In Short
- Most benefits need a minimum number of monthly contributions paid before the sickness, birth, job loss or other event.
- Most claims are filed through My.SSS, and SSS pays into the bank, e-wallet or other account you enroll with it.
- The unemployment benefit under the Social Security Act of 2018 (RA 11199) is for members who lose their job through no choice of their own. File within one year.
- Pensions for retirement, disability and death depend on how many contributions were paid. With fewer, SSS pays a one-time lump sum instead.
Before Anything: Set Up My.SSS
- Make sure you have an SS number and that your records (name, birth date, beneficiaries) are correct. Fix errors at a branch with your PSA documents.
- Register for a My.SSS account on the SSS website.
- Enroll a disbursement account (where SSS sends your money: a bank account, e-wallet or UMID card enrolled as ATM) in My.SSS. SSS pays benefits and loans there.
- Check your contributions in My.SSS. Missing months mean missing eligibility. If your employer deducted contributions but did not pay them to SSS, raise it with SSS.
The Benefits at a Glance
Below, "semester" means what SSS calls the "semester of contingency": the six months that end with the quarter of the event.
| Benefit | Who Qualifies, in General |
|---|---|
| Sickness | Unable to work and confined at home or in hospital for at least 4 days; at least 3 monthly contributions in the 12 months before the semester of sickness; gave notice on time. Employees must have used up their paid company sick leave. Paid for up to 120 days a year. |
| Maternity | At least 3 monthly contributions in the 12 months before the semester of the birth or miscarriage, and notice given. See maternity and paternity leave. |
| Disability | Permanent total or partial disability, with at least one contribution before the semester of disability. A monthly pension needs at least 36 contributions; otherwise a lump sum. |
| Retirement | At least 120 monthly contributions for a monthly pension, and age 60 and no longer working (separated), or age 65. With fewer than 120, a lump sum, or keep paying as a voluntary member to reach 120. |
| Death | For the member's beneficiaries. A monthly pension if the member paid at least 36 contributions before the semester of death; otherwise a lump sum. |
| Funeral | For whoever paid the funeral expenses of a member or pensioner. |
| Unemployment | Lost the job involuntarily (not by choice), not over 60, with at least 36 contributions (12 of them in the 18 months before separation), and no unemployment benefit in the past 3 years. |
| Loans | Salary loan, calamity loan, pension loan for pensioners, and other programs, each with its own eligibility. |
SSS sets and changes the amounts and formulas. Check each benefit's page or your My.SSS account for what you can expect.
Sickness Benefit
- Employees notify the employer within 5 calendar days of starting home confinement; the employer notifies SSS. Hospital confinement does not need this notice from the employee. The employer advances the benefit and is reimbursed by SSS.
- Self-employed, voluntary and OFW members notify SSS themselves through My.SSS: within 5 calendar days for home confinement, or within 1 year of discharge for hospital confinement.
- Late notice can reduce or deny the claim.
- It is paid for up to 120 days a year. After 240 days for the same illness, SSS treats it as a disability claim.
Unemployment Benefit
Under the Social Security Act of 2018, Republic Act No. 11199 (RA 11199), members who lose their job involuntarily can claim a cash benefit. SSS says qualifying causes include:
- authorized causes under the Labor Code (lawful reasons to let workers go): redundancy (the job is no longer needed), retrenchment (cutting staff to prevent losses), closure or cessation of business, and installation of labor-saving devices;
- resigning because of the employer's serious insult, inhuman treatment, or a crime against the worker or their family; and
- other causes DOLE and SSS recognize, such as economic downturn and calamities.
It is not available to workers fired for just causes (their own serious fault) such as serious misconduct or fraud.
How to claim: file in My.SSS within one year of the separation. Then, within 30 calendar days, get the electronic certification of involuntary separation from DOLE (OFWs through the office SSS directs), or the claim is cancelled. Bring your notice of termination, or a notarized Affidavit of Termination if you did not get one.
Retirement, Disability and Death
Retirement. File online through My.SSS in most cases. Some cases must be filed at a branch, such as when there are unpaid special loans or dependents under guardianship. Members aged 60 to 64 show proof of separation from work. Underground and surface mineworkers and racehorse jockeys have lower retirement ages.
Disability. File at an SSS branch within 10 years of the disability, with the SSS Medical Certificate filled in by your doctor and your medical records. An SSS doctor evaluates the claim.
Death. The primary beneficiaries are the dependent spouse (until remarriage) and dependent children who are unmarried, not working, and under 21 or unable to support themselves (incapacitated). If there are none, secondary beneficiaries are the dependent parents. If there are none of those either, the benefit goes to the person the member designated, then to the legal heirs. The spouse can file online if registered in My.SSS; others file at a branch. See benefits after a death.
Funeral. Whoever actually paid for the funeral claims it, with the receipts. Members can file online; non-members file at a branch.
Loans
SSS offers short-term member loans, mainly the salary loan, and a calamity loan when it opens one for areas declared under a state of calamity. Retirement pensioners can take a pension loan. Members with unpaid past-due loans may be offered a consolidation or condonation program (to combine the loans or forgive penalties). Apply through My.SSS, and check the loan's page for current eligibility, terms and interest.
Unpaid SSS loans are deducted from later benefits, such as retirement or death benefits.
What Most SSS Claims Need
Each benefit has its own list on the SSS website. These are the common ones.
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Common Questions
How Do I Apply for SSS Benefits Online?
Register for My.SSS on the SSS website, enroll a disbursement account, then file the claim under the Benefits tab. Some claims, like disability and some death claims, are still filed at a branch.
How Many Contributions Do I Need for an SSS Pension?
For a retirement pension, at least 120 monthly contributions. For disability and death pensions, at least 36. With fewer, SSS pays a lump sum instead.
Can I Get the SSS Unemployment Benefit If I Resigned?
Generally no. It is for involuntary separation. A resignation counts only if it was caused by the employer's serious insult, inhuman treatment, or a crime against you or your family.
Who Receives the SSS Death Benefit?
First the dependent spouse and dependent children. If there are none, the dependent parents. Then the person the member designated, then the legal heirs.
My Employer Deducted SSS Contributions but Did Not Pay Them to SSS. What Can I Do?
Report it to SSS with your payslips showing the deductions. Not paying deducted contributions to SSS (non-remittance) is a violation of the Social Security Act. See also labor complaints.
Not legal advice. This is general information. For advice on your own situation, consult a lawyer. If you cannot afford one, the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) or an IBP legal aid office may help for free.
Government fees, rules and requirements change, so always check with the office concerned before you go. Last reviewed October 8, 2026.