How to Apply for SOCSO / PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme

I enrolled myself in the PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme!!!

(By the way: PERKESO = Pertubuhan Keselamatan Social = Social Security Organisation = SOCSO)

This is so exciting. PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme was previously only available for the Passenger Transportation Sector (ie e-Hailing drivers), but as of January 2020 have since been extended to cover 19 more informal sectors. Scroll further down to see the sectors and types of professions eligible for enrollment.

What Benefits You Get Under the PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme

The benefits under PERKESO Self-employment Social Security Scheme are really good. According to the website:

This Scheme provides protection for self-employed insured persons against employment injuries including occupational diseases and accidents during work-related activities.

Self-employment injury means personal injury to self-employed insured person caused by an accident or an occupational disease arising out of and in the course of his or her self-employment activity including while travelling for the purpose of his or her self-employment activity.

Occupational disease is a disease caused by or arising from any occupation specified in the Fifth Schedule of the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969. This scheme provides cash benefits to the insured persons and their dependants besides medical treatment, physical rehabilitation and vocational training.

(Note: I’m not quite sure of how this works exactly, since I work at home, and all the time. Does that mean I’m covered at home and at all times? Ah well what’s important is I get myself covered first. Can always argue for my claim later.)

To break it down further, the benefits you get from PERKESO Self-employment Social Security Scheme include:

• Medical Benefit
• Temporary Disablement Benefit
• Permanent Disablement Benefit
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Dependant’s Benefit
• Funeral Benefit
• Education Benefit
• Facilities for physical or vocational rehabilitation

To be fair, you can get many of these benefits via a comprehensive insurance plan. But that takes a lot of research and you have to plan to meet a few agents (you need to compare and shop around and find an agent you can trust!!), which is a deterrent for many people, including yours truly.

By comparison, PERKESO Self-employment Social Security Scheme is so easy to enrol online – I did mine in ~20 minutes. You’re immediately covered right after you paid.

Thus, for that reason, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND self-employed individuals, especially sole breadwinners to enrol in PERKESO Self-employment Social Security Scheme. It’s such an easy way to care for your family.  As quoted by SOCSO chief executive Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed,

“For instance, if the self-employed (married) chose Option 4 and paid RM592.80 for a year, and later was involved in an accident during the course of employment and passes away, his wife would get a maximum monthly pension of RM3,555 for life.

“If the contributor who passed away had a disabled child, he or she would be covered for the rest of their lives”

How Much is PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme

The higher your insured monthly earning, the higher your contribution per month/year. There are four plans, ranging from RM13.10 to RM49.40 contribution per month:

Plan	Insured Monthly Earning	Contribution Payment Per Month	Contribution Payment Per Year
1	RM1,050	RM13.10	RM157.20
2	RM1,550	RM19.40	RM232.80
3	RM2,950	RM36.90	RM442.80
4	RM3,950	RM49.40	RM592.80

Personally, I took Plan 3 and paid for 1 year (the maximum allowable). You can also pay monthly, in between (3 months, 11 months etc). They say they will send you a reminder before your contribution expires.

How to Apply for PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme

To apply for PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme, you have to (1) register at matrix.perkeso.gov.my, (2) fill and submit a form and (3) pay.

Again, everything is very simple – it took me ~20 minutes (I had all my documents on-hand). The user experience is really good and intuitive. They also have a Quick Start Guide and Youtube video to show the processes.

After you registered, you will see the Dashboard. Click Register to view the form-filling section.

In this process, you have to select your Sector and Class. Selecting them is straightforward if your type of work is directly listed (see below section) or slightly confusing if it’s not.

For example, I wasn’t sure if I should select ‘Art Sector: Writer’ OR ‘Information Technology Sector: Website’ OR ‘Online Business Sector: Service’ OR ‘Support Services Sector: Owner of business sole proprietor or partnership’.

In the end I selected the last one as it seemed to be most appropriate for my line of work – online and offline communications, including writing, speaking and marketing services.

If you work in two different sectors – insurance agent by day and Grab driver by night, for example – and want to be covered under both instances, then you have to submit two forms, one for ‘Agent Sector: Insurance’ and another for ‘Passenger Transport Sector: Grab driver’. And make two contributions I guess (someone confirm this).

Here is a list of all the sectors covered under PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme, the professions (Class) and required documents. At the time of writing, self-employed individuals working in these 20 sectors are eligible for enrolment.

