Getting your deceased spouse's pension

Someone texted me asking for clarification regarding the transfer of a deceased spouse's pension.

They thought the pension of the deceased member would be transferred to the spouse if only if  the spouse was also retired.

So.  This is not correct.

If a member is married, and dies - after contributing at least 36 monthly contributions, the spouse would get a pension.  If a member is married, and is already a pensioner, the spouse gets his pension in full if there is no minor children.

Asking someone to pay for your SS Contributions

A reader asked why her mother's contribution payments were not being displayed upon inquiry...

well, first of all, i hope that whoever they asked to pay her contributions was honest and trustworthy.

Given that the actual payor is honest, perhaps they should check the receipt and marked  (or in ye olde days, franked)  SBR that the SS number is correct.

If the SS number placed in the SBR is wrong, the payment would be unposted, that is - it will not be recorded as part of the member records.  If this happened, all is not lost, as the SBRs can be brought to SS as proof of payment, and SS will post the payments.  Make sure that you give SS copies only and that you keep the originals.  Never give up your originals.

This is the reason that I inform everyone that when you make payments, make sure that they are posted.  Even if you correctly wrote the number, you have to make sure SS posted it correctly.

Now, if there was no real payment - then, the question becomes - can she still pay.  If she is currently 59, then she still pay, since she is below 60.  Her pension will be given after she has paid 120 contributions, that is - after 10 years.  So her pension will start when she is 69.

If she had been 60 - then she can no longer be eligible.

I hope this clarifies matters.

SSS UPDATE

Atty. Emmanuel F. Dooc is the new  SSS President and CEO.

It remains to be seen if the new PCEO will change things around in the SSS.  He may make changes that will address issues in the existing system.  No institution is perfect, and if there is something to change or improve, I hope that he does address it.

If you were he, what would you change .......  and why?

Losing a friend

Last Saturday, I was zonked from an acupuncture treatment for insomnia when i found a text from a classmate friend  - it said
Are you going to the wake of lbert mom?

I texted back-
Who?  Albert?
Mom?

and she said -
His mom

and his brother

Queenie said Alex passed away last Friday morning, 18 November 2016.  He suffered from hypopituarism.


Now Albert was our highschool classmate but his older brother, Alex was one of my people at Anscor Insurance Brokers, Inc.  a subsidiary of A. Soriano   He was my best programmer - at the time I was at AIB.

And funnily enough, I was able to attend both of their weddings....

Condolences to all loving kin, friends, and
acquaintances -

Once again, the pension computation

Here is a question this blog has answered several times but bears repeating since sss is primarily a pension fund -

My question is, how is Pension credit calculated after completing 120 monthly contribution. Example, paying 1000+ for 7 years, then may gap na 10 years, then continued paying for the maximum MSC in the last 3 years to complete the 120 months. Q2. if you continue paying maximum for the next 5 years, how is the Pension credit calculated?

there are 2 important things in the existing pension formula -
one is the AMSC or average monthly salary credit that the member's payments are based on -
the other is the number of CYS  or credited years of service of the member -

the pension computation can be found in Section 12 of RA 8282 -      
"(a) The monthly pension shall be the highest of the following amounts:

  (1) The sum of the following:                                                                                  
       (i)     300 hundred pesos plus
       (ii)     20% of the average monthly salary credit; plus
       (iii)    2% of the average monthly salary credit for each credited year of service in excess of 10 years;    
             
                 300 +  (20% X AMSC)  +  (2% X  AMSC  X ( CYS - 10)

OR

  (2) 40% of the average monthly salary ;  OR

  (3)  1,000 provided that the monthly pension shall in no case be paid for an aggregate amount of less than 60 months


(b) notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, the minimum pension shall be 1,200 for members with at least 10 credited years of service and 2,400 for those with 20 credited years of service

AMSC is "the result obtained by dividing the sum of the last 60 MSC immediately preceding the semester of contingency by 60"  (in this case, the contingency is the retirement date) "    OR

"the result obtained by dividing the sum of all the monthly salary credits paid prior to the semester of contingency by the number of monthly contributions paid in the same period, 

whichever is greater."

