SSS Death Benefit Tool

SSS Death Benefit Calculator 2026: Pension, Lump Sum & Requirements

The SSS Death Benefit may be paid as a monthly survivorship pension or a lump-sum benefit, depending on who the qualified beneficiaries are and the member's contribution record.

If a deceased member has qualified primary beneficiaries and at least 36 monthly SSS contributions before the applicable cut-off, the Death Benefit can be paid as a monthly survivorship pension. With fewer than 36 contributions, or when only secondary beneficiaries apply, the benefit is generally paid as a lump sum.

Use the calculator below to check who may claim, pension vs lump sum, a rough benefit amount, required documents, filing route, and DAEM/payment readiness. The SSS Funeral Benefit is separate and is shown when the answers indicate it may apply.

Start with 3 quick questions to see the likely Death Benefit route and amount before continuing to the claim guide.

Step 1

✓ Completed

Tell us about your loved one

The date your loved one passed away helps us find the correct SSS contribution cut-off. An existing pension can change the rule completely.

When did your loved one pass away?
Older years are hidden here to keep the common path short.
Select the day, month, and year your loved one passed away.

Step 2

✓ Completed

Who did the member leave behind?

Select all that may apply. The checker uses this to identify the highest-priority beneficiary group.

Step 3

✓ Completed

Check the survivorship pension

This matters because the 100% continuation rule applies to qualified primary beneficiaries as of retirement/disability.
The secondary-beneficiary / estate rule uses the balance of the first 60 monthly pensions when the pensioner dies within that five-year guaranteed period.
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Enter the regular monthly pension if known. Exclude any dependent children's pension; for PTD, exclude the supplemental disability allowance if possible. You may leave this blank and still see the rule.

Your result

Survivorship Pension Result

Estimated monthly benefit
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Optional financial option

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Another SSS benefit available

SSS Funeral Benefit

₱20,000–₱60,000

A retirement pensioner had at least 120 contributions; a monthly PTD pension required at least 36. That already satisfies the 36+ contribution bracket for the separate Funeral Benefit.

Check Funeral Benefit Calculator

Next: Step 4 — choose who will file and see the documents and filing route.

Step 3

✓ Completed

Check the benefit and rough amount

First confirm the contribution range, then give two simple estimates so we can show a peso indication right away.

Contributions used for the Death Benefit test
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How many qualifying SSS contributions were paid?
An approximate count is enough for this rough lump-sum estimate.

For a rough peso estimate

Choose the amount you actually know. This is only for a rough result; SSS will use the official contribution record, AMSC and CYS for the final computation.

What amount do you know?
Choose the MSC shown in the member's SSS record. The full MSC can be above ₱20,000, but the Regular SS Death Benefit rough basis is capped at ₱20,000.
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For employed members, enter the monthly salary/compensation. For self-employed, voluntary or OFW members, choose the MSC option above when the member's declared/elected MSC is known because salary may not match the MSC actually paid.
Estimated SSS MSC
Enter a whole-number estimate. This is only a shortcut for the rough result; official Credited Years of Service can be computed differently by SSS.

Your result

Result: Your Estimated SSS Death Benefit

Estimated benefit
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Estimated dependent children's pension

Optional financial option

Need another payment option?

If you need a separate payment option for planned or unexpected expenses, you may review this UnionBank credit-card offer.

View UnionBank Credit Card Offer

Approval, fees, eligibility, credit limit and terms remain subject to UnionBank. This affiliate offer helps keep the calculator free.

Another SSS benefit available

SSS Funeral Benefit

Check Funeral Benefit Calculator

This is a rough estimate. SSS uses the official contribution record, AMSC, CYS, beneficiary status and any applicable deductions for the final amount.

Next: Step 4 — choose who will file and see the exact claim route.

Step 4

✓ Completed

Who will file the Death Benefit claim?

We already know who was left behind from Step 2. Choose the person who will actually file so we can show the right documents and filing route.

Claimant selected

Documents to prepare for this claimant

    Can the surviving spouse use My.SSS online?

