It’s important that one knows by heart SSS unemployment benefit requirements as no one can be sure about the future and when circumstances go beyond our control and we lose our jobs, the benefits of the program can come in handy. Here Corner4men will show you what you need to know:

SSS Unemployment Benefits Requirements

The employee is under 60 years old to avail SSS benefit for unemployed.

According to the SSS Law, or the Social Security Act of 2018, employees meeting the flowing requirements are legible for a cash benefit:

• The employee is under 60 years old.
• The employee has had at least 36 months of paying contributions. Among these 36 months, 12 months must belong to the 18-month period of time preceding his or her unemployment.
• He or she has not received any SSS’s unemployment benefits in the last 3 years preceding the unemployment.
• The employee does not lose his or her job because of faults on his or her part.

Who Are Not Eligible For SSS Benefit For Unemployed?

So these are SSS unemployment benefit requirements. Here are the cases that do not qualify:

• Severe misconduct
• Disrespect of laws and orders
• Habitual or gross negligence of duty or inefficiency
• Fraud
• Perpetration of offense or crime.
• Loss of confidence or breaches of trust with one’s employer.
• Job abandonment.
• Voluntary resignation.

SSS Unemployment Benefit Requirements 2020 And Documents

Prepare Voter’s ID, Passport, SSS card, UMID card, Postal ID, or other primary IDs.bb

Online application of SSS unemployment benefits is now possible. If you meet SSS unemployment benefit requirements, here are the needed documents:

• Voter’s ID, Passport, SSS card, UMID card, Postal ID, or other primary IDs.
• A certificate from DOLE (Department of Labor & Employment) to prove that the employee lost the job because of one of the aforementioned reasons.
• Employer’s Affidavit of Termination or Notice of Termination.

SSS Unemployment Benefit Online Application

If one meets the SSS unemployment benefit requirements, before they can apply for or avail any benefits, they must have their own accounts on the SSS website first.

If one meets the SSS unemployment benefit requirements, before they can apply for or avail any benefits, they must have their own accounts on the SSS website first. Contact details are required in case the member wants to get the benefits via remittance centers.

Here is the SSS unemployment benefit application process:

• Log into the My.SSS account.
• Under the tab reading ‘E-Services,’ choose ‘apply for unemployment benefits claim.’
• Fill in all the required information of the SSS unemployment benefit form.
• Check the information again to make sure everything is in order before submitting it.
• After receiving a notification from SSS via email, reply and attach the DOLE or POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) certification, and either the Affidavit of Termination or the Notice of Termination.
• You will receive another notice to inform you of the application.

According to Aurora C. Ignacio, CEO and president of SSS, applicators should always double check the information they submit to avoid any issues caused by an erroneous entry. Plus, they should keep the text and email notifications in case they are needed in the future.

>>> Related: 3 Social Classes In The Philippines: Which One Deserves Financial Aid?

How Often Can You Claim Unemployment Benefits From The SSS?

Please bear in mind that one can only avail unemployment benefits once every 3 years, as mentioned in the SSS unemployment benefit requirements above.

How Will I Get The SSS Unemployment Benefit 

SSS has a wide range of payment facilities and the benefits will be released through one of them. Here is the list:

• UMID (Unified Multi-purpose Identification) as ATM card.
• Account in banks participating in PESONet.
• Paymaya or other electronic wallets.
• Cash payout outlets or remittance transfer companies.

We must repeat that even if one meets SSS unemployment benefit requirements, he or she can only avail it once in every three years. In case more than one contingencies occur, employee will be paid the highest benefit.

According to SSS, as of May 2020, from the 16th of March to the end of May 2020, over 900 members had successfully availed benefits during the quarantine, with a total payout of PHP 11.76 million.

SSS Provides Benefits For Workers Laid Off Because Of COVID-19

All employees laid off for this reason are covered, including oversea workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic does not only severely affect people’s health but also the economy as a whole.

According to Carlos Dominguez III - Finance Secretary during a meeting with SSS officials, the closure of private companies as a result of the pandemic is projected to cause up to 60,000 employees to lose their jobs.

He said the SSS would pay affected workers around P1.2 billion as long as they meet the SSS unemployment benefit requirements. Since the benefits are not a loan, members do not have to pay anything extra to avail it.

All employees laid off for this reason are covered, including oversea workers, as long as they are under 60 years old.

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