US Social Security agency corrects records for nearly 15% of active numbers in biggest ever cleanup

The US Social Security Administration has corrected records for nearly 15 per cent of all active Social Security numbers, describing the effort as the most comprehensive records cleanup in its 91-year history.

The agency announced the figures on Tuesday, as part of the Trump administration’s fraud-prevention drive. The Social Security number database holds about 390 million total records covering roughly 330 million US citizens, according to the announcement reported by Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-social-security-agency-corrects-nearly-15-records-database-cleanup-2026-10-20/).

The cleanup included 17 million dates of death added to records that lacked them, drawing on SSA systems and State Department data. A further 25 million records with missing citizenship information were updated using data from the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements service, known as SAVE, while another 8.5 million records with inaccurate citizenship status are being corrected.

SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said: “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. Accurate SSN records prevent fraud across federal programs and support the proper administration of benefits.”

The effort follows President Donald Trump’s pledge after taking office last year to address what he described as fraud and waste in the Social Security system. The agency has characterised the work as correcting records rather than confirming fraud cases, Reuters reported.

More detail is available from Americas News Desk (https://americasnewsdesk.com/social-security-agency-reports-largest-records-cleanup-in-its-history/news/), Texas Border Business and Northland News Radio.