sss-expanded-maternity-leave-law-2017

Ultimate Guide: How to Compute for SSS Maternity Benefit

When I gave birth to my first child in 2013, I received a total amount of P39,000 from my SSS Maternity Benefit. At that time, that was the maximum maternity benefit that a female SSS member can receive assuming that she paid at least 6 maximum monthly contributions within the 12-month period prior to the semester of contingency and assuming that she delivered via C-Section.

Don’t worry, I will explain all of these terms or jargons as we go along.

The SSS Maternity Benefit that I received was a huge help for our family. I was on leave without pay for almost a year due to a complicated pregnancy and money was really tight for us. When I received the P39,000 from SSS, I was really surprised and thankful that I am an SSS member.

If you are a female SSS member and you are pregnant or planning to have a family soon, read on as I explain to you how you can avail and compute for your SSS Maternity Benefit. I will also give you an update about the Expanded Maternity Law of 2017.

What is SSS Maternity Benefit? 

The SSS Maternity Benefit is one of the many benefits of a female SSS member. It is a daily cash allowance granted by the Philippine Social Security System to a female SSS member who was unable to work due to childbirth or miscarriage. The SSS female member can avail of the SSS maternity benefit for her first 4 deliveries or miscarriages.

Who is qualified to avail of the SSS Maternity Benefit? 

If you are a Female SSS member and you have at least 3 monthly contributions within the 12-month period prior to the semester of your delivery/childbirth or miscarriage and you have submitted the required maternity notification and supporting documents, you are qualified to avail of the SSS maternity benefit.

If you are an employed SSS member, you must submit the maternity notification and other required documents to your employer.

If you are an unemployed, a self-employed, or a voluntary member of SSS, you need to submit the maternity notification and other documents directly to SSS.

What you need to know before you compute for SSS Maternity Benefit

The SSS maternity benefit is equivalent to 100% of the female SSS member’s average daily salary credit multiplied by 60 days for normal delivery or miscarriage or 78 days for Caesarean Section (CS) delivery.

To better understand the formula for SSS maternity benefit, let us first define the terms that will be used to compute the amount that you will receive from SSS.

  • A Quarter – refers to three consecutive months and there are 4 quarters in a year.
    • Quarter 1: January, February, March
    • Quarter 2: April, May, June
    • Quarter 3: July, August, September
    • Quarter 4: October, November, December
  •  A Semester – refers to two consecutive quarters.
    • Quarters 1 & 2
    • Quarters 2 & 3
    • Quarters 3 & 4
    • Quarters 4 & 1
  • The Semester of Contingency – refers to two consecutive quarters ending in the quarter of delivery/childbirth or miscarriage.

For example, if your expected delivery date is September 1, the semester of contingency is Q2 & Q3 which include the months of April, May, June, July, August, and September.

Another example, if your expected delivery date is February 1, the semester of contingency is Q4 & Q1 which include the months of October, November, December, January, February, and March.

  • The Monthly Salary Credit (MSC) – refers to the compensation base for contributions and benefits related to the total earnings for the month. Below is the latest SSS Table of Contribution 2017.

sss-monthly-salary-credit

For example, if your monthly salary is P20,000 and you pay P1,760 per month for your SSS contribution, your monthly salary credit or MSC is P16,000.

As of August 2017, P16,000 is the maximum MSC based on the Table of Contribution. It means that even if you receive a monthly income of P30,000 or P100,000 or any amount greater than P15,750, your MSC still remains at P16,000.

On the other hand, the minimum salary credit is P1,000 for members with a declared monthly income of P1,000 to P1,249.99 who pay the minimum SSS contribution of P110 per month.

So, how do you compute the SSS Maternity Benefit?

The computation and the amount of your SSS Maternity benefit are based on your SSS contribution. The higher your contributions are, the higher the amount you’ll get from SSS.

Generally, these are the steps when computing for the SSS Maternity Benefit:

  1. Exclude the semester of contingency (delivery or miscarriage)
  2. Count 12 months backwards starting from the month immediately before the semester of contingency.
  3. Identify the 6 highest monthly salary credits within the 12-month period.
  4. Add the 6 highest monthly salary credits to get the total monthly salary credit.
  5. Divide the total monthly salary credit by 180 days to get the average daily salary credit.
  6. 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.

