Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Annual Business Survey
Published Date: 2/6/2026
Notice
Summary
The Census Bureau is updating the Annual Business Survey to include questions from the old Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey, making it easier for businesses to report important info about innovation and research. About 230,000 businesses will spend around 1 hour and 17 minutes on the survey, helping the government track U.S. business trends without adding extra hassle. Public comments are open for 30 more days before final approval.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
BERD survey merged into ABS
Content previously collected on the Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) Survey will now be collected as part of the Annual Business Survey (ABS); the BERD survey will no longer be fielded independently. Integrating the instruments required changes to questions that were tested with target populations.
Survey time: 1 hour 17 minutes
About 230,000 businesses are expected to respond to the ABS, with an average response time of 1 hour and 17 minutes per response, for a total of 295,858 burden hours.
Response required by law (Title 13)
Responding to the ABS is mandatory; the survey is conducted under Title 13 U.S. Code (Sections 8(b), 131, 182 and Sections 224 and 225 require a response from sampled firms).
Collection starts May 2026 as ABS Reference Year 2025
Data collection that starts in May of 2026 will be referred to as the ABS Reference Year 2025; the ABS will be conducted annually and will omit the collection year in materials, using the data reference year instead.
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