CYS has changed its definition since RA 8282 was ratified but ....

"For a member covered prior to Jan 1985 , it is 1985 minus the calendar year of coverage PLUS the number of calendar years in which 6 or more contributions have been paid from Jan 1985 to the calender year containing the semester prior to the contingency.  For a member covered in or after Jan 1985, it is the number of calendar years in which 6 or more contributions have been paid from the year of coverage up to the calendar year containing the semester prior to the contingency."

This is not in RA 8282, in 2002,  the Commission changed the definition of CYS to mean number of months paid divided by 12.

So, the answer to the question posed by a reader, it depends.

Some SSS benefits are privileges, not rights

one lady posted to complain about their sickness claim application, saying they did a lot of things to comply with the requirements only to find out the claim was denied because of ineligibility.

it must be remembered that sss is mainly a retirement benefit, all other benefits are privileges, or just add-ons, thanks to the goodness of SSS.  people keep bad mouthing SSS, but really, there are many benefits tacked on to the original retirement plan.  imagine, the pension even passes on to the spouse. for example,  you dont see this happening, say in the US.

being granted a loan is another privilege. there are rules regarding loans.  eligibility, and payment terms. eligibility requires at least 36 months for a month, and 72 for 2 months - and the basis is the MSC (monthly salary credit).  payment terms include when a loan can be renewed. just as a refresher, one can renew a loan only after 50% of the loan has been paid, or at least 50% of the term has passed - whichever is longer.  it cannot be shortened by double paying - and the payments must already be posted by SSS - which is different from when it was actually paid.  SSS is NOT a bank, therefore, its transactions are NOT online, real-time.  SSS transactions are BATCHED.

because many of these benefits are privileges, they are available only for active members.  Active members are currently paying members.  also, as sss members - you MUST know your rights, and your privileges and do not confuse either, or both.

know the requirements, and do not blindly do things - and then be angry if you do unnecessary things.

Getting information from this blog

Some just keep posting questions, without looking to see if their questions have already been asked by someone else and the answer is already posted.  Please check the topic and see if your question has already been asked and answered so the question is not repeated.

also, some questions are best answered by SSS directly because there are issues that only the SSS can answer.  Some questions deal with physician rules and cannot be contested.

I am NOT SSS.  Therefore, I cannot answer for SSS.  I can only advise.

I would just like to say this.
You must check your contributions every once-in-a-while.  Enroll as an online user  so that you can see your records for yourself and thus be aware of concerns in your records.

Not all pensioners are entitled to adjustments

Some pensioners think they are entitled to an adjustment just because they are pensioners.

For your information, not all pensioners are supposed to receive adjustments.
First of all, they should have been working during the years 1985-1989 to be entitled.
If they were already receiving a pension then, then they are NOT going to receive any adjustments.

Some pensioners received their pensions through a manually verified process. These pensioners would also not be eligible for any adjustments because their pensions have already been doubly validated and calculated.

Also, some pensioners although working during those years did not work sufficient number of months in any given year to be considered a year of contributions, and therefore any additional contributions will not add to the computation.

So, temper your expectations please.

Some answers to questions

ang tatay ko po ay 78 yrs old nakapag hulog sya sa SSS ng 120 months late 1970's magmula nun hinde na po nya nahulugan.tanong ko po may pension parin po ba sya makukuha? 

For as long as your Dad satisfies the 120 months eligibility requirements, he will have a pension.  His pension should start 6 months after the last payment

54 months na po ako nakapaghulog ng contribution ko na nagend last year January 2015 dahil tumigil po ako sa pagwork at hindi na po ako nakapahulog until this time. Pregnant po ako and my EDD is on October this year. Ask ko lang po if pwede ko po bayaran yung missed monthly payments for me to avail the maternity benefit. 

