r/buhaydigital

Nag start ako as VA april 2022. Dati ako nag wowork sa fast food as a crew for 9k per month. Nakakapagod at nakaka stress. Walang growth talaga! Friend ko nag encourage sakin mag try ng VA work. Sabi nya pwede daw kumita ng dollars. Parang tunong networking sakin yun dati. Nag doubt ako pero nag try din. First year super hirap $300 per month lang pero nag push through ako. Nag improve ako ng skills at nag take ng online courses. Second year nag improve na naging $800 per month. Naka move out na ako from parents house at naka rent na ako ng sarili kong apartment. Third year $1200 na. Naka bili na ako ng laptop at naka invest na ako sa better internet. Naka travel na ako outside manila. Fourth year now march 2026. $1600 per month na!!!! I have 2 long term clients through virtual coworker. Stable at walang problema compared that to my 9k per month 4 years ago. Grabe yung growth. Never ko naisip na makaka abot ako ng ganito. Im not rich. I still worry about money. I still live paycheck to paycheck minsan. Pero sobrang layo na ng buhay ko ngayon. Im forever grateful sa VA industry. Sa lahat ng nag hire sakin sa virtual coworker for connecting me to good clients sa community for the support. Kahit mahirap kahit walang security salamat pa din. Malayo na talaga narating ko.

Okay just need to vent here because my anxiety is eating me up. I made a mistake last week na today ko lang na-catch. We just finished a really hellish week at work (more than a week pa nga), the kind na even the weekends you still need to be on your computer kasi kailangan talaga magcheck ng kung ano ano.

By Wednesday last week (this was maybe day 10 of non-stop work) I was running on fumes and tinatrangkaso na ko. I did my usual stuff na I have to do on the first day of every month lang then called it a night. Thursday and Friday were slow for me kasi masama pa rin pakiramdam ko nun so I did minimal work.

The thing is, I thought I checked everything off my to-do list nung Wednesday pero may na-miss pala ko. For context, my work involves budgeting our ad dollars for the month. Sa pagod ko last week, hindi ko na-adjust yung budgets ko for my campaigns which led to me using up 70% of the month's budget over the weekend, na supposedly for the entire month of July.

When I found out earlier my hands literally started shaking kasi di ako makapaniwala na nangyari yun. I take pride in my work and think I do a decent job naman in this company (I tried to leave before but they offered me a raise to get me to stay) so parang ngayon nakakahiya naman. They all thought I was a good worker then magkakamali ako ng ganito. Hay

Anyway, I'm just waiting for my direct supervisor to wake up now para makausap ko na siya. Wish me luck

We’re halfway through the year! Kaya pa natin ‘to, guys. 💛

Hmmm, gusto ko lang mag-share to inspire anyone who feels behind in life or career.

I’m F24, and I only started working last year. Though I work part-time/gigs during my undergrad. Since then, I’ve worked in multiple industries, traveled for work, and juggled both onsite and online jobs.

At one point, I was earning around ₱35k/month from my online job and ₱20k/month from an onsite part-time job, so roughly ₱55k/month.

Pero grabe yung burnout. Pagod na pagod ako. Dumating sa point na ayoko nang bumiyahe and I just wanted to focus on building a career online.

So I went home and continued earning around ₱35k/month. Eventually, I realized na “hindi na giving” yung work, so I took a risk and resigned.

And guess what?

After resigning, I got another job that paid ₱35k/month for only 2–4 hours of work per week. As in sobrang gaan.

God will always provide.

Then something happened that I honestly feel was divine intervention.

A CEO messaged me on LinkedIn and invited me to join his team in the creative industry. I was offered around ₱70k/month.

And the best part?

• The work is chill and no time tracking huhu
• Morning shift and super bait ng team!!!
• If I’m hyperfocused, I can finish my tasks in around 5 hours a day

Now, I’m earning around ₱100k/month.

