Compulsory SOCSO Coverage for Domestic Workers (2022)

The Social Security Organisation (SOCSO, also known as PERKESO) announced the extension of social security protection coverage to domestic workers effective 1 June 2021. If you are a Malaysian employer of a foreign domestic worker, this new government rule needs to be complied with.

Kindly note if you are a foreign national hiring a foreign domestic worker, this new ruling does not apply to you).

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Foreign domestic workers are covered under the ‘Employment Injury Scheme’ of Act 4, where they are able to claim, due to workplace accidents, the following benefits:

1. Medical benefit
2. Temporary disability benefit
3. Permanent disability benefit
4. Dependent benefit 
5. Permanent service allowance
6. Physical/Vocation/Return to Work/Dialysis benefits
7. Corpse management benefits, in the event of death

2. Under this scheme, employers are mandated to contribute 1.25% of their workers’ monthly salaries, including overtime pay to SOCSO. Workers are exempted from contributing, and payments can be made via SOCSO’s online Employer ASSIST Portal after registration. 

3. Employers of foreign domestic workers with existing private insurance coverage are not exempted from this ruling. Starting 31 May 2022, all employers must register and contribute through SOCSO by 1 June 2022 even if their worker’s existing policy only expires after 31 May 2022.

Important Note for Malaysian Employers of Filipino Domestic Helpers:
Starting January 2022, Malaysian employers of Filipino domestic helpers are required to register and contribute to SOCSO as the Philippine Migrant Worker Office in Kuala Lumpur (MWO-KL) has released an advisory making it mandatory for all Malaysian employers to present SOCSO registration and contribution proof for any POEA contract verifications/ renewal transactions from 2 January 2022 onwards (Source: MWO-KL formerly know as POLO).

—

Here’s what you need to do:

PART 1

Refer to the visual flowchart below to familiarise yourself with the SOCSO registration process. Please note that the process of registration may take up to between 3 to 5 working days based on our experience.

Below is a screenshot retrieved from the SOCSO guideline page (Source: SOCSO) – the form names shown below differ slightly from the actual form names of the files as SOCSO’s page is not regularly updated:

Before starting, please prepare scanned copies of the following supporting documents for verification:

(i) Employer’s IC or Passport
(ii) Worker’s Latest Passport
(iii) Worker’s Latest Work Permit

Please note that for this process, you will be asked to fill in 4 different forms at different stages, listed below for your reference – the download links for each form can also be found below:

(i) Borang Pendaftaran ID Portal PERKESO / Portal ID Registration Form (download)
(ii) Borang Pendaftaran Majikan (Borang 1) / Employer Registration Form (download)
(iii) Borang Pendaftaran Pekerja Domestik (Lampiran C) / Domestic Worker’s Registration Form (download)
(iv) Borang Pengisytiharan Orang Tanggungan Pekerja Asing / Domestic Worker’s Beneficiaries Form (download)

PART 2

To begin the process of registration on SOCSO’s ASSIST Portal, download and fill in the Registration Form (i.e. Borang Pendaftaran ID Portal PERKESO / Portal ID Registration Form), as well as the three remaining forms listed above in Part 1.

Once the first form has been filled in, send the Registration Form as an attachment to idportal@perkeso.gov.my to receive your login User ID within 3 working days.

After 1 to 3 working days, you will be notified of your new log-in credentials (and temporary password) via email. First-time users will be prompted to set up a new password upon logging in with their User ID.

Kindly find below the samples of the forms along with instructions on filling them in as an employer of a domestic helper.

PART 3 

Once you receive the email from assist@perkeso.gov.my, log in to SOCSO’s ASSIST portal using your new User ID and temporary password. The portal will direct you to reset a new password and security question. Once that is done, you will be directed to a page with your basic information autofilled. You may proceed to the next page by clicking on the “SAVE & CONTINUE” button and the “DONE” button in the next page

Next, you will be required to key in your information to the ASSIST portal as your Borang Pendaftaran Majikan (Borang 1) form. To do so, click on “My Sites” on the top right corner of the website, and select “REGISTRATION”. You should find yourself at the Registration page (screenshot below) after clicking on the “Registration” and “Employer Information” tab. Here you will be able to fill in your information.

