SSS Death and Funeral Benefit: Amounts in Full
Social Security System · benefits
Quick answer
SSS pays a funeral benefit of ₱20,000 to ₱60,000 where the member paid at least 36 contributions, or a fixed ₱12,000 below that. The death benefit is a monthly pension with a minimum of ₱1,000, ₱1,200 or ₱2,400 by credited years of service.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from SSS's official published sources: Social Security System | Death Benefit (https://www.sss.gov.ph/death-benefit/, retrieved 2026-08-31); Social Security System | Funeral Benefit (https://www.sss.gov.ph/funeral-benefit/, retrieved 2026-08-31); Social Security System | Citizen's Charter 2026 (1st Edition, External Services) (https://www.sss.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-SSS-Citizens-Charter-1st-Edition-External-Services.pdf, retrieved 2026-08-31). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with SSS before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-08-31.
Two separate benefits follow a member’s death, and they run on different clocks and different formulas. The funeral benefit is a reimbursement with a ceiling; the death benefit is a pension or a lump sum.
The funeral benefit
Starting 20 October 2023:
| Contributions paid up to the month of death | Amount |
|---|---|
| At least 36 | Variable, from a minimum of ₱20,000 to a maximum of ₱60,000 |
| At least 1 but fewer than 36 | Fixed ₱12,000 |
SSS’s wording matters: the funeral benefit is a reimbursement of the funeral expenses as indicated in the proof of payment, but not exceeding the computed funeral benefit due. The upper band is a ceiling, and the receipt is what fixes the actual figure inside it.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Who may claim | Whoever defrayed the cost of funeral expenses on the death of a member, a permanent total disability pensioner or a retirement pensioner |
| Filing hours | 24/7 through My.SSS for SSS member-claimants |
| Non-SSS member claimants | File over the counter at any SSS branch |
| Published processing | 7 working days, no fee |
| Payment | Credited to the claimant’s UMID card enrolled as ATM, or to a disbursement account enrolled in the DAEM |
| UMID no longer a prerequisite | Having or applying for a UMID or SSS Digitized ID is no longer required for online filing |
| Upload limit | Images and PDF only, maximum 2MB per document |
What you upload: proof of SSS membership of the deceased, the death certificate, and proof of defrayal of funeral expenses where applicable. The PSA death certificate guide covers the ₱130.00 document in the middle of that list.
The death benefit
| Type | Who gets it | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly pension | Primary beneficiaries | The member paid at least 36 monthly contributions before the semester of death |
| Lump sum | Primary beneficiaries | Fewer than 36 monthly contributions before the semester of death |
| Lump sum | Secondary beneficiaries | In the absence of primary beneficiaries |
How the monthly pension is computed
The pension is the highest of these three:
| # | Formula |
|---|---|
| 1 | 300 + (20% × AMSC) + (2% × AMSC) × (CYS − 10) |
| 2 | 40% × AMSC |
| 3 | The minimum pension: ₱1,000 with less than 10 CYS, ₱1,200 with at least 10 CYS, or ₱2,400 with at least 20 CYS |
AMSC is the Average Monthly Salary Credit and CYS the Credited Years of Service. The MSC itself runs ₱5,000 to ₱35,000 under the current schedule, with benefits computed only up to ₱20,000. The SSS contribution table sets that out.
The lump sum
| Beneficiary | Amount |
|---|---|
| Primary, fewer than 36 contributions | The higher of: the monthly pension × the number of monthly contributions paid before the semester of death; or 12 × the monthly pension |
| Secondary, at least 36 contributions | 36 × the monthly pension |
| Secondary, fewer than 36 contributions | The higher of: the monthly pension × the number of contributions paid; or 12 × the monthly pension |
Who counts as a beneficiary
| Tier | Who |
|---|---|
| Primary | The dependent spouse, until they remarry |
| Primary | Dependent legitimate, legitimated, legally adopted and illegitimate children who are unmarried, not gainfully employed and not yet 21 years old |
| Primary | Children over 21 who are congenitally, or while still a minor, permanently incapacitated and incapable of self-support |
| Secondary | The dependent parents, in the absence of primary beneficiaries |
| Then | Any other person designated by the member in the SSS records |
| Finally | The legal heirs under the law of succession in the Family Code |
The extras on top
| Benefit | Amount | Since |
|---|---|---|
| 13th month pension | One month’s pension, paid every December | 1988 |
| Additional benefit for survivorship pensioners | ₱1,000 on top of the monthly pension | 1 January 2017 |
| Dependent’s pension | 10% of the member’s monthly pension, or ₱250, whichever is higher | Per dependent child |
| Maximum dependent children | 5, beginning with the youngest, without substitution | - |
The dependent’s pension is paid for each dependent child conceived or legally adopted on or before the date of retirement of the member.
