The SSS 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law is beneficial to Filipino SSS female members, especially female workers. A daily cash allowance is granted to a female member who undergoes childbirth, miscarriage, or emergency pregnancy termination.

The 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) Law increases the Maternity Leave period to one hundred five (105) days for female workers. They can also extend for thirty (30) days without pay and grant fifteen (15) days for solo mothers and other purposes.

Basic Guide and Requirements for SSS Maternity Benefits

For a female SSS member to avail of Maternity Benefit, she must know the Qualifying Conditions and Documentary Requirements. Before applying for the maternity benefit, a member must know what are the necessary documents to submit to make the process faster and to avoid repeating the process.

Qualifying Conditions

Filipino female workers who work in the public sector, private sector, informal economy, female members who are voluntary contributors to SSS, and female athletes are entitled to avail of the benefits under the SSS 105-Days Expanded Maternity Leave Law. If you wish to avail of SSS Maternity Benefit, check and update your SSS contributions first. For female workers in the private sector, ask your employer about your SSS contributions, making sure they are regularly paying. 

A member is qualified to avail of the SSS Maternity Benefits if she has paid at least three (3) months of her monthly contributions within the twelve (12) month necessary period immediately before the semester of the contingency or the semester of live childbirth, miscarriage, or emergency pregnancy termination.

The female worker also has to give prior written notice to her employer to submit her Maternity Notification to notify the agency and make necessary arrangements regarding her maternity leave. 

Suppose the female member is a voluntary member, self-employed, Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), or separated from employment. In that case, she must notify the agency or the SSS directly about her pregnancy and the delivery date or file a Maternity Notification online in her My.SSS account.

The Maternity Notification form should be filed sixty (60) days from conception and not after the date of delivery, miscarriage, and emergency pregnancy termination. 

If you did not submit the Maternity Notification within the given schedule, an explanation letter is required.

Documentary Requirements

The following documents are required to submit at any SSS branch to avail of the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law.

Documentary Requirement for Voluntary Member, Self-employed and Separated from Employment

• Maternity Benefit Application (MBA) Form
• Original and photocopy of two (2) valid Identification Cards (ID)

List of Valid Identification Cards or Documents

Primary ID Cards or Documents

1. Social Security (SS) Card
2. Unified Multipurpose ID (UMID) Card
3. Passport
4. Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) card
5. Seaman’s Book (Seafarers Identification and Record book) 

Secondary ID Cards or Documents

1. Company ID
2. GSIS Card
3. Postal ID
4. School ID
5. Police Clearance
6. Voter’s ID

Additional Requirements for Normal Delivery

• Birth Certificate of the child born or Fetal Death Certificate (Certified True Copy (CTC) and photocopy. 
• Obstetrical History (the SSS will provide this form)

Obstetrical History includes the number of pregnancies certified by the female member’s attending physician, including his name, signature, and Professional Medical License Number.

Additional Requirements for Caesarian Section Delivery

• Birth Certificate of the child born or Fetal Death Certificate (Certified True Copy (CTC) and photocopy)
• You can also submit either of the following requirements:
• Operating Room Record (ORR) (Certified True Copy)
• Medical or Clinical Abstract (Certified True Copy)
• Surgical Memorandum
• Discharge Summary Report
• Medical/Clinical Abstract
• Delivery Report
• Detailed Invoice

Additional Requirements for Complete Miscarriage 

• Obstetrical History (the SSS will provide this form)
• You can also submit either of the following requirements:
• Pregnancy Test before and after miscarriage
• Ultrasound Report. 
• Medical Certificate containing details of member’s pregnancy

Additional Requirements for Incomplete Miscarriage

• Obstetrical History (the SSS will provide this form)
• You can also submit either of the following requirements:
• Hospital or Medical Record (Certified True Copy)
• Dilation and Curettage (D&C) Report
• Histopathological Report
• Pregnancy Test before and after miscarriage
• Ultrasound Report. This will serve as proof of pregnancy.

An incomplete miscarriage is when some of the pregnancy tissue remains in the uterus and needs a medical procedure to remove it. The medical process of removing the remaining pregnancy tissue in the uterus is called the Dilation and Curettage of the Uterus, commonly known as D&C. 

Additional Requirements for Ectopic Pregnancy

• Obstetrical History (the SSS will provide this form)
• You can also submit either of the following requirements:
• Hospital or Medical Record (Certified True Copy)
• Histopathological Report
• Pregnancy Test before and after miscarriage
• Operating Room Record (ORR) (Certified True Copy)

Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus, most in the fallopian tube. This pregnancy is dangerous to the mother’s health if not removed immediately. In some cases, an ectopic pregnancy occurs on an ovary or in the abdominal cavity.

Additional Requirements for Hydatidiform Mole

• Obstetrical History (the SSS will provide this form)
• Dilation and Curettage (D&C) Report
• Histopathological Report

Hydatidiform mole (HM) is a type of gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD). It is a rare mass or growth of the trophoblast that forms inside the uterus at the beginning or first trimester of pregnancy.

Important Reminder

For miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and Hydatidiform Mole, the SSS Medical Specialist may require additional documents to evaluate claims.

You can file Maternity Benefit within ten (10) years after live childbirth, miscarriage, and emergency pregnancy termination. Suppose you filed your Maternity Benefit as Self-Employed or Voluntary Member, and the live delivery occurred when you were previously employed or separated from employment. The following additional requirements are needed to submit in claiming Maternity Benefit.

Additional Requirements for Self-employed/Voluntary Member (previously employed)

• if the delivery or miscarriage occurred while employed or within six (6) months after employment separation
• Certificate of Separation (Original and Certified True Copy) stating the effective date of separation and no advance payment made with the employer’s authorized signatory reflected in SS form L-501

 Additional Requirements for Member Separated from Employment

• if the delivery or miscarriage occurred while employed
• Certificate of Separation (Original and Certified True Copy) stating the effective date of separation and no advance payment made with the employer’s authorized signatory reflected in SS form L-501
• if the delivery or miscarriage occurred after the date of separation
• Certificate of Separation (Original and Certified True Copy) stating the effective date of separation with the employer’s authorized signatory reflected in SS form L-501

The SSS will not require a Certificate of Separation if the company is on strike, has ceased operation, pending case in court regarding separation of the member, and if separate from employment due to Absence without official leave (AWOL) or with strained relations with the employer.

However, the agency will require supporting documents under such conditions.

DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENT FOR FEMALE WORKER

• Maternity Benefit Reimbursement Application (MBRA) Form
• Original and photocopy of two (2) valid Identification Cards (ID)
• Additional Requirements for Normal Delivery
• Birth Certificate of the child born or Fetal Death Certificate (Certified True Copy (CTC) and photocopy.

Important Reminder

For pregnancy and miscarriage outside the country, documents must be with an English translation and authenticated by a Consul of the Philippine Embassy of the Foreign country or notarized by the Notary Public.

Bring Original or Certified True Copy (CTC) of documents for authentication purposes.