How to File an SSS Maternity Notification Online Thru My.SSS

Social Security System

Do you know that you can file your SSS Maternity Notification thru the SSS website?   This service is available to all members who are registered as online member.  This service is specially beneficial to self- employed and voluntary members.  If you file your maternity notification online, you do not have to go through the hassle of lining up at your SSS Servicing Branch to have the Maternity Notification (MAT1) Form and supporting documents submitted.  Unlike employed members whose Maternity I and II forms are submitted by their respective employers, self- employed and voluntary members have to file their maternity claims on their own that means extra time, effort, and expenses in going to an SSS office.  One of the improvements in SSS service is this maternity notification online.  To be able to use this service, you need to log in to your SSS account, if you are not yet registered as an online member, go to SSS website and fill out the Online User ID Registration.  Click here to learn how to register online.

Please check our growing list of Q & A on SSS Maternity Benefit >>

After successfully logging in to your account, navigate to TRANSACTIONS menu then click the Maternity Notification link.  You need to fill out an online form that requests for information such as expected date of delivery, number of delivery/miscarriage prior to current notification and date of last delivery/miscarriage.  Those are the same information that you will provide if you opt to submit your Maternity Notification Form directly at an SSS office.  The good thing with the online maternity notification aside from escaping the hassle of waiting in line is that you do not need to submit right away all the supporting documents needed.  Also,  you will be informed if you are entitled to this benefit based on your monthly contribution and an estimated computation of your maternity claim is also available online.  So after you have successfully submitted your notification, you will receive a message thru the site with reference number and an indicator that your MAT1 is online accepted.   You only need to print this confirmation page or email which will serve as your MAT1 form.   Attach to your Mat II Form together with supporting documents which you will later need to submit to your SSS servicing branch after securing the birth certificate of your child. One less hassle in going to the crowded SSS office just to submit your MAT1 Form.

If you want to know how much maternity benefit you will get please visit this post How to Compute your Maternity Benefit
If you have other questions related to filing your maternity benefits,  feel free to leave  your queries in the comment section. 

And here is also an essential information on how you can claim Philhealth Maternity and Newborn Care package to help you defray the cost of your maternity related expenses.

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The Beach - My Favorite Outdoor Spot

Just stumbled upon A Southern Daydreamer website and read about her Outdoor Wednesday.  Suddenly I missed the great outdoor after a tiring day inside an office working from morning til night. It's been a relief just seeing photos of the outdoor from different places.  The beach is one of the best places I love to hangout as I feel relaxed and recharged swimming in the water, feeling the wind and hearing the waves.
 
Here are the snapshots from our travel in Iba, Zambales. This place is more than 200 kilometers from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  We had almost six hours of land travel passing through the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).  We arrived at our destination a little past 11:00 in the morning. 

You can rent a motorized banca to take you to nearby islands or just cruise around.  The rent costs about P100 per person. There are also other offers at  a much lower cost.  

We almost had the beach all by ourselves as it was not too crowded at dawn .  Our family especially the kids really enjoyed the sea, the sand and the sun. It was a real thrill outdoor experience

 I was hoping to capture sunset in different hues and angles.  Some crash course on photography with my cousin somehow paid off...I guess. :-)

How to Register Online in PhilHealth

Last year, members of our family were frequent visitors in the hospital ranging from consultations to confinement.  Such incidents did not only drained us physically and emotionally but more so, financially.  The most difficult process in dealing with hospital confinements was how to pay the hospitalization fee especially when you were short of cash and you did not have any health insurance to cover such expenses.  My sister and her husband were self-employed individuals, earning not much to cover their family's daily needs thus an extra expense for a health insurance was obviously not in their budget.  It was too unfortunate that during that year, my sister, her husband and their son badly needed medical attention due to various illnesses that struck their family.  The three of them were hospitalized one after the other that we as their immediate family had to rescue them financially.  I never regret that I had to lose money to help defray the hospital expenses.  I would rather lose money than lose a family...but, what I regret was that they never had the chance to avail of health benefits that could have been a big help to them.  So while we were settling the bills at the hospital, we found out that Philhealth could have spared her at least 30%-40% of the total amount but since she was not a member, we needed to find that money to pay for it.

