Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)

QCEW_Operating_Manual

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)

OMB: 1220-0012

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2021-02-17 - Revision of a currently approved collection
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QCEW Operating Manual
Log of Replacement Pages

July 2003

Log of Replacement Pages
Manual updates will be made in the form of replacement pages accompanied by a numbered
State “S” technical memorandum.
A Log of Replacement Pages is provided below to keep a record of changes to the Operating
Manual. Use this log to record that revisions have been inserted. The log can assist you in
ensuring that your manual is complete and that no revisions are missing.
Revision Number

S-Memo Number

Date of Page Insertion

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Table of Contents

Page i

Preface........................................................................................................................................ xvii
Purpose and Organization ............................................................................................... xvii
Submitting Your Comments .......................................................................................... xviii
Confidentiality ............................................................................................................... xviii
Authorization ................................................................................................................... xix
Chapter 1 – Overview of the QCEW Program ....................................................................... 1-1
1.1 The Program and Its Data ................................................................................................. 1-3
1.1.1 Data Sources .............................................................................................................. 1-4
1.1.2 Data Transmission via the EQUI ............................................................................... 1-5
1.2 Purpose and Uses of the Data ........................................................................................... 1-7
1.3 History of the QCEW Program....................................................................................... 1-11
1.4 Responsibilities of the Participants................................................................................. 1-19
1.5 Overview of Quarterly and Annual Processing .............................................................. 1-21
1.5.1 Main Processing Flow.............................................................................................. 1-21
1.5.2 Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)................................................................................ 1-36
1.5.3 Centrally Collected MWR and Federal Data from EDIC........................................ 1-39
1.5.4 MWR Data Collected in State.................................................................................. 1-42
1.5.5 RFEWs and Federal Data Collected in State ........................................................... 1-44
1.5.6 MWR/RFEW Data Collected via MWRweb........................................................... 1-46
1.5.7 Longitudinal Database ............................................................................................. 1-49
1.6 Using Standardized Processing Systems ........................................................................ 1-54
1.7 Definitions - Basic Terms ............................................................................................... 1-55
1.8 Coverage of the QCEW Program ................................................................................... 1-62
1.9 Current Employment Statistics and the QCEW Program ............................................... 1-67
Chapter 2 – Assigning and Updating the Classification Codes ............................................. 2-1
2.1 Coding Standards .............................................................................................................. 2-2
2.1.1 State Codes................................................................................................................. 2-2
2.1.2 County Codes............................................................................................................. 2-2
2.1.3 Township Codes......................................................................................................... 2-5
2.1.4 Ownership Codes and Organization Types................................................................ 2-6
2.1.5 Industry Codes ........................................................................................................... 2-7
2.1.6 Assigning Industry Codes ........................................................................................ 2-16
2.1.7 AutoNAICS.............................................................................................................. 2-17
2.2 Coordination of Coding with Other BLS Programs ....................................................... 2-18
2.3 Changes in Industrial, Ownership, and Area Classification Codes ................................ 2-20
2.3.1 Types of Code Changes ........................................................................................... 2-20
2.3.2 Timing and Reporting of Code Changes ................................................................. 2-21
Chapter 3 – Special Processing for Multi-Unit Employers.................................................... 3-1
3.1 Requirements for Disaggregating Multi-unit Employers ................................................. 3-2
3.2 Assigning the MEEI Code ................................................................................................ 3-6
3.3 Identifying Multi-unit Employers ..................................................................................... 3-8

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3.4 Using the Multiple Worksite Report............................................................................... 3-16
3.4.1 Printing MWR Forms .............................................................................................. 3-24
3.4.2 Solicitation and Informed Consent Letters .............................................................. 3-26
3.4.3 Review and Processing of MWR Data .................................................................... 3-38
3.4.4 Delinquent MWR Reporters .................................................................................... 3-41
3.5 When Quarterly MWRs Are Unavailable....................................................................... 3-44
3.6 Report of Federal Employment and Wages .................................................................... 3-48
Chapter 4 – Multiple Worksite Central Reporting ................................................................ 4-1
4.1 Data Collection by the EDI Center ................................................................................... 4-2
4.2 Data Processing at the EDI Center.................................................................................... 4-4
4.3 Communications between the EDI Center and the States ................................................ 4-7
4.3.1 Coordinating the Employer's Transition to Central Reporting .................................. 4-7
4.3.2 New and Discontinued Worksites.............................................................................. 4-8
4.3.3 Data Transmission to the States................................................................................. 4-9
4.4 Communication with Central Reporters ......................................................................... 4-11
4.5 Handling Special Situations............................................................................................ 4-15
4.5.1 Data Quality ............................................................................................................. 4-15
4.5.2 Employment and Wage Totals................................................................................. 4-15
4.6 Central Reporting of Federal Data.................................................................................. 4-17
4.7 Employer Reporting of MWR Data Directly to States ................................................... 4-22
4.8 MWRweb Internet Data Collection ................................................................................ 4-29
Chapter 5 – Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration................................................. 5-1
5.1 Predecessor/Successor Relationships................................................................................ 5-2
5.2 One to Many or Many to One ........................................................................................... 5-4
5.3 Successors with Code Changes....................................................................................... 5-16
5.4 Successors Reporting at a Different Level...................................................................... 5-20
5.5 Breaking Out (Disaggregating) New Multiple Worksite Reporters ............................... 5-24
5.6 Consolidating Multiple Worksite Reporters ................................................................... 5-32
5.7 Tracking Establishments that Change UI or Reporting Unit Numbers in the LDB ....... 5-35
5.7.1 LDB Linkage Process .............................................................................................. 5-35
5.7.2 Updates and the Linking Process............................................................................. 5-38
Chapter 6 – Annual Refiling Survey ........................................................................................ 6-1
6.1 Purpose of the ARS........................................................................................................... 6-3
6.2 ARS Processing Cycle and Selection Criteria .................................................................. 6-4
6.3 ARS Response Rate Requirements................................................................................... 6-6
6.4 ARS Forms........................................................................................................................ 6-7
6.4.1 Explanation of Key Areas of ARS Forms.................................................................. 6-8
6.4.2 Printing the ARS Forms........................................................................................... 6-11
6.4.3 Proofing the ARS Forms.......................................................................................... 6-12
6.5 Cover Letters................................................................................................................... 6-14
6.6 Obtaining ARS Forms..................................................................................................... 6-22
6.7 ARS Processing .............................................................................................................. 6-23

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6.7.1 Most Common ARS Response Codes ..................................................................... 6-33
6.8 Mailing and Collection Methods .................................................................................... 6-34
6.8.1 Touchtone Response System .................................................................................... 6-34
6.8.2 BLS ARS Review .................................................................................................... 6-46
6.8.3 Centralized ARS (CARS) ........................................................................................ 6-47
6.9 Dealing with Professional Employer Organizations....................................................... 6-50
6.10 Reports for BLS ............................................................................................................ 6-51
6.11 Usable Response Rate and Total Response Rate.......................................................... 6-52
Chapter 7 – Collecting and Loading the Quarterly Data....................................................... 7-1
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4

Recommended Data Flow of State Processing ................................................................. 7-2
Data from the Quarterly Contributions Report ................................................................. 7-4
Extracting Data and Delinquent Accounts........................................................................ 7-6
Loading Data for Multi-unit Employers and Federal Installations................................. 7-16

Chapter 8 – Imputation of Missing and Delinquent Data...................................................... 8-1
8.1 Overview of Data Imputations.......................................................................................... 8-2
8.1.1 Follow-ups of Incomplete and Delinquent Reports ................................................... 8-2
8.1.2 Types of Imputations ................................................................................................. 8-3
8.2 Determining How Long to Impute Delinquent Records................................................... 8-5
8.3 Imputing Missing and Delinquent Data............................................................................ 8-7
8.3.1 Guidelines by Data Element ...................................................................................... 8-7
8.3.2 Multi Establishment Reporters ................................................................................ 8-10
8.4 System Options ............................................................................................................... 8-13
8.5 Imputation Codes and Indicator Flags ............................................................................ 8-14
8.6 Reviewing Imputations ................................................................................................... 8-16
8.7 Replacing Imputations with Live Data ........................................................................... 8-22
Chapter 9 – Editing Micro Data in the States ......................................................................... 9-1
9.1 Edit Types and Edit Levels ............................................................................................... 9-2
9.2 Editing for Reasonable Employment and Wage Levels ................................................... 9-7
9.2.1 Edits for Monthly and Average Employment............................................................ 9-8
9.2.2 Edits for Total and Average Wages ......................................................................... 9-13
9.3 Address Editing: At Least One Clean Address............................................................... 9-18
9.4 Multi-Establishment Editing........................................................................................... 9-20
9.5 Using Wage Records in Editing...................................................................................... 9-23
9.6 Using BLS Comment Codes........................................................................................... 9-24
9.7 Setting the Parameters..................................................................................................... 9-30
9.8 Determining the Research Needed.................................................................................. 9-32
9.9 Resources for Researching Suspect Data........................................................................ 9-34
9.10 Resolution of Suspect Records ..................................................................................... 9-36
9.11 Improving Data Quality ................................................................................................ 9-38
Chapter 10 – Macro File and the Integrated Edit ................................................................ 10-1
10.1 Aggregating Reporting Units by County, Ownership, and Industry Codes ................. 10-2

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10.2 Macro Level of the Integrated Edit............................................................................... 10-4
10.3 Code Changes and Macro Data..................................................................................... 10-8
10.3.1 Code Change Integration for Noneconomic Code Changes .................................. 10-8
10.3.2 Other Code Changes ............................................................................................ 10-11
10.4 Macro Data Review .................................................................................................... 10-13
Chapter 11 – Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing .......................... 11-1
11.1 Overview of CCS Processing........................................................................................ 11-2
11.2 Micro File Data Elements for the CCS ......................................................................... 11-4
11.3 Generating the CCS File ............................................................................................... 11-8
11.4 Micro Edits and EQUI Updates for the CCS .............................................................. 11-11
11.4.1 Micro Edits That Affect the CCS......................................................................... 11-11
11.4.2 Updating Response Codes, Old Fields, and Other Data ...................................... 11-14
11.4.3 The BLS-Washington System Reassigns Some ARS Response Codes .............. 11-15
11.5 Handling Code Changes for Special Cases................................................................. 11-18
11.5.1 Multi-unit Breakouts with Code Changes............................................................ 11-19
11.5.2 Multi-unit Collapses with Code Changes ............................................................ 11-24
11.5.3 Predecessors and Successors with Code Changes ............................................... 11-27
11.5.4 How the System Handles Missing Employment or Wages ................................. 11-29
11.5.5 When Out-of-Business Units Have No Successor............................................... 11-32
11.6 Generating the Summary of Differences File for the Integrated Edit......................... 11-33
11.7 Printed Output from CCS Processing ......................................................................... 11-35
11.7.1 CCS Table 1: Response Code Change................................................................ 11-35
11.7.2 CCS Tables 1A and 1B: Code Changes for Large Records................................. 11-37
11.7.3 CCS Table 2: CCS Creation Counts Report ....................................................... 11-41
11.7.4 Missing Code Changes, Problem Response Codes, and Other Reports .............. 11-42
11.7.5 Summary of Differences Reports......................................................................... 11-47
11.8 Additional BLS-Washington Processing of Code Change Data................................. 11-50
11.9 Cleaning CCS Data ..................................................................................................... 11-52
Chapter 12 – Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI .......................................................... 12-1
12.1 State Processing to Generate a Clean Deliverable........................................................ 12-2
12.2 Creating the Deliverable EQUI File ............................................................................. 12-4
12.2.1 EQUI Records and Transaction Types .................................................................. 12-4
12.2.2 Special Measures to Maintain Consistency between Files .................................... 12-9
12.2.3 Corrections and Updates for Earlier Quarters...................................................... 12-10
12.2.4 Header and Trailer Records ................................................................................. 12-13
12.3 Transmitting the File................................................................................................... 12-16
12.3.1 Transmittal Options ............................................................................................. 12-17
12.3.2 Using the QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form............................................. 12-22
12.4 Sending Test Files When Making System Changes ................................................... 12-25
12.5 File Retention.............................................................................................................. 12-26
Chapter 13 – BLS Processing of the EQUI Data .................................................................. 13-1
13.1 Overview of BLS Processing........................................................................................ 13-2

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13.1.1 BLS Micro File ...................................................................................................... 13-2
13.1.2 Normal BLS Processing of EQUI Files ................................................................. 13-3
13.1.3 Macro Data for Key Users and Publication ........................................................... 13-5
13.1.4 Locking Out Data Changes for Older Quarters ..................................................... 13-5
13.1.5 Special Processing to Ensure Consistent, Accurate Data ...................................... 13-6
13.2 Output from BLS Processing ........................................................................................ 13-8
13.2.1 BLS Pre-edits the Data........................................................................................... 13-8
13.2.2 EQUI Counts and Information............................................................................. 13-13
13.2.3 EQUI Management Information Spreadsheets .................................................... 13-18
13.2.4 EQUI Edit Listings .............................................................................................. 13-19
13.3 BLS Review and State Correction Procedures ........................................................... 13-90
13.3.1 BLS Review Activity........................................................................................... 13-90
13.3.2 State Correction Activity ..................................................................................... 13-94
13.3.3 Edit Priorities ....................................................................................................... 13-95
13.3.4 Four Week Correction File (Subset) .................................................................. 13-100
13.3.5 Clean Declaration/Quarterly Signoff ................................................................. 13-100
13.4 BLS Estimates for Late Files .................................................................................... 13-102
13.4.1 BLS-Related Users and Uses ............................................................................. 13-102
13.4.2 Level of BLS Estimation ................................................................................... 13-103
13.4.3 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 13-104
13.4.4 Estimate Output Listings.................................................................................... 13-108
13.4.5 Review of BLS-Generated Estimates ................................................................ 13-112
13.4.6 Time Schedule for BLS-Generated Estimates ................................................... 13-112
13.4.7 Replacing Estimates with Live Data.................................................................. 13-113
Chapter 14 – Coordinating with BLS to Validate State Reporting..................................... 14-1
Chapter 15 – Recurring Coverage and Reporting Problems............................................... 15-1
15.1 Common Employment Reporting Errors ...................................................................... 15-2
15.2 Atypical Payments to Employees ................................................................................. 15-6
15.3 Problem Industries ...................................................................................................... 15-10
Appendix A – Commissioner's Order on Confidentiality ..................................................... A-1
Appendix B – Data Element Definitions ................................................................................ B-1
A......................................................................................................................................... B-A-1
Action Code (Predecessor/Successor) ....................................................................... B-A-1
Address/Contact Source.............................................................................................. B-A-1
Agent Code ................................................................................................................. B-A-1
ARS Response Code ................................................................................................... B-A-2
ARS Refile Year ......................................................................................................... B-A-3
ARS Verification Year................................................................................................ B-A-3
B......................................................................................................................................... B-B-1
Business Transfer Company ....................................................................................... B-B-1
C......................................................................................................................................... B-C-1

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Census ID.................................................................................................................... B-C-1
Check Digit ................................................................................................................. B-C-1
Class Code .................................................................................................................. B-C-2
Collection Mode Indicator (CMI)............................................................................... B-C-2
Collection Status ID.................................................................................................... B-C-3
Comment Code ........................................................................................................... B-C-3
(QCEW) Contact Name (Attention Line) ................................................................... B-C-4
(QCEW) Contact Title ................................................................................................ B-C-4
Contributions (Due) .................................................................................................... B-C-4
Contributions (Due) Indicator Flag............................................................................. B-C-5
County Code ............................................................................................................... B-C-6
Current Employment Statistics Indicator.................................................................... B-C-7
D......................................................................................................................................... B-D-1
Data Source................................................................................................................. B-D-1
Date PLA Changed (YYYYMMDD) ........................................................................ B-D-1
Delete Identifier .......................................................................................................... B-D-1
E ..........................................................................................................................................B-E-1
Economic Code Change Indicator (ECCI) .................................................................B-E-1
(QCEW Contact) Email Address .................................................................................B-E-1
Employer Identification Number (EIN).......................................................................B-E-2
End of Liability Date ...................................................................................................B-E-2
F ..........................................................................................................................................B-F-1
Fact of Discrepancy Information .................................................................................B-F-1
Fact of Discrepancy Year.............................................................................................B-F-1
Fact of Discrepancy Month..........................................................................................B-F-1
Fact of Discrepancy Control/Action Code...................................................................B-F-1
Fact of Discrepancy NAICS ........................................................................................B-F-2
Fact of Discrepancy County.........................................................................................B-F-2
Fact of Discrepancy Explanation .................................................................................B-F-2
(QCEW Contact) Fax Number.....................................................................................B-F-2
Field Lock Position ......................................................................................................B-F-3
Format Type (Predecessor/Successor).........................................................................B-F-3
Future ARS Refile Year...............................................................................................B-F-4
Future ARS Response Code.........................................................................................B-F-4
Future ARS NAICS Code............................................................................................B-F-5
Future ARS County Code ............................................................................................B-F-5
Future ARS Township Code........................................................................................B-F-5
Future ARS CMI Code ................................................................................................B-F-6
Future Use....................................................................................................................B-F-6
G......................................................................................................................................... B-G-1
Geocoding Software.................................................................................................... B-G-1
Geocode Source .......................................................................................................... B-G-1
H......................................................................................................................................... B-H-1
I ............................................................................................................................................B-I-1
Initial Date of Liability .................................................................................................B-I-1
J ........................................................................................................................................... B-J-1

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K......................................................................................................................................... B-K-1
L ..........................................................................................................................................B-L-1
Latitude ........................................................................................................................B-L-1
Legal Name..................................................................................................................B-L-1
Location Code..............................................................................................................B-L-3
Longitude .....................................................................................................................B-L-4
M ....................................................................................................................................... B-M-1
Mailing/Other (M/O) Address Block......................................................................... B-M-1
Mailing/Other Address Line 1 ................................................................................... B-M-1
Mailing/Other Address Line 2 ................................................................................... B-M-1
Mailing/Other Address City....................................................................................... B-M-2
Mailing/Other Address State...................................................................................... B-M-2
Mailing/Other Address ZIP Code .............................................................................. B-M-3
Mailing/Other Address ZIP Code Extension ............................................................. B-M-3
Mailing/Other Address Type ..................................................................................... B-M-3
Match Code................................................................................................................ B-M-4
Maximum Reporting Unit Number............................................................................ B-M-4
Monthly Employment and Monthly Employment Indicators.................................... B-M-5
First Month Employment........................................................................................... B-M-5
First Month Employment Indicator Flag ................................................................... B-M-6
Second Month Employment ...................................................................................... B-M-6
Second Month Employment Indicator Flag............................................................... B-M-7
Third Month Employment ......................................................................................... B-M-8
Third Month Employment Indicator Flag.................................................................. B-M-8
Multi Establishment Employer Indicator................................................................... B-M-9
MWR Mail Indicator................................................................................................ B-M-10
N......................................................................................................................................... B-N-1
NAICS Code ............................................................................................................... B-N-1
NAICS02 ― (Previously called NSTA)..................................................................... B-N-1
Narrative Comment..................................................................................................... B-N-2
Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Code...................................................................... B-N-2
Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year Agreed.......................................................... B-N-3
Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year Ended ........................................................... B-N-3
O......................................................................................................................................... B-O-1
Old County.................................................................................................................. B-O-1
Old NAICS.................................................................................................................. B-O-1
Old Ownership ............................................................................................................ B-O-2
Old Township.............................................................................................................. B-O-3
Organization Type Indicator ....................................................................................... B-O-4
Ownership Code.......................................................................................................... B-O-4
Ownership Extension .................................................................................................. B-O-5
P ..........................................................................................................................................B-P-1
PEO Client Information from EDI or other sources ....................................................B-P-1
PEO Client UI Account Number .................................................................................B-P-1
PEO Client Employer Identification (EI) Number ......................................................B-P-1
PEO Client Telephone Number ...................................................................................B-P-1

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PEO Client Month and Year Became a Client.............................................................B-P-2
PEO Client Month and Year Ceased to be a Client .....................................................B-P-2
PEO Client Worksite Economic Activity Description.................................................B-P-2
Physical Location Address Block ................................................................................B-P-2
Physical Location Address Line 1 ...............................................................................B-P-3
Physical Location Address Line 2 ...............................................................................B-P-4
Physical Location Address City...................................................................................B-P-4
Physical Location Address State..................................................................................B-P-5
Physical Location Address ZIP Code ..........................................................................B-P-5
Physical Location Address ZIP Code Extension .........................................................B-P-6
Place (City) Code.........................................................................................................B-P-6
PLA Type Code ...........................................................................................................B-P-7
Predecessor SESA ID ..................................................................................................B-P-7
Predecessor UI Account Number.................................................................................B-P-7
Predecessor Reporting Unit Number ...........................................................................B-P-8
Predecessor/Successor Source Code..........................................................................B-P-10
Predecessor/Successor Posting Date..........................................................................B-P-11
Predecessor/Successor Narrative Comment ..............................................................B-P-11
Predecessor/Successor Transfer Date ........................................................................B-P-11
Q......................................................................................................................................... B-Q-1
Quarter ........................................................................................................................ B-Q-1
R......................................................................................................................................... B-R-1
Reactivation Date........................................................................................................ B-R-1
Reporting Unit Description......................................................................................... B-R-1
Reporting Unit Number .............................................................................................. B-R-2
S ..........................................................................................................................................B-S-1
Setup Date....................................................................................................................B-S-1
Shared Secret/Temporary Password ............................................................................B-S-1
SIC Code......................................................................................................................B-S-2
Solicitation ID/Temporary ID......................................................................................B-S-2
Special Indicator ..........................................................................................................B-S-2
State Code ....................................................................................................................B-S-3
State Use Field .............................................................................................................B-S-3
Status Code ..................................................................................................................B-S-3
Successor SESA ID......................................................................................................B-S-4
Successor UI Account Number....................................................................................B-S-4
Successor Reporting Unit Number ..............................................................................B-S-5
T ..........................................................................................................................................B-T-1
Tax Rate .......................................................................................................................B-T-1
Taxable Wages.............................................................................................................B-T-1
Taxable Wages Indicator Flag .....................................................................................B-T-1
Telephone Number.......................................................................................................B-T-2
Telephone Extension....................................................................................................B-T-3
Total Wages .................................................................................................................B-T-3
Total Wages Indicator Flag..........................................................................................B-T-3
Township Code ............................................................................................................B-T-4

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Township Extension.....................................................................................................B-T-5
Trade Name..................................................................................................................B-T-5
Transaction Code .........................................................................................................B-T-5
Type of Coverage.........................................................................................................B-T-6
U......................................................................................................................................... B-U-1
UI Account Number.................................................................................................... B-U-1
UI Address Block........................................................................................................ B-U-1
UI Address Line 1....................................................................................................... B-U-2
UI Address Line 2....................................................................................................... B-U-2
UI Address City .......................................................................................................... B-U-2
UI Address State ......................................................................................................... B-U-3
UI Address ZIP Code.................................................................................................. B-U-3
UI Address ZIP Code Extension................................................................................. B-U-4
UI Address Type Code................................................................................................ B-U-4
V......................................................................................................................................... B-V-1
Version Fields ............................................................................................................. B-V-1
Administrative Version............................................................................................... B-V-1
Quarterly Version........................................................................................................ B-V-1
W....................................................................................................................................... B-W-1
Wage Record Count of Unique Social Security Numbers (SSNs) ............................ B-W-1
Wage Record Count Migrating to Largest Wage Record Recipient
(Possible or Actual Successor)....................................................................... B-W-1
Wage Record – Largest Wage Record Recipient – Possible or Actual Successor .... B-W-2
Wage Record Count from Largest Wage Record Contributor
(Possible or Actual Predecessor) ................................................................... B-W-2
Wage Record – Largest Wage Record Contributor –
Possible or Actual Predecessor ...................................................................... B-W-3
Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce “New Entrants” ................................... B-W-4
Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce – Hires ................................................. B-W-4
Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce “Exits”................................................. B-W-5
Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce – Separations ....................................... B-W-5
Wage Record Count of “Continuous Records” ......................................................... B-W-6
Wage Record Wages.................................................................................................. B-W-6
Website Address ........................................................................................................ B-W-7
X......................................................................................................................................... B-X-1
Y......................................................................................................................................... B-Y-1
Year ......................................................................................................................... B-Y-1
Year and Quarter of New Latitude and Longitude ..................................................... B-Y-1
Z ..........................................................................................................................................B-Z-1

