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INCOME AND EARNINGS
SURVEY OF INCOME AND PROGRAM PARTICIPATION
Measure: Survey of SIPP questions about income and earnings in the core questionnaire of the Survey of Income and Program Participation
Source
The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) is sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and administered by the Demographics Survey Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare developed the forerunner to the SIPP, the Income Survey Development Program, and participated in early design work for the SIPP itself. The ISDP lasted from 1977 to 1981; the first interviewing for the SIPP was done in October 1983 for the 1984 panel.
In addition to the core questionnaire, many of the SIPP topical modules are also relevant to the income and earnings constructs. SIPP has financial topical modules for Annual Income and Retirement Accounts, Assets and Liabilities, Real Estate Property and Vehicles, Recipiency History, Retirement Expectations and Pension Plan Coverage, School Enrollment and Financing, Selected Financial Assets, Shelter Costs and Energy Usage, Support for Nonhousehold Members, and Taxes. Welfare reform topical modules include Eligibility for and Recipiency of Public Assistance, Benefits, Job Search and Training Assistance, Job Subsidies, Transportation Assistance, Health Care, Food Assistance, Electronic Transfer of Benefits, and Denial of Benefits. Descriptions of these topical modules are on pp. 3-6–3-16 of U.S. Census Bureau, 2001 or at http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/top_mod/topical.html. The questionnaires for these topical modules are available at http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/top_mod/1996/top_mod_sched.html for the 1996 SIPP panel and http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/top_mod/2001/top_mod_sched.html for the waves so far completed in the 2001 panel.
Of the SIPP topical modules, the one most important for measuring net income is the Taxes module. The Taxes topical module “includes questions about exemptions, calendar-year wages and salaries, income from businesses, itemized deductions, and earned income credits. Respondents are asked about federal and state income tax liabilities, exemptions, amounts owed for federal and property taxes, and amounts from a variety of tax schedules. To help ensure accuracy, interviewers encourage respondents to refer to income tax returns and other records. Historically, this module has been administered at least twice per panel, generally in the spring when respondents were likely to be preparing their tax returns for the prior year” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, p. 3-14). The Taxes questionnaire for Wave 7 (February 2003–May 2003) of the 2001 SIPP panel is available at http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/top_mod/2001/quests/wave7/taxes.html.
Population Assessed
The survey design is a continuous series of national panels; the sample size ranges from approximately 14,000 to 36,700 interviewed households. The time of each panel ranges from 21/2 years to 4 years. The SIPP sample is a multistage-stratified sample of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. For the 1984–1993 panels, a panel of households was introduced each year in February. A 4-year panel was introduced in April 1996; a 2000 panel, in February 2000 for 2 waves; a 3-year 2001, in February 2001. The 2001 panel consists of 36,700 sample households, which will be interviewed nine times from February 2001 through January 2004. The 2001 panel SIPP interviews are conducted using a computer-assisted interview on a laptop computer (http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/overview.html).
Unlike the CPS, people living in military barracks are excluded from the sample. A survey is completed in Wave I for each member of the household 15 or older; in succeeding waves, each of these original sample members is surveyed as well as all current residents 15 and older of the households in which original sample members are currently living.
Low-income housing units were oversampled in the 1990, 1996, and 2001 panels.
Coverage ratios for the SIPP are comparable to those of the CPS. As in the CPS, though almost all demographic categories are likely to be underrepresented, Blacks (especially young Black males) are disproportionately more likely to be excluded from the population eligible for sampling (Kalton, Winglee, and Jabine, 1998, p. 17).
Periodicity
“A 4-year panel was introduced in April 1996. A 2000 panel was introduced in February 2000 for 2 waves. A 3-year 2001 panel was introduced in February 2001. . . . The 2001 panel consists of 36,700 sample units (households). Households will be interviewed 9 times from February 2001 through January 2004.” These nine interviewing periods are known as waves. “The survey uses a 4-month recall period, with approximately the same number of interviews being conducted in each month of the 4-month period for each wave” (http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/overview.html).
Components
In the SIPP, questions about whether recipients received various types of income is generally in a section separate from the section about how the amount of those types of income is determined. Section D: Labor Force—Part 1 asks about whether (and for which weeks) the respondent in the last 4 months worked at a regular job, business, or odd job or received workers’ compensation or unemployment payments. The survey also inquires about regular hourly pay rates for regular jobs. Section E: Labor Force—Part 2 inquires specifically about the amount of the earnings received in each of the past 4 months (each month asked about separately, beginning with the most recent) for the respondents’ jobs (up to two), as well as the earnings in each of the past 4 months for businesses (up to two) or moonlighting (i.e., all other jobs or businesses). Probing is constantly undertaken to ensure that all payments are included and that the values cover gross pay; respondents are prompted to refer to pay stubs or other records when needed. Section F: General Income—Part 1 asks about whether respondent received any income in the past 4 months from a variety of unearned sources (but not from assets), namely severance pay, proceeds from a pension or retirement plan, VA payments, social security payments, social security payments for children, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SSI for children, state or local SSI, disability income, retirement income, regular retirement income for a paid-up life insurance policy or other annuities, survivor benefits, foster child care payments, child support payments, alimony, food stamps, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) payments, public assistance, general assistance, energy assistance, transportation assistance, child care assistance, short-term or emergency assistance, other cash or assistance from a welfare office, pass-through child support payments, and all other sources of income. In the case of disability income, retirement income, survivor benefits, and other sources of income, the respondent was asked to identify which type(s) of that income he/she received. Section G: General Income—Part 2A asks questions about the circumstances under which veterans payments, disability payments, public assistance, food stamps, and WIC were received, but the only income sources for which it specifically inquires about dollar amounts (for each of the past 4 months, again beginning with the most recent) is public assistance and pass-through child support payments. Section H: General Income—Part 2B asks about the amount of each payment received in each of the past four months for the other income sources covered in Section F, including the separate categories of disability income, retirement income, survivor benefits, and other sources of income identified by the respondent. Section I: Assets asks about income received from the following assets: savings bonds, IRA or Keogh accounts, 401K or thrift plans, interest earning checking accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, CDs, mutual funds, stock, municipal or corporate bonds, U.S. government securities, mortgages, rental property, royalties, and other financial investments. These questions typically ask about total amount received over the past 4 months as a whole, although the respondent is sometimes given the option of reporting a yearly amount if necessary. Also, income amounts are reported separately for assets owned in the respondent’s own name and jointly with his/her spouse. Throughout these sections, the respondent is encouraged to look at records if necessary, and the interviewer records if the respondent did so.
Other sections of the SIPP also covered various types of non-cash income. Section B: Coverage inquires about public housing and housing assistance. Section J: Health Insurance asks about health insurance coverage. Section K: Programs asks about non-cash income received from several government programs, specifically energy assistance, free or reduced-price school lunch, and free or reduced-price school breakfast. The amount the respondent pays in monthly rent is also recorded. Section L: Education asks the respondent to specify which types of financial assistance for education he/she has received.
Procedures for Administration
“All household members 15 years old and over are interviewed by self-response, if possible; proxy response is permitted when household members are not available for interviewing” (http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/overview.html). Proxy interviewing occurs more often than the Census Bureau would like. In general, though, only 35 percent of interviews for each wave occur by proxy (Kalton, Winglee, & Jabine, 1998, p. 37).
“The preferred mode of data collection for 1984–1991 was face-to-face interviewing and most interviews conducted during this period used this method. In February 1992, SIPP switched to maximum telephone interviewing to reduce cost. The interviews for Waves 1 and 2 were conducted by face-to-face interviews as before, but interviews at subsequent waves were conducted by telephone to the extent possible. [Beginning with] the 1996 Panel, computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) was used for Waves 1 and 2. For subsequent waves, one personal visit is planned each year; the remaining interviews will be conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI)” (Kalton, Winglee, & Jabine, 1998, p. 9).The time needed to assess varies by wave and especially by number of eligible household members. For the 1993 panel, the median interview duration for a household with two persons 15 or over varied by wave between 30 and 45 minutes. Having three eligible adults would increase administration time to between 42 and 59 minutes. These median times include the time for topical modules.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
“The rate of sample loss in SIPP generally declines from one wave to the next. The total number of sample members lost, also known as total sample attrition, always increases over time. Wave 1 nonresponse rates for SIPP have been about 7.7 percent. There is usually a sizable sample loss at Wave 2, with a lower rate of additional attrition occurring at each subsequent wave. Prior to the 1992 Panel, SIPP lost roughly 20 percent of the original sample by the panel’s completion. The sample loss rate for the 1996 Panel was 35.5 percent by the end of the 12th, or final, wave” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, pp. 2-17–2-18).
Information on item nonresponse is available for the SIPP for many of the different types of income categories. The first table compares cross-sectional item nonresponse for panels from 1984 to 1993 among various types of income and other subjects measured by the SIPP core questionnaire. The second table looks at longitudinal item nonresponse for various income components for the 1984 panel. In general, item nonresponse was much higher for income and earnings questions than for other questions. Even if respondents could identify whether they received a particular source of income, they were often unable or unwilling to identify the amount of money derived from that source. But since respondents would sometimes report income amounts for some waves of the panel but not others, certain missing data can be imputed. Furthermore, data from the mid-1980s indicates that SIPP has a better response rate for income and earnings items than does CPS. For more information on item nonresponse in the SIPP, with a focus on income and earnings questions, see Kalton, Winglee, and Jabine, 1998, pp. 51–59.
| Question | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1992 | 1993 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor force activity: | |||||
| Identification of weeks absent without pay (item 4) | 0.1 | (Z) | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Identification of weeks with a job or business (item 6a) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Presence of weeks looking or on layoff (item 7a) | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Identification of weeks looking or on layoff (item 7b) | 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Income recipiency or asset ownership: | |||||
| Social Security | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Unemployment compensation | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Food Stamps | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Savings accounts | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Shares of stock | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Income amounts: | |||||
| Hourly wage rate | 9.5 | 10.4 | 10.8 | 7.2 | 7.7 |
| Monthly wage and salary | 6.2 | 7.2 | 8.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Self-employment salary or draw | 14.0 | 16.9 | 14.6 | 12.4 | 13.5 |
| Social Security | 8.8 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 14.0 | 14.7 |
| Unemployment compensation | 9.1 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 9.2 | 10.7 |
| Food Stamps | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 6.4 | 5.4 |
| Interest 1 | 34.6(24.2) | 29.8(28.9) | 30.8(30.2) | 10.3 | 10.2 |
| Dividends 2 | 9.4(30.7) | 10.5(30.5) | 9.4(29.1) | 7.5 | 7.6 |
| Z = Less than .05 percent. 1The figure in parentheses is the nonresponse rate on the balance in the account. This question was asked of the 34.6 percent that did not provide an estimate of the amount of interest received. (back) 2The figure in parentheses is the nonresponse rate for dividends credited to accounts. (back) 3The rates shown for labor force activity items in 1992 and 1993 refer to Wave 1 only. (back) Source: Rates for the 1984–86 Panels adapted from Bowie (1986; Kalton, Winglee, and Jabine, 1998, p. 54). |
| Income type | All amounts reported | One or more amounts not reported | One or more but not all amounts not reported | No amounts reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | ||||
| Hourly wage rate | 83.0 | 17.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 |
| Social Security | 82.8 | 17.2 | 13.1 | 4.1 |
| Private pension | 78.8 | 21.8 | 13.6 | 8.2 |
| AFDC | 91.0 | 9.0 | 5.6 | 3.4 |
| Food Stamps | 91.9 | 8.1 | 6.2 | 1.9 |
| Unemployment compensation | 87.9 | 12.1 | 4.0 | 8.0 |
| Federal SSI | 88.0 | 12.0 | 7.6 | 4.4 |
| 32 months | ||||
| Social Security | 87.7 | 12.4 | 8.6 | 3.8 |
| AFDC | 92.1 | 7.9 | 4.8 | 3.1 |
| Food Stamps | 92.7 | 7.2 | 4.2 | 3.0 |
| Unemployment compensation | 86.6 | 13.4 | 4.5 | 8.9 |
| Federal SSI | 90.2 | 9.8 | 4.3 | 5.5 |
| 1 These rates are based on the total number of persons with recipiency in one or more of the 12 months. Also these rates do not reflect imputations made to type Z person noninterviews. (back) 2 These are rates of missing data based on panel members included in the 1984 SIPP longitudinal file. The rates include imputations due to item nonresponse only. Type Z imputations are not included. Data are adapted from Pennell (1993, Table 4.3). (back) Sources: Data for the 12-month summary were adapted from Kasprzyk and Herriot (1986), and data for ‘the 32-month summary were adapted from Pennell (1993, Table 4-3; Kalton, Winglee, and Jabine, 1998, p. 55). |
Missing income and earnings data for the SIPP core questionnaire are imputed in one of several ways for the 1996 and 2001 panels. For certain forms of income (such as retirement and social security), data from a prior wave is forwarded to the current wave. For labor-force earnings and other forms of income (such as public assistance programs), prior-wave reporting is often used as a dimension in a hot deck. If prior-wave reporting is not appropriate or applicable for a given value, SIPP proceeds directly to a hot-deck method. For more information on SIPP imputation procedures, see Chapter 4 (pp. 4-1–4-18) of U.S. Census Bureau, 2001.
As a measure of reliability, reinterviewing was conducted for some households as soon as possible after the initial interview. Difference rates were then calculated based on the results of the reinterviewing. These rates were small between 1984 and 1987, ranging from 2.4 percent to 3.1 percent. However, health insurance and asset questions appeared to have higher difference rates than job, income, or benefit questions (Kalton, Winglee, and Jabine, 1998, p. 38; for more information on the methodology and results of reinterviewing, see Kalton, Winglee, and Jabine, 1998, pp. 33–34, 38-39).
As a measure of validity, SIPP and CPS income data were compared with data obtained from independent sources (often income tax returns and the National Income and Product Accounts). Looking at data from 1984 and 1990, both SIPP and CPS estimates of aggregate income from various sources were consistently lower than values achieved from independent sources. The exact income types in which SIPP was higher than CPS varied. For example, SIPP had a higher estimated of number of welfare recipients, SSI, social security, and Railroad Retirement. CPS had higher estimates for earnings. For more information (broken out by income source and other variables) on estimate comparisons between CPS, SIPP, and independent sources, see Kalton, Winglee, and Jabine, 1998, pp. 121–147.
Languages Available
The SIPP computer-assisted interview is available in both English and Spanish.
Items Included
The core questionnaire for the 2001 panel (and core and topical questionnaires for the 1993 and 1996 panels) is available at http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/questionnaires.html. (Wave 2 core questionnaires are also used in succeeding waves of the panel.) Example items from the 2001 SIPP core questionnaire from Waves 2+ follow. The Wave 2 questionnaire was used because the U.S. Census Bureau reported that it was more comprehensive. (Skip patterns were not included on the online questionnaire.) Note that example items are listed in the order in which they appear in the survey, and thus earnings questions—generally the primary source of income for most people—do not appear first.
From Section B: Coverage
-PUBHSE-
Is this residence in a public housing project, that is, is it owned by a local housing authority?
-GVTRNT-
Is the Federal, State or local government paying part or all of the rent for this residence?
-WRSECT8-
Is this through Section 8 or through some other government program?
From Section D: Labor Force - Part 1
LFINTRO-
These next questions are about your work activities during the last four months, from [Reference Month 1] 1st until today, as shown on the calendar.
SHOW FLASHCARD E
-W2WCYN1-
Between [Reference Month 1] 1st and today, did you receive any money from workers’ compensation as a result of any kind of job-related injury or illness from this job or any other job?
Yes
No
-W2UECYN1-
Between [Reference Month 1] 1st and today, did you receive any type of unemployment payments related to this job or any other job?
Yes
No
-W2UECYNTP1-
What type was it?
ENTER (N) FOR NO MORE
Regular
Supplemental
Other, including union benefits
-W2NOPDJB-
Did you do any other work at all that earned some money?
Yes
No
-PAYHR-
(EMPLOYER = [Employer Name])
Are you paid by the hour?
- Yes
- No
-PYRAT-
[EMPLOYER = [Employer Name]]
What was your regular hourly pay rate?
$ _____
-PYPER-
[EMPLOYER = [Employer Name]]
How often were you paid?
[READ CATEGORIES IF NECESSARY]
Once a week
Once every 2 weeks
Once a month
Twice a month
Unpaid in a family business or farm
On commission
Some other way
-BIGBUS-
[NOTE TO FR: ANSWERS ARE LIMITED TO THE BUSINESSES DISPLAYED BELOW WHICH WERE OPERATED DURING THE REFERENCE PERIOD.
I recorded that you had [# of] businesses between [Reference Month 1] 1st and the end of [Reference Month 4]. Which 2 of these businesses produced the highest earnings before expenses during this time period?
-GRSSB-
[BUSINESS = [Business Name]]
Do you think the earnings before expenses from your business were $2500 or more over the last 12 months that you owned this business?
Yes
No
-SOMWRK-
During the weeks that you did not have a job or a business, did you do any work at all that earned some money?
Yes
No
From Section E: Labor Force – Part 2
-PYRCV-
The next questions are about the income you received.
The questions ask about your gross income BEFORE any deductions for taxes, health insurance, and so on.
-P1M4-
Each time you were paid by [Employer Name] in [Reference Month 4], how much did you receive BEFORE deductions?
(P) Proceed to enter one or more gross amounts for the month
(C) Calculate - Respondent reports hourly wages and hours worked
ENTER GROSS AMOUNTS RECEIVED IN [Reference Month 4] OR (N) FOR NONE. (AFTER LAST REPORTED AMOUNT ASK—)
Anything else? Any tips, bonuses, overtime pay, or commissions?
ENTER (N) AFTER LAST REPORTED AMOUNT
(S) Same as last amount entered
$ _____
-FOLLOW4-
Is that the total for the month or the amount of a single payment?
Total for the month
Amount of a single payment
-MOREPAY4-
Please tell me the other payments you received in [Reference Month 4] from [Employer Name].
ENTER (N) FOR NONE OR NO MORE.
-MTOT4VER-
[NOTE TO INTERVIEWER - DO NOT READ]
THE TOTAL AMOUNT REPORTED FOR [Reference Month 4], $[Total], IS UNUSUALLY LARGE.
IF THE AMOUNT IS CORRECT, ENTER P TO PROCEED.
IF THE AMOUNT IS INCORRECT, HIT F1 TO BACK UP AND CORRECT IT.
(P) Proceed
-CALC41-
ENTER PAY RATE AND TOTAL HOURS WORKED AT THAT RATE IN MONTH
PAY RATE: ____ Dollars and ____ Cents
TOTAL HOURS WORKED AT THIS RATE IN THE MONTH: ____
IF NEEDED, ENTER SECOND PAY RATE AND TOTAL HOURS AT THAT RATE IN THE MONTH
(ENTER (N) IF SECOND PAY RATE IS NOT NEEDED)
PAY RATE: ____ Dollars and ____ Cents
TOTAL HOURS WORKED AT THIS RATE IN THE MONTH: ____
-CALC41VR-
That comes to $[Total]. Does that sound about right?
IF CORRECT ENTER P TO PROCEED
IF NOT CORRECT HIT F1 TO BACK UP AND MAKE CORRECTIONS
(P) Proceed
-MORPAY13-
I have recorded that your earnings for [Reference Month 1] are:
Did you receive any other pay in [Reference Month 1] from [Employer Name]?
-TAKEHOME-
Just to be sure—were the amounts you gave me for [Month 1] and [Month 2] and [Month 3] and [Month 4] your take-home pay, or were they your gross pay BEFORE any taxes and other deductions were taken out?
-GETGROSS-
This survey needs to get people’s gross income amounts. Do you know your gross pay amounts?
-GETRECS-
Do you have records available, such as pay stubs, that would show the gross amounts?
-GROSSPAYM4-
What were the gross pay amounts in [Reference Month 4]?
-CALLGROS-
If I were to call back later, would you be able to obtain a pay stub or some other record that shows your gross pay amounts?
-CBPY1-
It is very important that we collect information about income amounts that is as complete and accurate as possible. If I were to call back later, would you or someone else be able to provide me with this information?
-BM4-
The next few questions are about your income from: [Business Name]
What was the total amount of income you received from [fill TEMP2++] in the month of [Reference Month 4]?
[ENTER UP TO 5 SEPARATE AMOUNTS FOR THE MONTH]
How much did you receive from [Business Name] in [Reference Month 3]?
And in [Reference Month 2]?
And in [Reference Month 1]?
-PRFTB-
For [Business Name], what is your best estimate of the net profit or loss, that is, the difference between gross receipts and expenses, between [Reference Month 1] 1st and the end of [Reference Month 4]?
-MOONLITE-
You told me that between [reference month 1] and [reference month 4] you had some work in addition to the jobs/businesses whose income we just talked about. Did you receive any income from that additional work from [reference month 1] to [reference month 4]?
-MLM4-
[JOB/BUSINESS = additional work]
What was the total amount of income you received from this work in the month of [Reference Month 4]?
[ENTER UP TO 5 INDIVIDUAL AMOUNTS FOR THE MONTH]
What was it in [Reference Month 3]?
What was it in [Reference Month 2]?
What was it in [Reference Month 1]?
From Section F: General Income – Part 1
-OTHINT-
Now I will ask questions about your other sources of income since [Reference Month1].
-LMPNOW-
When you left your job, did you receive any lump sum payments, such as severance pay or any proceeds from a pension or retirement plan?
-SSYN-
Did you receive any Social Security payments?
-PWSSYN-
Last time I recorded that you received Social Security payments.
Did you receive any Social Security payments at any time between [Reference Month 1] 1st and today?
-DSYN-
Earlier I recorded that you have a health condition which limits the kind or amount of work you can do. Did you receive any income because of your health condition?
-DSTYP-
What kind of income was that? Anything else?
ENTER (N) FOR NO MORE
Workers’ Compensation
Payments from a sickness, accident, or disability insurance policy purchased on your own
Employer disability payments
Pension from company or union including income from profit-sharing plans
Federal Civil Service or other Federal civilian employee pension
State government pension
Local government pension
U.S. Military retirement pay (excluding payments from the VA)
U.S. Government Railroad Retirement Black
Lung payments
Other
-OTHSUR-
Did you receive income from any other source during this time period as a result of being a survivor?
OSURTYP-
What kind of income was that? Anything else?
Pension from company or union including income from profit-sharing plans
Veterans’ compensation or pension
Federal Civil Service or other Federal civilian employee pension
U.S. Government Railroad Retirement
State government pension
Local government pension
Income from paid-up life insurance policies or annuities
U.S. Military retirement pay. Exclude payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Black Lung benefits
Worker’s Compensation
Payments from estate or trust
National Guard or Reserve Forces retirement
Other
None/No more
-SUROTHR-
What was the specific “other” source of income you received as a survivor?
-PATYN-
Did you receive any cash or other assistance from a state or county welfare program?
-PATYNA-
Just to be sure, did you receive any cash or other assistance from a state or county welfare program on behalf of children in the household?
-PACHCK1-
How about any other kinds of cash or other assistance from a state or county welfare program, such as, gas vouchers, bus passes, or help registering, repairing, or insuring your car, reduced price child care services, or short-term cash assistance to tide you over?
-PACHCK2-
What did you receive?
MARK ALL THAT APPLY. ENTER (N) FOR NONE/NO MORE
Transportation Assistance to help you get to work or school or training such as gas vouchers, bus passes, or help repairing a car?
Child Care Services or Assistance so you could go to work or school or training?
Any short-term cash assistance to tide you over when you needed it to help you stay off welfare; or for an emergency
Any other assistance from the government
-PATYP-
Did you receive:
READ ALL CATEGORIES. ENTER (N) FOR NONE/NO MORE
Public Assistance such as AFDC, TANF, or [State Program Name]?
General Assistance or General Relief?
Energy Assistance Program?
Transportation Assistance to help you get to work or school or training such as gas vouchers, bus passes, or help repairing a car?
Child Care Services or Assistance so you could go to work or school or training?
Any short-term cash assistance to tide you over when you needed it to help you stay off welfare; or for an emergency?
Any other cash or other assistance from a state or county welfare program?
-NOINC-
Did you receive non-job income from some source we have not covered, such as financial help from someone outside this household, cash or other assistance from a state or county welfare program, or anything else?
From Section G: General Income – Part 2A
-ADCAMT15-
How much did you receive from Public Assistance not including food stamps—
-AFDCAMT4-
How much did you receive from Public Assistance Payments in [Reference Month 4]?
From Section H: General Income – Part 2B
-CSMTH-
Have you received any Child Support payments—
In [Current Month]?
In [Reference Month 4]?
In [Reference Month 3]?
In [Reference Month 2]?
In [Reference Month 1]?
