THE DEADLINE for the payment of monthly pension contributions is now scheduled at the end of the month after the payable period, the Social Security System (SSS) said, as the fund adjusts to the payment reference number (PRN) system.
In a statement yesterday, the state-run pension fund said the Social Security Commission, the policy-making body of the pension fund, approved the revision of the payment deadline on Sept. 12 through SSC Resolution No. 728.s-2018.
This means that contributions for October, for example, must be paid by the end of November. Currently, the deadline is based on the 10th digit of the 13-digit SSS number of the employer.
However, the revised schedule will not apply to SSS members who are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). They can pay their contributions any time within the year, but contributions for the last three months can be paid until Jan. 31 of the following year.
Meanwhile, household employers and individual members have until the end of the year to pay their monthly contributions. Also, since the last day of December 2018 is a non-working holiday, the deadline will be on Jan. 2, 2019. Contributions for the fourth quarter of 2018 may also be paid on or before Jan. 31, 2019.
“We have decided to adjust the payment deadline for our employers and individual members to accommodate those who are willing to pay their monthly premiums to SSS but were slightly affected by the birth pains of the pilot implementation of the Real-Time Processing of Contributions (RTPC) program, which requires them to update their information with SSS and generate a unique payment reference number before paying their premiums,” SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc was quoted as saying in the statement.
Under the RTPC program, members needs to present their PRN before paying so their contributions will be posted real-time, along with SMS notifications, allowing them to avail of their benefits and privileges on time, according to the SSS.
“We hope that with the revised payment deadlines, self-employed voluntary members will be able to pay their contributions accordingly. We are also expecting that regular and household employers will have no excuse for settling their obligations to SSS on time,” Mr. Dooc said.
The SSS advised its members and employers that while necessary enhancements to the application system for the revised payment deadline is still ongoing, they may go to any Automated Tellering System in SSS branches nationwide for payment transactions.
SSS members can get their PRNs through the SSS website, PRN inquiry facilities of SSS’ collection partners, or any of the SSS branches nationwide. — E.J.C. Tubayan

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