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Appendix C – State Codes........................................................................................................ C-1
Appendix D – Due Dates and Cleanup Deadlines .................................................................. D-1
Appendix E – State Processing Schedule ................................................................................ E-1
Quarterly Processing Cycle..............................................................................................E-1
Macro deliverable due......................................................................................................E-7
EQUI File due ..................................................................................................................E-7
Cleanup File due ..............................................................................................................E-8
Clean certifications due....................................................................................................E-8
Annual Processing Cycle .................................................................................................E-9
Appendix F – Edit Conditions and Formulas.........................................................................F-1
Frequently Used Formulas...............................................................................................F-2
Frequently Used Symbols ................................................................................................F-3
Level 1 Edit Descriptions – Pre-edits ................................................................................. F-1-1
001 — Transaction Code Check .................................................................................. F-1-1
002 — UI Account Number (UI#) Check.................................................................... F-1-1
003 — Reporting Unit Number (RUN) Check ............................................................ F-1-2
004 — Reference Year (YEAR) Check....................................................................... F-1-2
005 — Reference Quarter (QTR) Check ..................................................................... F-1-3
006 — State Code Check............................................................................................. F-1-3
Level 2 Edit Descriptions – Key Field Edits ...................................................................... F-2-1
010 — NAICS Code Check......................................................................................... F-2-1
011 — SIC Code Check............................................................................................... F-2-2
012 — Ownership (OWN) Code Check ...................................................................... F-2-2
013 — County (CNTY) Code Check........................................................................... F-2-3
016 — Ownership/NAICS Conflict............................................................................. F-2-4
017 —NAICS Revision Check .................................................................................... F-2-5
Level 3 Edit Descriptions – Date and Status Code Edits.................................................... F-3-1
021 — Liability Date Format Check ........................................................................... F-3-1
022 — End of Liability Date Format Check................................................................ F-3-2
023 — Setup Date Format Check ................................................................................ F-3-3
024 — Reactivation Date Format Check ..................................................................... F-3-4
025 — Status Code Check ........................................................................................... F-3-5
Level 4 Edit Descriptions – Remaining Invalid Error Edits ............................................... F-4-1
031 — First Month Employment (M1) Check ............................................................ F-4-1
032 — Second Month Employment (M2) Check ........................................................ F-4-1
033 — Third Month Employment (M3) Check........................................................... F-4-2
034 — Total Wages (TW) Check ................................................................................ F-4-2
035 — Taxable Wages (TAXW) Check...................................................................... F-4-3
036 — Contributions (CTB) Check............................................................................. F-4-3
039 — Type of Coverage Check ................................................................................. F-4-4
040 — MEEI Code Check ........................................................................................... F-4-4

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043 — Predecessor UI Account Number or
Predecessor Reporting Unit Number Check .................................................... F-4-5
044 — Successor UI Account Number Check or
Successor Reporting Unit Number Check ....................................................... F-4-6
045 — Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) Check................................... F-4-7
046 — ARS Response Code/Year Check.................................................................... F-4-8
047 — Tax Rate Range Check................................................................................... F-4-10
048 — Comment Code Check ................................................................................... F-4-10
049 — First Month Employment Indicator Check .................................................... F-4-11
050 — Second Month Employment Indicator Check................................................ F-4-11
051 — Third Month Employment Indicator Check................................................... F-4-12
052 — Total Wages Indicator Check......................................................................... F-4-12
053 — Taxable Wages Indicator Check .................................................................... F-4-12
054 — Contribution Due Indicator Check................................................................. F-4-13
056 — Federal/Type of Coverage Check .................................................................. F-4-13
057 — Federal/Taxable Wage Check ........................................................................ F-4-14
058 — Federal/Contributions Check ......................................................................... F-4-14
059 — Coverage/Taxable Wage Check..................................................................... F-4-15
060 — Coverage/Contributions Check...................................................................... F-4-15
062 — Taxable > Total Wage Check ........................................................................ F-4-16
063 — Contributions > Taxable Wages Check ......................................................... F-4-16
064 — Inconsistent MEEI and Reporting Unit Number Check ................................ F-4-17
065 — Inconsistent County and Township Codes Check ......................................... F-4-18
066 — Predecessor Account Format Check .............................................................. F-4-19
067 — Successor Account Format Check ................................................................. F-4-20
070 — Address Edits ................................................................................................. F-4-21
072 — Blank Name Check ........................................................................................ F-4-23
074 — Old Ownership Code Check .......................................................................... F-4-23
075 — Old County Code Check ................................................................................ F-4-24
076 — Old County/Township Code Check ............................................................... F-4-25
078 — Old NAICS Code Check................................................................................ F-4-26
080 — Indian Tribal Indicator Ownership/NAICS Conflict Check .......................... F-4-27
085 — Potential Predecessor Check .......................................................................... F-4-28
086 — Potential Successor Check ............................................................................. F-4-29
088 — Large Record without Usable PLA Check..................................................... F-4-31
Level 5 Edit Descriptions – Large Record Employment and Wage Edits.......................... F-5-1
089 — Large Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 1 (WIN-202) ............... F-5-1
090 — Large Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 2 (WIN-202) ............... F-5-1
091 — Large Monthly Employment Change Check ................................................... F-5-2
092 — Large Wage Change Check ........................................................................... F-5-19
093 — Employment Without Wages Check.............................................................. F-5-29
094 — Wages Without Employment Check.............................................................. F-5-30
095 — Wages/Employment Sum Check ................................................................... F-5-31
096 — Large New Record Check.............................................................................. F-5-32
097 — Large Discontinued Record Check ................................................................ F-5-34
099 — Large Imputation Check ................................................................................ F-5-35

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Level 6 Edit Descriptions – Warning Edits ........................................................................ F-6-1
101 — (Mailing/Other) Address Type (MOA TYPE) Code Check ............................ F-6-1
102 — Blank Physical Location City Check ............................................................... F-6-2
103 — Physical Location State Abbreviation Check .................................................. F-6-2
104 — Physical Location ZIP Code Format Check and
Physical Location ZIP Code Extension Format Check.................................... F-6-3
105 — Telephone Number Check ............................................................................... F-6-4
106 — UI Address City Check .................................................................................... F-6-5
107 — UI State Abbreviation Check ........................................................................... F-6-6
108 — UI Address ZIP Code Format Check and
UI Address ZIP Code Extension Format Check .............................................. F-6-6
109 — Blank Mailing/Other City Check ..................................................................... F-6-8
110 — Mailing/Other State Abbreviation Check ........................................................ F-6-8
111 — Mailing/Other Zip Code Format Check and
Mailing/Other Zip Code Extension Format Check.......................................... F-6-9
112 — Fax Number Check ........................................................................................ F-6-10
114 — Physical Address Format Check .................................................................... F-6-12
116 — Missing Federal Employer Identification Number Check ............................. F-6-13
118 — Tax Rate Consistency Check ......................................................................... F-6-14
119 — Missing Taxable Wage Check ....................................................................... F-6-15
120 — Non-Economic Code Change Check ............................................................. F-6-16
121 — Reversed Code Change Check....................................................................... F-6-20
123 — CCS Edit Checks............................................................................................ F-6-20
124 — Active Account Check ................................................................................... F-6-21
125 — Liability Check............................................................................................... F-6-22
126 — Monthly Employment Change Check............................................................ F-6-23
127 — Wage Change Check...................................................................................... F-6-23
128 — Identical Monthly Employment Check.......................................................... F-6-23
129 — Taxable/Total Wage Change Check .............................................................. F-6-24
130 — Employment Without Wages Check.............................................................. F-6-25
131 — Wages Without Employment......................................................................... F-6-25
132 — Wages/Employment Sum Check ................................................................... F-6-26
133 — Unclassified Industry Check .......................................................................... F-6-26
134 — Number of Establishments Change Check .................................................... F-6-27
135 — New and Discontinued Macro Record Checks .............................................. F-6-28
136 — Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 1 (WIN-202)........................ F-6-28
137 — Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 2 (WIN-202)........................ F-6-29
138 — Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 3 (WIN-202)........................ F-6-29
139 — New Record Check ........................................................................................ F-6-30
140 — Discontinued Record Check .......................................................................... F-6-30
146 — Inconsistent Old Code Check......................................................................... F-6-30
Level 7 Edit Descriptions – Predecessor/Successor Edits .................................................. F-7-1
156 — Predecessor/Successor County Code Change Conflict Edit ............................ F-7-2
157 — Predecessor/Successor Ownership Code Change Conflict Edit ...................... F-7-2
159 — Predecessor/Successor Township Code Change Conflict Edit........................ F-7-3
160 — Predecessor/Successor Overlap Edit................................................................ F-7-3

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161 — Predecessor/Successor Employment Gap Edit ................................................ F-7-4
164 — Predecessor/Successor NAICS Code Change Conflict Edit............................ F-7-4
Level 8 Edit Descriptions – Multi-establishment Edits ...................................................... F-8-1
171 — First Month Employment Additivity/Balance Check ...................................... F-8-2
172 — Second Month Employment Additivity/Balance Check.................................. F-8-4
173 — Third Month Employment Additivity/Balance Check..................................... F-8-5
174 — Total Wages Additivity/Balance Check........................................................... F-8-7
175 — Taxable Wages Additivity/Balance Check ...................................................... F-8-9
176 — Contributions Additivity/Balance Check....................................................... F-8-10
178 — Master Without Multiple Worksites Check ................................................... F-8-12
179 — Worksites Without Master Account Check ................................................... F-8-12
180 — Single Has Active Worksites Check .............................................................. F-8-13
181 — Master/Worksite Owner Code Check ............................................................ F-8-13
182 — Master/Worksite EIN Check.......................................................................... F-8-14
185 — Master/Worksite Indian Tribal Check ........................................................... F-8-14
Level 9 Edit Descriptions – Wage Record Edits ................................................................ F-9-1
193 — First Month Employment/Wage Record Comparison ..................................... F-9-1
194 — Second Month Employment/Wage Record Comparison................................. F-9-2
195 — Third Month Employment/Wage Record Comparison.................................... F-9-3
196 — Wage Record Check ........................................................................................ F-9-4
197 — Total Wages/Wage Record Wages Comparison Check................................... F-9-6
198 — Divergent Employment Trend Check .............................................................. F-9-7
Appendix G – Edit Codes and Messages ................................................................................G-1
Level 1 – Pre-edits .......................................................................................................... G-1
Level 2 – Key Field edits ................................................................................................ G-1
Level 3 – Date and Status Code Edits............................................................................. G-1
Level 4 – Remaining Invalid Error Edits........................................................................ G-2
Level 6 – Warning Edits ................................................................................................. G-2
Level 5 – Significant Employment and Wage Edits....................................................... G-3
Level 6 – Warning Edits ................................................................................................. G-3
Level 6 – Warning Edits (continued).............................................................................. G-4
Level 7 – Predecessor/Successor Edits ........................................................................... G-4
Level 8 – Multi-establishment Edits ............................................................................... G-4
Level 8 – Multi-establishment Edits (continued)............................................................ G-5
Level 9 – Wage Record Edits ......................................................................................... G-5
Appendix H – Edit Parameters................................................................................................H-1
Appendix I – Comment Codes .................................................................................................. I-1
I.1 – Comment Codes Short Titles............................................................................................I-2
I.2 – Comment Codes Full Detail .............................................................................................I-5
Appendix J – Imputation Formulas ......................................................................................... J-1
Selection for Imputation .................................................................................................. J-1

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Nomenclature................................................................................................................... J-2
Indicator Flags and Code Settings ................................................................................... J-3
Total Wage Imputation .................................................................................................... J-3
Taxable Wage Imputation.............................................................................................. J-12
Contributions Due Imputation ....................................................................................... J-14
Employment Imputation ................................................................................................ J-16
Imputation Report Code Settings and Indicator Flags................................................... J-30
Appendix K – EQUI File Layout.............................................................................................K-1
EQUI Data Record.......................................................................................................... K-1
Predecessor/Successor Supplemental Records ............................................................... K-5
EQUI Header Record...................................................................................................... K-5
EQUI Trailer Record..................................................................................................... K-12
Appendix L – Code Change Supplement (CCS) File Layout ............................................... L-1
Appendix M – Summary of Differences File Layout............................................................ M-1
Appendix N – MWR File Layouts ........................................................................................... N-1
Standard 424 MWR File Format Exported to the States from the EDIC ....................... N-1
Supplemental P/S Record Format (EDIC)...................................................................... N-5
Standard 799 MWR File Format Exported to the States via
MWRweb (Collected Data file) .......................................................................... N-5
350 Position MWR File Format with Four-Digit Year – Received by EDIC .............. N-10
Standard 350 MWR File Format (for PEOs) with Four-Digit Year –
Received by EDIC ............................................................................................ N-12
Standard 350 MWR File Format (for PPF's) with Four-Digit Year –
Received by EDIC ............................................................................................ N-15
Additional MWRweb Record Formats ......................................................................... N-17
Appendix O – Central Collection Data Editing .....................................................................O-1
Normal CenCo2 Processing from Initial Load Through Export..................................... O-2
General Differences Between CenCo2 and the State/BLS Systems............................... O-3
CenCo2 Pre-edits ............................................................................................................ O-4
Detail Edits...................................................................................................................... O-5
Consistency Edits............................................................................................................ O-6
State Parameters.............................................................................................................. O-7
Interquarter Edits ............................................................................................................ O-8
Birth Record Edits......................................................................................................... O-10
Non-Wage, Non-Employment Interquarter Checks ..................................................... O-11
Appendix P – Data Collection Forms.......................................................................................P-1
BLS 3023 NVS form .......................................................................................................P-2
BLS 3023 NVM form ......................................................................................................P-4

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BLS 3023 NCA form .......................................................................................................P-9
BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with six or fewer subunits....................................P-11
BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with six or fewer subunits.............................P-13
BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with more than six subunits .................................P-15
BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with more than six subunits ..........................P-19
Appendix Q – ARS Refiling Codes..........................................................................................Q-1
Appendix R – ARS Management Report and File Layout ................................................... R-1
Appendix S – BLS Addresses....................................................................................................S-1
Appendix T – Useful Links and References ........................................................................... T-1
American Statistical Association (ASA) .........................................................................T-1
AutoNAICS......................................................................................................................T-1
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)..............................................................................T-1
Business Employment Dynamics (BED).........................................................................T-1
Bureau of the Census .......................................................................................................T-2
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).....................................................................................T-2
BLS Handbook of Methods .............................................................................................T-2
City/County Cross Reference ..........................................................................................T-2
Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws.....................................................T-2
Corporate Information .....................................................................................................T-2
Department of Labor (DOL)............................................................................................T-2
Econ Data.Net ..................................................................................................................T-3
EXPO-202........................................................................................................................T-3
Electronic Data Interchange Center (EDIC) ....................................................................T-3
Electronic Data Reporting................................................................................................T-3
Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) ................................................T-3
Federal Statistics (FedStats).............................................................................................T-3
Federal Web Locator........................................................................................................T-4
FedWorld Information Network ......................................................................................T-4
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)...........................................................T-4
Information Technology Support Center (ITSC).............................................................T-4
Melissa Data.....................................................................................................................T-4
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary ........................................................................................T-4
Mexico National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics
(INEGI in Spanish) ..............................................................................................T-5
Monthly Labor Review Online ........................................................................................T-5
Multiple Worksite Report (MWR)...................................................................................T-5
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)..............................................T-5
OFO Fed/State Programs State Intranet...........................................................................T-5
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)..................................................T-5
Social Security’s Online Guide to Wage Reporting for Employers ................................T-6
Statistics Canada ..............................................................................................................T-6

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SuperPages.......................................................................................................................T-6
Unemployment Insurance Program Letters (UIPL).........................................................T-6
WIN-202 ..........................................................................................................................T-6
Workforce Information Council ......................................................................................T-6
ZipInfo .............................................................................................................................T-7
Zip+4 Code Lookup.........................................................................................................T-7
Appendix U – Publication Macro Aggregation Levels .......................................................... U-1
Appendix V – Geocode File Layouts ....................................................................................... V-1
Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... g-1
Index.............................................................................................................................................i-1

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Chapter 1 – Overview of the QCEW Program
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Program, formerly referred to as the
ES-202 program, is a cooperative program involving the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) and
the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor. The QCEW program
collects employment and wage information for workers covered by State Unemployment
Insurance (UI) laws and for Federal workers covered by the Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees (UCFE) program. Data collected under the QCEW program serve as a
sampling frame for BLS establishment surveys and as an input to other Federal and State
programs, thereby playing a central role in monitoring the nation's economy. The data are
gathered through the cooperation of various offices within the SWAs and BLS.
The program began with the Social Security Act of 1935 and evolved into a cornerstone of
modern labor market information. The process of data collection occurs on a quarterly basis
through the production of the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file and on
an annual basis through the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS). States produce the data and send it
to BLS using a standardized State processing system. Common terminology is used for clear and
consistent communication and reporting of data throughout the program. Data and information
is closely related to the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program, and many State staff
carry out responsibilities for both programs.
------------------------- Contents of Chapter 1 ------------------------1.1 The Program and Its Data
1.1.1 Data Sources
1.1.2 Data Transmission via the EQUI
1.2 Purpose and Uses of the Data
1.3 History of the QCEW Program
1.4 Responsibilities of the Participants
1.5 Overview of Quarterly and Annual Processing
1.5.1 Main Processing Flow
1.5.2 Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)
1.5.3 Centrally Collected MWR and Federal Data from EDIC
1.5.4 MWR Data Collected in State
1.5.5 RFEWs and Federal Data Collected in State
1.5.6 MWR/RFEW Data Collected via MWRweb
1.5.7 Longitudinal Database
1.6 Using Standardized Processing Systems

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1.7 Definitions - Basic Terms
1.8 Coverage of the QCEW Program
1.9 Current Employment Statistics and the QCEW Program

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1.1 The Program and Its Data
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Program, formerly referred to as the
ES-202 program, is a Federal/State cooperative program between the State Workforce Agencies
(SWAs) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This joint program produces a collection of
highly detailed, accurate, and comprehensive employment and wage totals for every county in
the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The State agencies work in cooperation
with the BLS to gather data and publish information derived from those data. A common set of
micro data is used for State and national purposes. These programs are funded through annual
Cooperative Agreements between the States and BLS.
The QCEW program collects employment and wage information for workers covered by State
unemployment insurance (UI) laws and for Federal workers covered by the Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program. Jobs that are exempt or otherwise not
covered by unemployment insurance are not included. In the private sector, this includes certain
wage and salary agricultural employees, self-employed farmers, self-employed nonagricultural
workers, domestic workers, and unpaid family workers. Workers covered by the railroad
unemployment insurance system and members of the Armed Forces, including those stationed in
the United States, are also excluded. Certain types of nonprofit employers, such as religious
organizations, are given a choice of coverage or exclusion in a number of States, so data for their
employees are reported to a limited degree. Some students and spouses of students in the
employ of schools, colleges, and universities are also excluded. See Section 1.8 for more details
on program coverage.
At the micro level, the QCEW program data includes wage, employment, address and coding
information for individual establishments. Because the QCEW program collects micro data from
over eight million business establishments, the scope of this collection is a virtual census of
payroll employment. The resulting micro data is used as a sampling frame for Bureau surveys
and linked longitudinally for labor market research.
At the macro level, the data are aggregated by industry, ownership, and county to produce a
comprehensive set of employment and wage totals for every county in the United States, Puerto
Rico, and the Virgin Islands. This macro data are then summed further to produce totals by
metropolitan area, State, and the nation as a whole at every level of industrial detail. The
resulting data are a strict hierarchical structure of over three million macro cells giving detailed,
accurate, and comprehensive macro data for every covered sector of the US economy.
The strength of the QCEW macro level data is its comprehensiveness, which results in more
accurate data and substantial industry and geographic detail. The data series produced are the
most complete universe of monthly employment and quarterly wage information available by
industry, ownership, county, and State. A limitation of QCEW data is that the QCEW data are
not as timely as other data series such as the Current Employment Statistics (CES) data, which is
a monthly survey of a smaller number of reporters.

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Data are collected from new employers via Initial Status Forms and other means. Ongoing
employers report wage and employment data via the Quarterly Contributions Report (QCR) or
the Multiple Worksite Report. MWR and RFEW data are collected centrally for some reporters.
Coding information is updated regularly via the Annual Refiling Survey. All of this data is
transmitted to BLS-Washington via the key State deliverable, the Enhanced Quarterly
Unemployment Insurance file.

1.1.1 Data Sources
New employers register their business with the State UI tax unit via Initial Status Forms,
websites, and other means. This registration provides basic business identification and
classification information to establish a UI account. UI tax administration, the QCRs, and the
Initial Status Forms are all under the oversight of the Employment and Training Administration
(ETA). The QCRs and the Initial Status Forms are State-specific; neither are standardized across
States. UI tax departments generally handle follow-up with employers for delinquent and
missing data for these two forms.
The MWRs provide monthly employment, quarterly wages, and UI tax information. Unlike the
QCR, the MWRs break out the reported data by worksite. The cooperative program obtains
information on the location and industrial activity of each reported establishment and then
assigns location and industrial classification codes accordingly. This establishment level
information is aggregated by industry code to the county and higher aggregation levels.
Some employers with more than one worksite also file Multiple Worksite Reports with the
QCEW unit of each State in which they have multiple worksites. For some employers, this
requires filing QCRs to UI tax departments in various States as well as filing MWR reports to
QCEW units in those same States. To minimize this burden, BLS has provided some of these
reporters with the means to report all of their MWR data to one central location at the Electronic
Data Interchange Center. Such reporters include employers operating numerous worksites in
several States, large government agencies, and service bureaus who handle payroll functions for
many different firms.
The Electronic Data Interchange Center, also known as the EDI Center or EDIC, is located in
Chicago, Illinois. Employers who submit their data to the EDI Center are considered central
reporters. In addition to MWR data, the EDI Center receives files of Report of Federal
Employment and Wage (RFEW) data for some Federal government reporters including the
Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Postal Service. (See Chapter 4.) Most EDI
data are submitted in a standard ASCII format that was developed in coordination with the CES
program. The EDI Center handles central reporting for both the QCEW and CES programs and
solicits potential central reporters for both programs. Once processing for a company’s quarterly
data is finished, the EDI Center distributes the data electronically to the States. The complexity
of operations required by the EDI Center is justified by the substantial savings in time and
money these operations provide to the SWAs.

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A separate but related activity is the ARS. This survey is used to verify or update industry,
geographic, and ownership codes; collect physical location and mailing addresses for single-unit
employers; and identify new multi-unit employers. The ARS interfaces with the regular QCEW
program quarterly processing at two points:
1. The units selected for the survey that have all the necessary information are extracted from
the State's micro database at the start of the survey, typically in the last quarter of the calendar
year.
2. The results of the survey are incorporated back into the State's micro database for processing
of first-quarter data the following summer. This information results in MWR breakouts, code
changes, and address enhancement.

1.1.2 Data Transmission via the EQUI
Approximately four months after the end of the reference quarter, States produce their key
QCEW deliverable for BLS -- the EQUI file. This file contains all business establishment
records for the applicable reference quarter plus update transactions for prior quarters. EQUI
records include the following information:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

UI Account Number
Reporting Unit Number
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Trade Name
Legal Name
Reporting Unit Description
Addresses (up to three)
Telephone Number, Fax Number and Email Address
Monthly Employment
Quarterly Wages
Classification Codes - Industry, County/Township, and Ownership
Geocoding Information
State Analyst Comments
Predecessor/Successor Information
Numerous other data elements that serve a variety of program purposes.

States submit their EQUI file to BLS-Washington. Several transmittal methods are possible
depending on the standardized State system being used and the size of the file. (See Section
12.3.) Most commonly, for States not at the service center, the size of most EQUI files requires
use of a cartridge or tape shipped via an overnight service. The States complete and submit
transmittal forms (preferably via email) that give notice of the data submittal and include certain
pieces of information necessary to facilitate Division of Business Establishment Systems
(DBES) processing. As the EQUI data of the States are received, DBES aggregates the data and

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provides it to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) for their data uses. Each State’s EQUI file is
processed through the BLS-Washington edit system, which produces a set of reports. Some are
error reports requiring further review, and some are reports counting, tabulating, and listing the
data in various ways for production review and quality control purposes.
Shortly before the due dates for producing the EQUI file deliverable for BLS-Washington, the
State begins to report status for the quarter. Status reporting is an ongoing process (typically
with a report due every two weeks or so) and is performed according to a schedule announced by
Office of Field Operations (OFO). The status report includes such information as the prognosis
for meeting the deliverable due date, the clean-up status for the prior quarter(s), and any changes
in the State’s processing environment. The States report the requested information to their
regional offices. The regional offices respond by compiling and submitting the information
requested of their States to OFO. OFO receives the reports from the regional offices and issues a
consolidated status report for all States.

Reviewing the Edit Outputs
The Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (DASLT), DBES, and the regional
offices all play roles in reviewing the BLS edit outputs and identifying potential problems in the
data, but it is the States that perform data clean up in response to the BLS edits. States address
the most critical errors first and use the guidance and/or priorities provided by the regional
offices. States further research the data, make necessary corrections to the micro level records,
and provide standard comment codes to explain unusual data.

