Form Questions
1. What is different with the 2007 Economic Census forms compared with the 2002 Economic Census forms?
Some inquiries, such as e-commerce and leased employment, have been removed from the 2007 Economic Census forms. To better reflect the changing economy and to help ensure proper classification of establishments, the "Detail of Receipts/Revenue" inquiry (Item 22) has been revised on all service industry forms.
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2. Does it matter if my business collects the information in a fiscal year rather than a calendar year?
Most items can be reported based on the company's fiscal year. However, please report employment and payroll data for the 2007 calendar year. At the end of the form there is a "Certification" question (Item 30) where you can enter the time period covered by the report.
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3. What is section 501 of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code (Item 5)?
Section 501 of the IRS code exempts certain types of nonprofit organizations from filing federal income taxes. Government establishments may be exempt under different sections of the Internal Revenue code. For more information please refer to your Information Sheet.
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4. How do I report international receipts or revenue (Item 5)?
Report international receipts or revenue for services performed for foreign parent, subsidiaries, branches, and companies not affiliated with your company. Exclude receipts or revenue generated by foreign parent, subsidiaries, and branch locations.
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5. What is the difference between operating receipts and revenue (Item 5)?
Taxable establishments report operating receipts that are the fees, charges, income, royalties, and dues the business receives from providing services. Tax-exempt establishments report revenue they receive from providing program services, fundraisers, etc.For more information please refer to your Information Sheet.
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6. Am I suppose to report both operating receipts and revenue (Item 5)?
No. Report operating receipts if you are a taxable establishment on Item 5, line B. Report revenue and expenses if you operate on a not-for-profit basis on Item 5, line C.
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7. What is included in expenses (Item 5)?
Expenses include, but are not limited to, payroll, fundraising expenses, and grants paid. For more information please refer to your Information Sheet.
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8. What are leased employees (Item 7)?
A leased employee is a full- or part-time employee of a business or organization that has contracted with an employee leasing company (also known as a Professional Employer Organization) to obtain human resource management services. The employee leasing company provides a wide range of human resource and personnel management services, such as payroll accounting, payroll tax return preparation and filing, benefits administration, recruiting, and labor relations management to the client business. The employee leasing company and client organization operate as co-employers with regard to the human relations responsibilities to the employees covered by their contract. The employee leasing company pays wages and employment taxes for the leased employees out of its own accounts. Exclude full- or part-time employees whose payroll was filed under an employee leasing company's Employer Identification Number (EIN).
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9. Should leased employees be included in "Employment and Payroll" (Item 7)?
No, exclude full- or part-time employees whose payroll was filed under an employee leasing company's Employer Identification Number (EIN). Only report employment and payroll for employees who were 1) working at this establishment, 2) whose payroll was reported on your Internal Revenue Service Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, and 3) filed under the EIN shown in the mailing address or corrected in Item 1.
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10. What is meant by "Number of employees for pay period including March 12th" (Item 7)?
The March 12th date is the standard used by the Internal Revenue Service on Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return. All businesses are required to report their number of employees for this time period to facilitate reporting and to ensure consistency across industries. For example, many retail businesses hire extra employees during the holidays. Therefore, their fourth quarter employment will be significantly higher than their first quarter employment, whereas other types of businesses may not add staff during the holidays.
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11. What are fringe benefits (Item 7)?
Fringe benefits are the employer's costs for social security tax, unemployment tax, workmen's compensation insurance, state disability insurance pension plans, stock purchase plans, union-negotiated benefits, life insurance premiums, and insurance premiums on hospital and medical plans for employees at this establishment.
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12. What if my "Kind of Business or Activity" is not listed (Item 19)?
Please choose "Other kind of business or activity" at the end of the list, and briefly describe your establishment's principal business activity in the space provided.
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13. What if my establishment conducts several kinds of business (Item 19)?
Please choose the one box that best describes the principal kind of business your reporting establishment conducts. If your principal business is not listed, please choose "Other kind of business or activity" at the end of the list and briefly describe it in the space provided.
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14. What is an "Ambulatory surgical center" (Item 19)?
"Ambulatory surgical centers" provide surgical services on an outpatient basis. Outpatient surgical establishments have specialized facilities, such as operating and recovery rooms, and specialized equipment, such as anesthetic or X-ray equipment.
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15. What is an "Emergency or urgent care center" (Item 19)?
"Emergency or urgent care centers" provide emergency care services (e.g., setting broken bones, treating lacerations, and tending to other medical conditions necessitating immediate medical care) on an outpatient basis.
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16. What if my service or business products are not listed in the "Detail of Receipts/Revenue" (Item 22)?
Please use the "All other receipts or revenue" line in Item 22 to provide information for any previously unlisted product line(s) and give a brief description.
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17. What does laboratory services and tests paid by other health care providers include (Item 26)?
This includes receipts from practitioners, hospitals, outpatient care facilities, etc.
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18. Do any of the `Detail of Sales/Receipts/Revenue` (Item 22) product lines correspond to medical codes used in insurance billing?
Item 22, line 1 (patient care services) correspond to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) codes. These are diagnostic codes which identify the medical condition being evaluated or treated.
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