Which Sectors Are Covered Under PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme

#1 – Sector: Accommodation

Class:

• Homestay
• Chalet
• Motel

Required Documents: Identification Card; License / Permit From Related Agency

#2 – Sector: Agent

Class:

• Insurance
• Real estate
• Currency Changer
• Direct Selling
• Self-Employment Scheme
• Zakat Officer
• Remisier
• Product

Required Documents: Identification Letter; Agreement / Offer / Agent Card

#3 – Sector: Agriculture

Class: 

• Vegetable and fruit
• Palm oil
• Rubber
• Paddy

Required Documents: Identification Card; Approval From Related Agency

#4 – Sector: Art

Class: 

• Celebrities
• Singer
• Actress
• Musician
• Dancer
• Production Crew
• Handicraft
• Painter
• Photographer
• Busker
• Extra Actor
• Writer

Required Documents: Identification Card; Certificate / Registration Letter From Association

#5 – Sector: Beauty & Healthcare

Class: 

• Massager
• Tradition Medicine Practitioner
• Midwife
• Makeup / Makeover Artist

Required Documents: Identification Card; Certificate / Registration Letter From Association

#6 – Sector: Construction

Class: 

• Construction
• Maintenance
• Wiring
• Plumbing
• Renovation

Required Documents: Identification Card; License / Permit / Certificate From Related Agency

#7 – Sector: Data Processing

Class: 

• Census / Survey

Required Documents: Identification Card; Offer Letter

#8 – Sector: Fishery

Class: 

• Fishermen
• Aquaculture

Required Documents: Identification Card; License / Permit

#9 – Sector: Food

Class: 

• Preparation
• Waiter
• Seller

Required Documents: Identification Card; Permit / Offer Letter

#10 – Sector: Forestry

Class: 

• Harvesting Forest Product

Required Documents: Identification Card; Validation From Association / Community Leader

#11 – Sector: Goods and Foods Transport

Class: 

• Car
• Motorcycle
• Lorry
• Van
• Bicycle

Required Documents: Driving License; Permit / GDL License / E-Hailing Profile

#12 – Sector: Hawker

Class: 

• Market
• Stall / Kiosk
• Food Truck

Required Documents: Identification Card; License / Permit From Related Agency

#13 – Sector: Household Services

Class: 

• Part Time Caregiver / Nanny
• Housekeeping

Required Documents: Identification Card; Certificate / Registration Letter From Association

#14 – Sector: Information Technology

Class: 

• Website
• Mobile Application
• System Maintenance
• Network
• System Security
• Data Centre

Required Documents: Identification Card; Professional Certificate

#15 – Sector: Livestock

Class: 

• Breeder
• Livestock Product

Required Documents: Identification Card; License/ permit

#16 – Sector: Manufacturing

Class: 

• Wood Product
• Fabric Product
• Plastic Product
• Chemical Product
• Metal Product
• Soil Product

Required Documents: Identification Card; License / Permit From Related Agency

#17 – Sector: Online Business

Class:

• Clothes
• Food
• Cosmetic
• Medicine
• Service
• Spare Part
• Furniture
• Electric
• Electronic

Required Documents: Identification Card; SSM License

#18 – Sector: Passenger Transport

Class:

• Taxi Driver
• Grab Driver
• Hired Car Driver
• Other E-Hailing Driver
• School Bus Driver
• Factory Bus Driver
• Other Bus Driver

Required Documents: Driving License; Driver’s Card, Permission Letter, or E-Hailing Driver’s Profile Screenshot

#19 – Sector: Professional Services

Class: 

• Lawyer
• Accountant
• Auditor
• Tax Consultant
• Architect
• Engineer
• Research and Development
• Designer
• Veterinary
• Pharmacist
• Psychiatrist
• Dentist

Required Documents: Identification Card; Professional Certificate

#20 – Sector: Support Services

Class:

• Tour Guide
• Mountain Guide
• Tutor
• Maintenance
• Coach
• Owner of business sole proprietor or partnership
• Digital Economy Services

Required Documents: Identification Card; Certificate / License From Related Agency / SSM / Application Profile

Would you enrol in the PERKESO Self-Employment Social Security Scheme?

Like I said earlier, I’m not particularly sure how my line of work – communications – will look like as self-employment injury or occupational disease. But it is now included in one of the sectors, so they must have thought it through, so that self-employed people like me (and maybe you) have something to fall back. At its core, that is the function of a social security scheme.

Are you self-employed? What are your thoughts on it? Good? Bad? Would you enrol yourself in this scheme or there are better options out there?

How about claiming? Have any of you tried it? How was it? Easy or hard? Share your thoughts and experience in the comments section below. If this article was useful, please share it, thanks!

Registration link so you don’t have to scroll all the way up: matrix.perkeso.gov.my