Losing a family member is hard enough without also having to figure out government paperwork, but if that person was an SSS member or pensioner, their beneficiaries are entitled to two separate benefits: the Death Benefit (a pension or lump sum for the beneficiaries) and the Funeral Benefit (reimbursement for burial costs). This guide breaks down exactly who qualifies for what, how much you can expect, and the actual steps to file both claims.
This guide covers Death Benefit vs. Funeral Benefit — They're Not the Same Thing and Do the Beneficiaries Get a Monthly Pension or a One-Time Lump Sum?, with the full details below.
- Death Benefit and Funeral Benefit are two separate SSS claims — you can file for both after a member or pensioner passes away
- Members with 36+ posted monthly contributions before the semester of death qualify their beneficiaries for a lifetime monthly pension; fewer contributions means a one-time lump sum instead
- The Funeral Benefit ranges from a fixed ₱12,000 (under 36 contributions) up to ₱20,000-₱60,000 (36+ contributions), based on actual documented funeral expenses
- Both benefits can be filed online through My.SSS if the claimant is themselves an SSS member; non-members must file over the counter at an SSS branch
- You have up to 10 years from the month of death to file, but filing sooner avoids lost paperwork and delayed payouts to grieving families
Death Benefit vs. Funeral Benefit — They're Not the Same Thing
Many Filipinos assume "SSS death benefit" covers burial costs, but SSS actually treats these as two entirely separate claims. The <strong>Death Benefit</strong> is money paid directly to the deceased member's qualified beneficiaries (spouse, children, or dependent parents) to help replace lost income. The <strong>Funeral Benefit</strong> is a separate reimbursement specifically for documented funeral and burial expenses, payable to whoever actually shouldered those costs — which may or may not be the same person receiving the Death Benefit. You can, and should, file for both if you qualify.
Do the Beneficiaries Get a Monthly Pension or a One-Time Lump Sum?
This depends entirely on how many monthly contributions the deceased member had paid before the semester of their death. If the member paid <strong>36 or more monthly contributions</strong>, their primary beneficiaries (legal spouse and dependent children) receive a <strong>lifetime monthly pension</strong> — not a one-time payment, but ongoing income for as long as they remain qualified. If the member paid <strong>fewer than 36 contributions</strong>, beneficiaries instead receive a <strong>lump sum</strong> — a single payout rather than an ongoing pension.
How the Monthly Pension Amount Is Computed
The monthly death pension uses the same formula as SSS retirement pensions, based on the deceased member's Average Monthly Salary Credit (AMSC) and Credited Years of Service (CYS) — SSS takes the highest result of several formulas, subject to minimum pension amounts of ₱1,000 (under 10 years of service), ₱1,200 (10 or more years), or ₱2,400 (20 or more years). Pensioners also receive a 13th month pension every December and a standing ₱1,000 monthly supplement that's been in effect since 2017. Under the ongoing SSS Pension Reform Program, eligible pensioners received a 5% pension increase in 2025 and another 5% increase in 2026, so actual amounts have been gradually rising — check your specific computation directly with SSS's official Death Benefit page for current figures.
How the Lump Sum Amount Is Computed
If the member had fewer than 36 contributions, beneficiaries receive whichever is <strong>higher</strong> of these two calculations: the monthly pension amount multiplied by the number of monthly contributions the member actually paid, or 12 times the monthly pension amount. In practice, this means even members who paid into SSS for a relatively short time still leave their families with a meaningful one-time payout, rather than nothing.
How Much the Funeral Benefit Actually Pays Out
The Funeral Benefit works differently — it's a reimbursement, not a fixed handout, meaning SSS pays whichever is lower: your actual documented funeral expenses, or your computed benefit ceiling. If the member or pensioner had paid at least 36 contributions up to the month of death, the benefit can range from ₱20,000 up to a maximum of ₱60,000. If they had paid at least 1 but fewer than 36 contributions, the benefit is a fixed ₱12,000. Covered expenses include embalming, burial transfer services and permits, funeral service fees (including church fees), cremation or interment, coffin purchase or rental, and niche, cemetery lot, or columbarium purchase or rental.
