The employer should notify SSS immediately of any changes in the bank account information, closure of the bank account, or cancellation of enrollment in the program by submitting a new SMB-PB Form. This would avoid delays in the processing of reimbursement claims.

The SSS Sickness Benefit Application (SBA) Form and the SSS Maternity Benefit Application (MBA) Form (for SE, VM, and Members Separated from Employment) include a portion wherein they will enroll in the payment thru-the-bank program. In this portion of the Form, they will indicate their SSS-accredited bank’s name, bank branch address, and their single savings or current account name and number in which their benefit payments will be directly deposited.

Upon approval of the sickness or maternity claim, the SSS will remit the benefit payment to the member’s designated bank. The member will be notified thru text blast or email of their benefit payment. They may also confirm details of the payment made either thru Text-SSS, their My.SSS account in the SSS website, SSS Facebook, SSS Call Center, or the self-service information terminals in SSS branches.

The member should notify SSS immediately of any changes in the bank account information by submitting the “Member’s Data Change Request” (SS Form E-4) and attach copies of the applicable supporting documents.

In case of revocation of bank’s accreditation with SSS, the employer shall be notified by SSS to open an account in another SSS-accredited bank under this Program to avoid delay in the processing of reimbursement claims. In case of bank closure or bank holiday, the benefit reimbursements remitted to the employer’s/member’s bank account shall be governed by general banking rules and regulations.

Members may also enroll their Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) card as an automated teller machine (ATM) card for purposes of withdrawing their benefits. Just proceed to a Union Bank kiosk stationed in selected SSS branches to enroll.

If the member does not have an existing bank account, the SSS shall issue an LOI, which should be presented to the SSS-accredited bank selected by the member in order to open his/her single savings account.

To ascertain the correctness of the bank information submitted, the member must also submit a photo-copy/scanned copy of any of the following:- ATM Card (with account number)- Single Savings Account Passbook- Bank Statement/Certificate- Validated Deposit Slip/Savings Account Number card

SSSPhwww.sss.gov.ph MySSSPhilippines917-7777

BANK

Sickness &Maternity Benefits

PaymentThru-the-Bank

Program

The Sickness and Maternity Benefits Payment thru-the-Bank (SMB-PB) Program involves the remittance by SSS of sickness and maternity reimbursements of employers and benefits of members through their designated savings or current account in SSS-accredited banks. This Program aims to attain a higher level of efficiency and safety in the delivery of benefit payments.

The following are required to enroll in this Program:- All Employers - All Self-Employed (SE), Voluntary Members (VM) and

Members Separated from Employment whose approved amount of benefit is more than P1,000, and whose address is within 30 kilometers to the nearest SSS-accredited bank

Members, who have provided their updated contact information to the SSS, will be given immediate notification via email or text message each time a payment to their bank account is made. To update their contact information (e.g., mailing address, e-mail address and mobile/landline telephone numbers), members should go to My.SSS in the SSS website (www.sss.gov.ph) or accomplish and submit the Member Data Change Request Form (SSS Form E-4) to their nearest SSS branch.

No. Employers and members can use their existing single savings or current accounts, as long as these are inSSS-accredited banks.

If SE, VM and Members Separated from Employment do not have an account in an SSS-accredited bank, the SSS will issue them a Letter of Introduction (LOI), which they will show to their designated SSS-accredited bank to open a single savings account.

The employer may secure the SMB-PB Form from any SSS branch, or download it from the SSS website (www.sss.gov.ph).

The enrollment status of the employer in the Program may be verified through the employer’s My.SSS account in the SSS website. Upon approval of enrollment, all sickness and maternity reimbursements shall be directly credited to the employer’s bank account.

Employers may request for exemption only in the following cases:

Likewise, SE, VM and Members Separated from Employment may request for exemption only in the following cases:

- If location of employer is far from a bank- If location is in a high-risk area where peace and order situation is a problem- If number of employees is three (3) and below.

- If member’s address is more than 30 kilometers from the nearest SSS-accredited bank or in a high-risk area (regardless of benefit amount)- If amount of approved benefit is P1,000 and below (regardless of the member’s address)- If member is physically incapable of transacting with the bank

Under the old system, sickness and maternity benefit check payments are sent to the employer or to the member through registered mail. Upon receipt of the check, the employer or member can either encash it or deposit it to his/her own account.

In 2012, the SSS started the mandatory payment of sickness and maternity reimbursements for employers through SSS-accredited banks, which effectively speeded up the delivery of reimbursement payments, eliminated the waiting period for check clearing, avoided the loss of check due to pilferage or misdelivery, and provided convenience in the withdrawal of reimbursements.

The SMB-PB Program is a further enhancement to this system in the following ways:

Sickness and Maternity benefits are now included in the benefit payments/reimbursements that are directly credited to the designated bank accounts.

All employers, self-employed, voluntary members, and members separated from employment are now required to enroll in this program and shall be paid thru SSS-accredited banks.

The employer should properly accomplish theForm in three (3) copies and indicate the bank account signatory/-ies who should be the same official/s designated by the employer or the company’s Board of Directors as its authorized signatory as appearing in the bank’s record. The Form should be signed by the authorized company official as certified by the employer in the Specimen Signature Card (SSS Form L-501).

The SMB-PB Form should be submitted by the employer to the designated SSS-accredited bank, which shall certify the correctness of the bank account information. The Bank shall forward the Form to SSS.