The Social Security Administration (SSA) said on October 20 that it has made substantial progress in strengthening the accuracy of the Social Security Number database, in what it described as the most comprehensive SSN record clean-up in the agency's 91-year history. Since the beginning of the current administration, SSA said, it has corrected nearly 15 percent of all active SSNs, across approximately 330 million U.S. citizens and nearly 390 million total records.
Source: Social Security Administration
Moneywise, reporting on the same announcement, confirmed the headline figures: 17 million dates of death added, citizenship information updated for approximately 25 million records, and a further 8.5 million inaccurate citizenship records still to be corrected. Moneywise noted that SSA has not said whether the corrections will change payments or eligibility for any individual recipient — the figures are record-integrity corrections, not a count of fraudulent benefit claims.
Source: Moneywise
17 million death dates, 25 million citizenship updates
As part of the effort, SSA said it has added 17 million dates of death to records that previously lacked that information, using a combination of internal SSA systems and Department of State data. Through data received from the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) service, it has updated approximately 25 million records that previously had missing citizenship information, and it is currently correcting an additional 8.5 million records with inaccurate citizenship status. The agency said it has also implemented stronger internal controls to prevent inaccuracies caused by manual data entry in future.
"Our country's books and records"
"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. Accurate SSN records prevent fraud across federal programs and support the proper administration of benefits," said Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano. SSA noted that its records are referenced by agencies across the federal government and in the states to validate identities and prevent improper payments.
Watch out for COLA "activation" scams
One day after the cleanup announcement, the SSA Office of the Inspector General warned that scammers are using Social Security news — including the 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announced for 2027 — to target beneficiaries by phone, text, email, social media and mail, posing as government officials and claiming they can increase payments or "activate" the COLA for a fee, or asking victims to change direct deposit details or share personal and financial information. The OIG stressed that beneficiaries do not need to register, apply for or activate the increase: the COLA is automatic, with increased payments beginning in January 2027 and increased SSI payments beginning December 31, 2026.