Death Benefits in the Philippines
Late last year, when someone in our extended family passed away, I became familiar with some of the death benefits available for beneficiaries in the Philippines. In my extended family’s case, some of these benefits were claimed successfully while the others were denied for various reasons.
Here are some death benefits in the Philippines:
SSS – SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM (For employees of private companies)
- Funeral benefit of 20,000 pesos regardless of number of monthly contributions, given to the person who spent for the funeral
- Monthly pension or lump-sum cash benefit for the legal spouse and legitimate, illegitimate or legally adopted children younger than 21 years old (up to 5 children), and older children with permanent disabilities
Pension is for the primary beneficiaries of deceased members who have contributed at least 36 monthly contributions before the semester of death.
Lump-sum is for primary beneficiaries of members who contributed less than 36 monthly contributions before the semester of death.
If there are no primary beneficiaries (no spouse and no children), the dependent parents receive the lump-sum cash benefit).
Pension amount or lump-sum amount depends on the number of credited years of membership and average monthly salary credit.
- For members who died in a workplace accident or due to an occupational illness, additional Employee Compensation benefits are given to beneficiaries.
Note: File your claim at the SSS branch nearest where you live.
PAG-IBIG or HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND (HDMF)
- The death benefit amount is a percentage of the Total Provident Benefits. The Provident total is the sum of the member’s monthly contributions, employers’ contributions for the member and dividends. Yong death benefit sabay na ibinibigay sa Total Provident Benefit. Isang claim form lang siya.
Note: File your claim at the branch where the member’s records are kept.
OWWA (For OFWs)
- Burial benefit of 20,000 pesos
- Insurance benefit of 100,000 pesos if death is due to natural cause or 200,000 pesos if death is due to accident
OWWA
Insurance & Health Care Benefits Division
7th Street cor. FB Harrison St. Pasay City
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm
(or go to your OWWA Regional Welfare Office)
Note: If you’re an OFW, make sure your membership is always current. My relative paid his OWWA membership for the almost 30 years he worked abroad, but because he worked for two straight years during his last contract, he was not able to pay his OWWA membership, so his family’s claims were denied by OWWA.
You pay your OWWA when you pay your OEC or Overseas Exit Clearance or Balik-Manggagawa (BM) papers at the POEA or at any accredited OEC payment center or service. The OWWA membership fee is 25 US dollars, payable in pesos.
PRIVATE INSURANCE
- This refers to life insurance policies purchased from private insurance companies such as Philam, Insular Life, and BPI-Philam Life (formerly Ayala Life), Sun Life, Manulife, PNB Life and others.
PRIVATE INSURANCE linked to BANK ACCOUNTS
- There are life and accident insurance policies offered by banks as added benefits to certain special bank accounts and time deposits.
- An example is the BPI Get Started Savings Account with Life Insurance. The account comes with a free BPI-Philam Life insurance equivalent to 5 times the account’s balance, up to 2 million pesos.
Balance means the average month-to-date average daily balance of the past three calendar months prior to the death ofthe insured.
PRIVATE INSURANCE linked to CREDIT CARDS
- This is for credit cardholders who have purchased credit life insurance and life insurance policies from or through their credit card issuers.
- Examples are the Assure and Saver life insurance programs of Axa Philippines, a joint venture between Metrobank and Global AXA Group of France.
INSURANCE linked to MEMORIAL PLANS
- Some memorial companies give financial assistance or death benefits to the beneficiaries of those who pass away while still paying their memorial plans in monthly, quarterly or yearly installments.
- For instance, the St. Peter Life Plans with Return of Premium policy gives cash assistance to beneficiaries if the planholder dies during the paying period or within 5 years after full payment. There’s also additional benefit for death or loss of limbs or eyes due to accident.
HMO
- HMOs provide primarily hospitalization benefits, but most of them also provide death benefits to HMO members’ beneficiaries.
- An example is the INTELLICARE corporate HMO program of Asalus Corp. This HMO plan gives cash assistance of 10,000 pesos for natural death and 20,000 pesos for accidental death to the beneficiaries of principal HMO cardholders.
