Survey of Income and Housing

Use the 'Complete your SIH now' button below and/or log in using your ABS survey account and access your survey.

This survey collects important information about the income, wealth, and housing of people living in Australia. Government agencies, businesses, and other organisations in your community use the information collected to:

• understand the distribution of income and wealth in Australia
• understand the effects of taxation and government payments on the wellbeing of people and families
• inform housing affordability studies.

Results of the survey will be available free of charge on the ABS website.

We value your time taking part in this survey. It is only with the support of people like you that we can continue to produce the statistics that inform Australia's important decisions.

The ABS takes the privacy and security of your information very seriously. The Household Special Surveys Collection Notice explains how we collect personal information for the Survey of Income and Housing (SIH) in compliance with the Australian Privacy Principle 5 (Privacy Act, 1988). To view our Privacy Policy for Statistical Information visit www.abs.gov.au/privacy. 

Each year we collect information about all aspects of life from thousands of households across Australia to better understand our population and future needs. To do this, we use a fair statistical method to randomly select households from all over Australia so that the information we collect is representative of all communities, backgrounds, and situations.

Everyone has an equal chance of selection for this important national survey. Once we have selected a household, we cannot substitute another household in its place, as this could mean some parts of the community are under or overrepresented.

All household members aged 15 years and over will need to answer questions about their personal income, education, and other topics. Whether you are working, receiving income support, are retired, or studying, we need to hear from you. 

People in the household between 15 and 17 years of age need the consent of a parent or guardian before they complete the survey. Alternatively, the parent or guardian can answer the survey on their behalf.

If we do not hear from you, an ABS interviewer may contact you to help you complete your survey.

The household representative must be aged 18 years or over and know the most about the household and its finances. The household representative creates the account for your household. They identify the members of the household who are aged 15 years and over and need to complete the survey. Some of the information we will ask the household representative to provide includes household costs such as council rates, household bills, and mortgages or rental information.

If it isn't appropriate, or suitable in your household to choose a household representative, please call us on 1800 462 609.

The Survey of Income and Housing is a compulsory survey conducted by the ABS. We are asking the questions included in this survey under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. Under the Act, you are obliged to provide the information we request, unless otherwise stated. 

If you do not complete and submit your form, or answer the questions asked by the ABS Interviewer, we may issue you with a Notice of Direction, which is a legal direction to complete the Survey of Income and Housing. Failure to comply with a Notice of Direction is an offence under the Census and Statistics Act 1905 and can result in prosecution and fines for each day you don't participate. It is also a finable offence to provide false or misleading statements or information. 

The ABS collects and securely stores various kinds of personal information. For more details about the personal information we collect please see our Household Special Social Surveys Collection Notice.

The Survey of Income and Housing will ask each person in your household aged 15 years and over about their income, education, and other topics.

The easiest way to complete your survey is by referring to your financial records to answer relevant questions. We do not require you to provide these records or documents. Examples of records that may be useful are:

Housing Costs and Household loans:

• council and water rates
• rental agreement or rent payment information
• loan statements including mortgages.

Income and Personal Finances:

• income including pay slips, business profit or loss statements, Centrelink, and Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) payment summaries
• income from investments such as shares, trusts, and dividends
• superannuation account statements. 

We provide more information about the types of documents you may need to refer to at the start of your survey form.

Your answers to the survey can be seen by other people in your household who have access to your household’s online account until you fully complete and submit your part of the survey. This means if you start, but do not finish your part of the survey, your answers will be visible to other members of your household. Once your part is finalised, it will become locked and no one in the household will be able to access it.

If you need help, or have any concerns, please call 1800 462 609 during business hours to discuss other ways your household can complete your survey.

If you need help to complete this survey, please call us on 1800 462 609 (free call, excluding mobile phones) to make these arrangements. An ABS Interviewer who speaks the language of the householder will conduct the interview if possible. Alternatively, arrangements can be made to organise an interpreter from the Australian Government’s Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) to conduct the interview. 

You can complete your Survey of Income and Housing online or over the phone with an ABS Interviewer.

To complete online click the button below:

To complete online you will need to create an account and enter the Form Access Code from the letter you received in the mail. 

For help creating an account, or if you have difficulties completing your survey online, please see our Survey Account Help page.

If you are having trouble finding or using your Form Access Code, or need further help, please call 1800 462 609 and one of our team will be happy to assist you.

Can’t go online?

To complete the survey with an ABS Interviewer over the phone please call 1800 462 609. We understand that not everyone can go online.

If we have selected you in the Survey of Income and Housing, we will send you a letter and brochure informing you of your selection and how to complete the survey. 

You may receive calls from numbers that you are not familiar with, including mobile phones or ‘unknown’ numbers. Our interviewers use ABS authorised mobile phones and office phones to conduct interviews. The ABS will never ask you to provide or confirm your bank account details or tax file number (TFN).

If you have any concerns, please call us on 1800 462 609 and we can confirm your selection in the survey and the identity of the staff member who is contacting you. 

ABS Interviewers are here to help. Please treat them with courtesy and consideration.

If you need help or more information about the Survey of Income and Housing, please call us on 1800 462 609 Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm AEST.

For help outside these hours, please leave a message with your contact details and we will call you back. You can also complete a Household Survey help request form and we will call you as soon as possible.