Death Master File — Leads Scrub
Suppress deceased individuals from mailing lists using the public SSA Death Master File (~90M records). Covers all deaths except the most recent 3 years. Search by name, SSN, DOB, state, or ZIP. Batch scrub endpoint processes up to 100 records per call.
Endpoints
GET /api/v1/pro/dmf Requires API key Search by last name, SSN, date of birth, state, or ZIP. Requires either ssn or last_name.
Parameters
| last_name | Last name (prefix match) |
| first_name | First name (prefix match) |
| ssn | Full 9-digit SSN (used for internal match; response shows last 4 only) |
| dob | Date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| state | Last known state (two-letter code) |
| zip | Last known ZIP code |
| limit | Max results (default 25, max 100) |
Example
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer pro_YOUR_KEY" \
"https://api.verilexdata.com/api/v1/pro/dmf?last_name=Smith&first_name=John&state=TX"Response
{
"dataset": "dmf",
"source": "Public Death Master File",
"count": 3,
"data": [
{
"ssn_last4": "4567",
"first_name": "JOHN",
"last_name": "SMITH",
"date_of_birth": "1935-03-15",
"date_of_death": "2010-11-22",
"state": "TX",
"zip": "75201"
}
]
}Access requirements
- Plan: DMF access requires a Pro or Team plan (not available on Starter or Plus)
- Organization EIN: All DMF requests must include an
X-Organization-EINheader with your company's 9-digit Employer Identification Number. This is verified against IRS records to prevent personal use. - Purpose attestation: All DMF requests must include an
X-DMF-Purposeheader with one of:mailing_suppression,fraud_prevention,benefits_verification, orestate_processing - Legal: By providing these headers, you attest that you are accessing death records on behalf of a registered business for the stated purpose, in compliance with applicable federal and state laws
POST /api/v1/pro/dmf/scrub Requires API key Batch scrub a mailing list. Submit up to 100 records. Each record is checked against the DMF and returns whether the person is deceased.
Request body
{
"records": [
{ "last_name": "Smith", "first_name": "John", "dob": "1935-03-15" },
{ "last_name": "Johnson", "first_name": "Mary" },
{ "last_name": "Williams", "first_name": "Robert", "dob": "1940-07-22" }
]
}Response
{
"dataset": "dmf",
"batch_size": 3,
"results": [
{
"input": { "last_name": "Smith", "first_name": "John", "dob": "1935-03-15" },
"matches": 1,
"deceased": true,
"records": [{ "ssn_last4": "4567", "date_of_death": "2010-11-22" }]
},
{
"input": { "last_name": "Johnson", "first_name": "Mary" },
"matches": 0,
"deceased": false,
"records": []
}
]
}GET /api/v1/pro/dmf/stats Free Dataset coverage: total records, earliest/latest death date, update frequency.
Need the most recent 3 years?
Deaths within the most recent 3 calendar years are restricted to the Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF), which requires institutional certification under federal law (Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, Section 203). Certification is managed by NTIS at ntis.gov/ladmf. Available to government agencies, financial institutions, and organizations with a legitimate fraud prevention purpose.