Can a Voluntary, Self-Employed or OFW member increase their SSS contributions anytime?

Can a Voluntary, Self-Employed or OFW member increase their SSS contributions anytime?

As a voluntary paying SSS member, you have the flexibility to actually increase the amount of your monthly contribution, unlike the SSS Employed members that their contribution is automatically computed based on their monthly salary.

However, as a Voluntary paying SSS members, there is a restriction implemented by SSS when it comes to the changing of the SSS Contribution amount that you will be paying.

What are the rules when it comes to changing your SSS Contribution amount?

1. If you are younger than 55 years of age, you are allowed to increase your SSS monthly contributions any time, by any number of brackets, and by any number of times within a year.

For example, you are 35 years old and is paying as a Voluntary SSS member. You are contributing Php240 (minimum amount for Voluntary members), next month you have extra cash and you wanted to pay five steps higher of your MSC Bracket which is Php540, it is allowed. If you wanted to pay the maximum amount (Php2,400) the next month, it is also allowed.

If you want to decrease, you are also allowed anytime, by any number of brackets, and by any number of times within a year, as long as you do not go below the minimum amount in your membership category.

The minimum monthly salary credit for OFWs is 8,250 pesos, so OFWs should not decrease their contributions to below 960 pesos for Land Based OFW and 970 (with Employer and Employee share) for Sea Based OFW.

So if you are a Voluntary SSS Member and are paying the maximum Php2,400 every month but got a financial difficulty the next month, you can lower your SSS Contribution to any bracket lower (e.g Php 1760.00 which is 12 brackets lower than your previous month contribution).

2.  If you’re already 55 years old or older than 55, you are no longer allowed to increase many times within a year.  You are now limited.  You can increase your monthly SSS contribution once within a calendar year, and by only one bracket within a calendar year.

So if you are already 55 years and older and a Voluntary paying SSS member and you are paying for Php 1,020 in the previous month, you can only increase your contribution to the next bracket which is Php 1,080 and once a year only.

Is there an exception?  Yes, there is.
You are exempted from this limit if you have changed your membership type from Employed or Self-Employed to Voluntary Member or from Employed/Self-Employed/Voluntary Member/Non-Working-Spouse to OFW member for the first time.

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Below is the SSS Policy on on increasing monthly SSS contributions for Voluntary, Self-Employed, OFW and Non-Working Spouse members.

TO: ALL SELF-EMPLOYED (SE) AND VOLUNTARY MEMBERS (VM), INCLUDING OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS (OFW) AND NON-WORKING SPOUSES (NWS) 
SUBJECT:  CHANGES IN POLICIES ON SE/VM/OFW/NWS CONTRIBUTIONS

The Social Security Commission (SSC), under its Resolution No. 728-s.2-14 dated 20 August 2014 and No. 829-s.2014 dated 24 September 2014, approved the following changes in the policies on contributions of Self-Employed (SE) and Voluntary Members (VM), including Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Non-Working Spouses (NWS):

A.    CHANGE IN THE MONTHLY SALARY CREDIT (MSC)

   1.  An SE/VM/OFW member who is below 55 years old shall be allowed to change his/her MSC without limit in frequency and in number of salary brackets in a given calendar year, but in no case shall it be lower than the prevailing minimum MSC for SE/VM/OFW members.

     Submission of written request or declaration of earnings shall no longer be required.

   2.   An SE/VM/OFW member who is 55 years old and above shall be allowed to increase his/her MSC only once in a given calendar year and by one (1) salary bracket only from the last posted MSC, regardless of whether proof of earnings is presented or not, except for the following cases whereby certain rules shall apply accordingly, depending on membership type:

     a.  In case of a change in his/her membership type from “EE/SE to VM” or “EE/SE/VM/NWS to OFW member” for the first time, he/she shall be allowed to increase his/her MSC without limit, and

     b.  In case of a higher maximum MSC under a new applicable Schedule of Contributions, the SE/VM/OFW member shall be allowed to increase his/her MSC up to the new maximum MSC, provided that his/her last posted MSC corresponds to the maximum MSC under the immediately preceding Schedule of Contributions.

         The corresponding MSC of the first contribution in the above exception cases shall be the basis in determining compliance with the allowable change in succeeding MSC.

         No limit shall be imposed in case of decrease in MSC, but in no case shall it be lower than the prevailing minimum MSC for SE/VM/OFW members.

   3. An NWS member shall be allowed to change his/her MSC based on the 50% of the working spouse’s declared monthly income.

B.  RETROACTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OFW MEMBERS

    No contribution paid retroactively by an OFW member based on the extended payment deadline for OFW contributions, as per Circular No. 32-P dated 15 November 2006, shall be used in determining his/her eligibility to any benefit arising from a contingency wherein the date of payment is within or after the semester of contingency.

    This Circular shall take effect immediately.  All other rules and regulations which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Circular are hereby repealed, amended or modified.     

    Please be guided accordingly.

                                                                              (Signed) 
                                                                EMILIO S. DE QUIROS, JR.
                                                                        President and CEO

         28 APR 2015
              Date
(Policy-Contributions Collection)