The BancNet EDI System is a facility for the fast, accurate, and convenient electronic transfer of information. Since 1999, BancNet has been offering electronic data interchange services for its member banks' corporate clients - employers who transmit the monthly contributions of their employees to SSS and the corresponding payment order to their depository bank.

Soon, the same services will be available for SSS Loan Payments, PhilHealth, and Pagibig.

The BancNet EDI System: How It Works

The BancNet EDI System (BES) is a browser-based application with an AMTRIX Messaging engine running in a unix platform. Primary users are the Social Security System, its depository banks and employers who are clients of BancNet Member Banks. The system was designed initially to complement the SSSNet Project of the Social Security System.

The BES-SSSNet basically covers the electronic submission by an employer to the SSS of the Monthly Contribution List (MCL) file, and the corresponding Payment Order (PO) message to the employer's depository bank (EDB). A copy of the Payment Order (PO/C) message is also sent to SSS' depository bank. The SSS, upon receipt of the MCL file will validate it. If there are errors, the SSS will send a Monthly Contribution Acknowledgment (MCA) message informing the Employer that there is an error in the MCL file sent. The Employer then corrects and re-sends the MCL file.

The Employer's depository bank, upon receipt of PO checks if the Employer has enough funds in its account. If there is sufficient funding, the depository bank debits the employer's account according to the amount specified in the PO. A Debit Advice (DA) message is sent back to the employer, and a copy of the DA (DA/C) message is also submitted to the SSS. If fund is insufficient, the depository bank immediately sends an error message, PO Rejection (PO/RR) message to SSS and Employer. The Employer, upon receipt of PO/RR shall settle the problem with the depository bank before resending the PO. Resending of PO is done after an MCA from the SSS is received by the Employer.

In cases where both MCL and PO are rejected due to MCL file validation error and insufficiency of funds, the Employer responds based on the MCA received from the SSS. If an MCA with message "MCL file validation error" is received first, the Employer re-sends the corrected MCL. Then after receiving the MCA with message "Rejected MCL" (due to rejected PO), the Employer re-sends the PO. Otherwise, the PO is re-sent first before the MCL.

Upon approving the PO (transferring the amount to SSS depository bank), the employer's bank sends an advice to the SSS bank that the PO has been approved (PO/RA). The SSS bank, upon receipt of the PO/RA message, sends a corresponding credit advice (CA) message to the SSS indicating that the employer has paid its monthly dues, and that this has been credited to the SSS account. The SSS in turn, sends to the employer an MCA to confirm employer's payment from employer's bank to SSS banks is done via electronic transfer.