Former President Donald Trump has made headlines again, this time claiming that millions of dead people are still collecting Social Security checks. According to him, some of these individuals are supposedly over 100 years old, which he says proves widespread fraud in the system. But is there any truth to these claims? Let’s break it down.
Where Did These Claims Come From?
Trump’s statements seem to be based on old reports showing that the Social Security Administration (SSA) still has millions of people in its system who were born in the 1800s. But here’s the catch—these records don’t mean that Social Security is actually paying benefits to deceased people.
The issue comes down to outdated record-keeping. Many of these so-called “recipients” are simply leftover names in the system because of the SSA’s aging computer database. In fact, many of these files don’t even have proper birthdates listed, so the system defaults to extreme ages, sometimes over 150 years old.
Is There Real Fraud?
While mistakes happen, the idea that millions of deceased people are receiving Social Security checks is false. Government audits have found that:
- The actual number of improper payments to deceased individuals is relatively small compared to the total Social Security budget.
- In a 2021 report, about $298 million was mistakenly paid to around 24,000 deceased beneficiaries. While any waste is concerning, this is far from the massive fraud Trump is suggesting.
- The SSA’s total improper payment rate is less than 1%, and most of those overpayments go to living people due to calculation errors—not to the dead.
What Is the Government Doing About It?
The SSA has been tightening its system to prevent even the small number of mistakes that do happen. Some of the recent changes include:
- Automatically marking people over 115 years old as deceased in the system to prevent errors.
- Improving data-sharing with other agencies, like the Treasury Department, to catch potential overpayments sooner.
- A new program in 2023 has already recovered $31 million in improper payments and is expected to save over $200 million by 2026.
The Big Picture
Yes, the Social Security system has flaws—it’s a massive bureaucracy that deals with millions of transactions daily. But the idea that millions of dead people are actively collecting benefits is simply not true.
The real problem with Social Security isn’t fraud—it’s about long-term funding and sustainability. The program is projected to face financial challenges in the coming decades, but cutting benefits or exaggerating fraud claims won’t fix the issue. Instead, experts say the government should focus on modernizing systems, adjusting payroll taxes, or making small benefit changes to keep Social Security strong for future generations.