Eight In Ten Civilian Employees To Get Mid-year Bonus In Full, Tax-Free

The Department of Budget and Management has issued the specific guidelines on the grant of the P31 billion mid-year bonus of government employees mandated under Executive Order No. 201. The majority of government employees will receive their bonus tax-free, according to Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad.

“Eight in every ten civilian personnel will receive their mid-year bonus in full, or tax-free under Republic Act 10653, which provides that gross benefits such as the 13th month pay and other benefits not exceeding P82,000 shall be tax exempt,” Abad said.

“These means the majority of civilian personnel will take home their mid-year bonus in full. They are the 970,943 civilian employees belonging to Salary Grades 1 to 16,” Abad added.

Executive Order No. 201 approved by President Aquino on February 19, 2016 provides that a mid-year bonus equivalent to one month basic salary as of May 15 shall be granted to all positions for civilian personnel as well as military and uniformed personnel (MUP).

Budget Circular 2016-3 provides the rules and regulations on the grant of said bonus to all civilian positions whether regular, casual, or contractual in nature, appointive or elective, full-time or part time, as well as MUP. The bonus shall be given not earlier than May 15, 2016.

Funding requirement for regular personnel of national government agencies shall be charged against MPBF based on the number of filled positions in the Government Manpower Information System as of April 30, 2016. The requirement for casuals and contractual personnel shall be charged against the agency lump sum appropriation from which the salaries of these employees are drawn.

To be entitled, an employee must have rendered at least a total or an aggregate of 4 months of service from July 1, 2015 to May 15, 2016, obtained at least a satisfactory performance rating in the immediately preceding period, and should still be in the service as of May 15.

Those with less than four months of service, or those that are no longer in the service as of May 15, shall not be entitled to the bonus.

For GOCCs, the governing board shall determine the grant of the bonus charged against approved corporate operating budgets. If funds are insufficient, they may grant at lower rates but at uniform percentage of the basic monthly salary as of May 15.

For LGUs, the Sanggunian shall determine the grant of the bonus charged against, and subject to the Personnel Services limitation in, LGU budgets. They may also grant at lower rates but at uniform percentage of the basic monthly salary as of May 15, if funds are insufficient. (DBM)