1287.0 - Standards for Income Variables, 2010

ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 15/03/2010

Page tools: Print

Print Page Print all pages in this product

Contents >> Standard variable - Total income >> Classification and coding

On this page:
The classification criteria
The standard classification
Coding procedures

34. 'Total income' is a continuous variable, that is a variable that can take on any of a range of values.

35. 'Total income' is classified according to its components, that is, the source of income.

THE CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA

36. An individual may receive income from more than one source. 'Total income' is the sum of the following income components, before income tax and the Medicare Levy are taken out:

employee income;
profit or loss from self employment (own unincorporated business income)
government pensions and allowances;
investment income;
superannuation pensions and annuities;
other current transfers received.

37. The classification is a three level hierarchal classification that groups sources of income at the broad, narrow and detailed levels.

38. At the broad, or top, level of the classification for 'Total income', the income components are grouped according to whether they are received from:

an employer, including their own incorporated business;
a profit or loss from their own unincorporated business;
a government pension or allowance paid by a government entity under social security and related government programs;
any other source. This is output as "Other income".

39. Investment income, superannuation pensions and annuities and other current transfers are grouped together (under 'Other income') in output as generally finer levels of disaggregation are not supported by the estimates due to low numbers receiving income from these sources.

40. At the narrow, or second, level of the classification, 'Any other source' is classified according to whether income is received from:

investments, that is income received as a result of the ownership of financial and non-financial assets;
superannuation pensions and annuities;
other current transfers.

41. At the detailed, or third, level of the classification, investment income, government pensions and allowances and other current transfers are further broken down into their component groupings as outlined in the next section.

THE STANDARD CLASSIFICATION

42. This section presents the standard classification for 'Total income' broken down into its component parts, that is individual 'Sources of income'.

Broad level

1 Employee income
2 Unincorporated business income
3 Government pensions and allowances
9 Other income

Narrow level

1 Employee income

11 Employee income

2 Unincorporated business income

21 Unincorporated business income

3 Government pensions and allowances

9 Other income

Detailed level

1 Employee income

1101 Employee income

2 Unincorporated business income

2101 Unincorporated business income

3 Government pensions and allowances

9 Other income

9201 Superannuation pensions and annuities

9499 Other income nec

CODING PROCEDURES

43. The coding procedures can be found in the standard for Sources of income. Income receipts not separately identified in the classification are included in the relevant residual or 'Not elsewhere classified' (nec) categories.