And yes, nakakapag-travel na ako internationally!

From a kid who couldn’t even afford Jollibee before, this is something I’ll always be grateful for.

Naalala ko pa yung mama ko dati na kinikiskis yung black marker sa school shoes namin para magmukhang bago kasi wala kaming pambili ng bagong sapatos.

Kaya minsan naiiyak ako kapag naiisip ko kung gaano kalayo na pala yung narating namin.

P.S. This may sound debatable to some, but I’ve always tried to honor God with my finances. I consistently give my tithe to our local church.

For me, tithing is a reminder that God is the source, not my clients, not my employer, and not even my skills. That mindset keeps me grounded.

If you’re still waiting for your breakthrough this year, huwag mawalan ng pag-asa.

The second half of the year might completely change your story.

Keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep trusting God. Hindi mo alam, baka isang message lang pala ang pagitan mo sa next breakthrough mo. 💛

So I applied to this company (foreign sya) and saw sa Indeed na ang salary is 25-35k. It matched my background so I applied. The first interview was smooth, they were kind and told me na 400$ sya then may increase naman after 3 months.

Then the second and final interview... Pinoy din but damn, I think I missed the ball noong sinabi ko na "Lowball na for Filipino VAs yung 400$" but I'm willing to take the risk kasi may increase naman. But then the increase, the final interviewer told me, came as a "annual performance review".

So you're telling me 25-35k is your advertised salary sa Indeed pero hindi pala? And that this is a independent contractor so all my benefits (no hmo) will be handled with my 400$ paid once a month???? 400$ is barely 24k bcs of the inflation! What if hindi na 61 yung palitan?

Did I got in? Idk, probably not kasi I told them I'm gonna pursue a PT job (outside of the schedule naman) bcs of the 💵.

Masaya ung mga kateam (hindi toxic) okay ung manager pero kulang sahod for my financial goals.

After a year with my client, nag request ako ng increase but they want me wait for another 1 year, pero nag counter ako ng performance review after 6 months instead. Now, I talked to my manager and dahil sa role restructuring at iba pang hindi inaasahan, na segway kaya until now (7th month) wala pa balita. Update naman from my manager is naipasa na niya ung bola.

Nag apply na din ako casual lang and gusto ko din makalipat doon sa mga inapplyan ko dahil significant ung increase. Sabihin na natin na inuunahan ko ung sarili ko, pero nalulungkot na ako agad na isipin na magreresign ako ng dahil sa sahod.

Kung kayo ba nasa situation ko, ileverage niyo ba ung masaya ka sa work mo dahil sa environment vs sa sahod? Pamilyado na ako and hindi na din bata para maging choosy. Parang tanga ung pakiramdam ko kapag pinili ko mag stay. Tanga pero masaya. If aalis ako, another pakikiasama na naman and kailangan ko na bunuin ung regular status sa company.

Previous attempts nag try mag business at mag part time pero dagdag pagod lang so far. Humahanap pa din ng extra income atm.

Just got out of a meeting with my Aussie client, and they invited me to NSW for a short training and a bit of sightseeing.

I'm honestly still processing it. This will be my first international trip, so I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

The last six years have probably been the hardest and most challenging period of my life. Things weren't easy, and there were experiences and people that left me feeling broken. I'm still far from feeling completely whole again.

But moments like this remind me that life hasn't forgotten me. Even after everything, I still deserve good things too.

Feeling incredibly grateful. 🇦🇺✈️

Pansin ko, ang lalaki ng sahod ng ibang nagpopost dito. I got my clients from OLJ at puro low ballers don. Swerte ng maka land ka ng $5 per hour. May iba dito nagpopost na $15 per hour rate nila. Where did you get your clients po? And what niche?

Parang nakakababa ng moral magclient hunting ulit sa OLJ, nakakainsulto mga rate.