No retroactive payments allowed, so the answer is NO.

ang mother ko po 60 years old n next year..ngverify po kmi ng contribution nya is 31 monthz pla meaning kulang pa po xa ng 89 monthz..nhinto po kz xa z pghuhulog seen nwwlan xa ng work..anu po pwd nming gwin pra mreach ang 120 mons. Sa loob lng ng izang taon Pra ma-avail for pension??zana mtulungan nyo po ako.. 

Retroactive payments are not allowed so you can only pay forward, this means your mother will not get a pension until after 89+6 months

i was employed at private sector more than 2 years prior to joining govt service with 13 years of service am i qualified for portability law on retirement? also i stop paying SSS premiums can i continue as a member till i reach age 60 to be eligible for pension? i am 54 yrs old 

yes, you will qualify for the portability.

magfifile po ako ng maternity loan. and one of the requirements is L-501. is it necessary po for me if i am not currently working now. and i already resigned to my previous employer?

SSS does not offer maternity loans.

Gaano katagal maActivate ulit yung sss supended pension after mag pass ng ACOP's form sa abroad? 

Depends on when the ACOP was finally accomplished, and depends on the list of things the branch has to do

Good day, tanong ko lang po.. 2 yrs na kasi ako hindi nakabayad ng loan ko mula ng mag resign ako at mag abroad,,, pwed ko pa bang bayaran ng buo pag uwi ko? 

yes, you can pay when you return

SS Manual Verification Results

Heads up.
Some SSS members will be receiving their pension adjustment soonest.
First pass is done.

Update i think will be done in batches, so those of you who were included - you should be getting it really soon.

Answers to some questions

I've asked people not to ask/comment on certain posts because the q/a portion is already very long and is quite difficult to navigate but some people are stubborn;  Some people do not even read the posts - they just ask.  Ah well, here goes 

hi I just want to ask if im lacking contributions can I pay sss voluntary in order to get a loan? on New SSS Salary 

yes, you can.

Good day Ma'am! Nag apply po ako as Self employed member/ VM,I forgot. since the application, I was not able to pay my contribution. Can I still pay contribution for 3 yrs? thank you on Have you stopped paying your SSS contributions? You can continue -

yes, you can. anyone can continue paying contributions.

paano makikita ang record ko sa sss?kasi nawala ng sss id ko. on Have you stopped paying your SSS contributions? You can continue - no swea

you can go to the nearest SSS office with at least two government IDs and you can ask for your Ss number from the front-line SS employee

Hi po. My last payment po last year is nung May pa, but nakapaghulog na po ako this year from jan-april and continue ko na po syang babayaran until makapanganak ako.. Ask ko lang po sana if pwede ko pa pong mabayaran yung June-Dec ko last year, para po sana makadagdag sa maternity benefit ko.. My due date po is on Aug.. thanks po. on Have you stopped paying your SSS contributions? You can continue - no

Basics of the SSS:  Contributions are payable either end of the following month, or if paying by quarter, the the month following the third month.  For example, January contributions are payable in February.  Or, January -March contributions are payable in April.  The exact sked depends on the SS number.  All other payments are not acceptable unless one is an OFW.

Thus, the answer to her query is NO. The June-Dec contributions are therefore already late and NOT acceptable.

Goodpm po Yung father ko po na stop mag work this feb. 58yrs old n po sya. Pede n po ba sya mag pension ngayon? O kailangan po 60 yrs old pa? 20 years n po syang naghuhulog sa sss. Thanks po on Have you stopped paying your SSS contributions? You can continue - no 

Optional Retirement is at age 60. Mandatory retirement is at age 65.  No other age.

I have answered this many times already. As long as a member has already paid at least 120 contributions, he does not need to continue paying.  However, if he is employed; his employer is obliged to pay for his SS until age 65.  If he continues to work beyond age 65.  No payments will be made to SSS and the member can already get his pension.

hi po just want to ask, panu po kung 53 months plang po contribution ko but i want to apply for 2nd loan since i already paid 50% of my first loan, mgkano po magiging 2nd loan ko po? on New SSS

Medyo makulit.  We have already said the loan amount depends on 2 things:  number of contributions (36 for 1 month, 72 for 2 months) and monthly salary credit. So please stop asking how much can be borrowed by a member.  It is simple and directly computable.

