‘Less Than One-Third of 1 Percent' of Deaths Are Erroneously Reported: SSA

Being falsely listed as deceased makes it tough on the person to get a job, receive tax refunds, or secure credit, and affects dependents as well.

A Social Security card sits alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced an update regarding its death records, indicating there were mistakes but that the agency numbers were mostly accurate.

About 3 million deaths are reported to the agency each year, and the “records are highly accurate,” SSA said in a March 16 statement. “Of these millions of death reports received each year, less than one-third of 1 percent are erroneously reported deaths that need to be corrected.”

The SSA announcement comes amid speculation that millions of deceased individuals over the age of 100 may be receiving Social Security benefits. In February, President Donald Trump, Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt raised questions about whether improper payments were being made.

During his address to the joint session of Congress on March 4, Trump said that there were 3.47 million Social Security recipients aged 120 to 129 years old listed in government databases.

Regarding an opposite concern—false death reports—the latest SSA update pointed out that these have a “devastating” impact on victims, their spouses, and other dependents such as children.

Beneficiaries suffer financial hardship until the error is fixed and SSA starts issuing benefits again, the agency said, adding that “the process to prove an erroneous death will always seem too long and challenging.”

A June 2019 report from the Social Security Advisory Board estimated that 7,000 to 12,000 individuals are erroneously listed as dead on the SSA’s system annually.

“Identity authentication may be affected, employment may be difficult to secure, credit may be denied, tax refunds may be delayed and other adverse actions may be taken by entities that receive SSA’s death data,” the report said.

If an individual suspects he or she has been erroneously registered as dead on their Social Security record, they should immediately get in touch with the local Social Security office to resolve the issue, the SSA said.

“Social Security takes immediate action to correct its records and the agency can provide a letter that the error has been corrected that can be shared with other organizations, agencies, and employers,” the agency said.

Deaths are reported to the SSA by states as well as other sources such as federal agencies, funeral homes, financial institutions, and family members.

Most of the reports received by the SSA come from family or friends of the deceased individual or from funeral homes, the agency said, citing a 2008 audit report. Such first-party death reports are considered authentic by the agency, which then lists them in the Death Master File.

“Funeral homes generally tell us when someone dies. So, you don’t typically need to report a death to us,” the agency said.

“If a funeral home isn’t involved or doesn’t report the death for some reason, you should call us and provide the name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death for the person who died.”

Besides rectifying false death reports, the SSA is also resolving the issue of potentially dead individuals being listed on its records.

The SSA has made “significant progress in identifying and correcting beneficiary records of people 100 years old or older,” it said earlier this month.

“While these people may not be receiving benefits, it is important for the agency to maintain accurate and complete records.”