Hello! Quick question lang sa mga VAs dito 🙏

Medyo nag-eexplore pa lang ako sa pagiging VA, and to be honest, parang ang daming direction na pwedeng tahakin 😅 hindi ko pa sure kung saan ba talaga ako dapat mag-focus.

Sa mga matagal na sa industry, ano yung mga mistakes na nagawa niyo nung beginner pa lang kayo? Yung tipong “sana hindi ko ginawa ‘to” or “sana alam ko na ‘to dati.”

Gusto ko lang sana matuto from your experience para hindi na masyado mag trial-and-error 😅

Any tips or kwento would really help. Salamat!

Hi, I am so confused why some here has $5 or more, samantalang ako po $3.5 lang with 3 years exp. Do you guys have 40 hours per week or less? Lalo na po yung mga umaabot ng $20 per hour. Like how?? What niche? 40 hours din po ba kayo? Tips pls help a gurl out

Hi everyone! 😊

I recently landed my first Australian client as a part-time VA, and today was only my 3rd day of onboarding. Overall, they've been kind and patient, and I'm genuinely happy to be working with them.

I'm just trying to understand if this workflow is normal, especially for Australian startups.

For example, today:

• We started around 9:00 AM.
• We discussed priorities, onboarding, workflows, and reviewed an email campaign.
• I waited for them to finish setting up a page/link before I could continue that task.
• While waiting, I checked in to ask if there was anything else I could work on.
• I completed another task they assigned, which involved reviewing cancellation notifications and adding 76 customer emails to a Google Sheet.
• I also spent time troubleshooting an Omnisend import that wasn't working.
• Around 3:30 PM, I asked if it was okay to log off since they had originally mentioned we'd probably work 4–5 hours today.

They replied that we haven't completed the work today? Only 1–1.5 hours of work...

That caught me off guard because I'd been available and working since 9AM, although some of that time involved waiting for instructions or for them to finish creating something before I could continue.

So I wanted to ask more experienced VAs:

• How do you normally count your hours in situations like this?
• Do you count waiting time if you're available and can't move forward until the client provides something?
• Is this fairly common with Australian startup clients?
• Would you track your hours from when you started working, or only the time spent actively completing tasks?

I'm not complaining at all, I genuinely like working with them and I know we're still in onboarding. I just want to understand what's considered normal and make sure I'm tracking my time correctly going forward. Thanks in advance! 😊

Hi po baka may mga alam po kayong WFH job Agencies na no experience needed. Please comment po it would really help us mga job seekers na gusto mag WFH. Thank you!

Sa mga bahay na hindi naman originally built for work-from-home setup, saan kayo nakapag-singit ng private workspace or small office nang hindi ruined yung aesthetic at structure ng bahay?

Curious ako sa realistic setups lalo na sa may family, toddler, or smaller homes. Nag-convert ba kayo ng corner, dining area, extra space sa room, ilalim ng stairs, etc.?

Would love to hear or see:
setup niyo
ano yung effective/not effective
pano niyo hinandle privacy/noise
space-saving ideas
things you wish you did differently

Salamat po!

I am an accountant for as long as I can remember—12 years. I also have a degree, and the clients I've worked with have given me good feedback. I know many accounting software programs and even have certifications. But lately, it feels like it's been so hard to get clients? And what I mean by lately is more than a year now! I've enhanced my professional portfolio and done everything I can, but nothing is working. Do I need to change my niche? What is happening? 🥲

Got this client back in April and nung time na yon, madami akong utang na need bayaran kaya kahit may nakita na akong signs ng micromanaging, kinuha ko pa rin (ika-3rd client ko sya and sya mismo nag reach out sa LinkedIn).

From UK sya and ang dami nyang hanash in life. Nung first day ko, pinagalitan agad ako kasi bakit daw di ko ginawa eh wala naman syang instructions and wala pang binigay na access 😂

Then the succeeding weeks medjo ok naman, ang importante sakin kumikita ako pero syempre may mga times na super imbyerna na ako sa kanya kasi sasabihan kang walang ginagawa, di marunong, tapos kung sesendan mo ng proof of work, i-seen ka lang.