To better illustrate the computation for SSS Maternity Benefit, we will be using three examples here.

Example 1: Elsa (Employed Member)

Elsa is an employed SSS member and her expected delivery date is September 1, 2017.

sss-maternity-benefit

First, we need to exclude or remove the Semester of Contingency which includes the months of April to September 2017.

The 12-month period prior to the Semester of Contingency starts from April 2016 to March 2017. In this example, Elsa’s employer consistently paid the maximum monthly contribution of P1,760 during those 12 months but we only need to get the 6 highest MSC.

To get the Total MSC, add the 6 highest MSC within that 12-month period or simply multiply P16,000 by 6:

Total MSC = P16,000 x 6 = P96,000 (OR)

Total MSC = P16,000 + P16,000 + P16,000 + P16,000 + P16,000 + P16,000 = P96,000

To get the Average Daily Salary Credit, divide the total MSC by 180 days (constant):

Daily Salary Credit = P96,000 / 180 days = P533.33

How much will Elsa get from her SSS Maternity Benefit?

If Elsa delivers her child normally, multiply the daily salary credit by 60 days:

SSS Maternity Benefit (Normal Delivery) = P533.33 x 60 days = P32,000

If Elsa delivers her child via Caesarian Section, multiply the daily salary credit by 78 days:

SSS Maternity Benefit (CS Delivery) = P533.33 x 78 days = P41,600

Example 2: Ana (Voluntary Member)

Ana is a voluntary SSS member. She used to pay the maximum SSS contribution until she resigned in December 2016. She stopped paying for 3 months and decided to continue her contributions as a voluntary member starting April 2017 for P550 a month. Her expected delivery date is February 1, 2018.

sss-maternity-benefit

Exclude the Semester of Contingency:

October 2017 to March 2018

The 12-month period prior to the Semester of Contingency:

October 2016 to September 2017

The 6 highest MSC within the 12-month period:

Total MSC = P16,000 + P16,000 + P16,000 + P5,000 +P5,000 +P5,000 = P63,000

To get the Average Daily Salary Credit, divide the total MSC by 180 days (constant):

Daily Salary Credit = P63,000 / 180 days = P350

How much will Ana get from her SSS Maternity Benefit?

If Ana delivers her child normally, multiply the daily salary credit by 60 days:

SSS Maternity Benefit (Normal Delivery) = P350 x 60 days = P21,000

If Ana delivers her child via Caesarian Section, multiply the daily salary credit by 78 days:

SSS Maternity Benefit (CS Delivery) = P350 x 78 days = P27,300

Example 3: Karen (Self-employed Member)

Karen is a self-employed SSS member. She has a small sari-sari store and her declared monthly earning is only P1,000. She started paying her SSS monthly contribution of P110 from January 2016 to September 2016 and she stopped paying since then.

If Karen submitted the maternity notification and other required documents (the moment she found out that she was pregnant) and she delivered her baby on July 1, 2017, how much has she possibly received from her SSS Maternity Benefit?

Let’s find out in our computation below…

sss-maternity-benefit

Exclude the Semester of Contingency:

April 2017 to September 2017

The 12-month period prior to the Semester of Contingency:

April 2016 to March 2017

The 6 highest MSC within the 12-month period:

Total MSC = P1,000 + P1,000 + P1,000 + P1,000 +P1,000 +P1,000 = P6,000

To get the Average Daily Salary Credit, divide the total MSC by 180 days (constant):

Daily Salary Credit = P6,000 / 180 days = P33.33

How much will Karen get from her SSS Maternity Benefit?

If Karen delivered her baby normally, multiply the daily salary credit by 60 days:

SSS Maternity Benefit (Normal Delivery) = P33.33 x 60 days = P2,000

If Karen delivered her baby via Caesarian Section, multiply the daily salary credit by 78 days:

SSS Maternity Benefit (CS Delivery) = P33.33 x 78 days = P2,600

Karen might have thought that she will not receive anything from her SSS maternity benefit because she did not pay her contributions for the past 9 months (from October 2016 to June 2017). But looking back at our computation, it is possible that she received either P2,000 (normal delivery) or P2,600 (CS delivery) assuming that she submitted the required documents and her application was approved by SSS.

sss-expanded-maternity-law-2017

How to Apply for SSS Maternity Benefit

Now that you already know how to compute for your SSS maternity benefit and you somehow have an idea on how much you’re going to receive, it’s time to know the requirements and steps on how to apply for it.

