By Fernan Angeles
THE people running the Social Security System must have been very busy to an extent that they are unaware that the last seven months have been an agony for workers who were forced to stop working amid the pandemic.
In what appears to be an added burden to the Filipino workers, the SSS has issued a November 30 deadline for its members to settle their delinquencies in their month contribution payment.
According to the SSS, the November 30 deadline is “in consideration of those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.”
In a new circular, the SSS said regular employers could pay their employee’s contributions from February to October 2020 until Nov. 30. It is also aligned with the Bayanihan to Recover as One law, it said.
Contribution payments from January to September of self-employed, voluntary and non-working spouse members and household employers may also be paid until the new deadline, it said.
Likewise, employers with SSS-approved installment proposals are given until the end of November to deposit post-dated checks which fall due on March to October 2020, the SSS said.
“Contribution payments of employers for the said applicable periods would not incur penalties if paid within the deadline,” the state-run pension fund said.
The agency said since Nov. 30 is a holiday, payments could be made on the next working day.
Employers and members are urged to settle their contributions ahead of the deadline.
“Apart from over-the-counter payment facilities, our bank partners and we have online platforms where employers and members can make their SSS payments in the convenience and safety of their homes or offices,” SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said.