Sector Questions
1. Which retail form should I use?
Please use the census form that you received. Completing and returning the form you received will expedite your response. If necessary, use an "Other..." category available in many items (such as Item 19), and include an explanation of your use in the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29). If you need forms, please contact us.
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2. If I don't have information should I leave it blank?
No. Please provide your best estimate of any item that is not available from your business records. Identify and explain any estimate you provide in the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29). However, if an item does not apply to your establishment, you may leave it blank.
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Form Questions
3. What if I can't estimate excise taxes (Item 5)?
If you do not have records and cannot make a reasonable estimate of the excise taxes, please provide the best information you can for sales and use the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29) to note that excise taxes were included in Item 5.
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4. Should I include lottery sales in total sales (Item 5)?
No. Please exclude lottery sales (including any commissions received from lottery ticket sales) from the value you provide for total sales, shipments, receipts, or revenue in Item 5.
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5. What are employer costs for fringe benefits (Item 7)?
Employer costs for fringe benefits are the costs of any benefits that employers provide but that are not required under Federal or state law. Examples include the cost of premiums an employer may pay for employee life or health insurance benefits.
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6. 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. "Principal" means the kind of business that generated the most receipts or revenue during calendar year 2007. If your principal business is not listed, please choose "Other kind of business" at the end of the list and briefly describe it in the space provided.
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7. What if my kind of business is not listed (Item 19)?
Please choose "Other kind of business" at the end of the list, and briefly describe your establishment's principal business activity in the space provided.
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8. What if I don't know my sales by class of customer (Item 20)?
If business records are not available for your establishment, please provide us with your best estimate of the percentage of your total sales to each applicable class of customer.
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9. What method of selling is telephone sales (Item 21)?
Please select "Direct Selling" if your establishment's principal method of selling is telephone sales. Telephone sales are not classified as electronic commerce because voice telephone systems are not online systems.
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10. Must I report sales in both dollars and percents (Item 22)?
No. Report either in dollars or in percents. (Also, see the "How to Report" information that precedes Items 5 and 22.)
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11. What if I don't know my sales by product line (Item 22)?
If business records are not available, estimates are acceptable. We ask that you provide your best estimate for any information that is not available. Please include an explanation in the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29) if that may be needed for us to understand your reported data.
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12. What if my product line is not listed (Item 22)?
Please use the "All other merchandise" space in Item 22 to provide information for any previously unlisted product line(s). Go to the next to last write-in product line listings in Item 22, and use the "All other merchandise" space to estimate the total for all unlisted lines and to describe and estimate each separate unlisted line.
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13. Why is a certification required (Item 30)?
Certification confirms the time period for reported information, identifies the form's completion date, and provides a contact for use if the Census Bureau has any questions about the completed form.
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