LOCAL EMPLOYER
- Separate death benefits for employees of companies with retirement, incentive or insurance programs for their employees. Usually ang mga big local companies and some foreign multinationals ang merong ganitong Death Benefits in the Philippines.
I looked at Book 4 of the Labor Code of the Philippines (titled Health, Safety and Social Welfare Benefits) and I saw that the only mandatory employee benefit related to death is that given by SSS. Mandatory for employers na tapatan nila ang SSS contribution ng employees. And later, naging mandatory rin yong employers’ share sa PAG-IBIG contributions.
OFW EMPLOYER
- Some OFW employers give death benefits, especially to the beneficiaries of long-time employees. If the OFW passes away while on vacation, the primary beneficiary should email the employer, together with a copy of the death certificate and a copy of marriage or birth certificate, and request for any financial benefit.
COOPERATIVES
- There are some cooperatives that provide death benefits or financial assistance to the beneficiaries of members. An example is the Center for Community Transformation (CCT), which has a group insurance partnership with Philam Life.
BARANGAY ASSOCIATIONS
- In our barangay and nearby barangays in our province in the North, there is an association called SARANAY. Whenever someone in the barangay dies, each family in the barangay contributes a certain amount of money (the same amount for all families) to accumulate money for the bereaved family. A total of 10,000 pesos (50 pesos times 200 families) is already a big help in the province. I am proud of my mother, who is now in her 80s, because she and her friend were the ones who started this program years ago in our rural area, and now this program has spread out into other barangays.
May death benefit ba na nakukuha sa PHILHEALTH?
Sori, WALA, kasi hospitalization or medical treatment cost assistance ang focus ng Philhealth.
GSIS, AFP, PNP
Note: We are not familiar with death benefits provided by the GSIS, AFP or PNP, so we will not be able to answer questions about these benefits.
GSIS (For government employees)
- Burial benefit of 20,000 pesos, given to the spouse or to the children (if spouse is already deceased)
- Survivors’ monthly pension or cash benefits to primary beneficiaries (legal spouse and minor children up to 5). If there are no spouse and children, death benefits are given to secondary beneficiaries.
- For members who died in the course of work or due to an occupational illness, additional Employee Compensation benefits are given to beneficiaries.
- Proceeds of compulsory and/or optional life insurance policies and/or educational policies and/or accident insurance policies for beneficiaries of members who participated in these optional programs.
Note: GSIS has several retirement and life insurance options, kaya iba-iba ang pag-compute ng amounts of death benefits received by beneficiaries.
If you’re in the Muntinlupa area, and you would like to purchase a St. Peter Life Plan or St. Peter Memorial Plan, just make a comment below, and I’ll email you the name and cell phone no. of a St. Peter agent. Sabi ng agent na ito, bibigyan daw ako ng referral fee or konting deduction sa monthly payment ko sa plan ko kung meron akong mai-refer.
Sa dami ng pre-need na naba-bankrupt, bakit ako nagre-refer ng memorial plan? Baka sakali lang na naghahanap ka ng ganitong plan at meron kang tiwala sa St. Peter. Hindi naman sila na-bankrupt noong kasagsagan ng pre-need collapse. At hindi naman sila focused sa pera, kundi sa memorial chapels, caskets at memorial services. Meron daw silang malawak na taniman ng mga trees (forgot the tree name) which they use to make caskets.
Hindi natin alam, baka ma-bankrupt din ang St. Peter, kung ma-mismanage (of course, hindi sana), pero nakita ko kasi yong hirap nang namatayan, kaya kumuha rin ako ng plan, para hindi mahirapan ang anak ko, lalo na at only child siya. Pero lagi kong ipinagdarasal na pahiramin pa ako ng Panginoon ng mahaba-habang buhay para mapagtapos ko pa siya sa college, at makatulong pa ako sa extended family members.
Death Benefits in the Philippines
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24 Responses to “Death Benefits in the Philippines”
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Good day po, ask ko lang po sana kung pwede po ako makapaghulog sa PhilHealth kahit andito po ako sa abroad,tapos yung kapatid o mama ko na lang mag asikaso para sa requirements tapos kung pwede din po na ako maghulog para sa mama at papa ko,???
