Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Annual Business Survey

Issuing agencies

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, which helps 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 to the Annual Business Survey prior to the submission of this information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66669-66670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21629]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Annual Business Survey

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Information Collection, request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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, which helps 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 to the Annual Business Survey prior to the submission 
of this information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before December 21, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2c614d585844495b02660278594f47495e6c4f49425f595f024b435a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4d002c393925283a63076319382e26283f0d2e28233e383e632a223b">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Please reference Annual Business 
Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit 
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2026-0562 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 Patrice Hall, Assistant Division Chief, R&D and Special Surveys, 
301-763-7198, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d4a4b5a0a6bdb7b1fabafabcb5b8b894b7b1baa7a1a7fab3bba2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="67170613150e04024909490f060b0b2704020914121449000811">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    In an effort to improve the measurement of business dynamics in the 
United States, the Census Bureau is conducting the Annual Business 
Survey (ABS). The ABS combines Census Bureau firm-level collections to 
reduce respondent burden, increase data quality, reduce operational 
costs, and operate more efficiently. The ABS measures research and 
development (R&D), innovation, business owner characteristics, and 
other topics of interest. The ABS is a joint statistical project 
between the Census Bureau and the National Center for Science and 
Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the U.S. National Science 
Foundation (NSF).
    The 2026 ABS (collected during 2027) will remove the following 
business owner demographic questions:

<bullet> Race
<bullet> Ethnicity
<bullet> Sex
<bullet> Place of Birth
<bullet> U.S. Citizenship, and
<bullet> Age

    Estimates for this data will be produced through use of various 
administrative data. The Census Bureau, in collaboration with NCSES, 
plans to research additional administrative and survey data sources to 
replace the other owner characteristics questions on the survey in 
future survey cycles. While this research continues, select business 
owner characteristics questions (e.g., disability, education level) 
will remain

[[Page 66670]]

on the survey. The Business Enterprise Research and Development survey 
(BERD), which merged with the ABS beginning with reference year 2025, 
will continue to be included within the ABS.
    The ABS will sample 230,000 businesses and nonprofit organizations 
(222,000 employer business; 8,000 nonprofit organizations). The ABS 
includes all nonfarm employer businesses filing Internal Revenue 
Service (IRS) tax forms as individual proprietorships, partnerships, or 
any other type of corporation, with non-zero receipts or payroll. Also 
included are nonprofit organizations to measure their research 
activities. The ABS samples approximately 8,000 nonprofit organizations 
who are required to complete IRS form 990. The nonprofit sample will 
yield national estimates of R&D performance within the nonprofit 
sector. Of note, nonprofit organizations will only see questions 
relating to research activities and will not be asked any questions 
relating to owner demographics.
    The ABS is designed to incorporate new content, on a rotating 
basis, each survey year based on topics of relevance. Each year new 
questions are submitted to the OMB for approval.
    The 2026-2028 ABS will collect the following information from 
employer businesses:
    <bullet> Company information including sales, employees, and 
business ownership from all employer businesses.
    <bullet> Select business owner characteristics questions (e.g., 
disability, education level) from the principal owner(s) of the 
business.
    <bullet> Business characteristics from all employer businesses.
    <bullet> Research, development, and related topics from select 
businesses and nonprofits.
    <bullet> Innovation data and data on critical and emerging 
technologies from all employer businesses.
    <bullet> Management practices and employee training data from all 
employer businesses.
    <bullet> Intellectual property protection and technology transfer 
data from all employer businesses.
    <bullet> Other potential module topics such as cybersecurity and 
financing.

II. Method of Collection

    The ABS utilizes an online survey instrument. Respondents are 
mailed and emailed letters directing them to create a Census account 
and access the survey through their account. The online survey 
automatically skips questions that do not apply and checks for common 
errors. Detailed question instructions will be embedded in the 
electronic instrument where appropriate. Responses will be due 
approximately 30 days from initial mailing.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-1004.
    Form Number(s): ABS-1.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a 
Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations 
(large and small employer businesses), nonprofit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 174,500 Employer Businesses 
without BERD Content; 47,500 Employer Businesses with BERD Content, and 
8,000 Nonprofit Organizations
    Estimated Time per Response: Respondents with Employer Businesses 
Without BERD Content--45 minutes; Respondents with BERD Content--3 
hours and 22 minutes to respond; Nonprofit organizations--38 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 295,858.
    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: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 131, 
and 182; Title 42, United States Code, Section 1861-76 (National 
Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended); and Section 505 within the 
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 authorize this collection. 
Sections 224 and 225 of Title 13, United States Code, require response 
from sampled firms.

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. 2026-21629 Filed 10-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>