Receiving Census Forms

6.  Why did I receive a census form?

We mailed you a census form because we need information about your business for the 2007 Economic Census. We mailed similar forms to more than 5 million U.S. businesses. Businesses receiving forms employ virtually all paid employees, represent every industry, and are diverse geographically. Your answers to each applicable item on the form help ensure a complete, accurate, and useful 2007 Economic Census.

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7.  Why did I receive so many forms?

By January 2008, you should have received one Economic Census form for each business location you operated during part or all of calendar year 2007. We request information for each location to produce high quality census statistics for each industry and locality. If you received a form for a location that is not in operation, please complete Item 3 "Operational Status", provide any explanations in the "Remarks" section, and return the entire form.

You may have received a replacement census form. We send replacement census forms to businesses that did not return the original form or obtain an extension by February 12, 2008. Please return your completed forms as soon as possible - and if you already responded, thank you!

Separately, you may have received a current business survey form. We send forms monthly, quarterly and annually to a sample of businesses to produce needed economic indicators and other current statistics, and these programs continue during the Economic Census. If you have been selected to participate in one of these important programs, we ask you to continue to provide the valuable information requested.

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8.  What if I don't have enough forms?

You should have received one Economic Census form for each business location you operated during part or all of calendar year 2007. If we didn't send you enough forms or if you are missing pages, please visit our Online Services page to request a re-mail or additional forms, or contact us with your request.

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9.  What if I received the wrong form(s)?

Please complete the form(s) you received for the 2007 Economic Census. Census forms are designed to be flexible in use. In most cases, answering Items 1-7, plus describing your primary business activity in the "Remarks" section (after Item 29), will satisfy your obligation, and allow us to reclassify your business in the correct industry. We will contact you if we need additional information or have any questions regarding your answers. Completing the form(s) you received will help you provide timely information. Examples of how you can use the forms you have include:

• Correcting information. You can cross out and revise information that was pre-printed on your census label or form, including your name, address, Employer Identification Number (EIN), and physical location.
  
  
• Adding information. You can use the "Other" choices on many form items to provide unique business information, including kind of business, class of customer, method of selling, and sales or receipts.
  
  
• Including remarks. You can use the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29) to describe how you completed the form, identify the revisions you have made, and provide explanations to help us understand your census response.
  
  
• Attaching documents. If your form does not have a "Remarks" section, or you need to provide more explanation, you can include an attachment. Please include your company name and Census File Number (CFN) on any attachments you provide.
  
  

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10.  What if I didn't receive a form?

If you did not receive a 2007 Economic Census form, you should do nothing. It is likely you did not get a form because you are in one of the situations described below:

• The form was sent to another office of your company. If your business has several locations, we generally send all Economic Census forms to one location (such as your headquarters or administrative office). That office will complete and return the census forms, or arrange for the forms to be completed.
  
  
• You are a new business. If you were issued a new Employer Identification Number (EIN) after June 2007, we could not include you in the December 2007 mailing. You should receive your census form in March 2008.
  
  
• You have no or few employees. If you had no employees in March 2007, or you had very few employees for businesses in your industry, we did not send you a census form. We will rely on information from other sources to account for you in the census.

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11.  Is the form I received a valid census form?

There are several ways to confirm that an Economic Census questionnaire is legitimate.

• You can compare the form you received with sample forms, organized by sector and form number



• The form cites the return address
  U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
  1201 East 10th Street
  Jeffersonville, IN 47134-0001 or 47132-0001
  
  The prepaid return envelope is addressed to the Census Director at
  PO Box 5010 or 5020 or 5050 or 5060 or 5080
  Jeffersonville, IN 47199-xxxx



• An official survey code, such as OMB No. 0607-0934, is included in the upper right hand corner. This indicates that the questionnaire was approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget.



• The Census Bureau seal and a Census Bureau form number, such as OS-81190, are located in the upper left corner.



• The questionnaires indicate a specific due date; for most 2007 Economic Census forms the due date is February 12, 2008.



• The form indicates that "Your Response is Required by Law -- Title 13, United States Code"

Please note: on some forms, codes in the mailing label not needed for processing have been intentionally marked out.

If you still have questions about your form you can call our toll-free help line at 1-800-233-6136.

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Last revised: January 25 2008 07:55:20

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