Fact check: There are millions of people being paid social security over the age of 130

1. Summary of the results

The claim about millions of people over 130 receiving Social Security benefits is demonstrably false. Key facts show:

• Only 44,000 Social Security number holders born before 1920 were receiving payments as of 2020 ^[1]
• The Social Security Administration automatically stops payments to individuals over 115 years old since September 2015 ^[2]
• Of documented cases, only 13 people were likely over 112 years old as of 2015 ^[3]
• The oldest documented person in history lived to 122 years ^[1]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual factors explain the confusion:

• There are 18.9 million Social Security numbers belonging to people born before 1920 without death records, but 98% of these are not receiving any payments ^[1]
• The high number of old records stems from:
• Software limitations in the COBOL programming system that defaults missing birthdates to very old dates ^[4]
• Records from before electronic record-keeping was implemented ^[1]
• Social Security's error rate is actually quite low:
• Only $71.8 billion in improper payments out of $8.6 trillion total benefits (less than 1%) ^[2]
• The program has lower error rates compared to other government programs, according to expert Chuck Blahous ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The claim appears to be part of a larger misinformation campaign:

• The statement has been promoted by high-profile figures including Trump and Musk, whose claims have been identified as "overstated and misrepresenting Social Security data" ^[5]
• The narrative benefits those who might want to:
• Undermine confidence in government programs
• Push for Social Security reform or privatization
• Generate engagement through controversial claims
• The Social Security Office of Inspector General (OIG) has explicitly stated that "almost none" of the numberholders in question are actually receiving payments ^[5]