SSS lowers fees for online payments

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The Social Security System said Monday, May 8, that effective May 1, it lowered the service fees charged by accredited collecting banks, and remittance and transfer companies, for online payments and over-the-counter (OTC) transactions.

The pass-on service fees being charged by SSS collecting partners were lowered and capped at P8 per transaction for online payment channels, and at P10 per OTC transaction, via Circular No. 2023-001 dated April 26.

Prior to the new guidelines, banks charged members a pass-on service fee of up to P25 per transaction, while remittance and transfer companies charged up to P15 per transaction when paying their contributions.

SSS president and chief executive officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said that members will greatly benefit from the reduction of service fees whenever they pay their contributions over-the-counter and through online payment channels.

The lowered service fees cover the monthly contribution payments of self-employed and voluntary members, overseas Filipino workers, farmers and fishermen, and non-working spouses. The new guideline also applies to contribution payments of employed SSS members for the Worker’s Investment and Savings Program (WISP) Plus.

“We talked and negotiated with our collecting partner banks as well as with remittance and transfer companies to help ease the burden of ordinary SSS members by reducing the pass-on service fee whenever members pay their regular social security and WISP Plus contributions over-the-counter or through online payment channels,” Macasaet said in a statement.

He added that SSS will bring its services closer to members. “We are currently in the pilot phase of the SSS on eWheels where vehicles equipped with laptops and manned by branch personnel shall be mobilized to reach our members in the grassroots.”

The state insurer has also started implementing the E-Center sa Barangay, a partnership with the local government units, by setting up an SSS E-Center that shall be manned by barangay personnel trained to assist kabarangay in using the My.SSS Portal and SSS Mobile App. ||