Multi-Purpose Loan

Money Matters: Pag-IBIG Fund Provident Savings and Provident Claims

Every member of the Home Development Mutual Fund — or anyone who desires to be one – should know that there are basically three types of benefits that are available to qualified members. They are the following:

1. Short-Term Loan — This is the Multi-Purpose Loan Program of the Pag-IBIG Fund that is payable in 24 months. The one thing that makes it unique is that the loan amount that can be granted to you is dependent on your “savings” with the fund. Let’s discuss the savings part in the succeeding paragraphs. A lot of people call it with many names such as personal loan, salary loan, cash loan, etc. It doesn’t matter what name you call it, you can use the proceeds anyway you want.

Click this link to know more about the Pag-IBIG Short-Term Loan Program.

2. Housing Loan — To many of its members, the Pag-IBIG Fund is almost synonymous with Housing Loan. This is a long-term home loan program that qualified members can tap in order to finance the purchase of a real estate in the Philippines. The article entitled Pag-IBIG Housing Loan 101 is a good place to start learning about this program.

3. Provident Savings — Your contributions to the Fund are like your Time-Deposit Account in the bank. It earns interest overtime and you can withdraw it, too. We’ve already mentioned a few things about this in the past article, but here we’ll elaborate more in this article, so keep reading.

Provident Savings — What Is And How It Works

Pag-IBIG Money Savings and Claims I searched for the meaning of the word “provident” and I got a good response. Provident (an adjective) means “making or indicative of timely preparation for the future.” Thanks Google, I don’t have to open my good old dictionary.

The meaning of the word “savings” should be easy, right? It is explained below.

Savings here refer to your membership contributions to the Pag-IBIG Fund. If you really think about it, that’s your own money that you “saved” with the fund. If you are locally employed in the Philippines, you know for a fact that your employer is also mandated by Law to contribute to your savings.

The Pag-IBIG Fund is one huge organization that pools together all the savings of all its members and invests that money by financing real estate development projects and mortgage loans which would eventually be beneficial to its members. As such, this money is expected to grow, or earn, over the course of time.

As a member, you must also be aware of the term Total Accumulated Value (TAV), which is your total contributions plus that of your employers (if you are employed) and the dividend earned by that money.

So essentially, Provident Savings is the TAV money which you can claim in some future time as a result of becoming a member of the Pag-IBIG Fund.

Provident Claims Or How To Withdraw Your Money

This part is exciting and irritating as well.

Here’s a minor irritation you have to deal with: you can’t just get your money anytime you need it. There are set guidelines on when you can apply for provident claims.

Here are the six instances when you are entitled to get your money from the Pag-IBIG Fund. The document requirements are also listed for each of the respective category of provident claims.

1. Membership Maturity – Regular members of the Pag-IBIG Program or the Pag-IBIG I can apply for provident claims upon maturity of their membership. Maturity here means having made an equivalent of 240 monthly contributions, so that’s roughly 20 years. (See the Basic Document Requirements below.)

Members of Pag-IBIG Overseas Program have their maturity date set from 5 to 20 years. They are advised to have their POP Passbook when applying for the provident claim.

2. Retirement – The retirement can be as early as 45 years old to the mandatory age of 65. The following are the important documents to bring:

Notarized Certificate of Early Retirement (For Private Employee, at least 45 years old)
SSS/GSIS Retirement Voucher or any two valid IDs
For AFP, Philippine Navy and Army Personnel (Any of the following: Order of Retirement, Updated Statement of Service, Statement of Last Payment )

3. Separation from the service due to health reasons

Important Documents:

Physician’s Certificate/Statement
Notarized Sworn Employer’s Certification that member was separated from the service due to health reasons
Latest SSS Disability Voucher (For Private Employee)

4. Permanent and Total Disability or Insanity

Important Documents:

Physician’s Certificate/Statement of Insanity
SSS Total Disability Voucher (If Private Employee)
For AFP, Philippine Navy and Army Personnel: ( Updated Statement of Service, Statement of Last Payment, Compulsory Disability Discharge Order)

5. Permanent Departure from the country

If you have another to call home and you finally said goodbye to the Philippines, here are some documents to prepare:

Notarized Sworn Declaration of Intention to Depart from the Philippines Permanently
Photocopy of Passport
Any of the following : Immigrant Visa, Residence Visa, Settlement Visa

6. Death

That dreaded word. Beneficiaries or heirs should prepare the following documents:

Member’s Death Certificate issued by NSO
Certification from Funeral Parlor
Notarized Proof of Surviving Legal Heirs
Notarized Affidavit of Guardianship (For children 18 years old and below, or physically/mentally incompetent)
Birth Certificate of all Children, if any, issued by NSO or Baptismal/Confirmation Certificate

