Version 2026-11-01. Effective 1 November 2026.
1. About these Terms
1.1. Sahora is a payroll, timekeeping and HR service for employers in the Philippines. It is provided by JTL Advisory and Business Solutions Inc. ("JTL", "we", "us"), the company that builds and operates Sahora. Our company website is www.jtladvisory.com.
1.2. JTL is a corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under registration number 2023090169084-05, with its principal office at Unit 3101-C East Tower, Tektite Twin Towers, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600, Philippines.
1.3. These Terms are an agreement between JTL and the company or other employer that subscribes to Sahora (the "Client"). They also set the rules that every person who signs in to Sahora must follow (section 7).
1.4. These documents form part of the agreement, and apply together with these Terms:
- the Data Processing Agreement (how we handle the Client's employee data);
- the Privacy Notice;
- the Acceptable Use Policy;
- the Billing and Refunds Policy;
- the Cookie Notice; and
- the Subprocessors list.
1.5. If documents conflict, this order applies: (a) a contract signed by both JTL and the Client (for example, an Enterprise agreement); (b) the Data Processing Agreement, for anything about personal data; (c) these Terms; (d) the other policies listed above.
2. Words used in these Terms
- Client: the employer that subscribes to Sahora for its own payroll. A Client is one company (one registration with the SEC, DTI or CDA, or another employer registration). Each company has its own workspace and subscription.
- Owner: the person who signs up for the Client and manages its subscription, users and settings.
- User: anyone who signs in to Sahora: owners, payroll officers, HR admins, finance users, payroll approvers, team approvers (supervisors), employees, accounting firm staff and our own staff.
- Employee: a person whose payroll records the Client keeps in Sahora. An employee may be invited to the employee portal.
- Accounting firm: a firm that runs or reviews a Client's payroll in Sahora, at the Client's invitation or request.
- Sahora Managed: the optional service in which our payroll team runs the Client's payroll on Sahora and prepares its government forms.
- Client Data: everything the Client and its users put into Sahora, and the results Sahora produces from it (payroll results, payslips, reports and files).
- Price list: the version of Sahora's prices and billing terms in force, shown on the pricing page.
3. Accepting these Terms
3.1. The person who accepts these Terms for a Client confirms that they have the authority to bind the Client.
3.2. Account holders who manage a Client's workspace (owners, payroll officers, HR admins, finance users, approvers and accounting firm staff) must be at least 18 years old. Employees use the portal through their employer's account. The employer is responsible for the notices it must give employees, including employees who are minors.
3.3. Acceptance may be electronic (for example, by ticking a box or using Sahora after these Terms are shown). Electronic documents and acceptance have legal effect under the Electronic Commerce Act (RA 8792).
4. The service
4.1. What Sahora does. Depending on the plan, Sahora lets the Client keep employee records, compute payroll, produce payslips, keep time and attendance, handle leave, overtime and other requests, prepare government contribution reports, print government forms (such as BIR forms on the BIR's own layouts), and export files for its own use.
4.2. What Sahora does not do. Unless a separate written agreement says otherwise:
- Sahora does not file returns or reports with the BIR, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, DOLE or any other agency for the Client, and does not pay or remit anything for the Client. The Client files and pays.
- Sahora does not hold or move the Client's money.
- Sahora is not accredited, certified or approved by any government agency, and we do not claim that it is.
- Sahora's payout file is an internal disbursement list. A bank-specific file is offered only for a bank whose layout we have completed and activated.
4.3. Features by plan. What each plan includes is shown on the pricing page. On the Free Plan, some features are not included or are limited (for example, the number of users, pay groups and branches); the limits are part of the price list in force. Compliance outputs (payroll, payslips, government reports and forms) are in every plan.
4.4. Changes to the service. We improve Sahora over time. We may add, change or remove features. If we remove a feature that is a material part of a paid plan, we will give notice as stated in section 22 and, for annual billing, the refund in the Billing and Refunds Policy (section 12) applies.
4.5. Starting a paid plan. A paid plan can start right away ("Subscribe now"), or, on plans that offer one, with a free trial (currently 30 days; the length is part of the price list). When a trial ends without a billing choice, the workspace becomes read-only until the owner chooses monthly or annual billing.
