Total personal income (administrative data) (weekly) (INCAP)

This variable indicates the total weekly income (in ranges) that a person received, based on all income recorded in administrative data for the 2020/2021 financial year. Annual income amounts appear in brackets. 

This variable wasn’t derived from data collected on the Census form but has been created by linking administrative data from the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) to the Census.

Persons aged 15 years and over

This variable wasn’t derived from data collected on the Census form but has been created by linking administrative data from the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) to the Census. The PLIDA data asset contains administrative income data from the Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Social Services, this is the source data for this variable.  

This variable captures weekly income, based on all income recorded between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021 from the following types of income: 

• Employee wages and salary 
• Government benefits and allowances 
• Own unincorporated business income 
• Superannuation income 
• Investment income 
• Other income (for example transfer or trust income; controlled foreign company income; net foreign pension and annuity income; and foreign investment and life insurance income) 

The weekly income is calculated by dividing the total income recorded by 52. 

This is a new variable for 2021.

This variable provides an alternative, more detailed view on income to the Census income data collected via the Census form. It is based on income information recorded in linked administrative data, and not data collected from a Census question.  

Comparison to Census income data 

Although this variable provides an alternative, more detailed view on income to the income data collected via the Census form, there are several important differences to consider.

Collection method 

This variable was not derived from data collected via the Census form, rather it was collected directly from administrative data sources. Unlike data collected via the Census form, this variable does not rely on people correctly recalling the income that they, and other household members, usually earn.  

Financial year income used to determine weekly income 

Financial year income from the administrative data is used as a measure of weekly income. This captures longer term trends of income and is not subject to short term changes around Census time. This means that this variable may not align with what a person reported they earned, or usually earned around the time of the Census.  

The administrative variable may include lump sums or one-off payments that don’t reflect a person’s usual income.  

This variable may understate usual weekly income where a person worked for only part of the year. 

Superannuation income in administrative data 

The administrative data used to derive this variable had limited coverage of income from superannuation, because many superannuation payments are not required to be reported annually to the Australian Taxation Office. This has resulted in the undercount of total income received for some people with superannuation income. 

Linkage between Census and administrative data 

This variable relies upon the accurate linkage of Census to the administrative data. Data linkage rates (denoted through the 99 and 9999 categories) need to be considered in conjunction with the administrative income when assessing totals.  

Lockdown 

A number of regions across the country were in various stages of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the 2020/2021 financial year. This resulted in a greater number of people being temporarily stood down, which impacted their income recorded in administrative data.  

Comparison to other ABS Surveys 

Although other ABS surveys, such as the Survey of Income and Housing and Personal Income in Australia, collect similar data relating to personal income, they are not directly comparable. This is due to differences in scope, collection methodology, collection period, and conceptual differences. It is likely that data from each of these collections will deliver different outcomes making it important for data users to understand the key conceptual differences between each collection to use it most appropriately.  

• Total family income (administrative data) (weekly) (FINAF)
• Total household income (administrative data) (weekly) (HINAD)
• Main type of personal government benefit payment (administrative data) (IGAP)
• Total personal income (weekly) (INCP)
• Main source of personal income (administrative data) (ISAP)
• Administrative data
• Government benefits, pensions and allowances

• Understanding income in administrative data, the Census and ABS surveys
• New Census insights on income in Australia using administrative data
• Labour
• Earnings and work hours
• Employment and unemployment
• Income and work: Census