Social Security Death Index: search it free
Search the Social Security Death Index free on FamilySearch with a free account. It gives a birth date, a death date and often the last place of residence.
Most entries are deaths from 1962 on. Deaths in the last three calendar years are held back by federal rule, so a recent death will not be there.
How to use it
- Search by name and birth year. Add a state if the name is common. The state is where the card was issued, not always where the person died.
- Note the exact dates and last residence. The last residence is a ZIP code. It points you to an obituary or a grave.
- Check the next records. Use the death date to search newspapers for an obituary, and Find a Grave for a burial.
- Order the SS-5 if you need parents' names. The application for a Social Security card lists the person's parents. Request it from the Social Security Administration under FOIA. There is a fee.
- Grade what you record. An index line with no image is LIKELY in RootsFree. The SS-5 image makes the parents PROVEN.
In their own words
prohibits disclosure of DMF information for an individual during the three-calendar-year period following the individual's death, unless the person requesting the information has been certified.
Questions
Why is a recent death missing?
Federal rules hold back deaths for three calendar years from the public file.
Go to the records
- FamilySearch SSDIFree account. Name search of the index.familysearch.org
- SSA FOIA requestsOrder a copy of the SS-5 application. Fee applies.ssa.gov
- NTIS Death Master FileThe source file and its access rules.ntis.gov
- Search free records hereRootsFree searches free record sets for you./records/
- Start or import a treePrivate, in your browser. Free, no card./tree/