SSS for OFWs: Coverage, Contributions, 32 Offices
Social Security System · membership
Quick answer
SSS coverage is compulsory for all sea-based and land-based OFWs. Land-based OFWs are treated as self-employed; manning agencies are the employers of sea-based OFWs. SSS runs 32 foreign offices plus an OFW Contact Services Section and an SSS-DMW branch in Mandaluyong.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from SSS's official published sources: Social Security System | Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) (https://www.sss.gov.ph/ofw-member/, retrieved 2026-08-31); Social Security System | Contact Us (https://www.sss.gov.ph/contact-us/, retrieved 2026-08-31); Social Security System | SSS Contribution Table (https://www.sss.gov.ph/sss-contribution-table/, 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.
SSS puts it plainly on its own OFW page: once a member, always a member. Coverage is compulsory, it follows you abroad, and it survives the end of your contract if you keep paying.
How coverage works
| Rule | What SSS publishes |
|---|---|
| Compulsory coverage | Upon all sea-based and land-based OFWs |
| Land-based OFWs | Compulsory members, considered in the same manner as self-employed persons |
| Sea-based OFWs | Manning agencies are agents of their principals and are considered the employers |
| After the contract ends | OFWs may continue to pay contributions on a voluntary basis to maintain rights to full benefits |
| Permanent migrants | Filipino immigrants, permanent residents and naturalised citizens of host countries may be covered voluntarily |
| Bilateral agreements | SSS maintains bilateral social security agreements with other countries |
SSS’s definition of an OFW: a Filipino who is to be engaged, is engaged, or has been engaged in remunerated activity in a country of which they are not an immigrant, citizen or permanent resident, whether land-based or sea-based, excluding those under a government-recognised exchange visitor programme. It also covers a person contracted for overseas employment who has yet to leave the Philippines.
Getting the number
| Route | Published time |
|---|---|
| Online SS number application with uploading of supporting documents | 2 working days 10 minutes |
| Online SS number application without uploading of supporting documents | 20 minutes |
SSS’s warning is worth repeating: the SS number is a unique lifetime number. If you registered in the past and cannot remember it, do not apply for a new one.
Documents to have scanned: birth certificate, baptismal certificate, driver’s licence, passport, PRC card and similar. The PSA birth certificate guide covers the ₱130.00 viewable online copy, and the passport renewal guide the ₱950.00 passport.
What you pay
Land-based OFWs pay as self-employed members on the standard schedule.
| Figure | |
|---|---|
| Contribution rate | 15% of the Monthly Salary Credit |
| MSC floor | ₱5,000 |
| MSC ceiling | ₱35,000 |
| Monthly contribution range | ₱760.00 to ₱5,280.00 |
| Benefits computed only up to | ₱20,000 of MSC |
| The portion above ₱20,000 | Goes to the Mandatory Provident Fund and funds WISP |
The SSS contribution table has all 61 rows, and the pay contribution guide the channels.
The savings layer SSS points OFWs to
SSS names OFWs explicitly among the members the MySSS Pension Booster targets.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Minimum payment | ₱500.00, no maximum limit |
| Fund size in 2023 | ₱386 million |
| Return on investment in 2023 | 6.97% |
| Target rate | 7.2% |
| Tax | Contributions and earnings are tax-free |
| First-year withdrawal | Allowed only for extreme hardship, which SSS lists as including repatriation from the host country for an OFW |
The WISP and Pension Booster guide covers both layers.
The benefits that follow you
| Benefit | Key published figure | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment | Open to OFWs; 36 contributions, 12 in the last 18 months, filed within 1 year, once every 3 years | Unemployment benefit |
| Sickness | Short-term claim | Sickness benefit |
| Maternity | Filed within 10 years of the contingency | Maternity benefit |
| Disability | Minimum pension ₱1,000, ₱1,200 or ₱2,400 | Disability benefit |
| Retirement | Same pension formula and floors | Retirement pension |
| Death and funeral | Funeral ₱12,000 to ₱60,000 | Death and funeral benefit |
| Salary loan | 8% or 10% per annum over 24 amortisations | SSS salary loan |
| Calamity loan | 7% or 10% per annum | SSS calamity loan |
For unemployment specifically, SSS notes the reasons for involuntary separation of OFWs are determined by DOLE through the POEA.
