PWD ID and the 20% PWD discount: where to apply and what it covers
This page is for a person with disability, or a parent or carer of a child with disability, who wants the PWD ID and the discount that comes with it. At the end you will know where to apply, what the ID is used for, what the discount covers, and where to go if a store refuses it.
PhilForms fills the Department of Health's PWD registry application (apply here); the ID itself is issued by your city or town.
Who counts as a person with disability
Persons with disability are those with long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, with various barriers, may hinder their full and equal participation in society; the Department of Health classifies them (RA 10754 implementing rules, section 5.1). The DOH registry form asks for the type and cause of disability.
Where to get the PWD ID
The ID is issued by the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) or the City / Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (C/MSWDO) of the place where the person with disability lives (implementing rules, section 11.1). Ask your city or municipal hall which of the two handles it and what documents they need. The ID template carries the name of the guardian (section 14).
Proof that you are entitled to the benefits is any of: that ID; the passport of a person with an apparent disability; or, case by case for emergencies, an ID from the National Council on Disability Affairs (same section).
What the 20% discount covers
Persons with disability get a 20% discount and VAT exemption on certain goods and services, for their own exclusive use (implementing rules, section 6). The rules list:
Covered · Section; Prescribed generic and branded medicines and foods for special medical purposes, in all drugstores · 6.4; Medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory fees, and the attending doctor's professional fees, in government and private hospitals · 6.5; Domestic air and sea fares · 6.6; Land transport fares — buses, jeepneys, taxis, trains, ride-hailing · 6.7; Restaurants (food for the person with disability) · 6.2; Admission and rentals at theaters, cinemas and other recreation centers · 6.3; Hotel and lodging rooms and amenities · 6.1; Funeral and burial services for a person with disability · 6.8
Buying again the same day at the same store still gets the discount (section 6). On a promo, you get the store's discount or the 20%, whichever is higher; a person with disability who is also a senior citizen uses either the PWD ID or the senior ID, not both (section 12).
Other benefits
Educational assistance — scholarships, grants and subsidies — is granted to qualified persons with disability in public and private schools (section 7). Benefits from GSIS, SSS and Pag-IBIG follow each agency's own charter (section 8), so ask the agency directly.
If a store refuses the discount
Complaints go to the PDAO of your local government or to the National Council on Disability Affairs (implementing rules, section 15).
Questions
Saan kukuha ng PWD ID para sa anak ko? At the PDAO or the city / municipal social welfare office where your child lives (implementing rules, section 11.1). The DOH registry application is the form; the ID carries the guardian's name (section 14).
Does the PWD discount cover therapy and doctor's fees? The rules cover medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory fees and the attending doctor's professional fees in government and private hospitals and medical facilities (section 6.5). Ask the facility how it applies to a specific therapy.
Can I use the PWD discount and the senior discount together? No. Someone who is both uses either the PWD ID or the senior ID for the 20% (section 12).
The store refused my PWD discount. Where do I complain? To your local government's PDAO, or to the National Council on Disability Affairs (section 15).
Last checked 2026-10-23. Not affiliated with BIR, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG or any government agency.