New insights on administrative income data

Comparisons with incomes reported in the Survey of Income and Housing and the Census

Released

30/10/2025

Release date and time

30/10/2025 11:30am AEDT

Summary

The ABS has improved how it measures personal and household income using administrative (admin) data.
In 2019-20, average household admin income was $2,333 per week, closely aligning with $2,321 per week reported in the Survey of Income and Housing.
These improved methods will support the generation of new income insights from linked admin data. They will also be available to support future data linkage projects.

Introduction

This article compares admin income data by linking it to two high-quality sources: the Survey of Income and Housing (SIH) 2019-20 and Census of Population and Housing 2021. These sources provide robust, representative income statistics. The comparisons help to improve understanding of how admin income aligns with official income statistics.

The comparison uses the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA), which links admin income to the same people who reported income in SIH and Census.

The ABS has made improvements to how admin income is calculated. These build on methods used in previous outputs, such as the 2021 Census. Key improvements include:

Developing a ‘current income’ measure. This refers to income available at a point in time, rather than over a year (‘annual income’). This improves alignment with the ABS income standard and supports analysis of point-in-time characteristics, such as household composition and housing costs.
Improving timeliness of admin income statistics. Timelier data sources have been incorporated for employee income and government pensions and allowances. Other income types rely on previous financial year data sources due to lags in receiving more recent information.
Enhancing measurement of superannuation pension and annuities. These income types are under-represented in admin data. Where data is unavailable, modelling has been introduced to improve estimates.

Comparisons between admin income statistics and income from the SIH and the Census offer insights into the reliability, coverage and potential uses of admin income statistics. This supports the ABS’s goal to deliver timely, trusted and relevant insights through integrated data.

Key findings

Admin incomes broadly align with reported incomes

Admin income statistics are generally consistent with income data from the SIH and Census. Distributional features, such as means, medians, Gini coefficients and modal points, are broadly similar.

For both persons and households, the main source of income in admin data aligns with that of SIH data. Current admin income aligns well with SIH data where the main source is employee income or government pensions and allowances.

Improved timeliness and comparability of admin income

These methods use timely data sources, Single Touch Payroll (STP) and DOMINO, to produce statistics within one year of a given period. This represents an improvement over previous timelines, as admin income data for the 2021 Census was not released until mid-2023.

Single Touch Payroll

DOMINO

Use of these timely data sources also increases the comparability between admin and each of SIH and Census incomes. This is particularly the case for employee income and government pensions and allowances, as estimates can be calculated close to SIH and Census participation dates.

Gaps in admin data limit income measurement

Admin data sources do not capture all incomes as comprehensively as the SIH and Census. This is especially evident for:

Superannuation pensions and annuities. These are under-represented in currently available admin data sources. A new modelling approach has been developed to improve alignment with SIH income but estimates still fall short of SIH amounts.
Other regular transfers. Most of this income is not included in currently available admin sources. It includes child support, workers’ compensation and transfers from other households.

These gaps may affect understanding of low-income groups because a higher proportion of people or households may appear to have nil or low income in admin data compared to SIH or Census reported income. With more complete admin data, some of these people or households may not be classified as having low income.

Measurement differences affect comparability

Other factors that affect comparability between admin, SIH and Census incomes include:

Differences in how income is collected and prepared in SIH and Census, including the level of question detail and treatment of missing data.
Census income may include amounts of Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which is excluded from SIH and admin estimates.
STP data was not available before 2020, limiting admin employee income estimates in SIH comparisons. Some estimates rely on previous financial year data.

Survey of Income and Housing comparisons

Admin income statistics show broad alignment with SIH 2019-20. This includes equivalised household income, which adjusts total income for household size and composition. The Gini coefficient, a summary indicator of inequality, also aligns across current and annual admin equivalised incomes.

Table 1: Selected income statistics from admin data and SIH(a), 2019-20
		Mean ($)	Median ($)	Gini coefficient
Total personal income per week	Current admin	1,124	783	0.518
Total personal income per week	SIH	1,119	801	0.515
Total household income per week	Current admin	2,333	1,809	0.451(b)
Total household income per week	SIH	2,321	1,781	0.438
Equivalised household income per week	Current admin	1,400	1,164(b)	0.383
Equivalised household income per week	SIH	1,388	1,117	0.378

(a) Incomes exclude Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

(b) Difference between admin and SIH estimate is statistically significant.

There is also alignment between mean and median current and annual admin incomes. This is partly due to the estimates sharing the same reference period.

The Gini coefficient for current admin incomes is higher than that for annual admin incomes.

Table 2: Selected current and annual income statistics from admin data(a)
		Mean ($)	Median ($)	Gini coefficient
Total personal income per week	Current admin	1,124	783	0.518(b)
Total personal income per week	Annual admin	1,106	785	0.504
Total household income per week	Current admin	2,333	1,809	0.451(b)
Total household income per week	Annual admin	2,295	1,813	0.436
Equivalised household income per week	Current admin	1,400	1,164	0.383(b)
Equivalised household income per week	Annual admin	1,374	1,156	0.369

(a) Incomes exclude Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

(b) Difference between current and annual admin estimate is statistically significant.