5. Accounts and sign-in security
5.1. Each user has their own sign-in. Users must not share sign-ins.
5.2. Everyone who handles payroll data (every role except employee) must use two-step verification with an authenticator app, and Sahora asks each of them to keep two authenticators. If a user loses both, our super admin may reset their two-step verification after checking who they are. Each reset is recorded and the user is told by email.
5.3. Sessions end after a period without activity (currently 30 minutes, set by us), including when the browser was closed. Repeated wrong passwords lock sign-in for a while. Each user can see their signed-in devices and sign out of them.
5.4. The Client must:
- invite only people who need access, with the role that fits their work;
- remove or change a user's access promptly when their work changes or they leave; and
- tell us at once at support@sahora.ph if it suspects that a sign-in has been misused.
5.5. The Client is responsible for what its users do in Sahora, except where the cause is our breach of these Terms.
6. Accounting firms and Sahora Managed
6.1. Accounting firms. An owner may invite an accounting firm to work in the Client's workspace, and may revoke the firm at any time. A Client that signs up through a firm, or asks us to place it with one, works with that firm; we place a Client with a firm only when the Client asks or agrees. A firm's administrators can access every company the firm handles, and its staff the companies the firm assigns them. The firm acts for the Client. The Client is responsible for its own agreement with the firm. A firm that works in a Client's workspace confirms that it has the Client's written engagement, and follows these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy and the Client's instructions.
6.2. Sahora Managed. If the Client takes Sahora Managed, our payroll team runs the Client's payroll on Sahora and prepares its government forms in the Client's workspace. Our staff never approve or release a payroll run: the Client does. The scope, fee and service levels of Sahora Managed are set in a separate service agreement; these Terms apply to the use of the software.
7. Rules for every user
7.1. Every user must follow the Acceptable Use Policy.
7.2. Employees use the portal to see their own records and file requests. Their employment relationship is with their employer, not with JTL. Questions about pay, deductions or approvals go to the employer. Employees do not pay for Sahora.
7.3. Every user must acknowledge the current privacy notice once, at the next sign-in after each new version.
8. The Client's responsibilities
The Client is responsible for:
8.1. Its data. The accuracy of the data entered (employee details, pay rates, attendance, leave, loans and settings), and its own choices in Company setup (for example, the daily rate factor, contribution timing, tax method and rounding).
8.2. The law. Complying with labor, tax, social security and data privacy laws as an employer, including having a lawful basis for the employee data it enters and giving its employees the notices the Data Privacy Act requires.
8.3. Reviewing and approving payroll. Reviewing every payroll before approving it. Sahora requires a person other than the preparer to approve (except where the Client has only one user who can prepare or approve payroll, where it is marked as self-approved), shows flags for figures to check, and warns when a run used statutory rows not yet confirmed by our team. Approval is the Client's decision.
8.4. Filing and paying. Filing returns and reports and paying salaries, taxes and contributions on time, using Sahora's reports and forms as the Client sees fit.
8.5. Keeping its own copies. Exporting the records it needs to keep. Owners can export all the Client's data at any time.
9. Payroll results and statutory content
9.1. Sahora computes pay from the Client's data and settings and from statutory tables (rates, brackets, ceilings, minimum wages, holidays) kept by our team with their effective dates and legal sources. A row marked "verify" is in use but not yet confirmed by our team, and Sahora shows when a run used one.
9.2. Laws and government formats change. We update the tables and forms as soon as we reasonably can after a change is published. Sahora keeps the rates used by each payroll run so that past payslips can be reproduced.
9.3. If the Client finds an error that Sahora caused, we will correct the software and help the Client correct the affected runs through adjustments.
9.4. Penalties caused by a Sahora error. On paid plans, if a government penalty or surcharge is directly caused by an error in Sahora's calculations or in a statutory table marked "verified", JTL reimburses it, within the limits in section 18. JTL does not reimburse penalties or surcharges caused by the Client's data or settings, by a run that used rows still marked "verify", by a figure the Client changed, or by late filing or payment. The Client must tell us within 30 days of receiving the government's notice and give us the notice and its proof of payment. This section does not apply to the Free Plan.