Who Can Claim the Funeral Benefit
The Funeral Benefit isn't limited strictly to the legal spouse or children — it's payable to whoever actually shouldered and can document the funeral expenses, which SSS describes broadly as the legal spouse, children, parents, or any individual who covered the costs. This matters in real family situations where, for example, a sibling or other relative paid for the funeral even though they aren't a primary beneficiary for the separate Death Benefit pension.
How to File Both Claims Through My.SSS
If you're an SSS member yourself, both the Death Benefit and Funeral Benefit claims can be filed online. Log in to your My.SSS account, go to the Benefits tab, and select the corresponding Death Claim or Funeral Claim option. You'll need to upload proof of the deceased's SSS membership, a PSA-issued death certificate, and other supporting documents (such as marriage or birth certificates proving your relationship as a beneficiary, and official receipts for funeral expenses). Make sure your own disbursement account is properly enrolled through SSS's Disbursement Account Enrollment Module (DAEM) beforehand, since that's how your benefit payout gets released. If the claimant is not themselves an SSS member, the claim must instead be filed over the counter at any SSS branch.
How Long You Have to File
Both the Death Benefit and Funeral Benefit have a prescriptive filing period of <strong>10 years</strong> from the month of the member's or pensioner's death. While that sounds like a long window, it's best not to wait — the longer you delay, the harder it can be to locate original documents, and any ongoing monthly pension only starts accruing from when you actually file, not retroactively from the date of death in every case, so filing promptly protects the full value of the benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — these are two separate claims covering different things, and a qualifying family can and should file for both. The Death Benefit compensates beneficiaries for lost income (as a pension or lump sum), while the Funeral Benefit reimburses whoever paid for the burial and funeral costs, up to documented expenses and the applicable benefit ceiling.
It comes down to how many monthly contributions the deceased member had posted before the semester of their death. Thirty-six or more contributions qualifies primary beneficiaries for a lifetime monthly pension, while fewer than 36 contributions means they instead receive a one-time lump sum computed from the same pension formula, whichever calculation gives the higher amount.
Primary beneficiaries are generally the deceased member's legal spouse (until they remarry) and their dependent legitimate, legitimated, or legally adopted children. If there are no qualified primary beneficiaries, SSS looks to secondary beneficiaries, such as dependent parents, and if none exist, the benefit may go to designated beneficiaries or legal heirs instead, following SSS's beneficiary hierarchy rules.
The maximum Funeral Benefit is ₱60,000, available when the deceased member or pensioner had paid at least 36 monthly contributions up to the month of death and the documented funeral expenses reach that ceiling. Remember it's a reimbursement — SSS pays whichever is lower between your actual documented expenses and the computed benefit amount, so keep official receipts for everything.
No — online filing through My.SSS is only available to claimants who are themselves registered SSS members with an active online account. If you are not an SSS member, you'll need to file the Death Benefit or Funeral Benefit claim over the counter at any SSS branch instead, bringing the required documents in person.
You'll generally need the deceased's SSS number or proof of SSS membership, a PSA-issued death certificate, and documents proving your relationship to the deceased (such as a marriage certificate for a spouse or birth certificates for children). For the Funeral Benefit specifically, you'll also need official receipts or proof of the funeral expenses you're claiming reimbursement for.
Yes, both benefits have a prescriptive filing period of 10 years from the month of the member's or pensioner's death. However, filing as soon as reasonably possible after the loss is strongly recommended, since ongoing monthly pension payments typically only begin from the point of filing forward, and gathering original documents becomes harder to do accurately the longer you wait.
Conclusion
The SSS Death Benefit and Funeral Benefit exist specifically so that a family isn't left financially stranded on top of an emotional loss — but neither pays out automatically, so someone in the family needs to actively file both claims with the right documents. Whether you're eligible for an ongoing monthly pension or a one-time lump sum depends entirely on the deceased's contribution history, so check your specific numbers directly with SSS rather than assuming based on someone else's experience.
