2012 Economic Census
Due Date
Receiving Census Forms
6. Why did I receive a census form?
We mailed you a census form because we need information about your business for the 2012 Economic Census. We mailed similar forms to more than 5 million U.S. businesses. Businesses receiving forms employ virtually all paid employees, represent every industry, and are diverse geographically. Your answers to each applicable item on the form help ensure a complete, accurate, and useful 2012 Economic Census.
7. Why did I receive so many forms?
By January 2013, you should have received one Economic Census form for each business location you operated during part or all of calendar year 2012. We request information for each location to produce high quality census statistics for each industry and locality. If you received a form for a location that is not in operation, please complete Item 3-Operational Status, provide any explanations in the "Remarks" section, and return the entire form.
You may have received a replacement census form. We send replacement census forms to businesses that did not return the original form or obtain an extension by February 12, 2013. Please return your completed forms as soon as possible - and if you already responded, thank you!
Separately, you may have received a current business survey form. We send forms monthly, quarterly and annually to a sample of businesses to produce needed economic indicators and other current statistics, and these programs continue during the Economic Census. If you have been selected to participate in one of these important programs, we ask you to continue to provide the valuable information requested.
8. What if I don't have enough forms?
You should have received one Economic Census form for each business location you operated during part or all of calendar year 2012. If we didn't send you enough forms or if you are missing pages, please visit our Self-Service Log in page to request a re-mail or additional forms, or contact staff with your request.
9. What if I received the wrong form(s)?
Please complete the form(s) you received for the 2012 Economic Census. Census forms are designed to be flexible in use. In most cases, answering Items 1-7, plus describing your primary business activity in the "Remarks" section (after Item 29), will satisfy your obligation and allow us to reclassify your business in the correct industry. We will contact you if we need additional information or have any questions regarding your answers. Completing the form(s) you received will help you provide timely information. Examples of how you can use the forms you have include:
- Correcting information. You can cross out and revise information that was pre-printed on your census label or form, including your name, address, Employer Identification Number (EIN), and physical location.
- Adding information. You can use the "Other" choices on many form items to provide unique business information, including kind of business, class of customer, method of selling, and sales or receipts.
- Including remarks. You can use the "Remarks" section available on most forms (after Item 29) to describe how you completed the form, identify the revisions you have made, and provide explanations to help us understand your census response.
- Attaching documents. If your form does not have a "Remarks" section, or you need to provide more explanation, you can include an attachment. Please include your company name and Census File Number (CFN) on any attachments you provide.
10. What if I didn't receive a form?
If you did not receive a 2012 Economic Census form, you should do nothing. It is likely you did not get a form because you are in one of the situations described below:
- The form was sent to another office of your company. If your business has several locations, we generally send all Economic Census forms to one location (such as your headquarters or administrative office). That office will complete and return the census forms, or arrange for the forms to be completed.
- You are a new business. If you were issued a new Employer Identification Number (EIN) after June 2012, we could not include you in the December 2012 mailing. You should receive your census form in March 2013.
- You have no or few employees. If you had no employees in March 2012, or you had very few employees for businesses in your industry, we did not send you a census form. We will rely on information from other sources to account for you in the census.
