Social Security corrects nearly 50 million records in largest SSN cleanup in agency history
Commissioner Frank Bisignano called the database cleanup essential to maintaining integrity of government services
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) confirmed to Fox News on Tuesday that it has undertaken the largest cleanup of Social Security Number (SSN) records in the history of the agency as part of an ongoing fight against fraud.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the agency says it has corrected almost 15% of all active SSNs for U.S. citizens — nearly 50 million records out of 330 million.
This included adding 17 million dates of death to records that were previously missing and updating approximately 25 million records that had missing citizenship information. The agency is also in the process of correcting an additional 8.5 million records with inaccurate citizenship status.
The SSA says this cleanup is necessary to prevent fraud across federal programs since SSNs are often tied to federal benefits.
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Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Frank Bisignano speaks as President Donald Trump looks on prior to signing a presidential proclamation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on August 14, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"The Social Security Number database is our country’s books and records. The database’s accuracy is essential to maintaining integrity of government services for citizens," SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in a statement.
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The Social Security Administration says it has corrected nearly 50 million Social Security records under President Donald Trump, including millions with missing death dates and citizenship information. (Getty Images/stock / Getty Images)
SSA records are used by federal agencies and states to verify identities and ensure that taxpayer-funded programs are properly administered. The agency says the initiative demonstrates a government-wide commitment to preventing fraud and protecting U.S. citizens' data.
"This is the first time SSA has undertaken an effort of this scale, and I am proud of the work we have done to strengthen the foundation of identity data relied upon throughout government and the economy," said Bisignano.
Earlier this year, the Treasury Department reported that it used Social Security records to stop payments totaling roughly $99 million that had been marked to be sent to dead people. The Treasury used the SSA's Full Death Master File, which contains death records, to identify potentially ineligible recipients before payments were issued.
The Social Security Administration has updated nearly 15% of its active records as part of a sweeping effort to improve federal identity verification and prevent fraud. (Mark Felix/The Washington Post / Getty Images)
The Treasury said it would continue using the verification system across federal programs as part of a broader effort to prevent questionable payments before taxpayer money leaves federal accounts.
The Trump administration has invested significant efforts into its "war on fraud" across the federal government. President Trump established a Task Force to Eliminate Fraud in March with Executive Order 14395. The order appointed Vice President JD Vance as the chairman of the Task Force, which exists to "coordinate and accelerate a comprehensive national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs."
Trump and Vance unveiled the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program during a Tuesday afternoon announcement with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud in the Oval Office. Trump said qualifying tipsters could receive a 1% commission for uncovering fraud, subject to applicable laws and rules.
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A White House official had initially described the initiative as a $25 million program offering rewards of up to $30,000 for tips leading to a successful fraud conviction or significant federal enforcement action.
Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.