The Philippines runs on Philippine Standard Time, UTC+8, with no daylight saving. That puts it 12 hours ahead of US Eastern time during daylight saving months and 13 hours ahead the rest of the year. Many Philippines based assistants work US business hours on a night shift. Others work their own daytime so tasks get done while you sleep. Most small teams do best with a fixed overlap window of two to four hours.
Time zones come up in almost every first conversation we have with owners. It sounds like a big obstacle. In practice it is a scheduling decision, and once you make it on purpose it often becomes an advantage.
How the time difference actually works
The Philippines does not observe daylight saving time. The US mostly does. So the gap shifts twice a year from your side.
- US Eastern is 12 hours behind Manila from March to early November and 13 hours behind the rest of the year
- US Central is 13 or 14 hours behind
- US Mountain is 14 or 15 hours behind
- US Pacific is 15 or 16 hours behind
A quick example. When it is 9 AM in New York in June, it is 9 PM in Manila. When it is 9 AM in Los Angeles in January, it is 1 AM the next day in Manila.
Put the exact hours in writing when you set the schedule, and revisit it the week the clocks change in the US. That week causes most of the "I thought we agreed on 9" mix ups.
Three schedules that work
Option one, your business hours
The assistant works a night shift in Manila so their day matches yours. This is common and many Filipino professionals are used to it, especially those with call center or US client experience. It suits roles that need live contact, such as phone answering, live chat or a busy customer support virtual assistant.
The tradeoff is that night work is harder on people over time. Be fair about breaks, keep the schedule consistent and avoid asking for daytime calls on top of it.
Option two, their business hours
The assistant works a normal Manila day, which is your evening and overnight. You hand off work at the end of your day and wake up to it done. This suits research, data entry, bookkeeping, content and anything that can be queued.
The tradeoff is slower back and forth. A question asked at their 10 AM may not get your answer until their next morning. Clear instructions matter more here.
Option three, a split with overlap
The assistant starts in the late afternoon or evening in Manila and finishes in the early hours. That gives you a few hours of live overlap in your morning plus some quiet hours on either side. Many teams land here after trying the other two.
Picking the right one
Ask two questions. How much of the work needs a live response? And how much of your own day can you spend answering questions?
If more than half the work is live, such as phones, chat or same day scheduling, go with your business hours. If most work can be queued and you prefer to batch your input, their daytime is often more efficient. If you are unsure, start with a split schedule and adjust after a month.
Roles that often need your hours include receptionists, appointment setters, live chat and dispatch. Roles that often work well overnight include bookkeeping, data entry, research, video editing and many marketing tasks. Executive assistants vary. Our post on the offshore executive assistant covers how that role usually handles it.
Making handoffs smooth
Handoffs are where time zones either help or hurt. A good handoff note covers what you need, why it matters, when it is due and what to do if they get stuck.
End of your day
Spend ten minutes writing the next day's priorities in a shared doc or task board. Mark which items can wait if something urgent comes up.
End of their day
They post a short update. Done, open and blocked. You read it first thing with your coffee.
When they get stuck
Agree in advance what they should do when a question cannot wait for you. Often the answer is to move to the next task and flag it. For truly urgent items, agree on a phone or text route and what counts as urgent.
A sample handoff note
Here is the kind of note an owner on Eastern time might leave at 6 PM for an assistant working Manila daytime.
- Priority one is to reconcile the three open supplier invoices against the purchase orders in the shared folder and flag any mismatch in the invoices channel
- Priority two is to draft replies to the four customer emails tagged "needs reply" and leave them in drafts for my review
- If you finish both, continue cleaning the contact list using the steps in the CRM SOP
- I have a dentist appointment at 9 AM tomorrow, so I will read your update around 10:30
That takes a few minutes to write, and it removes almost every reason for a question to sit overnight.
Common time zone mistakes
Booking calls in the wrong zone
Calendar tools usually handle this, but only if both people set their time zone correctly. Check that once during onboarding.
Forgetting the US clock change
Because Manila never shifts, the gap moves by an hour twice a year. If your assistant's schedule is set in your local time, their start time moves. If it is set in Manila time, yours does. Decide which one stays fixed.
Expecting instant replies at the edges of a shift
Someone at the very end of a night shift is tired. Do not save your most complex requests for that window. Send them early in their day instead.
Coverage beyond one person
Overnight coverage can be a selling point for your business. A support inbox that gets answered at 3 AM, orders processed before the warehouse opens, or leads followed up first thing are all possible with one person working their daytime.
If you need long coverage, such as early morning to late evening, one person cannot do it alone without burning out. Two part time assistants on staggered schedules can, or a small team.
Holidays and planning
Philippine public holidays differ from US ones. Plan coverage for them the same way you would for a vacation. Ask your assistant for the list early in the year and agree on how coverage works. For ongoing management tips, our guide on how to manage remote staff has a weekly rhythm that suits any of the schedules above.
What it costs
The schedule does not change our base pricing. An Assistant starts at $1,500 a month full time for around 160 hours. Part time is $900 a month for around 80 hours. A Specialist starts at $2,200 a month. See our pricing page for detail, or contact us to talk through the schedule your role needs.
Time zone questions
What time is it in the Philippines compared to New York?
The Philippines is 12 hours ahead of New York during US daylight saving time and 13 hours ahead the rest of the year.
Will a Filipino virtual assistant work US hours?
Many do, especially those with experience supporting US clients. Discuss the schedule openly and keep it consistent.
Does the Philippines use daylight saving time?
No. Philippine time stays at UTC+8 all year, so the gap changes when US clocks change.
Is overnight work better for some roles?
Yes. Work that can be queued, like bookkeeping, research and data entry, often benefits from being done while you sleep.