The Social Security Administration (SSA) has millions of records of people who are likely deceased but have no recorded death. This can lead to errors in which the SSA pays benefits to deceased individuals.
- The SSA's Death Master File (DMF) includes death information for most people who die at age 65 or older. However, the DMF does not include death information for more than 1 in 10 deceased individuals.
In Tax Years 2016 through 2020, employers and individuals reported approximately $8.5 billion in wages, tips, and self employment income using 139,211 SSNs assigned to individuals age 100 or older.