Guide

How to Use the Social Security Death Index

How Do You Use the Social Security Death Index?

The Social Security Death Index is the public version of SSA's Death Master File: a list of deceased people with their name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death. Genealogy websites host searchable copies of the older public file, while the current file is sold by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) only to certified subscribers, and deaths from the last three calendar years are restricted. To see a deceased person's original SS-5 card application, which names their parents and birthplace, file a FOIA request with SSA for $23.

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What the Social Security Death Index Is

The Social Security Death Index is the name most people use for the public version of SSA’s Death Master File (DMF). SSA collects death reports to run its programs: to stop benefits to people who have died and to start benefits for survivors. Those reports come from family members, funeral homes, financial institutions, postal authorities, states and other federal agencies.

From those reports, SSA compiles files of death information out of its records of Social Security numbers assigned since 1936. A court case, Perholtz v. Ross, has required SSA to release certain death information to the public since 1980. SSA built the DMF to answer those requests, and since 1992 the Department of Commerce’s National Technical Information Service (NTIS) has distributed it.

Genealogists know the file as the Social Security Death Index because genealogy websites loaded the public file and made it searchable by name. The National Archives’ genealogy pages list one of those hosted indexes. Those copies are snapshots of the older public file, which is why they work best for deaths from decades ago.

Keep one fact in mind as you search: SSA says its records are not a complete record of all deaths in the country. A missing name doesn’t mean the person is alive.

What a Death Index Record Contains

Each record is short. In the current file, NTIS lists these fields:

Field What it tells you
Social Security number The nine-digit number assigned to the person
Last name, first name, middle name, suffix The name on SSA’s record, which may differ from the name on a death certificate
Date of birth Month, day and year
Date of death Month, day and year
V or P code V means the death was verified with a family member or someone acting for the family; P means a death certificate was observed

Older copies of the index show more. Until November 1, 2011, the file also carried a state or county code of residence, the ZIP code of last residence and the ZIP code where a lump-sum death payment was sent. NTIS removed those three fields on that date. If you’ve seen a “last residence” town in an SSDI search result, it came from that earlier format.

What the index doesn’t contain matters just as much. NTIS states that the file holds only the Social Security number, name, date of birth and date of death, that some records are incomplete, and that it may not have a record for every person who died. It has no cause of death, no place of death, no parents’ names and no death certificate.

How to Use the Social Security Death Index for Research

Most people use the index to find three things: a date of death, a Social Security number, and a lead to better records.

  1. Search a genealogy site that hosts the public file. Start with the full name and an approximate birth year. Try spelling variations and initials, since the name is whatever appeared on SSA’s record.
  2. Confirm you have the right person. Match the birth date against what you already know. Common names can return dozens of results.
  3. Copy the Social Security number and dates exactly. You’ll need them to order the SS-5 application from SSA.
  4. Order the SS-5 or Numident. These records name the person’s parents and birthplace, which the index leaves out. The steps are below.
  5. Order the death certificate from the state. For legal proof, a death certificate comes from the vital records office in the state where the person died. Neither SSA, NTIS nor the National Archives issues them.

NTIS also warns that its subscribers must not take action against anyone based on the file without further checks, even when a V or P code is present. SSA doesn’t guarantee the file’s accuracy. Treat a hit as a lead, not proof.

The Limited-Access Rule: Why Recent Deaths Are Missing

Two changes shrank what the public can see.

State death records came out in 2011. Section 205(r) of the Social Security Act bars SSA from releasing death records it gets from states, except in limited cases. Effective November 1, 2011, the file sent to NTIS dropped those records. NTIS says the historical public file held 89 million records; SSA removed about 4.2 million, and the file now adds about 1 million fewer records each year. SSA still shares the full file, state records included, with certain federal and state agencies.

The three-year restriction started in 2014. Section 203 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, enacted December 26, 2013, bars release of a person’s DMF information during the three calendar years beginning on the date of death, except to certified users. NTIS published an interim rule creating a temporary certification program on March 26, 2014. The final rule took effect November 28, 2016. SSA told Congress the change was meant to stop fraud such as false tax returns that claimed recently deceased children as dependents.

Today NTIS sells the file as the Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF). Only certified subscribers can get recent records. They must show a legitimate fraud prevention interest or a legitimate business purpose under a law, rule, regulation or fiduciary duty. Certification costs $2,930 a year in processing fees plus a $247 attestation fee every three years, so the LADMF is built for banks, insurers and agencies rather than family researchers. NTIS updates it weekly.

How to Request a Deceased Person’s SS-5 Application

The SS-5 is the form a person filled out to get a Social Security number. For family history it’s often the best record SSA has, because the applicant usually listed their birthplace and both parents’ names. SSA also offers the Numident, a computer extract of the same application.