    SSS uses this when determining whether the dependent legal-spouse online route applies.
    Where this claimant should file
    Checking the filing route...

    Step 5

    ✓ Completed

    Check DAEM / payment account

    SSS needs a valid payout route for the claimant. DAEM means Disbursement Account Enrollment Module in My.SSS.

    The claimant should use their own valid payout account. A name mismatch can cause enrollment or payment problems.
    Payment readiness
    Choose the claimant's payment setup

    We will tell you whether the payout setup looks ready or what should be fixed before filing.

    Common proof of account: bank passbook, ATM/debit proof showing the claimant and account number, validated deposit slip, recent bank certificate/statement, e-wallet account screen showing the claimant and account/mobile number, or the applicable remittance/cash-payout details.

    Step 6

    ✓ Completed

    Your SSS Death Benefit claim plan

    This brings together the answers you entered so you know what to prepare and what to do next.

    Benefit
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    Claimant
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    Where to file
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    DAEM / payment
    -
    Separate SSS benefit

    Documents from your claimant check

      Your next action
      Guide completed. Use the claim plan above as your preparation checklist before filing.

      SSS Death Benefit at a glance

      Primary beneficiary + 36 or more contributions

      Generally monthly survivorship pension.

      Primary beneficiary + fewer than 36 contributions

      Lump sum equal to the higher of pension × contribution count or 12 × pension.

      Secondary beneficiary + 36 or more contributions

      Lump sum equal to 36 × monthly pension.

      Secondary beneficiary + fewer than 36 contributions

      Same lower-contribution lump-sum formula: higher of contribution count × pension or 12 × pension.

      SSS Death Benefit vs Funeral Benefit

      Death Benefit

      Paid to the qualified beneficiaries of the deceased member. It may be a monthly survivorship pension or a lump sum depending mainly on beneficiary priority and contributions before the semester of death.

      Funeral Benefit

      A separate benefit for the person who actually paid the qualified funeral expenses. The funeral claimant does not have to be the same person who receives the Death Benefit.

      In many families, it is worth checking both claims rather than assuming one replaces the other.

      Who are the SSS Death Benefit beneficiaries?

      Primary beneficiaries Dependent legal spouse until remarriage, and qualified dependent legitimate, legitimated, legally adopted and illegitimate children.
      Secondary beneficiaries Dependent parents, considered only in the absence of primary beneficiaries.
      If there are no primary or secondary beneficiaries SSS next considers a beneficiary designated in the member's SSS record. In the absence of a designated beneficiary, payment goes to legal heirs under the applicable law of succession.

      How the SSS monthly death pension is computed

      The statutory monthly pension is the highest applicable amount from:

      1. ₱300 + (20% × AMSC) + [2% × AMSC × CYS above 10]
      2. 40% × AMSC
      3. Minimum pension: ₱1,000 if CYS is below 10, ₱1,200 with at least 10 CYS, or ₱2,400 with at least 20 CYS.

      Qualified survivorship pensioners receiving monthly pension also receive the current ₱1,000 additional benefit allowance on top of the statutory pension.

      Dependent children's pension

      When monthly pension is payable on account of death, a qualified dependent child may receive an additional dependent pension equal to 10% of the monthly pension or ₱250, whichever is higher.

      The maximum is five qualified children beginning with the youngest and without substitution, subject to the preference and qualification rules in the Social Security Act and SSS guidelines.

      Death / survivorship pension increases from 2025 to 2027

      Death and survivorship pensioners are included in the SSS Pension Reform Program, but their rate is different from retirement/disability pensioners.

      Year Death / survivor increase Standard cut-off
      2025 +5% August 31, 2025
      2026 +5% May 31, 2026 for June early rollout; June 1–August 31 contingencies receive it September 1
      2027 +5% August 31, 2027

      A survivorship pensioner qualified for all three 5% tranches receives compounded growth of about 15.8% (1.05 × 1.05 × 1.05 = 1.157625), which SSS describes as approximately 16%. The increase applies to the monthly pension including the ₱1,000 benefit allowance, and dependent pensions are adjusted accordingly.

