How to set your hourly rate on Kalingap (floors explained)

"Magkano po ang ilalagay ko?" How much should I put? It's the most common question new caregivers ask once their documents are in. Set the rate too low and you work a 12-hour bantay shift for less than it cost you to get there. Set it too high and families scroll past.

There's no single right number. There is a sensible way to work one out, and that's what this guide covers.

Figures here come from official sources and Kalingap's live service pages, checked 6 October 2026. Rates change. This is general guidance, not legal or tax advice.

Step 1: Know the floors

Table 1. Kalingap platform rate floors by service (live service pages, 6 Oct 2026)

What a floor is: the lowest rate the platform allows for that service. Families never see a listing below it.

What a floor isn't: an average, a recommendation or "what everyone charges." Experienced caregivers often price above the floor, and you're free to.

Step 2: Compare with the legal minimums

Kalingap bookings are independent gigs, not employment. Still, Metro Manila's legal floors are a useful reality check:

Table 2. NCR legal pay floors, 2026 (NWPC)

Every Kalingap floor sits above the hourly equivalent of the NCR daily minimum. Keep in mind that employees also get things a gig doesn't automatically include, such as 13th-month pay, SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions, and paid leave. Under the Caregivers' Welfare Act (RA 11965), employed caregivers who are covered by the law are also entitled to overtime past 8 hours and a night-shift differential. As an independent caregiver, you cover those costs yourself, which is one reason to price above the floor.

Step 3: Add for what makes your work worth more

Work through these honestly. Each one is a reason to go above the floor.

Experience

Years of caring for lolos and lolas, a dementia patient, newborns or bedridden patients. Families pay for confidence.

Certificates and badges

A TESDA Caregiving NC II is something many families specifically look for. On Kalingap, a reviewed NC II shows as a named badge on your profile, alongside other completed checks like NBI checked, ID matched and Interviewed. Not every caregiver has every badge. (See what each badge means.)

Nights and long shifts

Overnight and awake-all-night care is harder. For reference, the Labor Code's night-shift differential for employees is at least 10% extra per hour worked between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Many caregivers price overnight care higher than day care for the same reason.

Heavier care

Lifting and transfers, a bedridden or wheelchair-using client, dementia, or post-surgery support at home. More physical and more responsibility.

Commute

Your rate has to cover getting there. A shift across the city, on two jeeps and an MRT, costs you time and fare. On Kalingap you also choose how far you'll travel, so a smaller radius can keep your costs down.

Step 4: Do the math on a real shift

Before you lock in a number, run one typical shift. Example, using illustrative numbers you should replace with your own:

Table 3. Worked example: an 8-hour elderly care shift (illustrative)

Run the same math at the floor (₱120/hr = ₱960) and see what's left after fare and food. If it doesn't work for you, raise your rate or narrow your travel radius.

Step 5: Price each service separately

You set a rate for each service, so don't copy one number across all of them. For example:

• Appointment companion (short, light): close to the floor may make sense.
• Elderly care with mobility help: above the floor if you're experienced.
• Overnight care: higher, for the night hours.
• Post-surgery support at home: higher, for the extra responsibility. It's still non-clinical: wound care, injections and medication changes belong to a nurse or doctor.

Mistakes to avoid

• Racing to the floor. The lowest price doesn't always win. Families also read your badges, experience and bio.
• Forgetting hidden costs: fare, food, phone load, time between jobs.
• Agreeing to "extra lang" tasks for free. If a hospital watcher shift turns into cooking and laundry for the whole household, that's a different job. Write the scope down. (See our scope creep guide.)
• Using other caregivers' listings as your price guide. Profiles vary widely by experience and city. Use the floors, your costs and your skills.

Rate-setting checklist

• I know the floor for each service I offer
• My rate covers fare and food for a typical shift
• I priced nights and heavy care higher than light day work
• My badges and experience are on my profile so families see why I charge what I do
• My travel radius matches what my rate can cover
• I'll write down hours and tasks with each family

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Kalingap is a marketplace that connects families with independent caregivers in the Philippines. It is not an employment agency or a medical provider. Platform floors are product minimums, not market averages; each caregiver sets their own rate. Legal wage figures come from NWPC wage orders checked 6 October 2026 and may change. Example shift costs are illustrative. This article is not legal or tax advice.

Sources (accessed 6 October 2026)

1. Kalingap service pages (platform rate floors): https://www.kalingap.app/services/elderly_care · https://www.kalingap.app/services/hospital_watcher · https://www.kalingap.app/services/childcare · https://www.kalingap.app/services/live_in · https://www.kalingap.app/services/overnight_care · https://www.kalingap.app/services/post_surgery · https://www.kalingap.app/services/appointment_companion
2. Kalingap, How it works (caregivers price each service, set travel distance, paid directly): https://www.kalingap.app/how-it-works
3. NWPC, NCR current daily minimum wage rates & domestic worker minimum wage (Wage Orders NCR-28, NCR-DW-06): https://nwpc.dole.gov.ph/ncr/
4. Philippine News Agency, P60 NCR wage hike in full effect Sept. 26: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1284905
5. NWPC, Kasambahays in NCR to receive P800 monthly minimum wage increase (27 Jan 2026): https://nwpc.dole.gov.ph/kasambahays-in-ncr-to-receive-p800-monthly-minimum-wage-increase/
6. Republic Act No. 11965, Caregivers' Welfare Act (Secs. 8–9): https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2023/ra_11965_2023.html
7. Labor Code of the Philippines (PD 442), Art. 86 night shift differential: https://lawphil.net/statutes/presdecs/pd1974/pd_442_1974.html