PhilHealth is a health insurance provided by the Philippine Government to eligible individuals. Membership is mandatory for employed individuals in the government and private sector.  Self-employed can also become a member under the individually paying program and there were also sponsored membership and for Overseas Contract Workers.  After that series of hospital confinements and hunting for money to pay for hospital bills, I resolved to help my sister in getting their family's own PhilHealth membership.  I was glad to find out that PhilHealth now has an online registration system.  So I told my sister about it and taught her how to go about the electronic registration process. Refer to the following steps:

1.  At the PhilHealth online registration site, she filled out an online membership registration form (you can also fill out a manual form downloaded from their site then submit it together with supporting documents at the PhilHealth office.)
2.  She then attached a scan copy of her documents such as their marriage certificate and birth certificate of her dependents.  (You can also opt to submit the documentary requirements directly at their office or send them through mail.)
3.  After successfully submitting the form online, an email was sent informing her that her application was received and will be processed.
4. After several days, another email was received with her PhilHealth Identification Number and a copy of her Member's Data Record (MDR).  Included in the email was an instruction to pay for the monthly contribution and the terms of coverage.
5.  She then went to the nearest SSS office to pay for her initial payment. At first she tried to pay for it at PhilHealth accredited collection partner but was declined when she said that it was an initial payment.  The cashier advised her to pay directly at PhilHealth so that was what she did.

For a minimum amount of 100 pesos per month (it has now been increased to 150 per month for those earning 25,000 and below), she and her family is insured of health benefits. That is only about five pesos everyday, cheaper than a bottle of soda :-) An advance payment covering one whole year is accepted but if you are short on budget, you can opt for monthly or quarterly payments. You only need to be sure to pay your premiums on time to be assured of continued coverage.  I hope that heads of the family who are not yet members of Philhealth resolve to be registered in this National Health Insurance Program of the government.  Philhealth may only pay a portion of your hospital bills but that is better than nothing at all.  That Philhealth benefit could save you lots of monies and woes than borrowing money from loan sharks that would trap you into deep debt because of high interest and get you into more troublesome days.

If you have friends or relatives who are not yet member of PhilHealth, give them a favor by informing them of this health insurance program.  This will give them less worries and an assurance that appropriate medical attention will be given to them when an incident arises. 

Learn to Drive at Smart Driving School

How to get a Student Driver Permit from LTO

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Before my son's graduation in high school, I promised that I will enroll him in a driving school.  The reason I had in mind  was because he wanted to get a course on BS Aircraft Maintenance Technology.  I just thought that it would be better for him to have an experience and proper training on how machines work and learning to drive was a good start.  I started hunting for the best driving school around town.  He was still at minority age thus I got to select a driving school that will make my son safe while learning how to drive.  I asked suggestions from friends and researched on the net and read blogs about it.  I sent email to different driving schools to send me quotations.  The one that got my attention was the Smart Driving School.  They sent me their brochures and suggested the nearest branch to our residence.  You can check the list below for the nearest branch to you with corresponding contact details.  My husband accompanied my son to their office to enroll for the beginner's course and also for him to check if it was a good choice.  I received no complaints from my two gentlemen so we proceeded with the plan.  After enrollment, the next thing we needed to secure was the student driver's permit.  You can read my post about getting a student driver's permit here.

The enrollment fee was quite affordable than in other driving schools.  Included in the package were free licensing assistance, driving seminar,student assessment and defensive driving orientation.

Based on my son's assessment, the instructor assigned to him was quite good as he knows how to motivate him to learn and his teaching style made him confident that he can drive a motor vehicle.  It was the first time he got hold of the steering wheel but he managed to drive along the main road even on his first day.  After the five-day course, he was able to drive along highways and park the car perfectly.  Not bad for a five-hour course.  I intend to continue his lesson until the 15th hour but school days came and he couldn't find time to include it in his schedule.  The good thing was, he was able to learn on how to operate a motor vehicle and maybe apply some of the knowledge he gained from that training.  Also, I found out that he really has the courage to pursue things that he liked doing so I feel safe that he will not fail in his chosen career.  As his parents, we will always support him so he may be able to attain his goal.

 If you are interested to enroll in Smart Driving School, check out the list of branches below which they provided me. Call them up to get more information.