Submitting EQUI Update Transactions
States submit update transactions in response to the BLS edits and the need to include any new
or corrected data to the initial file. States must submit these update transactions within a time
frame that allows the regional offices to give "clean" certification to the initial file 30 days after
the file has been received by BLS-Washington. States make the corrections in their State
database and then run steps that automatically create matching update transactions for the BLSWashington database. As with the full EQUI file, several transmittal methods are possible for
the EQUI update transactions file depending on the size of the file. (See Section 12.3.)
DBES processes the EQUI updates of the States. Another set of reports is produced reflecting
the updated data. As earlier in the cycle, DASLT, DBES, and the regional offices all play roles
in reviewing the BLS edit outputs and identifying any remaining problems in the data. Once the
regional office is satisfied with the data, they provide notice to BLS-Washington that the State’s
data are considered “clean.” This is, in actuality, an interim designation that must be
reconfirmed in the future quarters since update transactions often occur concurrently with the
data submittals for future quarters.

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Page 1-7

1.2 Purpose and Uses of the Data
The QCEW data are collected for statistical purposes and are used widely within the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, other government agencies, academic and research circles, and the public at
large.

The Longitudinal Database
One of the chief vehicles for using QCEW data is the Longitudinal Database. The quarterly
micro data are input into the LDB, which is the Bureau's central business establishment database.
Numerous Bureau surveys draw their sampling frames from the LDB. A critical part of this role
is the ability to link establishment records from quarter to quarter. While most establishments
maintain the same identifying information over time, establishments that are sold from one
owner to another typically experience a change to their primary identifier; such establishments
can appear to be a business death and birth rather than being continuous over time. LDB
processing is intended to link continuous establishments over time, regardless of any transfer of
ownership. Once the data are linked, the Division of Business Establishment Systems (DBES)
makes the updated business establishment list available for sampling by other Bureau programs.
Surveys that draw their sampling frames from the LDB include the Producer Price Index (PPI),
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), Current Employment Statistics (CES), Occupational
Safety and Health (OSH), National Compensation Survey (NCS), and Job Opening and National
Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
In addition to its role as the Bureau’s business establishment sampling database, the LDB is of
great interest to labor market researchers. Longitudinally linked data can produce accurate and
extensive statistics on business births and deaths for job creation and job destruction analysis. A
set of standard tables and statistical output is produced each quarter to show these changes within
the economy as a whole.

Broad Statistical Use
The QCEW data have broad significance in evaluating labor trends and major industry
developments and are used in time series analyses, industry comparisons, and special studies
such as analyses of wages by size of establishment. For example, the QCEW program outputs
are instrumental in determining Federal allocations of program grants to State and local
governments. Furthermore, these outputs serve as the basic source of benchmark information for
employment by industry and employment by size of establishment in the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) program, the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, and the
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Statistics program. The Bureau of Economic Analysis
(BEA) of the Department of Commerce uses QCEW wage data as a base for estimating a large
part of the wage and salary component of personal income accounts. The Social Security
Administration and State governments also use QCEW data in updating economic assumptions

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and forecasting trends in their taxable wage base. Business and public and private research
organizations find the QCEW program one of the best sources available of detailed employment
and wage statistics.
The QCEW program produces data necessary to both the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) and the various State Workforce Agencies in administering the
employment security program. The data accurately reflect the extent of coverage of the State
unemployment laws and are used to measure:
• UI revenues
• National, State, and local area employment
• Total and taxable wage trends
In addition to its usefulness as a measuring device, the information is used in the following ways:
• Actuarial studies
• Determining experience ratings
• Determining maximum benefit levels
• Determining areas needing Federal assistance
• Determining the solvency of unemployment insurance funds
For specific examples of who uses the QCEW data and for what purpose, refer to the following
table.
Data Users
Bureau of Economic Analysis

Bureau of the Census
Employment and Training Administration

BLS Directly Collected Surveys
Occupational Safety and Health Statistics
Program
Office of Employment and Unemployment
Statistics (OEUS) Programs

QCEW Program Office (DASLT)

Data Uses
Personal Income
(National Income and Product Accounts)
County Personal and Per Capita Income
Industry Coding
Possible Future Sampling
Actuarial and Trust Fund Analysis
Insured Unemployment Rate
Extended Benefit Trigger
Producer Price Index Sampling
NCS Sampling
Sampling and Benchmarking
CES Benchmarking and Estimation Research
Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
Program's Small Area Employment
Estimates
OES Sampling and Benchmarking
JOLTS Sampling and Benchmarking
Publication and Press Releases
Birth/Death and Gross Flow Studies
Other Longitudinal Analysis

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Data Users
SWA Research Units (Non-OEUS Programs)
SWA Employment Security Units
SWA UI Unit

Other State Government

Local Economic Planners
Private Sector Planning

Private Consultants
Academics
Media
General Public

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Data Uses
Wage Survey Sampling
Birth/Death Studies
Job Service Sampling for Audits
Computation of General UI Tax Rates
Setting UI Tax Rates for New Employers by
Industry
Determination of Maximum Weekly Benefit
Amounts
Revenue Department Budget Modeling
Regulatory Use (e.g., Survey Employers by
industry)
Measuring Demand for Transportation
Forecasting Demand for Schools, Roads, etc.
Economic Forecasting by Banks
Utilities Measuring Demand by Industry
Insurance Companies Setting Rates by
Industry
Econometric Modeling and Forecasting
Assorted Research
Articles and Publications
Miscellaneous

Publication of Data
Data from the QCEW program are regularly used to publish reports and issue press releases,
such as the following examples:
1. Employment and Wages Annual Averages: This annual bulletin is a comprehensive book of
QCEW macro data published 10 to 12 months after the close of the fourth quarter in the
reference year.
2. Wages and Employment: This quarterly news release provides data on establishments, total
wages, average weekly wages, and average monthly employment at the national level for the
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) supersector through 3-digit level of
detail.
3. Public Release Files: This macro data is available to the public on the web at LABSTAT, the
Bureau's public-access site. These data are essentially the full set of data from which the news
releases are extracted. As such, the public release files are typically available shortly after the
corresponding annual or quarterly press releases. The annual data includes establishments,
employment, total wages, average pay, and average weekly wage. The quarterly data includes
establishments, total wages, average weekly wage, and average monthly employment. Data are

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available at the county, metropolitan area, State, and national levels at full NAICS industry
detail.
4. Other Releases: In addition, BLS releases data on a quarterly basis through MLR articles and
other means. The cooperating SWAs also issue quarterly and/or annual reports of QCEW data.
States are required to publish QCEW data under the Labor Market Information (LMI)
cooperative agreement. These reports are issued in various formats.
BEA uses QCEW data to publish the Quarterly Employment and Wages quarterly. ETA uses
QCEW data to publish the Employment, Wages, Taxable Wages and Contributions Quarterly
and the Final Annual Average of Contributions as a Percentage of Taxable and Total Wages
(annual).
Notes:
To maintain the confidentiality of respondents, BLS withholds publication of UI-covered
employment and wage data that does not meet BLS disclosure criteria. (Note that Federal data
are not confidential.)
Since macro totals are hierarchically structured, totals for an entire State are the sum of each
county within the State. Likewise, totals at the national level are a sum of the State totals. If
lower-level totals are suppressed for confidentiality purposes, the upper-level totals are only
released if they do not reveal the suppressed data.

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1.3 History of the QCEW Program
Beginnings
The QCEW program began as a result of the Social Security Act of 1935, which among other
things, authorized collection of information to determine if State unemployment compensation
programs were in compliance with the act. Unemployment insurance was instituted to provide
temporary financial assistance to unemployed persons.
From the inception of the national UI system in 1938, when the Federal Unemployment Tax Act
(FUTA) became effective, until 1972, collection of the data, publication, and technical expertise
were the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Labor's Manpower Administration or its
predecessor agencies. In 1972, technical responsibility was transferred to BLS.

Deliverables
In 1980, the QCEW program deliverables consisted of a macro-level report with data classified
by 4-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code by ownership at the Statewide level.
This report, due the last day of the fifth month following the end of each quarter, was transmitted
to BLS on tape. Within BLS, these macro-level data were subjected to basic edits designed to
detect invalid data and list records that failed limited month-to-month employment and/or
average wage tests. No interquarter edit was performed to check changes in employment and/or
wage levels between quarters even though such changes account for most of the questionable
records. Interquarter changes often reflect changes in employer reporting from the previous to
the current quarter, for example, not submitting a quarterly contribution report or statistical
supplement, or installing a new payroll system. The States received the edit output from BLS
and were required to complete their review and provide corrections within a 60-day clean-up
period with regional office assistance.
States also independently provided the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) with a tape of
county-level QCEW data by 2-digit industry code 30 days after the ES-202 Report due date.
BEA used this data for their Personal Income and Gross National Product estimates. (BEA now
emphasizes Gross Domestic Product rather than Gross National Product.) BEA staff manually
reviewed the data and contacted the States directly with their questions for specific records.
BEA then provided BLS with a copy of these edited county-level employment and wage data to
satisfy various metropolitan area and county data requests and to develop a Wage Index for ETA.
This index was used to determine the maximum wages that an enrollee in the Comprehensive
Employment and Training Act (CETA) Public Service Employment (PSE) program could be
paid. BLS, using ETA working funds, compensated BEA for an accelerated review of these
county-level data so that the needs of ETA could be met.

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An Annual Refiling Survey (ARS), used to verify or update employer industry, area, and
ownership codes, was already part of the QCEW program at that time. Most States, however,
were not meeting the program goal of conducting the survey for 1/3 of the employer universe
each year, nor were many States following the cyclical ARS schedule recommended in the
QCEW Operating Manual. At the conclusion of the ARS each year, States were required to
submit a Code Change Supplement (CCS). The CCS report at that time was only a summary
listing of all the industry and ownership changes that would be effective with the next firstquarter ES-202 Report. This listing was produced at only the statewide level and was due on
July 31 of each year. It consisted of two sections. The first was a "To-From" arrangement that
displayed:
1. All of the movement into a 4-digit industry in SIC order
2. The corresponding 4-digit industry code that was the source of the movement and
3. The December employment being transferred.
The second section showed the "From-To" relationship. Determining the net movement within a
particular 4-digit industry code required manual computations, and sub-State analysis was
impossible.
Also in 1980, States provided a tape to BLS containing the names and addresses of employers
that were covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI). This was essentially identification
information for the micro records whose employment and wages formed the basis of the States'
macro data. This Name and Address tape, submitted once a year, was used to update the BLS
sampling frame for many of its various establishment surveys. The tape contained data for the
first quarter of each year and was due on October 1. All editing review and correction of the
micro-level Name and Address file were conducted by Office of Survey Design staff in
Washington. States received little or no substantive feedback on the quality of these micro data.

Initiative and Improvement
In 1981, to increase both the geographic and industrial level of detail available, BLS proposed
that all States submit one macro-level tape each quarter providing 4-digit SIC detail by county, in
lieu of separate tapes showing different levels of detail to BLS (Statewide 4-digit industry code)
and BEA (county 2-digit SIC). BLS proposed copying this tape upon receipt and providing it to
BEA. This was phased in over a three-year period, with the last States converting with the
submittal of data for the fourth quarter of 1983.
In 1982, BLS began producing and providing multi-quarter listings to assist regional office staff
and States in their review of these employment and wage data. This was the first formal review
of employment and wage changes between quarters. The listing presented Statewide data by 4digit SIC and ownership for six quarters. It was developed as an interim measure until an
interquarter edit could be designed and implemented.

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In 1983, an interquarter edit was implemented to further assist States and BLS staff in identifying
questionable data, but only at the Statewide level. This was another interim measure until a fullscale county-level macro edit could be tested, documented, and installed.
During this same period, the funds that ETA had been providing to BLS were reduced as the
CETA PSE program was phased out. This reduction of the BEA role in the county-level edit and
review process created a void which BLS would fill about a year later.
In 1983, the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics assumed program office
responsibility for the BLS Universe Maintenance System (UMS) from the Office of Survey
Design. The UMS was the computer system housing the sampling frame used to conduct most
directly collected BLS establishment surveys. As noted earlier, the States had received no
feedback on the quality or content of the micro-level UI Name and Address files that were the
input to the UMS.
One of the changes that initiated a transition from a macro to a micro emphasis was the redesign
of the CCS Report. To meet many different program needs, the summary listing was replaced
with a tape that contained all noneconomic code changes at the micro level. Since the new data
were submitted at the micro level (including State-specific UI number) and included all
identifying code information along with December employment, summaries of net employment
changes could be produced at the 4-, 3-, 2-, and 1-digit industry code level of detail for the
Nation, State, or metropolitan areas. The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program was
able to use the tape to produce summaries of change for each of their basic estimating cells.
They could also use these micro-level records to update the industry, county, and ownership
codes of their sample members.
The QCEW program used the CCS micro data to verify changes in codes and also to link records
placed on the UMS database. At that time, the record key consisted of a combination of the UI
account number and the industry, county, and ownership codes. Previously, a change in industry
code, for example, created a discontinuity on the UMS by terminating the record with the old
code and replacing it with a record with the new code. The micro-based CCS permitted linkage
of these records as they were loaded to the UMS, thereby preventing the creation of false births
and deaths that would otherwise have resulted from the code changes.
In 1984, BLS introduced the county-level macro edit. This edit provided BLS with the
flexibility to adjust the edit tolerances each quarter, if desired. The edit was also exported to the
States to provide their staff with the opportunity to review these macro data prior to submittal
and update appropriate records or provide comments to BLS to explain unusual data.
Until 1986, management of the QCEW program was the joint responsibility of ETA and BLS.
Before 1984, the ETA provided States with operating funds from the UI Trust Fund and had
overall financial management responsibilities, whereas BLS had only technical responsibility.
During 1984 and 1985, funding responsibility was shared. Beginning in 1986, BLS assumed full
responsibility for both the funding and technical aspects of the program.

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In 1986, BLS modified an existing State system to create the SIC Refiling Control System
(SRCS) software package for States to manage ARS activities. By 1988, all but five States had
installed the SRCS, which proved to be an effective tool for managing the survey activities
related to the 1987 SIC Revision. One output of this software package was the ARS Control
File, which included updated code information from each employer that was sent an ARS
questionnaire. The control file included information on the following:
1. Whether the employer responded to the ARS
2. Whether the employer indicated that the industry description on the ARS questionnaire
accurately described the industrial activity
3. Updates to SIC, county and or ownership codes, plus auxiliary code, if applicable; and
4. Date the industry code was verified or corrected.
After the 1987 SIC Revision, the control file tape became a new deliverable and was used to
supplement the BLS Universe Database (UDB), which replaced the UMS in 1989.

Universe Database (UDB)
In 1987, BLS launched a multi-year project to improve the quality of the data on the UMS and to
redesign the database on which these data were stored. States were funded to implement these
new requirements over a two-to-three year period. New data elements were added to the Name
and Address file, and the frequency of the file was increased from an annual submittal (for first
quarter) to a quarterly submittal, beginning in 1989.
BLS also developed the ability to store various types of addresses on the new database.
Emphasis was placed on obtaining physical location addresses of establishments. A Reporting
Unit Number was also added to each record to uniquely identify it and distinguish between
establishments reported under the same UI account number in the same county and industry.
Also in 1987, on the recommendation of the Economic Policy Council (EPC), OMB requested
that BLS submit a proposal to become the central agency for the collection of nonagricultural
business identification information. The main purpose of the EPC recommendation was to
increase both the quality and comparability of national economic statistics by establishing a
single, high-quality source of business data that would be available to selected Federal statistical
agencies.
To meet this challenge, BLS recognized that the business identification information currently
available on employers engaged in multiple operations within a State would have to be
improved. The Business Establishment List (BEL) Improvement project was initiated to obtain
this multi-establishment employer information on a quarterly basis.

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BEL Improvement Project
Under the BEL Improvement Project, collection of employment and wage data for multiestablishment employers was changed from a reporting unit (county/industry total) basis to an
individual worksite (establishment) basis. As part of this change, the size criterion used to define
multi-establishment employers was lowered to include smaller employers. As a result, the
number of establishments and the number of multi-establishment employers increased. The
State statistical supplement forms that were previously used to collect multi-establishment
employer data were replaced by a standardized form for use in all States.
This project was initiated in late 1988 using the ARS questionnaire. The survey obtained
worksite identification information for existing multi-establishment employers and identified
multi-establishment employers previously coded as single-unit employers. To capture physical
location address information for single unit employers collected from the ARS questionnaire, the
SRCS was modified in mid 1988, and the new version was exported to the States.
A new standardized statistical supplement, the Multiple Worksite Report (MWR), received OMB
clearance and was mandated for State use beginning with the first quarter of 1991. (While State
use was mandatory, the actual reporting on the form by an employer was voluntary in most
States and mandatory in others.) The MWR was intended to collect employment and wage
information quarterly from multi-establishment employers.
In 1988, as part of the 1987 SIC revision, the 60-day macro data clean-up period was reduced to
30 days to meet the tight timeframe resulting from dual submittal of QCEW program
deliverables under the two classification systems. This reduction in the time frame also
accomplished another objective: to ensure that States had clean micro data available to submit on
the Name and Address files. Prior to this change in timing, the Name and Address file had been
due 30 days after the due date for the first quarter macro report. But because the States
previously had 60 days to clean-up the macro report, the Name and Address file could have been
created from micro data that were not clean. The reduction from 60 to 30 days was a logical
step, and assumed that States would make all necessary micro-level changes to their QCEW
working files prior to creating the UI Name Address file.

Electronic Data Interchange Center (EDIC)
In February of 1995, the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Center opened in Chicago, Illinois.
The EDI Center provides companies and installations who have multiple worksites in more than
one State with the means to submit their MWR and RFEW data to a central location rather than
separately to each State, and to submit data electronically rather than on paper. The EDI Center
processes the data submitted and forwards these edited data to the States for inclusion in the
States' micro databases and submitted EQUI files.

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ES-202 Improvement Project
The Bureau continued with more improvements to the QCEW program and the BEL with the
implementation of the ES-202 Improvement Project ("Mic/Mac") in reference year 1997. One of
these improvements included replacing the three separate and somewhat redundant deliverables
with one deliverable -- the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file. The
EQUI incorporated many new data elements, including information from the ARS. A macro file
would be generated in BLS-Washington from the micro data it contained.
Another major accomplishment of the Mic/Mac project was to convert all States to standardized
QCEW processing systems, a key to implementing timely updates to State systems at relatively
low costs. These processing systems, developed and maintained by Utah and Maine, ensure that
the changes States make to their micro database files are automatically reflected on the EQUI
file. Also entailed in the Mic/Mac project were many changes to core processing in the States
and BLS, including revamped editing routines to ensure consistent edits between BLS and the
States. These systems were also designed to accommodate the conversion to the North America
Industrial Classification System (NAICS).

Service Center
September of 1997 saw the establishment of a service center to generate and process data for the
States that use EXPO-202, the largest standardized QCEW State processing system. Not all
EXPO-202 States use this facility; however, States that do so no longer need to install updates to
the system locally or generate EQUI files locally for shipment to BLS. Both of these functions
are accomplished directly at the service center.

Longitudinal Database (LDB)
Implementation of the ES-202 Improvement Project in reference year 1997 necessitated
improvements in the UDB to accommodate the new EQUI file received from the States. To this
end, the Longitudinal Database (LDB) was created. When it went online in April of 1999, the
LDB became the Bureau's official sampling frame and replaced the UDB. Initially, the LDB
only contained data from reference year and quarter 1997/1 through 1998/1. Eventually,
however, all data from reference year and quarter 1990/1 forward were made available. The
LDB had many improvements over the UDB, including new and revised data elements, the
incorporation of NAICS codes, an improved record linkage system, and the ability to conduct
longitudinal (across time) analysis of the data.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
Beginning in FY 1998, the Bureau implemented the North American Industry Classification
System (NAICS). NAICS was developed in cooperation with our partners in the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and provides a consistent framework for the

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collection, analysis, and dissemination of industrial statistics. Under NAICS, U.S., Canadian,
and Mexican statistical agencies will use the same detailed definitions to collect, summarize, and
publish statistics about their respective domestic economies.
NAICS can be contrasted with the older Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system that it
replaced. NAICS represents a change in the conceptual framework of establishment
classification. Unlike the SIC system, which classified establishments by the product they
produced or the service they rendered, NAICS classifies establishments on a production-oriented
or supply-based conceptual framework. This conceptual framework groups establishments into
industries according to similarities in the processes used to produce goods or services. This
supply-based conceptual framework allows establishments to be categorized on both inputs and
outputs, rather than on outputs alone. It also allows the integration of every part of the production
process into the measurement of productivity and the classification of industry.
NAICS is a new classification system for our modern economy and reflects the emergence of
many new industries. New sectors have been added, such as the Information sector (which
includes new industries such as “Internet Publishing and Broadcasting”), and the
Accommodation and Food Services sector (which combined the accommodation and restaurant
industries).
The change in industrial classification systems from SIC to NAICS had a profound impact on the
data collected within the QCEW program. It meant recoding all eight million records in the
Bureau's business establishment list. Fortunately, approximately 45 percent of the detailed
SIC industries matched directly into NAICS industries and could be automatically recoded. The
remaining 55 percent transferred into multiple NAICS industries and had to be recoded via the
Annual Refiling Survey. Unfortunately, the recoding to NAICS for industries without a direct
counterpart meant a break in the time series, and broad sectors of the economy lost some of their
historical comparability. Nevertheless, this drawback of any change in industry classification
system was outweighed by the many benefits of NAICS, such as the production-side framework
on which it is based and the increased amount of industry detail. There are approximately 1,200
NAICS industries compared to the 1,004 SIC industries, increasing industrial detail by about 20
percent. The end result is data that are more useful to the wide variety of users the QCEW
program serves.
Under NAICS, new and emerging industries (e.g., high-technology industries and services) are
rapidly incorporated with planned five-year revision cycles. The first five-year revision replaced
the 1997 NAICS codes with 2002 NAICS codes (The 2002 NAICS revision was necessary
because the United States, Canada, and Mexico did not reach agreement on the detailed
structures for the construction and wholesale trade sectors in time for the original NAICS
publication in 1997). Beginning with 2001/1 data, all QCEW records had a 2002 NAICS code.
The second five-year revision replaced the 2002 NAICS codes with 2007 NAICS codes. The
2007 NAICS revision was much smaller in scope and only involved approximately 90,000
establishments covering two million employees. Of these, approximately 66,000 establishments
were in "split" industries in which an existing NAICS 2002 code split into more than one NAICS
2007 code. The remaining affected industries were "direct" conversions in which a NAICS 2002

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code converted directly to one NAICS 2007 code. Beginning with 2007/1 data, all QCEW
records have a 2007 NAICS code.

Geocoding and Information Expansion Initiatives
In FY 2003, the Bureau took steps to increase the amount of information contained on the BLSWashington and State micro databases. In response to user demand, BLS began to geocode the
entire business register. Geocoding is the process of adding geographic information to a file or
database so that its objects can be precisely located and displayed on a map. The file must
contain data that are geographic in nature (such as State, county, zip code, and street address)
that can then be assigned x and y coordinates on a map. The QCEW micro data file contains a
rich set of geographic information that can be geocoded, allowing States and the BLS to produce
and publish sub-county employment and wage data.
In addition to geocoding information, the EQUI file was expanded with many other data
elements that were contained on the State micro databases but were not being submitted on the
EQUI file. The file expansion was an increase in information that could be used to improve the
quality and usefulness of QCEW program data.
---------------------------------------Because of the scope of the Social Security legislation and the UI system, the QCEW program
has comprehensive data on almost every business establishment in the United States. The joint
effort between cooperating States and BLS ensures that the data are collected, edited, processed
and released in a manner that is timely and guarantees quality. Over the course of its history, the
QCEW program has evolved from producing a quarterly report of employment and wage data at
the State level to serving as one of the cornerstones of modern labor market information for the
nation.

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1.4 Responsibilities of the Participants
The QCEW Program is a Federal/State cooperative program or "Fed/State program." Fed/State
programs are those programs in which State agencies work in cooperation with the BLS to
collect data and publish information derived from those data. A common set of micro data is
used for State and then national purposes. These programs are funded through annual
Cooperative Agreements between the States and BLS.
From collection to publication, the accuracy and timeliness of QCEW data relies upon the
participation of the following organizations:
State Workforce Agencies (SWAs): These State agencies are responsible for collecting the
data, editing it to ensure that the quality is acceptable, and publishing analyses of the data. Both
the UI tax unit and the State QCEW unit are administered by the State Workforce Agencies, but
they are separate entities and have different responsibilities. The UI tax unit is primarily
concerned with administering the State's unemployment insurance system. The QCEW unit is
primarily concerned with collecting employment and wage data to be used for statistical
purposes. State agencies collect QCEW data on the quarterly UI Contribution Report or MWR
as a byproduct of the administration of the UI program.
Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (DASLT): This office is part of
the Bureau’s Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics. Also known as the Program
Office, DASLT oversees the funding and operations of the QCEW Program and directs the
course of program advances and methodology. Within DASLT, various branches have
responsibility for different components of the QCEW program.
Current Data Analysis (CDA): This branch reviews employment and wage totals each quarter
in support of QCEW publication activities.
Data Collection Branch (DCB): This branch conducts a Code Change Supplement (CCS)
review as part of first and second quarter BLS processing and oversees all coding and data
collection activities.
Longitudinal Database Group: This group conducts a quarterly micro-level review using LDB
files (which are based on the EQUI) and oversees all LDB-related activities.
Division of Business Establishments Systems (DBES): This office is part of the Bureau's
Office of Technology and Survey Processing. Also known as the Project Office, DBES is
responsible for receiving data from the SWAs, processing it through BLS-Washington's
information technology systems, and producing various data-release files and tabulations. DBES
maintains the Longitudinal Database, develops and maintains BLS-Washington's information
technology systems, and maintains the QCEW Operating Manual.
Statistical Methods Staff (SMS): This office is part of the Bureau's Office of Employment and
Unemployment Statistics. SMS is responsible for ensuring the statistical integrity of Fed/State
programs. SMD consists primarily of statisticians who monitor and improve upon the statistical
methodologies.

