FAQ - When is it allowed to release or pay the uniform and clothing allowance?

FAQ – When is it allowed to release or pay the uniform and clothing allowance?

If we read the existing guidelines on uniform and clothing allowance, we cannot find any provision that prescribes the exact date to release the uniform and clothing allowance unlike other government employee benefits such as mid year bonus and year end bonus of which the same shall be paid not earlier than May 15 and November 15, respectively.

However, we can find relevant information on this in other Circulars of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

For instance, DBM Circular Letter No. 2016-9 (Submission of the Annual Budget Execution Plans), particularly Item No. 3.4 of Annex C, says:

“In preparing the Monthly Disbursement Program (MDP), the following assumptions and other factors shall be considered:

Seasonality (e.g., peak/slack periods) of activities and other factors that will tend to influence programming, to wit:

PS shall consider the timing on the grant of PS benefits, among others:

Uniform/Clothing Allowance – April (xxx)”

This guidelines is still followed up to this time.

In fact, in Circular Letter No. 2022-14 or the guidelines on the preparation of annual Budget Execution Documents (BEDs) for CY 2023, particularly BED No. 3 or the Monthly Disbursement Program (MDP), the Instructions on the preparation of BED 3 provides, to wit:

In preparing the MDP, the agency/OU shall consider and disclose by footnote the following assumptions and other factors:

Seasonality of activities and other factors that will tend to influence programming, to wit:

Personnel Service (PS) shall consider the timing on the grant of PS benefits e.g., April program shall include Clothing/Uniform Allowance (xxx),

Hence, for National Government agencies, since the cash for the payment of uniform and clothing allowance is programmed in April of each year, the same is usually released during the same month or later following the prescribed guidelines on uniform and clothing allowance.

For local government units (LGUs), they follow the provisions of their respective local budgets on the payment of uniform and clothing allowance considering the guidelines issued by the DBM on the grant of said allowance.