SSS: Members, pay contributions online

By Christian Andrew Rillorta

State-run Social Security System (SSS) urged its self-employed, voluntary and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) members to pay their monthly contributions or loan repayments online for safer, faster and efficient transactions in the comfort of their home or office.

Aside from paying over the counter in SSS branches, self-employed, voluntary, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) members may pay online through BancNet online, UnionBank online, and Globe's GCash facility on or before the due date.

“Some SSS members miss their payment deadline of contribution or loan payments due to their busy schedules. Late loan payments incur penalties, while missed monthly contributions affect their eligibility for benefit claims. So, we encourage our members to pay their contributions and loans online to avoid these problems and have a safer and more convenient means of settling their obligations with SSS,” SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio said.

The pension fund would like to inform members of the convenience of online payment transactions as it saves them time, money, and energy from paying over the counter in SSS branches. SSS members who are ATM cardholders of a participating BancNet member can just pay their SSS contributions through BancNet Online at www.bancnetonline.com with no required registration, no transaction fees, and no extra charges.

SSS members, who have accounts with UnionBank, may pay online via SSS Hub at their www.unionbankph.com website.

Meanwhile, SSS members who are Globe or Touch Mobile prepaid users and postpaid subscribers may pay their contributions using Globe's GCash facility. It is a free mobile application that allows members to pay their SSS contributions, salary loans, and real estate loans. OFW members may also pay for their Personal Equity and Savings Option (PESO) Fund contributions using the GCash App.

SSS members and employers may simply register either by downloading the GCash app or dialing *143# to access the self-service menu using their Globe or TM mobile numbers.

“Out of the 16.4 million paying members for the period January to September 2019, only a few use online payment transactions. For the said period, there were only 706 employers and 10,078 self-employed, voluntary, OFW members who have used GCash. There was an increase though of 36 percent from 519 employers and 74 percent from the 5,795 self-employed, voluntary, OFWs members recorded during the same period in 2018,” Ignacio said.

The number of employers who paid through UnionBank from January to September 2019, either online or over-the-counter, totaled to 46,087 while the number of self-employed, voluntary, OFWs members reached 19,641.

Meanwhile, employers who paid using BancNet online stood at 6,295 from January to September 2019.

“We urge our members to use these facilities to avoid the hassle of queuing in banks and/or in SSS tellering,” Ignacio said.

To pay for their contributions, members need to generate first their Payment Reference Number (PRN) at the My.SSS website for the real-time processing of contribution payments.

“SSS is on its way to digital transformation as we continuously innovate and create programs that adapt to the needs of our members and make the processing of transactions easier and more efficient. We hope that our members will also be supportive of our programs amid the digitalization,” Ignacio said.