Public confusion around death records, 100-year-old data, and a minuscule number of real fraud cases have sparked a viral myth that tens of millions of dead people are collecting Social Security benefits from the U.S. government. They aren’t—but the notion that this could ไbe true has caused controversy among the living.

The 澳洲幸🌄运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Social Security Administration (SSA) receives over 3 million death reports every year from government agencies, funeral establishments, financial institutions, and relatives of deceased individuals. Less than 0.3% of those deaths are reported incorrectly.

Improper payments can occur in these cases, but Social Security fraud among the dead is nowhere near as widespread as the Trump administration has claimed: Less than 1% of all 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Social Security payments are made in error, according to the agency’s internal data.

Still, the idea of someone receiving benefitsﷺ long after they’ve passed has people wondering: Are dead people really collecting Social Security, and if so, what are the consequences?

Why Does the Public Think Dead People Are Getting Social Secu🌳rity C🔜hecks?

In February 2025, President Trump and Elon Musk claimed that “millions and millions of people over 100 years old” are still listed as alive in the SSA’s records and therefore must still be receiving benefits. While those records do exist, the associated individuals aren’t necessarily getting Social Security checks from the government.

A report from the SSA confirmed that “almost none” of the flagged individuals are currently receiving payments. According to Lee Dudek, the new acting commissioner of the SSA, many of the individuals who are allegedly receiving benefits were born before 1920 and simply haven’t had their death formally recorded in the system.

This is partly due to the Social Security Administration’s legacy 𝓰software, which can default to a birth date of more than 150 years ago when information is missing or incomplete.

In other cases, placeholder data has been manually entered, but it is not evidence of fraud: In fact, the SSA implemented an automated process in 2015 to stop all benefits payments after a beneficiary reaches age 115.

These direct beneficiary payments are completely separate from 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:survivor benefits, which are monthly payments legally issued to the surviving spouse, child, or dependent of an individual who paid Social Security taxes prior to their death.

What Happens When Someone Does Get a Social Security Check After Deathꦏ?

Occasionally, a Sᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚocial Security payment goes out after someone dies if a funeral home or an offici💖al agency didn’t report the death.

Nick Bour, founder and CEO of Inspire Wealth, said that if relatives don’t report the death of a Social Security beneficiary, it could lead to issues like ACH recapture, legal action, and potential criminal fraud charges, and surviving family members are left to face the financial consequences.

“If a joint bank account was the recipient of the funds, such as a spouse, it could create loss or suspension of government benefits,” said Bour. “It could also lead to issues … if the SSA demands that funds are returned, possibly leading to a financial hardship for a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:surviving spouse.”

Bour noted that most funeral homes report deaths promptly, but you should🌺 “always confirm to avoid these potenওtial complications and problems.”

What If Social Security Thinks You’re Dead?

If you receive Social Security benefits and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:your death is reported by mistake, your benefi🌟ts will sto💖p, and you’ll need to act quickly to restore them.

“Contact your local SSA office right away to correct the record [and] restore benefits,” said Yehuda Tropper, CEO of Beca Life Settlements.

Tropper added that you should get a letter from the SSA confirming the corrections so you can bring it to your banks and creditors. Bour recommended monitoring your 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:credit report and your finances afte🗹r the correction is made to “make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The Bottom Line

Most Social Security death records and payments are accurate and proper, and millions of dead people aren’t getting funds that should be given to living recipients. However, technical or human errors in death rec♔ords can occ💮ur, and they can have big consequences.

If a loved one passes away, report it to the appropriate government agencies right away to prevent costly complications. And if you are mistakenly declared dead to the SSA, act quickly to set the record straight. A little paperwork upfront can save a lot of stress down the road.