IF you are planning on setting up a business, one of the requirements that you have to do is register with the Social Security System (SSS). Whether your business is a single proprietorship, partnership, corporation, cooperative, nonstock or nonprofit corporation and a manning agency with foreign principal, you have to report it to the SSS by filling out Form R-1, or the Employer Registration form.
You need to fill out this form in two copies, and submit it to the nearest SSS office with the appropriate supporting document. Here are the guidelines for the different types of business enterprise:
If it is a single proprietorship, the supporting document is an authority to operate from the proper government office: e.g., registration of business name, business permit, or any proof of business operations. The R-1 form should be signed by the owner or, in his or her absence, the legal spouse or, in their absence, any representative with a special power of attorney.
For partnerships, the approved articles of partnership should be submitted together with the SSS Form R-1 upon registration. The person authorized to sign the registration form is the managing partner.
In the case of corporations, including nonstock, nonprofit corporations, the approved articles of corporation shall serve as supporting documents, and the authorized signatory shall be the president, chairman or corporate secretary.
For foreign-owned corporation, to be submitted are the approved articles of corporation and the license to transact business in the Philippines. Just like the local corporations, the authorized signatory shall be the president, chairman or corporate secretary.
Cooperatives, on the other hand, are required to submit the approved articles of cooperation from the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). Either the chairman or corporate secretary is the authorized signatory in the registration form.
For manpower-service cooperatives, they need to submit the approved articles of cooperation from the CDA and certificate of accreditation from the Department of Labor and Employment. Also, the chairman or the corporate secretary is the authorized signatory.
If the business enterprise you are opening is a branch office, you need to submit a certificate of operation from the main office signed by the company president, chairman or corporate secretary. The authorized signatory on the registration form should be the highest-ranking official of the branch.
Upon registration at the SSS, you also need to submit a validated miscellaneous payment return form (Form R-6) and a special bank receipt as proof of payment for the employer registration plate amounting to P165. You may pay for this at any SSS-accredited bank or at the nearest SSS office with teller services.
As a duly registered employer-member of the SSS, you are advised to display your registration plate at a conspicuous place in your business premises. Also, always use your 13-digit employer number in all your transactions with the SSS.
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For more information about the SSS and its programs, call our 24-hour call center at (632) 920-6446 to 55, Monday to Friday, or send an e-mail to member_relations@sss.gov.ph.
Susie G. Bugante is the vice president for public affairs and special events of the Social Security System. Send comments about this column to susiebugante.bmirror@gmail.com.