The Department of Finance (DOF) announced on Thursday the Php 51 billion wage subsidy program for formal workers employed by small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To know more about the Small Business Wages Subsidy (SBWS) program, click here.

Below are the steps on how to apply for SBWS via Social Security System (SSS):

STEP 1

Once the eligibility of the small business has been verified, applicants should visit the SSS website (www.sss.gov.ph) and log-in in their My.SSS account.

STEP 2

Upon logging in in their respective My.SSS account, hover and click the “Small Business Wage Subsidy” tab.

STEP 3

Applicants should paste or type the passcode provided by the BIR SBWS system and their TIN. Then, click the “Proceed” button to enter the application portal.

STEP 4

In the application portal, the applicant will see a list of its employees. The employer should choose eligible employees by clicking a corresponding box on the left side of the employee’s name. The applicant should also click the box on the right side of the employee’s name if the worker is a beneficiary of the DOLE’s COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).

You Might Also Want To Read: DOLE suspends CAMP application for formal sectors

STEP 5

After selecting eligible employees, the employer should type each workers’ respective TINs.

NOTE: If an employee is not in the SSS list, it means the worker is not registered in the My.SSS portal or the information in the My.SSS account is not sufficient.

STEP 6

The employer must click “I Agree” with the Employer’s Undertaking that the information provided in the application is complete, true, and correct; employees were notified of the application and has given an explanation for those who qualified and did not qualify for the wage subsidy program; and all employees know why their personal and sensitive information was shared with the SSS, BIR, and DOF and that they have given their full consent for this.

STEP 7

The employer should submit Certification Attesting to the Work and Pay Status of Employee to the SBWSCertifications@sss.gov.ph upon accomplishing application.

The applicant should click the “Employer Certification Template” to download the document to be submitted.

Non-submission of the said document, however, shall not toll the processing of the application for the employee’s wage subsidy.

STEP 8

The SSS automated system will validate the following:

• If an employee has no pending or has not received any SSS unemployment benefit due to COVID-19
• If an employee is not a DOLE CAMP beneficiary
• If an employee has no settled or in-process SSS final claims such as funeral, retirement, death, and total disability

STEP 9

The SSS system will show to the employer if an employee/s is qualified or disqualified as well as the reasons for the confirmation or denial of the wage subsidy program.

STEP 10

Eligible employees will receive an email notification from the SSS that their employers have confirmed their qualification for the SBWS program.

The beneficiary will also be provided with the details on when and how they will receive their cash aids in their bank accounts or if it is available for pick-up through remittance agents.

The SSS will also notify employers that their qualified employees are “for confirmation” because of lacking credentials such as:

• The employee is not registered in the My.SSS portal
• The employee has no bank account or has no registered bank account in the My.SSS account

For more info, you may refer here.

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Reference

•  Cordero, T. April 17, 2020. STEP-BY-STEP How to avail of the govt’s Small Business Wage Subsidy program. GMA News Online. Retrieved on April 17, 2020, from www.gmanetwork.com