Pag-IBIG Fund QA

Pag-IBIG Housing Loan Basics. Plus: Dividends, Lost Land Title, etc

Starting this month and every end of the month thereafter, we will be posting a set of questions we receive from site visitors — especially, highlighting the most important ones that every Pag-IBIG Fund member should know — plus, our respective replies.

If you are like them you and there is something that you want to ask about your membership, home loan, buying plans, Pag-IBIG Fund policies and processes, please don’t hesitate to send your questions by filling up the Contact Form here.

We’ll do our very best to answer your questions.

Meanwhile, on to the Question and Answer for this month of April 2014.

Subject: How Pagibig Financing Works?

I would like to buy a house and lot for 500,000 pesos, but i have 250k only. How will Pagibig help me on this?Can they pay the remaining to the seller then I will pay Pag-ibig through their terms? How does the system works?

Our Reply:

That’s a good set of questions and every beginner should try to understand the whole process of a housing loan.

Pag-IBIG can definitely help you in this area, you don’t need to have P 500k to be able to buy a P 500k worth of property. With only a small amount of your own money (Down Payment), you can acquire a much larger-valued

property by availing of a housing loan. This is called Leverage. And that is a general characteristic of a housing loan — be it from Pag-IBIG, from a bank or any other financing institution.

Some articles to help you understand:

Subject: Co-Borrowing To Purchase

Here is a set of follow-up questions from our visitor named Denice.

1. So it’s perfectly legal to loan for a lot even if I’m using the money to build the house? Because we really don’t have to spend much for the lot i.e. we’re just paying for the capital gains tax and the transfer fees.

Yes

2. How do I compute my net disposable income? Is this the same with gross less tax, GSIS (yes, I work for the government), Pag-ibig, and Philhealth? Or should I also deduct the common monthly expenses per month?

You are correct. There is no need to deduct your other expenses, since it varies greatly from one person to the other.

3. I’ve heard from colleagues that there’s another government agency for housing loans with lower interests compared to Pag-ibig. I’m sure it’s not GSIS since they’ve already stopped offering housing loans. Can you verify if this is true? If so, what’s the agency?

Hmmm… Perhaps it’s the National Housing Authority (NHA) or there is another one I forgot the name but they mostly entertain and serve only the “urban poor.” They’ll have to check the community where the property is being bought and make sure it’s that overly decorated with bells and whistles and other amenities you would expect from a high-end or even mid-level subdivision.

You’ll have to check this out yourself since I’m only speaking from what I’ve known about those agencies. I may be wrong in that area, though.

Subject : Lost the Land Title

Message :

20 years ago I purchased house and lot I and has fully paid it now with updated tax payment. I move in Japan to marry with Japanese husband so I ‘m living here with my family but on that time I lost my Land Title of my property in the Philippines. What is the procedure for inquiring and where I have to inquire a replacement of Land Title in the Philippines.

Our Reply:

You have to consult a lawyer to assist you on that one. The government office in-charge of record keeping for all Land Titles in the country is the Registry of Deeds. You may have to check where their office is located in your respective city or town.

Subject: How to Become a Pag-ibig member?

Message:

Hello.I want to know,I want to become a member,but i dont have any business.but I sell vegetables in market only.Can i become a member?And how?

Our reply:

Pag-IBIG Membership is not just limited to employees. If you are self-employed or you run a business, you can still become a member.

Here is a useful guide to give you an idea:

https://www.pagibigfinancing.com/articles/2010/voluntary-membership-to-pag-ibig-fund-the-self-employed-freelancers-and-non-employees/

To apply for your membership, you have to go to the branch, but it would help if you prepare the documents already before going there. So please read that article.

Subject: Dividends / other option

Dividend -- A way of earning money through Pag-IBIG Fund Membership. — Dividends — One way of earning money through Pag-IBIG Fund Membership

Message:

Good morning to all the staff of PAG-IBIG . I am presently working in K.S.A for the last 21 years but before I left Philippines,I worked for 11 years. I was told by one of the staff of PAG-IBIG last year when I paid my PAG-IBIG that I have paid since 1988, and I have my dividends. Unfortunately, I was notable to follow up because I was out of time

I would like to inquire if , what are my benefits that I can get or avail from PAG-IBIG?

I want to know about the dividends. I am at present building my house and about to be finished. Can I get any cash to financed my house ? Or any suggestions that I can avail? thank you so much.

I am coming home for vacation this March 28,2014 and I am from Cagayan de Oro.