Good day po ulit ask ko lang po about sa SSS kung pwede ko din mahulugan yun kahit andito ako sa abroad saka kung yung SSS ay same sa Death Benefits ?? Slamat po ulit, GOD BLESS
Hi April, yes, puede mong ituloy ang Philhealth mo. As Voluntary or Individually Paying, kasi hindi ka yata OFW? Kasi pag OFW, kasabay sa OEC ang Philhealth payment. Mag-email ka sa parents mo authorizing your mother or father to enroll in Philhealth in your behalf because you are abroad. Mention if you are OFW, if you are, and send a copy of contract, or any OFW document or ID. If not OFW, mention that you’re working/living abroad, but not OFW, para Individually Paying ka. Iprint nila yong email mo, then punta sila sa Philhealth, fill-nila ang application form, and sign in your behalf. Magdala ng IDs yong authorized parent at birth certificate mo. Wala pang 60 years ang parents mo? Puede silang dependents mo if they’re 60 and older. But if not, one parent can be Philhealth member. Fill-up din siya ng form. Isang parent na lang — kung father ang member, dependent ang mother, and vice versa. Your kapatid can be dependent of your parent if younger than 21 years old. 1,200 pesos if you pay for one year. 2,400 if 2 years. Kung tuloy ang increase, 2,400 per year na starting July 2012.
Good day po ate Nors…
Isa po akong seaferers at sa pinas ako ngayon, Meron po akong Philhealth in which na hinuhulugan ng company namin na worth 350 pesos per month. Pinayuhan po ako nung Philhealth office na hulugan yung remaining months na stay ko dito, Tanong ko po if magkano lang ba yung total na hulog mo sa Philhealth yung lang ang charge na aabot bayaran sa ospital? and remaining ay sa akin na ang charge? Balak ko rin po na kumuha ng HMO na ‘Maxicare’ na platinum premium. Tanong ko lng po ulet if umalis na po ako at sumakay, pwede ko bang iwan ung card sa nanay ko just in case para sya muna ung holder at gumamit ng Maxicare card?
Maraming salamat po…
Hi Jupiter, yong advice na magbayad ka while on vacation, para lang active ka, just in case. During vacation, you pay as Voluntary member — 100 pesos per month (kung hindi pa nag-increase to 200 pesos per month, according to their proposal). Bayaran mo lang yong vacation months mo. Is your mother 60 years old or more? Yes, puede mo siyang dependent sa Philhealth. Yong sa Maxicare platinum premium plan, ask mo muna kung merong additional fee kung isama mo ang mother mo sa plan. Kasi ang alam ko, sa most HMO plans, wife or one child lang ang free. At saka, meron din silang sariling HMO card, nakalagay ang name nila.
About Philhealth, pare-pareho ang benefits kahit iba-iba tayo ng bayad. Merong Case Rate Scheme — fixed yong benefit amount for 23 illnesses and some other conditions such as TB, etc. Example, dengue case 1 ay fixed na 8k. Yong illnesses not under Case Rate Scheme, ang benefit system applied ay fee-for-service scheme — depende na sa actual costs and Philhealth benefit limits.
Ah ok slmat po sa response at info
Tanong ko lang po ulit kung isa na lang sa parents yung pwede ko hulugan ng PHIL.HEALTH paano po yung isang parents pag na-ospital???Saka yung about po pala sa SSS,mahuhulugan ko po ba yun kahit na andito ako bale yung kpatid o parents ko na lang po yung maghuhulog ,Pwede po ba yun ?? Response na lang po ulit, MOre power, GOD BLESS O:)
Hi April, oo, isang parent na lang ang member, then dependent ang wife or husband. Pag maospital ang dependent, covered siya, kasi dependent siya ng member. Pareho ang benefits ng member at dependent.
Yong sa SSS, oo, puedeng siblings mo na ang maghuhulog. I-decide mo lang yong monthly contribution. SSS member ka na ba dati? Meron ka nang contributions dati?