Personal income distribution

The distributions of personal incomes for admin and SIH measures have common features. Compared to other income amounts, these include:

Higher proportions of people with income close to basic Age Pension rates (approximately $426 per single person, and $321 per each member of a couple in 2019-20).
A notable proportion of people with nil income.

Compared to admin incomes, SIH shows a higher proportion of people with reported incomes:

greater than $0 but less than $100 per week
between $500 and less than $1,300 per week.

These differences may illustrate the impact of gaps in admin income data sources, such as child support, workers’ compensation and transfers between households. They may also reflect how superannuation income is under-represented in admin data.

Graph 1: Proportion of people in each personal income range using total personal income per week from current admin, annual admin and SIH income measures(a), 2019-20.
Weekly income in $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)	SIH (%)
Negative income	0.6	0.5	0.7
Nil income	8.4	6.9	5.7
100	3.6	3.8	6.9
200	3.3	3.8	2.9
300	4.1	4.0	3.7
400	8.3	8.5	6.3
500	9.9	9.8	9.2
600	4.7	5.1	5.7
700	3.7	4.0	4.2
800	3.9	4.2	4.3
900	3.6	3.8	4.3
1000	3.7	3.8	4.3
1100	3.9	4.0	4.2
1200	3.5	3.5	3.8
1300	3.1	3.2	3.6
1400	3.3	3.2	3.0
1500	2.6	2.8	2.6
1600	2.6	2.6	2.9
1700	2.6	2.6	2.1
1800	2.0	2.1	2.3
1900	2.0	2.1	1.6
2000	1.5	1.5	1.5
2100	1.5	1.5	1.5
2200	1.1	1.2	1.3
2300	1.3	1.3	1.1
2400	1.2	1.2	1.0
2500	0.9	0.9	0.8
2600	0.9	0.8	0.8
2700	0.7	0.6	0.7
2800	0.7	0.7	0.6
2900	0.5	0.4	0.5
3000	0.5	0.4	0.4

Graph 1: Proportion of people in each personal income range using total personal income per week from current admin, annual admin and SIH income measures(a), 2019-20.

["Weekly income in $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)","Current admin","Annual admin","SIH"]

[["Negative income","Nil income","100","200","300","400","500","600","700","800","900","1000","1100","1200","1300","1400","1500","1600","1700","1800","1900","2000","2100","2200","2300","2400","2500","2600","2700","2800","2900","3000"],[[0.6],[8.4],[3.6],[3.3],[4.1],[8.3],[9.9],[4.7],[3.7],[3.9],[3.6],[3.7],[3.9],[3.5],[3.1],[3.3],[2.6],[2.6],[2.6],[2],[2],[1.5],[1.5],[1.1],[1.3],[1.2],[0.9],[0.9],[0.7],[0.7],[0.5],[0.5]],[[0.5],[6.9],[3.8],[3.8],[4],[8.5],[9.8],[5.1],[4],[4.2],[3.8],[3.8],[4],[3.5],[3.2],[3.2],[2.8],[2.6],[2.6],[2.1],[2.1],[1.5],[1.5],[1.2],[1.3],[1.2],[0.9],[0.8],[0.6],[0.7],[0.4],[0.4]],[[0.7],[5.7],[6.9],[2.9],[3.7],[6.3],[9.2],[5.7],[4.2],[4.3],[4.3],[4.3],[4.2],[3.8],[3.6],[3],[2.6],[2.9],[2.1],[2.3],[1.6],[1.5],[1.5],[1.3],[1.1],[1],[0.8],[0.8],[0.7],[0.6],[0.5],[0.4]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of people (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) People with income over $3,000 per week are not presented. Positive income values are presented in $100 ranges.

Household income distribution

Admin and SIH data both show higher proportions of households with incomes around Age Pension rates (as a household total), compared to other income amounts.

Compared to admin data, SIH shows higher proportions of households with income:

greater than $0 but less than $100 per week
between $800 and less than $1,700 per week.

