WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) said on Tuesday that it had corrected nearly 15% of all active Social Security number records, adding missing death dates and citizenship information as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud in federal benefits programmes.
The agency described the initiative as the most comprehensive cleanup of Social Security number records in its 91-year history. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the SSA has corrected records covering approximately 330 million active Social Security numbers, while the broader database contains nearly 390 million records, according to an agency statement.
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The cleanup included adding 17 million dates of death to records that previously lacked the information and updating approximately 25 million records with missing citizenship details using data from the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) service. The agency is also working to correct an additional 8.5 million records containing inaccurate citizenship information.
SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said accurate records were essential to maintaining the integrity of government services and preventing fraud across federal programmes.
“The Social Security Number database is our country’s books and records. The database’s accuracy is essential to maintaining integrity of government services for citizens,” Bisignano said.
Social Security records are used by federal and state agencies to verify identities, assess eligibility and help prevent improper payments of taxpayer funds. The administration said the initiative would strengthen the accuracy of identity information used across government and the wider economy.
“This is the first time SSA has undertaken an effort of this scale, and I am proud of the work we have done to strengthen the foundation of identity data relied upon throughout government and the economy,” Bisignano said.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury Department reported that it had used Social Security records to stop approximately $99 million in payments flagged as potentially payable to deceased individuals. The department used the SSA’s Full Death Master File, which contains death records, to identify potentially ineligible recipients before payments were issued.
The Treasury Department said it would continue using verification systems across federal programmes as part of broader efforts to identify questionable payments before taxpayer money is disbursed.
The database overhaul comes amid the Trump administration’s wider campaign against fraud, waste and abuse in federal spending. In March, Trump established the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud through Executive Order 14395, appointing Vice President JD Vance as its chairman. The task force was created to coordinate a government-wide strategy to combat fraud in federal benefit programmes.
On Tuesday, Trump and Vance also announced a Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program intended to encourage people to report suspected fraud involving government programmes. Trump said qualifying whistleblowers could receive a reward linked to the amount of fraud uncovered, subject to applicable laws and programme rules. The initiative forms part of the administration’s broader effort to strengthen oversight of taxpayer-funded programmes.
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