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Office of Field Operations (OFO): OFO operates on two levels: at BLS-Washington and
through six regional offices.
BLS-Washington: In BLS-Washington, the Division of Cooperative Survey Programs (DCSP)
provides coordination between the regional offices and the program office, ensuring that the
SWAs are provided with the funding, equipment, and information necessary for operations.
Regional Offices (ROs): OFO stations personnel in the Fed/State branch of each regional office
to ensure that the SWAs receive the resources necessary to fulfill their obligations under the
cooperative agreement. The regional offices are the States’ points of contact to BLS, acting not
only as liaison between the States and BLS-Washington, but also providing training and
procedural, technical, and operational support.
Utah and Maine's State System Developers: These States offices develop and maintain the
standardized State processing systems as described in Section 1.6.
Electronic Data Interchange Center (EDIC): This center in Chicago collects employment and
wage data centrally from multi-State companies, large payroll providers, and installations in
order to reduce reporter burden. This central processing saves the States time and money by
sparing them the effort and expense of mailing out MWR and RFEW forms, collecting the data,
and then entering the data from the forms into an electronic format. Once EDIC completes the
processing of a company's/installation’s quarterly data, it distributes the data electronically to the
States. The EDIC coordinates with DASLT to target large employers and large payroll
providers, which are used by some employers to maintain payroll records. DASLT also works
with these large payroll providers to produce the MWR data.

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1.5 Overview of Quarterly and Annual Processing
Quarterly and annual processing consists primarily of collecting and updating data, placing data
on a database, and distributing data. The data must be collected in an accurate and timely
manner. The database must be maintained and updated so that the data are usable and
retrievable. Once collected and stored, the data must be made available to the users in such a
way that confidentiality is preserved and the integrity of the data is not compromised.
The remainder of Section 1.5 consists of detailed diagrams showing the processing flow of the
QCEW Program. Exhibit 1A shows a diagram of the main processing flow for the whole
program. (The numbered paragraphs that follow explain the numbered activities on the
diagram.) Sections 1.5.2 through 1.5.6 provide similar detailed diagrams and explanations for
major activities that feed into or from the main processing flow.

1.5.1 Main Processing Flow
The QCEW is a large, complex program with many outside participants that contribute to the
data flow. To minimize complexity and provide a solid understanding of the basic data flow, the
flowcharts given below only portray the process for a single quarter. Please be reminded that
States update/process more than one quarter at a time. The main processing flow is given first
with peripheral processes provided afterwards. Peripheral processes occur at activity 5, activity
36, and activity 56 of the main processing flow. Activity 5 receives data from five peripheral
processes:
1. Annual Refiling Survey (peripheral process A, described in Section 1.5.2)
2. Centrally Collected MWR and Federal Data from EDIC (peripheral process B, described in
Section 1.5.3)
3. MWR Data Collected in State (peripheral process C, described in Section 1.5.4)
4. RFEWs and Federal Data Collected in State (peripheral process D, described in Section
1.5.5)
5. MWR/RFEW Data Collected via MWRweb (peripheral process E, described in Section
1.5.6)
Activity 36 passes data from the main processing flow to the peripheral process Longitudinal
Database (peripheral process F, described in Section 1.5.7). Potential New MWR Reporters,
peripheral process G, shown in activity 56 are not discussed in detail. A detailed explanation of
each activity in the main processing flow is provided in the text immediately following the
flowcharts in Exhibit 1A Main Processing Flow.

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June 2007

Page 1-22

EXHIBIT 1A Main Processing Flow
1

State, UI Tax Depts.

2

Receive and process QCRs
and Initial Status Forms

State Systems
Developers (UT & ME)

Prepare and issue State
computer system upgrades
(annually and as needed)

3

State LMI Units

Install computer system
upgrades (annually and as
needed)

4

State LMI Units

Extract quarterly data
from UI tax files

5
A

State LMI Units

ARS data
Place data into State
QCEW micro database

E

MWR/RFEW data
collected via MWRweb

6

State LMI Units

Implement industry,
geographic, and other
miscellaneous changes
from the ARS (1st quarter
only)

centrally collected MWR and
RFEW data from EDIC

B

MWR data collected in
State

C

RFEWs and federal data
collected in State

D

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Overview of the QCEW Program

July 2003

EXHIBIT 1A (continued) Main Processing Flow

7

State LMI Units

Perform micro edits for
current and prior reference
quarters

8

State LMI Units

Clean and explain data

9

State LMI Units

Extract quarterly data from
UI tax files for second time

10 State LMI Units

Impute for missing data

11 State LMI Units
Edit, clean, and explain new
and imputed data

Page 1-23

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EXHIBIT 1A (continued) Main Processing Flow

12 State LMI Units

Aggregate micro data

13

State LMI Units

Perform integrated macro
and micro edits

16

OFO - N

15 State LMI Units, R.O.s

Compile and disseminate
status information
(ongoing)

Report status information
(ongoing)

18

R.O.s

Review macro data

17

State LMI Units

Provide macro summary
data to regional offices

14

State LMI Units

Clean and explain data

19

State LMI Units

Produce full EQUI data
deliverable for BLS

July 2003

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EXHIBIT 1A (continued) Main Processing Flow

20

State LMI Units

Submit EQUI data
deliverable and transmittal
form

21

DBES

Generate macro level
estimates for missing or
unusable State files

22

DBES

Process States' data
through BLS EQUI edit
system

24

DBES

Provide data to DASLT as
received

23

DBES
Produce flow-basis
deliverables for
BEA and CES

25 DASLT, DBES, R.O.s
Review edit outputs

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EXHIBIT 1A (continued) Main Processing Flow

26

DASLT, DBES

Assess data for production
of quarterly deliverables

27

R.O.s

Coordinate with States to
clean and explain data
further as needed

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EXHIBIT 1A (continued) Main Processing Flow

28

State LMI Units

Clean and explain data in
response to BLS edits
and questions

29

State LMI Units

Generate and submit
EQUI update
transactions and
transmittal forms

30

DBES

Process States' EQUI
update transactions

31

DBES

Produce second flow-basis
deliverables for
BEA and CES

32 DASLT/DBES/R.O.s
Review edit/correction
outputs

Page 1-27

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EXHIBIT 1A (continued) Main Processing Flow

34

DBES

33

Produce BEA/ETA/LAUS

R.O.s

Certify data as clean

quarterly deliverables

35

State LMI Units

Produce State
Publications

36

DBES

37

DBES

Extract files for
publication, press
releases, and data
releases

Pass micro data
to LDB

F

39

DASLT, DBES

Perform nondisclosure
screening

40

DASLT, DBES
Validate files for
publication, press
releases, and data
releases

38

DBES

Produce CCS data
deliverables for users
(1st quarter data only)

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EXHIBIT 1A (continued) Main Processing Flow

41

DASLT

47

Generate data for press
releases

Analyze data

42

DBES

48

Produce publication tables

43

DASLT

49

DASLT

OPUB and GPO

Print publication
(OPUB and GPO)

DASLT

Prepare and issue press
release

50

Deliver publication and
press releases for printing

45

DASLT

Analyze data

Prepare publication and
charts

44

DBES

OPUB

Disseminate press releases

46

DASLT

Receive and disseminate
publication

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1. Receive and process QCRs and Initial Status Forms
The QCEW program is a census of all employers subject to State unemployment insurance (UI)
laws, supplemented with additional data collected for statistical purposes only. Most of the
QCEW data are collected as a by-product of the States’ administration of the UI unemployment
insurance taxes. Employers file Quarterly Contributions Reports (QCRs) with their State UI tax
department, which is separate from the LMI unit that provides data to BLS under guidelines set
in the Cooperative Agreement. (Both departments are part of the larger State Workforce
Agency). The QCRs provide monthly employment, quarterly wages, and UI tax information.
New employers file Initial Status Forms with the State UI tax unit to initially register their
business. These initial forms provide basic business identification and classification information
to establish a UI account. UI tax administration, the QCRs, and the Initial Status Forms are all
under the oversight of the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). The QCRs and the
Initial Status Forms are State-specific; neither are standardized across States. UI tax units
generally handle follow-up with employers for delinquent and missing data for these two forms.
2. Prepare and issue State computer system upgrades
Two Standard State processing systems are available to the States (SWAs) for conducting the
QCEW program. One is the EXPO-202 system maintained by the State staff in Utah; the other is
the WIN-202 system maintained by the State staff in Maine. Upgrades to the systems are
released regularly and non-scheduled fixes are issued as needed. The upgrades incorporate
initiatives and enhancements requested by BLS plus improvements suggested by State users.
The EXPO-202 system is a mainframe system. It is available for access centrally in a service
center environment (presently at SunGard) and as a distributed product for installation locally in
the States. The WIN-202 system is a client/server system that is installed and operated locally in
client States.
3. Install computer system upgrades
States install or implement the system upgrades after receipt but no later than the time allotted by
the Cooperative Agreement. EXPO-202 States that are operating at the service center are
automatically upgraded. The State developers from Utah and Maine often assist in the
installations.
4. Extract quarterly data from UI tax files
A quarter’s processing begins with the first extract of data from the UI tax files. Because the UI
tax files are State-specific, the States’ QCEW programs that pull data from these files must also
be State-specific.
5. Place data into State QCEW micro database
The extracted UI tax data are placed in the State’s QCEW micro database. Other sources of
QCEW data are collected by the QCEW program itself. These data include:
(a) Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) data,
(b) Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and Federal (RFEW) data collected centrally from multiState reporters by the EDI Center,
(c) MWR data collected directly by the State,
(d) Federal (RFEW) data collected by the State, and
(e) MWR/RFEW data collected via MWRweb.

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6. Implement industry, geographic, and other miscellaneous changes from the ARS (first
quarter only)
The ARS is the largest business establishment survey conducted under the auspices of BLS.
Each year, approximately one-third of all business establishments nationwide (approximately
two million establishments per year) are surveyed to verify their industry and geographic
classifications and to update physical location and mailing addresses. Changes in classification
codes resulting from this survey are implemented in QCEW records effective with first quarter
data.
7. Perform micro edits for current and prior reference quarters
States have several options for editing the quarterly data within their standardized system. The
options include:
(a) running micro edits prior to running a fully integrated micro/macro edit,
(b) starting with a full integrated micro/macro edit, or
(c) a combination of approaches tied to the timing of the multiple UI tax extracts.
This flow describes the first option. In the micro edits, the data are edited by establishment. An
establishment record is checked for valid values. This verification includes checks for the
reasonableness of the data (both within the quarter and across quarters).
8. Clean and explain data
The State reviews edit failures and warning flags. The data must be corrected or explained as
needed. Standard comment codes are used to explain unusual data. Narrative comments can
also be entered into the system.
9. Extract quarterly data from UI tax files for second time
States extract data from the UI tax files for a second time in the quarterly processing cycle to
pick up newly reported and posted data.
10. Impute for missing data
Some employers’ data will be missing, mostly delinquent UI tax filers. Prior to summarizing
and reviewing data at a macro cell level, States must impute for the missing micro (establishment
level) data.
11. Edit, clean, and explain new and imputed data
As earlier, the State reviews any edit failures and warning flags. The data must be corrected or
explained as needed. Standard comment codes are used to explain unusual data. Narrative
comments can also be entered into the system.
12. Aggregate micro data
The micro data are summarized by macro cell (county, ownership, industry combination) prior to
running an integrated micro/macro edit.
13. Perform integrated macro and micro edits
The data at a macro cell are checked for reasonableness – for example, the cell level data are
checked for large fluctuations in employment or wages between quarters. The integrated edit

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displays both the summary data for the cell as well as the micro level records that likely caused
the macro level edit flag.
14. Clean and explain data
The State reviews its edit results. The data must be corrected or explained as needed. Standard
comment codes are used to explain unusual data. All corrections are made to micro level records
with macro level data being re-aggregated as needed from the micro data.
15. Report status information (ongoing)
Shortly before the due date for producing the quarterly file deliverable for BLS, the State
formally begins reporting status for the quarter. The status reporting is an ongoing process,
typically with a report due every two weeks or so on a schedule announced by OFO. The status
report includes such information as the prognosis for meeting the deliverable due date, clean-up
status for the prior quarter(s), and any changes in the State’s processing environment. The States
report the requested information to their regional offices. The regional offices compile and
submit to BLS-Washington the information for their States.
16. Compile and disseminate status information (ongoing)
The Office of Field Operations (OFO) in BLS-Washington receives the reports from the regional
offices and issues a consolidated status report for all States.
17. Provide macro summary data to regional offices
The State generates a file of macro data and sends it to the regional office.
18. Review macro data
The regional office enters the macro summary data into a spreadsheet to compare the State
QCEW employment data against State CES data and to compare current year QCEW trends
against prior year QCEW patterns in both employment and wages. The State and regional office
also perform these two steps (generating macro summary data and using it for comparison)
before generating the EQUI update file described in activity 28.
19. Produce full EQUI data deliverable for BLS
Approximately four months after the end of the reference quarter, States produce their key
QCEW deliverable for BLS: the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file.
This file contains all micro data records for the applicable reference quarter plus update
transactions for prior quarters.
20. Submit EQUI data deliverable and transmittal form
States submit their EQUI file to DBES. Several transmittal methods are possible depending on
the size of the file. For EXPO-202 States operating at the service center, DBES simply accesses
the applicable files at the service center. For other States, the size of most EQUI files requires
use of a cartridge shipped via an overnight service. All States complete and submit a transmittal
form (preferably electronically via e-mail) that gives notice of the data submittal and includes
certain pieces of information necessary to facilitate DBES processing.

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21. Generate macro level estimates for missing or unusable State files
If States have not submitted the EQUI file by the deadline date, BLS-Washington (DBES)
generates macro level estimates.
22. Process States’ data through BLS EQUI edit system
Each State’s EQUI file is processed through the BLS-Washington edit system. A set of reports
is produced. Some are error reports requiring further review; some are reports that count,
tabulate, and list the data in various ways for informational purposes.
23. Produce flow-basis deliverables for BEA and CES
DBES provides data files and reports to BEA and CES as the States’ EQUI data are received.
24. Provide data to DASLT as received
As the States’ EQUI data are received, DBES also generates macro level aggregations and
provides the macro level files to DASLT for their data uses. DBES loads micro and macro data
to the ES-202 Database (EDB), a client-server system on the BLS LAN, for use by the analyst
staff in BLS-Washington and the regional offices.
25. Review edit outputs
DASLT, DBES, and the regional offices all play roles in reviewing the BLS edit outputs and
identifying potential problems in the data.
26. Assess data for production of quarterly deliverables
Prior to producing these data, an assessment must be made of which States’ data are usable and
which States’ data are unusable or delinquent.
27. Coordinate with States to clean and explain data further as needed
The regional offices coordinate with their States to perform data clean up in response to the BLS
edits. The most critical errors are addressed first.
28. Clean and explain data in response to BLS edits and questions
In response to the BLS edits and any guidance or priorities given by the regional offices, States
research the data further. The data must be corrected or explained as needed. Standard comment
codes are used to explain unusual data. All corrections are made to micro level records.
29. Generate and submit EQUI update transactions and transmittal forms
One month after the due date for the initial file for the reference quarter, update transactions are
due in DBES from the States in response to the BLS edits and any other new or corrected data.
States make the corrections in their State database and then run steps that automatically create
matching update transactions for the BLS database. As with the full EQUI file, several
transmittal methods (depending on the size of the file) are possible for the EQUI update
transactions file.
30. Process States’ EQUI update transactions
DBES processes the EQUI updates of the States. Another set of reports is produced reflecting
the updated data.

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31. Produce second flow-basis data deliverables for BEA and CES
Using the updated data on usable State EQUI files (and any necessary estimates for State files
that are still unusable or missing), DBES provides data files and reports to BEA and CES.
32. Review edit/correction outputs
Similar to earlier in the cycle, DASLT, DBES, and the regional offices all play roles in
reviewing the BLS-Washington edit outputs and identifying any remaining problems in the data.
Minor problems may be held for submission with the next quarter's EQUI deliverable or
submitted as an additional update file. Regional offices and BLS-Washington consult to
determine the best course of action.
33. Certify data as clean
Once the regional office is satisfied with the data, they provide notice to BLS-Washington that
the State’s data are considered “clean.” This is, in actuality, an interim designation that must be
reconfirmed in the future quarters since update transactions often occur concurrently with the
data submittals for future quarters.
34. Produce BEA/ETA/LAUS quarterly deliverables
After the EQUI clean-up due date for each quarter, one additional BEA deliverable and the
ETA/LAUS deliverables are generated and validated by DBES staff. They are produced both in
print and file versions that are due to BEA, ETA, and LAUS by the 5th of the month following
the EQUI clean-up deadline for that quarter.
35. Produce State publications
States publish QCEW data in various formats and on various schedules.
36. Pass micro data to LDB
The business establishment micro data that are summarized to produce the macro-level QCEW
data are the same source of data for the Bureau’s LDB.
37. Extract files for publication, press releases, and data releases
BLS regularly produces publications, press releases, and data releases. Data are pulled at the end
of the quarterly processing for quarterly releases.
38. Produce CCS data deliverables for users (1st quarter data only)
Code Change Supplement (CCS) data are implemented in first quarter. These data show the
changes in classification codes (industry, county/township, and ownership) that are discovered
through the ARS and held for first quarter. DBES produces tabs and files showing units and
employment that have shifted from one cell to another. The primary external users are CES and
BEA. DASLT uses CCS data and tables during annual publication review.
39. Perform nondisclosure screening
Nondisclosure screening is performed for publication, press releases, and other uses.
Nondisclosure screening is run so that individual company data are not revealed or discernible in
published data.

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40. Validate files for publication, press releases, and data releases
DBES and DASLT review summary counts of units, employment, and wages to verify that the
files being used for releases are complete and current.
41. Analyze data
DASLT analyzes the data for publication, as well as preliminary tables DBES produces for
review. Necessary manual changes are submitted to DBES for incorporation into the final
products.
42. Produce publication tables
Publication tables, press release tables, and non-disclosure datasets are produced. DBES makes
changes in content or format that have been specified by DASLT and runs the programs that
produce the publication tables.
43. Prepare publication text and charts
DASLT prepares the narrative and graphs to accompany the tables in the publication as well as
in the press releases.
44. Deliver publication and press releases for printing
DASLT delivers the publication and press releases to the BLS-Washington Office of Publication
(OPUB). OPUB may require changes to the publication products, forcing some repetition of
earlier steps.
45. Print publication (OPUB and GPO)
The printing of the publication is arranged by OPUB and is completed by GPO or its
subcontractors.
46. Receive and disseminate publication
DASLT disseminates the publication.
47. Generate data for press releases
DBES runs programs to produce data for the press releases. The source data are the quarterly
data.
48. Analyze data
DASLT analyzes the data and writes a description of it for the press releases.
49. Prepare and issue press releases
DASLT prepares the press releases and they are issued through OPUB.
50. Disseminate press releases
OPUB disseminates the press releases.

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1.5.2 Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)
The ARS, illustrated in Exhibit 1B, feeds into the main processing flow at activity 5 (shown on
Exhibit 1A). The ARS is the annual component of the quarterly QCEW program. A detail
description of each numbered activity in this process is provided in the text immediately
following the flowchart.

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EXHIBIT 1B Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)
(feeds into main processing flow)
51

DBES

Prepare ARS forms and
provide to States
(when needed)

52

State LMI Units

53

Select units to be included
in the ARS

Print ARS forms and
conduct first mailout

54

56

State LMI Units
Identify and solicit
potential new MWR
reporters

State LMI Units

State LMI Units

55 State LMI Units, R.O.s

Receive, review, and enter
ARS data

Generate and submit SMR
reports (monthly)

57

58

State LMI Units

Conduct follow-up
mailings and contacts as
needed

potential new
MWR reporters
59

State LMI Units

G
Close out ARS

ARS data to
State's database
A

R.O.s, DASLT

Receive SMR reports and
monitor States' progress

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51. Prepare ARS forms and provide to States (when needed)
DBES produces the ARS data collection forms for the States. These are Xerox LPS-based form
template files for loading and printing on Xerox programmable/LPS-capable laser printers, both
for States using their in-house Xerox printers and those EXPO-202 States using the SunGard
Service Center facilities.
52. Select units to be included in the ARS
Using criteria established by DASLT with the most recent quarterly data available, the States use
their standard State system to select the units to be included in the yearly ARS. In a normal
ARS, approximately one-third of a State’s business establishment records are selected for the
survey so that all existing units are surveyed over a three-year period. The EIN is the primary
data element used to select units. By using the EIN to determine sample selection, this
approximates a random sample and avoids duplication from year to year.
53. Print ARS forms and conduct first mailout
Once the ARS units are selected, the States print their forms with the establishment-specific
information on them and do their first mailout. BLS recommends that States begin the ARS in
the fall each year (October-November).
54. Receive, review, and enter ARS data
As completed ARS forms are received from the employers, they must be reviewed and coded as
needed. Any changes in classification codes or addresses are entered. This process will continue
for several months until the close-out, generally around July of each year or until the response
rate identified in the Cooperative Agreement is achieved. Some ARS data are collected by
touch-tone response system (TRS) in lieu of submitting forms.
55. Generate and submit SMR reports (monthly)
States submit Survey Management Reports monthly to show their progress on the ARS. These
reports include mailout dates and quantities, counts of units by the various response codes, and
response rates.
56. Identify and solicit potential new MWR reporters
The ARS serves as the primary means for States to identify new or additional
multi-establishment employers presently reporting in a consolidated manner. Such employers
are generally solicited to begin reporting employment and wage data by establishment level via
the quarterly MWR.
57. Conduct follow-up mailings and contacts as needed
States do second and third mailings to nonrespondents.
58. Receive SMR reports and monitor States’ progress
DASLT works with the regional offices to monitor the States’ progress in the ARS.

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59. Close-out ARS
ARS data collection, review, entry, and clean-up is generally finished in June or July. The
classification code changes that are identified through the ARS must be introduced in the State’s
database in time for producing first quarter data, which is due in BLS in August.

1.5.3 Centrally Collected MWR and Federal Data from EDIC
Central collection at the EDI Center, illustrated in Exhibit 1C, feeds into the main processing
flow at activity 5 (shown on Exhibit 1A). A detailed explanation of each numbered activity in
this process is provided in the text immediately following the flowchart.

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EXHIBIT 1C Centrally Collected MWR and Federal Data from EDIC
(feeds into main processing flow)
60

EDIC, DASLT
Solicit reporting of
MWR/RFEW data
centrally via EDI
(new EDI reporters)

61

EDIC

Evaluate test submittals of
MWR/RFEW EDI data

62

EDIC

Set up new MWR/RFEW
EDI reporters for
production reporting

63

EDIC

Receive, review, edit, and
process quarterly
MWR/RFEW EDI data
(new and existing
reporters)

64

EDIC

Distribute centrally
collected MWR/RFEW

data to States

centrally collected MWR and
RFEW data from EDIC
B

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60. Solicit reporting of MWR/RFEW data centrally via EDI (new EDI reporters)
The EDI Center coordinates with DASLT in targeting and prioritizing multi-State employers and
installations to report their employment and wage data centrally. This type of one-point
electronic reporting would be in lieu of the companies submitting paper Multiple Worksite
Reports and the Report of Federal Employment and Wages each quarter to all of the States in
which it has locations. Most EDI data are submitted in a standard ASCII format that was
developed in coordination with the CES program. The EDIC handles central reporting for both
the QCEW and CES programs and solicits potential new central reporters for both programs.
DASLT also works with the following groups to encourage them to provide the means to
produce the MWR/RFEW data:
1. Service bureaus and large payroll providers, who are hired by many employers to
maintain payroll records,
2. Payroll software developers, who sell payroll software to employers, and
3. Federal agencies.
61. Evaluate test submittals of MWR/RFEW EDI data
Employers must develop or modify software to produce their MWR EDI data in the prescribed
standard format. This is the up-front work that companies must undertake to allow for more
efficient, lower-cost reporting over the long-term. (An alternative for employers is to use
commercial payroll software that includes the ability to produce the MWR file.) Once a new
EDI reporter completes its programming work, the EDIC evaluates test submittals from the
company.
62. Set up new MWR/RFEW reporters for production reporting
When the EDIC is satisfied with the test submittals from a company, the employer is set up in
the EDIC processing system. The employer is scheduled to begin quarterly production reporting
of MWR data.
63. Receive, review, edit, and process quarterly MWR/RFEW EDI data (new and existing
reporters)
Much of the EDIC’s work involves the quarterly receipt and processing of the MWR and Federal
data from employers. The EDIC uses a DBES-developed and maintained system to process the
data. The EDIC follows up with the employers on any questions pertaining to their centrallysubmitted MWR data.
64. Distribute centrally collected MWR/RFEW EDI data to States
Once processing for a company’s quarterly data is finished, the EDIC distributes the data
electronically to the States. The States must merge these data with the data collected directly by
the States.

