SSS Maternity Benefit 2026: Computation, Requirements & How to Claim

Quick Answer: SSS pays 100% of your Average Daily Salary Credit (ADSC) — your 6 highest Monthly Salary Credits in the 12 months before your semester of delivery, divided by 180 — for 105 days (normal delivery/C-section), 120 days (solo parents), or 60 days (miscarriage/emergency termination). At the ₱20,000 benefit-computation ceiling, that maxes out around ₱70,000, ₱80,000, and ₱40,000 respectively. You need at least 3 posted monthly contributions in the 12 months before that semester, must notify SSS before delivery, and file via My.SSS within 10 years. This is separate from PhilHealth maternity coverage — you can claim both.

Table of Contents

• What is the SSS maternity benefit?
• SSS maternity benefit vs. PhilHealth maternity benefit
• Who qualifies?
• How much can you get? (Computation walkthrough)
• How many days can you claim?
• What is the MAT-1 notification and when do you file it?
• What documents do you need?
• How do you apply, step by step?
• What are the deadlines?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

What is the SSS maternity benefit?

The SSS maternity benefit is a daily cash allowance paid to a qualified female SSS member who is unable to work because of childbirth, miscarriage, or emergency termination of pregnancy (ETP). It replaces income lost during your maternity leave — it is not a payment toward hospital or delivery charges.

This benefit is part of the 105-day paid maternity leave under the Expanded Maternity Leave Law (RA 11210). For employed members, your employer advances your full pay within 30 days from the filing of your maternity leave application, then SSS reimburses the employer 100% of the SSS benefit. Your employer pays the difference between your regular pay and the SSS benefit (the salary differential), unless the employer is exempted by DOLE, such as distressed establishments, retail/service businesses with not more than 10 workers, and micro-businesses with total assets of not more than ₱3 million. In that case you receive only the SSS benefit. Full program details are on sss.gov.ph.

SSS maternity benefit vs. PhilHealth maternity benefit

These are two completely separate benefits, and a pregnant SSS member who is also a PhilHealth member is entitled to both — one doesn't reduce the other.

In practice, a mother giving birth normally could see her hospital bill reduced by PhilHealth's ₱29,000 case rate at the hospital, and separately receive an SSS cash benefit deposited to her own account — two different funds, two different applications, both worth filing.

Who qualifies?

You qualify if you meet all of the following at the same time.

The "semester of contingency" is SSS-specific terminology: a semester means two consecutive quarters ending in the quarter of your delivery/miscarriage, and a quarter is three months ending in March, June, September, or December. So a delivery in October puts your semester at Jul–Dec, while a delivery in February puts it at Oct–Mar. To find your 12-month look-back window, count 12 months backward starting from the month immediately before that semester begins — not simply the 12 months before your delivery date. Because this window shifts your qualifying period earlier than most members expect, check your specific dates and posted contributions through your My.SSS account before you assume you qualify.

How much can you get? (Computation walkthrough)

Your maternity benefit is 100% of your Average Daily Salary Credit (ADSC) — no percentage cut, unlike the SSS sickness benefit's 90%. ADSC is calculated as: the sum of your 6 highest Monthly Salary Credits (MSCs) in the 12 months before your semester of contingency, divided by 180.

For SSS's Regular Social Security Program (which covers maternity, sickness, disability, and unemployment benefits), the MSC used in this computation is capped at ₱20,000 as of 2026 — even though the overall contribution-posting ceiling is ₱35,000. Any salary credit above ₱20,000 flows into the separate WISP provident fund, which isn't part of this benefit computation.

Example 1 — member at the ₱20,000 MSC ceiling, normal delivery (105 days):

Example 2 — member with a ₱12,000 average MSC, miscarriage (60 days):

Your own number depends entirely on your 6 highest posted MSCs in the relevant 12-month window — pull your contribution record on My.SSS to run your own version of this table before you file. Members who qualify as solo parents under RA 8972 get 120 days instead of 105, which raises Example 1's total to roughly ₱80,000 at the ₱20,000 MSC ceiling.

How many days can you claim?

The number of compensable days depends on the type of contingency, and there's no partial-day proration beyond the formula above.

At the current ₱20,000 MSC computation ceiling, these translate to maximum benefits of roughly ₱70,000, ₱80,000, and ₱40,000 respectively, worked out from the SSS formula and the ₱20,000 MSC cap in SSS Circular No. 2024-006. A member with a lower average MSC will receive proportionally less, per the formula above, not these flat maximums.

What is the MAT-1 notification and when do you file it?

Before you can claim, SSS requires a separate Maternity Notification (MAT-1), which is not the same as your actual benefit claim/reimbursement application. SSS's current pages call it simply the Maternity Notification.

• When to file it: As soon as your pregnancy is confirmed. The SSS Citizen's Charter says the notification must be filed with SSS before the date of your delivery, miscarriage, or ETP. For employed members, the RA 11210 implementing rules add that failing to notify your employer does not bar you from the benefit, subject to SSS guidelines, but treat that as a last resort and file on time.
• If you're employed: Submit the MAT-1 to your employer with proof of pregnancy (a physician-signed pregnancy test result, ultrasound, or Beta HCG result), and your employer forwards the notification to SSS through their My.SSS employer account.
• If you're self-employed, voluntary, an OFW, or a non-working spouse: File the MAT-1 directly with SSS through My.SSS, the SSS mobile app, or the Self-Service Express Terminals.