Graph 2: Proportion of households in each household income range using total household income per week from current admin, annual admin and SIH income measures(a), 2019-20.
Weekly income in $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)	SIH (%)
Negative income	0.4	0.3	0.3
Nil income	1.3	1.2	0.3
100	0.8	0.6	1.3
200	0.8	0.7	0.5
300	0.9	0.8	0.9
400	2.1	1.8	1.4
500	8.2	7.5	6.4
600	2.5	2.3	3.3
700	2.7	2.7	2.4
800	4.2	4.2	3.8
900	3.6	3.8	3.8
1000	3.0	3.0	3.4
1100	2.7	2.9	3.1
1200	2.4	2.7	3.4
1300	2.4	2.5	3.2
1400	2.7	2.7	2.4
1500	2.4	2.4	2.5
1600	2.5	2.5	2.8
1700	2.3	2.6	2.9
1800	2.2	2.3	2.5
1900	2.3	2.3	2.4
2000	2.5	2.4	2.3
2100	2.3	2.3	2.2
2200	2.1	2.1	2.2
2300	2.1	2.1	2.0
2400	2.1	2.2	2.0
2500	2.0	2.1	1.9
2600	1.6	1.9	2.0
2700	1.8	1.7	1.7
2800	1.6	1.8	1.9
2900	1.5	1.5	1.5
3000	1.3	1.9	1.5
3100	1.4	1.4	1.7
3200	1.4	1.6	1.3
3300	1.4	1.6	1.4
3400	1.4	1.5	1.3
3500	1.2	1.1	1.2
3600	1.2	1.1	1.1
3700	1.0	1.1	1.1
3800	1.0	0.9	1.1
3900	0.9	0.9	0.9
4000	0.9	0.8	0.9
4100	0.9	0.9	0.7
4200	0.8	0.8	0.7
4300	1.0	0.9	0.9
4400	0.6	0.5	0.6
4500	0.5	0.6	0.6
4600	0.9	0.7	0.7
4700	0.6	0.5	0.6
4800	0.5	0.6	0.5
4900	0.7	0.6	0.4
5000	0.5	0.5	0.3
5100	0.5	0.5	0.3
5200	0.3	0.4	0.5
5300	0.4	0.4	0.3
5400	0.4	0.3	0.2
5500	0.3	0.3	0.3
5600	0.3	0.3	0.2
5700	0.3	0.3	0.4
5800	0.4	0.3	0.3
5900	0.3	0.2	0.2
6000	0.3	0.3	0.3

Graph 2: Proportion of households in each household income range using total household income per week from current admin, annual admin and SIH income measures(a), 2019-20.

["Weekly income in $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)","Current admin","Annual admin","SIH"]

[["Negative income","Nil income","100","200","300","400","500","600","700","800","900","1000","1100","1200","1300","1400","1500","1600","1700","1800","1900","2000","2100","2200","2300","2400","2500","2600","2700","2800","2900","3000","3100","3200","3300","3400","3500","3600","3700","3800","3900","4000","4100","4200","4300","4400","4500","4600","4700","4800","4900","5000","5100","5200","5300","5400","5500","5600","5700","5800","5900","6000"],[[0.4],[1.3],[0.8],[0.8],[0.9],[2.1],[8.2],[2.5],[2.7],[4.2],[3.6],[3],[2.7],[2.4],[2.4],[2.7],[2.4],[2.5],[2.3],[2.2],[2.3],[2.5],[2.3],[2.1],[2.1],[2.1],[2],[1.6],[1.8],[1.6],[1.5],[1.3],[1.4],[1.4],[1.4],[1.4],[1.2],[1.2],[1],[1],[0.9],[0.9],[0.9],[0.8],[1],[0.6],[0.5],[0.9],[0.6],[0.5],[0.7],[0.5],[0.5],[0.3],[0.4],[0.4],[0.3],[0.3],[0.3],[0.4],[0.3],[0.3]],[[0.3],[1.2],[0.6],[0.7],[0.8],[1.8],[7.5],[2.3],[2.7],[4.2],[3.8],[3],[2.9],[2.7],[2.5],[2.7],[2.4],[2.5],[2.6],[2.3],[2.3],[2.4],[2.3],[2.1],[2.1],[2.2],[2.1],[1.9],[1.7],[1.8],[1.5],[1.9],[1.4],[1.6],[1.6],[1.5],[1.1],[1.1],[1.1],[0.9],[0.9],[0.8],[0.9],[0.8],[0.9],[0.5],[0.6],[0.7],[0.5],[0.6],[0.6],[0.5],[0.5],[0.4],[0.4],[0.3],[0.3],[0.3],[0.3],[0.3],[0.2],[0.3]],[[0.3],[0.3],[1.3],[0.5],[0.9],[1.4],[6.4],[3.3],[2.4],[3.8],[3.8],[3.4],[3.1],[3.4],[3.2],[2.4],[2.5],[2.8],[2.9],[2.5],[2.4],[2.3],[2.2],[2.2],[2],[2],[1.9],[2],[1.7],[1.9],[1.5],[1.5],[1.7],[1.3],[1.4],[1.3],[1.2],[1.1],[1.1],[1.1],[0.9],[0.9],[0.7],[0.7],[0.9],[0.6],[0.6],[0.7],[0.6],[0.5],[0.4],[0.3],[0.3],[0.5],[0.3],[0.2],[0.3],[0.2],[0.4],[0.3],[0.2],[0.3]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of households (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) Households with income over $6,000 per week are not presented. Positive income values are presented in $100 ranges.

Main source of household income

There is close alignment between admin and SIH data for households whose main source of income is a government pension or allowance, or investment income.

Households where employee income is the main source show a different pattern:

Current admin income aligns with SIH.
Compared to SIH, annual admin income data shows a higher proportion of households with employee income as their main source. This is likely due to the inclusion of earnings from jobs no longer active.

Superannuation pensions and annuities, and other regular transfers, are more commonly reported as the main source in SIH, reflecting gaps in admin data coverage.

Graph 3: Main source of household income from current admin, annual admin and SIH, 2019-20.
Main source of household income	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)	SIH (%)
Nil or negative income	1.6	1.5	0.6
Employee income	62.7	64.0	62.1
Own unincorporated business income	4.0	4.0	3.2
Government pensions and allowances	21.9	21.5	22.2
Investment income	4.8	4.5	4.4
Superannuation pensions and annuities	4.8	4.3	6.0
Other regular transfers	0.1	0.1	1.5

Graph 3: Main source of household income from current admin, annual admin and SIH, 2019-20.

