MANILA – Around 1.5 million freelancers and virtual assistants can now register as self-employed Social Security System (SSS) members following a new partnership between the SSS and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
In a news release on Friday, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Victor Alfonso Limlingan said freelancers and virtual assistants are an important and growing segment of the workforce.
“By bringing them into the SSS coverage, we ensure that they, too, can access the same protection and benefits enjoyed by other workers— whether in times of sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, or even death,” he said.
Officials of the SSS and DICT signed a memorandum of understanding on Oct. 21, 2026, to expand social security protection for the country’s online workers.
Under the partnership, self-employed members will be eligible for sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, funeral, and death benefits. They may also apply for SSS loan programs, including salary loans, the Emergency Loan Program, and the SSS Micro Loan Program.
For self-employed members, the lowest monthly contribution is PHP760, consisting of PHP750 for the regular SSS contribution and PHP10 for the Employees’ Compensation (EC) contribution.
The highest monthly contribution, in turn, is PHP5,280, composed of PHP3,000 for the regular contribution, PHP30 for the EC contribution, and PHP2,250 for the Mandatory Provident Fund.
“Our goal is simple: no Filipino worker should be left without social security protection,” Limlingan said. “Through this partnership with DICT, we are taking a significant step toward making social security more accessible, more relevant, and more responsive to the needs of our digital workforce.”