Notify SSS or your Employer of your Pregnancy

As soon as you found out that you’re pregnant and it’s confirmed, you must immediately notify your employer if you’re employed, or notify SSS directly if you’re an unemployed, self-employed or voluntary member. To do this, you need to submit the following documents with your estimated date of delivery or childbirth:

  • SSS Maternity Notification Form (click here to download the form)
  • Proof of Pregnancy (Ultrasound Result)
  • UMID or 2 other valid IDs, both with signature and at least 1 with photo and date of birth

You must submit these documents at least 60 days from the date of conception.

For employed members, once you submitted these documents to your employer (or through your HR officer), your employer will then immediately notify SSS about your pregnancy.

If you are registered to My.SSS online, you can file or submit the SSS Maternity Notification at the SSS website and you don’t need to submit any other documents.

Requirements to Claim your SSS Maternity Benefit? 

For employed members

The benefit is advanced in full by the Employer to the qualified female employee within 30 days from the date of filing of the maternity leave application. The SSS, in turn, shall immediately reimburse the Employer 100% of the amount of maternity benefit advanced to the female employee upon receipt of satisfactory proof of such payment.

Requirements:

  • Maternity Notification Form duly stamped and received by SSS
  • Maternity Reimbursement Form
  • UMID or SSS biometrics ID card or two (2) other valid IDs, both with signature and at least one (1) with photo and date of birth

For Self-Employed/Voluntary Members

The maternity benefit is paid directly to them by the SSS thru their single savings/current/cash card/prepaid account in an SSS-accredited bank under the SMB-PTB.

If the member does not have an existing bank account, the SSS shall issue a Letter of Introduction (LOI) form that must be presented to the SSS-accredited bank chosen by the member for the purposes of opening a single savings account or cash card account.

Requirements:

  • Maternity Notification Form duly stamped and received by SSS
  • Maternity Reimbursement Form
  • UMID or SSS biometrics ID card or two (2) other valid IDs, both with signature and at least one (1) with photo and date of birth

For Separated Members

Requirements:

  • Maternity Reimbursement Form
  • Certification from last employer showing the effective date of separation from employment or notice of company’s closure/strike or certification from the Department of Labor and Employment that the employee or employer has a pending labor case.
  • 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 two (2) other valid IDs, both with signature and at least one (1) with photo and date of birth

Additional Requirements: 

  1. Normal delivery 
    • Submit the certified true or authenticated copy of duly registered birth certificate. In case the child dies or is a stillborn, duly registered death or fetal death certificate.
  2. Caesarean delivery 
    • Submit the certified or authenticated copy of duly registered birth certificate
    • Submit the certified true copy of operating room record/surgical memorandum.
  3. Miscarriage or abortion 
    • Submit the obstetrical history stating the number of pregnancy certified by the attending physician and dilatation and curettage (D&C) report for incomplete abortion
    • Submit pregnancy test before and after abortion with age of gestation
    • Hystopath report for complete abortion

Where can the member file her maternity benefit application?

For employed members, just submit all the requirements to your employer or HR Officer.

For unemployed, self-employed, and voluntary members, you may go to the nearest SSS branch to file for your SSS maternity benefit.

How long can I get my SSS Maternity Benefit?

For employed, your SSS maternity benefit will be given to you in advance by your employer. That will be within 30 days from the date of filing of the maternity leave application.

For Unemployed, Self-Employed, and Voluntary Members, your SSS maternity benefit will be given to you 1-2 months after your delivery/childbirth or miscarriage.

sss-maternity-benefit

What is the Expanded Maternity Leave Law of 2017

The Expanded Maternity Leave Law of 2017 states that all women workers, regardless of civil status or legitimacy of her child, shall be granted 120 days maternity leave with pay and an option to extend it for another 30 days without pay.

  • Fathers shall be granted 30 days of paternity leave instead of the current 7 days.
  • Single mothers shall be granted a total of 150 days maternity leave with pay.

Though the Expanded Maternity Leave Law of 2017 or Senate Bill 1305 was approved by the Senate on March 6, 2017, the House of Representatives still needs to submit its version of the bill. After that, the bill will go through the Bicameral Conference for screening before it will finally be submitted to the President for approval and signing.