9.5. Not professional advice. Sahora is software. JTL does not provide accounting, tax or legal advice or services through Sahora or Sahora Managed. The Client remains responsible for its payroll decisions, filings and payments, and may consult its own accountant or lawyer.
10. Client Data
10.1. The Client owns its data. We claim no ownership of Client Data.
10.2. Our use of it. We process Client Data only to provide, secure and support Sahora for the Client, as set out in the Data Processing Agreement, or when the law requires. We do not sell personal information and do not use Client Data for advertising.
10.3. Statistics. We may use counts about how Sahora is used (for example, how many companies finish each setup step) to run and improve Sahora. These counts identify no employee and reveal no company's payroll.
10.4. Export. The Client's owners can download a full export of the Client's data at any time, including while the Client is leaving.
11. Privacy and data protection
11.1. For the employee data in a Client's workspace, the Client is the personal information controller and JTL is its personal information processor. The Data Processing Agreement applies.
11.2. For website visitors, people who use our forms, users' sign-in accounts and billing contacts, JTL is the personal information controller, as explained in the Privacy Notice.
12. Fees, billing and the Free Plan
12.1. Fees, minimums, discounts, billing terms and Free Plan rules are in the price list in force, shown on the pricing page. The Billing and Refunds Policy explains how billing works.
12.2. Prices include VAT. Sahora issues billing statements. JTL issues the BIR invoices separately.
12.3. If a billing statement is overdue, preparing and submitting new payroll runs are paused, and later the workspace becomes read-only, as the Billing and Refunds Policy explains. A payroll already submitted can still be approved and paid out, and the Client's data stays viewable and exportable. The Client remains responsible for paying its employees on time.
13. Availability and support
13.1. We work to keep Sahora available and to fix problems promptly. Sahora relies on hosting and other providers, and the internet, so it may sometimes be unavailable.
13.2. We do not promise a specific uptime percentage. A service level is offered only to Enterprise clients, by a signed contract.
13.3. Current status, incidents and planned maintenance are posted on the public status page (/status). We announce planned maintenance there at least 48 hours ahead and do it outside 8 AM to 8 PM Manila time where possible.
13.4. Support channels depend on the plan, as shown on the pricing page. Support hours are 9 AM to 6 PM, Manila time, on working days.
14. API, integrations and files the Client takes out of Sahora
14.1. Where the plan includes it, owners (and, for the Client, its accounting firm or our team) can create API keys and webhooks. The Client is responsible for keeping its keys secret and for the systems it connects. The API does not return government or bank numbers.
14.2. Once the Client downloads a file (for example, a register, a journal file for its accounting software, or an export), the Client is responsible for keeping it secure.
15. Intellectual property
15.1. JTL owns Sahora: the software, its design, the help content, the statutory tables as compiled by us, and the Sahora name and logos.
15.2. During the subscription, we give the Client and its users a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use Sahora for the Client's own payroll and people (and, for accounting firms, for the clients that engaged them), under these Terms.
15.3. If the Client sends us suggestions, we may use them without obligation.
16. Confidentiality
16.1. Each party keeps the other's non-public information confidential and uses it only for this agreement. This does not cover information that is public through no fault of the receiving party, was already known to it, or must be disclosed by law (and then only what the law requires, with notice to the other party where allowed).
16.2. Personal data is also covered by the Data Processing Agreement.
17. Warranties
17.1. We will provide Sahora with reasonable skill and care, and materially as described on the website and in the help center.
17.2. Except as stated in these Terms and to the extent the law allows, Sahora is provided as it is. We do not promise that it will be free of errors or interruptions, or that any government agency will accept a particular file.
18. Limits of liability
18.1. Each party's total liability for all claims in any 12-month period is limited to the fees the Client paid for Sahora in the 12 months before the event that gave rise to the claim. For a Client on the Free Plan, JTL's total liability is limited to ₱1,000.
18.2. Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost profits or lost business opportunities, to the extent the law allows.
18.3. These limits do not apply to: liability that the law does not allow to be limited (including liability for fraud, bad faith or gross negligence); and the Client's obligation to pay fees.
18.4. For a breach of a party's data protection obligations, the limit in section 18.1 is replaced by two times the fees the Client paid for Sahora in the 12 months before the event that gave rise to the claim.
