questions I asked my sister when she introduced me to online work. I’ve been working for an IT company for 5 years at that time, and I found it hard to imagine how I’d get paid if I don’t have an office with a payroll officer that I can talk to.

Now, almost a decade later, working online has become my career. It has allowed me to provide for my family. I’ve learned plenty and gained more skills than I ever thought possible. I get paid every month, plus 13th Month, and the occasional bonus for good work.

Yep, Filipino online workers get paid.

When (or how often) do you get paid?

When-(or-how-often)-do-you-get-paid-

We get this question a lot here at Onlinejobs.ph. Most people associate online work with freelance work. But it isn’t just freelancing. In online work, there are also project-based workers and those who have employment arrangements. How you’re paid can also vary depending on your work arrangement, where your employer is based, and what payment platforms are available to you.

If you are a project-based worker, payment often depends on the terms agreed in your work contract.

  • Some prefer to be paid before the project starts, either in full or partial.
  • Some get paid when the project is done.
  • Partial payments can also be made on certain points of the project timeline or when milestones are met.

For hourly workers, time tracking software like TimeProof accounts for how much time they’ve spent working. How much you are paid depends on how much you charge per hour and how many hours you make.

For-Hourly-WorkersThe payment can be given, again, depending on the arrangement. It can be paid once you have:

  • worked a certain number of hours, or
  • reached an agreed quota, or
  • according to a schedule (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly).

But here at Onlinejobs.ph, we offer mainly full-time jobs that pay month after month. A fixed monthly salary is stated and you know exactly what amount you’ll be getting. The workers get paid either:

  • every week (this is usually done for new hires),
  • twice a week, or
  • once a month.

Do we get paid in dollars, pounds, etc?

Do-we-get-paid-in-dollars,-pounds,-etc-

The currency and amount depends on the arrangement and preferences of both the worker and client. Sometimes the amount and the currency is already stated in the job post. Sometimes it’s subject to negotiation during job interview or recruitment. And sometimes, it’s determined by the payment system you’ll be using.

Payments: Then and Now

It’s actually easier than most people think. In the early days of outsourcing, we would need to have a bank account. Ideally it would be a dollar account so clients can transfer payment. There were also cash transfer services like Western Union or Xoom but as time passed, it started having a lot of restrictions regarding cash transfers.

Then online payment systems came along like Paypal and made it easier for clients to pay.

Then-online-payment-systems-came-along-like-Paypal

But Filipino workers didn’t really benefit much from it. Because of AMLA restrictions, there was a limit to how much you could receive before you account was flagged. You had to meet a certain cash limit to withdraw your money. And it’s not recognized by all banks. So if you’re an online worker from the provinces, sometimes you would to travel just to get your salary.

There’s also the issue of the exchange rate. It’s usually unfavorable towards the peso and online workers often have to shoulder fees from the payment system, the currency exchange system, and the local bank handling the transaction. So there were a lot of cases when Filipino virtual assistants would get a lot less than the rates that they were expecting.

We at Onlinejobs.ph are aware of this and have worked for years to find a solution.

So we set up a payment system that would respond to the needs of both employers and jobseekers and came up with EasyPay. It’s a payment system that comes with your Onlinejobs.ph account. The great thing about it is it allows you to create an invoice within your jobseeker account. And even if you’re already using PayPal or Payoneer, you can easily integrate it with the EasyPay System.

What happens when I don’t get paid?

What-happens-when-I-don't-get-paid

There are cases wherein online workers don’t receive their expected payments on time.

Most of the time, the problem is that employers simply forgot. So if you want to be an online worker, invoicing your client regularly (and early) is one way of ensuring that you will get paid on time.

Another cause of this problem is scheduling issues. It takes time to process payments, especially with bank holidays. So sometimes payments could be delayed.

In some cases, it’s a misunderstanding with the contracts. This is often the case especially if the employer and the worker are in different time zones. For example, when both parties agree that payment should be done on the 15th, the employer might think that he would pay on the 15th, his timezone, and the VA thinks he will be receiving his salary on the 15th, Philippine time.

It can also be disagreements on the time spent working, the amount of work that’s been delivered, or the quality of work submitted. That’s why it’s important to be clear on what both parties expect early on. Don’t just assume that you and your client understand each other based on the general terms. Be as detailed as possible. It’s an uncomfortable conversation but it will help avoid future disagreements.

