Maternity Benefit

The maternity benefit is equivalent to 100 per cent of the member's average daily salary credit multiplied by 60 days for normal delivery or miscarriage, 78 days for caesarean section delivery.

Benefit Computation:

1. Exclude the semester of contingency (delivery or miscarriage).
   
       A semester refers to two consecutive quarters ending in the quarter of sickness.
       A quarter refers to three consecutive months ending March, June, September or December.
   
   
2. Count 12 months backwards starting from the month immediately before the semester of contingency.
   
   
3. Identify the six highest monthly salary credits within the 12-month period.

   Monthly salary credit salary credit means the compensation base for contributions and benefits related to the total earnings for the month. (The maximum covered earnings or compensation is P16,000 effective January 1, 2014). Please refer to the table below.
   
   
   

4. Add the six highest monthly salary credits to get the total monthly salary credit.
5. Divide the total monthly salary credit by 180 days to get the average daily salary credit. This is equivalent to the daily maternity allowance.
   
6. Multiply the daily maternity allowance by 60 (for normal delivery or miscarriage) or 78 days (for caesarean section delivery) to get the total amount of maternity benefit.
   

   For example, let us say that an SSS member gives birth in December 2013.

   1. The semester of contingency would be from July 2013 to December 2013.
   2. The 12-month period before the semester of contingency would be from July 2012 to June 2013.
   3. Let us assume that the six highest monthly salary credits are P15,000 each. Thus, the total monthly salary credit would be P90,000 (P15, 000 x 6).
   4. The daily maternity allowance would be P500 (P90,000/180).
   5. The total maternity benefit due would be P30,000 (P500 x 60 days) for normal delivery/miscarriage/ectopic pregnancy not requiring operation, or P39,000 (P500 x 78) for caesarian cases or ectopic pregnancy requiring operation.

IMPORTANT!

• The maternity benefit shall be paid only for the first four (4) deliveries or miscarriages starting May 24, 1997 when the Social Security Act of 1997 (RA8282) took effect.
• For employed members, the benefit is advanced by the employer to the qualified employee, in full, within 30 days from the date of filing of the maternity leave application. The SSS, in turn, shall immediately reimburse the employer 100 percent of the amount of maternity benefit advanced to the female employee upon receipt of satisfactory proof of such payment and legality thereof.

If the employee member gives birth or suffers miscarriage without the required contributions having been remitted by the employer, or the employer fails to notify the SSS, the employer will be required to pay to the SSS damages equivalent to the benefits the employee would otherwise have been entitled to.

For separated/voluntary/self-employed members, the amount of benefit is paid directly to them by the SSS.

• A female member cannot claim for sickness benefit for a period of 60 days for normal delivery or miscarriage or 78 days for caesarean delivery within which she has been paid the maternity benefit. As a rule, no member can be entitled to two benefits for the same period.