The Social Security Administration (SSA) has provided an update on the accuracy of its death records.
Why It Matters
The SSA distributes billions of dollars in benefits each month to nearly 70 million recipients, serving as a vital source of income for retirees nationwide. But when someone is mistakenly reported as deceased to Social Security, it can result in benefits being halted, potentially causing financial hardship until the error is corrected and payments are reinstated.
What To Know
The federal agency has confirmed it receives some three million death notices every year, and that its death records are “highly accurate,” with less than one-third of 1 percent being erroneously reported deaths that need to be corrected.
“Deaths are reported to Social Security primarily from the States, but also from other sources, including family members, funeral homes, federal agencies, and financial institutions,” the SSA said in a press release issued on March 16.
Citing a 2008 audit report of the agency, it said that “most death reports from funeral homes or friends/relatives of the deceased” are considered “verified” and SSA systems are “immediately” updated.
Stock image/file photo: A Social Security card with U.S. Dollar bills.
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Musk and Social Security Death Records
There has been widespread confusion recently after President Donald Trump‘s adviser Elon Musk incorrectly claimed millions of “dead” people were receiving Social Security benefits. In February, Musk posted a spreadsheet of data showing “the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!”
It included more than 10 million recorded as being more than 100 years old, including one who is recorded as being between 360 and 369 years of age. The U.S. has approximately 100,000 centenarians, according to the Pew Research Center, none of which exceed 114 years of age. The SSA also has a policy of halting benefit payments once a person reaches 115.
The data, published on X, formerly Twitter, led some people to believe that potentially millions of dead people were being paid Social Security benefits.
However, the data posted by Musk is not a list of people, dead or alive, who are collecting Social Security benefits. It is believed to be from the SSA’s Death Master File, which is a list of people used to help government agencies and private companies know when Social Security numbers are no longer valid for use. It includes the name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death for Americans who have passed.
In a statement issued on March 5, the SSA explained: “The data reported in the media represent people who do not have a date of death associated with their record. While these people may not be receiving benefits, it is important for the agency to maintain accurate and complete records.”
A July 2024 report from Social Security’s inspector general found that between fiscal years 2015 and 2022, the federal agency distributed nearly $8.6 trillion in benefits. Some $71.8 billion of this—less than 1 percent—was classified as improper payments, with the majority being overpayments made to living recipients, which are in most cases required to be paid back.
What People Are Saying
The SSA in its March 16 press release: “Instances when a person is erroneously reported as deceased to Social Security can be devastating to the individual, spouse, and dependent children. Benefits are stopped in the short term which can cause financial hardship until fixed and benefits restored, and the process to prove an erroneous death will always seem too long and challenging.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “Social Security fraud certainly exists, but the claims it’s rampant because a database had many recipients who were supposedly aged at well over 100 years old isn’t evidence it’s widespread. More than anything, the findings should alert the new administration to how antiquated many of the databases of government agencies are that normally produce errors such as these.”
What’s Next
The SSA recommends that if a person believes they may be incorrectly recorded as deceased, they should contact their local Social Security office immediately.