I officially started my freelancing journey in April this year. To make sure that I will receive the same government benefits that I got when I was employed in corporate, I see to it that I will continue to pay for the government-mandated premiums.
As a freelancer, nobody will oversee or manage our SSS, PAG-IBIG, and Philhealth contributions on our behalf anymore (unless you hire somebody maybe?). We have to make the payments by ourselves.
So, I am writing this blog post to show you how I did it.
First things first: To be able to pay SSS, PAG-IBIG, and Philhealth as a freelancer, one must ensure that they have their membership status updated in the respective government institutions. As freelancers, we are either self-employed or voluntary (depending on the terms used by the institutions). Otherwise, you need to update you membership type.
Next, you can either pay by going to the branch or pay via online partners (except for Philhealth). You can pay through the following payment methods:
- visit the branch near you.
- via e-wallets (GCash or Paymaya)
- online banking through the bills payment facility of banks.
- through the government websites’ payment facility.
I’ll be discussing paying premiums via online channels below. Aside from being more convenient than going to the government office’s branch, these are the ones that I have tried.
Paying SSS Premium
To be able to pay for your SSS premium contribution, you are required to generate a Payment Reference Number or PRN. A PRN can be generated through the SSS online portal. Navigate towards the Payment Reference Number – Contributions tab. This is very important as this will serve as the tracking number of your payment.
Pay SSS Premium Contribution through GCash or Maya
If you choose to pay your SSS contribution through GCash (or Maya) you have to key in your PRN to the designated field. Make sure you keyed in 14 digits for the PRN to be accepted.
(I have yet to try with Maya, but with the similar nature with Gcash, I don’t think the procedure will be too different.)
Pay SSS Premium Contribution using a BPI eGov or Unionbank account
If you have a bank account in BPI or Unionbank, you can pay for your SSS premium using the BPI eGov facility, or the Unionbank bills payment facility that can be accessed through Unionbank Online Banking. Just look for “SSS” among the billers. Make sure that you are paying for “Contribution” if you are asked for the payment type. And also make sure you keyed in the PRN correctly.
There’s a convenience fee of Php10 when you use the BPI eGov facility. Save your proof of transaction as your official receipt.
Meanwhile, if you use Unionbank, there are no fees charged. Yey!
Payment will reflect within 24 hours at the earliest. Otherwise, you may check on your SSS Online after 3 to 5 days if the payment has been posted. These are third-party payment channels so it’s possible that posting may be delayed.
Just recently SSS posted a list of ways that one can use to be able to pay their premiums. Check the “For INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS” image.
Pay through SSS Mobile App
The SSS has integrated contributions and loan payments through its dedicated mobile app. You can debit the amounts from your Gcash, Maya, debit or credit cards or a BPI account to be able to pay your due payments. Please bear in mind that there are corresponding convenience fee or service fee that will be charged when using this facility.
What’s convenient with the payment facility inside the SSS mobile app is that you do not need to type the long PRN anymore, you generate a PRN and you just need to click “Pay” and choose your preferred source of fund.
It will take a while for your account to update the payments, so please do not tap “Pay” again as this will cause double payment. Read the instructions on the screen thoroughly when transacting for the first time through the app.
Paying PAG-IBIG Premium
When paying for PAG-IBIG contribution, make sure that you have your account number or MID number ready.
Pay PAG-IBIG contributions through GCash or Maya
When using e-wallets, you must key in the following:
- Type of payment (in this case, “Contribution”)
- Your account/MID number (12-20 digits)
- The period covered by the amount you are about to pay. (If you want to pay for only one month, i.e. July, key in July 2022 in the From and To sections)
- Email address (so Gcash can send you a copy of the transaction as your official receipt)
Note: When using Maya, on the other hand, you will be redirected to the Virtual PAG-IBIG website. You have to fill in the details there. You can be redirected to log in to Maya to proceed with the payment, or you can scan the QR code that will be provided to confirm and proceed with the payment.
Both services will charge a Php5 service fee on top of the paid amount.
Pay PAG-IBIG contributions using a BPI bank account
If you have a BPI savings account and are using the mobile app or mobile banking facility, you are lucky.
BPI eGov, a payments facility exclusive for paying government agencies, also has PAG-IBIG in its roster of government partners. Just key in the details (MID, type of payment, and period covered) to be able to complete the transaction.
A convenience fee of Php7 will be deducted on top of the paid premium. The amount will be deducted from your BPI savings account.
Pay PAG-IBIG contributions through the Virtual PAG-IBIG website
You can also use the Virtual PAG-IBIG website to pay for your premiums. If you have a debit card or credit card you can use this to pay for the premiums. Just follow the same process from the other payment channels. However, similar to E-wallets and BOI eGov, you will be charged a 1.75% service fee or Php7 pesos for a transaction.
Paying Philhealth Premiums
Original post: Among the mandated government benefits, Philhealth is the one without any partner online payment channels for self-payment. I confirmed this when I visited one Philhealth branch. You can pay your premiums in a lump sum or every month directly when you visit the Philhealth branch nearest you.
Updated post: On July 22, I found a post on Philhealth’s Facebook page that they now have an online payment facility for self-paying members. Please note that you can only pay for the present applicable month onwards (up to 36 months) when using this online payment facility.
One can pay for his/her Philhealth contribution by doing the following:
1. Log in to the Member’s page in the Philhealth website. On the left-side menu, navigate to Payment Management and then click Generate SPA.
2. Set the number of months that you want to pay for by choosing from the drop-down menu.
Take note of the total amount and the due date if you are not going to pay for it yet.
3. Click Generate Statement of Premium Account (SPA) at the bottom. Choose Yes when a dialog box appears.
A SPA number will be generated and you can see it under the Due date. Click Pay. The page will reload and the partner online payment facility will be displayed.
4. Click the logo of the collecting agent (MYEG) and choose Yes when a dialog box appears confirming you want to pay through the online facility. Validate all the details once the page reloads and then, click Next.
5. You can choose between paying using an e-wallet (Gcash or Maya) or using a debit or credit card.
Please note that there is a service charge on top of the total amount that you are going to pay. There is a Php15 charge if you use either of the e-wallets, while there is a certain percentage to be charged, depending on the amount you are going to pay, if you use a debit or credit card.
6. Proceed with the payment.
7. Once completed you will be presented with a transaction statement at the end. You may screenshot this for future reference or as proof of payment.
8. Your payment will also be recorded on your Philhealth account. Log in again to your Philheath account, navigate to SPA History, and you’ll see a mark PAID for the applicable period you paid for. An ePAR or electronic Premium Acknowledgment Receipt can also be downloaded. This will serve as your official receipt.
A copy of the transaction status and the final details of the payment will also be sent to your email.