Gud day po ulit nga po pala nakabayad na nga ako sa philhealth through OEC hndi nawala po kasi sa isip ko eh tiningnan ko po now sa resibo ko, bale yung next year na lang yung wala akong hulog sige po ipaasikaso ko nalang po yun sa parents ko, Slamat po ulit, GOD BLESS O:)
Elow po bago pa lang po akong member ng SSS ksi po hindi ko naasikaso kaya 1st time ko pa lang po mahuhulugan yun.. Ano po ba yung kelangan para po sila na po bahala maghulog dun at magkano po ba dapat ihulog ng isang OFW tulad ko ???
Hi April, magkano ang gusto mong monthly hulog? Merong 104, 156,208,260,312,364,416,468,520 up to 1,560. Ginagawa ko pa yong table, so anong gusto mo diyan, comment ka lang dito, and then I will given you the monthly salary credit, or the link to my post kung tapos ko na.
Hi April, ito na yong chart of SSS contributions Mamili ka na lang kung magkano ang gusto mo at kaya mong i-contribute month after month. Sabihin mo rin sa kanila yong salary, para maisulat nila sa form.
Hi Nors nkita ko na yung SSS contribution na binigay mo slamat sa effort huh
Pero parang magulo po kasi sabi nyo po ako mamimili kung magkano gusto ko pero dun sa SSS contribution na nakita ko depende po pala sa salary yun kung magkano ang ihuhulog ano po ba ang dapat kong sundin ??? Saka yung tanong ko po na kung pwede po ba mahulugan yun ng parents o kpatid ko kasi nga po andito ako now sa abrod ??? Response na lang po kayo, MARAMING SALAMAT PO 
Hi April, yes, puedeng parents mo ang maghulog sa SSS. Punta lang sila sa any SSS branch. Hingi sila at fill-up sila ng RS-5 form. Look at the SSS RS-5 form para sabihin mo yong info na kelangan nila.
About the amount, ang ibig kong sabihin ay ikaw ang mamili kung magkano kasi Voluntary membership. Dito sa Philippines, yong Employed, hindi puedeng mamili kasi merong contribution ang employer, at employer ang nagfa-file. In your case, kung gusto mong based sa actual salary mo, puede. Kung babaan o taasan mo, puede. Basta piliin mo yong amount that you can sustain every month, kasi after choosing, you can move up or down by only one level for every change. At ang salary credit ay isa sa mga basis sa pagcompute ng pension upon retirement.
Ah ok slamat Nors sa info
Hello po, my sister died on March 16, 2012. 3yrs (1997-1999) lang sya nag-work at naging full-time mom na from then on. Hindi nya na rin naipag-patuloy ang pagbabayad ng premiums sa SSS, Pag-ibig at Philhealth. Namatay na po yung husband nya 3yrs ago pero meron silang anak na 12yrs old. Here are my questions:
1. Yung monthly pension nya ba sa SSS mula sa pagkamatay ng husband nya ay maita-transfer sa anak nya (na currently ay meron ding natatanggap)?
2. Meron pa rin po kaya syang makukuha sa Pag-ibig considering na nakapag-hulog naman sya kahit papano noong working pa sya?
3. Hindi sya nakakapag-hulog sa Philhealth ng matagal nang panahon pero pwede pa kaya kaming makapag-file ng application for refund?
Thanks po in advance para sa answers!
Hi Karen, unahin ko yong No.3 kasi mas madaling sagutin No.3. Kung naospital siya ng April o March 2012, sori, walang Philhealth refund, kasi ang voluntary member kelangang nakapaghulog ng 3 monthly payments within the 6-month-period or 9 monthly payments within the 12-month period prior to hospitalization (3 or 9 ay depende sa treatment). No. 2. Yes, meron siyang makukuha sa Pag-ibig, basta hindi pa niya kinuha ito noon, at wala siyang unpaid loan. Punta kayo sa Pag-ibig branch nearest her former company with her death certificate and proof of relation ng claimant at ID ng claimant, and ask for a copy of total accumulated values, then ask for a list of required documents for claiming. Ang primary claimant is the daughter and secondary are your parents. You can be your pamangkin’s guardian or yong parents mo rin. Ask na lang Pag-ibig. Yong No. 1 ang hindi ko pa masagot, kasi hindi ko pa yan na-encounter. Ire-research ko pa, or magtanung-tanong rin kayo.