["Main source of household income","Current admin","Annual admin","SIH"]

[["Nil or negative income","Employee income","Own unincorporated business income","Government pensions and allowances","Investment income","Superannuation pensions and annuities","Other regular transfers"],[[1.6],[62.7],[4],[21.9],[4.8],[4.8],[0.1]],[[1.5],[64],[4],[21.5],[4.5],[4.3],[0.1]],[[0.6],[62.1],[3.2],[22.2],[4.4],[6],[1.5]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of households (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Median income by income type

When looking at households that receive each income type, there is close alignment between current admin data and SIH for median:

employee income
government pensions and allowances.

This reflects the strength of current admin data in capturing income at the time of SIH collection. Additionally, the current admin investment income median is similar to the corresponding SIH median.

Compared to SIH, lower current income medians are seen for:

Own unincorporated business incomes, as admin data includes the income of all businesses that operated during the year, not just those active at the time of SIH collection.
Superannuation pensions and annuities and other regular transfers, highlighting the impact of data gaps in admin sources.

Both employee income and government pensions and allowances have median annual admin incomes that are lower than their respective current admin and SIH median incomes. This is expected, as annual data includes income received over the full year, and captures a broader group of recipients. This includes those who only received these incomes for part of the year.

Other annual income types show similar medians to current admin income, as they are estimated using the same data source.

Graph 4: Median household income for each income type received using current admin, annual admin and SIH household income measures, 2019-20.
Income type	Current admin ($)	Annual admin ($)	SIH ($)
Employee income	2,115	1,998	2,074
Own unincorporated business income	262	262	479
Government pensions and allowances	475	358	479
Investment income	7	7	6
Superannuation pensions and annuities	419	386	600
Other regular transfers	9	9	115

Graph 4: Median household income for each income type received using current admin, annual admin and SIH household income measures, 2019-20.

["Income type","Current admin","Annual admin","SIH"]

[["Employee income","Own unincorporated business income","Government pensions and allowances","Investment income","Superannuation pensions and annuities","Other regular transfers"],[[2115],[262],[475],[7],[419],[9]],[[1998],[262],[358],[7],[386],[9]],[[2074],[479],[479],[6],[600],[115]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Income type","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Median household income from income type ($ per week)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"($)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"0","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) SIH values are based on businesses that were active at the time of collection. Admin values are based on all businesses operating during a financial year.

Census of Population and Housing comparisons

Both personal and household median admin incomes (current and annual) are lower than Census-reported medians.

Table 3: Median income per week for current admin, annual admin and Census, 2021
		Current admin	Annual admin	Census-reported
Median income ($ per week)	Total personal income	712	724	805
Median income ($ per week)	Total household income	1,579	1,587	1,678

Several regions across the country were in various stages of lockdown on Census night 2021 due to the COVID-19 Delta strain pandemic. As a result, fewer people were employed at the time of Census. This context may help explain two key findings:

Annual admin income is closer to Census-reported income than current admin incomes. This is likely because people were instructed to report their usual income, prior to the commencement of lockdowns, on the Census form.
Current admin income is lower than annual admin income. Current admin income relies on STP activity in the four weeks before Census to allocate employee incomes.

Personal income distribution

The distribution of personal incomes for both current and annual admin income measures generally align with income reported in the 2021 Census. However, there are some notable differences.

A higher proportion of people:

receive less than $500 per week in current admin data, compared to Census-reported incomes
report Census incomes between $500 and $1,999 per week, compared to current or annual admin measures.

These differences may reflect limitations in admin data sources, such as not having all superannuation, child support, workers’ compensation and inter-household transfers incomes available in admin data.

Census incomes may also include Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which is excluded from admin and SIH income estimates for this analysis in line with the ABS income standard.

Graph 5: Proportion of people with income using current admin, annual admin and Census reported personal income measures, 2021
Weekly income range ($)	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)	Census (%)
Negative income	0.89	0.68	0.7
Nil income	8.29	6.41	8.01
1-149	5.28	5.52	3.26
150-299	5.41	4.87	4.82
300-399	7.92	6.99	7.55
400-499	9.43	10.5	7.59
500-649	5.57	6.9	7.25
650-799	4.65	5.69	6.9
800-999	6.21	7.11	8.06
1000-1249	7.45	7.81	8.95
1250-1499	6.26	6.26	6.73
1500-1749	5.03	4.9	5.9
1750-1999	3.87	3.77	4.36
2000-2999	8.22	7.72	7.56
3000-3499	1.66	1.5	1.76
3500 or more	3.27	2.79	3.18

Graph 5: Proportion of people with income using current admin, annual admin and Census reported personal income measures, 2021

["Weekly income range ($)","Current admin","Annual admin","Census"]

[["Negative income","Nil income","1-149","150-299","300-399","400-499","500-649","650-799","800-999","1000-1249","1250-1499","1500-1749","1750-1999","2000-2999","3000-3499","3500 or more"],[[0.89],[8.29],[5.28],[5.41],[7.92],[9.43],[5.57],[4.65],[6.21],[7.45],[6.26],[5.03],[3.87],[8.22],[1.66],[3.27]],[[0.68],[6.41],[5.52],[4.87],[6.99],[10.5],[6.9],[5.69],[7.11],[7.81],[6.26],[4.9],[3.77],[7.72],[1.5],[2.79]],[[0.7],[8.01],[3.26],[4.82],[7.55],[7.59],[7.25],[6.9],[8.06],[8.95],[6.73],[5.9],[4.36],[7.56],[1.76],[3.18]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Weekly income range ($)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of people (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) People with admin income not available and Census income not stated are not presented.