Smart Driving School Branches:

 CALOOCAN CITY
500 A. MABINI ST.​​288-3784
(Near City Hall, beside San Roque Cathedral)

CAVITE
KM. 17 AGUINALDO HIGHWAY,​​046-519-0153
PANAPAAN VI, BACOOR​​02-514-0065
(In front of AICS; Near Uratex Foam)

LAS PIÑAS
482 A CRN Ave. 1, GOODYEAR PARK SUBD.,​​399-2033
ALMANZA UNO
(Infront of BIR near BF Almanza)

MAKATI CITY
1653 2ND FLR., EVANGELISTA ST., BRGY BANGKAL​​889-9372
(in front of Mercury Drug)

MANDALUYONG CITY
MAYSILO ST, COR  SAN FRANCISCO ST.​​534-7152
(Mandaluyong Circle)

ST. FRANCIS SQUARE MALL​​631-1663
GI-012 (near LBC & Western Union)

FORUM ROBINSONS​​585-7027
LG/F Stall 00714 Pioneer

MANILA CITY
2136 ESPAÑA Blvd. SAMPALOC, MANILA​​781-6567
(near LTO, Meralco & SSS)

STALL #08 GROUND FLOOR, HARRISON PLAZA​​559-1099
(in front of Shop Wise)

V.MAPA COR. MAGSAYSAY BLVD., ​516-2209
STA MESA, MANILA
​
FRC BDLG. UNIT G5 P. Gil St. cor. Taft Ave.,​​940-9964
Malate, Manila (in front of PCU)

3381-3385 NEW PANADEROS ST., Gabby's,​​399-2210
Sta. Ana, Manila(beside Honda Motorcycle)

MARIKINA CITY
SUNGA APARTMENT along MARCOS HIGHWAY,​​401-7598
Brgy. SAN JOSE (in front of Robinsons Metro East)

MUNTINLUPA CITY
125 National Road, Brgy, Bayanan Muntinlupa City​​782-3284
In front of K-Servico, Near Amber Restaurant

PARANAQUE
QUIRINO AVENUE, BRGY. DON GALO​​851-0183
(near Sta.Monica Chapel & 7-11)

PRINCE CLASSIC BLDG. DONA SOLEDAD AVE.,​​239-7564
BRGY. DON BOSCO (In front of Caltex)

TEOVILLE SUBD., BF HOMES​​828-0145
#23 Cristabel Bldg., President Avenue​

SUCAT, PARANAQUE​​794-3003
(In front of PATTS College)

PASIG CITY
SHAW BLVD. COR. PIONEER, PASIG​​634-0552
(in front of Caltex & 10.Q)

SM SUPER CENTER PASIG​​470-3332
WS-002 Carpark Area (Service Lane)

COUNTRYSIDE ORTIGAS EXT., PASIG​​470-5851
(In front of Prince Arcade & near Ever Gotesco Mall)​​514-2818

DR. SIXTO AVE., COR. PILAPIL.​​642-4391
(near Meralco in front of Premier Bank)

QUEZON CITY
ALI MALL, Cubao​​709-4286
(2nd Floor near Twin Pines gun shop)

KAMIAS ROAD​​928-3874
(Apartment A. Beside Metro Bank)

ROOSEVELT AVE. COR. DELMONTE​​415-7521
(beside Mercury Drug)

FAIRVIEW, QUEZON CITY​​431-2443
(in front of Fairview Centermall)

NOVALICHES, QUEZON CITY​​417-4638
C1188 Quirino Hi-way (near SSS)

697 QUIRINO HI-WAY, BRGY. SAN BARTOLOME​​939-6286
(beside Nova Square & San Bartolome Church)

CITIMALL PHILCOA ​920-3714
UP Diliman Quezon City​​
(2nd Fir. Beside Chowking)

RIZAL
SUMULONG ST. ANTIPOLO​​571-8116
(beside Shopwise Antipolo)

SITIO ILOG, TAYTAY (beside Puregold)​​571-8049

MONTALBAN TOWN CENTER​​736-9415
E. Rodriguez H-way Brgy. San. Jose

ANGONO, RIZAL​​295-4874
(in front of Mercury Drug near City Hall)

TANAY TOWN CENTER​​782-3244
F.T. Catapusan St., Brgy. Plaza Aldea, Tanay, Rizal


SAN JOSE DEL MONTE CITY​
LT. 28 BLK 5 Pecson Ville Subd.,​​782-3249
Brgy. Tungkong Mangga
San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan

SAN JUAN CITY
N. DOMINGO ST., SAN JUAN, MANILA​​722-0003
(beside Video City, in front of 7-11 )