      What happens to Mandatory Pension Booster / MPF when a member dies?

      Mandatory MPF is separate from the Regular SS death benefit. Under the revised MPF rules, the MPF death benefit is paid in lump sum to beneficiaries regardless of account value.

      Use the member's official Total Accumulated Account Value (TAAV) in My.SSS rather than trying to reconstruct the exact investment balance from old salaries.

      What if the deceased was already an SSS retirement pensioner?

      That case follows a different rule from the calculator above.

      Upon the death of a retired member, the primary beneficiaries as of the date of retirement are entitled to 100% of the monthly pension, with qualified dependents receiving the applicable dependent pension.

      If the retiree has no primary beneficiaries and dies within the first 60 months from the start of retirement pension, secondary beneficiaries may receive a lump sum corresponding to the balance of the five-year guaranteed pension period, excluding the dependent pension and applicable excluded allowances.

      What if the deceased was a permanent total disability pensioner?

      A permanent total disability pensioner's death follows special pension-continuation rules rather than the normal new-member 36-contribution calculation. Primary-beneficiary continuation and any secondary beneficiary guaranteed-period payment depend on the disability pension record, beneficiary status and pension start date. Confirm this route using the member's official SSS disability record.

      How to file an SSS Death Benefit claim

      Death Benefit claims may be filed over the counter at an SSS branch. Qualified dependent legal spouses who are themselves SSS members may also qualify for online filing through My.SSS.

      Some cases still require over-the-counter evaluation, including claims involving dependent children or other beneficiary/document complications, in-process/settled claims, invalid coverage, or work-related death requiring EC medical evaluation.

      Common basic documents

      • Death Claim Application / applicable claim form
      • Registered death certificate / PSA or applicable foreign death record
      • Claimant identification
      • Approved disbursement details / applicable SSS payment channel
      • Marriage, birth, dependency and other beneficiary documents depending on the claim

      How SSS Death Benefit is paid

      SSS may credit death benefits through the beneficiary's UMID card enrolled as ATM or applicable PESONet participating bank, e-wallet, remittance transfer company or cash-payout channel, subject to the current disbursement rules and approved account details.

      Possible deductions

      The amount actually released can differ from the gross calculator estimate. SSS may apply allowable deductions for applicable outstanding member loans, overlapping benefits, recoverable unemployment benefits or overpaid pensions.

      This calculator therefore estimates the gross statutory death benefit before case-specific deductions.

      Work-related death may also qualify for EC Death Benefit

      If the member died because of a compensable work-related sickness or injury, beneficiaries may also qualify separately under the Employees' Compensation Program.

      EC Death Benefit can be granted simultaneously with the Social Security death benefit when the applicable EC requirements are met.

      Frequently asked questions

      Thirty-six paid monthly contributions before the semester of death is the contribution threshold for monthly death pension, but monthly pension is payable to qualified primary beneficiaries. Secondary beneficiaries receive lump sum instead.

      Primary or secondary beneficiaries generally receive the higher of monthly pension multiplied by the number of contributions paid or 12 times the monthly pension.

      Yes. SSS states that survivorship pensioners receiving monthly pension receive the ₱1,000 additional benefit on top of their monthly pension.

      No. The 2026 Pension Reform tranche is 10% for retirement/disability pensioners but 5% for death/survivorship pensioners, subject to the contingency-date cut-off.

      Mandatory MPF death benefit is paid as a lump sum to beneficiaries regardless of the Total Accumulated Account Value. It is separate from the Regular SS death benefit.

      No. Funeral Benefit reimburses qualified funeral expenses. Death Benefit is paid to qualified beneficiaries as monthly pension or lump sum depending on the deceased member's contributions and beneficiary status.

      Independent estimate

      This tool does not determine legal beneficiary status or access the deceased member's official SSS record. Exact contribution count, AMSC, CYS, beneficiary priority, Pension Booster balance, deductions and final benefit are determined by SSS.

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