ONLINE CLAIM FOR DEATH BENEFITS IN THE PHILIPPINES
A practitioner’s one-stop legal guide (2025 edition)

1 | Why this matters

Filipinos no longer have to queue at every government window to claim the cash that is due when a bread-winner dies. Between 2020 and 2025 most social-insurance agencies rolled out end-to-end or hybrid (on-line + drop-box) filing. Understanding which portal to use, the statutory deadlines, and the documentary uploads each system will accept is now a core skill for HR officers, estate administrators, and lawyers advising heirs. citeturn3search2turn10search0

2 | Statutory & regulatory backbone

Scheme	Core law	Governing agency	Key IRR / Circular
Private-sector workers	R.A. 11199 “Social Security Act of 2018” citeturn16search0	SSS	SSS Circular 2023-009 (10-year filing window) citeturn4search2
Government workers	R.A. 8291 “GSIS Act of 1997” citeturn16search1	GSIS	BOAC Resolution 89-16; Survivorship FAQs
Pag-IBIG Provident	R.A. 9679 (HDMF Law) citeturn17search0	HDMF	Pag-IBIG Board Res. 423-19 (Virtual Pag-IBIG)
Employees Compensation	P.D. 626, as amended; ECC Board Res. 13-20 (₱30 k funeral) citeturn11search5	ECC/SSS/GSIS
OFWs	R.A. 10801 (OWWA Act 2016) citeturn18search0	OWWA / DMW	Citizen’s Charter 2024 citeturn12search2
Veterans	R.A. 6948 & R.A. 7696 / PVAO circulars	PVAO	Death-pension forms 2024 citeturn13search3
Insured public	Insurance Commission Circular series on e-claims (2020-2021) citeturn14search7

Digital-government overlay – all portals must comply with the Ease of Doing Business Act (R.A. 11032) and the Data Privacy Act (R.A. 10173), which validate electronic copies and require agencies to decide straightforward claims within 7–20 working days once complete documents are uploaded. citeturn19search0turn20search0

3 | Agency-by-agency playbook

3.1 Social Security System (SSS) — private-sector & informal-economy workers

Coverage & amount – Monthly pension if the member had ≥ 36 contributions, otherwise a lump-sum (calculator built into My.SSS). citeturn1view0
Who may file – primary beneficiaries (spouse + dependent children), then parents, then designated heirs.
Prescriptive period – 10 years from month of death (SSS Circular 2023-009). citeturn4search2
What is fully on-line (2025)
- Funeral benefit – log in → E-Services > Apply for Funeral Benefit. Upload death certificate + proof you paid the funeral. Max 2 MB per PDF/JPEG. citeturn3search2
- Disbursement – register a PESONet bank, e-wallet or UMID-ATM via the DAEM module; releases normally post in 5-7 banking days once the claim is approved.
Still hybrid – the main death-benefit claim (pension or lump-sum) is filed over the counter, but supporting IDs and certificates are scanned by branch staff; SSS has pilot on-line filing for pension claims in NCR (watch for a nationwide circular).

3.2 Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) — public-sector workers

Survivorship pension – 50 % of the member’s last Basic Monthly Pension to the legal spouse; each minor/disabled child gets 10 %. citeturn9search2
Funeral grant – ₱30 000 (uniform for all members since 2019).
Deadline – file within 4 years from the date of death (Sec. 47, GSIS Rules; reiterated in Survivorship FAQs). citeturn9search2
How to file on-line
1. Download the Application for Survivorship form, sign, and scan together with PSA death certificate.
2. E-mail the PDFs (≤ 5 MB per attachment) to the GSIS handling branch or upload via eGSISMO if the surviving spouse already has an account. citeturn9search5
3. Show the same originals when you claim the e-wallet or bank credit notice.

3.3 Pag-IBIG Fund — provident death claim

What you get
- Member’s Total Accumulated Value (TAV) = own savings + employer share + dividends.
- ₱6 000 additional funeral cash for active members. citeturn10search4
On-line route – Virtual Pag-IBIG → Claim Pag-IBIG Savings. The drop-down reason includes “DEATH.” Enter MID, upload: signed claim form, 1 valid ID, cashier’s cheque or LC Plus card selfie. citeturn10search0turn10search1
Turn-around – typical approval within 3 banking days; cheque or card pick-up schedule is sent by SMS.