Hi madam! can i ask about our unposted loan payment. kasi po sabi ng accountant namin nakapag-bayad cila for that month (Jan.2015) at may record din sila ng transaction & receipt no. ang problema po nmin ay wala kming copy ng mismong resibo.so, how can we complain s sss branch namin about our concern? .. thank you po. on New SSS 

Ask for a copy of the receipt, or at least the OR number so you can inform SSS.  Also check if the loan has been misposted - say to an older loan.

Greetings! Maam, Tanong ko lang po meron po bang epekto sa akin in the future if dati ang contribution ko ay premium (P1,760.00) at ngayun mag continue ako pero mas mababa say(P500.00) ? no employer-employee kasi situation ko ngayun so ako na mag-isa ang mag shoulder ng bayarin. salamat po. on Have y

Maaring maging kalahati ang magiging pension kapag nagkataon.  Huwag na huwag babawasan ang inyong MSC.  Either i-maintain ninyo iyon o dagdagan ninyo.

This is my advice, try to hit the maximum salary credit, which is currently at 16,000. pesos

hello po.. yung daddy ko po kasi dati may sss but when he stop working hindi na nabayaran. so i decided to pay his contribution or continue his sss through may salary deduction it is possible ba na ako nalang magbabayad instead of him. kasi wla na nga sya work. do i need to use RS-5 application? salamat po. on Have

Anyone may pay for anyone's SSS.  Make sure your employer is agreeable because this would be extra work for them.

Good day maam! Pwede po ako nlang mag self-paying sa e -loloan ko?hindi nlang ako dadaan sa employer ko?para madali po? on SSS

No.  

Language is a poor enough means of communication as it is. So we should use all the words we have. 

Caitlín R. Kiernan

Happy birthday, Caitlín R. Kiernan! Before her first novel was published in 1998, the Irish novelist fronted a "goth-folk-blues band" called Death's Little Sister. The band name was inspired by Neil Gaiman and his Sandman series.

Guilty.  I have often been teased because i use words that dance not only in front of my eyes, but expresses sentiments.  High-faluting language, i was teased.  Hardly.  But some words are not really in common use, but they are not high faluting.  Just rarely used.

Saying goodbye to Liwanag Ongchangco Caldito

Liwanag Ongchangco Caldito passed away this week,
She died of complications following infection from surgery, wherein she was implanted with metal.


She worked with special children, especially with deaf children and she can sign fabulously.
I had hope that she would have time to work with my friend, Amihan Abueva - who works with abused children.

But the times were never right, and they never got to meet.

***

Fragments of Memories

Liw was a very responsible person.

I used to think she was very serious.  She taught Sunday school in Baguio when we were there for one long summer for my Dad's recuperation and relaxation (he had bad burns).  I thought then that she ruined my summer Sundays - but of course not.  Actually I only remember one particular session.  I do not like recitations and I have never volunteered to recite or present homework (unless forced -  as my math college classmates would force me)

It is a tad difficult when the teacher is a relative - who expects you to recite. 

SSS ANNOUNCES - LOAN RESTRUCTURING

Do you still have an outstanding loan?  Last chance to avail.

Go to the nearest SSS Office or check the SSS website for details -

Basically, to be eligible - your loan should have been a calamity loan or a slerp, or that you live/or work in an area affected by a catastrophe.  The offer is pretty open, and most members should qualify.

However, be serious with your loan. repayments.  

Salary Loans for SSS

members have asked questions about how much they can loan, citing previous loans.

these members dont want to read.  may i suggest that you read specifics on loans instead of asking the same things over and over again.

loan amounts are based on 2 things, number of contributions and monthly salary credit.
not on the number of loans a member has made.

in short, please read before you ask.

Easter

Happy Easter to all of you.

