BENEFITS

How to Apply for SSS Unemployment Benefit?

Starting the approval of Social Security Act of 2019, the SSS has extended the benefits it is granting to its members in times of Involuntary Unemployment. In this article, we will cover what is the SSS Unemployment Benefit, who are qualified, how to apply and how much is the compensable benefit.

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What is the SSS Unemployment Benefit?

The unemployment insurance or involuntary separation benefit (unemployment benefit) is a cash benefit granted to covered employees, including Kasambahays, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are involuntarily separated from employment.

The unemployment benefit aims to provide involuntarily separated members with financial aid which could help them while they are looking for another employment.

Who are qualified to avail of this benefit?

Involuntarily separated covered employee, including Kasambahay and OFW:

a. Who is not over sixty (60) years old at the time of involuntary separation, except;

In the case of underground mineworker or surface mineworker not over fifty (50) years old; In the case of racehorse jockey, not over 55 years old.

b. Has paid at least thirty-six (36) monthly contributions, twelve (12) months of which should be in the eighteen- month (18-month) period immediately preceding the month of involuntary separation;

c. Has no settled unemployment benefit within the last three (3) years prior to the date of involuntary separation; and

d. Has been involuntarily separated from employment due to any, but not limited to:

Any of the following authorized causes for termination of employee under Articles 298 (283) and 299 (284) of P.D. No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines, as amended:

Installation of labor-saving devices;
Redundancy;
Retrenchment or downsizing;
Closure or cessation of operation; or
Disease/illness of the employee whose continued employment is prohibited by law or is prejudicial to his or her co-employees’ health.

Any of the following just causes stated under Article 300 (285) of P.D. No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines, as amended, for which an employee may put an end to the employment relationship without notice to employer:

Serious insult by the employer or his representative on the honor and person of the employee;
Inhuman and unbearable treatment accorded the employee by the employer or his/her representative;
Commission of a crime or offense by the employer or his/her representative against the person of the employee or any of the immediate members of his/ her family; and

Other causes analogous to any of the foregoing.

Economic downturn;
Natural or human-induced calamities/disasters;
Other analogous cases as may be determined by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and SSS.

An employee shall NOT be qualified to receive unemployment benefit if he/she has been involuntarily separated from employment due to just causes under Article 297 (282) of P.D. No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines, as amended, covering any of the following act/s by the employee:

Serious misconduct;
Willful disobedience to lawful orders
Gross and habitual neglect of duties;
Fraud or willful breach of trust/loss of confidence;
Commission of a crime; or
Analogous cases like abandonment, gross inefficiency, disloyalty/conflict of interest/dishonesty.

What are the documents needed in filing for SSS Unemployment Benefit?

a. Original copy and photocopy of any one (1) of the following primary ID cards/documents (to be authenticated against original copy):

Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) Card (SSS/GSIS)
SS card
Alien Certificate of Registration
Driver’s License
Firearm Registration
License to Own and Possess Firearms
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance
Passport
Permit to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence
Postal Identity Card
Seafarer’s Identification & Record Book
Voter’s ID Card

In the absence of any of the above, original and photocopy of any two (2) ID cards/ documents, both with signature and at least one (1) with photo.

In the absence of any of the above, original and photocopy of any two (2) ID cards/documents both with signature and at least one (1) with photo.

b. Certification establishing the nature and date of involuntary separation from DOLE thru its Regional Offices and Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) with any of the following attachments, whichever is applicable:

c. Notice of Termination from Employer

d. Affidavit of Termination of Employment

How much is the SSS Unemployment Benefit?

The unemployment benefit is a one-time payment equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the Average Monthly Salary Credit (AMSC) multiplied by two (2).

The AMSC shall be the higher of the following:

a. Sum of the last sixty (60) MSCs immediately preceding the semester of contingency, divided by sixty (60), or

b. Sum of all the MSCs paid prior to the semester of contingency, divided by the number of monthly contributions paid in the same period.

Is there a prescriptive period for filing the SSS Unemployment Benefit?

Yes. A claim for unemployment benefit should be filed within one (1) year from the date of involuntary separation.

The unemployment benefit shall be credited to the member’s SSS UMID card enrolled as ATM or Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP) Quick Card Account.

How often can an involuntarily separated member apply for the benefit?

An involuntarily separated member can only claim unemployment benefit once every three (3) years starting from the date of involuntary separation.

Can a member claim for Unemployment Benefit together with other SSS benefit within the same compensable period?

No. In case of concurrence of two (2) or more compensable contingencies within the same compensable period, only the highest benefit shall be paid.

How long is the processing time of Unemployment Benefit?

A claim for unemployment benefit shall be processed within the day of filing. The benefit shall be credited to the member’s SSS UMID card enrolled as ATM or UBP Quick Card Account within five (5) working days from the date of encoding the claim.