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1.5.4 MWR Data Collected in State
MWR data collection, illustrated in Exhibit 1D, feeds into the main processing flow at activity 5
(shown on Exhibit 1A). A detailed explanation of each numbered activity in this process is
provided in the text immediately following the flowchart.

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EXHIBIT 1D MWR Data Collected in State
(feeds into main processing flow)
F
potential new
MWR reporters
65

DBES

66

Prepare MWR forms and
provide to States
(when needed)

State LMI Units

Add and delete in-State
MWR reporters as needed

67

State LMI Units

Print quarterly MWR
forms and conduct first
mailout

68

State LMI Units

Receive, review, and enter
MWR data

69

State LMI Units

Conduct follow-up
mailings and contacts as
needed

MWR data collected in State

C

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65. Prepare MWR forms and provide to States (when needed)
DBES produces the MWR data collection forms for the States. These are Xerox LPS-based form
template files for loading and printing on Xerox programmable/LPS-capable laser printers, both
for States using their in-house Xerox printers and those EXPO-202 States using the SunGard
Service Center facilities.
66. Add and delete in-State MWR reporters as needed
New MWR reporters periodically need to be set-up in the State processing system; some MWR
reporters occasionally need to be re-consolidated and discontinued as MWR reporters. Most of
these reporting configuration changes are timed to occur with first quarter data.
67. Print quarterly MWR forms and conduct first mailout
The States print their MWR forms with the establishment-specific information on them and do
their first mailout.
68. Receive, review, and enter MWR data
As the State receives MWR data from the employers, these data are reviewed and entered into
the State processing system.
69. Conduct follow-up mailings and contacts as needed
States do mail and telephone follow-up as needed for nonrespondents.

1.5.5 RFEWs and Federal Data Collected in State
State collection of Federal data, illustrated in Exhibit 1E, feeds into the main processing flow at
activity 5 (shown on Exhibit 1A). A detailed explanation of each numbered activity in this
process is provided in the text immediately following the flowchart.

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EXHIBIT 1E RFEWs and Federal Data Collected in State
(feeds into main processing flow)
70

DBES

71

Prepare RFEW forms and
provide to States
(when needed)

State LMI Units
Add and delete federal
reporters as needed

72

State LMI Units

Print quarterly RFEW
forms and conduct first
mailout

73

State LMI Units

Receive, review, and enter
Federal (RFEW) data

74

State LMI Units

Conduct follow-up
mailings and contacts as
needed

RFEWs and federal data

D

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70. Prepare RFEW forms and provide to States (when needed)
DBES produces the RFEW data collection forms for the States. These are Xerox LPS-based
form template files for loading and printing on Xerox programmable/LPS-capable laser printers,
both for States using their in-house Xerox printers and those EXPO-202 States using the
SunGard Service Center facilities.
71. Add and delete Federal reporters if needed
On an infrequent basis, changes in the reporting for Federal agencies need to be set up in the
State processing system. For example, when the EDIC begins to collect data for an agency
centrally, the States should discontinue their own data collection with that agency.
72. Print quarterly RFEW forms and conduct first mailout
The States print their RFEW forms with the establishment-specific information on them and do
their first mailout. Many Federal agencies provide their data on files or formatted computer
listings instead of the actual RFEW form.
73. Receive, review, and enter Federal (RFEW) data
As the State receives the Federal (RFEW) data from the agencies, these data are reviewed and
entered into the State processing system.
74. Conduct follow-up mailings and contacts as needed
States follow-up as needed for nonrespondents. Nonresponse or other problems with Federal
data are channeled to DASLT for resolution.

1.5.6 MWR/RFEW Data Collected via MWRweb
MWRweb collection of quarterly MWR/RFEW data, illustrated in Exhibit 1F, feeds into the
main processing flow at activity 5 (shown on Exhibit 1A). A detailed explanation of each
numbered activity in this process is provided in the text immediately following the flowchart.

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EXHIBIT 1F MWR/RFEW Data Collected via MWRweb
(feeds into main processing flow)
75

BLS-Washington

76

Determine which firms to
solicit for MWRweb
reporting

78

Send Solicitation Request
Files to States

States

77

Produce the Historical
Data File for MWRweb
production use

79

BLS-Washington

80

81

BLS-Washington

BLS-Washington

Send Confirmed Register
Files to States

States

Load the Collected Data
Files

Firms

Provide quarterly
MWR/RFEW data via
MWRweb (new/existing
MWRweb firms)

Make Collected Data Files
available to States

83

States
Load the Solicitation
Request File

Load the State Historical
Data Files

82

BLS-Washington

E

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75. Determine which firms to solicit for MWRweb reporting
BLS-Washington staff use the following criteria to identify firms for potential MWRweb
reporting:
1) Employer is not an EDI reporter, and
2) Employer has been a good MWR/RFEW reporter for the past two quarters, and
3) The maximum number of worksites is 33, unless the employer is willing to report
regardless of the number of worksites.
76. Send Solicitation Request Files to States
Once potential firms are identified, BLS-Washington sends a Solicitation Request file to each
State to trigger the solicitation process in the State systems. At the same time, BLS-Washington
also sends each State a listing that shows all of the UI accounts that will be solicited in the State
for the upcoming quarter. This takes place approximately three weeks before the beginning of
the quarterly collection period.
77. Load the Solicitation Request File
States load the Solicitation Request File to their processing system, which causes the MWR or
RFEW form to print with a temporary IDCF account and password for the firm's use on
MWRweb. With the form, the States also include a brightly-colored flyer inviting the firm to
participate in web reporting and a brochure explaining how to access the IDCF.
78. Produce the Historical Data File for MWRweb production use
States produce a State Historical Data file, which must be returned to BLS-Washington no later
than by the established due dates. These data are preloaded to the MWRweb site so that an
employer sees previously-reported totals on the web to assist with entering data for the correct
website.
79. Load the State Historical Data Files
BLS-Washington staff load the State Historical data files for MWRweb production use.
80. Provide quarterly MWR/RFEW data via MWRweb (new/existing MWRweb firms)
New MWRweb firms use their temporary IDCF account and password (from the printed
MWR/RFEW paper form) to enable them to login to the Internet Data Collection Facility (IDCF)
and MWRweb. Existing firms are reminded via email and use their existing IDCF account and
password. The firms then provide their quarterly MWR/RFEW data via the MWRweb system.
81. Send Confirmed Register Files to States
BLS-Washington sends files on a flow basis (several times per quarter) that identify firms that
have been solicited, registered to participate in MWRweb, and completed entering data for their
UI account. The receipt of this file stops the follow-up printing and mailing of paper forms.
82. Make Collected Data Files available to States
A State's Collected Data file contains their quarterly MWR/RFEW data that has been provided
through the MWRweb. These files are made available by BLS-Washington to States on a

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weekly flow basis during the quarterly collection cycle. States are able to access the file via the
Employment and Unemployment Statistics (EUS) Web, as well as through the SunGard Service
Center.
83. Load the Collected Data Files
State QCEW staff use their State processing system to load the Collected Data File from
MWRweb directly to their QCEW micro database files.

1.5.7 Longitudinal Database
The Longitudinal Database, illustrated in Exhibit 1G, emerges from the main processing flow at
activity 36 (shown on Exhibit 1A). A detailed explanation of each numbered activity in this
process is provided in the text immediately following the flowchart.

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EXHIBIT 1G Longitudinal Database
(feeds into main processing flow)
84

F

DBES

Receive quarterly micro
data after QCEW clean up

85

DBES
Move/reformat data to
LDB system

86

DBES
Link and load records

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EXHIBIT 1G (continued) Longitudinal Database
(feeds into main processing flow)

87

DASLT

Analyze record linkage
results

88

DBES

Provide sampling frame
data to BLS users
(via LDB)

89

DBES, DASLT

Perform LDB
nondisclosure screening

90

DBES

Produce LDB tabulations

91

DASLT

Analyze and publish LDB
data

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84. Receive quarterly micro data after QCEW clean-up
The business establishment micro data that are summarized to produce the macro-level QCEW
data are the same source of data for the Bureau’s LDB. The micro data are passed to the LDB
once the quarterly clean-up process is completed. The data also includes updates to prior
quarters.
85. Move/reformat data to LDB
DBES reformats the micro data for input into the LDB system.
86. Link and load records
DBES performs the record linkage and loads the data to the database. The LDB record linkage is
fundamental to the tabulations produced by the LDB system. The primary objective of the
record linkage process is to identify one-to-one record matches between quarters and within
quarters, even when there has been a break in quarterly reporting or a change in business
ownership. The longitudinal data are built upon the continuity that the linkages provide. When
establishments are identified as the same (linked), the record retains the same LDB number
across quarters, regardless of whether there have been changes in other identifying information.
Continuous records are identified as follows:
1. They have the same UI Account Number and Reporting Unit Number (RUN) from quarter to
quarter,
2. They have different UI/RUNs but are identified by the State as the same unit through the use
of predecessor and successor UI/RUNs (e.g., a change in the ownership of the business), or
3. They have different UI/RUNs and have no continuity identified by the State through use of
predecessor/successor fields, but are identified as continuous by DBES in a weighted match
process. This process looks for common data elements such as name, address, telephone
number, industry and geographic codes, etc.
87. Analyze record linkage results
DASLT reviews the record linkage results to verify that the links seem appropriate.
88. Provide sampling frame data to BLS users (via LDB)
Once the data are linked, DBES makes the updated business establishment list available for
sampling by other Bureau programs. Some programs access and fetch the data themselves; some
programs are supplied the data by DBES by request.
89. Perform LDB nondisclosure screening
Nondisclosure screening is run so that individual company data are not revealed or discernible in
the published LDB data.
90. Produce LDB tabulations
DBES produces various LDB tabulations. These include data on expanding and contracting
establishments, job creation and job destruction, magnitude of expansion or contraction, etc.

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91. Analyze and publish LDB data
DASLT analyzes and publishes the LDB data.

Page 1-53

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1.6 Using Standardized Processing Systems
It is imperative that States process all of their data through a standardized system. Standardized
systems allow for centralized system development and issuance of system upgrades, fixes, and
changes. States only need to install the new version and do not need to program the changes
themselves. Within the service-center environment, States always have the most current version
and do not need to install the upgrades themselves. Processing all data through standard systems
ensures uniform and consistent processing across States and efficient application of system
upgrades and changes. Collectively, this results in increased reliability and accuracy of the data.
Two standard systems are available to the States for processing data in the QCEW program.
1) EXPO-202: A mainframe system maintained by State staff in Utah. EXPO-202 is available
for access centrally in a service center environment (presently at SunGard) or as a distributed
product for installation locally in the States.
2) WIN-202: A client/server system that is installed and operated locally in client States but
maintained by State staff in Maine.
There are regular releases of upgrades to these computer systems. Non-scheduled fixes are also
issued as needed. The upgrades incorporate initiatives and enhancements requested by BLS plus
improvements suggested by State users. States should install or implement the system upgrades
once received and complete their installation within the timelines stipulated by the annual
cooperative agreement. The State developers from Utah and Maine often assist in the
installations. Installation is done automatically for service center States.
States have several options for editing the quarterly data within their standardized system as
described in Section 12.1.

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1.7 Definitions - Basic Terms
The following terms are key concepts for the collection and use of data on State QCEW micro
file databases and on the EQUI. These definitions also relate to the Code Change Supplement
(generated from State and BLS micro files as described in Chapter 11).
Auxiliary Units - Under NAICS, auxiliary establishments are classified with a NAICS code
according to the activity of the auxiliary establishment itself. This is in keeping with the
conceptual framework upon which NAICS is based; namely, that establishments should be
grouped together based on their production processes. As an example, a warehouse that serves a
primary unit within the same enterprise will be assigned the NAICS code for warehouse. Thus,
the industry classification of the primary unit (car assembly plant, telephone communications,
etc.) can not be discerned from the NAICS code assigned the auxiliary unit. (See Chapter 2 for
more information regarding industry coding.)
Contributions - All States finance unemployment benefits through self-insurance or from
unemployment insurance taxes, or contributions. Contributions come from two sources: 1) from
subject employers based on the wages of their covered workers, and 2) in some States, from the
employees themselves.
Total contributions, therefore, are a composite of the employer's contributions and, where
applicable, the employee's contributions.
Employee Contributions - Employee contributions are the unemployment insurance taxes
required by some State unemployment compensation laws to be deducted from an employee's
pay by the employer and paid with the employer's contribution to the State agency.
Employer - The employer is the legal entity that either 1) pays the unemployment insurance tax,
or 2) elects or is required to reimburse the State unemployment fund for unemployment
insurance benefits costs in lieu of paying the UI tax. In some cases, the employer is equivalent to
the establishment or the reporting unit, while in others the employer will include several
establishments or reporting units.
For the purpose of the QCEW program, the government employer is the organizational unit, such
as the department, agency, or instrumentality, responsible for a function of government.
Employer Contributions - FUTA defines employer contributions as "payments required by a
State law to be made into an unemployment fund by any person on account of having individuals
in his (or her) employ." In general, employer contributions include any monies collected by tax,
surcharge, etc. that are deposited into the State's trust fund and may be used to calculate tax
rating.

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Unemployment insurance taxes are levied or assessed on taxable-subject employers at either a
standard rate or some other rate determined under the tax rating provisions (see definition of Tax
Rating) of the individual State's laws. The rate is usually defined as a certain percentage of the
taxable wages paid by the employers during the rate year for services performed in covered
employment. Taxes that are paid by employers at a flat rate with no regard to either experience
rating or benefit reimbursement are also considered employer contributions.
Included in this definition are unemployment insurance taxes that may be assessed on employers
under special provisions of State laws that become effective because of emergency conditions or
because of a low balance in the State trust fund accounts that are used to finance benefit costs.
Not included in this definition of employer contributions are:
1. Any tax, surcharge, etc. that is used to pay off the interest on a loan from the Federal
government to the State trust fund and is required by Federal law to be deposited outside
the unemployment trust fund.
2. Any temporary excise tax or permanent surcharge tax.
3. The 0.8 percent (administrative financing) excise tax paid to the Federal government since
January 1, 1983, by all employers of one or more workers in 20 weeks time during a
calendar year in covered industries. (This tax will revert to 0.6 percent when the
outstanding indebtedness of the Extended Unemployment Compensation account to
general revenue is repaid or removed.)
4. Payments instead of contributions by certain nonprofit organizations, State, and local
government instrumentalities that finance benefit costs on a reimbursing basis.
5. Voluntary contributions (paid by employers in some States to be credited to their
experience-rating accounts to obtain rates that are more favorable for future periods).
Employment - Employment for a given month is the number of covered workers who earned
wages during the pay period that includes the l2th of the month. A reporting unit should report
as employment the number of covered workers who worked during or received pay for any part
of the payroll period covering the workweek that includes the l2th of the month, the first of the
two semimonthly payrolls, the monthly payroll, or the payroll of any other type that includes the
l2th of the month. Where more than one type of payroll is in use, the reporting unit should report
the total number of employees on all types of payrolls that include the l2th of the month.
The employment count should include all corporation officials, executives, other supervisory
personnel, clerical workers, wage earners, persons on paid vacations or paid sick leave,
pieceworkers, part-time workers, and workers earning wages that are nontaxable because the
taxable wage limit has been exceeded.
The employment count should exclude workers who were on leave without pay or who earned
no wages during the applicable pay periods because of strikes, work stoppages, or temporary

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layoffs. Workers who earned wages during the month without earning any during the applicable
pay periods should not be counted in the employment figures, although the wages are reported.
Note: Reporting units sometimes list erroneously as employment the total number of persons
who have earned wages at some time during the quarter, while others fail to report, in the
last quarters of the year, workers whose wages have gone above the taxable wage limit.
Efforts should be made to eliminate these and other errors in the reporting of
employment, possibly by means of a once-a-year notice mailed with the blank
contribution report. This notice should call attention to the kind of data to be reported as
employment, and should be in more specific form than the instructions appearing on the
contribution report.
Enterprise - An enterprise consists of all establishments having more than 50 percent common
direct or indirect ownership. In a situation where Company A owns more than 50 percent of
Company B, and Company B owns more that 50 percent of Company C; Company A would
directly own Company B – and indirectly own Company C through Company B's direct
ownership of Company C. The BLS does not gather employment or wage data for enterprises.
Establishment - An establishment is an economic unit, such as a farm, mine, factory, or store
that produces goods or provides services. It is usually at a single physical location and engaged
in one or predominantly one type of economic activity for which a single industry code is
applicable.
Where a single physical location encompasses two or more distinct and separate economic
activities for which different industry codes seem applicable, such activities should be treated as
separate establishments and classified in separate industries, provided it is determined that:
1. No one industry description in the NAICS system includes such combined activities;
2. The employment in each such economic activity is significant;
3. Such activities are not ordinarily associated with one another at common physical
locations; and
4. Separate reports can be prepared on the number of employees, their wages and salaries,
and other establishment-type data for each of the activities.
In the government sector, the term "installation" generally is used instead of establishment.
Inactive Employer - A unit, not currently reporting employment or paying wages subject to the
State's unemployment compensation law, that has been terminated, administratively inactivated,
or granted permission to suspend filing contribution reports or payment in lieu of contribution
reports (seasonal employers excluded); or who paid no wages during the eight (8) calendar
quarters immediately preceding the due date of the ETA 581, the Contribution Operations
Report. The quarter being reported or validated is included in this time span of eight (8)
quarters.
States should be careful not to inactivate a unit for a reference year/quarter in which they were
active. For example, if a unit was active in the first quarter but went out of business during

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April, the unit should be reported on the first quarter EQUI file. Furthermore, if the account
went out-of-business or was terminated on April 6 and did not have employment during the pay
period including the 12th of the month, but paid wages during the period of April 1-6, the unit
should also be reported in the second quarter. This is an example of a unit that should be
included on the EQUI file because it paid wages in the quarter after it went out-of-business.
Similarly, if back wages are paid after an account is terminated, it should be reactivated or set up
as a new account and the wages reported during the quarter that they were paid.
These definitions in no way preclude immediate inactivation of an account when either the
employer notifies the agency or a determination is made that the employer has ceased paying
wages. In the absence of the administrative inactivation of the "no wages paid" employer, a limit
is imposed on the length of time that such an employer can be included in the SWAs "active
employers" workload count and in the EQUI file.
Industry Code - Each establishment is assigned a NAICS industry code based on the processes
it uses to produce goods or services. The NAICS system represents a change in the conceptual
framework of establishment classification. Unlike the older Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) system, which classified establishments by the product produced or service rendered,
NAICS is based on a production-oriented or supply-based conceptual framework. This
conceptual framework groups establishments into industries according to similarity in the
processes used to produce the goods or services. The NAICS system completely replaced the
older SIC system.
NAICS covers the entire field of economic activity of today's modern economy. Establishments
are classified into one of the following 20 sectors:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting
Mining
Utilities
Construction
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Transportation and Warehousing
Information
Finance and Insurance
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Management of Companies and Enterprises
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
Educational Services
Health Care and Social Assistance
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
Accommodation and Food Services
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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Public Administration

Descriptions of the detailed industry codes for which data are submitted on the EQUI file can be
found in the NAICS manual.
Please note that this method of classification is not dependent upon the type of ownership. With
NAICS, as with the SIC system, owners may include such diverse legal organizations as
corporations, partnerships, individual proprietors, government agencies, joint ventures, etc.
Government establishments, therefore, are classified by their primary economic activity, rather
than by type of ownership. (See Section 2.1.5.)
QCEW data for the period from 1975 through 1987 were coded according to the 1972 Standard
Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual (including the 1977 amendments). QCEW data for the
period from 1988 through 2000 were coded according to the 1987 SIC Manual. Beginning with
data for first quarter 2001, QCEW data were collected and made available under the 1997 North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS). From the first quarter 2002, SIC codes were
no longer actively coded on the State micro database files and the NAICS codes were updated to
reflect the 2002 NAICS revision. Beginning with first quarter 2007, NAICS codes were updated
to reflect the 2007 NAICS revision.
Nontaxable Wages - Nontaxable wages (sometimes called excess wages) are that part of an
employee's total wages that is in excess of wages that are taxable under the State unemployment
insurance law.
Number of Wage Records - The number of wage records or the wage record count for an
employer is the number of names (records) appearing on his/her wage report for the quarter.
Such a report (see Exhibit 3B) accompanies the contribution report in all States (except New
York). This information is required for the computation of unemployment insurance benefits.
Because of employee turnover, the number of wage records (or wage record count) for a quarter
may exceed substantially the employment figures for any month of the quarter.
Organization Type Indicator - The legal form of the organization used for tax purposes by the
establishment. It is valid for the private sector (Ownership code 5) only. This code is used on
Status Determination Forms to solicit information from private sector establishments concerning
their organizational structure.
Ownership - Reporting units are classified by ownership according to legal proprietorship –
Federal, State, or local government, or private industry – rather than by type of economic
activity. (See Section 2.1.4 for the specific ownership codes to be used in State micro files and
the EQUI file.) Regardless of type of industrial activity, each establishment must carry a code
number identifying public or private ownership to distinguish between public and private
activities. These codes are used with the other classification codes to preserve the continuity and
usefulness of historic data. When tabulating QCEW data, the term "Government" is used to
include all government-owned activities (Federal, State, and local), regardless of industry code,
while the term "Public Administration" is used only for those legislative, judicial, administrative,
and regulatory activities not having a counterpart in private industry.

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Predecessor - The UI/RUN under which an establishment was previously reported. For
establishments that change from one owner to another, the predecessor record typically has a
different UI number. For establishments that are reported differently within an existing UI
account (e.g. breakouts or consolidations), the predecessor record usually has the same UI
number but a different RUN. The purpose of predecessor (and successor) UI/RUN coding is to
identify establishments as continuous, especially when they change ownership or UI number.
Primary County - A primary county is defined as the county of largest employment for a multicounty employer. All other counties with employees of that multi-county employer are
secondary counties. The purpose of finding the primary county is for the purpose of assigning
the county code to multi-establishment employers who refuse to break out or who do not meet
the criteria for a breakout.
Reporting Unit - A reporting unit is the economic unit for which data are submitted on the
employer's contribution report, Multiple Worksite Report, or employment and wages report (for
a government entity or nonprofit organization, since neither may be subject to payment of
quarterly contributions). The reporting unit should be the smallest individual establishment or
installation that is identified by the contribution report or by a Multiple Worksite Report.
Reporting Unit Number – The Reporting Unit Number is a unique identifier assigned to each
reporting unit of an employer that has two or more reporting units. The Reporting Unit Number
should be assigned consistently between the State micro files and the EQUI files submitted to
BLS-Washington. The same identifier should also be assigned to the same reporting unit
consistently across quarters so that the unit can be easily identified across time. The Reporting
Unit Number should never be reused under the same UI Account Number. A Reporting Unit
Number of "00000" should be assigned to multi-unit master account records and to single unit
records. (Refer to Chapter 3 for more information.)
In certain cases, two or more establishments are combined to make up one reporting unit. This
typically occurs when establishments owned by the same employer are engaged in the same
economic activity in the same county. Whenever possible, individual establishment data should
be collected and reported.
Successor - A unit that is now reported (or that will be reporting) under one UI Account Number
or Reporting Unit Number, but was previously being reported under a different UI Account
Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration. The purpose of successor (and predecessor)
UI/RUN coding is to identify establishments as continuous, especially when they change
ownership or UI number.
Tax Rating - Tax rating is the process of determining the contribution rates of individual
employers on the factors specified in a State's unemployment insurance law. Experience rating
determines contribution rates based on the employer's experience with respect to unemployment.
Conversely, some States allow certain nonprofit or governmental units to pay taxes at a flat rate
with no regard to either their experience rating or to the reimbursement of benefits paid to their
former employees.

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Taxable Wages - Taxable wages (sometimes called net wages) for a quarter are that part of total
wages that is subject to the unemployment insurance tax provision of the State unemployment
insurance law. Taxable wages are reported by employers who are subject to tax rating
provisions, but are not reported by reimbursing subject employers. In some States there are
certain government units or nonprofit organizations that are taxed at a fixed percentage of the
total payroll, with no regard to their experience ratings or to the reimbursement to the UI fund for
benefits paid to their former employees. For such employers, taxable wages should be identical
to total wages.
Total Wages - Total wages (sometimes called wages or gross wages) for a quarter are the total
amount of wages paid or payable (depending on the wording of the State law) to covered
workers for services performed during the quarter, on all the payrolls of whatever type during the
quarter. Bonuses paid are included in the payroll figures. Also included, when furnished with
the job, is the cash value of such items as meals, lodging, tips and other gratuities, to the extent
that State laws and regulations provide. Total wages include both taxable and nontaxable wages.
Total wages are reported by both taxable and reimbursing subject employers.