Tip: Under the heading of “Domestic Worker’s Information“, there is a field for “Individual’s @ Employer For Domestic Worker Name“, do fill in the Legal Employer’s Name (not your domestic worker’s name).

After clicking “SAVE & CONTINUE” when you completed filing in Employer’s information, you will be brought to the “Employee Information” tab to register your worker (screenshot below). Be sure to click on “ADD FOREIGN EMPLOYEE” button to proceed.

If your worker has never been registered on SOCSO before, you may continue by checking the box “Register New Foreign Employee” and fill in the fields following the Borang Pendaftaran Pekerja Domestik (Lampiran C) Form. If your worker was previously registered on SOCSO under another employer, you may search for her records in the first section. Kindly refer to the screenshot below.

Tip: Be sure to fill in your worker’s latest and valid work permit details, without the valid information and the copy of work permit uploaded, the registration is not complete.

After saving your worker’s information, you will be required to upload all the supporting documents and filled softcopy forms. You must also download the “SIP 1” and “Borang Pendaftaran DS” documents provided to you and reupload as a supporting document.

The full list of required documents are as follows:

1. Borang SIP 1 (provided)
2. Borang Pendaftaran DS (provided)
3. Form 1 – Employer Registered (Borang Pendaftaran Majikan (Borang 1)
4. Form 2 – Employee Registered (Borang Pendaftaran Pekerja Domestik (Lampiran C)
5. Copy of Identity Card (Employer’s IC copy)
6. Next of Kins Form
7. Worker’s Passport copy
8. Worker’s Work Permit copy

Once you have successfully uploaded the documents, you may proceed to save your hard work!

Finally, official registration letters will be generated for you as follows:

A copy of these letters will be automatically emailed to you. You may then proceed to make the SOCSO contribution payment.

PART 4

Now that you have successfully registered onto SOCSO as an employer and for your domestic helper, to begin contributing to your helper’s SOCSO, you may follow the following steps:

– After logging in, you will be taken to the home page of the ASSIST portal.
– On the right side of the page, click on “My Sites”, and then click on “SOCSO – Contribution”.
– Hover over the “Employer Contribution” link located on the left side of the page on the ASSIST portal’s main navigation bar.
– Click on “Add Contribution (Portal)“.
– Click on the “Arrears Contribution” button under the Employer Contribution Pending List.
– Under Submission Contribution Information, select the desired Contribution Month using the dropdown box (it should be the previous month).
– Click “Select“, then scroll down until your helper’s name is shown under the Employee Contributions section.
– Then click on the edit button under the “Action” column; the amount under the salary column can now be edited.
– Insert your helper’s base salary per month under the “Salary (RM)” column, and click “Save Draft”.
– SOCSO will help calculate the amount that should be contributed based on the salary/ figure given; click “Complete” to proceed with payment.
– Follow the remaining instructions shown on the website, and you should be receiving a receipt sent to your account’s registered email address once the contribution amount has been paid.

Please note that contribution payments for the current month can only be paid after the 16th day of every month; so if an account was registered on the 1st of January, contributions can only be made after the 16th of January.

—

If you encounter any issues or have further questions, you may reach out to SOCSO directly at 1-300-22-8000 and they are known to be quite helpful!

For further reading and guidance, you may visit the link provided here to read up on how to register for SOCSO (landing page for SOCSO) or visit SOCSO’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, and the SOCSO’s Registration Guideline (Bahasa Malaysia).

To learn more about SOCSO’s ASSIST Portal, you may also visit this page: link.

Here at Pinkcollar, we understand that these processes can be somewhat difficult to manage. Please do not hesitate to contact us to enquire about the various services we provide. E-mail us today at hello@hirepinkcollar.com!