At first, it seems logical to ask my family to pay for my monthly contribution for Pag-IBIG and SSS.
I am already sending monthly remittance so to save additional expenses why not ask a favour to my family to pay on my behalf.
It seems that I thought of a great idea . . . for a month or so.
To spare you of the same trouble that I had, I will list down the reasons why I decided to do it on my own. If you are thinking of becoming a member of Pag-IBIG, this post will give you a heads up.
And if you are already thinking of paying online, then this post will give you more reason to do it yourself especially if you are an OFW.
You can pay anywhere as long as you have a credit card and Internet connection.
Reasons to Pay Your Monthly Contribution by Yourself:
I came up with five reasons; maybe you can add more. Leave a comment.
1. Peace of mind. You decide when and how to pay. I don’t have to worry whether my family has already paid or spent the money I sent for my investment. (OK, so there’s a trust issue here.) I don’t have to keep on texting my sister to remind her to pay for my monthly contribution. It’s annoying and tiring for both of us.
2. Maintain good relationship. I do trust my family but when it comes to money I want to be responsible and not let anyone handle my personal finance if I can do it myself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for help especially if things has to be done in the Philippines.
3. Save time and money. This goes both ways. My family and I are able to save time and money. My sister who always help me with government transactions (eg. getting my TIN) don’t have to do errand for me. She can focus on her freelancing and aspins (dogs in the Philippines). Although I have to pay extra for the service fee every time I pay online, it doesn’t matter. Time is more important than money.
4. Record keeping. After each online transaction I can save a PDF copy or print the receipt for my personal record. My family doesn’t have to keep it for me which I doubt since I am the neat freak in our family. (I gather all of my dad’s SSS record and stock certificate before I leave. I volunteer so that I can have a peace of mind . . . and my parents as well.)
5. Collecting points. I always use my credit card to pay online or in person. I do advocate the use of credit card only to those who are responsible to track and control the expenses.
These are the benefits I can think of once I decided not to rely on my family to pay my monthly contributions. Have you thought of something else?
As of now, I pay my Pag-IBIG contribution online on time and sometimes in advance whenever possible. Remember the equation:
EXPENSES = INCOME – SAVINGS
Transfer first a portion of your income to a registered account (TFSA or RRSP) or other forms of investment.
Whatever is left is used to pay for the expenses, which you should already have an estimate of at the end of each month if you are using a budget spreadsheet.
Here’s another equation: efficiency = happiness. Everyone in my family is happy and so am I.
I don’t have to wait for ages for a reply to the message I sent a week ago. No more “I didn’t get your message.” I guess I’m on the right track towards retirement fund.
Do you have the same experience? How do you pay for monthly contribution for government agencies in the Philippines?
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