Last but not least, yes, there are cases when jobseekers are scammed. We have successfully eliminated most known scammers through our quality checks but unfortunately, some still manage to get into our database. That’s why it’s helpful when jobseekers report these incidents to support@onlinejobs.ph.

Once reported, we will launch an investigation and mediation process. Best-case scenario, the issue is resolved and the worker continues to work and gets paid. The worst-case scenario is that the employer is proven to be a scammer and he is banned from the database.

Do you have more questions about online jobs that you want to ask? Leave your questions in the comments below and we just might answer then in our next blog posts!

 


Julia Sta RomanaAbout Julia Jasmine M. Sta Romana

Julia has been working for OnlineJobs.ph since 2012, first as a writer and now as its social media manager and content development specialist. She also founded the Davao Virtual Assistants Association, the biggest VA association in Davao City.

She’s a full-time wife and mom and volunteers her time as an internet rights advocate.


Comments

  1. Aristotle Doria says

    Hi there! With regards to your payment system which is the EasyPay system, is it secure? Knowing that nowadays hackers are known to infiltrate new technologies that are emerging. I just want to know more about it and its security because I’m planning to work on online jobs and find it quite intriguing and interesting. Hoping for your kind response with regards to my concern.

      • Brenda says

        Hi, the link drops me straight to the sign up process. But same with others, I want to know more before engaging myself into this. Do onlinejobs.ph offers some kind of blog or thread discussions?

          • A says

            hi Julia,
            I’m trying figure out the cost for using easy pay. Please could you direct me to where I can find this information?
            This is my first payment to my VA. I have a months membership which will expire shortly so I want to be sure I may continue to use this method of payment once my membership lapses.
            Also I will be paying in sterling and I’m assuming that my VA will be paid in the local currency, straight into her bank account?
            thank you

  2. EG says

    Hello Julia,

    When employees create invoices within their jobseeker accounts using EasyPay. Do most employees send the invoices using their individual names OR do most of them have a company from which they can send the invoices to their employers?

    For tax reasons, there may be an advantage if they have a company.

  3. Jake says

    Hi Julia,

    I just got my first client and he tried to make an advance payment through Paypal, but it is nnot allowing him to do so. Then I setup a Payoneer account, which up until now I am waiting for the response if I can already receive payment or not. Do I need to do something else so my client can make his payment already? Thanks in advance.

    • says

      HI Jake!

      Is this through EasyPay or just direct through Payoneer and Paypal. If it’s direct, you will need to contact Payoneer or PayPal directly. if it’s through EasyPay, you can contact our support staff (support@onlinejobs.ph) for help regarding payment =)

      • Rosemarie Castro says

        Hi Julia!
        I already registered and connected my account payoneer to OnlineJobs.ph can you tell me if ever the client will already sent payment, how and where I can claim it. What are the in formations they needed for me to be able to claim it. And also I want to know how I can contact payoneer because I cannot open my account to them. I want to talk to them through messenger but they did not reply to any of my concerns. I have a hard time in communicating with them. I really don’t know how I can reach them. I try to search them in google but I think the machine generated reply will be the one to answer to my query. I wanted to talk to them because I want to change my cp number already registered in my payoneer account.

      • Kate Pino says

        Hi Miss Julia!
        Will the client be charged big amount if I will redirect Easypay from Payoneer to PayPal? Cause my client doesn’t want to use paypal cause he said it’ll charge him big and payoneer works best.

      • Maria Mitchi Ablay says

        Hi Julia,

        Just wanted to know:
        My client uses paypal to pay me, but now I wanted to change it to Payoneer ( as paypal has a bad exchange rate and takes too long).
        Does my client need to have a Payoneer account too so he can pay me? I’ve emailed this question before, and they replied “no” my client doesnt need to have a payoneer account to pay me.
        But here’s my problem: the invoice i sent is now linked to my newly approved payoneer account, but he said he couldnt pay me because he doest have payoneer (which i thought wouldnt matter as long as it’s through easy pay, and basing on the reply i got from the support).
        Now I’m a bit confused.

        I’d appreciate if you could help me out. Thank you.

