Definition: The Social Security Death Index (or SSDI) is a huge index containing vital information for more than 64 million people (primarily Americans) whose deaths were reported to the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA). Deaths included in this index may have been included by a survivor requesting benefits or in order to stop Social Security Benefits to the deceased. Most of the information (about 98%) included in this index is from 1962 to the present, although some data is from as early as 1937. Also included in the millions of records are approximately 400,000 railroad retirement records from the early 1900s to 1950s. These begin with numbers in the 700-728 range.

Pronunciation: [soc-shuhl  si-kyoor-uh-tee  deth  in-deks] • (noun)   

Common Abbreviations:  SSDI

Related Resources:

How-To Guide to the U.S. Social Security Death Index
Learn how to best use this free database of over 64 million Americans to help further your genealogy research.

Social Security Records
Learn how to obtain a copy of a Social Security application, how to use Social Security records in your genealogy research, what the digits in a SS number mean, and browse through a list of known errors found in the SSDI.

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