You can request either one through SSA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office in two ways:

  • Online: submit the request through SSA’s FOIAXpress Public Access Link at securefoia.ssa.gov.
  • By mail: use form SSA-711 and send it to Social Security Administration, OEIO, FOIA Workgroup, 6100 Wabash Ave, P.O. Box 33022, Baltimore, MD 21290-3022. The form isn’t required, but it keeps your request complete.
Record Fee Certified copy
Copy of the original SS-5 application $23 Add $10
Numident computer extract $22 Add $10

These fees took effect October 1, 2026, and SSA expects to update the SSA-711 in November 2026 to match. SSA won’t process a request without the exact payment. It accepts major credit cards; pay by card on a mailed request with form SSA-714. Checks and money orders go payable to the Social Security Administration. Don’t send cash.

Proof of death. SSA releases a record only if the person consented in writing, SSA has proof of death, the person is at least 100 years old and SSA has proof of death, or the person would be more than 120 years old. Because SSA isn’t always told of a death, send proof with your request. SSA accepts a copy of a public death record, a funeral director’s statement, a statement from the attending physician or institution, a coroner’s report, an official federal report of death, or an obituary with enough identifying information.

Parents’ names follow a similar rule. SSA releases them only with the parents’ written consent or proof of their deaths, or when the number holder is at least 100 years old with proof of death, or would be more than 120.

Limits on old records. SSA didn’t begin keeping records until November 1936, and it can’t search for the number of anyone born before 1865. Many Numident records for people born in 1910 or earlier are abbreviated.

Free Social Security Records at the National Archives

Before you pay SSA, check the National Archives. Its Access to Archival Databases (AAD) holds the Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936 to 2007. The series covers every Social Security number with a verified death, or whose holder would have been over 110 by December 31, 2007.

Each NUMIDENT record can include application, claim and death entries. Fields include full name, Social Security number, date and place of birth, citizenship, sex, father’s name and mother’s maiden name. The series holds 72,182,729 SS-5 application entries and 49,459,293 death entries. Like the public DMF, its death entries leave out state-reported deaths.

If the person died before 2008 and your search finds them there, you may get parents’ names without filing a FOIA request.

Do You Need to Visit a Social Security Office?

Not for research. FOIA requests for an SS-5 or Numident go online or by mail, not through local offices, and the Death Index itself lives on genealogy sites and NTIS.

A local office is the right stop in two situations:

  • A wrong record. NTIS says it can’t change DMF data and directs you to your local Social Security office to request a correction. This matters most when a living person is wrongly listed as dead, or when a relative’s date of death is wrong.
  • Reporting a death or claiming survivor benefits. If a family member just died, see the Social Security death benefit guide for reporting the death, the lump-sum payment and survivor benefits.

Use the office finder to get an address and hours. Large cities have several offices:

Bring a certified death certificate and your own ID. The what to bring guide lists what Social Security accepts, and office hours and appointments explains how to book ahead. For phone help instead, see Social Security phone numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Social Security Death Index the Same as the Death Master File?

Yes, in practice. The Death Master File (DMF) is SSA's file of death information compiled from its records of Social Security numbers. The name Social Security Death Index is used for searchable copies of the public version of that file. NTIS now sells the current file as the Limited Access Death Master File.

Does a Listing in the Death Index Prove Someone Died?

No. NTIS tells subscribers not to act against anyone without further investigation, even when a record is coded as verified, and states that SSA doesn't guarantee the file's accuracy. A state-issued death certificate is the legal proof of death.

Why Can't I Find a Recent Death in the Index?

Two reasons. Deaths from the last three calendar years are released only to certified subscribers, and since November 1, 2011, the public file excludes deaths that SSA received from state records. SSA also says its records are not a complete record of every death in the country.

How Do I Fix a Wrong Date or Name in the Death Master File?

NTIS has no control over the data. It says to contact your local Social Security office to request a correction. Use the office finder to locate it and bring proof such as a death certificate.

Can I Get a Death Certificate From SSA or NTIS?

No. The Limited Access Death Master File doesn't include death certificates, and the National Archives doesn't hold them. Death certificates come from the vital records office in the state where the death happened.

How Much Does a Certified Copy of an SS-5 Cost?

SSA lists $23 for a copy of a deceased person's SS-5 and $22 for a Numident printout, plus $10 for each if you need it certified. SSA won't process a request without exact payment.

Who Can Buy the Limited Access Death Master File?

Only people and organizations certified by NTIS with a legitimate fraud prevention interest or a legitimate business purpose under a law, rule, regulation or fiduciary duty. Certification alone costs $2,930 a year in processing fees, so it isn't a tool for family research.

Keep Reading

Sources

  1. SSA: Requesting SSA's death information
  2. SSA FOIA: Make a FOIA request (SS-5 and Numident)
  3. SSA testimony on death information and the DMF, March 16, 2015
  4. NTIS: Limited Access Death Master File
  5. NTIS: LADMF record layout
  6. NTIS: LADMF FAQ
  7. National Archives AAD: Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007
  8. Federal Register: Certification Program for Access to the Death Master File, final rule (2016)

Independent site, not affiliated with the Social Security Administration. Office addresses, phone numbers and hours come from SSA's public office data. To apply for benefits or manage your record, go to SSA directly at ssa.gov.