Good Luck and more power to PAG-IBIG

Our Reply:

Here are three of the most important benefits available to you once you become a member of the Pag-IBIG:

1. Provident Savings:

It is here where your money grows. Each year the Pag-IBIG Fund declares dividend and distributes the money to all Pag-IBIG Fund members. Your money, the money contributed by your employer (if you have one), plus the dividends all form part of the so called Total Accumulated Value.

2. Housing Loan:

Planning to buy a house? Pag-IBIG can help you finance your home purchase.
3. Cash Loan a.k.a Multi-Purpose Loan:

To learn more, here is a good article to read: “Benefits of Becoming a Pag-IBIG Fund Member”

We apologize for not updating this website for so long already. But we do intend to keep it active as evidenced by the replies we sent to the site visitors who are sending their questions.

Again, feel free to send us your questions. Use this form to contact us.

How To Become An Expert in Pag-IBIG Housing Loan in 25 Minutes or Less

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

One of the requirements before a member can avail of a Housing Loan from the Home Development Mutual Fund or simply Pag-IBIG is to attend a housing loan seminar. If you have not been to that kind of seminar before, here are the essential things that they cover:

An overview of the Housing Loan Program. Luckily, most of the contents of this website are focused on this topic, too. That means if you have been browsing around for quite some time, you already have a good deal of knowledge about the Housing Loan in general.
Question and Answer. For those who are really serious about taking a home loan, you can ask the presenter of the seminar any topic that you want to raise that’s related to the program or your particular situation. If there have been questions bothering you regarding the housing loan, this is a good time to ask those and get official answer. So before to ever go to the seminar, it would be good if you prepare a list of your questions.
Membership Status Verification. Before you can even apply for a housing loan, the Pag-IBIG Fund has to take a look at the details of your membership. They will ask you to fill up this small slip and submit it to the Pag-IBIG staff who will be checking on your membership status while the seminar is going on. Just before the seminar ends, you then get a verification whether you qualify for a housing loan or not.

It’s really that easy. Take note that a big part of the seminar is spent discussing the details of the Housing Loan Program. Indeed it is very important that you know more about it.

But don’t you wish you can attend an online Housing Loan Seminar so you can do it from any place in the planet?

Good news: Now you can, right here on this very page! Thanks to Youtube, your wish is granted!

As a side effect of watching these videos, you can actually become an expert in Pag-IBIG Housing loan. You can be proud to discuss it with your circle of friends. Or, better yet, share this article with them.

Videos On The Pag-IBIG Housing Loan

Part 1:

Part 2:

Important topics discussed in the video:

Eligibility Requirements. Things like age, years of membership, etc. You can also read them here.
The Loan Amount You can Take. Please read this article for the details. The video also discusses concepts like Capacity To Pay and Loan-To-Value Ratio.
Loan Document Requirements. Different types of loans require different documents. Read this to find out which one fits your needs.
How to pay for your Housing Loan. Read this especially if you are based overseas or you salary deduction is not possible for you.
Advanced Payments. There is no pre-payment penalty on your amortization, but do you know how to do it right? Here are some tips on how to retire your loan earlier than its designated term.

Special Notes:

However helpful you find this video to be, this is not a replacement of the actual seminar, which is a requirement when you apply for a housing loan.
Just recently, the Pag-IBIG Fund has raised the ceiling on Housing Loan Amount to P 6 million, from previous P 3 million. The interest rate on socialized housing loans has also been subsidized byPag-IBIG to encouraged low-income members to avail of the program. We’ll have more of this in the up-coming articles.

There you have it. Enjoy watching the videos. It’s like attending a Pag-IBIG Housing Loan Seminar from anywhere in the world.

Email Exchange : Member’s ID Number, Reservation Fee, Etc

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

This is a new feature on this website.

Each month starting now, we will highlight the most important emails that we receive from our website visitors together with our responses to each of those messages. Hopefully, this will help other members who may have similar questions, issues or situations.

But for those of who you are planning to fire up your questions anytime, remember that you are not the only one sending us a message. In as much as we would like to reply to each one of you, you need to understand that sometimes it’s just not possible considering that we are also busy with our stuff. To some of our letter senders, we respond; to others, we don’t or we tend to forget.

