Trump and Musk Overstate Social Security Payments to Deceased Individuals

Claims of millions of improper payments to dead beneficiaries are contradicted by Social Security data showing far smaller inaccuracies.

President Trump and Elon Musk falsely claimed that millions of deceased individuals receive Social Security benefits, despite data showing only about 90,000 beneficiaries aged 99 or older in 2024.
An internal Social Security Administration audit found nearly 19 million outdated records listing individuals born in 1920 or earlier as alive, but only a small fraction of these still receive payments.
Improper payments to deceased beneficiaries totaled approximately $298 million in 2021, with $214 million unrecovered, far less than the exaggerated figures suggested by Musk and Trump.
Experts and audits attribute the inaccuracies to outdated database management and administrative errors, not widespread fraud as implied by Musk.
The Social Security Administration has implemented safeguards, including automatically marking individuals over 115 as deceased, and continues efforts to address data inaccuracies.