19. Indemnities
19.1. The Client will defend JTL against claims by third parties (including its employees) that arise from data the Client entered without a lawful basis, or from the Client's breach of the Acceptable Use Policy, and pay the resulting costs and damages finally awarded.
19.2. JTL will defend the Client against claims that Sahora, as provided by us, infringes a third party's intellectual property rights in the Philippines, and pay the resulting costs and damages finally awarded.
19.3. The indemnities in this section are subject to the limits in section 18.
20. Suspension
20.1. We may suspend access, in whole or for particular users, without prior notice when needed to stop a security threat, to protect other clients or users, or to comply with the law. We will tell the Client promptly and restore access once the cause is resolved.
20.2. For other serious breaches of these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy, we will first give written notice and 15 days to fix the breach, unless the breach cannot be fixed.
20.3. Suspension for non-payment follows the Billing and Refunds Policy.
20.4. During a suspension, the Client's owners can still export the Client's data, unless the law or the security threat prevents it.
21. Term, cancelling and leaving
21.1. Monthly billing continues month to month until the owner cancels.
21.2. Annual billing runs for 12 months and renews automatically at the prices then in force, unless the owner chooses "Switch to monthly billing at renewal" on the Billing page before the term ends. We remind the owners by email 30 days before the term ends. An annual term cannot be cancelled mid-term; after it ends, the owner can cancel like any monthly subscription.
21.3. Leaving. When the owner cancels, or asks to leave Sahora, the workspace becomes read-only and the data stays available to export for a period set in the price list (currently 90 days). Within 30 days after that period, the Client's data is deleted and a certificate of deletion is issued, as the Data Processing Agreement explains, unless the Client has arranged a paid archive.
21.4. If we end the service. We may end the agreement or stop offering Sahora on 30 days' written notice, with a pro-rata refund of prepaid annual fees for the unused full months. We may end the agreement for a serious uncured breach under section 20.2.
21.5. Sections 8.5, 10, 15 to 19, 21.3 and 24 to 26 continue after the agreement ends.
22. Changes to these Terms
22.1. We may update these Terms and the policies listed in section 1.4. For a material change, we will tell owners by email and in Sahora 30 days before it takes effect, unless the change is required sooner by law or for security.
22.2. If the Client does not accept a material change, the owner may cancel before it takes effect. For annual billing, the pro-rata refund in the Billing and Refunds Policy (section 12) applies.
22.3. Price changes follow the Billing and Refunds Policy.
23. Force majeure
Neither party is liable for a delay or failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control (for example, natural disasters, power or internet outages, government action, or an outage of a provider that is not caused by our own fault), provided it acts promptly to reduce the effect. This does not excuse the Client's obligation to pay fees for service already provided.
24. Notices
24.1. We send notices to the owner's email address on file and in Sahora.
24.2. The Client sends formal notices, and notices about personal data, to mail@sahora.ph or in writing to JTL's principal office (section 1.2). Support requests go to support@sahora.ph.
25. Governing law and disputes
25.1. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Philippines.
25.2. The parties first try to settle a dispute through good-faith talks for 30 days. If that fails, the proper courts of Pasig City, where JTL has its principal office, have exclusive jurisdiction.
26. General
26.1. Whole agreement. These Terms and the documents in section 1.4 are the whole agreement about Sahora, unless the parties sign a separate contract.
26.2. Severability. If a part of these Terms is invalid, the rest stays in effect.
26.3. No waiver. Not enforcing a right is not a waiver of it.
26.4. Assignment. The Client may not transfer this agreement without our written consent. We may transfer it to an affiliate or to a buyer of the Sahora business, with notice to the Client, provided the Client's data protection terms continue.
26.5. Language. These Terms are written in English, and the English text governs. Any Filipino translation is for convenience.
26.6. Independent parties. Nothing in these Terms makes the parties partners, agents or employer and employee of each other.
27. Contact
- Support, billing and security matters: support@sahora.ph
- Data Protection Officer, formal notices and other inquiries: mail@sahora.ph
- Mobile: 0969 566 5084
- Office: Unit 3101-C East Tower, Tektite Twin Towers, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600, Philippines