Business and Professional Classification Survey (SQ-CLASS)

General

1. What is the Business and Professional Classification Survey (SQ-CLASS)?

The Business and Professional Classification Survey collects information from businesses with newly assigned or reactivated Federal Employer Identification Numbers (EINs). This information will be used to ensure our survey programs account for new businesses in measuring economic activity in the retail, wholesale, and service sectors.

back to category

2. Is the survey mandatory?

Your response is required by law. United States Code, Title 13, requires businesses and other organizations that receive this questionnaire to answer the questions and return the report to the U.S. Census Bureau.

back to category

3. What is the purpose of this survey?

The purpose of this survey is to assign a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code to new businesses in order to update the sampling frame for current business surveys, and also to assist in ensuring the proper five-year Economic Census form is mailed to those business establishments. The United States Code, Titles 13, authorizes this survey and require mandatory responses.

back to category

4. Will my answers be confidential?

Yes. The United States Code, Title 13, guarantees the confidentiality of information you provide on your form. The information you provide may be seen only by persons sworn to uphold the confidentiality of Census Bureau information and may be used only for statistical purposes. Further, copies retained in your own files are immune from legal process.

back to category

5. My firm is no longer in business. What should I do?

Complete the survey for the last two months that the company was in operation. We also need the date that the company went out of business. If you sold your business, record the following in the Remarks section:

The name, address and telephone number of the company that purchased it
The date of sale

back to category

6. Besides mailing the form back, are there any other ways to report?

Yes, there are several ways to report. The easiest method is to report using the Internet. For this method you will need your User ID and Password, which is located below the address label on your report form.

back to category