3.4 Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) — work-related deaths

Extra pension on top of SSS/GSIS if death is job-connected; plus ₱30 000 funeral. citeturn11search4turn11search5
Where to file – via the SSS or GSIS branch or the stand-alone ECC Cash-Assistance Online Application portal for quick releases (often used by factory & BPO employees). citeturn11search3
Deadline – 3 years from death (Rule V, PD 626). citeturn11search2

3.5 OWWA — overseas Filipino workers

Death insurance – ₱100 000 (natural) or ₱200 000 (accidental).
Burial gratuity – flat ₱20 000. citeturn12search0turn12search2
Digital filing – heirs lodge the claim through their Regional Welfare Office (RWO) e-mail or the OWWA Mobile App; status may be tracked in-app.
Who qualifies – OFW must have an active OWWA membership on date of death; proof of relationship follows Civil Code order.

3.6 PVAO — veterans & AFP retirees

Death pension – standard ₱1 000/month to spouse or dependent child; plus ₱20 000 burial assistance (must be filed within 2 years). citeturn13search3turn13search8
E-claim status (2025) – forms downloadable; submission still by courier or e-mail but PVAO is finalising an on-line portal under its One-Compute project. citeturn13search1

3.7 Private life-insurance policies

The Insurance Commission allows insurers to accept scanned proofs of loss and settle death claims entirely on-line; companies must pay valid claims within 30 days or face administrative fines. citeturn14search7

4 | What every on-line claimant must prepare

Good scans — PDF/JPEG, clear at 150-dpi; SSS caps each file at 2 MB, Pag-IBIG at 5 MB. citeturn3search2turn10search1
Valid e-mail & Philippine mobile — portals send one-time passwords and approval notices exclusively through these channels.
Disbursement enrolment — PESONet bank, e-wallet (GCash/PayMaya), or UMID-ATM.
Identity selfie — Pag-IBIG and many insurers require a selfie holding the ID and cash-card. citeturn10search1
Consents — electronic signature or tick-box attestation satisfies R.A. 8792 (E-Commerce Act) and the Data Privacy Act for these transactions. citeturn20search0

5 | Limitation periods at a glance

SSS – 10 years
GSIS – 4 years
ECC – 3 years
OWWA burial – 1 year (practice), but no statutory cut-off for the death-insurance component
PVAO burial aid – 2 years

Apply early; once the period lapses, heirs need a judicial order or COA relief to revive the claim.

6 | Appeals & dispute resolution

Agency	First appeal	Final appeal
SSS	Commission on Social Security	Court of Appeals (Rule 43)
GSIS	GSIS Committee on Claims	CA (Rule 43), then SC
ECC	ECC Board sitting en banc	Court of Appeals
Pag-IBIG	HDMF Provident Claims Review	HDMF Board → CA
OWWA	RWO Director	OWWA Administrator → DMW Secretary
PVAO	Benefits Processing Service	DND Secretary → SC

7 | Practical tips for counsel & HR

Audit contributions early – missing SSS/GSIS postings often surface only at death; corrections before filing save months.
Use the agency’s own e-mail template – some portals auto-reject messages without the prescribed subject line and attachment naming convention.
Check names & dates against PSA certificates – any typo forces manual verification and stalls auto-processing.
Keep estate-tax deadlines in view – BIR still wants the e-receipt or pension advice as proof of inheritances.
Educate rural heirs – offer barangay-based scanning drives or let them execute an SPA in favour of a digitally-literate relative.

8 | The road ahead

By late 2025 the DICT’s eGov PH Super App is slated to bundle SSS, GSIS and Pag-IBIG death-benefit modules in one dashboard. Until then, beneficiaries must still juggle several portals — but each year the uploads get lighter, the queues get shorter, and the law continues to back electronic evidence.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information and is not a substitute for formal legal advice. Rules change; always check the latest circular of the issuing agency.