  4. Romina Erleen Ravela says

    Hi Julia, I tried to register to Easypay but it’s directing me to Payoneer. I do already have a Paypal account, how can i integrate it on Easypay?

  5. Lilibeth says

    What if my employer insubscribe to onlinejobs. ph because he already hired me, can he still use easypay to pay me? My payoneer account is already linked in easypay here.

  6. Ivy says

    Hi,

    What is the turn around time for employer non payment issues to be resolved? I have not received any response from support@onlinejobs yet. It has been more than 10 days since I have raised the issue to the support team, and now even the support team is not responding. Kindly enlighten issue. Thank you in advance!

    • Ivy says

      Hi Lorelei, Jessica, Peter or whomever,

      Do you have any updates on this? I still haven’t received any payment frim John nor any response from your office. Will this be resolved or do I just have to think that John’s supposed to be payment as charity given to him and his business since your office was not able to resolve this since Oct 21 when this was raised to your attention? Please advise.

  7. Sheen Buhay says

    Hi there,

    I have a question about Salary loan application for both SSS and PAGIBIG. I would to voluntary pay the loan amount from my current Employer but if in case I have an Employer from onlinejobs what is the basis if I permit to consolidate my present Employer (office-based) and onlinejobs? Will I submit a certain form to SSS and PAGIBIG so I can apply for a re-loan in the future?

    Thanks.

  8. Queen Eve Baillo says

    Hi! I am currently using my friends’ Paypal account when I created an invoice because mine isn’t fully verified yet but now it is already fixed. How can I change the payment email address using my own PayPal email?

  9. shing says

    Hi. Curretly I don’t have a government issued id bcoz i’m just a fresh college graduate. how can i accomplish my payonner acct?

  10. Ralph says

    I already have an existing verified Payoneer Account, I want to use to get paid. Sadly, after clicking send invoice, system won’t let me go through. It say,s I already have and existing payoneer – which is true. Pplease help, I already emailed support.

  11. Janeth says

    Hello Good day! My eployer paid me through easypay connected to my payoneer. Should I be receiving a notification saying that I’ve been paid this amount or I just wait for it to reflect on my payoneer account? And also, how long would be the waiting time for the payment to go through. This is the first time

    • says

      Hi Janeth,

      You should receive an email notification of payment. But since this is your first time, Payoneer will need to verify your account first, which usually takes around a week. But once that done, payment (and notifications) should go faster.

  12. John Bret says

    Good day ma’am, can i ask about payoner? there is important that you have a bank account on payoner? because I don’t have one? should I create a new bank account?
    and how I can withdraw my balance on payoner ma’am?

  13. Dhejay Maramara says

    Hi. Curretly I don’t have a government issued id bcoz i’m just a fresh college graduate. how can i accomplish my payonner acct? Can i use my Voter’s ID?

  14. Ronalyn Roco says

    Hi, I don’t have a government issued id and all I have is a student’s ID because I’m just a fresh college graduate and my problem is how to register in payonner acct? Can I use my father’s government ID and register to use it as my payonner acct? Thank you

  15. AJ says

    Hi! I have yet to send an invoice to my client, but I wanna make sure everything goes smoothly. Kindly help me with:

    1. Are there any fees when sending AUD from Australia to Philippines via EasyPay and/or Payoneer?
    2. What are the payment options for my client (Australia based).
    3. Does he need to have a Payoneer account? (does the payment option differ when u have a payoneer account or not)

    Thanks! Looking forward to this!

    • says

      Hi AJ,

      Thank you for your comment.

      There are NO transaction or withdrawing fees with Payoneer. Normally Payoneer has a 1 percent fee on all transactions that a worker receives. However, if you pay through the EasyPay portal, these fees are all waived (the waived fee will only apply if they use their bank account). Workers can connect their personal bank account information to their Payoneer account so that they can withdraw it directly into their own banks.

      You need to communicate with your employer regarding the Payment Options or Methods

      An account is not required and the employer can choose to pay as a guest

  16. C says

    Hi, this question is from my colleague. For this kind of issue, what is the next step?
    We are trying to connect a verified Payoneer account but we can’t seem to connect it to onlinejobs.ph.