Household income distribution

For household incomes, there is a higher proportion of households that:

receive current admin income of less than $500 per week, compared to Census and annual admin incomes
have Census-reported incomes between $1,000 and $1,499 per week when compared to current or annual admin measures.

Census also shows higher proportions of households with incomes:

between $2,000 and $2,499 per week
between $4,500 and $4,999 per week.

These differences may be due to how household incomes are constructed in the Census. Each household member is assigned an income value reflecting the midpoint of the income range (determined using results from the most recent SIH). These values are then summed within a household to create a total household income amount. Given that some personal income categories are broad (e.g. $2000-$2,999 per week) or have no upper boundary ($3,500 or more per week), this method may lead to clustering around certain household income ranges.

Graph 6: Proportion of household with income using current admin, annual admin and Census reported household income measures, 2021
Weekly income range ($)	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)	Census (%)
Negative income	0.6	0.5	0.4
Nil income	2.5	1.8	1.7
1-149	1.9	1.7	0.7
150-299	2.0	1.7	1.4
300-399	2.9	1.9	2.4
400-499	8.0	8.0	5.7
500-649	4.3	4.6	4.3
650-799	6.0	5.5	6.1
800-999	6.0	7.1	6.3
1000-1249	6.5	7.0	7.3
1250-1499	6.0	6.5	7.5
1500-1749	5.5	5.9	5.9
1750-1999	5.2	5.6	5.7
2000-2499	9.2	9.9	11.8
2500-2999	7.4	7.7	7.3
3000-3499	5.9	5.9	6.5
3500-3999	4.4	4.3	4.0
4000-4499	3.2	3.1	2.3
4500-4999	2.3	2.1	4.3
5000-5999	2.8	2.5	2.9
6000-7999	2.4	2.0	2.5
8000 or more	1.7	1.4	1.0

Graph 6: Proportion of household with income using current admin, annual admin and Census reported household income measures, 2021

["Weekly income range ($)","Current admin","Annual admin","Census"]

[["Negative income","Nil income","1-149","150-299","300-399","400-499","500-649","650-799","800-999","1000-1249","1250-1499","1500-1749","1750-1999","2000-2499","2500-2999","3000-3499","3500-3999","4000-4499","4500-4999","5000-5999","6000-7999","8000 or more"],[[0.61],[2.45],[1.94],[1.95],[2.86],[8.03],[4.25],[6],[5.96],[6.5],[5.99],[5.52],[5.16],[9.24],[7.44],[5.87],[4.44],[3.24],[2.32],[2.82],[2.38],[1.74]],[[0.48],[1.76],[1.74],[1.72],[1.88],[7.96],[4.62],[5.54],[7.07],[6.99],[6.46],[5.92],[5.55],[9.88],[7.72],[5.9],[4.33],[3.07],[2.14],[2.52],[2.01],[1.42]],[[0.42],[1.7],[0.74],[1.35],[2.39],[5.73],[4.34],[6.11],[6.32],[7.33],[7.49],[5.92],[5.73],[11.76],[7.32],[6.48],[4.01],[2.27],[4.26],[2.88],[2.51],[0.97]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Weekly income range ($)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of households (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) Households with admin income not available and Census income not stated are not presented.

Additional comparisons using admin income measures for the Census population are available in the appendix.

Future work

Admin-based incomes provide insights that are coherent with those obtained from SIH and Census data. The ABS will continue to refine its methods and identify opportunities to provide new statistical insights and data products.

Admin income methods

To improve the quality and coverage of admin-based statistics, the ABS will continue to refine its methods and explore areas for further development. This includes:

Incorporating new or enhanced admin data sources (e.g. additional STP data) to improve income measurement.
Comparing admin income with reported income from SIH 2025-26 and Census 2026 to further understand differences.

While the timelier statistics produced by these methods enhance their value, reliance on previous financial year data for some income types may affect comparisons. The ABS may investigate this further by applying current financial year data for these income types to better understand this impact.

Additionally, further work will consider admin incomes for specific groups, including:

very recent migrants
people in non-private dwellings (e.g. aged care facilities)
people living in remote areas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

These groups are featured in the results presented in this article but may require more consideration as some factors may influence the results. For example, they may have lower data linkage rates than for other groups, meaning their results could be less representative of the population. Specific features of income or the data sources used for these groups may also require further consideration.

