SSS Maternity Benefit: Your guide on how to avail
Many Filipina employees are wondering how they would be able to earn money once they take a leave from work due to pregnancy.
Fortunately, there are SSS maternity benefits that pregnant Pinays can rely on.
KAMI presents to you a guide on what the benefit is, who is qualified for application and how to avail the maternity benefits.
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1. Who is qualified to avail the SSS maternity benefit?
- She has provided at least 3 monthly contributions within the 12-month period immediately preceding the semester of her childbirth or miscarriage.
- She has given the required SSS maternity notification of her pregnancy to SSS through her employer if she is employed; or submitted the SSS maternity notification form directly to the SSS if she is not employed or self-employed.
2. How to apply for SSS maternity benefit
A. For Employees and Employers
- As soon as a woman learns about her pregnancy, she has to immediately inform her employer about it and the estimated date of her delivery at least 60 days from the date of the baby’s conception. She can do this by filling up the SSS Maternity Notification Form and providing a proof of pregnancy.
- The employer is responsible for informing the SSS through the SSS Maternity Notification Form as well as the proof of pregnancy immediately after receiving the notification from the pregnant employee. This can be done over the counter at an SSS branch or through the SSS website (www.sss.gov.ph) – which requires that the member or employer is a registered user.
B. For Unemployed, Self-employed and Voluntary Members:
- Pregnant women who are unemployed, self-employed and voluntary SSS members are required to inform the SSS directly.
3. What would happen if a pregnant member fails to notify SSS in time?
- SSS might deny the application if that happens.
4. What are the SSS maternity benefits requirements?
A. For Employee , Unemployed/Self-Employed/Voluntary members
- Accomplish the Maternity Notification Form
- Submit UMID or SSS biometrics ID card or two (2) other valid IDs, both with signature and at least 1 with photo and date of birth
- Proof of pregnancy (ultrasound report)
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5. What are the application requirements for the SSS Maternity Reimbursement?
A. For Employed Members
- Accomplish the Maternity Notification Form duly stamped and received by SSS
- SSS Maternity Reimbursement Form
- UMID or SSS biometrics ID card or 2 other valid IDs, both with signature and at least one 1 with photo and date of birth
B. For Separated Members
- SSS Maternity Reimbursement Form
- A certification from the pregnant woman’s last employer which shows the date of separation from the company or a certification of the company’s closure or a certification from DOLE about a pending labor case of either the employee or the employer.
- A certification that no advance payment was granted if confinement days applied for are within or prior to separation.
- UMID or SSS biometrics ID card or 2 other valid IDs, both with signature and at least one 1 with photo and date of birth
C. For Self-Employed/Voluntary Members
- Accomplish the Maternity Notification Form duly stamped and received by SSS
- Maternity Reimbursement Form
- UMID or SSS biometrics ID card or 2 other valid IDs, both with signature and at least one 1 with photo and date of birth
D. Additional Requirements
- For normal delivery: certified true or authenticated copy of duly registered birth certificate. In case the baby dies or is a stillborn, duly registered death or fetal death certificate.
- For caesarean delivery: certified or authenticated copy of duly registered birth certificate and certified true copy of operating room record or surgical memorandum.
- Miscarriage or abortion: obstetrical history stating the number of pregnancy certified by the attending physician and dilatation and curettage (D&C) report for incomplete abortion, pregnancy test before and after abortion with age of gestation and hystopath report for complete abortion.
6. What is the filing procedure?
- A claim may be filed at the nearest SSS branch. However, the actual processing will be done by the branch where the employer and employee records are based.
7. How to compute SSS maternity benefits?
- The maternity benefit is equivalent to 100% of the member's average daily salary credit multiplied by 60 days for normal delivery or miscarriage and 78 days for caesarean section delivery.
A. Benefit Computation:
Exclude the semester of contingency (delivery or miscarriage).
- A semester refers to two consecutive quarters ending in the quarter of sickness.
- A quarter refers to three consecutive months ending March, June, September or December.
- Count 12 months backwards starting from the month immediately before the semester of contingency.
- Identify the six highest monthly salary credits (the compensation base for contributions and benefits related to the total earnings for the month) within the 12-month period.
- The maximum covered earnings or compensation is P16,000. Refer to the table below.
- Add the six highest monthly salary credits to get the total monthly salary credit.
- Divide the total monthly salary credit by 180 days to get the average daily salary credit. This is equivalent to the daily maternity allowance.
- Multiply the daily maternity allowance by 60 (for normal delivery or miscarriage) or 78 days (for caesarean section delivery) to get the total amount of maternity benefit.
8. Other important details
- The SSS maternity benefits are only for the first 4 deliveries / miscarriages.
- The employer should give the benefit in advance to the pregnant employee within 30 days from the date of filing of the maternity leave form. The SSS will then reimburse the employer 100 percent of the amount of the maternity benefit upon receiving proof of payment and legality thereof.
- If the employee member gives birth or suffers miscarriage without the required contributions having been remitted by the employer, or the employer fails to notify the SSS, the employer will be required to pay to the SSS damages equivalent to the benefits the employee would otherwise have been entitled to.
- The amount of benefit is paid directly by SSS to separated/voluntary/self-employed members.
- A female member will not be able to claim for SSS sickness benefit for a period of 60 days for normal delivery or miscarriage or 78 days for caesarean delivery within which she has been paid the SSS maternity benefit. No member can avail two SSS benefits for the same time period.
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Source: KAMI.com.gh