Therefore, this bill is still considered as an “unfinished business” and let’s hope that it will finally be enacted as soon as possible so that we can enjoy this Expanded Maternity Law especially the expectant mothers. This law will be a huge help to moms by giving them more time to heal and to care for their newborns.

We will update this page as soon we receive news about the Expanded Maternity Leave Law of 2017.

F.A.Q.s

  • What happens if I did not submit the SSS Maternity Notification Form or if I did not inform my employer about my pregnancy? 

Answer: If the employee fails to notify the employer, or the SSS, in the case of an unemployed, self-employed or voluntarily paying member, the maternity benefit application may be denied.

  • What if I was deducted for my SSS Contributions monthly but my Employer did not remit it to SSS? 

Answer: If the member gives birth or suffers a miscarriage but the contributions were not remitted by the Employer, the benefits that the member would have been entitled to shall be paid by the Employer.

  • How will I know if I my SSS maternity benefit has been approved? 

Answer: The member shall then be notified by SSS via e-mail or text of their benefit payment.

  • Who can claim the SSS Maternity Benefit for self-employed and voluntary members?

Answer: If the SSS member is able to go to the SSS branch personally, he can claim her benefit there. If for some reasons, the SSS members cannot file or claim her benefit personally, she may authorize a representative and give her the necessary documents to claim her benefits.

  • What to do when your sss maternity benefit is denied?

Answer: You may inquire directly at the SSS office as to why it was denied. Just make sure that you have submitted all the required documents when notifying SSS of your pregnancy and when filing your SSS maternity benefit.

  • What should I do to get the maximum SSS Maternity Benefit

Answer: As of 2017, the maximum SSS maternity benefit that you can get is P32,000 for Normal Delivery or P41,600 for CS Delivery. In order to get the possible maximum benefit, you must consistently pay the maximum SSS contribution which is P1,760 per month.

  • Can I file my SSS Maternity Benefit online?

If you are registered to My.SSS or the online platform of SSS, you can submit your SSS Maternity Notification online. If you haven’t registered your sss online account yet, visit www.sss.gov.ph.

Click here to read: 7 Steps for SSS Online Registration

32 thoughts on “Ultimate Guide: How to Compute for SSS Maternity Benefit”

  1. Hi good pm po nakapagfile po ako Ng maternity notification last February 2017 tapos po sabi Nila magpapasa ako Ng mga documents proof of documents..pro ang sabi po sa sss pag nanganak na ako dun na lang po ako babalik at ipapasa Yung mga proof of documents..paano po yun makakapag avail po ba ako Ng maternity benefits?salamat po

    1. The Pinay Investor

      try nyo po icompute using the formula sa article. sundan nyo lang po ung steps malalaman nyo po kung magkano ang pwede nyong makuhang maternity benefit.

      1. Can I have Maternity Benefit if I only paid 6 Months SSS monthly contribution before my delivery?
        I already filed my Maternity leave and notify my employer about my pregnancy. I’ll be giving birth this May 2019 and as of SSS my contribution was 4 months until January 2019 and and my estimated monthly now contribution was only 6 months before my delivery.. Do you know how much can I get ?

  2. Hi po, nag stop po ako ng work s company ng 2010 since then po di n nahulugan sss ko. Then nung september 2017 nag hulog ako s sss ko as voluntary, 330 monthly contribution ko. Nanganak po ako ng may 21 2018. Nakapag file po ako ng maternity benefits nung april 2018. Magkano po b expected ko na makukuha sa maternity benefits ko. Kasi kapapasa ko lang po ng birthcert ng anak ko sa sss, sabi po after 1 month daw po verify ko daw po sa account ko ang maternity ko. Wala po nkalagay kung magkano maki claim ko po.

  3. Sarah Mae Quimson

    Im soon to be first time mom. I will give birth this september 2018. I just know about the sss maternity benefit. I paid my monthly voluntary contribution april 2018-september 2018. Can you show me how much would i get. Thank you

  4. Member po ako ng sss pero once lng po ank nkapagbayad.. I’ll be giving birth this coming NOV 2018. ano po gagawin ko to avail maternity benefits? Thank you po.