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1.8 Coverage of the QCEW Program
Coverage under State Unemployment Insurance Programs
State unemployment insurance programs, the primary source of QCEW covered employment and
wages data, have relatively comprehensive coverage in the United States labor force.
Approximately 96 percent of the wage and salary civilian labor force and 98 percent of
nonagricultural employment are covered by State UI laws, and so are reflected in QCEW data.
States establish their own unemployment insurance coverage provisions, generally in accordance
with FUTA. The FUTA establishes minimum coverage standards that States must meet to have
an approved UI program. FUTA provisions determine which employers are subject to Federal
unemployment insurance taxes and designate certain types of services that must be covered
under State UI laws to meet Federal approval. Specific coverage provisions of State UI laws
have been influenced by the FUTA through tax incentives. The incentives allow employers who
pay UI contributions under Federally approved State unemployment insurance law to credit their
State contributions against a specified percentage of the Federal tax.
Coverage exclusions in the FUTA, however, do not preclude a State from covering the excluded
class or category of workers under their own State laws. Many States have chosen to expand
their coverage provisions beyond the FUTA minimum standards in certain areas. A summary of
common coverage exclusions is provided below. Detailed UI coverage information can be found
in the Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws maintained by the U.S. Department
of Labor's Employment and Training Administration.
Both Federal and State UI coverage laws are subject to change at any time when existing laws
are amended through the legislative process or reinterpreted through judicial action. If State
QCEW staff has a question about their State’s policy in a particular area, they should contact
their UI tax unit.

Common Exclusions from UI Coverage
1. As defined by Federal and State UI laws, employment is the hiring of workers by others for
wages. Self-employed individuals are therefore excluded from coverage. Incorporated selfemployed persons, however, are covered because corporations are recognized as separate
legal entities from the individual, thereby allowing the individual to be an employee of his/her
own corporation.
2. Some coverage exclusions result from the scope in which an “employer” is defined. The
FUTA defines an employer generally as one who has a quarterly payroll of $1500 in the
calendar or preceding year or who has one worker for 20 weeks. Thirty-three States have
adopted this definition. Ten States have the broadest possible coverage by defining an

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employer as one who has any covered service in their employ. The other States have
requirements of fewer than 20 weeks or payrolls other than $1500 in a calendar quarter.
The definition of employer differs for agriculture, domestic service in households, and nonprofit
organizations, as noted below.
•

Agriculture – The FUTA designates coverage of agricultural employers having ten or
more workers in twenty weeks, or a payroll of $20,000 or more in any quarter.
California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island,
Texas, the Virgin Islands, and Washington have more expansive coverage of agricultural
employment. Farm owners/operators are excluded from coverage in all States.

•

Domestic Service – The FUTA designates coverage of domestic help in private
households, social clubs, and college fraternities and sororities that pay wages of $1000
or more in a quarter. The District of Columbia, New York, and the Virgin Islands have
more expansive coverage of domestics.

•

Nonprofit Organizations – The FUTA designates coverage of nonprofit organizations
with four or more employees in twenty weeks. Almost half of the States have elected
more expansive coverage, typically covering any organization with even one employee in
twenty weeks. Ministers employed by religious organizations to perform ministerial
duties are excluded from nonprofit coverage in all States.

3. The FUTA and State UI laws also specify certain categories of employment as not covered.
States can choose to extend coverage to a category that is excluded under the FUTA.
Common exclusions across States are noted below.
•

Minor children employed by their parents, or parents employed by their children, are
excluded from coverage in all States.

•

Railroad workers are excluded from coverage in all States. They are covered by a special
Federal unemployment insurance program administered by the Railroad Retirement
Board.

•

U.S. Armed Forces military personnel are excluded in all States. They are covered under
a separate Federal program, Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemen (known as
the USX program).

•

State and local government elected officials; members of the judiciary, State national and
air national guardsmen, temporary emergency employees, and policy and advisory
positions are excluded in most States. The District of Columbia and Hawaii, however, do
not exclude any of the above-mentioned groups. Montana excludes only elected officials
and covers the others. Washington excludes all but legislators, members of the judiciary,
and temporary emergency employees. Florida excludes all but State guardsmen; Georgia
excludes all but temporary emergency employees.

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•

College and university students employed by the school at which they are enrolled, such
as work-study students, are excluded from coverage in all States. Most States also
exclude student nurses and medical interns employed by hospitals as part of their
professional training program.

•

Insurance and real estate agents paid only by commission are excluded from coverage in
most States.

Federal Service Covered by Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees
(UCFE)
The scope of the QCEW program also includes all Federal civilian employees covered by the
UCFE program. Virtually all Federal civilian employees are covered under UCFE with the
exception of some specifically excluded types of Federal service listed in 5 U.S.C. 8501.
Coverage policy and determinations of what constitutes “Federal service” and “Federal wages”
under UCFE are made by the Director of the Unemployment Insurance Service of the
Employment and Training Administration, as delegated by the Secretary of Labor. When the
Unemployment Insurance Service (UIS) issues a coverage ruling, it is published in the Federal
Register and distributed to the SWAs and Federal agencies in official UI “Program Letters” and
other memoranda. (UI Program Letters (UIPL) are available on the Internet at the Information
Technology Support Center site sponsored by the Department of Labor.) Additional information
is also available in the ETA Manual, UCFE Instructions for Federal Agencies, last issued in
March 1995.
The following summarizes some previous interpretations issued on covered and noncovered
employment under UCFE.

UCFE-Covered Federal Service
Department of Agriculture
•
•
•
•

Agricultural cooperative employees serving under Federal appointments, including those
with the Agriculture Extension Service
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASC) county and community
committee employees
Employees (but not members) of Agricultural Boards and Committees
Soil Conservation Service

Department of Commerce
•
•

Census Bureau enumerators
Commissioned officers of the Coast and Geodetic Survey

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Paid executive directors and employees of Regional Fishery Management Councils

Department of Defense
•
•

Armed Forces nonappropriated fund activities employees
National Guard and Air National Guard civilian employees

Department of Health and Human Services
•

Commissioned officers of the Public Health Service

Department of Interior
•

Mammal control agents of the Fish and Wildlife Service

Department of Transportation
•
•
•

Administrative enrollees of the Maritime Administration
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Employees in Wage Marine positions

Other miscellaneous UCFE-covered employment
•
•
•
•

Administrative employees of members of Congress and congressional committees
Presidential and Schedule C appointees
National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
Employees of partially-owned Federal instrumentalities – including any Federal
intermediate credit banks, banks for cooperatives, or production credit associations in
which the Federal government owns capital stock

Not UCFE-Covered/Not Federal Service
Note that when employment is determined not UCFE-covered/not Federal service, as in the cases
below, States can and may cover these employees under their State UI law. If State QCEW staff
is unsure whether one of the categories below should be included as UI-covered, they should
contact their UI tax unit.
•
•
•
•
•
•

Persons paid from Indian tribal funds of the Department of Interior
Grantees under the Educational Exchange Program of the Department of State
Peace Corps volunteers and trainees
Federal Credit Unions
Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, banks for cooperatives, or production credit
associations in which the Federal government owns no capital stock.
Federal Home Loan Banks

June 2007

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

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Federal Land Banks
Federal National Mortgage Association
Federal Reserve Banks
Elective officials in the Executive or Legislative branches
Persons employed on a temporary basis in cases of fire, storm, earthquake, flood, or other
temporary catastrophic emergency
Enrollees or members of the Youth Conservation Corps
Participants in the Americorps program administered by the Corporation for National and
Community Service
Participants in nutritional research studies conducted by the Agricultural Research
Service of the Department of Agriculture

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1.9 Current Employment Statistics and the QCEW Program
CES statistics are calculated from data that are received from the payroll records of a sample of
employers, and are benchmarked each year using data from the QCEW program. The CES
program uses outside sources to benchmark employment for industries that are not subject to UI
laws. Both programs use the pay period including the 12th of the month as the reference period
for employment. CES data are available for nonagricultural industries in the private sector and
for government.
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) and the QCEW data are both produced by
Federal/State cooperative programs between the Bureau of Labor Statistics and State Workforce
Agencies (SWA). There are several important distinctions between the programs, the most
notable being that the CES data are derived from a survey of nonagricultural establishments,
while the QCEW data are a virtual census of these establishments.
The Current Employment Statistics program is a voluntary survey that collects data on
employment, payroll, and hours from the payroll records of a sample of employers. CES data
are available for nonagricultural industries in the private sector and for government. For the
government sector, CES publishes employment data only; no data on payroll or hours are
collected. The CES program uses the payroll data to calculate a number of statistics for the
nonfarm economy by industry each month. These statistics include total nonfarm employment,
production or nonsupervisory worker employment, women worker employment, average hourly
earnings, average weekly earnings, and average overtime hours (for manufacturing). CES data
are estimated from a sample of establishments, while the QCEW program publishes universe
counts of covered employment and wages. The Longitudinal Database (previously the Universe
Database) is the primary sampling frame for CES.
The hours and earnings statistics compiled by CES are for production or nonsupervisory workers
only. Other minor series published include indexes of aggregate weekly hours, indexes of
aggregate weekly payrolls, average hourly earnings excluding overtime, indexes of employment
diffusion, and real average hourly and average weekly earnings.
In contrast, the QCEW program publishes employment by industry but measures compensation
in the form of wages − a concept distinct from CES earnings measure. QCEW publishes average
establishments, annual average employment, total annual wages, average annual pay, and
average weekly wages. Monthly and quarterly data are available from the QCEW program, but
in a less timely manner than CES. The availability of QCEW data is much broader, however,
with regards to industry and geographic detail. The QCEW program publishes the following
information that is not available from CES: (1) employment by size class, and (2) wages for the
government sector.
CES data exclude members of the armed forces, the self-employed, proprietors, domestic
workers and unpaid family workers. The QCEW program also has the same exclusions; but in
addition, excludes railroad workers covered by the railroad unemployment insurance system,

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student workers, and employees of some small nonprofit organizations. The incorporated selfemployed are covered under the QCEW program, but not in the CES. The QCEW program also
provides partial information on agricultural industries and employees in private households not
available from CES.
Employment - CES employment includes workers who worked during, or received pay, for the
pay period including the 12th of the month. The QCEW employment concept is the same,
except QCEW only collects data on workers covered by UI and UCFE, while CES data include
adjustments for noncovered workers.
Payroll - Under the CES program, payroll is reported for production or nonsupervisory workers
who receive pay for any part of the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. The payroll is
reported before deductions. It includes pay for holidays, vacation, sick time, and overtime. It
does not include bonuses (unless earned regularly), retroactive pay, tips, or the cash value of
meals, lodging or other payments in kind. In contrast, the QCEW program collects
compensation for all employees in the form of wages. Wages are total compensation paid
during the calendar quarter, regardless of when services are performed. The wages include pay
for holidays, vacation, sick time, and overtime. Wages include the types of compensation that
CES excludes; namely, all bonuses, stock options, tips, and the cash value of meals and lodging.
Wages include contributions to 401(k) plans in some States.
Hours - CES collects the number of hours paid for during the pay period including the 12th of
the month. Included are hours paid for leave time and overtime. QCEW does not collect any
data on hours.
Each year, the CES program adjusts the all-employment estimates to reflect QCEW employment
levels for March. This is known as the benchmark adjustment process. CES national estimates
are adjusted by using a wedging technique to smooth out the differences between new and old
benchmarks. Most States replace their estimates with QCEW levels. CES uses outside sources
to benchmark industries and categories of employment that are not subject to UI laws.

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Chapter 2 – Assigning and Updating the
Classification Codes
The QCEW program assigns classification codes to provide as much detail and accuracy to
collected data as possible. This involves the use of several coding standards and systems along
multiple phases of the collection process. It is necessary that implementation and compliance of
these coding standards be conducted at the State, regional, and national level. Because QCEW
data are an important source for other statistical programs, there is also a need for continuity of
coding systems between BLS programs. This continuity is especially important for aggregated
data.
The continuity of the codes themselves is maintained across time within the QCEW program.
Changes and updates to codes are taken into account and the data are adjusted in a way that
minimizes the impact of the change on the aggregated data as a whole.
---------- Contents of Chapter 2 ---------2.1 Coding Standards
2.1.1 State Codes
2.1.2 County Codes
2.1.3 Township Codes
2.1.4 Ownership Codes and Organization Types
2.1.5 Industry Codes
2.1.6 Assigning Industry Codes
2.1.7 AutoNAICS
2.2 Coordination of Coding with Other BLS Programs
2.3 Changes in Industrial, Ownership, and Area Classification Codes
2.3.1 Types of Code Changes
2.3.2 Timing and Reporting of Code Changes

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2.1 Coding Standards
Standards exist for each of the classification codes used in the QCEW program. These standards
are defined by program convention and government legislation. The accurate assignment of
these codes is critical to continuity of the micro data and consistency of the macro data.

2.1.1 State Codes
The identification of the State submitting the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance
(EQUI) file is assigned by the standard State processing systems. The Federal Information
Processing Standards (FIPS) series is used to report the State code. FIPS State codes and postal
service State abbreviations are specified in Appendix C.

2.1.2 County Codes
Each reporting unit must be identified by a FIPS county code based upon the unit's location or
place of business. FIPS county codes are used to report data on the EQUI file and the State’s
own micro file. The FIPS county codes are listed in the US Department of Commerce
publication (FIPS PUB 6-4) Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, its
Possessions, and Associated Areas, dated August 31, 1990. Updates are made periodically.
The following additional codes should be used to identify the locations of reporting units which
cannot be given valid FIPS county codes:
Code

Description

900

Master Record. Assign county code 900 only to a multi-unit master record. This
type of record is the summation of all of its associated reporting units. County code
900 should not be assigned to a single establishment employer (only one establishment
with a given UI Account Number in the State). Note that use of this code is preferred
but optional; a master record may carry a specific FIPS code (especially if all or most
of its subunits are located in one county) or any of the other county equivalent codes
shown below.

995

Statewide, locations in more than one county, or no primary county. Assign
county code 995 only to reporting establishments that have locations in more than one
county, or for which a primary location has not been determined or cannot be assigned
by the State. A primary county is the county with the largest share of the total
employment of the account. See Primary Counties further below in this subsection.

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County code 995 should not be assigned to a reporting unit based solely on its mailing
address, or based on the corporate headquarters/central office location of the
enterprise.
996

Foreign locations. Assign only to reporting units whose physical location is outside
of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, but which report to the State
agency for UI coverage purposes. County code 996 should not be assigned to a
reporting unit based on its mailing address or based on the corporate
headquarters/central office location of the enterprise.

998

Out-of-State locations. In general, employers must have UI accounts in all States in
which they have permanent worksites or in which they have ongoing business
operations, such as construction, which lack a fixed worksite. Therefore, employers
will typically be required to establish a UI account in every State in which they
maintain employment (as defined by State UI laws) on a regular basis.
Assign county code 998 only to a reporting unit where the worksite is located
outside of the State to which it is reported for UI purposes, and where this
worksite is not required to report in the State which the worksite is physically
located. For example, an employer is based in State A and reports to State A for UI
coverage purposes. If this employer has a temporary worksite in State B, and is not
required by State UI laws to establish a UI account to report the worksite in State B,
then the reporting unit would be assigned county code 998 in State A.
While most out-of-State worksites will be of a temporary nature, there are a few rare
cases where an employer may maintain a worksite outside the State in which UI
coverage is based that could be classified with county code 998. For example, an
employer is based in State A and reports to State A for UI coverage purposes. This
employer maintains a training site in State B where the workers are only temporarily
assigned for training before the employer permanently assigns them to a worksite in
State A.
County code 998 should not be assigned to a reporting unit based solely on its mailing
address or based on the corporate headquarters/central office location of the enterprise.

999

Unknown locations. Assign to a unit with an unknown or undefined location.
Before assigning code 999 to any unit, States should attempt to obtain the county from
the employer. The guidelines in Section 3.3 (Multi-unit Employers) should be
followed for obtaining establishment breakouts from multi-county employers.

Some confusion in assigning county codes may occur with respect to construction companies,
utility companies, trucking companies, statewide salespersons, and other "mobile" units. Page
22 of the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Manual states:

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Exceptions to the single location exist for physically dispersed operations, such as
construction, transportation, and communication. For these activities the individual sites,
projects, fields, networks, lines, or systems of such dispersed activities are not normally
considered to be establishments. The establishment is represented by those relatively
permanent main or branch offices, terminals, stations, and so forth, that are either (1)
directly responsible for supervising such activities, or (2) the base from which personnel
operate to carry out these activities.
The following rules should be applied in defining the establishment and determining its location:
This type of "mobile" unit should be assigned a county code that corresponds to the location of
the main or branch office. Although the establishment's territory may be statewide or spread
over several counties, the county code should be consistent with the physical location address of
the establishment. The actual reporting of these individuals can vary. The physical location
address for salespeople and general contractors working out of their homes is not required. If
readily available, use the home address and the county code for the county of residence. If an
employer has sales representatives working out of their homes, then the employer should
summarize these employees into one reporting unit. The county code would be statewide (995)
and the Reporting Unit Description would be "Sales Reps., Statewide".
However, in the case where a construction, logging, drilling, or utility installation expects to be
working at one site for more than one year, that site should be treated as a separate establishment
and identified by its physical location during the course of the project. The county code assigned
to such long-term project should be consistent with the physical location of the project.
In addition, those employer activities in construction that do not meet either the general
definition of an establishment or the 12-month duration criterion may be reported as a countylevel record in the county where the activity occurs. States which have been receiving countylevel data from construction firms should continue to request this level of detail or request
establishment-level detail (as described in Section 3.1), whichever provides the finer level of
detail.

Primary Counties
Some confusion may occur with respect to assigning primary counties in situations where a UI or
UCFE account has been identified as a multi-establishment employer, but is unable or unwilling
to provide any disaggregated data below a Statewide total, or does not meet the size criteria for
solicitation of disaggregated data.
States should consider “primary county” as the county with the largest share of the employment
in the account, but should only code to primary county when 50% or more of the total
employment is in the primary county. This is in cases where the employer is unable or unwilling
to provide disaggregated data below a Statewide total, or does not meet the size criteria for
solicitation of disaggregated data. See Section 3.5 for examples.

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2.1.3 Township Codes
In addition to the FIPS county codes, New England States and New Jersey must identify
reporting units by township codes on their own micro file and on the EQUI file submitted to
BLS-Washington.
The following township codes, which are equivalent to the county codes, should be used to
identify the locations of reporting units that cannot be given valid township codes:
Code

Description

900

Master Record. Assign township code 900 only to a multi-unit master record. This
type of record is the summation of all of its associated reporting units. Township code
900 should not be assigned to a single establishment employer (only one establishment
with a given UI Account Number in the State).

995

Statewide, locations in more than one township, or no primary township. Assign
township code 995 only to reporting establishments that have locations in more than
one township, or for which a primary location has not been determined or cannot be
assigned by the State. A primary township is the township with 50% or more of the
total employment of the account.

996

Foreign locations. Assign only to reporting units whose physical location is outside
of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, but which report to the State
agency for UI coverage purposes.

998

Out-of-State locations. In general, employers must have UI accounts in all States in
which they have permanent worksites or in which they have ongoing business
operations, such as construction, which lack a fixed worksite. Therefore, employers
will typically be required to establish a UI account in every State in which they
maintain employment (as defined by State UI laws) on a regular basis.
Assign township code 998 only to a reporting unit where the worksite is located
outside of the State to which it is reported for UI coverage purposes, and where
this worksite is not required to report in the State in which the worksite is
physically located. For example, an employer is based in State A and reports to State
A for UI coverage purposes. If this employer has a temporary worksite in State B, and
is not required by State UI laws to establish a UI account to report the worksite in State
B, then the reporting unit would be assigned township code 998 in State A.

999

Unknown locations, or no primary township. Assign to a unit with an unknown or
undefined location.

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States in New England as well as New Jersey must notify BLS-Washington through their
regional office of any changes to their township code list prior to submitting the affected
deliverable EQUI file.
The township code should be paired with an appropriate county code to eliminate any
inconsistencies on the EQUI file, and the State’s own micro file. The following table presents
acceptable equivalent code combinations in relation to the Multi Establishment Employer
Indicator (MEEI) code of each reporting unit.
MEEI
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6
2
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6
2

County/Township
valid county/valid town combination
998/999
999/999
any county code/999
900/900
valid county code/995
995/995
995/999
996/996
999/and valid township or 995, 996, or 998
996/999
998/998
any county code including 900, 995, 996, 998; and township 900
or 999

2.1.4 Ownership Codes and Organization Types
Because industry coding may group private sector and government concerns together into sectors
other than public administration, it is necessary to report a separate ownership code in addition to
the industry code. The ownership code permits separate or combined publication and analysis of
private sector and public sector employment and wage data. Ownership breakouts, needed for
benchmarking the Current Employment Statistics (CES) series, are identifiable only by the
ownership code. The valid one-digit codes for ownership are shown below.
1
2
3
5

=
=
=
=

Federal government
State government
Local government
Private

Local government includes the governments of counties, townships, parishes, cities, towns,
villages, and municipalities. Local government is a political subdivision of a State which has
general corporate and police powers as well as the power to levy taxes and spend funds. This
ownership can cover a variety of services, including education (including school districts),

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healthcare and social assistance; executive, legislative, and judicial duties; special districts
(water, sewage, and other utility services); and other administrative activities.
In addition, several States use Organizational Type Indicator codes for private ownership
establishments. (Organizational type is optional for BLS-Washington and most States.) This
information is often collected on Status Determination Forms to solicit information from private
establishments concerning organizational structure, and may be extracted for the EQUI. The
code indicates the legal form of organization the establishment used when filing taxes. The
organization options are shown below:
I = Individual
P = Partnership
C = Corporation
O = Other

Indian Tribal Councils
According to Federal law, all Indian Tribal Councils and related establishments should have an
ownership code of 3 (Local Government). The law states, as a clarification to the Federal
Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), that Federally-recognized Indian Tribes are to be treated
similarly to State and local governments. The QCEW program is consistent with the CES survey
in treating Indian Tribal Councils and all other indian tribal establishments in this way.
The EQUI file and State micro files also include a data element called the Special Indicator
(described in Appendix B – Data Element Definitions). States should assign the value "T"
(Indian Tribal Council) to the Special Indicator field on records that represent Federallyrecognized Indian Tribal Councils or related establishments.
Establishments not owned by Federally-recognized Indian Tribal Councils but operating in areas
under Indian Tribal Council control should have a blank Special Indicator field and must be
assigned an ownership code of 5 (Private).

2.1.5 Industry Codes
To enable data to be classified by industry on the micro file, each operating establishment is
assigned an industry code on the basis of its primary activity, as outlined in the NAICS Manual.
Under NAICS, establishments that have similar production processes are classified in the same
industry. The conceptual basis is that establishments doing similar things in similar ways should
be classified together. This supply-based system allows for the comparison of such things as
productivity and labor costs on the basis of inputs and outputs from the production process,
rather than on the basis of output alone. In the design of NAICS, special attention was given to
new and emerging industries, service

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industries, and industries engaged in the production of advanced technologies. These areas were
lacking in detail under the older Standard Industry Classification (SIC) System.
NAICS divides the economy into 20 sectors (two-digit), four of which are largely goodsproducing and 16 of which are largely service-producing. An additional sector is used within the
QCEW program for unclassifieds. These sectors are broken down further into subsector (threedigit), industry group (four-digit), and five- and six-digit NAICS codes. All reporting units
should be classified to the six-digit level of detail. There are no exceptions to the six-digit
coding level in NAICS as there were in the SIC coding. The assignment of industry codes is
discussed later in this section.
For the purposes of publication and data dissemination, the QCEW program also defines
industries at levels above the official NAICS structure. This includes the grouping of the 21
sectors (the 20 sectors mentioned in the above paragraph plus the unclassified sector) into 13
supersectors, the grouping of the 13 supersectors into two domains (service-producing and
goods-producing), and the grouping of the two domains into an all-industry total.
An establishment is classified to an industry when its primary activity meets the definition for
that industry. If an establishment performs more than one activity, the industry should be
assigned based on the establishment's principal product or group of products produced or
distributed, or services rendered. Ideally, the principal good or service should be determined by
its relative share of current production costs and capital investment at the establishment. In
practice, however, it might be necessary to use other variables such as revenue, shipments, or
employment as proxies for measuring significance.
There are some NAICS codes which are, by definition, a combination of activities. In these
instances, the NAICS code may not be assigned according to a single primary activity, but
according to the combination of activities performed. See the NAICS manual for more details.
In general, a single establishment at a physical location engaged in activities that fall into more
than one six-digit industry should be assigned only one industry code based on its primary
activity. However, larger employers may report to the UI unit separately if they maintain
separate payroll and inventory records for these activities. State agencies may treat such special
reporting arrangements as separate establishments for record-keeping purposes and in assigning
industry codes.