    Error Message – You cannot connect onlinejobs.ph to this Payoneer account. Please apply for a new Payoneer account through onlinejobs.ph using a different email address

  17. Xavier says

    Good day! I am a college student and the only government ID I have is a postal ID while my national ID is still far from being finished and I do not have a passport and drivers license. I would like to open my EasyPay but I do not have the required IDs. Can I still open one?

    • says

      Hi Xavier,

      Thank you for your comment. Regarding that, you would need to email Easypay (did you mean Payoneer?) about the available IDs that you have, they might provide you with other documents that you might have

      • Xavier says

        Yes, I mean payoneer ma’am. May I know the email address that I should email on? Or how should I contact them?

  18. Juris says

    Hi, I am from Cavite, Philippines. I am currently in Dubai with my family and will go back to PH when the situation is better. Can I work in onlinejobs.ph?

    • says

      Hi Juris,

      Thank you for your comment. Yes, even Filipinos based outside the Philippines may apply. But you must agree to be paid in Philippine peso and the salaries will be based on Philippines salaries as well

  19. Jem says

    Hello,

    I recently got hired last June 4, 2021 in onlinejobs.ph and created Payoneer the same day because my employer wants to utilize EasyPay.
    My employer tried to test paying me, however, she says that the payment needs to be reviewed.
    Does my account has to get verified first before being able to receive the payment?
    How long does Payoneer account verification normally last? (currently on the 3rd day being reviewed)
    If I use “make request” or invoicing-my-employer method, can she still use EasyPay? If so, will her payment still needs to be reviewed?
    I also tried linking Payoneer in my Gcash, and it says that the account is currently inactive. Is it because I just newly created the account?

    Thanks.

    • says

      Hi Jem,

      Thank you for your comment. To clarify, have you received an email from Payoneer about pending requirements? It is either you have yet to submit a copy of a valid Government ID or the one you submitted is insufficient/unclear.

      But if you have complied or responded to the latest email from Payoneer, kindly email our support team so that they can assist you regarding your Payoneer account

  20. jo says

    Hi Julia, I just want to ask if Onlinejobs.ph made a guideline on who should shoulder the fees and charges for payments. Thank you

    • says

      Hi Jo,

      Thank you for your comment. No we haven’t yet, usually it would depend on the agreement between worker & client/employer. It can be talked about so that client/employer will be aware of the charges, depending on what will be used (Paypal, Payoneer, etc.)

  21. Shalev Mayuga says

    Hello!

    I don’t have my own bank account and would like to link my husband’s bank account imstead. Is that possible?

    • says

      Hi Shalev,

      Thank you for your comment. Yes it’s possible as long as it shows the name, address, and billing date/statement date. You can blur the other sensitive details

  22. Pendirosa Angni says

    Hi I just want to ask how should I deal with an online employer who employed me and ghosted me after I have rendered two weeks of service. At the supposed second week is supposedly the time she would be sending me the first payment after employment we even have a signed contract together.

    • says

      Hi Pendirosa,

      Thank you for your comment. I’m sorry to hear that, kindly email our support team (support@onlinejobs.ph) so that they can assist you with your non-payment of salary complaint

  23. Darwin O. Ibañez says

    Hi.

    Just a question. What could be the possible reason why the linkage of Payoneer account with OnlineJobs.PH is sometimes in pending status.
    Payoneer account has been confirmed and approved by Payoneer.

    Best regards,
    Darwin

    • says

      Hi Darwin,

      Thank you for your comment. To clarify, have you contacted Payoneer Customer Support regarding your concern on the pending status even if your Payoneer Account has been confirmed and approved? Usually, a Payoneer Account is marked as ‘pending’ due to insufficient/incorrect submission of documents needed for the Payoneer Account Verification

  24. Abegail Segismundo says

    Hello,

    I was hired recently and this is the first time that I will use Payoneer as a payment method. I tried calling their hotline but it says that only active users can contact them, I also sent an email to them but there is still no response, I also tried their live chat but it always redirects me to the customer care page. I already have a Payoneer account and submitted my identification 3 days ago but it is still in process. Is there any other payment method that I can use (except PayPal). I have a BDO bank account. Thank you

    • says

      Hi Abegail,

      Thank you for your comment. Kindly email our support team (support@onlinejobs.ph) so that they can assist you further regarding your Payoneer concern. And regarding other payment method, it is up to you and your employer. If both of you have reached an agreement on what method to use, that is fine

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