Social Security Administration Corrects 15 Percent of Active SSNs

The Social Security Administration has completed the largest record clean-up in its 91-year history, correcting nearly 15 percent of all active Social Security Numbers. Launched at the start of the Trump Administration, the initiative targeted approximately 390 million total records, including those of 330 million U.S. citizens, to prevent fraud and improper taxpayer payments.

To improve data accuracy, the agency added 17 million dates of death using internal data and records from the Department of State. Additionally, the agency updated 25 million records with missing citizenship information through the Department of Homeland Security's SAVE service. The agency is currently working to correct another 8.5 million records containing inaccurate citizenship status.

Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano stated that the database's accuracy is essential for maintaining the integrity of government services. To prevent future discrepancies, the agency has implemented new internal controls designed to reduce manual data entry errors.