SSS death benefit payouts reach ₱63.74 billion in first nine months of 2026

The Social Security System (SSS) paid out ₱63.74 billion in death benefits from January to September 2026, a 10.4 percent increase from ₱57.74 billion in the same period last year, according to a report by Mindanao Times.

SSS president and chief executive officer Victor Alfonso A. Limlingan said the agency released an average of ₱7.08 billion in death benefits each month. He linked the growth to the early rollout in June of the second tranche of the Pension Reform Program, which raised the monthly pensions of surviving spouses, or death pensioners, by 5 percent.

According to Limlingan, payouts in the third quarter climbed by nearly 5 percent from the second quarter, the biggest quarterly increase this year. Growth from the first to the second quarter was under 1 percent. He said the early increase gave "immediate relief to surviving spouses and other qualified beneficiaries."

The number of death benefit beneficiaries rose 5.7 percent to 1.4 million, up from 1.3 million a year earlier. Surviving spouses made up about 89.8 percent of them. As of September, the average monthly death pension was ₱4,568, with a minimum of ₱2,000 and a maximum of ₱23,422.

Beneficiaries of members who paid at least 36 monthly contributions before the semester of death receive a monthly pension, while those of members with fewer contributions get a one-time lump sum. If there are no primary beneficiaries, secondary beneficiaries may claim the lump sum.

Funeral benefit payouts also rose 5 percent to ₱3.25 billion, from ₱3.09 billion in the same period of 2025. Recipients increased 3.5 percent to 151,844, or an average of 16,872 a month.

Claimants of members with 36 or more contributions may receive between ₱20,000 and ₱60,000, depending on contributions and average monthly salary credit. Those with at least one but fewer than 36 contributions are entitled to a fixed ₱12,000. The benefit can cover expenses such as embalming, coffins, cremation, burial lots and memorial plans, with reimbursement capped at the computed amount. The surviving legal spouse has priority, and claims must be filed within 10 years of the death.

Limlingan said member-claimants may file death and funeral benefit claims online through their My.SSS accounts, while non-member claimants may apply at any SSS branch office.