The 32 foreign offices
| Region | Offices |
|---|---|
| Asia, 9 offices | Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Singapore, South Korea, Taipei |
| Americas, 6 offices | Calgary, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver |
| Middle East, 11 offices | Abu Dhabi, Al Khobar, Amman, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Riyadh, Tel Aviv |
| Europe, 4 offices | London, Madrid, Milan, Rome |
Contact channels
| Channel | Detail |
|---|---|
| OFW Contact Services Section email | ofw.relations@sss.gov.ph |
| Landlines | (+632) 8364-7796, (+632) 8364-7798 |
| Landline with locals | (+632) 8709-7198 locals 1655 and 1656 |
| Globe mobile, call and text | +63 977 804-8668 |
| Smart mobile, call and text | +63 998 847-4092 |
| General SSS hotline | 1455 |
| General email | usssaptayo@sss.gov.ph |
| SSS-DMW branch office | DMW Building, Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City, Blas F. Ople Building, +63 (02) 87261679 |
The SSS-DMW branch exists to handle OFW transactions before deployment, which is the same trip as an OEC and OWWA membership at USD $25.00.
The pre-departure stack
An OFW leaving the country deals with four agencies in roughly the same week.
| Agency | Document | Published figure |
|---|---|---|
| DMW | OEC | Valid 60 days, single exit |
| DMW | Balik-Manggagawa OEC | Total standard fee None; passport valid at least 6 months |
| OWWA | Membership | USD $25.00, valid until the contract ends or 2 years |
| DFA | Passport | ₱950.00 regular, ₱1,200.00 expedite |
| NBI | Clearance | ₱160.00 including the e-payment fee |
| SSS | Contributions | ₱760.00 to ₱5,280.00 a month |
What this page does not cover
SSS does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, the addresses and contact numbers of individual foreign offices, the countries covered by each bilateral agreement, the contribution schedule specific to sea-based OFWs, or the process for continuing membership as an immigrant in the detail given here. None of those are stated here.
Related
The SSS contribution table covers what you pay, and the WISP and Pension Booster guide the voluntary layer SSS points OFWs to. The My.SSS registration guide covers the account every online transaction needs.
Frequently asked questions
- Is SSS membership compulsory for OFWs?
- Yes. SSS states coverage shall be compulsory upon all sea-based and land-based OFWs. Land-based OFWs are compulsory members considered in the same manner as self-employed persons, and manning agencies are agents of their principals and considered the employers of sea-based OFWs.
- What happens when my contract ends?
- SSS states that upon termination of their employment overseas, OFWs may continue to pay contributions on a voluntary basis to maintain their rights to full benefits.
- Can permanent migrants stay members?
- Yes, voluntarily. SSS states that Filipino permanent migrants, including Filipino immigrants, permanent residents and naturalized citizens of their host countries, may be covered by the SSS on a voluntary basis.
- How do I get an SS number from abroad?
- Issuance of an SS number is done online through the SS Number Online Issuance Facility on the SSS website. The Citizen's Charter publishes 2 working days 10 minutes for an application with uploaded supporting documents, and 20 minutes for one without.
- What if I already had an SS number and forgot it?
- SSS is explicit: the SS number is a unique lifetime number that must always be used in all SSS transactions, and if you registered in the past and cannot remember it you should not apply for a new number. Coordinate through the information and service channels instead.
- Where can I reach SSS from abroad?
- The OFW Contact Services Section at ofw.relations@sss.gov.ph, landlines (+632) 8364-7796, (+632) 8364-7798 and (+632) 8709-7198 locals 1655 and 1656, Globe +63 977 804-8668 and Smart +63 998 847-4092. The general hotline is 1455.
- Does SSS have offices overseas?
- Yes, 32 of them. In Asia: Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Singapore, South Korea and Taipei. In the Americas: Calgary, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver. In the Middle East: Abu Dhabi, Al Khobar, Amman, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Riyadh and Tel Aviv. In Europe: London, Madrid, Milan and Rome.
- Is there an SSS office at the DMW?
- Yes. The SSS-DMW branch is at the DMW Building, Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City, in the Blas F. Ople Building, on +63 (02) 87261679. It handles OFW transactions before deployment.
More SSS guides
Sources
- Social Security System | Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), retrieved
- Social Security System | Contact Us, retrieved
- Social Security System | SSS Contribution Table, retrieved