To establish relationship with the deceased member, the claimant shall submit any of the following:

Member’s / Claimant’s Birth Certificate issued by NSO
Member’s Marriage Contract, if married, issued by NSO
Certified True Copy of Member’s/Claimant’s Baptismal/Confirmation Certificate
Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) (For Single Only)

Basic Document Requirements

On top of the document requirements above, the following document should come handy:

Duly accomplished Application for Provident Benefits (APB) Claim
Two (2) valid IDs
Updated Service Record (For government employees)
Special Power of Attorney and two (2) valid IDs each of the Principal and Attorney-in-Fact (If member cannot claim personally)

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“Money Matters: Pag-IBIG Fund Provident Savings and Provident Claims” is written by Carlos Velasco.

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.

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

The Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan 101

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

The recent typhoons that hit the Philippines have really done so much damage to a lot of families and establishments. As with all types of calamities, those were unexpected and they caught the residents unprepared. A report said, typhoons Pedring and Quiel have rendered five provinces, eight cities, and five municipalities under the State of Calamity. In times like these, being a member of the Pag-IBIG Fund could somehow ease the burden knowing that Pag-IBIG can extend a helping hand.

This article discusses some of the most important things you should know about the Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan. Obviously, being a victim of a calamity, Heaven forbid, is something you want to delete from your wish list.

Note: This is an old article, but this is popular again due to the recent calamity that hit the country. However, the basic idea of the Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan remain the same, so read further and don’t forget to share this to your friends.

Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan vs Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan

Remember the three prime benefits available to Pag-IBIG Members? They are the following:

Short Term Loan Multi-Purpose
Loan, Calamity Loan, Personal Loan, etc
Housing Loan — House and Lot Purchase, Home Construction, Home Improvement, etc
Provident Savings — Money which you can claim when the right time comes.

This is very important: The Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan is really just a special type of Multi-Purpose Loan. That means, when you apply for a Calamity Loan, you are bound by the same rules and guidelines set by Pag-IBIG when availing of a Multi-Purpose Loan. Some of these are as follows:

Member Qualification — The member must have contributed at least 24 months and must be active at the loan application.
Loan Amount – A maximum of 80% of the member’s Total Accumulated Value or TAV (personal contributions, employer’s contribution, and dividend)
Interest Rate – This is currently set at 10.75% per annum
Loan Term – The loan is payable in 24 months.

Plus, specifically for the Calamity Loan, the following also applies:

Grace Period – 5 months.
Member Residence – The member must be a resident of the affected area.

( See also: This article and this for a detailed discussion of the Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan.)

Question: What if I still have an outstanding Multi-Purpose Loan, can I still avail of the Calamity Loan?

Answer: Yes, sure, but the outstanding balance of your current MPL Loan will be deducted from the proceeds of the Calamity Loan.

Calamity Loan Requirements and Application Process

Calamity Loan Applications are accepted in Pag-IBIG branches or centers where the calamity areas belong. To facilitate the process, Pag-IBIG staff are deployed in the affected areas as well.

Members are advised to prepare the following documents when applying:

Certificate of net pay
Two valid identification cards
For government employees, a photocopy of Land Bank ATM Card

Normally, applicants will also be required to have a copy of the Certification from their Barangay Captains. But in the case of Pedring and Quiel victims, there is no need to do so since the Office of the President has already issued a statement declaring those areas under the State of Calamity.

Some Facts On Calamity Loan Related to Typhoons Pedring and Quiel

The Pag-IBIG Fund has recently approved the release PhP 601 M calamity loan intended for use by about 37,000 members affected by typhoons Pedring and Quiel.
Affected Members-Borrowes may also avail of the three-month moratorium on housing loan payments.
Loan Application is only accepted up to 90 days from the day the State of Calamity was declared.

August 2012 Update

For those who are affected by the recent typhoon Gener and the heavy monsoon rains, please check this link at the pagibigfund.gov.ph website.

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“The Pag-IBIG Calamity Loan 101” is written by Carlos Velasco.

Beyond Loans: The Pag-IBIG II Program As Investment And Tax Shelter

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

When the Pag-IBIG Fund was first conceived, it was intended to offer the following services and benefits to its members:

Provident Savings
Short Term Loans (Multi-Purpose Loan, Calamity Loans, etc)
Housing Loans

All of these are still available today.

Over time, Pag-IBIG has grown (both in terms of finances and membership) that it introduced other programs and services.