So before sending us an email, make sure that you read the contents of this website, first and foremost. We have come a long way in keeping this website very relevant to Pag-IBIG Members all over the world. The website has a lot of contents and articles that you may be looking for, so tale time to browse around and take advantage of the following features to help get what you are looking for:

Search Box — This one is located at the lower portion of the Home Page. Type your text there and then hit the Search Button just as you would using the Google Search Box. As a matter of fact, this tool is powered by Google Search.
Browse By Category — Our articles are organized by categories, which you can find at the Right Sidebar from any page. You can click on any category to search for the articles that you are interested with.
Keyword Tag — This is another way of finding an article. For each article that we post, there is a series of keywords — also called tags — that is hooked on that article. It follows that some articles share similar keywords, thereby grouping them together just like a category. The Keyword Tags are also located at the Right Sidebar of the website. Click on a keyword to see some articles containing such a word.
FAQ Section — That’s the Frequently Asked Questions Page. Don’t forget this important Page. This is your quick guide to the most important topics on this website. There is a link at the top menu of the website that directs you to this page.

So, on to this feature and the first set of email exchanges…

Topic #1: Pag-IBIG ID Number

Subject: What is my Pag-IBIG ID Number

As far as I know, my employer is deducting from my salary a certain amount each month that serves as my contribution to the Pag-IBIG Fund. This is already my second employer, but until now, I don’t know my Pag-IBIG ID Number yet.

Can you check it for me?

Thanks for asking this question. You are not alone in your case. As a matter of fact, we have already put an answer to this question at the FAQ Section of this website. Please check from there.

Email Exchange with Pag-IBIG Members

Topic #2: Reservation Fee and Changing Mind About Buying

Subject: housing loan

i have a reservation for a specific lot as a day goes by i was informed that the house that i rent for my business is also for sale… now is it possible .. that i can get this thru PAG-IBIG? these two units are in the same housing project…

Hi Arlene,

As a rule, you are only allowed one housing loan at a time. And I suppose your housing loan has never been approved yet. So this means, you can buy either of the properties.

Here are some helpful links for you:

I hope this helps.

Note: This page will be updated again within the month as we receive valuable emails from the site visitors.

7 Most Popular How-To’s On Pag-IBIG Fund

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

Since this website has been online, the Pag-IBIG Financing Team has encountered questions that are repeatedly asked by site visitors. Of course, we have made the FAQ section to address some of the most common questions that they raise. But, as it appears, a lot of folks seem to overlook that page when searching for the answer to their questions. That section should be the first stop for anyone who wish to find some answers related to Pag-IBIG Fund and its services.

This article is also a handy guide to the How-To type of questions that we received from site visitors.

We hope that by providing this, you’ll easily get access to the right information that you are seeking. Please browse the whole article to see if you also have similar queries.

1. How To Apply For A Pag-IBIG Housing Loan

This is one is the favourite questions of most Pag-IBIG Fund members. Here’s a sample inquiry that we received: “I would to ask how can I make a loan. I was planning to buy a parcel of land somewhere in Laguna but I have no idea on how to apply for the loan and what the procedures are.”

Best Answer: The Pag-IBIG Housing Loan Process.

2. How To Pay the Pag-IBIG Fund

For the locally employed Filipinos, this one should not be a problem since their employers should take care of this by way of salary deduction.

But for the self-employed and the Overseas Filipinos, here are some of the best ways to send your payment: 5 Ways To Pay The Pag-IBIG Fund.

Note: You may choose to pay monthly or quarterly. It is always best if you can pay over the counter, at the collecting office. And for all your payments, make sure that you keep the Official Receipt as evidence of the payment.

3. How To Apply As Voluntary Member

The mandatory membership to the Pag-IBIG Fund has already been expanded to include the Overseas Filipino Workers. Please consult article we had about the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009 to check if you are under the mandatory coverage or not.

Now, here’s a list on who can become voluntary members to the Pag-IBIG Fund.

Non-working spouse, provided the other partner is also a member
Filipino employees of foreign government or international organization, or their wholly-owned instrumentality based in the Philippines, in the absence of an administrative agreement with the Fund
Leaders and members of religious groups
A member separated from employment, local or abroad, or ceased to be self-employed but would like to continue paying his/her personal contribution
Public officials or employees who are not covered by the GSIS

Here’s how to apply as a voluntary member.

4. How To Apply For A Short-term Loan

pag-ibig financing how-to Whether you want to call it a Personal Loan, a Salary Loan or by any other name, it belongs to the Short-term Loan program of Pag-IBIG.

Here’s how to apply for a short-term loan.

5. How To Withdraw Your Savings

Take note that your total savings, also called Total Accumulated Value, is the sum total of all your contributions, that of your employers (if applicable), plus the accumulated dividends.

But, you can’t just withdraw it anytime as you would your savings bank account. You should know about specific guidelines on how to withdraw that money.

6. How To Check If You Qualify For a Home Loan

Nothing can be so annoying than spending some previous time applying for a home loan only to be denied because you did not qualify. You can do a lot in the way of preparation.

