The Social Security Death Master File

Commonly referred to as the “Social Security Death Index”, the Social Security Death Master File (SSDMF) is a database created by the Social Security Administration. The SSA’s original SSDMF database file contains the following information fields: Social Security number, last name, first name, date of death, date of birth, zip code of last residence, and zip code of lump sum payment to beneficiary. It also may contain a special state or country residence code, especially if the person died outside the U.S.

At first glance, many genealogists think this is readily available information that they probably already have. Don’t overlook this resource! It can provide a previously unknown Social Security number, enabling you to order the individual’s Social Security application or claims file, leading to discovery of a birth place, a maiden name, or parents’ names. Finding a birth and death date and Social Security number can help in a request for a death certificate or obituary. The SSDMF can provide clues to the person’s residence when he or she first received a Social Security card, or to a possible last residence. It can provide a clue about where the lump-sum distribution beneficiary lived. SSDMF searches can help fill in the gaps on collateral lines, especially for somewhat unusual surnames.

The SSA does not provide direct public access to this database of approximately 58 million deaths. However, the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service does sell the information to various genealogical services or vendors. The 17 magnetic reels of tape cost about $6,000 for the entire file, with quarterly updates. Genealogical vendors who purchase the SSDMF use the information to develop their own indexes. Several companies include a version of the SSDI with their genealogical database programs. Some companies offer the SSDI for sale on CD-ROMs. Various versions of the SSDI are available on the Internet (see Internet Resources–Social Security Death Index). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) Family History Centers all offer free use of the SSDI as part of their FamilySearch™ computer system.
 

Who’s in the Social Security Death Master File?

Many false assumptions are made about who can be found in this widely available computer resource. First, let’s clear up some common misconceptions about the file. The SSDMF is not an index to all deceased individuals who have held Social Security numbers. It is not a database of all deceased who have received Social Security benefits, or whose families have received survivor benefits. The SSDMF does not contain only the names of persons who died after 1962. The SSDMF does not contain only the names of U.S. citizens.

So, whose name does appear in the SSDMF? This database contains names and basic information about persons with Social Security numbers whose deaths have been reported to the Social Security Administration. A survivor requesting death benefits may have reported the death to SSA. It may have been reported to stop Social Security benefits to the deceased. Funeral homes often report deaths to the SSA as a service to family members. Beginning in 1962, the SSA began to use a computer database for processing requests for benefits. About 98 percent of the people in the SSDMF died after 1962, but a few death dates go back as far as 1937. Legal aliens in the U.S. can obtain a Social Security card, so their names may appear in the SSDMF, if their deaths were reported. Some 400,000 railroad retirees are also included in the SSDMF.
 

Using the Social Security Death Master File

The commercial versions of the SSDMF vary in what information they include, and in how you can search the file. For example, the LDS FamilySearch™ version of the SSDI includes individuals who died in foreign countries—other versions may not. Some allow a search of first name only, a good resource for finding a female for whom you know only a maiden name. Some provide only the zip code of residence and final payment, while others list a place name with the zip code. Be creative in your searches, and be selective about the version of the SSDI that you use.

Be aware of data entry errors made in the original SSDMF database, which get passed on to all commercial versions. Kathleen Hinckley, CGRS, a specialist in twentieth century research, provides a compilation of surname errors found in the death master file on her Family Detective web site (see Internet Resources).
 

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© 1999 Pamela Boyer Porter, CGRS, CGL.  Used with Permission.