The Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) Survey and ABS are being combined to increase data quality, reduce respondent burden, and to allow the Census Bureau to operate more efficiently.
Not all businesses receiving the ABS will be asked about research and development (R&D). If your business does not conduct R&D and you are asked about it on the ABS, please enter $0 and you will automatically skip the related questions.
This year’s ABS will be mailed in early summer 2026.
The ABS Program combines data results from survey respondents and administrative records to produce data on business ownership. The survey is collected from employer businesses and the nonemployer data are compiled from administrative records.