286 – Evaluating CPS ASEC Data Quality
Methods of Modeling Tax Units to Estimate Tax Credits
Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
Keywords: CPS ASEC, Taxes, Modeling
Bruce Webster
U.S. Census Bureau
The Census Bureau produces alternative poverty estimates using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic supplement (ASEC). As a part of these alternative estimates, the Census Bureau produces estimates of federal and state taxes, including estimates of several tax credits. One key step in this process is constructing tax units from the members of sampled households. This paper compares estimates of tax credits across different methods of forming tax units, and evaluates how these credit estimates compare to each other. These estimates will also be compared to what is reported in tax returns using IRS aggregate data.
