Economic Activity Survey

EAS includes questions on employment, income and expenditure, profit or loss, inventories, and capital expenditure. 

Yes. The industry, business and government users of EAS statistics need the most accurate and timely information possible so they can make important decisions.

 When completing your form, if exact figures are not available, please provide careful estimates.

Yes. Under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, this business is obliged to provide the information requested by the ABS.

We follow up delayed responses and we will assist you if you are having difficulties.

The form you receive for the EAS is based on the main industry of the business, according to the ABS Business Register.

While some questions are tailored to specific industries, most questions are common across all industries

We understand that this business may not yet have finalised its accounts or completed its tax return. Please note that we accept careful estimates where final data is not yet available. 

If you need more time, please log in to your ABS Survey Account and enter the Form Access Code on your invitation letter or email, then call us on 1800 010 223 to request an extension.

This survey includes a range of businesses, varying in size and industry, across Australia to best reflect the Australian economy. Participation is vital because this business has been selected to represent activity in its industry, and every industry is important. 

Some businesses are included in the survey every year because they have unique characteristics or make a significant contribution to their industry, region, or business group.

Yes. Please complete the survey and include comments advising that the business was sold, along with the date of the sale.

If the business operated by the selected entity (for example, the ABN) was sold during the reference period, complete the survey using figures up to and including the date of the sale. You should also include figures for any new activities undertaken by the selected entity for the remainder of the reference period.

Please provide the name of the new owner or owners of the business in the comments section of the survey form.

Yes. You are still required to submit the survey.

Please submit the survey with comments indicating that the business did not trade during the reference period. In this situation, you do not need to provide any financial figures or enter zero values.

Yes. Please complete the survey using information up to and including the date the business entered liquidation or administration. Be sure to provide the date this occurred.

If you can no longer access the business records, the liquidator or administrator should complete the survey where possible. If this is not possible, please provide your best available estimates.

Estimates may be based on a reasonable method, such as applying a percentage change to the previous year's figures. If you are unable to provide estimates, or if the business did not trade during the reference period, please contact us on 1800 010 223 and a member of our team will assist you.

Yes. The ABS takes the privacy and security of your information very seriously.Your completed form and personal information will remain strictly confidential to the ABS. 

We use your survey responses to produce statistics, which we release as summary data that does not identify any business. In some cases, detailed statistics might relate to a single holding. If you are concerned your holding could be identified, you can ask us to further aggregate your data. 

The ABS Privacy Policy for Statistical Information outlines how we use your personal information and keep it safe. To view our policy visit the Privacy page.

EAS statistics are used in the compilation of the Australian national accounts including annual estimates of gross domestic product (GDP). The ABS provides statistics free-of-charge via the ABS website. The EAS statistics are also published in Australian Industry. 

This publication can be used for its industry analysis, business performance by size, and state and territory performance. 

Use this checklist to review the information you have provided before submitting your survey. The points below address some of the most common reporting errors and may reduce the need for ABS to contact you for clarification.

Employment 

• Have you reported a headcount of persons working for the business, rather than full-time equivalent (FTE) employees?
• Have you reported only those who worked for the business in the last pay period ending in June of the reference period.? 
• Working proprietors and partners should only be reported for an unincorporated businesses, not if the business is incorporated (e.g. Pty Ltd). 

Financial information 

• Are all reported financial items reported in $'000s (thousands)? For example, if business income for the year were $123,456, it should be reported as 123 on the survey.
• If you reported any amounts in Other income or Other operating expenses, have you provided details of the main components?
• If you reported sales of goods produced by the business, have the associated purchases been reported as Purchases of materials, components, containers, packaging materials, electricity, fuels and water?
• If income from sales of goods not produced by the business has been reported, have associated purchases been reported as Purchases of finished goods for resale? 
• Have the values of both opening and closing inventories been reported, where applicable? 
• If cost of capital assets developed in-house by employees of this business is reported, the value must be less than or equal to the sum of Capital expenditure items.

Other information 

• Have you provided comments explaining any unusual movements or significant changes in the information reported? Providing this information helps ABS interpret your data and may reduce the need for follow-up enquiries. 
• Have you provided an estimate of the time taken to complete the survey? ABS uses this information to help monitor and improve survey processes.