Here’s how to do a pre-qualification before you go to the office and apply for a home loan.

7. How To Check My Membership Status, Contributions and Payments, etc.

There are some questions that only the Pag-IBIG Office or branch can answer. This one is among them.

However, you may want to read this Q and A about your Pag-IBIG Membership.

~~~

“The 7 Most Popular How-To’s On Pag-IBIG Fund” is written by Carlos Velasco.

Joining The Pag-IBIG Overseas Program — Is It Really Worth It?

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

Did you know the difference between the Pag-IBIG Overseas Program and the regular Pag-IBIG Program, likewise known as Pag-IBIG I?

Most OFWs assume that since they are based overseas, they should be getting the Pag-IBIG Overseas Program, as they are now compelled to become members of the Pag-IBIG Fund.

Well, that’s not really the case.

Let me explain further by citing in part a message sent to us (via an article comment) by a site visitor who is an OFW based in Singapore.

I am an OFW since December 2008, and I stopped my contribution the same date. Last month, October [2011], I started to contribute again in one of your outlets here in Singapore. Since I Don’t know my Pag-ibig account no., they just gave me a new one temporarily. And they said its ok.. and can add up that to my old Pag-ibig account if i will activate the status of my old account…

1. Is it true?

2. How come? like for example if i want to avail a housing loan? you mean i need to wait for me to complete my ofw 24 months contribution?

3. Then hows my 4 years local contribution? is it like forfeited?

Actually I let my father follow up that today in the philippines. then one of the staff said that my local contribution is different from ofw and cannot combine it.. for me to have a housing loan.
what to do.?? please help. It’s so confusing po. thank you admin.

From that letter, let’s discuss the following topics as they relate to the Pag-IBIG Overseas Program and the regular Pag-IBIG membership a.k.a. the Pag-IBIG I.

POP vs Pag-IBIG I – Know the Difference
The past contributions

Let’s elaborate each of these subjects.

The Pag-IBIG Overseas Program vs The Pag-IBIG I – What’s the Difference?

You may not know it yet, but you can contribute to the Pag-IBIG Fund in the following manner:

Pag-IBIG I — This is the regular Pag-IBIG membership. During the inception of the Home Development Mutual Fund, this is the only membership type that’s available. As time passes, the program has grown to offer special service coverage for the Filipino workers based abroad. They rarely call it Pag-IBIG I now, but it got the name because the organization has introduced the Pag-IBIG II program.
Pag-IBIG II — This is a savings program, which is supposedly offering a higher rate on your money compared to the annual dividend earnings of your Pag-IBIG I money. You can only participate with Pag-IBIG II if you are a member of the Pag-IBIG I.
Pag-IBIG Overseas Program — Abbreviated as POP, this program was originally intended for the overseas Filipinos who wanted to become members of the Pag-IBIG Fund. This one is different and separate program from Pag-IBIG I.

(Related topic: Please check our previous article, which discusses in some details the POP Program.)

Pag IBIG Overseas program

However, since the passage of the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009, where OFWs are already required to become members of the Pag-IBIG Fund, this program has been relegated to the side.

Important Tip: OFWs who are not yet members of the Home Development Mutual Fund should choose to enrol in the regular Pag-IBIG Program and not the POP. This is the only kind of membership required of you. With this program, you are already entitled to all of the benefits available to Pag-IBIG Fund members.

The Past Contributions

This scenario is very common: Before going abroad to work as an OFW, most Filipinos are already members of the Pag-IBIG especially those who have work experiences locally here in the Philippines. By the time they go overseas, they lose track of their membership and just forget about the whole thing — no more updated contributions; any existing Multi-Purpose Loan obligation is forgotten, etc.

If this is your case, remember the following:

All your past contributions to the Pag-IBIG Fund will stay there and will continue to accumulate dividend as the time passes, unless you happen to have an MPL Loan which you are not paying anymore.
Non-payment of your MPL puts a lien on your Total Accumulated Value (TAV) – that’s your money, contributions plus dividends. What will happen is that Pag-IBIG will use your TAV to pay for your personal loan. (That’s the reason why you are only granted a percentage of your TAV for your MPL loan.)
You can always activate your regular membership by contributing anew.

If you have some more questions related to this topic, please feel free to use the comment form below. We may have to update this article depending on the questions that we get.

The title of the article has raised this question: Is it really worth joining the Pag-IBIG Overseas Program?

What do you think? You be the judge. Make sure you also read the related articles cited as links on this article. Don’t hesitate to send us your opinions.

