Uplift aid for low-income workers starts next week, says DSWD
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Qualified low-income workers may start receiving their first cash assistance under the government’s Uplift program as early as this week or early next week.
The payout follows the Social Security System’s (SSS) submission of an initial list of nearly one million eligible beneficiaries to the Land Bank of the Philippines for processing.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Edu Punay said the submission paves the way for the smooth rollout of the cash aid under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (Uplift) program.
“Magandang balita po. Nagsabi na sa amin ang officials ng SSS na naipadala na nila yung listahan sa LandBank. So, very soon, inaasahan namin, siguro pinakamatagal na yung next week na Lunes or Martes. Pero the earliest is until this week ay makakatanggap na po ang mga na-identify na low-income or low-wage earners mula sa registry ng SSS,” Sulit told reporters on Thursday.
(The good news is SSS officials informed us that they have already sent the list to LandBank. Very soon, we expect the assistance to reach beneficiaries, at the latest by Monday or Tuesday next week. If processing moves faster, some identified low-income or low-wage earners from the SSS registry may start receiving it as early as this week.)
The release covers beneficiaries under Group 3 of the Uplift program, which serves low-income workers identified through the SSS database.
Nearly 1 million on initial Uplift list
According to the DSWD, the initial batch submitted by the SSS contains almost one million qualified members, whose records now await processing before the cash assistance reaches their registered disbursement accounts.
Qualified beneficiaries do not need to apply for the program.
Instead, the government automatically identified recipients using existing SSS and government databases.
To qualify under Group 3, an SSS member must
- belong to the employed sector;
- appear in the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS);
- have a Monthly Salary Credit (MSC) of P20,000 or below;
- have paid at least one SSS contribution in 2025 or 2026; and
- maintain an enrolled SSS disbursement account as of April 30, 2026.
Eligible workers will receive P2,000 monthly from July to December, or P12,000 over six months.
Three beneficiary groups
The government targets around 7.5 million households nationwide under the Uplift program.
The beneficiaries fall into three groups:
Group 1 covers around 3.5 million households enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program. They receive a one-time P2,000 top-up because they already receive regular government assistance.
Group 2 includes around 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified through the 2024 CBMS but not covered by either the 4Ps or Walang Gutom Program. Beneficiaries receive P2,000 monthly for six months. The first payout comes through manual distribution before succeeding releases shift to digital payments.
Group 3 covers about 1.5 million low-income workers identified through SSS records. Assistance goes directly to their enrolled SSS disbursement accounts.
Earlier, the DSWD said 102,000 beneficiaries in Central Visayas qualified under the Uplift program.
No application required for Uplift
The DSWD reminded the public that Uplift does not accept applications.
Instead, the agency identifies beneficiaries using existing government databases, including the 4Ps, the Walang Gutom Program, the 2024 CBMS, and SSS records.
The department also warned the public against individuals offering inclusion in the program in exchange for money.
Officials stressed that Uplift remains free of charge and urged beneficiaries not to disclose their PINs, one-time passwords (OTPs), ATM details, or other banking credentials.
The agency also advised the public to ignore suspicious messages asking them to click links or contact unknown numbers to claim assistance and to rely only on official announcements from the DSWD, SSS, the 4Ps, and the Walang Gutom Program.
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