Use of NAICS 999999
NAICS 999999 (unclassified) is a valid temporary holding code for active units for which
information to assign a specific industry is insufficient. It should only be used until the employer
can be contacted and the specific NAICS code determined. Since assignment to NAICS 999999
precludes use of the employer's records for industry-specific sampling, such assignment causes
an inherent bias for the many studies that draw samples from the Longitudinal Database. The
need to recode larger units coded in NAICS 999999 to a known valid code is critical, particularly

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since large units are in certainty strata in many samples. Yet it is still better to assign NAICS
999999 and follow up with the employer than to knowingly assign an incorrect NAICS code.
New employers who have not provided sufficient information for the assignment of a six-digit
NAICS should be assigned NAICS 999999. This assignment should trigger the printing and
mailing of a BLS 3023-NCA (All Industry) form (see Appendix P) on a flow basis, preferably as
soon as possible. If the form is returned and contains sufficient information to assign a code, the
NAICS code should be changed at that time. Establishments not providing sufficient
information on the 3023-NCA form or not returning the form should be contacted by phone.
Initial assignment of a correct industry code is critical for several reasons. It ensures that a
significant subgroup of employers (i.e., new units) are classified accurately and that the degree of
discontinuity in employment data caused by code changes is reduced.
Generally, a State's use of NAICS 999999 is considered excessive when it exceeds one half of
one percent of total employment in that State.
Effective with data for reference period 2002, second quarter, States are not required to assign
SIC and NSTA codes to new units. For the industry code, only the NAICS code should be
assigned for the new unit. SIC and NSTA codes are not being used. SIC and NSTA codes
should only be maintained on the State database for quarters prior to this reference period.
For NAICS 2007 revision purposes, States were required to dual-code birth records and newly
identified worksites in "split" NAICS industries. In addition, the NAICS02 field (formerly the
old NSTA field) will be used to hold the correct/final 2002-based version of the NAICS code.
The 2007-based NAICS code will be in the NAICS field beginning with 2007/1 data.
Identified auxiliary units are assigned a NAICS code based upon their primary activity. The
NSTA code, now discontinued, was defined as the industry code under the SIC-based treatment
of auxiliaries. The NSTA code was assigned according to the primary activity of the industry
served, not the actual activity of the establishment itself. The NAICS code is assigned based
upon the primary activity of the establishment itself using the NAICS-based treatment of
auxiliaries.

Private Households
Private household employers are coded in NAICS 814110. Typically, these establishments are
private households that employ domestic employees. The code assigned depends on the
employer of record. In the case of NAICS 814110, the employer of record is a private household
rather than an operating business. Establishments that provide business services to households
are coded according to primary activities. For instance, businesses providing maid services are
coded in NAICS 561720, Janitorial Services, while a household that reports a domestic maid on
its own account is coded in NAICS 814110. Both types of establishments may provide these
services for households. Coding focuses on the employer of record. Establishments coded in

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June 2007

Page 2-10

NAICS 814110 are excluded from the Annual Refiling Survey although they may be periodically
reviewed by BLS-Washington.

Coding Master Records in a Multi-Unit Account
States should code master (MEEI 2) records of a multi-unit account with the dominant NAICS
code in terms of the employment in the multi as a whole. Exceptions: Code PEO (Professional
Employer Organization) master records in NAICS 561330. If Headquarters is the dominant
industry in terms of employment, code the master records with the NAICS code of the next
dominant industry, not NAICS 551114.

Invalid NAICS Codes
States should not assign the following two codes:
NAICS Code

Description

112130
541120

Dual Purpose Cattle Ranching and Farming
Offices of Notaries

Both of these codes are listed in the April 9, 1997 Federal Register as null sets, in other words,
invalid for NAICS United States. Any record assigned these codes will continue to be flagged as
an error in the standard State systems (EXPO-202, WIN-202) and BLS-Washington systems.
Neither code is included in the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) descriptions and should not be
assigned to any establishment.

Reference Sources
There are a number of tools available for assigning NAICS codes to reporting units. The NAICS
United States Manual is the printed reference tool for NAICS classification. Also, the Division
of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, in cooperation with the State of Ohio, has
provided an expanded version of the manual with additional functions in the AutoNAICS
computer coding tool. This tool contains more activity descriptions (e.g., index items) than the
printed manual, and it provides industry codes for each activity. AutoNAICS is described in
some detail later in this chapter. Finally, updates to the program covering new activities and
coding interpretations will be provided periodically.

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NAICS Coding Interpretations
In any large-scale coding operation, coders will come across some employers that are difficult to
classify. For several years, BLS accepted requests for SIC coding interpretations from the
States. These interpretations established BLS policy regarding ambiguous or emerging industry
coding issues. During the conversion to NAICS, the formal BLS coding interpretation process
was halted, although BLS continued to answer coding inquiries from States and Regional Offices
on an informal basis. Once the conversion to NAICS was complete, BLS reinstated formal
coding interpretation procedures.
The SO-274E form, last used for SIC coding interpretations, has been updated to reflect NAICS
and is available for download and use from the Stateweb at
http://199.221.111.170/program/es202/NAICS/274-EForm.dot. An example of the form is also
included in Exhibit 2A.
Below are guidelines and information related to NAICS coding interpretations.
•

Regional Offices should forward completed SO-274E forms to the email group NAICS
Coding Interpretations for action.

•

Requests for NAICS coding interpretations must be submitted for specific establishments,
and the U.I. Account Number and Reporting Unit Number must be provided on the SO-274E
form. Hypothetical questions or general inquiries will be answered by BLS-Washington
informally.

•

Coding interpretations will be issued by BLS-Washington in two formats. The State that
originated the request will receive a coding interpretation addressing the specific
establishment in question, and this interpretation will contain confidential information. A
second format, in which all confidential information is expunged, will be transmitted to all
States and Regions and will be posted on Stateweb. BLS-Washington coding
interpretations represent BLS policy and must be observed by all States.

•

In a change from previous procedures, BLS-Washington will circulate the coding issues
raised in the interpretations to members of the Economic Classification Policy Committee
(ECPC) for their opinion. This is designed to promote coding consistency among federal
statistical agencies and to make the ECPC aware of emerging issues related to coding. No
State confidential information will be shared with the ECPC. BLS-Washington will
make the final decision on all coding interpretations and will not delay the issuing of an
interpretation.

•

Regional Offices are expected to offer an opinion on the coding interpretations and provide
background to BLS-Washington if more information is needed on the establishment in
question.

June 2007

•

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BLS-Washington reserves the right to not issue a coding interpretation for every request. In
these instances, BLS-Washington will respond to the request informally to the Regional
Office and State.

June 2007

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Assigning and Updating the Classification Codes

Exhibit 2A NAICS Coding Interpretations Form (Form SO-274E)

Page 2-13

June 2007

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Exhibit 2A NAICS Coding Interpretations Form (Form SO-274E) continued

Page 2-14

June 2007

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Exhibit 2A NAICS Coding Interpretations Form (Form SO-274E) continued

Page 2-15

June 2007

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Training
BLS-Washington periodically provides introductory and advanced NAICS training, and a
computer-based NAICS training course is available for new coders.

2.1.6 Assigning Industry Codes
The assignment of industry codes is the process of identifying the establishment unit's primary
activity. Some of the confusion in the industry coding is caused by the technical nature of the
industries and the descriptive language associated with these industries. The coding process is
further complicated by the industrial and technological change that occurs between revisions of
the industry coding manuals. Using the following steps will reduce some of the difficulties
associated with assigning the proper industry code.
Step 1: Research the Case
The coder should develop a basic understanding of the primary activity or service involved to
ensure accurate coding. The terminology used by the employer can sometimes be confusing or
misleading. It is up to the coder to determine whether the terms used by the employer are
comparable to the industry coding manual terminologies; thus, personal knowledge and coding
experience are valuable. Basic reference materials, such as a good technical dictionary or desk
encyclopedia, should be used in determining comparability with industry coding manual
terminologies. Other more detailed reference materials should be used when required.
Step 2: Identify Possible NAICS Codes
The coder should review all industry coding reference sources (e.g., NAICS Manual, and BLSWashington provided reference materials) to determine possible NAICS codes. At this point the
coder must determine whether or not the employer-supplied information is sufficient to assign a
code. If not, the employer should be contacted.
Step 3: Select an Appropriate NAICS Code
The coder should examine all related industry descriptions to determine the most appropriate
one. Note that NAICS classifies establishments based on their primary activity rather than just
on the products produced. The conceptual basis of NAICS is that establishments doing similar
things in similar ways are included in the same industry.
Step 4: Top-Down Approach for Difficult Cases
Sometimes, when the coding decision is not clear cut, you can narrow your choices by first
determining an appropriate NAICS sector, subsector, industry group, and eliminating
unacceptable 6-digit NAICS codes until you find a code that appears correct.

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If the industry information is inadequate or insufficient at any time during the coding process, the
State should contact the employer. Large units, in particular, should be called to clarify
information. If the information is complete but it is still difficult to determine the correct
NAICS, the State should request coding assistance through the regional office.
To eliminate the effect of seasonal or other short-term fluctuations, a 12-month period should be
used as the basis for determining the principal activity when assigning industry codes.
An establishment entering business for the first time should be classified according to the
anticipated primary activity indicated by the employer on the initial classification form.

2.1.7 AutoNAICS
What is AutoNAICS?
AutoNAICS is an electronic version of the NAICS manual. Also included is an on-line version
of the 1987 SIC manual. AutoNAICS was developed by the Ohio LMI Division to assist States
with the conversion of SIC to NAICS and the ongoing process of coding in NAICS. The
electronic version of the manuals includes the full text and index items found in the paper
versions, as well as keyword search tools to effectively compare the information in the two
manuals. A more extensive alphabetical list of industry line items is provided in addition to
tables for comparing the NAICS codes with 1987 SIC codes. These items are updated quarterly.
One of the most useful features is the Keyword Search tool, which allows the user to search for
keywords or phrases for all occurrences of a series of letters or words, including those that are
not the lead words of an index item. Additionally, the user may search the index and code
descriptions for occurrences of letter combinations, words, or phrases.

Getting AutoNAICS
The most recent version of AutoNAICS is available for downloading at the following Internet
address:
http://lmi.state.oh.us/Special/AutoNAICS.htm
AutoNAICS is password protected and available for download by authorized Bureau of Labor
Statistics and State employment service personnel only. The website provides installation
information as well as a users guide.
The Chicago regional office is responsible for the distribution of AutoNAICS. Please contact
them with any requests for CDs, etc. Any questions or problems regarding AutoNAICS should
be sent to the email group Autonaics.

June 2007

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Assigning and Updating the Classification Codes

Page 2-18

2.2 Coordination of Coding with Other BLS Programs
General Coordination
QCEW reporting units which also appear in other BLS programs, such as CES, Occupational
Employment Statistics (OES), and Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) should
carry the same industry and geographical codes in all programs. The State should make every
effort to assure that coding changes in one program are reflected in the other programs as well.
The QCEW classification unit should serve as the central unit for resolving coding differences.

CES Cross Reference File
Beginning in 1992, the State CES Programs developed Cross Reference Files (CRF) which
specify the relationship between each CES sample member and its corresponding record(s) in the
State QCEW micro data files. The CRFs provide both the States and BLS-Washington with a
mechanism to match CES and QCEW micro data and examine and reconcile reporting
differences. The CRFs are submitted to BLS-Washington on a quarterly basis. This mechanism
is important during each year's employment benchmark review process to examine whether cells
with large benchmark revisions have significant CES/QCEW micro level reporting
discrepancies.
The State CRFs also support other research efforts to examine the differences in CES and
QCEW macro level trends. The CRFs are used to separate the State micro file into CES and
non-CES units as a basis for examining whether there may be biases in the CES sample. Hence,
the CRFs are a valuable and permanent part of the CES program.
In addition to specifying the relationship between CES reporters and QCEW micro-level
accounts (or reporting units for multi-establishment firms), each record on the CRF indicates the
nature of the relationship, in terms of the following alpha coding scheme:
MTH = an exact match, where the CES report is equivalent to a single QCEW reporting
unit
STW = Statewide CES report is the sum of multiple QCEW reporting units
CTY = County CES report is the sum of multiple QCEW reporting units
TWP = Township CES report is the sum of multiple QCEW reporting units
MSA = Metropolitan Statistical Area CES report is the sum of multiple QCEW reporting
units
OTH = Other combination of CES reports is the sum of multiple QCEW reporting units
BRK = CES report is a portion of a single QCEW reporting unit
NON = CES report is not covered in QCEW
XXX = CES report does not fit any of the descriptions above

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Please refer to the CES manual for further details about the precise record structure and uses of
the CRF.
State QCEW program staff assistance may be required in the initial assignment of the proper 3character alpha code for a new CES respondent. Likewise, QCEW program staff may also need
to assist CES staff in resolving employment reporting discrepancies between the two statistical
programs.

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2.3 Changes in Industrial, Ownership, and Area
Classification Codes
The industry, ownership, or county code of a reporting unit, or township code for States in New
England as well as New Jersey, should be changed if the State agency has received information
that the code is incorrect because of (a) a coding error, or (b) a permanent change in the principal
activity, ownership, or location. A permanent change is considered to be one that is expected to
continue for at least the next 12 months. If the change is expected to be of shorter duration, the
code should not be changed to correspond with the new activity, ownership, or location. For
example, an employer who intermittently engages in two different activities classifiable under
different codes should not be reclassified from one activity to the other, if past experience
indicates that these changes are only temporary in character. The unit should be classified
according to the activity which predominates or which uses the greatest share of production costs
over the year as a whole.

2.3.1 Types of Code Changes
The use of employment and wage statistics as indicators of economic trends may be affected by
changing the industry, ownership, or area codes of reporting units, which cause unrealistic breaks
in the levels of industries involved. Therefore, special handling of the data for reclassified
reporting units is required. When the industry, ownership, or area code of a reporting unit is
changed, the code change should be considered as falling into one of the following three major
categories:

Noneconomic Code Changes
This category includes those code changes that are not due to changes in the economic picture,
namely, "structural" code changes, which are the result of changes in the coding structure, and
corrections to codes that previously were assigned incorrectly. This category includes code
changes for which it cannot be determined whether the previous code was incorrectly assigned.
Also included in this category are code changes for reporting units which have shifted gradually
from one primary activity, ownership, or location to another; or which are assumed to have
shifted gradually because of lack of sufficient information to justify classification as economic
code changes.
Noneconomic code changes may also result from the receipt of a breakout of a multi-unit
account that had previously not been included on the micro file. An exception to this rule occurs
when the industry and/or the county code for a multi-unit account were originally coded as
unclassified (NAICS 999999 or county 999). See the procedures below on handling changes
which involve unclassified codes.

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Economic Code Changes
This category includes code changes of reporting units that are known to have converted
completely from one industrial activity, ownership, or location to another. A unit may be
considered as having converted completely if there was a substantially complete shutdown of
production between the old and the new activities, ownerships, or locations which took place in
less than a month. Obviously, there will be more economic code changes on the basis of location
than on industry. To be considered an economic code change, the conversion must be identified
in time to report the correct new code(s) in a timely manner – when the conversion occurred.
Also, the economic change must not reflect a gradual shift. Do not treat a code change as
economic unless it can be implemented before the CES program uses the data for benchmarking.

Change from Unclassified
The assignment of a specific industry or county code to a unit for which data previously have
been reported as "unclassified" is not considered a noneconomic code change, but is considered a
separate type of code change. Note that for county, a change to a specific code from any of the
county equivalent codes (900-999) should be treated as a change from an unclassified.

2.3.2 Timing and Reporting of Code Changes
When an industry, ownership, or county code change results in a significant change in
employment for a industry/ownership/county combination, the State should follow the
procedures described in Chapter 11 that allow the system to place the record on the Code Change
Supplement (CCS) if it is noneconomic. If it is an economic code change, assign an appropriate
comment code. Comment codes are discussed in Section 9.6 and in Appendix I.
Reporting requirements for the specific types of code changes are described below.

Noneconomic Code Changes
Noneconomic code changes, except for those resulting from structural changes in coding
manuals, should be made effective only with data for the beginning of a calendar year. This may
require corrections back to the first quarter, particularly when the CCS is still open.
Partial successor situations (where part of one establishment's employment transfers to another
establishment) are handled as follows: If the transfer does not change the industry code of the
entire successor unit, it should not be treated as a noneconomic code change. Though these types
of transfers may cause a fluctuation in employment between macro cells, the overall operation of
the two units involved does not change. Therefore, in most cases, employment changes that are
a result of partial successors do not belong on the CCS.

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In some cases, in conjunction with a BLS-Washington recommendation, data will be corrected
back to first quarter even though the CCS may have been locked. For example, if data for a large
firm were mistakenly coded to a new county or industry in first quarter, moving the data back to
their correct coding in the subsequent year would disrupt the historical flow of both cells. In
such a case, the data would be recoded to their proper cell for the entire reference year regardless
of when the error was discovered.
Noneconomic code changes made as a result of receiving a breakout for a multi-unit account that
had not been broken out previously on the micro file should be made effective with the first
quarter’s data. Making these changes to first quarter data is important to avoid unrealistic
fluctuations in data for the industries and areas involved. Section 5.5 describes this further.
Unless they are discovered after the ARS has been completed for the year, all noneconomic code
changes should be entered into the ARS refiling system. If the ARS has already been completed,
noneconomic code changes must be entered onto the State micro file (see Chapter 11).
In the case of future structural changes in coding manuals, BLS-Washington will issue specific
instructions.

Economic Code Changes
For economic code changes, the time of the code change must be identifiable and not a gradual
shift. The change in industry, ownership, or location in the reporting unit must be made at the
time of a true economic event or by the end of the thirty-day clean up period of the quarter in
which the event occurred.
Reporting units with economic code changes should be assigned an appropriate comment code.
This information should be kept on file so that units involved may be identified in the event that
studies of their effect on levels and trends of the data are undertaken within the two-year period
following the quarter in which the economic code changes are effective.

Changes from Unclassified
Changes from the unclassified industry or county codes (industry code 999999 or county 900999) to a specific code should be made immediately. If the data are significant and will affect
published levels, back quarter corrections should be made to place the data in their correct cell
for all of the reference year. If these changes are identified in the ARS, they should not be
handled as noneconomic code changes identified by Response Code 46 (CCS update) or 50
(Code change from non-ARS source). They should be assigned Response Code 41 (Reviewed,
no CCS changes) to exclude them from the CCS.
The following table summarizes the information pertaining to the code changes.

June 2007

Reason for change
Complete conversion
(NAICS/Own)
Gradual conversion
(NAICS/Own)
Noneconomic code
change (except change
from unclassified code –
NAICS 999999)
Change from unclassified
code (999999 for NAICS,
900-999 for county)
County code miscoded
(except change from 900999)
Changes in county or
township of reporting unit

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Type of code
change
Economic code
change
Noneconomic code
change
Noneconomic code
change

When code change Should be on
is to be made
CCS?
As soon as
No
conversion occurs
First quarter
Yes
First quarter

Yes

Change from
unclassified

As soon as possible

No

Noneconomic code
change

First quarter

Yes

Economic code
change

As soon as change
occurs

No

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Special Processing for Multi-Unit Employers

Page 3-1

Chapter 3 – Special Processing for Multi-Unit
Employers
Employment and wage data in the QCEW program are aggregated by type of ownership, by
industry code, and by county. To report data accurately at these levels for all establishments,
States must make special provisions for employers who operate more than one establishment
under one employer UI Account Number. Detailed, or disaggregated, reporting permits BLS to
have a large establishment-based database available for surveys and economic research. The
disaggregated reporting also enables States to assess business conditions in smaller geographical
areas and to perform labor market information research.
States should solicit the multi-establishment employers to submit data for their individual
establishments (worksites) on a Multiple Worksite Report (MWR, see Section 3.4.) States
should maintain disaggregated data on their QCEW micro files so it will be reported on the
Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file.
The remainder of this chapter explains specific requirements for the following State activities:
• Disaggregating multi-establishment employers
• Assigning multi-establishment indicator codes
• Identifying multi-establishment employers
• Obtaining industry and county breakouts from these employers
• Using the data on State micro files and EQUI files

------------------------- Contents of Chapter 3 ------------------------3.1 Requirements for Disaggregating Multi-unit Employers
3.2 Assigning the MEEI Code
3.3 Identifying Multi-unit Employers
3.4 Using the Multiple Worksite Report
3.4.1 Printing MWR Forms
3.4.2 Solicitation and Informed Consent Letters
3.4.3 Review and Processing of MWR Data
3.4.4 Delinquent MWR Reporters
3.5 When Quarterly MWRs Are Unavailable
3.6 Report of Federal Employment and Wages

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3.1 Requirements for Disaggregating Multi-unit Employers
In general, employment and wage data and identification information should be collected from
multi-establishment employers at the worksite (store, plant, etc.) level. However, if different
economic activities are being performed at one establishment, each activity should be reported as
a separate establishment. As stated in the NAICS Manual:
"In such cases, each activity is treated as a separate establishment provided:
(1) No one industry description in the classification includes such combined activities;
(2) Separate reports can be prepared on the number of employees, their wages and
salaries, sales or receipts, and expenses; and
(3) Employment and output are significant for both activities." (p. 21-22)
The specific criteria for identifying a multi-establishment employer to be disaggregated is as
follows:
An employer who has more than one establishment reporting under the same UI Account
Number within the State and has a total employment of 10 or more in all of the secondary
establishments combined is considered a multi-establishment employer to be disaggregated.
The primary establishment is defined as the establishment with the largest employment. Under
this definition, the industry code and county codes of the secondary establishments are not
factors in the determination of the multi-status. Once the criterion of 10 employees is met, each
worksite should be reported separately, regardless of the size of each worksite. (The terms
establishment and worksite in this section are used inter-changeably. For a definition, see
Chapter 1, Section 1.7 Definitions- Basic Terms.)
Some examples follow for clarification.
Example #1: Multi-establishment employer who meets the employment criteria

Primary
Secondary

Estab
A
B
C

NAICS
453110
453110
453110

County
011
013
015

Employment
100
40
8

Total Secondary = 48 Employment
Multi to be disaggregated? YES
Establishment A is the primary establishment. The sum of employment in secondary
establishments is 48 (40 in establishment B plus 8 in establishment C). Each establishment
should be reported separately with its proper industry code, county code, other business
identifying information, employment, and wages.

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Page 3-3

Example #2: Multi-establishment employer who meets the employment criteria

Assume
Primary

Estab
A

NAICS
453210

County
011

Employment
6

B
C
D

453210
453220
453210

011
013
011

6
6
6

Total Secondary = 18 Employment
Multi to be disaggregated? YES
Assume establishment A is the primary establishment even though the employment is the same
in all of the establishments. The sum of the employment in the secondary establishments is 18 (6
in establishment B, 6 in establishment C, and 6 in establishment D). Since the sum of the
employment in the secondary establishments is 10 or more, each establishment should be treated
as a worksite with its proper industry code and county codes and reported separately, regardless
of the size of each worksite.
Example #3: Multi-establishment employer who meets the employment criteria

Primary

Estab
A
B
C

NAICS
453910
453910
453910

County
013
013
013

Employment
43
5
5

Total Secondary = 10 Employment
Multi to be disaggregated? YES
Establishment A is the primary establishment. The sum of the employment in the secondary
establishments is 10 (5 in establishment B plus 5 in establishment C). Since this sum is equal to
10, the State should solicit this employer as a multi-establishment employer. Each establishment
should be treated as a worksite with its proper industry code and county codes and reported
separately, regardless of the size of each worksite.
Example #4: Multi-establishment employer who does not meet the employment criteria

Primary

Estab
A
B
C

Total Secondary = 6 Employment

NAICS
453220
453310
453310

County
011
013
015

Employment
100
3
3

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Multi to be disaggregated? NO
Establishment A is the primary establishment. The sum of the employment in the secondary
establishments is 6 (3 in establishment B plus 3 in establishment C). Since this sum is less than
10, the State does not have to solicit this employer as a multi-establishment employer. All
activity should be coded in NAICS 453220 in County 011. This multi-establishment employer
would remain a single unit for statistical purposes and should be assigned a Multi Establishment
Employer Indicator (MEEI) code of 6.
On an optional basis, States may disaggregate the multi-establishment employers having less
than 10 employees in the secondary establishments if sufficient resources are available.
However, BLS will not provide additional funding for States to disaggregate these employers.
Dispersed Operations, No Fixed Worksites
In industries characterized by dispersed operations, such as construction, transportation, and
communications, States should follow the guidelines in the NAICS Manual to determine which
particular work locations should be treated as separate establishments for data collection and
reporting purposes:
"For these activities, the individual sites, projects, fields, networks, lines or systems of
such dispersed activities are not normally considered to be establishments. The
establishment is represented by those relatively permanent main or branch offices,
terminals, stations, and so forth, that are either
(1) Directly responsible for supervising such activities, or
(2) The base from which personnel operate to carry out these activities." (p. 22)
Consequently, employment and wage data for workers in these industries should be collected for
the point of supervision or the base from which these workers operate.
In addition, States have identified employers in certain other industries that typically have no
fixed worksites. (These industries are an exception to worksite reporting.) Employment and
wage data and identification information for these employers can therefore be collected on a
county and industry basis.
Industry
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
Support Activities for Oil and Gas Field
Operations
Logging

NAICS
213111
213112
113310

On the Multiple Worksite Reports for the industries noted in the above table, the worksite
descriptions should state that the employment and wages reported include data for the entire
county, such as:

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"TAYLOR COUNTY OIL EXPLORATION,"
"HOWARD COUNTY OIL EXPLORATION,"
"SMITH COUNTY LOGGING."
There are other examples of work situations not considered to have fixed worksites. This
includes sales representatives working out of their homes, which should be reported as one
worksite with a Reporting Unit Description (RUD) of "sales representatives-statewide." The
County code for this unit should be 995 (Statewide).
Data for construction industries have also historically been collected at the industry code and
county level. States should continue this practice as long as employers are willing to provide the
necessary data. For those employers who are unwilling, the establishment concept outlined in
this subsection may be used.

