LAST UPDATED: September 22, 2026
Annual Confirmation of Pensioners
A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide
Every year, senior pensioners face the same question: how do I do ACOP without stress?
The Social Security System (SSS) now provides several ways to comply with ACOP, including facial authentication through its website, email submission, personal appearance, video conference, mail or courier, and other options.
The easiest method depends on the pensioner’s situation. Facial authentication can be convenient for those who are already registered with the National ID System (PhilSys), but many seniors may still find email submission or another method more practical.
New Online Option: Facial Authentication
SSS now allows eligible pensioners who are registered with the National ID System (PhilSys) to comply with ACOP through facial authentication with a liveness check.
Go to www.sss.gov.ph and click Submit ACOP Compliance on the home page.
You do not need to log in to My.SSS.
The process is simple:
1. Confirm that you are registered with the National ID System (PhilSys).
2. Agree to the data-sharing consent.
3. Enter the pensioner’s SS number and date of birth.
4. Confirm the information shown.
5. Follow the instructions for the live selfie or liveness check.
6. After successful verification, save or print the confirmation page for your records.
This option is currently available to eligible PhilSys-registered retirement pensioners aged 80 and above residing in the Philippines, retirement pensioners residing abroad, and survivorship or death pensioners.
It sounds simple, but it will not work for everyone. The pensioner must already be registered with PhilSys, and the information in the SSS and PhilSys records must match.
If the pensioner is not PhilSys-registered, facial authentication fails, or the records do not match, SSS directs the pensioner to other methods of ACOP compliance.
How to Do ACOP Through Email
For many seniors, email remains a practical option, especially when facial authentication cannot be used or when a family member is helping prepare the documents.
Step 1: Download the correct ACOP form
Choose the form that applies to the type of pension. You can download the forms below.
• ACOP Form for Retirement or Permanent Total Disability Pensioners
• ACOP Form for Surviving Legal Spouse Pensioners
If you are unsure which form to use, choose according to the type of pension being received, not simply the pensioner’s current marital status.
(The downloadable PDFs provided on this page are official ACOP forms from the Social Security System (SSS), uploaded here for convenience, as of February 8, 2026.)
Step 2: Prepare the required documents
• Filled-out and signed ACOP form
• Clear copy of one primary ID or at least two secondary IDs
• Chest-level photo of the pensioner holding a current newspaper, with the headline and publication date clearly visible
But you do not necessarily have to look for a newspaper.
SSS also allows a photo of the pensioner with a TV in the background showing a current news crawler or ticker, with the headline and date clearly visible.
This can be much easier now that newspaper stands are becoming harder to find.
Important: For email submission, the date shown on the newspaper or TV news ticker must be the same as the date the ACOP documents are emailed.
So if the photo shows today’s newspaper or TV news ticker, send the email on the same day.
Step 3: Submit by email
Email Subject Line
SSS currently recommends this format:
ACOP Compliance, [Pensioner’s Full Name]
Example:
ACOP Compliance, Juan Dela Cruz
Send all documents in one email. Files may be scanned or photographed, as long as they are clear and readable.
Send the email to the corporate email address of the SSS branch or service office handling the account.
Example:
If you are living in Las Piñas, you may send your ACOP documents to laspinas@sss.gov.ph.
SSS procedures may vary depending on the pensioner’s record and type of pension. If SSS provides specific instructions, those instructions should be followed.
Other Ways to Submit ACOP
If facial authentication or email is not suitable, SSS also provides other ways to comply:
• Personal appearance at an SSS branch or service office, or at an applicable depository bank
• Through a representative at an SSS branch or service office, with the required identification and supporting documents
• Mail or courier to the appropriate SSS branch, service office, or foreign office
• Video conference through an appointment with SSS, including MS Teams or Viber where available
• Home visit upon request for pensioners whose physical or medical condition makes the usual methods difficult or impossible
For mail or courier submission, the newspaper or TV news ticker does not have to show the exact mailing date, but it must be within the same month as the ACOP submission.
When to Submit ACOP
ACOP is generally scheduled during the applicable birth month. For pensioners filing under their own record, this is the pensioner’s birth month. For survivorship or death pensioners, the schedule is based on the birth month of the deceased member.
For example, if the relevant birthday falls on February 10, submitting ACOP anytime within February, even on February 28, is still within the scheduled month.
Failure to comply on schedule may result in temporary suspension of the monthly pension.
To avoid delays and unnecessary stress, it is better to comply on time rather than wait for the pension to be suspended.
Why This Matters
People grow weaker with age. Systems should grow kinder.
Facial authentication is a welcome improvement for pensioners who already have PhilSys registration and can pass the online verification successfully. It can remove the need for forms, newspaper photos, scanning, and email attachments.
But a new online option does not automatically make the whole process easy.
Some seniors are not registered with PhilSys. Some may have records that do not match. Others may not be comfortable using a smartphone, camera, online verification, passwords, or digital services without assistance.
That is why simpler alternatives still matter.
Email can remain practical when a family member is helping. Personal or representative filing may work better for others. Video conference, mail or courier, and home visits also give pensioners additional choices depending on their situation.
Seniors should not have to navigate an obstacle course just to keep receiving a pension they are entitled to receive.
The tools exist. The methods exist. The goal should be simple: fewer unnecessary steps, clearer instructions, and a system designed around the people who need it most.
Old folks should not be the ones adjusting. Institutions should.
There may no longer be one easiest way to do ACOP. The best option is the one that creates the least burden for the pensioner.
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿɢ ᴏᵘᴛ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒɢ
