Notice2026-16188
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 7, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections. These comments help us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed revision of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 151 (Friday, August 7, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 151 (Friday, August 7, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51147-51148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-16188]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information
collections. These comments help us assess the impact of our
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting
burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment on the proposed revision of the Survey of Income and Program
Participation (SIPP), prior to the submission of the information
collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before October 6, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c0a3a5aeb3b5b3eeb3a9b0b080a3a5aeb3b5b3eea7afb6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a0c3c5ced3d5d38ed3c9d0d0e0c3c5ced3d5d38ec7cfd6">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference SIPP OMB Comments in
the subject line of your comments. You may also submit comments,
identified by Docket Number USBC-2026-0364, to the Federal e-Rulemaking
Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. All comments received are part of
the public record. No comments will be posted to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> for public viewing until after the comment period
has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Sharon Stern, Assistant Division Chief and SIPP Program Director,
301-763-5638, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7d1e18130e080e530e140d0d3d1e18130e080e531a120b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="197a7c776a6c6a376a706969597a7c776a6c6a377e766f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request clearance from the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for a field test of the Survey of Income
and Program Participation (SIPP) in calendar year 2027. This collection
will be in lieu of a national collection using the questionnaires,
systems, and processes in place since 2014.
Since 1983, SIPP has been the primary source of information about
annual and sub-annual dynamics of income, families and households,
movement into and out of government programs, and interactions of these
topics in a single, unified dataset
[[Page 51148]]
allowing for in-depth, informed analyses. Government domestic policy
formulators and evaluators depend heavily upon the information
collected in the SIPP in their analyses of the distribution of income
received either directly as money or indirectly as in-kind benefits and
the effect of tax and transfer programs on that distribution. They also
rely on the SIPP data to provide improved and expanded information on
the dynamics of income and the general economic and financial situation
of the U.S. population in the context of the household situation. The
SIPP has measured levels of economic well-being and permitted
measurement of sub-annual and annual changes in these levels over time.
Since the inception of the program, SIPP has been an interviewer-
administered household-based survey. Each panel featured a nationally
representative sample of addresses whose household members were
interviewed either in person or over the phone several times over a
multi-year period. In recent years, SIPP has been researching new
methods to mitigate concerns related to increasing costs for
interviewer-administered surveys, declining response rates among
sampled addresses, and increasing attrition of responding households in
subsequent panels.
At the forefront of SIPP modernization efforts is the adoption of a
self-administered internet survey as the primary mode for data
collection with targeted in-person interviewing of a select number of
non-responding households. The addition of a SIPP self-response mode is
one element of a larger, bureau-wide effort to modernize data
collection systems.
As SIPP is the premier source of comprehensive information on the
dynamics of income, employment, household composition, and government
program participation, testing the impact of the multi-mode data
collection, statistical methods improvements, and agency-wide
collection and processing systems is critical. The Census Bureau is
implementing a multi-year testing strategy. In the summer of 2026, the
Census Bureau is conducting an internet self-response field test using
a subset of the redesigned SIPP instrument items on a national sample
to assess the feasibility of a self-administered data collection (OMB
number 0607-0978).
The goals of the 2027 SIPP field test are to build upon the 2026
test by adding content to the questionnaire; introducing a multi-mode
survey that incorporates both self-response and non-response computer
assisted personal interviewing (CAPI); introducing alternative sample
and weighting methodologies; and using the Census Bureau's Business
Ecosystem entities for all aspects of the survey process. We will use
the test to evaluate the frame, sample, weighting, and non-response
bias; to demonstrate the application of the new systems and processes
to the SIPP design; research additional opportunities to reduce
respondent burden through the use of administrative data systems; and
to assess the quality of key estimates using the new methodologies. The
2027 SIPP field test will be an important step toward building the
modern program.
The design of the test survey is purposefully scalable, as the
future SIPP design is expected to be. The sample size listed in this
notice is based on initial budget estimates and allows for expansion.
The multi-mode data collection vision for the SIPP program includes a
dual-sample design. One part of the sample will be invited to respond
through a web-mode instrument only. The second sample component will be
invited to self-respond on the internet. Among that group, non-
respondents will be contacted for in-person interviews.
II. Method of Collection
The 2027 SIPP will use a web instrument for both the internet Self-
Response (ISR) and the CAPI modes of data collection. All sampled
households will receivemail invitations to complete the survey online.
To increase sample representativeness, field representatives will be
sent to a small number of nonresponding ISR cases to administer the
survey in person. The redesigned SIPP interview consists of one adult
answering questions about each member of the household and uses a six-
month reference period. In instances where the residence is not
accessible or the respondent makes a request, the field representative
may conduct the interview by telephone.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-1000.
Form Number(s): SIPP ISR Web Instrument (no form number), SIPP
nonresponse follow-up CAPI electronic instrument (no form number).
Type of Review: Regular submission, New Information Collection
Request.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 40 minutes to respond to survey and 10
total minutes for reading contact materials.
Estimated Number of Non-Respondents: 14,000.
Estimated Time per Non-response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: We estimate 5,000 burden hours
from those responding to the survey and 2,334 burden hours from
households that do not respond to the survey for a total of 7,334
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and
182.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-16188 Filed 8-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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