SSS Unemployment Benefit Philippines : Social Security System

Organization : Republic of the Philippines
Portal : Social Security System (SSS)
Facility : Unemployment Benefit
Country : Philippines
Website : https://www.sss.gov.ph/unemployment-benefit/

What is SSS Unemployment Benefit?

A cash benefit granted to covered employees, including Kasambahays, and Overseas Filipino Workers who are involuntarily separated from employment and have satisfied the eligibility requirements. An employee who is involuntarily separated can only claim unemployment benefit once every three (3) years starting from the date of involuntary separation.

Related / Similar Facility : SSS Funeral Benefit Philippines

Eligibility Requirements of SSS Unemployment Benefit

A. To qualify for the grant of Unemployment Benefit, the employee, including Kasambahay, and OFW:

** Should not be over sixty (60) years of age at the time of involuntary separation, except:
** In the case of an underground or surface mineworker, not over fifty (50) years old; or
** In the case of a racehorse jockey, not over fifty-five (55) years old.
** Has paid at least thirty-six (36) monthly contributions, twelve months (12) of which should be in the eighteen-month (18) period immediately preceding the month of involuntary separation.
** Has no settled unemployment benefit within the last three (3) years prior to the date of involuntary separation.
** Has been involuntary separated from employment due to any of, but not limited to:

a. Termination of employment based on authorized causes 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 his co-employee’s health

b. Termination of employment by the employee 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 representative
** Commission of a crime or offense by the employer or his 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.

Note:
The employee shall support the ground/s for immediate resignation with substantial evidence as may be required by the DOLE and SSS.

c. Economic downturn;
d. Natural or human-induced calamities/disasters; and
e. Other analogous cases as may be determined by the DOLE and SSS.

B. Subject to employer’s compliance to substantive and procedural due process requirements provided under DOLE D.O. No. 147, series of 2015, an employee shall not be qualified to receive Unemployment Benefit if he/she has been involuntary 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 or insubordination;
** Gross and habitual neglect of duties;
** Fraud or willful breach of trust;
** Commission of a crime or offense; or
** Analogous cases like abandonment, gross inefficiency, disloyalty/conflict of interest/dishonesty

C. The reasons for involuntary separation of OFWs shall be determined by DOLE through the POEA.

D. Clarification on Cases :
** Employees with floating status, who are not yet technically terminated and are waiting for the resumption of business operations of their employers, are not considered as involuntarily separated.
** However, if an employee is covered by an employment contract and said contract expires without him/her being recalled to resume his/her work, the employee shall be considered as involuntarily separated with the date of floating status as the separation date.
** In cases when employer-employee relationship is suspended, and after the extension of such suspension for another six (6) months the employer can no longer recall the employees back to work due to serious economic downturn, the employees are considered involuntarily separated with the date of suspension as the separation date.
** Terminated employees with pending illegal termination case, who cannot secure a Notice of Termination of Employment from their employers, shall be required by the DOLE to submit a Certificate of Pending Case as additional documentary proof of involuntary separation.
** Employees shall be considered as involuntarily separated due to closure or cessation if all the branches of their employers have ceased operations. In the case of branch closure, the reason for involuntary separation shall either be retrenchment or redundancy.
** OFWs with perfected overseas employment contracts but who were not deployed or did not depart the Philippines to commence their contracts shall not be considered as involuntarily separated.

How To Apply For SSS Unemployment Benefit?

Claims for Unemployment Benefit must be filed online through the member’s My.SSS account.

Step 1: Online Filing of SSS Unemployment Benefit Claim through the SSS Website

A. The member shall perform the following:
** Log in to his/her My.SSS account;
** Click “Unemployment Benefit” under the Benefits tab; and
** Provide/Select and confirm the following information:
** UMID-ATM card or preferred disbursement account;
** Employment category: covered employee (including Kasambahay), mine worker, racehorse jockey, sea-based OFW or land-based OFW;
** Date of involuntary separation;
** SSS-registered name of employer/company where member was separated; and
** Preferred Field/Provincial Office of the DOLE, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) or Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to apply for electronic Certification of Involuntary Separation.

B. Upon submission of the unemployment benefit claim application online, the system shall validate if the member:
** Is qualified for the grant of unemployment benefit based on the eligibility requirements as provided under Sections I and II of this Joint Memorandum Circular;
** Has updated contact details; and
** Has no record of confirmed/pending cases for review, including fraud and misrepresentation.

C. Upon successful system-validation of the unemployment benefit claim application, the member shall certify and confirm the following:
** That the information provided are true and correct and he/she understands that he/she shall be held liable under all circumstances for any false information, misrepresentation, and fraud in his/her unemployment benefit claim;
** That the claim information collected and validated online by the SSS shall be accessible to the DOLE for its electronic confirmation of the Certification of Involuntary Separation and shall be used and retained by the SSS relative to the unemployment benefit claim application; and
** That he/she is granting authorization to the SSS to deduct from his/her future benefit/s as determined by the SSS, the amount of settled unemployment benefit in the event of any of the cases mentioned in Section VII or when the filing, processing or payment involves misrepresentation, fraud, or false claim.

D. Upon his/her confirmation, the member shall receive an e-mail notification from the SSS on the successful submission of the unemployment benefit claim application through the SSS Website, together with the Transaction Number and instruction to proceed with the application for Electronic Certification of Involuntary Separation by the DOLE.