Worked minimums
These use SSS’s own published minimum pensions and formulas. They are arithmetic, not SSS quotations.
| Credited years of service | Minimum monthly pension | Secondary beneficiary lump sum at 36 × | With a ₱1,000 additional benefit, per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 CYS | ₱1,000 | ₱36,000 | ₱2,000 |
| At least 10 CYS | ₱1,200 | ₱43,200 | ₱2,200 |
| At least 20 CYS | ₱2,400 | ₱86,400 | ₱3,400 |
And with one dependent child at the ₱250 floor, a ₱1,000 pension becomes ₱2,250 a month once the additional benefit is included.
How the money reaches you
| Route | When |
|---|---|
| UMID card enrolled as ATM | The default for both benefits |
| PESONet participating banks, e-wallets, remittance transfer companies or cash payout outlets | Where there is no UMID-ATM |
| Cheque | For a beneficiary confined in a penitentiary, correctional institution or rehabilitation centre |
The SSS UMID and MySSS Card guide covers the card, and the My.SSS registration guide the account you file through.
Published processing times
| Claim | Route | Published total | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death benefit | My.SSS | 20 working days | None |
| Death benefit | Over the counter | 20 working days | None |
| Funeral benefit | My.SSS | 7 working days | None |
| Funeral benefit | Over the counter | 7 working days | None |
| Disability benefit, for comparison | Any route | 15 working days | None |
| Unemployment benefit, for comparison | My.SSS | 3 working days | None |
The documents a claim needs from other agencies
| Document | Published fee | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| PSA death certificate, viewable online copy | ₱130.00 | PSA death certificate |
| PSA marriage certificate, for a surviving spouse | ₱130.00 | PSA marriage certificate |
| PSA birth certificate, for dependent children | ₱130.00 | PSA birth certificate |
| PSA CENOMAR, where civil status is in question | ₱185.00 | PSA CENOMAR |
| A correction petition, if an entry is wrong | ₱1,000.00 or ₱3,000.00 | PSA correction of name |
A claim assembling a death certificate, a marriage certificate and one birth certificate carries ₱390.00 in PSA fees before SSS pays anything.
What this page does not cover
SSS does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, how the variable funeral benefit between ₱20,000 and ₱60,000 is computed, the full documentary checklist for an EC death benefit claim, the appeal route for a denied claim, or the prescriptive period for filing a death or funeral claim. None of those are stated here.
Related
The SSS retirement pension guide covers the pension formula this benefit mirrors. The disability benefit guide and the unemployment benefit guide cover the other two final and short-term benefits.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is the SSS funeral benefit?
- Starting 20 October 2023, a variable amount from a minimum of ₱20,000 to a maximum of ₱60,000 if the member or pensioner paid at least 36 contributions up to the month of death, or a fixed ₱12,000 if they paid at least 1 but fewer than 36 contributions.
- Is the funeral benefit a fixed payout?
- Not in the upper band. SSS states the funeral benefit is a reimbursement of the funeral expenses indicated in the proof of payment, but not exceeding the computed funeral benefit due. So the ₱20,000 to ₱60,000 range is a ceiling, not an automatic amount.
- How is the death pension computed?
- The monthly pension is the highest of three formulas: 300 + (20% × AMSC) + (2% × AMSC) × (CYS − 10); or 40% × AMSC; or the minimum pension, which is ₱1,000 with less than 10 credited years of service, ₱1,200 with at least 10 CYS, and ₱2,400 with at least 20 CYS.
- What if the member paid fewer than 36 contributions?
- The primary beneficiaries get a lump sum instead: the higher of the monthly pension times the number of monthly contributions paid before the semester of death, or 12 times the monthly pension.
- What do secondary beneficiaries get?
- 36 times the monthly pension if the member paid at least 36 monthly contributions before the semester of death. If not, the higher of the monthly pension times the number of contributions paid, or 12 times the monthly pension.
- Who counts as a primary beneficiary?
- The dependent spouse until they remarry, and the dependent legitimate, legitimated, legally adopted and illegitimate children who are unmarried, not gainfully employed and under 21, or over 21 if permanently incapacitated since birth or since minority. In their absence, the dependent parents are secondary beneficiaries.
- Are there extra benefits on top of the pension?
- Yes. A 13th month pension every December starting in 1988, a ₱1,000 additional benefit for all survivorship pensioners effective 1 January 2017, and a dependent's pension of 10% of the member's monthly pension or ₱250 whichever is higher, for up to 5 dependent children.
- How long does a claim take?
- The SSS Citizen's Charter publishes 20 working days for a death benefit claim application and 7 working days for a funeral benefit claim application, both at no fee. Funeral claims are accepted 24/7 through My.SSS.