Active Social Security System (SSS) members with a monthly salary credit (MSC) of ₱10,000 or lower will begin receiving up to ₱8,000 in UPLIFT cash aid on Oct. 30, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday.
DSWD Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao announced the change in an interview with state-run PTV. The money will be credited to qualified members’ disbursement accounts. Until now, SSS-based assistance covered members with an MSC of up to ₱20,000. Dumlao said DSWD coordinated with SSS on the expansion, which she described in these words: “Ito ay upang mapalawig pa ang ating beneficiaries.”
UPLIFT, or the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport, is meant to cushion the effect of higher fuel prices linked to heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
The program targets 7.5 million households in three groups. Group 1 covers 3.5 million households under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program, which receive a one-time ₱2,000. Group 2 covers 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified through the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS). Group 3 covers 1.5 million low-income SSS members.
Group 3 members receive ₱2,000 a month from July to December 2026, or up to ₱12,000 in total. DSWD defines the group as employed workers with an MSC below ₱20,000 who made at least one SSS contribution in 2025 or 2026 and have an active disbursement account. If two or more qualified SSS members belong to the same household in CBMS records, only the oldest receives the aid.
On Oct. 18, DSWD said it had identified 620,000 SSS members with a ₱10,000 MSC and asked them to update their disbursement accounts from Oct. 20 to 22. For these members, DSWD will credit the full ₱8,000, covering the first to fourth installments, starting Oct. 30. Those who already received the first and second installments will get the remaining ₱4,000 on the same date.
Group 3 members with a ₱20,000 MSC received their second tranche on Oct. 23 and 24. Their third and fourth installments, worth ₱4,000 together, will be credited on Nov. 6.
Group 2 beneficiaries will also receive ₱4,000 for the third and fourth installments starting Nov. 6. Those with a GCash account, another e-wallet or a bank account will receive it digitally and do not need to go to a payout site. DSWD urged them to check their details on the UPLIFT G2P Portal at uplift-g2p.dswd.gov.ph.
Group 2 beneficiaries who have not yet created an electronic wallet are to wait for a notice from their local government unit on the manual payout. Manual payouts will run from Nov. 2 to Nov. 30.
DSWD has said beneficiaries were identified in advance and do not need to apply. The SSS supplies the list of qualified members and facilitates disbursement, while the funds come from the DSWD budget. In July, DSWD reported that 978,290 Group 3 members with registered disbursement accounts were included in the initial payout.
Further information is available on the DSWD website and at SSS branches.