Your answers are very helpful. Thanks a lot po! Last question, “Punta kayo sa Pag-ibig branch nearest her former company” – sa Manila po kasi nag-work yung sister ko and we reside here in Marikina, di po kaya pwedeng sa branch near us na lang or sa head office nila sa Q.C.? Hindi po ba centralized yung database nila? Thanks again!
Hi, Karen, yes, tama ka, hindi centralized ang database ng Pag-ibig. Kung Manila, malamang na sa Pag-ibig Lawton. Puedeng tawagan mo former company ng sis mo at tanuning kung saang branch sila nagfa-file ng Pag-ibig. Puede sigurong iprepare nio na lang lahat ng docs bago pumunta para sabay file na rin. Here’s the Pag-ibig claim form and the surviving heirs form. How Claim Pag-ibig death benefit God bless
nAMATAY YNG ASWA KO ACCIDENT D2 SA PINAS NUNG APRIL 5 2012…SA OWWA PNG 2YIRS NYA MEMBER NUNG JAN5 2012 SYANG PO PNG STUDY LNG NG ANAK KO 1BWAN LNG PO LAPSE KHT MAN LNG SNA MAGKNO WLA KMI NKUHA…PTI PO SA SSS NPAKA TGAL NG PROCESS AT PAG IBIG…KWAWA NAMN PO KMI MGA NAMATAYAN …31 YIRS OLD LNG PO ASWA KO NG MAMATAY….SNA LNG PADILIIN NAMN YNG PAGPROCESS AT IPRIORITY PO YNG MGA NAMATAYAN KSI TLGA NPAKAHIRAP NG BWAT SITWASYON LALO N KNG MY MGA ANAK PO…PAGPILA PLANG PO PAHIRAPAN NA
Hi Chairmaine, tama yong mga hinaing mo. Ang sister ko rin, ang asawa niya almost 30 years sa Saudi, wala rin siya nakuha sa OWWA, kasi nagbakasyon siya kasi ng 2 months sa last vacation niya, at hindi siya pinagbayad agad sa POEA kasi mag-eexpire daw. Magbayad na lang daw siya pag malapit na siyang bumalik sa Saudi. Ayun, wala tuloy nakuha.
Yong funeral benefit from SSS, dapat mabilis lang yon basta complete documents. With prayers.
THANKS,GODBLESS AT SANA MARAMI KAPANG MATULUNGAN SA MGA KATULAD NMIN NANGANGA ILANGAN NG MABILIS NA KASAGUTAN NA DI KAILANGANG MAG AKSAYA NG ORAS AT SANA WAG KANG MAGSAWA SA IBANG MAKUKULIT AT KUNG MINSAN NKAKA ——– MGA TANONG.THANKS….
Hi Nhel, thanks a lot for your encouragement. Best regards. God bless din.
hi! tanong ko lang if you have some knowledge or reviews kung hassle ba magbigay ng death benefirs ang mga private insurance companies like AXA, Manulife, Sunlife etc? or bigay naman sila agad sa beneficiaries w/o hassle? thanks!
Hi Valerie, reputable naman ang mga insurers na yan, so madali lang. Basta complete the documents immediately, madali na ang processing. Matagalan lang kung wala pang 2 years yong policy. Andiyan yong incontestability period sa policy mo (usually 1 year or 2 years). Kung less than 1 year or 2 years, they investigate pa kung merong fraud. Yong mga documents dapat matching ang mga data, example, yong birthday sa policy ay dapat matched sa birth date sa birth certificate and death certificate. Yong sa brod-in-law ko, pinakuha pa ang sis ko ng joint affidavit of 2 disinterested persons, kasi hindi matched yong birthday niya sa policy and sa birth certificate. Also the names of beneficiaries, dapat matched sa birth/marriage certificates.