Overall SSS web-based transactions breach 5.5-M mark in 2015

The Social Security System’s (SSS) total website transactions increased from 3.64 million by end-2014 to 5.55 million by end-2015, reflecting a growth of 53 percent driven by the rising number of members and employers using the online facility as a faster and easier means of transacting with the pension fund.

SSS Officer-in-Charge of Service Delivery Department Renato N. Malto noted that the year-end number of web-registered users grew last year across the various types of SSS members, with the highest rate of increase recorded among regular employees and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) both at eight percent.

Malto said the overall number of web-registered members increased by eight percent from 3.24 million in 2014 to 3.50 million in 2015. Meanwhile, the number of employers with SSS web accounts jumped by 32 percent from 187,152 in 2014 to 247,385 last year.

“The SSS website is more than just an online facility for viewing general SSS information. Members and employers can also check their personal SSS records and perform several online transactions thru the website, providing a convenient alternative to over-the-counter transactions at SSS branches,” he said.

Launched in 2008, the SSS website (www.sss.gov.ph) was upgraded in 2011 to allow the online submission of salary loan applications and maternity notifications by individual members, and reports of newly-hired workers, employee maternity notifications, contribution and loan collection lists and certification of employee salary loan applications by employers.

In September 2015, the SSS website started accepting online sickness notifications by employers as well as technical retirement benefit claims by members and applications for Social Security (SS) numbers.

“The bulk of the 5.55 million overall online transactions or 5.41 million were from employers using the SSS website to submit their employment and collection reports, salary loan applications of employees, and sickness and maternity notifications to facilitate the benefit availment of their workers,” Malto said.

Of these, 2.77 million transactions involved employers’ online submission of the SS Form R1-A or Employment Report for reporting new workers to the SSS. Submission of the SS Form R-3 or Contribution Collection List, which specifies the amount remitted for each employee, totaled 1.16 million as of end-2015.

“Approval of employees’ online salary loan applications, with over 931,000 transactions recorded as of last year, is also frequent among employers using the SSS website. Other employer transactions include the submission of SS Form ML2 or Loan Collection Lists and sickness and maternity notifications of employees,” Malto added.

As for individual members, online issuance of SS numbers was the top website transaction by end-2015, totaling 95,862 despite being launched only on September 29 last year, followed by salary loan applications with 22,103 transactions.

SS numbers issued through the SSS website are tagged as temporary but can already be used for employee reporting and contribution payment by employers. To convert it to a permanent SS number to allow the availment of loans and benefits, the member would have to present any accepted supporting documents such as their birth or baptismal certificate or valid passport to any SSS branch.

“We encourage employers and members who are not yet registered to start creating their online web account for faster transactions with SSS. If they need assistance, they can always call our hotline numbers 920-6446 to 55 which are open 24/5, or email member_relations@sss.gov.ph or onlineserviceassistance@sss.gov.ph,” said Malto.