Easter is  a time to acknowledge God in our lives.
Say hello, and thank you for the gifts of life.

Manual Verification Update

It seems the manual verification and subsequent realignment of pensions need more time so now it cannot be any earlier than April 2016.

So please extend your patience some more.

In the meantime, make sure you continue with your acop.


UPDATE:::  This may have been moved to May.

Answers to some questions asked by some people who DO NOT fully read posts

Hello mam,ask ko lng po. Mgiisang taon n pong d n po aq ngwowork at kasabay po nun d n po aq nghulog ng contribution s sss. At my existing loan po aq.i dont hav enough budget to continue my contribution and pay d loan. Pg bumalik po b aq ng work, at magiging active po ulit ang sss ko do i have to pay the interest at ung naiwan kong loan? Or can i do something pra po d ko n po babayaran ung loan ko nun? (meron po bng i-back to zero contribution ko as a payment s unpaid loan q? Tnx po.mukha po kc matagalan p po aq babalik ng work on	interest on loans have to paid,  naturally this cannot be skipped however, penalties are worse. penalties can be much higher than any interest.
Hi I'm currently employed but I authorized my employer to stop contributing for my SSS since I've already gained 20 years contributions. Is this permissable to the SSS LAw?	The employer can be sued by SSS for non-compliance to the SSS Law. Having 20 years of contributions is NOT a reason to stop contributing.  Additional years add to the pension
Mam im a police officer naksidente po ako s motor nuong feb 23, 2016 d ako nagpaconfine dhil narin s mahal ng hospital bill s perpetual pgpasok k plng ng er ngbill n po ako ng 36 thouzands.mam panu k po un iclaim s sss on	Hospital bills are to be filed with Phil Health NOT SSS.  SSS Sickness claims only pay for the number of days a person is absent WITHOUT PAY
Good day, anong ko lang po kung ok pa ituloy sss ko nagloan po ako 1993. tapos po nagresign ako 1994,malaki po ba penalty?	dapat mabayaran yung loan kasi malaki yung penalty, Mas malaki sa interest.

Something light - notes on NARUTO

Last night i caught a Naruto III episode and it featured Sasuke and Naruto squaring off to fight.

Sasuke, for those of you who have read the manga or seen an eppy or so, is rather handsome, or cute if you were much younger.  He is skilled, talented, and powerful.

Naruto is different.  Naruto is indomitable.
Persistent.  Stubborn.  Will unsurpassed.

We cannot all be like Sasuke but we can all try to be Naruto.

Condolences to the family of Mr. Democrito Mendoza

my condolences to the family of Mr. Democrito Mendoza, former Commissioner of the Social Security System and former Head of the TUCP.  Mr. Democrito Mendoza passed away last 12 January 2016 at the age of 93.

Mrs. Marianita Mendoza, MD was also a former Commissioner of the Social Security System and she is a most wonderful person.

P-NOY vetos 2000-across-the-board-SSS-pension increase

It is official.  There is no across-the-board-increase for SSS pensioners.

P-Noy opted for the SSS long-term financial viability rather than the immediate relief of SSS pensioners.

Are you waiting for the SSS Project on Manual Verification?

If yes, well........   SSS has not yet made any announcements regarding the completion of this project.

Members and SSS-watchers will note that SSS said that the target is end of December.  They really didnt promise it would be finished.  As I remember it, it was a best-effort estimate.

Well, perhaps the project isnt quite finished yet.  

I have always thought that it would be better to get the retirement benefits sans the 5-years  and then have the claim readjudicated once the smoke clears.  At least there would already be a pension.

At any rate, just wait for the SSS announcement.

A friend of mine at SSS tells this story about a pensioner who called..... following-up her adjustment and told her that SHE wanted to kill all the SSS employees,

If you are a pensioner, do not threaten the employees.  If you lose their sympathy, then you cant blame them for losing impetous and zeal in seeking a resolution.  More flies with honey, remember.

A Healthy 2016 to all

Wishing all of you readers a healthy 2016