Notification is one of the conditions for the benefit, so treat it as the first step the moment a pregnancy test comes back positive, not something you handle after delivery.

SSS Maternity Benefit: 105 Days and What It Pays covers the MAT-1 flow and the computation from the SSS side.

What documents do you need?

How do you apply, step by step?

How you file depends on your membership type. Both paths start with the MAT-1 notification described above, filed before your delivery date.

If you're employed:

1. File the MAT-1 notification with your employer as soon as pregnancy is confirmed; your employer forwards it to SSS via My.SSS.
2. Give birth (or experience the miscarriage/ETP) and gather your child's birth certificate (LCR-registered if you file within 6 months, PSA-issued after that) or medical proof.
3. Submit your supporting documents to your employer.
4. Your employer files the Maternity Benefit Application/Reimbursement on My.SSS and advances your full pay during leave, per RA 11210, within 30 days from the filing of your maternity leave application.
5. SSS reimburses your employer 100% of the SSS benefit advanced. SSS emails you to confirm you received the advance payment, and you have 7 days from that email to confirm.

If you're self-employed, a voluntary member, an OFW, or a non-working spouse:

1. File the MAT-1 notification directly with SSS (My.SSS, mobile app, or Self-Service Express Terminals) before delivery.
2. After the contingency, gather your child's birth certificate (LCR-registered if you file within 6 months, PSA-issued after that) or medical proof.
3. File the Maternity Benefit Application directly through My.SSS, and SSS pays the benefit straight to you since there's no employer to advance the pay.

What are the deadlines?

SSS's stated processing time after you file is 7 working days for live birth or stillbirth and 20 working days for miscarriage or ETP (SSS Citizen's Charter 2026). The 10-year window is generous compared to most SSS benefits, but don't rely on it — filing soon after delivery avoids complications with missing records or a since-closed employer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Magkano ang SSS maternity benefit?

It's 100% of your Average Daily Salary Credit (ADSC) per compensable day. ADSC is your 6 highest Monthly Salary Credits in the 12 months before your semester of contingency, divided by 180. A member at the ₱20,000 MSC ceiling gets roughly ₱666.67 a day, for a total of about ₱70,000 (105 days, normal/C-section), ₱80,000 (120 days, solo parent), or ₱40,000 (60 days, miscarriage).

Paano mag-claim ng SSS maternity benefit?

File the MAT-1 notification before you give birth — through your employer if employed, or directly via My.SSS if self-employed, voluntary, or an OFW. After delivery, submit your child's birth certificate (LCR-registered if you file within 6 months, PSA-issued after that) or medical proof for miscarriage/ETP. Employed members have their employer file the reimbursement claim on My.SSS; everyone else files directly on My.SSS.

What are the requirements for SSS maternity benefit?

At least 3 posted monthly contributions in the 12 months before your semester of contingency, and a MAT-1 notification filed with SSS before your delivery, miscarriage, or ETP. Any female SSS member — employed, self-employed, voluntary, OFW, or non-working spouse — can qualify.

Is SSS maternity benefit the same as PhilHealth maternity benefit?

No. SSS maternity benefit is a cash allowance paid to you as income replacement during leave. PhilHealth maternity benefit is a case rate paid directly toward your hospital bill (₱29,000 normal delivery in a hospital, ₱58,000 C-section, or ₱62,000 for a C-section after an attempted vaginal delivery with a previous C-section, as of 2026). They're separate programs — you can claim both for the same pregnancy. See our PhilHealth maternity benefits guide and PhilHealth maternity claim guide.

How many days can I claim SSS maternity benefit?

105 days for normal delivery or C-section, 120 days if you qualify as a solo parent under RA 8972, or 60 days for miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy.

Can self-employed or voluntary SSS members claim maternity benefit?

Yes. Self-employed, voluntary, OFW, and non-working spouse members file the MAT-1 notification directly through My.SSS, the SSS mobile app, or the Self-Service Express Terminals, and file the benefit claim directly through My.SSS, without an employer involved. SSS pays the benefit straight to the member.

What happens if I don't file the MAT-1 before I give birth?

The SSS Citizen's Charter says the notification must be filed before the delivery, miscarriage, or ETP. If you are employed, the RA 11210 implementing rules say your failure to notify your employer does not bar you from the benefit, subject to SSS guidelines. Still, file it as soon as pregnancy is confirmed, and call the SSS hotline (1455) if you already missed it.

Can I claim SSS maternity benefit if I'm on sick leave for a pregnancy complication instead of giving birth?

No. The maternity benefit is only for childbirth, miscarriage, or ETP. If you stop working because of an illness during pregnancy, ask SSS whether it qualifies under the SSS sickness benefit instead, which pays 90% of ADSC and has its own rules, including at least four days of confinement and a separate notification.

Conclusion

The SSS maternity benefit and PhilHealth's maternity case rate are two different funds that both exist to soften the cost of having a baby, and filing for both is worth the paperwork. Start your SSS claim with the MAT-1 notification before delivery, then follow up with your child's birth certificate through My.SSS. If your pregnancy involves a separate work stoppage for illness, check the SSS sickness benefit guide for that different process. For the PhilHealth side of the bill, see the PhilHealth maternity benefits guide and the step-by-step PhilHealth maternity claim guide. If a hospital balance still remains after both benefits are applied, the hospital bill assistance hub and medical loan options cover what's next. You can also search for accredited maternity clinics and hospitals near you on ClinicFinderPH.