Another round of 10% monthly pension hike set in September — SSS

Social Security System (SSS) pensioners should expect another round of 10% increase in their monthly retirement and disability pensions beginning September 2026.

Under its three-year pension reform program, SSS pensioners would receive a pension hike every September, starting 2025 until 2027.

Apart from the additional 10% increase for retirement and disability pensioners, as of August 31, 2026, death and survivorship pensioners would also see their monthly pensions rise by 5% in September this year.

The remaining trance of the three-year pension reform will be implemented as follows:

September 2027 (for pensioners as of August 31, 2027)

• Additional 10% increase - Retirement and disability pensioners
• Additional 5% increase - Death or survivorship pensioners

After the third year, pensions should have grown by approximately 33% for retirement and disability pensioners and 16% for death and survivorship pensioners.

The table below illustrates the estimated pension increases for sample cases over the three-year implementation period.

The SSS said an estimated 3.9 million pensioners will benefit from the pension hike initiative.

The SSS said it is increasing the monthly pensions this year and next year “without raising the contribution rate because of the pension fund’s strong financial performance.”

For 2025, the SSS reported that its reserve fund breached P1 trillion with total assets growing 22.1% to P1.261 trillion from P1.033 trillion in 2024.

The pension fund also saw its net income reach a historic high of P142.97 billion, up 58.4% from P90.248 billion in 2024.

Total revenues of the SSS likewise stood at P460.61 billion, up 21.4% from P39.619 billion year-on-year.

The bulk or P377.6 billion of SSS revenues came from members’ contributions, up 15.6% from P326.693 billion a year ago which was on the back of the last tranche o contribution rate hike in January 2025.

Meanwhile, income from investments rose by 5.1% to P83.161 billion from P52.926 billion in 2024.

The SSS’ total expenditures in 2025 amounted to P317.791 billion, up 9.8% from P289.371 billion year-on-year.

The pension fund said the lion’s share or P304.983 billion of its expenditures last year went to benefits payments to members and pensioners.

The remaining P12.808 billion of the expenditures went to operating expenses.

“Based on our charter, the operating expenses are 12% of the contribution collections and 3% of other SSS income such as investments and loans,” it said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News