New statistical insights

The ABS will continue to identify opportunities to use these methods to provide insights from linked admin data sources. These activities may include:

Using more linked data sources, such as the General Social Survey to generate new income insights.
Developing admin-based measures of disposable income and social transfers in kind. These are key indicators for researchers interested in poverty and living standards.
Exploring income distribution changes over different time periods.

Additionally, the ABS will provide admin income measures based on these methods in a new PLIDA core income module. (Note, admin household structure information will not be included as part of this module). This will support the availability of admin income data items for approved PLIDA research projects.

Feedback

The ABS welcomes any feedback or questions regarding income measurement using admin data.

These can be directed to living.conditions@abs.gov.au.

Data downloads

Download all (662.6 KB)

Admin and SIH, 2019-20

Data files

Table 1 Administrative data and SIH: Personal total income
Download xlsx [64.87 KB]
Table 2 Administrative data and SIH: Personal total income in $100 ranges
Download xlsx [61.95 KB]
Table 3 Administrative data and SIH: Personal income characteristics
Download xlsx [67.93 KB]
Table 4 Administrative data and SIH: Personal income by type
Download xlsx [119.58 KB]
Table 5 Administrative data and SIH: Household total income
Download xlsx [75.79 KB]
Table 6 Administrative data and SIH: Household total income in $100 ranges
Download xlsx [63.49 KB]
Table 7 Administrative data and SIH: Household income characteristics
Download xlsx [75.46 KB]
Table 8 Administrative data and SIH: Household income by type
Download xlsx [119.56 KB]
Table 9 Administrative data and SIH: Household equivalised income characteristics
Download xlsx [96.77 KB]

Download all (391.33 KB)

Admin and Census, 2021

Data files

Table 1 Administrative data and Census: Personal total income in Census ranges
Download xlsx [62.39 KB]
Table 2 Administrative data and Census: Personal total income in $100 ranges
Download xlsx [63.59 KB]
Table 3 Administrative data and Census: Personal income characteristics
Download xlsx [84.46 KB]
Table 4 Administrative data and Census: Household total income in Census ranges
Download xlsx [62.36 KB]
Table 5 Administrative data and Census: Household total income in $100 ranges
Download xlsx [66.29 KB]
Table 6 Administrative data and Census: Household income characteristics
Download xlsx [88.3 KB]

Appendix: Additional admin income insights using Census 2021

Admin income measures linked to Census 2021 provide additional insights into income distribution, beyond those available from Census-reported data. Unlike Census responses, which are limited to predefined income ranges, admin data provides a more granular view of income that are useful for targeting populations of interest.

For example, admin data reveals higher proportions or people at specific points in the income distribution, such as people with nil income or income near Age Pension rates (approximately $434 for singles and $327 for each member of a couple on Census night 2021) compared to the remainder of the population.

Graph 7: Proportion of people in each income range using total personal income from current and annual admin income measures(a), 2021
Weekly income $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)
Negative income	0.9	0.7
Nil income	8.3	6.4
100	3.9	4.0
200	3.1	3.0
300	3.7	3.4
400	7.9	7.0
500	9.4	10.5
600	4.0	4.9
700	3.2	3.9
800	3.1	3.8
900	3.1	3.6
1000	3.2	3.5
1100	3.1	3.3
1200	3.0	3.1
1300	2.8	2.8
1400	2.6	2.6
1500	2.4	2.3
1600	2.2	2.1
1700	1.9	1.9
1800	1.8	1.7
1900	1.6	1.5
2000	1.4	1.4
2100	1.3	1.3
2200	1.2	1.1
2300	1.1	1.0
2400	0.9	0.9
2500	0.8	0.8
2600	0.7	0.7
2700	0.6	0.6
2800	0.6	0.5
2900	0.5	0.5
3000	0.5	0.4

Graph 7: Proportion of people in each income range using total personal income from current and annual admin income measures(a), 2021

["Weekly income $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)","Current admin","Annual admin"]

[["Negative income","Nil income","100","200","300","400","500","600","700","800","900","1000","1100","1200","1300","1400","1500","1600","1700","1800","1900","2000","2100","2200","2300","2400","2500","2600","2700","2800","2900","3000"],[[0.89],[8.29],[3.88],[3.13],[3.68],[7.92],[9.43],[3.95],[3.17],[3.1],[3.06],[3.15],[3.11],[2.95],[2.75],[2.56],[2.35],[2.17],[1.94],[1.77],[1.58],[1.44],[1.34],[1.2],[1.05],[0.94],[0.81],[0.71],[0.63],[0.56],[0.52],[0.46]],[[0.68],[6.41],[4.04],[2.96],[3.4],[6.99],[10.5],[4.94],[3.88],[3.78],[3.6],[3.51],[3.32],[3.07],[2.8],[2.56],[2.33],[2.11],[1.9],[1.73],[1.54],[1.39],[1.31],[1.14],[0.99],[0.88],[0.76],[0.66],[0.58],[0.52],[0.47],[0.42]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"$","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of people (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) People with admin income not available or income over $3,000 per week are not presented. Positive income values are shown in $100 ranges.

Similarly, the distribution of household income for admin data demonstrates peaks which are consistent with single and couple Age Pension rates (when presented as a household total).

