Definition
A cash benefit paid either in monthly pension or as lump sum to the beneficiaries of a deceased member.
Types of death benefits
- Monthly pension — A lifetime cash benefit paid to the primary beneficiaries of a deceased member who had paid at least thirty-six (36) monthly contributions prior to the semester of death.
- Lump sum benefit — A one-time cash benefit paid to the primary beneficiaries of a deceased member who had paid less than 36 monthly contributions before the semester of death. In the absence of the primary beneficiaries, the secondary beneficiaries shall be entitled to a lump sum benefit.
Eligible beneficiaries
The death benefit is granted to the primary beneficiaries of the deceased member. These are the dependent spouse, until he/she remarries, and the dependent legitimate, legitimated, or legally adopted, and illegitimate children of the deceased member who are unmarried, not gainfully employed and not yet 21 years old or if over 21 years old, provided they are congenitally or while still a minor has been permanently incapacitated and incapable of self-support, physical or mental.
In the absence of primary beneficiaries, the death benefit is granted to the dependent parents of the deceased who are considered as secondary beneficiaries. In their absence, any other person designated by the member in his/her SSS records. If there is no designated beneficiary, the benefit shall be paid to the deceased member's legal heirs in accordance with the law of succession under the Family Code of the Philippines.