Service: Maternity Benefit of an SSS Voluntary Member

Being an SSS member doesn't automatically qualifiy you to certain SSS benefits such as sickness and maternity. You have to pass their eligibility requirements.

I've been an inactive member for almost 4 years and I wouldn't have updated my SSS contributions if I hadn't been pregnant. Thankfully, I was able to update in time and paid the required number of months to be eligible for maternity benefits. According to the website, a female member, employed, self-employed or paying voluntarily, is entitled to the maternity benefits if:

1. She has paid at least three monthly contributions within the 12-month period immediately preceding the semester of her childbirth or miscarriage.
2. She has given the required notification of her pregnancy through her employer if employed, or to the SSS if separated, voluntary or self-employed member.
   
   
   

How to know if you have the required monthly contributions?

If you are updating your contributions regularly (and have not skipped a payment), then you most likely have paid the required number of monthly contributions to qualify. To determine this, take your estimated month of delivery and know which semester it falls under.

By semester it means:

Two consecutive quarters ending in the quarter of contingency, where a quarter refers to three consecutive months ending March, June, September or December.

For example, if your expected month of delivery is November 2012. November falls under the 4th quarter (Oct-Nov-Dec). Then include the quarter preceding that, which is the 3rd quarter (Jul-Aug-Sep). From July, count 12 months backward:

• Jun 2012
• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011

This means that from July 2011 to June 2012, you must have paid at least 3 monthly contributions in order to qualify for maternity benefit. Otherwise, your maternity benefit application will be rejected.

How to file for notification of pregnancy?

Voluntary members must go to the nearest SSS branch, fill out the MAT-1 (Maternity Notification Form) and submit together with a proof of pregnancy (a pregnancy test from the hospital or an ultrasound result). I don't think home pregnancy kit results are accepted because they cannot show when the test was done.

Filing of the MAT-1 form must be at least 60 days from the date of conception but not later than the date of delivery. I asked the personnel from our local branch if there's a deadline for filing, and he said that as long as the female member hasn't given birth yet, she can still submit the MAT-1 form. However, voluntary members are encouraged to file a notification earlier for faster processing of benefits.

After submitting the MAT-1 and proof of pregnancy, now what?

You will be given a MAT-2 (Maternity Reimbursement Form), which you will need to submit together with the registered copy of the child's birth certificate, after you have given birth. Registered copy means that it was already registered at the city/municipality where you gave birth. Hospitals are the ones who will submit the birth documents to the city registrar. You'll just have to wait for a few days to a few weeks to get a registered copy. You can get this either from the hospital or directly from the city/municipal hall. But this is only for normal spontaneous delivery. For C-section delivery, you will also need a certified true copy of operating room record/surgical memorandum from the hospital where you gave birth.

When I submitted these documents, I was also given an Obstetrical History Sheet and they asked me to have it signed by ANY OB-Gyne. I even asked this twice, and the personnel who received my MAT-2 said that ANY OB-Gyne, even if he/she was not the one who attended to me, can sign the form. But when I went to the nearest OB-Gyne, she refused to sign the form and said that they're not allowed to fill out that form unless they are the one who facilitated the delivery. So to be sure, just go to your OB-Gyne and have it signed.

After you've accomplished this, wait for at least 2 weeks for the check to be delivered to your address. You can also check the status of your maternity benefit claim if you have an SSS online account. Mine was processed in a week (after I submitted all the required documents) and was delivered to my home address less than 2 weeks later.

NOTE: Please note that there's a lot of unanswered questions in the comments section below. I am in no way affiliated with SSS so I am not qualified to answer all queries pertaining to your account. The information I shared in this post is based on my experience and knowledge as a voluntary paying member of SSS. If you need more information or if you have a particular question that wasn't discussed in the post, the best way is to contact SSS directly. You can go to your nearest SSS branch, or leave a message on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sssonlineinquirysystem, or you can also shoot them an email at SSS Member Relations <member_relations@sss.gov.ph> (yes, they do reply to emails but it might take a while).

Service: SSS: Changing from Employed to Self-Employed/Voluntary Members

If you're regularly employed -- that is, you are employed by a company, an organization or an institution -- paying your monthly SSS contributions is the least of your worries because they are automatically deducted from your salary. But if you're no longer employed but are still earning an income, you can continue your SSS membership, update your contributions and enjoy the benefits by being either a self-employed or a voluntary SSS member.