Graph 8: Proportion of households in each income range using total household income from current and annual admin income measures(a), 2021
Weekly income in $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)
Negative income	0.6	0.5
Nil income	2.5	1.8
100	1.5	1.3
200	1.0	0.9
300	1.4	1.2
400	2.9	1.8
500	8.0	7.8
600	2.9	3.3
700	2.6	2.5
800	4.7	4.2
900	3.1	3.8
1000	2.8	3.2
1100	2.8	2.9
1200	2.5	2.7
1300	2.5	2.6
1400	2.4	2.6
1500	2.3	2.5
1600	2.3	2.4
1700	2.2	2.3
1800	2.1	2.3
1900	2.1	2.2
2000	2.0	2.2
2100	2.0	2.1
2200	1.9	2.1
2300	1.8	2.0
2400	1.8	1.9
2500	1.7	1.8
2600	1.6	1.7
2700	1.6	1.6
2800	1.5	1.5
2900	1.4	1.5
3000	1.4	1.4
3100	1.3	1.3
3200	1.2	1.2
3300	1.2	1.2
3400	1.1	1.1
3500	1.1	1.0
3600	1.0	1.0
3700	0.9	0.9
3800	0.9	0.9
3900	0.8	0.8
4000	0.8	0.7
4100	0.7	0.7
4200	0.7	0.7
4300	0.7	0.6
4400	0.6	0.6
4500	0.6	0.5
4600	0.5	0.5
4700	0.5	0.5
4800	0.5	0.4
4900	0.4	0.4
5000	0.4	0.4
5100	0.4	0.3
5200	0.4	0.3
5300	0.3	0.3
5400	0.3	0.3
5500	0.3	0.3
5600	0.3	0.2
5700	0.3	0.2
5800	0.2	0.2
5900	0.2	0.2
6000	0.2	0.2

Graph 8: Proportion of households in each income range using total household income from current and annual admin income measures(a), 2021

["Weekly income in $100 ranges ($ value at top of range)","Current admin","Annual admin"]

[["Negative income","Nil income","100","200","300","400","500","600","700","800","900","1000","1100","1200","1300","1400","1500","1600","1700","1800","1900","2000","2100","2200","2300","2400","2500","2600","2700","2800","2900","3000","3100","3200","3300","3400","3500","3600","3700","3800","3900","4000","4100","4200","4300","4400","4500","4600","4700","4800","4900","5000","5100","5200","5300","5400","5500","5600","5700","5800","5900","6000"],[[0.61],[2.45],[1.46],[1.03],[1.39],[2.86],[8.03],[2.9],[2.63],[4.73],[3.14],[2.81],[2.77],[2.5],[2.47],[2.41],[2.33],[2.27],[2.18],[2.12],[2.07],[2.03],[1.99],[1.93],[1.84],[1.78],[1.69],[1.62],[1.55],[1.48],[1.44],[1.36],[1.29],[1.23],[1.17],[1.11],[1.06],[1],[0.94],[0.88],[0.83],[0.78],[0.73],[0.69],[0.65],[0.6],[0.57],[0.53],[0.49],[0.46],[0.43],[0.4],[0.37],[0.35],[0.33],[0.3],[0.28],[0.27],[0.25],[0.23],[0.22],[0.21]],[[0.48],[1.76],[1.25],[0.94],[1.19],[1.83],[7.84],[3.3],[2.47],[4.2],[3.8],[3.15],[2.92],[2.67],[2.63],[2.57],[2.49],[2.41],[2.31],[2.26],[2.2],[2.16],[2.14],[2.05],[1.95],[1.87],[1.77],[1.69],[1.59],[1.53],[1.46],[1.38],[1.3],[1.23],[1.16],[1.1],[1.04],[0.98],[0.91],[0.85],[0.8],[0.74],[0.7],[0.65],[0.6],[0.56],[0.53],[0.49],[0.45],[0.42],[0.39],[0.36],[0.34],[0.31],[0.29],[0.27],[0.25],[0.24],[0.22],[0.2],[0.19],[0.18]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"$","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of households (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

(a) Households with admin income not available or income over $6,000 per week are not presented. Positive income values are shown in $100 ranges.

Small differences are observed between main source of income based on current and annual admin data, reflecting methodological differences in how income is derived. These differences are also influenced by the timing of the COVID-19 Delta lockdowns which affected employment and income patterns on Census night.

Graph 9: Proportion of households by main source of income, calculated using Census current admin and annual admin household income, 2021
Main source of household income	Current admin (%)	Annual admin (%)
Nil or negative income	2.5	1.8
Employee income	53.8	54.2
Own unincorporated business income	3.5	3.5
Government pensions and allowances	21.7	22.7
Investment income	5.2	4.8
Superannuation pensions and annuities	3.5	3.3
Other regular transfers	0.2	0.2
Partial income	9.6	9.6

Graph 9: Proportion of households by main source of income, calculated using Census current admin and annual admin household income, 2021

["Main source of household income","Current admin","Annual admin"]

[["Nil or negative income","Employee income","Own unincorporated business income","Government pensions and allowances","Investment income","Superannuation pensions and annuities","Other regular transfers","Partial income"],[[2.5],[53.75],[3.53],[21.72],[5.24],[3.5],[0.18],[9.59]],[[1.82],[54.15],[3.49],[22.74],[4.76],[3.29],[0.16],[9.59]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Income type","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Proportion of households (%)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Appendix: How we calculated admin income

This section provides more information on the concepts, data sources and methods used in the comparisons presented in this article.