There was the Pag-IBIG Overseas Program, which was a special program meant to address the needs of the Overseas Filipino Workers. Then there was the Pag-IBIG II Program, which was not so popular but is nonetheless very beneficial to those who participated in the Program.

The original Pag-IBIG program is now called Pag-IBIG I to distinguish it from the other programs of Pag-IBIG especially the Pag-IBIG II Program.

Pag-IBIG I vs. Pag-IBIG II

One site visitor asked, “Is Pag-IBIG II better than Pag-IBIG I?”

First, please be aware that the two programs are different from each other and as you read along this article we’ll touch base with some of the benefits you can derive by participating in the Pag-IBIG II Program.

The following are the differences of the two:

1. Membership — In order to participate in Pag-IBIG II, the only requirement is that you have to be a member of Pag-IBIG I. There’s no other way. Think of it as placing an investment in the Fund, and it is really that – an investment program. Participating in Pag-IBIG II program is voluntary and is open to all Pag-IBIG I members only.

2. Contributions — With Pag-IBIG I, your regular monthly contribution is P 200. For employees, that is a 50-50 split, with the other half courtesy of the employer. Self-employed and self-paying members have to shoulder the whole amount. With Pag-IBIG II, the monthly investment is at least P 500; remember: no less!

3. Maturity — Pag-IBIG I will mature in 20 years. Pag-IBIG II matures in 5 years, though you have an option of extending it for another 5 years.

4. Dividend Rate — There’s that word again. Remember, your money in Pag-IBIG Fund will not earn an interest, but it will earn a dividend. The difference between the two is the difference between a savings program and an investment program.

The Management of the Pag-IBIG Fund assures those who are participating in Pag-IBIG II that their money will earn dividend that is a bit higher than their earning in Pag-IBIG I. However, there is no pre-stated rate of return, because the amount of dividend has to be decided by the board every first quarter of the year and whether you like it or not this will depend on many things among them is the performance of the Pag-IBIG Fund.

5. Access To Loans — Here is a slight downside of the Pag-IBIG II Program: You can’t loan against it. Remember that when you apply for a Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan, your loan eligibility depends on the amount of your TAV (contributions + dividend) from the Pag-IBIG Fund. You can’t use Pag-IBIG II in such kind of short-term loan.

[Further reading: The Pag-IBIG II Savings Program — our first article about the Pag-IBIG II Program.]

Think: Investment

You really should think of Pag-IBIG II as an investment program and keep the following points in mind:

higher dividend
shorter maturity term
guaranteed by the government
tax-free
tax shelter

Tax Shelter — Is that a Joke?

Maybe it’s true. The government is joking about the Pag-IBIG II as your tax shelter. But, don’t you think you deserve a tax break from time to time? Thanks to the Pag-IBIG Program, it becomes legally possible to avoid paying a portion of your tax.

Actually, it’s not just the Pag-IBIG II that’s tax exempt, your Pag-IBIG I is tax exempt as well. But since Pag-IBIG I contribution is normally pegged at P 200 per month, that doesn’t have a big impact on your tax due. And since there is no limit on the amount of contribution to the Pag-IBIG II, it could spell a difference on your taxable income.

In general, the simple equation helps to make the point much clearer.

Taxable Income = Basic Pay – [ (Pag-IBIG I) + (Pag-IBIG II) + (SSS) + (Phil Health) ] + …

The Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009 stated in its Rule IX, Section 12:

Pag-IBIG Contributions are Excluded from the Computation of the Gross Income. Pursuant to Section 32 (B)(7)(f) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, Pag-IBIG Contributions are excluded from the computation of the gross income and shall be exempt from taxation.

In other words, one of the ways you can reduce your tax payment is by investing in Pag-IBIG II.

Patriotism aside, remember that tax avoidance is legal while tax evasion is illegal. And you should not confuse the two.

“Beyond Loans: The Pag-IBIG II Program As Investment And Tax Shelter” is written by Carlos Velasco.

More on Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

This short article is intended to supplement the original article on Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan (MPL).

We will present the information in a Question-And-Answer Format so that it will be easier for you to find those topics that are relevant to your situation.

It is worth noting that a lot of the questions we received regarding the MPL Loan has already been addressed in the aforementioned article.

In many of our articles, there are instances when we don’t answer some questions. Our apologies. But that’s because the answer has already been very obvious in the article — if only the reader spent a few more minutes reading the entire article and understanding it thoroughly.

So maybe if you want to ask something that’s related to Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan, please consult that article first and make sure that you read it in its entirety.

(The New Philippine Peso Bills Design Series of 2010 is shown below. Source: The Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas.)

1. Who can avail of the Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan?

The Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan is open only to Pag-IBIG Fund Members who meet the following basic qualifications:

Active or currently contributing to the Fund at the time of loan application.
Has made at least of 24 months contributions.

