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Learn how to request the full file of death information from SSA, which includes SSN, name, date of birth, and date of death. The file is shared with certain Federal and State agencies and sold to other organizations by NTIS.
What to do if someone dies. Learn when and how to report a death, and what benefits we offer to eligible family members.
- What Is in This Collection?
- What Can These Records Tell Me?
- How Do I Search This Collection?
- What Do I Do Next?
- Citing This Collection
The "Social Security Death Index" is a database created from the Social Security Administration's Death Master File. This is an index of deceased individuals whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. It has been kept since 1962, when operations were computerized. The index includes a few deaths from 1937 to 1961, about 50 pe...
The following information may be found in these records: 1. Name of the deceased (Married women are usually listed by their married name.) 2. Birth date 3. Death date 4. State or territory where the Social Security number was issued 5. Death residence, zip code and corresponding localities The death residence is the last place of residence that the...
To search the index it is helpful to know: 1. The name of your deceased ancestor 2. The place where your ancestor died 3. The approximate date of the death
I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
1. Add any new information to your records 2. The death date and place may help you obtain a death certificate which may lead you to additional records 3. The birth date or age along with the place of birth to find your ancestor’s birth records and parents' names 4. If your ancestor was born before 1940 you can use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records 5. When 2 geographical divisions are given they represent County/State as opposed to City/S...
I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?
1. Look for variant spellings of the names 2. Try searching by surname only 3. Married women are usually listed under their married names 4. If a woman was married multiple times search using the surnames of all husbands
Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States. 1. United States Guided Research 2. United States Record Finder 3. United States Research Tips and Strategies
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
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- John
- 19 May 1894
- Smith
The National Technical Information Service distributes the Death Master File online. It contains more than 85 million records of deaths reported to Social Security from 1936 to the present.
Mar 19, 2014 · Learn how to find and order death records from the Social Security Administration (SSA) using the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and other databases. The SSDI covers deaths reported to the SSA from about 1962 to mid-March 2014.
REQUEST FOR DECEASED INDIVIDUAL’S SOCIAL SECURITY RECORD. PROCESSING LIMITATIONS: A Request for information CANNOT be processed for: INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED BEFORE NOVEMBER 1936. INDIVIDUALS BORN BEFORE 1865 (unless you furnish a Social Security Number (SSN)). INSTRUCTIONS: PRINT OR TYPE ALL DATA. SIGN IN INK. ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR A REPLY.
Search for names and dates of deaths recorded by the Social Security Administration from 1962 to 2014. This database is updated monthly and covers all states and territories.
