Are millions of dead people really receiving Social Security benefits?

WASHINGTON - Over the past week, President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk have claimed that millions of deceased individuals—some allegedly over 200 years old—are improperly receiving Social Security benefits.

During a press briefing Tuesday, Trump said, "We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old" collecting Social Security and suggested removing them would "suddenly make Social Security very powerful." 

Musk echoed the claim on X, writing, "Having tens of millions of people marked in Social Security as ‘ALIVE’ when they are definitely dead is a HUGE problem," joking that "maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security."

However, Social Security Administration (SSA) officials and independent experts say these claims are exaggerated, the Associated Press reported.

Acting Social Security Commissioner Lee Dudek clarified that the data refers to individuals in SSA records without a recorded date of death, not necessarily those receiving payments.

"The reported data are people in our records with a Social Security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record. These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits," Dudek said.

"I am confident that with DOGE’s help and the commitment of our executive team and workforce, that Social Security will continue to deliver for the American people," he added.

The truth about Social Security payments to deceased individuals

By the numbers:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) does not actively pay benefits to millions of deceased people. However, outdated recordkeeping has led to incomplete death data in the SSA’s system, which appears to be the source of the confusion, the Associated Press reports. 

FILE - In this photo illustration, a Social Security card sits alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury on October 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo illustration by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

What the actual data says:

• A July 2024 SSA inspector general report found that $71.8 billion in improper payments were made between 2015 and 2022, which is less than 1% of all benefits paid.
• Most of these overpayments were made to living people due to errors in income reporting or eligibility.
• A separate January 2024 Treasury Department report found that $31 million in federal payments—including, but not limited to, Social Security—were sent to deceased individuals. Treasury estimated that, over three years, $215 million could be recovered.

The confusion over centenarians appears to come from outdated database records, not actual fraudulent payments.

Why Social Security’s records show people over 100 years old

The backstory:

The SSA uses COBOL-based software, a decades-old programming language that lacks modern date formatting. As a result, some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates default to extremely old reference points, making it look like people born in the 1800s are still alive.

Additionally, the SSA’s database contains 18.9 million Social Security numbers tied to people born in 1920 or earlier but not officially marked as deceased. However, a 2023 SSA inspector general report confirmed that "almost none of these individuals receive benefits."

What the government is doing to stop improper payments

The SSA has already taken steps to prevent payments to the deceased:

• Since 2015, SSA has automatically stopped benefits for anyone listed as older than 115 years old unless proof of life is provided.
• Congress granted the Treasury Department temporary access to the SSA’s "Full Death Master File" in 2021, allowing agencies to identify and recover improper payments.

While experts acknowledge that some improper payments occur, they say Trump and Musk’s claims exaggerate the scale of the issue.

What experts say about the claims

What they're saying:

Chuck Blahous, a senior researcher at George Mason University, said Social Security is not a major source of improper government payments compared to other programs like Medicaid.

"By all means—go after any improper payments that are found, but let’s not pretend that’s where the system’s biggest financial problems are," Blahous said.

Sita Nataraj Slavov, a professor at George Mason University, warned that overstating the issue misleads the public about Social Security’s financial future.

"The real concern is that this claim may mislead people into thinking there’s an easy fix to Social Security’s financial problems—like cutting off payments to nonexistent people," she said. "That’s simply not true."

So what’s the truth?

Dig deeper:

• There is no evidence that millions of deceased individuals are fraudulently receiving Social Security benefits.
• SSA records do contain outdated entries listing people as alive when they are likely deceased, but this does not mean they are receiving payments.
• Improper Social Security payments make up less than 1% of total benefits paid, and most of those overpayments go to living people due to errors.
• The government is already recovering improper payments and taking steps to improve recordkeeping.

While Social Security’s database issues are real, experts say misrepresenting the data could mislead Americans about the actual challenges facing the program.