Formerly employed members are often confused which type of membership to change to. So let me try to differentiate the two. By SSS definition, a self-employed member is:

A self-employed person, regardless of trade, business or occupation, with an income of at least P1,000 a month and not over 60 years old... Included, but not limited to are the following self-employed persons.

a. self-employed professionals;

b. business partners, single proprietors and board directors;

c. actors, actresses, directors, scriptwriters and news reporters who are not under an employer-employee relationship;

d. professional athletes, coaches, trainers and jockeys;

e. farmers and fisherfolks; and

f. workers in the informal sector such as cigarette vendors, watch-your-car boys, hospitality girls, among others.

It seems that anybody who is earning can fit into the criteria. However, when I asked a local SSS branch, they said that if not a self-employed professional (like the ones mentioned above), a member must at least have a small business as source of their income in order to qualify as a self-employed SSS member. And when I asked which type of membership should I be if I'm no longer employed, not a professional, don't have a business but still wants to continue my contributions, they replied voluntary membership.

In order to become a voluntary SSS member, all you need to do is to pay your contributions using the SSS Form RS-5. No need to update your membership status as it will be automatically changed to voluntary once your payment is reflected.

If you prefer to be a self-employed SSS member, you have to change your membership status by accomplishing the SSS Form RS-1 and submitting the required documents (any of the following: authenticated birth certificate, driver's license, passport, click here for the complete list).

Another difference: as self-employed member, your monthly contribution will be determined by the monthly income declared during your change of membership status while as a voluntary member, you can choose your monthly contributions based on the amount that you're comfortable paying.

Once you've decided which membership to update to, there are still a few things that you need to take note of to make the transition from employed to self-employed/voluntary member easier.

First, register for an online account on the SSS website. This is really helpful in keeping track of your contributions and other notifications regarding your membership (loan eligibility and status, benefit eligibility and claim status, etc). Actually, all members can benefit from having an online SSS account.

Second, know the deadline of payment for your SSS contribution. Because you will be updating your contributions manually -- meaning, you will have to pay directly to a local SSS branch or to any accredited payment centers, you have to know the deadline for paying your contributions to ensure that you pay on time. SSS penalizes late payments and does not allow retroactive contributions.

SSS has released a new payment deadline schedule based on the last digit of member's SSS number. For SSS number ending in:

• 1 and 2 - every 10th day following the applicable month or the month you're paying for
• 3 and 4 - every 15th day
• 5 and 6 - every 20th day
• 7 and 8 - every 25th day
• 9 and 0 - every last day

For example, my SSS number ends in 4, and I'm going to pay my contribution for the month of April, my deadline will fall on May 15.

Likewise, you have an option to pay your contributions on a quarterly basis. Quarterly payments refer to contributions for three consecutive months ending in March, June, September and December.

Again, using myself as an example, if I'm going to pay my contributions for the 2nd quarter (April, May and June) and my SSS number ends in 4, my deadline is on July 15.

Third, locate the SSS branch or accredited payment centers most accessible to your house or office or place of work. Remember that SSS is open during weekdays only and like most government agencies, usually have long queues so make sure that you can spare at least half a day (a weekday, that is) each month or quarter to update your contributions.

Thankfully, you can now pay your SSS contributions at selected SM Malls. I did this just last week and this is so hassle-free because there are no queues and you can pay during the weekends.

Fourth, keep tabs of all SSS contact information such as email, hotlines, Facebook account. Why? Because chances are, you will have inquiries regarding your membership at some point. Self-employed and voluntary members don't have the benefit of having HR officers, who can answer questions and usually take care of anything SSS related, unlike employed members. So keeping these contact info will come in handy when you need them.

NOTE: Please note that there's a lot of unanswered questions in the comments section below. I am in no way affiliated with SSS so I am not qualified to answer all queries pertaining to your account. The information I shared in this post is based on my experience and knowledge as a voluntary paying member of SSS. If you need more information or if you have a particular question that wasn't discussed in the post, the best way is to contact SSS directly. You can go to your nearest SSS branch, or leave a message on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sssonlineinquirysystem, or you can also shoot them an email at SSS Member Relations <member_relations@sss.gov.ph> (yes, they do reply to emails but it might take a while).