~~~

“Joining The Pag-IBIG Overseas Program — Is It Really Worth It?” is written by Carlos Velasco.

Loaning With No Income Tax Return

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

Here’s another letter that we’d like to share to every reader of this website. It’s about the use of the Income Tax Return as a requirement in applying for a Housing Loan. The letter is shown below.

“I want to become a member of [the] Pag-IBIG Fun. My question is, is it possible na maging voluntary member ako kahit wala akong ma-present na ITR [Income Tax Return]? Hindi kasi ganun kalaki ang kinikita ko eh.

“Hope you respond to this.

“Thank you so much.”

With reference to the letter presented above, we’ll limit the discussion on this article on the following points:

Membership To The Pag-IBIG Fund
Income Tax Return and Other Requirements
Income Requirement

Locally employed individuals, freelancers, practicing professional, and operators of a small business in the Philippines who are interested about the Housing Loan Program of the Pag-IBIG Fund should pay attention to this article as we elaborate on the details in the succeeding paragraphs.

Mandatory Coverage

By now, you should be aware already that under the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009, the following are mandated to become members of the Pag-IBIG Fund:

Locally employed Filipinos who are compulsorily covered by the SSS and the GSIS
Self-employed Filipinos with an income of at least P 1,000 / month
Overseas Filipino Workers
Filipino Seafarers
Uniformed members of the AFP, BFP, BJMP and PNP
Household helper earning at least P 1,000 per month

For these groups of people, there is no other choice but to become members of the Pag-IBIG Fund.

Voluntary Membership To The Pag-IBIG Fund

However, for the rest who also wanted to join as members, a Voluntary Membership to the Pag-IBIG Fund is available. If you should want to take this opportunity and become a voluntary member, take note of the following.

You are self-contributing – That is, there is no employer counter-part to your membership contribution unlike the case for the locally employed members.
Salary Deduction is NOT an Option – This should be obvious from #1 above.
You may or may not be granted a housing loan. It’s important that you can demonstrate a proof that you are earning. More about this later.

Income Tax Return and Other Document Requirements

Here’s a recap of the basic document requirements for the Housing Loan Application:

Housing Loan Application
Approved membership Status Verification Slip
Transfer Certificate Title / Condominium Certificate Title – Must be a certified true copy
Tax Declaration – Photocopy of the updated one
Location plan and vicinity map

In addition to the above documents, the following are also considered as basic requirements…

Housing Loan Document Requirements For The Self-employed or Business Owner

Now, if you happen to be a practicing professional (dentist, architect, accountant, etc), an owner / operator of a small business (more specifically a business structured as a single-proprietorship), or self-employed, the Pag-IBIG Fund says you need the following when applying for a Home Loan Program:

1 year Income Tax Return (1 yr)
Audited Financial Statement
Official Receipt of Tax payment from the Bank, DTI Registration, Mayor’s Permit

As such, there’s no escaping the ITR for self-employed and voluntary members.

Housing Loan Document Requirements For The Employees?

For the locally employed, ANY of the following must be presented:

Notarized Certificate of Employment and Compensation (Pag-IBIG Format)
Notarized Certificate of Employment and Compensation (Employer’s Format) and 1 month latest Payslip/Payroll (certified by the employer)
Income Tax Return / Certificate of Tax Withheld (W2-Form 2316) and 1 month latest Payslip/Payroll (certified by the employer)

In other words, for the locally employed, the ITR is only optional. In lieu of that, you may use a Certificate of Employment and Compensation from your employer.

For a complete list of requirements, please visit this article.

Income Requirements

The letter sender above must a little bit worried about getting loan when she declared, “Hindi kasi ganun kalaki ang kinikita ko eh.”

Having a large income is certainly advantageous in almost any business dealings when you apply for a real estate loan. That is, a bigger income gives you a better chance of getting a bigger loan amount also; and therefore, a bigger house.

But take note, Pag-IBIG Fund was created to make it easier for the low- and mid-income Filipino families to own a decent home by gaining access to a housing loan program that offers a lower rate and longer payment terms compared to the other financing institutions like banks.

When buying a real property and financing it using the Pag-IBIG Home Loan program, the following tips should be helpful to you:

Determine Your Budget for the House – As much as possible, it should not exceed 30% of your combined household income.
Loan Term – How much is it going to cost you on a month to month basis if you will be paying the loan in 15 years, 20 years or 30 years?
Consider Getting a Co-Borrower – This must be avoided as much as possible. But if you really need that property, this is an option to take. (Follow this article for more options.)

“Loaning With No Income Tax Return” is written by Carlos Velasco.