What to know
- Costs vary for different National Death Index (NDI) search request types.
- A worksheet is available to help calculate NDI charges.
- NDI accepts payments via credit cards, ACH withdrawal, checks, and billable purchase orders.
Costs
Fees for National Death Index (NDI) searches include a base service charge, plus an additional fee per individual record, per year requested, submitted by the user. Costs of using NDI vary by the type of search requested. Fees for the NDI Plus service are slightly higher. Multiple submissions for the same application incur additional fees.
The National Center for Health Statistics must receive payment before providing NDI search results.
Cost by search request type
The base service charge for initial submission of one or more records is $350. Any more submissions for the same approved application will incur a $100 service charge per submission.
The following rates can be used to estimate per record costs.
- $0.15 per subject per year searched
- $0.21 per subject per year searched
- $5.00 per subject flat rate, regardless of number of years searched
- $2.50 per subject flat rate, regardless of the years searched
The NDI User Fees document has more detailed information, including a worksheet to help you calculate estimated costs for your search.
Accepted payment types
NDI can accept payments by credit card, ACH withdrawal, purchase order, or check. The allowable payment method varies based on the amount due and the payment method. NDI discourages payment by check except when the other methods are not an option.
Please note: An NDI number must appear on all communications with NDI staff, as well as on any checks or online payments. The payer's Employer Identification Number must appear on all payment methods.
Acceptable forms of payment
- Cannot exceed $24,999.99
- Federal agencies are encouraged to use this method for payments up to $24,999.99
- Contact NDI staff to arrange credit card payments
- Can exceed $24,999.99
- Not a preferred method
- Cannot be used by federal agencies
- Can be used by federal agencies if amount exceeds $24,999.99
Paying by credit card?
Discounts
NDI searches of more than 100,000 unique records may be eligible for a discount. These discounts apply only to the subjects over the 100,000 threshold.
- One-time discount for more than 100,000 unique subject records
- Limits cost to two years, regardless of the number of years requested
- Additional discount may be available for more than 2.5 million unique subject records (not limited to single use)
- Discount available for Known and Certificate searches with more than 100,000 unique subjects
- Additional discount available for Known and Certificate searches with more than 500,000 unique subjects
- Available for more than one use
NDI revenue
NDI is fully funded through user fees; it receives no appropriated funds. User fees have covered all NDI operating expenses since the service was launched. Jurisdictions also receive a portion of the NDI user fees.
NDI revenue also provides funds to—
- The National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems
- The National Vital Statistics System
Payments to jurisdictions
Jurisdictions share in the revenue from NDI Plus search requests because the 57 reporting jurisdictions own the death information. Jurisdictions' shares are not fixed amounts.
A jurisdiction's revenue depends on the cost of each search, the type of search, and the jurisdiction of death for each "true match." A true match is the one that is likely to be correct for a given subject. Many matches are poor matches, and many of the researcher's subjects may have no match in NDI.