Manual entry yung timesheet ko sa kanya at super konti nga lang yung hours. 10 hours per week lang ako sa kanya kaya kahit madami task, pinagkakasya ko lang sa 10 hours kasi yun lang yung bayad.

Last Thursday, inaccuse na nya naman ako na nilalagay ko lang daw 10 hours kahit hindi naman 10 hours yung trinabaho ko. Jusko, pumintig tenga ko at dahil stress na ako nung time na yun, patola galore si ate nyo. Sinendan ko ng sandamakmak na Google Sheets at Google Docs link as proof of work ko na kung tutuusin eh aabot na ata sa 20 hours since pinagpupuyatan ko yun minsan. Again, seen nya lang ako.

Tapos kanina, nag arrange ng meeting. Sabi ko not today, it’s Sunday. Let me rest.

Minove nya on Monday. This could either be a meeting para i-fire nya ako, or pagalitan. And either way, I’m gonna quit anyway. Bahala ka sa buhay mo, teh! Bayad na lahat ng utang ko. Pwe.

Lakas ng authority ng mga banyaga mag take control sa life natin porket offshore workers tayo, ano?

Hello, everyone!

I’m a freelancer (independent contractor) providing services for a business based outside the Philippines. Technically, I’m not an employee—I get paid monthly by invoicing my client the agreed-upon rate stated in our contract.

Here’s my situation:

Last month, I got paid partially because I started mid-month. The amount I received was below ₱50k. The problem is, I haven’t registered with BIR yet.

· How do I process my tax for that partial payment?

· Do I immediately pay 8% of what I received?

· Or do I wait until I hit the ₱250k threshold before filing anything?

I read that BIR has an exemption for annual gross income below ₱250k. So if I understand correctly, I have some leeway until my total earnings for the year reach that amount. For me, that would probably happen around my 3rd month of working with this one client.

Now, here’s where it gets trickier—

I currently have one client, but I do plan on taking on more. As you all know in the freelancing/VA world, jobs aren't always stable. So let’s say:

· Client A pays me ₱95k/month

· Client B pays me another ₱95k/month

· That gives me a total of ₱190k/month

If that happens, I pay 8% of ₱190k monthly, correct?

But then—what if I lose one client?

Say my income drops back down to ₱95k/month.

· Do I still pay 8% of ₱95k for that month?

· Or is my tax fixed based on my higher previous income (₱190k)?

· Does BIR look at annual total instead, so I just settle everything at the end of the year?

I honestly don’t know what to do. I've read conflicting advice online, and I don't want to make a mistake that could get me penalized.

If anyone here has been through a similar setup—especially with multiple clients, fluctuating income, and late BIR registration—please share your experience or any advice.

· Should I register as a self-employed professional first before anything else?

· What forms do I need?

· Can I file and pay quarterly, or do I really have to do it monthly?

Salamat in advance sa sasagot! I really appreciate any help you can give. This is so complicated for a first-timer like me. 🙏

I've been trying to apply for a chatter job sana kasi kailangan ko talaga this next few months ng high pay and weekly salary. I have excellent grammar as I have been teaching language lessons for over a decade now. With sales skills din kasi I worked sa BPO before. Problem is hindi na kaya ng work ko ngayon economy natin.

I did pass my typing test nung nag BPO ako, so akala ko talaga ngayon kaya ko to. They are looking for someone without experience pero antaas ng wpm na requirement. I also asked my gamers friends and cousins na nasa IT field, natataasan din sila sa 70wpm. Totoo bang mataas yun?

I know attainable for others, but in real life ganun kabilis dapat in an actual chat convo with a client? Nakakaiyak. It's specially frustrating kasi 65wpm naabot ko. Sayang kasi.