-CSAMT15-
What was the amount of child support you received:
-MNTHAMT15-
For each payment, please report the total amount. How much income did you receive?
-ROLLOVR1-
Did you re-invest or “roll over” any of the money into an IRA or some other kind of retirement plan?
-KDMTHYN-
Were any payments received for your child—
In [Current Month]?
In [Reference Month 4]?
In [Reference Month 3]?
In [Reference Month 2]?
In [Reference Month 1]?
From Section I: Assets
-ASSTINT-
These next questions are about assets that provide income.
-ASSET1-
During the period from [Reference Month 1] 1st through today, did you own, either alone or jointly, any of the following: (SHOW FLASHCARD F) READ EACH CATEGORY. ASSETS IN REVERSE VIDEO INDICATE OWNED IN PREVIOUS WAVE.
U.S. Government savings bonds (E or EE)?
An IRA or Keogh account?
A 401K or thrift plan?
An interest earning checking account?
A savings account?
A money market deposit account?
A certificate of deposit (CD)?
Mutual funds?
Stocks?
Municipal or corporate bonds?
U.S. Government securities?
Mortgages from which payments are received?
Rental property?
Royalties?
Any other financial investments not already mentioned?
-ASETDRAW-
Since [Reference Month 1] 1st, have you received any lump sum or regular distribution payments from your [List of Assets]
-ASSTINTRO1-
Now I am going to ask about any interest earned from assets from [Reference Month 1] 1st to the end of [Reference Month 4].
-JT-
Did you own your [Asset Name(s)] jointly with your spouse?
-JTINT-
(REFERENCE PERIOD = [Reference Month 1] 1ST TO THE END OF [Reference Month 4])
What is the total amount of interest earned on this/these jointly held [Asset Name(s)].
ENTER (A) FOR ALTERNATIVE ANNUAL REPORTING
ENTER (N) FOR NONE/NO MORE
-ANYCHK-
(REFERENCE PERIOD = [Reference Month 1] 1ST TO THE END OF [Reference Month 4])
Earlier you told me you owned [Asset Name]. Did you receive any dividend checks?
-JNTRNT-
(REFERENCE PERIOD = [Reference Month 1] 1ST TO THE END OF [Reference Month 4])
Earlier you told me that you owned some rental property. Did you receive any rental income from property owned jointly by you and your spouse?
-JARNT-
(REFERENCE PERIOD = [Reference Month 1] 1ST TO THE END OF [Reference Month 4])
How much was received in gross rent from this property?
From Section J: Health Insurance
-CHIP-
At any time between [Reference Month 1] 1st and today [was your child/were your children] covered by [State CHIP Program Name], the State Children’s Health Insurance Program that helps families get health insurance for children?
From Section K: Programs
-EGYASSYN-
Now we are going to ask some questions about government programs.
Has this household received any energy assistance from the Federal, state, or local government from [Reference Month 1] 1st to the end of [Reference Month 4]?
-EGYPAYMT-
Now we are going to ask some questions about government programs
Was this assistance received in the form of -
Checks sent to the household
Coupons or vouchers sent to the household
Payments sent directly to the utility company, fuel dealer, or landlord
From Section L: Education
-EDFUND-
Last time, I recorded that you paid the tuition during the period [Previous Wave Reference Period]. Were any of your educational expenses during the period [Reference Month 1] 1st through the end of [Reference Month 4] paid for by any type of educational assistance or financial aid?
READ IF NECESSARY: Include financial assistance such as loans, grants, scholarships, employer assistance, veterans benefits, or any other type of financial aid?
References and Source Documents
Kalton, G., Winglee, M., and Jabine, T. (1998). SIPP quality profile, 3rd ed. SIPP Working Paper
230. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. URL: http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/workpapr/wp230.pdf
U.S. Census Bureau. (2001). SIPP users’ guide, third edition. Washington, DC: U.S. Census
Bureau. URL: http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/usrguide/sipp2001.pdf
Technical documentation for the various data files of the 1993 and 1996 panels is available at http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/sipp/sipp.html; the documentation for each file includes a data dictionary and source and accuracy statement.
For data quality information about all the SIPP panels, see http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/source.html.
A searchable SIPP bibliography containing both methodological papers and reports using SIPP data has also been prepared; it is available at http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/aboutbib.html.
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