Total household income as available (administrative data) (weekly) (HIAASD)

This variable is the sum of Total personal income (administrative data) (weekly) (INCAP) of each resident aged 15 years or older who was present in the household on Census Night. This includes households where one or more residents did not have income information available in administrative data or was absent from the dwelling on Census Night. 

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. 

Occupied private dwellings

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 is calculated by summing the personal incomes recorded in administrative data of all household members aged 15 years and over. 

The income ranges for this variable include households where one or more members aged 15 years and over was not able to be linked to PLIDA, and therefore did not have income information available in administrative data; or were temporarily absent. In the variable Total household income (administrative data) (weekly) (HINAD), these households were excluded from the household income calculation and coded to the category 'Partial incomes available'. 

Where no member of a household aged 15 years and over had administrative income information available, the household is classified as 'Admin not available'. 

In most cases, the income of visitors to a household is excluded from Total household income as stated. The exception to this is households that comprise only visitors. 

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 differences to consider. 

Method to calculate household income 

The personal incomes used to create this variable were recorded to the nearest dollar. The Census question, on the other hand, collects personal income in ranges, then a median-based approximation is used to calculate household income. 

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.  

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 household 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 household income (weekly) (HIND)
• Total personal income (administrative data) (weekly) (INCAP) 
• Total household income (administrative data) (weekly) (HINAD)
• Main source of household income (administrative data) (HSAD)
• Main type of household government benefit payment (administrative data) (HGAD)
• Total family income as available (administrative data) (weekly) (FIAASF) 
• Administrative data
• Government benefits, pensions and allowances
• Household

• Understanding income in administrative data, the Census and ABS surveys
• New Census insights on income in Australia using administrative data
• Housing
• Earnings and work hours