A summary of the calculation of admin income is provided below. A more complete description is available in Administrative income comparison studies.

ABS income standard

The ABS income standard was used to guide the calculation of admin income estimates. The standard defines the concepts, framework and methods used to measure and report income. It helps maximise consistency and comparability across all ABS income statistics.

The standard also highlights the importance of household-level income for assessing financial wellbeing. This is because members of a household share incomes to meet common expenses, such as rent and utilities.

ABS income data sources

Survey of Income and Housing, 2019-20

The SIH obtained current income data through personal interviews, where detailed questions about income were asked alongside other household characteristics. A total of 29,123 people aged 15 years and over participated across Australia, excluding those in very remote areas or non-private dwellings.

To reduce the impact of seasonal income variations, different people were selected throughout the year. In instances where a person does not report an income, their response is imputed using a suitable donor within the survey.

All persons and households were assigned population weights, allowing the sample to produce reliable population-level estimates.

Census of Population and Housing, 2021

The Census includes a single income-related question: ‘What is the total of all income the person usually receives?’. This is asked of all persons aged 15 years and over across Australia. Respondents select from a list of income ranges presented in both weekly and annual formats, reflecting their usual income based on current circumstances at Census time.

Several regions across the country were in various stages of lockdown on Census night 2021, due to the COVID-19 Delta strain pandemic. The impact of these lockdowns reduced employment levels prior to and at the time of the Census. The Census website requested affected people to ‘Please reflect your usual income, as it was before the commencement of the current COVID-19 lockdown period.’

In 2021, 7.2% of people did not report their income. Unlike SIH, incomes for these people were not imputed.

Admin data sources

Admin income uses data provided by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) and the Department of Social Services (DSS), available in PLIDA.

To improve timeliness, estimates rely on data sources available within one year after the reference period. This means that estimates vary in how well they measure certain types of income:

Employee income and government pensions and allowances use timely admin sources (STP and DOMINO). These sources align with the date people completed the SIH and Census. In some circumstances, where data is unavailable, past financial year information is used.
Own unincorporated business, investment, superannuation pension and annuities, and other regular transfers incomes use past financial year information (i.e. 2018-19 for SIH, and 2019-20 for Census).

Income for superannuation and annuities is not available for many people in admin data (in particular, retirees aged over 60). For these people, income is a modelled amount, based on the balance of the person’s eligible superannuation accounts. The modelled amount reflects a minimum drawdown amount and is not a complete measure of the person’s superannuation income.

Data linkage

This analysis relied on linking admin income data sources for people who responded to the SIH or Census. However, linking is not always possible. Admin incomes are available for 89% of persons in SIH and 93% of persons in Census.

Missing data

For SIH, people who did not have admin income available have their income imputed with available admin income from a similar record. This supports comparisons with SIH, which has a similar approach for missing reported data. This approach enables reuse of existing SIH weights for population estimates.

In contrast, missing admin income was not imputed for people in the Census.

Household information

Household income estimates use information on household composition reported by people at the time of SIH and Census collection.

APA

New insights on administrative income data

APA

Summary

Introduction

Key findings

Admin incomes broadly align with reported incomes

Improved timeliness and comparability of admin income

Single Touch Payroll

DOMINO

Gaps in admin data limit income measurement

Measurement differences affect comparability

Survey of Income and Housing comparisons

Personal income distribution

Household income distribution

Main source of household income

Median income by income type

Census of Population and Housing comparisons

Personal income distribution

Household income distribution

Future work

Admin income methods

New statistical insights

Feedback

Data downloads

Admin and SIH, 2019-20

Table 1 Administrative data and SIH: Personal total income

Table 2 Administrative data and SIH: Personal total income in $100 ranges

Table 3 Administrative data and SIH: Personal income characteristics

Table 4 Administrative data and SIH: Personal income by type

Table 5 Administrative data and SIH: Household total income

Table 6 Administrative data and SIH: Household total income in $100 ranges

Table 7 Administrative data and SIH: Household income characteristics

Table 8 Administrative data and SIH: Household income by type

Table 9 Administrative data and SIH: Household equivalised income characteristics

Admin and Census, 2021

Table 1 Administrative data and Census: Personal total income in Census ranges

Table 2 Administrative data and Census: Personal total income in $100 ranges

Table 3 Administrative data and Census: Personal income characteristics

Table 4 Administrative data and Census: Household total income in Census ranges

Table 5 Administrative data and Census: Household total income in $100 ranges

Table 6 Administrative data and Census: Household income characteristics

Appendix: Additional admin income insights using Census 2021

Appendix: How we calculated admin income

ABS income standard

ABS income data sources

Survey of Income and Housing, 2019-20

Census of Population and Housing, 2021

Admin data sources

Data linkage

Missing data

Household information