2. What is the maximum loan amount I can get from MPL?

The maximum amount is 80% of the TAV.

Are you also interested in knowing the minimum amount?

That’s easy. The minimum is 60% of the TAV.

Note again that this is a recurring question which has been addressed in the previous article. In case you are wondering what on earth is TAV or you want to get a detailed answer to this question, please read the first article on Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan.

3. What is the interest rate and term of this loan type?

The MPL interest rate is only 10.75% per annum and the loan is payable in 24 months.

4. How do I get the loan proceeds?

Once the loan has been approved, you may get the loan proceeds from the office where you made the application or it will be mailed to you. The whole approved amount may be released through:

Check – Payable to the borrower’s name.
LandBank’s Payroll Credit System Validation
Philippine Domestic Dollar Transfer System

5. Can I avail of the MPL even if I still have an outstanding Housing Loan?

Considering that Pag-IBIG Housing loan is usually a long term one, that’s possible.

However, take note of the following:

The loan should not be more than 9 months in arrears.
The account is not yet cancelled.
The property is not yet foreclosed.

In case your housing loan is already over 9 months in arrears, you may still be allowed to avail of the Multi-Purpose Loan if the account has not yet been cancelled or foreclosed and the proceeds of the loan shall be used to cover the arrearages (missed payments).

6. Can I use the Multi-Purpose Loan for Home Improvement?

Yes. As a matter of fact, it is preferable to the usual Housing Loan for use in Home Improvement in the sense that there are less documents required from you. The regular Home Improvement Loan is quite complicated with lots of required technical documents like House Design, Floor Plan, Project Costing, etc.

The only other thing to consider when you want this option is that, you can’t expect to get a large amount for your loan. But for many Pag-IBIG members, that amount is already enough to cover the expenses on renovation and improvements of the house.

Actually, you can use the proceeds of the loan in various ways. It’s all up to you.

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More On Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan is written by Carlos Velasco.

The Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan

by Pag-IBIG Financing Admin

So far on this website, we have mostly focused on topics related to Pag-IBIG Housing Loan. That is indeed the most popular service or benefit available only to qualified Pag-IBIG Members.

The other popular program is the Multi-Purpose Loan (MPL) or sometimes referred to as Personal Loan. The Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan is essentially a financial assistance to Pag-IBIG Member that they can use for any of the following purpose:

1. Minor Home Improvement – Take note that this is only for minor home improvements. For renovation works requiring larger amount of money, you may want to avail of the Housing Loan for Home Improvement.

2. Small Business / Livelihood Financing – Good news to those who run small businesses or those planning to have one. You may use the proceeds of this loan to finance your small business venture whether it is for expansion or for initial start-up capitalization.

Pag-IBIG Personal Loan

3. Medical Assistance – If you find yourself in need of money for that medical bill, Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose be of help.

4. Educational Purpose – You can even use it to finance your education.

5. Purchase of Appliances and Furniture – This refers to those toys that you have been wanting to buy.

6. Others – The list could go on. Actually, there can be many other things you can use that loan for.

Loan Amount, Interest Rate, Loan Term

Your loan entitlement depends on the number of contributions made and the Total Accumulated Value (TAV). Remember that TAV is defined as the member’s personal contributions, the corresponding contributions of his employer and the total dividend earnings.

So, how much can you loan exactly? The list below serves as reference.

24 to 59 months contributions = Up to 60% of TAV
60 to 119 months contributions = Up to 70% of TAV
120 months contributions or more = Up to 80% of TAV

As you can see, the longer you have been contributing to the Fund and the larger the amount contributed, the bigger loan amount is also available to you.

The one nice thing about the Pag-IBIG Multi-Purpose Loan is that the interest rate can be as little as 10.75% per annum. That’s one of the most competitive rates in the market you can find.

The loan is to be amortized over a period of 24 months.

Loan Payments and Penalty

Paying for the loan is easier for those who are employed: payments can be done through salary deduction.

However, if you are voluntarily contributing, the following methods of payments are also available.

Over the counter
Auto-debit arrangement with accredited banks

A penalty of 0.5% of any unpaid amount shall be collected from the borrower for every month of delay.

How To Apply For Pag-IBIG Muti-Purpose Loan

1. Secure an MPL Application Form and checklist of requirements from any Pag-IBIG Fund Office.

2. Accomplish and submit the Application Form together with the requirements at the servicing branch.

3. Wait for the Loan Approval based on the date reflected on the MPL Acknowledgement Receipt.

4. Claim your check with your valid ID and the MPL Acknowledgment Receipt.