  5. Erleen Raye Meneses

    manganganak na po ako ngayong october 20, 2018 (edd) and im employed for more than 2 years po so my montghly contribution ako sa sss. However, from may-june 2018 di po nahulugan kasi na stop po ako nun sa work. na continue lng sya nung july until now.. so paano po yun? mga ilan kaya makukuha ko eh may na skip po na 2 months?

  6. Thanks po sa info ang akala ko noon kapag lumaki sahod mo mas lalaki din ung makukuha mong benefit may limit lang pala .. Marami po salamat sa article na to

  7. pang 5th pregnancy ko na po pwede pa po ba ako mag claim ng maternity benefits once ko lang nagamit ung maternity benefits ko sa pang 4th child ko pa lang po nagamit kase po wala po ako sss ung sa 3 ko pong anak.

  8. Hello,

    For example, my salary is 100K and Ill be getting from SSS around 41K. Will the employer obliged to pay me the difference between my salary and the SSS benefit?

    Thank you,
    Girlie

  9. April Rose V. Balsomo

    Hello..po ask ko lang po..year 2003 to 2004 nagwowork ako sa company..then nagstop ako…long years nahinto hulog ko sa SSS…2011 naituloy ko hulog as self employed..hindi ko akalain na nabuntis ako ng January 2011..nagstart ako hulog as self employed March to August,2011:.312pesos pa noon ang pinili kung maonthly contribution… Nanganak ako ng September 2011…kung sakaling nagfile po ako ng SSS Maternity benefits nakaavail po kaya ako…? Salamat

  10. Genevieve Dalalo

    Magkano po makukuha q sa sss ? Nag start po AQ maghuliog nung oct-dec 2018 hanggang ngayong April 2019 self employed to AQ 440 point hulog q monthly

  11. Can I have Maternity Benefit if I only paid 6 Months SSS monthly contribution before my delivery?
    I already filed my Maternity leave and notify my employer about my pregnancy. I’ll be giving birth this May 2019 and as of SSS my contribution was 4 months until January 2019 and and my estimated monthly now contribution was only 6 months before my delivery.. Do you know how much can I get ?

  12. Ma Christine Magbiray

    Can i ask if the initial amount of my maternity benefits was be given half in advance ? Im a employee

  13. Hi po. Noong nanganak kayo sa 2013, binayaran po ba ni employer yon difference ng basic salary nyo at actual maternity benefit na nareceived nyo from SSS?

  14. Fatima Francisco

    Hi. How long does it take for SSS to give the remaining P10k since I had CS delivery. I have also submitted the necessary docs (Mat 2) within a month after delivery to avoid delays or denials. Thanks in advance!

  15. Hi good pm po..nka pag file po ako ng mat1 nung march 2019 at ung expected delivery ko po ay september..yong hulog kulng po ngaung 2019 is january to april..kpg e continue ko po b hulog ko as voluntary member hanggang duedate ko po..mas malaki po b ung makukuha ko sa ss maternity ko?

    1. ANNABELLE BASERA LARGO

      hello po ask lng po about maternity benefits if qualified po ba ako mag file nang mat2 last hulog ko is may 2107 up to june 2018 then nanganak ako january 2019 thanks po in advance

  16. Mam ask ko lng po kapag PO b nakapagloan ako sa sss,tapos after that ,nagfile k NG maternity(caesarian),affected PO b ung makukuha ko sa maternity nung niloan ko??Iaawas PO b nila Yung niloan ko sa sss dun sa maternity n makukuha ko??pls.reply PO .thank you po

  17. Hi! I just want to say thank you for your article. I was scrolling and searching all over internet asking for just one single question about my sss claim… there are so many articles that i’ve red but yours are the only one that I understand well..
    Thanks for all the details .. Keep it up and God bless!

  18. What if I my due is on January 2020.. and I will continued my contribution on July 2019… Meaning I will only have 3 months.. July~Aug~Sept., because October will be the start of my contigency.

  19. Good day! What if hindi pa po kami kasal ng father ng baby ko, pero nka apelyido po sa sa father.
    ,can he still avail the paternity leave?

  20. Good day! What if hindi pa po kami kasal ng father ng baby ko, pero nka apelyido po sa sa father.
    ,can he still avail the paternity leave?salamt

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