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3.2 Assigning the MEEI Code
The MEEI codes specify the multi-unit status of each reporting unit. These codes must be
carried on States' files and reported on the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI)
file. The MEEI codes are necessary to identify and process records properly. The MEEI code is
a quarterly field and relates to the reporting for that quarter. Each record must be assigned one
of the following MEEI codes:
MEEI 1: Assign to an employer who operates at one worksite. Only one establishment for this
employer will appear on the file with a unique UI Account Number and a Reporting Unit
Number (RUN) of 00000.
MEEI 2: Assign to a record which is a multi-unit master (parent) record. That is, a record
which is the summation of all of its composite reporting units (subunits) should be assigned an
MEEI of "2." The RUN for this type of record must equal 00000.
MEEI 3: Assign to the individual subunit (worksite) records for each multi-unit employer. This
MEEI code represents a true one-establishment worksite. Each subunit record will have the
same UI Account Number as its master unit record but should carry a different RUN. For
example, if an employer within a State has four establishments and each establishment has six
employees, an MEEI of "2" and an RUN 00000 would be assigned to the master. AN MEEI of
"3" would be assigned to each of the four subunits. The subunits would carry different RUNs
(for example, 00001, 00002, 00003, and 00004.)
MEEI 4: Assign to an employer who has been identified as a multi-establishment employer, but
is unable or unwilling to provide any breakouts below a Statewide total. Assign RUN 00000 to
all units with MEEI 4.
MEEI 5: Assign to a record representing a combination of subunit establishments of a multiestablishment employer but reported as one subunit. The combined record should be assigned a
unique RUN greater than 00000. (An employer who provides county-level data, for example,
should not be coded as MEEI 4, but rather as a 5.)
MEEI 6: Assign an MEEI of "6" to a multi-unit employer who does not meet the size criterion
for soliciting disaggregated data. For example, if an employer has three establishments with
employment levels of 60, 3, and 3, then the reporting unit would be assigned an MEEI of "6" –
multi-establishment employer not solicited because of employer size, because the secondary
employment is less than 10 (see Section 3.1). The unit would be treated as a single unit and
report the aggregate under the primary industry and county. This unit should carry RUN 00000.
Because all records coded as MEEI of 4, 5, or 6 represent an aggregation of establishments, the
QCEW staff should provide (at least for those units with an MEEI of 5) a description of that
aggregation in the RUD field.

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The following chart summarizes the proper combinations of MEEI codes and RUNs:
Unit Type
Single Establishment
Multi-establishment employer master record
(subunit data available)
Multi-subunit (worksite or establishment level)
Multi-establishment employer reporting as a
single (disaggregated data not reported)
Multi-subunit (comprised of more than one
establishment or worksite)
Multi not solicited because of employer size and,
thus, remaining a single unit

MEEI
1
2

Reporting Unit Number
00000
00000

3
4

00001-99998*
00000

5

00001-99998*

6

00000

* The Reporting Unit Number must be numeric, containing a value from 00000 to 99998 (as
described in Appendix B – Data Element Definitions.) In obtaining RUNs for new worksites,
States are to assign the next available RUN to a new worksite. States should assign the next
available number (in sequence) and are not to reuse RUNs. States should check for new and
invalid RUNs. Invalid RUNs include duplicate RUNs and RUNs that were discontinued.

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3.3 Identifying Multi-unit Employers
Identifying firms that have recently expanded their operations (singles becoming multis and
reporting changes) to include additional establishments can be difficult. Some valuable sources
of information for identification of multi-unit accounts are described below.

Annual Refiling Survey
The BLS-3023 questionnaires of the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) serve as one of the primary
means of identifying new multi-establishment employers as well as the instrument to collect the
physical location addresses of single unit employers.
The questionnaires include a section in which employers are asked to attach a list of
establishments (or write them on the form) if they have multiple physical locations under that UI
number. States should update their files with pertinent information obtained from these forms.
(See Chapter 6 for a description of each of the ARS forms and Appendix P for examples of these
forms.)

Contribution Report Forms
Some States include a question on the contribution report which asks directly whether the
employer has more than one establishment. In other States, the form requests changes in
business activity during the last quarter. Even if such a question is not included, a sharp increase
in reported employment over the previous quarter's employment should indicate a need for
additional research. This research may identify the addition of new establishments. For
example, the following table shows a sharp increase in employment.
Example 1:
Estab
A

2003/1
25

2003/2
25

2003/3
135

Establishment A increased employment from 25 in 2003/2 to 135 in 2003/3. Further research
reveals that establishment A opened a second establishment in 2003/3 under the same UI. This
establishment now meets the employment criteria and should be disaggregated as shown below.
Estab
A
B

2003/1
25
0

2003/2
25
0

2003/3
25
110

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Example 2:
Here is an example of two single establishments (A & B) merging into one establishment (C).
The merged establishment has more than 10 employees and this new firm should be sent an
MWR form to collect data for both worksites.
Estab
A
B
C

2003/1
25
15
0

2003/2
25
15
0

2003/3
0
0
40

See Exhibits 3A and 3B for samples of a quarterly contribution report and a quarterly wage
record report used by Minnesota.

Employer's Wage Record
The wage record is also known in some States as the wage list, wage report, or the payroll report.
Nearly all States require the employer to submit these data along with the contributions report.
The wage record lists the total wages for each employee, and their respective Social Security
Number and name, during the quarter. Significant but unexplained employment and wage
increases may indicate that the employer has added another establishment. State staff should
review the wage records of suspected multi-unit accounts. Breaks in the sequence of data, store
or unit numbers, establishment addresses, establishment totals, sharp increases in the number of
wage records from one quarter to the next, etc., may indicate not only that the employer has more
than one establishment, but also that the employer can break out data by establishment when
reporting.
Instructions for using the wage record in obtaining breakouts from multi-unit employers are
provided in Section 3.5.

Other Statistical Surveys
Information collected in other surveys may also assist State staff in identifying firms with more
than one establishment. Surveys which may supplement the available information include the
following: Current Employment Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics (OES),
and the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Survey. States should develop a procedure by
which information obtained in other surveys regarding multi-unit employers can be made
available routinely to the QCEW staff.

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Other Sources
Newspaper and journal articles as well as other sources of information such as the internet, field
offices, and business directories should be reviewed to ensure that complete and accurate data
are being obtained from employers.

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EXHIBIT 3A Employer's Quarterly Contribution Report

Page 3-11

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EXHIBIT 3A (continued) Employer's Quarterly Contribution Report

Page 3-12

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EXHIBIT 3A (continued) Employer's Quarterly Contribution Report

Page 3-13

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EXHIBIT 3B Employer's Quarterly Wage Record Report

Page 3-14

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EXHIBIT 3B (continued) Employer's Quarterly Wage Record Report

Page 3-15

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3.4 Using the Multiple Worksite Report
After an employer account number has been identified as a multi-establishment employer, State
staff must arrange for the employer to provide quarterly breakouts of employment and wages and
business identification information for each worksite. By obtaining these breakouts, the State
can ensure detailed and accurate data on both its own micro file and the EQUI file.
The importance of complete and accurate breakouts of multi-establishment employer data cannot
be over-emphasized. State personnel should stress the importance of disaggregated data in
soliciting breakouts, in telephone conversations with employers, and in all other communications
with employers. State personnel should remind employers that these data are critical to the
preparation of accurate reports on the economic conditions within the State. Furthermore, the
data are used to ensure an equitable distribution of Federal funds through grant programs that use
county economic indicators as a basis for allocations, and for specific sample surveys. With the
move toward geo-coded data, the emphasis on worksite level reporting has increased
significantly.
If known multi-employer records show no indication of establishment-level data, State personnel
should point out the value of establishment reporting to the employer and offer assistance to
overcome reporting problems. If it is easier for employers, computer listings and diskettes can
be accepted in lieu of the form. Reporting MWR data electronically to the EDI (Electronic Data
Interchange) Center can also reduce employer burden. (See Chapter 4, Multiple Worksite
Central Reporting.)
The Multiple Worksite Report (Exhibit 3C) is the vehicle by which employment and wage data
as well as physical location addresses and business identification information for each
establishment are collected from multi-unit employers to ensure proper industrial and
geographical detail. It is a standardized form introduced in 1991 with OMB approval and
replaced previous State statistical supplement forms that varied in size, format, and the data
requested of employers. Appendix P also provides Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) form
examples with fictitious data to show how data appear on the form when issued to employers.
The standardized State systems provide the capability to print the MWR forms via SunGard for
EXPO-202 Service Center States, or in Maine for WIN-202 States or on-site in States, using
BLS-Washington supplied form templates. Programmable Xerox LPS printers that merge and
print the form templates with the State and employer identification information are generally
used. Also, EXPO-202 Service Center States can print smaller batches of MWR forms (typically
for follow-up purposes) using Hewlett-Packard printers. States wishing to print their own
Multiple Worksite Report forms must send ten test copies of the form to their regional office for
review and approval prior to mail-out. The regional office should forward these copies to BLSWashington. By using the standardized form, States reduce the reporting burden on large
employers, especially those engaged in multiple economic activities at various locations across
numerous States. (However, the State can refer large multi-State employers to the EDI Center
since reporting their data electronically will minimize the burden for these employers. The

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booklet for employers Electronic Data Reporting, April 2002 describes this process further. The
EDI Center will make the decision whether or not to contact the employer.)
Each quarter, the employer will be requested to provide the monthly employment and total
wages for each worksite identified on the MWR and also verify the additional information
(Trade Name, Reporting Unit Description, and physical location address) for each worksite. The
Reporting Unit Number will be pre-printed on the form in the Office Use column of the
Worksites section (Section 3). Specific instructions are provided on the form on how to treat
new, inactive, closed, or sold units.
States should format the employer mailing address fields on their files as described in Appendix
B – Data Element Definitions, since this will minimize postal delivery problems.
The entire form mailing address of the employer (in Section 2 of the form), including the City,
State, and Zip Code will be printed with all capital letters. Instead of a comma and a blank to
separate the City and State, only one blank space is used. Between the State and Zip Code, two
blank spaces are used. An example of a properly printed mailing address is:
ANYTOWN CA 12345-6789
Exhibits 3D and 3E contain versions of a sample Multiple Worksite Report that one State printed
on the back of its solicitation letters to assist employers in properly completing the form. Exhibit
3F is an example of a letter included with the Multiple Worksite Report to show the relationship
between the MWR and Quarterly Contribution Report (QCR). The sample indicates that the
total employment and wages on the MWR should match the total employment and wages for the
QCR.

Form Templates/Fonts/Logo
BLS-Washington will provide the necessary Xerox LPS-based 3020 MWR and 3021 Report of
Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW) form templates (and accompanying fonts and logo)
automatically to States and SunGard whenever new forms are approved for production use.
Prior to distributing the necessary form templates/fonts/logo, BLS-Washington will request
certain information from States via e-mail regarding where they will print the forms (in-State,
SunGard), what forms are needed (MWR, RFEW, or both), transmission medium, and delivery
address. This also applies whenever existing form templates are modified or if new fonts are
introduced. Note that BLS-Washington currently supports Xerox LPS-based form templates,
fonts, and logo (.FRM, .FNT, and .LGO files). Examples of Xerox LPS-capable printers are
Xerox models 87xx, 97xx, 4050, 4090, 4135, 4635, 4850, and 4890.
The Xerox LPS-based MWR/RFEW form templates, fonts, and logo are typically transmitted to
States and SunGard via Xerox LPS-formatted 5.25” and 3.5” floppy disks. These same
resources can also be transmitted via other transmission mediums such as regular DOS-formatted
disks (3.5”) or e-mail attachments. However, please note that transmission of these resources
via DOS-formatted disks or e-mail attachments depends upon the Xerox printer and/or

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system setup that you use. Do not request these transmission medium(s) if not applicable
to your particular environment.
For ad-hoc requests of Xerox LPS-based MWR/RFEW form templates, fonts, or logo, the State
can send an e-mail to the group MWRForms (with a cc to appropriate regional office staff) and
include the same requested information noted earlier (where the State will print the forms (inState, SunGard), what forms are needed (MWR, RFEW, or both), transmission medium, and
delivery address.)
MWR/RFEW form templates, fonts, and logo for Hewlett-Packard (HP) printing
are supported for EXPO-202 Service Center States and maintained by the EXPO-202 developers
and the State of Iowa as needed.

BLS-Washington Form Printing Inputs
Once a year, BLS-Washington will request via e-mail updated information concerning (1) the
Authorization Statement to be printed by each State onto their MWR forms (Item 1, first page of
the MWR form), and (2) the State QCR name and number references to be printed onto their
MWR form. The QCR name and number reference information is printed in Item 1 of the MWR
form (after the Authorization Statement text). The QCR number reference is also printed at the
bottom left of the form below the last worksite box. Note that this printing input information
does not apply to the 3021 RFEW form.
Once all information is received and all questions resolved, the information is forwarded by
BLS-Washington via e-mail attachments to the State system developers (EXPO-202 and WIN202) so that this information is printed onto the MWR forms for each State as needed. The
MWR/RFEW input information is requested from States at the same time as the ARS input
information which is covered in Chapter 6.
This input information is requested and maintained by BLS-Washington once-a-year to ensure
that the most current information is printed onto the MWR forms for each State.

Authorization Text (Voluntary)
States that do not mandate completion of the MWR form MUST use the voluntary authorization
text on the form (as shown below):
"This report is authorized by law, 29 U.S.C. 2. Your voluntary cooperation is
needed to make the results of this survey complete, accurate, and timely."

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EXHIBIT 3C Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) Template

Page 3-19

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EXHIBIT 3C (continued) Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) Template

Page 3-20

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EXHIBIT 3D Sample MWR Sent with Solicitation Letter

Page 3-21

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EXHIBIT 3E Second Sample MWR Sent With Solicitation Letter

Page 3-22

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EXHIBIT 3F Explanatory Letter Sent With MWR

Page 3-23

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3.4.1 Printing MWR Forms
The standard State systems will print the physical location address of each subunit record in the
Worksites section (Exhibit 3C, Section 3) of the MWR form, along with the Trade or Legal name
and the Reporting Unit Description if they are present. In the most common situation, the
subunit record represents a true one-establishment worksite and the record has a physical
location address.
If the Street Address Line 1 and City are blank on the physical location address block of the
worksite (MEEI 3, 5), the State systems will print the message “*** Address Unknown -- Please
Provide ***” in the space reserved for the Street Address in the Worksite box on the MWR form.
If the FIPS County code for the worksite (MEEI 3, 5) is greater than 900, the State systems will
print the following text in the space reserved for the Street Address in the Worksite box on the
MWR form.
For County 995: MANY LOCATIONS OR STATEWIDE
For County 996: PHYSICAL LOCATION(S) OUTSIDE OF U.S.
For County 998: PHYSICAL LOCATION(S) OUTSIDE OF STATE
For County 999: ADDRESS UNKNOWN
The Reporting Unit Description, if present on the worksite record, will print on the MWR form.
The employer will hopefully follow the instructions on the MWR form and provide a physical
location address for the unit based on the Reporting Unit Description. If not, the State should
consider telephone follow-up to obtain the physical location address. If physical location
addresses are collected by the EDI Center, refer to Section 4.2.
If the record represents an aggregated subunit (MEEI 5) record and a physical location address is
available for each of the worksites comprising that record, the State should put the address of the
largest establishment for that (aggregated) subunit onto the record so it will print on the MWR.
Use the Reporting Unit Description to describe the aggregation of establishments so that
employment and wage data are reported properly. (The employer should be familiar with the
aggregation since it was the employer who informed the State of the unavailability of worksitelevel data and the need to aggregate data for some combination of worksites.)
If the record represents an aggregated subunit (MEEI 5) and a physical location address is
available for only one of the worksites comprising that subunit record, that address should be
used even though the worksite may not be the largest. Again, the Reporting Unit Description
should be used to describe the aggregation.

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In converting from county-level reporting to establishment-level reporting, States should collect
worksite identification information so it can be pre-printed on the Multiple Worksite Report. If a
pre-existing multi-establishment employer has not provided worksite identification information
prior to being solicited for worksite-level data, the worksite boxes on the MWR form would
preferably be blank and the Reporting Unit Descriptions would not identify the county. Using
only the county name has been shown to mislead employers into submitting county-level data
even though establishment-level data are desired. Of course, this practice is acceptable for those
industries identified in Section 3.1 where county and industry code reporting is appropriate.
States should retain copies of completed Multiple Worksite Reports for eight quarters: the
quarter most recently mailed and seven prior quarters. For example, when MWR forms for
2003/1 are mailed in late March, there should be seven prior quarters of forms on hand, 2002/4
through 2001/2, inclusive. At the end of June 2003, the forms for 2001/2 can be destroyed
(because of the confidential nature of the data) when the forms for 2003/2 are mailed.
MWR forms should be kept in such a manner that State staff can retrieve them with reasonable
ease, for example, by batch number.
The Multiple Worksite Report sent to the employer can be tailored to the type of ownership of
the firm as described below.

Private Sector
Multi-establishment employers in the private sector should be sent the standardized Multiple
Worksite Report previously described. The Multiple Worksite Report is generally sent to
employers separate from the quarterly contribution report form but mailed at approximately the
same time.

State or Local Government Sectors
Generally speaking, establishment breakouts for government should be obtained and processed
in the same manner used for private sector multi-establishment accounts.

Federal Government
Federal agencies having civilian employees subject to the provisions of 5 U.S. Code, Sections
8501-8509, are required to furnish a listing of all their installations within the State to the
employment security agency. Subsequent changes in the listing must also be reported.
Section 3.6 provides specific information on reporting requirements for Federal agencies with
selected large Federal departments for reporting civilian employment data directly to the EDI
Center, as described in Section 4.6, Central Reporting of Federal Data.

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Federal agencies are required to report monthly employment and quarterly wages of covered
employees on forms provided by the State agency or on printouts produced by the Federal
agency's payroll data center. Exhibit 3T displays the Report of Federal Employment and Wages.
This standardized form (used for both multi and single Federal units) replaced all previous State
forms used to collect Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) employment
and wages data in 1993. Exhibit 3U provides a sample of the cover letter to be sent with the first
quarter RFEW form.

3.4.2 Solicitation and Informed Consent Letters
Potential respondents to the Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) must know whether or not the
information they provide will be held in confidence and how this information will be used. For
these reasons, the following statement must appear on all MWR forms used in every State.
“The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State agencies
cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and Unemployment Insurance
program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law.”

Solicitation Letters
BLS-Washington has developed two generic solicitation letters, (Exhibits 3G and 3I), to be
mailed to (1) newly identified multi-establishment employers and (2) multi-establishment
employers who previously did not submit the MWR. BLS-Washington has also developed a
generic "informed consent" letter to be mailed to multi-establishment employers who have used
the MWR before (Exhibit 3K), another informed consent letter to be mailed to multiestablishment employers who provide MWR data on a magnetic medium (Exhibit 3M), and a
letter to be mailed to employers who no longer meet the definition of a multiple worksite
employer (Exhibit 3O). The sample letters are generic so that all States can use them as a guide
in developing their own letters.
Instructions for adapting the sample letters to each State are provided in Exhibits 3H, 3J, 3L, and
3N, respectively, along with an example of a hypothetical State letter for new multiestablishment employers (Exhibit 3P).
States must submit five copies of their individual MWR solicitation/informed consent cover
letters to their regional office for review and approval prior to mailing them for the first quarter
of each year. The regional office should forward copies of the cover letters to BLS-Washington.
BLS-Washington must approve the cover letters before they are used.
One State has developed samples of completed Multiple Worksite Reports which it reproduces
on the reverse side of the solicitation/cover letter. States using this approach must ensure that a
copy of the latest form is used as a sample so it includes the most current confidentiality
statement. The samples supplement the instructions by showing how the actual form should look

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when completed. A nice feature of the samples is that the preprinted information can be easily
distinguished from the information the employer provides. One version of the form shows
printed worksite identification information for an employer that previously provided it (Exhibit
3D), and a second version shows how the form would look when used to collect the worksite
identification information initially (Exhibit 3E). States may consider using similar sample forms
to improve the completeness and accuracy of employer reporting.
Letters to employers who previously did not report should be mailed one year after the initial
solicitation letter is sent. If an employer fails to respond to the initial solicitation letter and
follow-up letters after first being identified as a multi-establishment employer, a letter like that in
Exhibit 3I should be sent the following year. If there is no response to this letter, no follow-up
letters should be sent.
In many States, the employers are solicited via phone when the ARS form is received. States
should also be aware of units pending EDI Center solicitation. The employer should not be
contacted again until after the next Annual Refiling Survey, presumably when it is again
identified as a multi-establishment employer. The following example should clarify this:
Suppose an employer returned the BLS 3023 ARS form first identifying itself as a multiestablishment employer in December 1996. With this information, the State solicited the
employer to complete a MWR in March 1997. Follow-up letters were sent six and eight weeks
later, but the employer did not respond. No attempt at solicitation was made in the second, third,
or fourth quarters of that year. In March 1998, the State solicited the employer again using the
letter for employers who did not report previously. Thus, one year after the initial refusal or
nonresponse the employer was solicited again, using the letter in Exhibit 3I. If the employer did
not respond to this letter, no follow-up letter would be sent and the employer would not be
contacted again until at least March 2000. Solicitation in March 2000 assumes that the employer
responded to the ARS again.
To recap, the employer was solicited in 1997 with follow-ups, and one time in 1998 without
follow-ups, but not at all in 1999. The 1998 solicitation occurred because the three years of the
ARS cycle are too long to wait to contact refusals.
The informed consent statement which will be on all States’ forms should also be referenced in
the cover letters. States should provide brief descriptions of any non-statistical, non-UI uses of
the data. A State’s specific uses and confidentiality policies of MWR data should be
distinguished from any BLS uses and confidentiality policies of MWR data. If States publish
industry directories, a broad description of uses and future uses of data released in these
directories should also be disclosed in the cover letters.

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EXHIBIT 3G Solicitation Letter To New Multi-Establishment Employers
Dear Employer,
The enclosed Multiple Worksite Report is designed to collect employment and wage
data by location (worksite) from employers who conduct their business operations at
more than one location within the State. This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2
and completion of the form is required by Section and Title of State Law. 1/ The
economic information collected on this form is shared with the U.S. Department of
Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of a Federal/State cooperative effort to reduce
employer reporting burden.
Employers fitting the above description are requested/required to complete this report.
To do this, you should/must provide employment and wage information for each
worksite (e.g., store, plant, office). Please review and update the worksite information
preprinted on the attached report and provide a trade name (e.g., division, subsidiary)
and worksite description (e.g., store number, plant name) for each of the listed
worksites. Please add any omitted worksites and indicate units that are inactive,
closed, or have been sold. A computer generated listing which includes all of the
worksite information requested on the Multiple Worksite Report is acceptable in lieu of
the form.
For employers in the construction industry, we are requesting that you provide
information for only those projects which have an expected duration of twelve months or
longer. Whether or not you have any projects of this length, please include your office
location(s) on the report. 2/
The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State
agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and
Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with
law. Worksite-level data are necessary for this agency to prepare summaries of
economic conditions and business activities by geographical area and industry within
our State. State name may include purposes such as list additional uses of the data. 3/
This report should be returned separately from the State name and form number for the
contribution report in the postage-paid envelope enclosed. If you have any questions
regarding these reporting procedures, please contact name and telephone number.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,

Note: It might be useful to put a sample completed MWR form on the back of this cover letter so
that these new respondents can see how it is supposed to be completed.

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EXHIBIT 3H Instructions for Solicitation Letter to New Multi-Establishment Employers

State-Specific Sections
All underlined words are State-specific and should be included if appropriate, or deleted
if not.
1. Include this underlined phrase if completion of the MWR is mandatory in your State.
2. States have the option to add this paragraph if they think construction industry
reporting needs to be specifically addressed.
3. This sentence should be included by those States that use the data collected in this
survey for purposes other than the statistical and Unemployment Insurance purposes
mentioned in the first sentence of this paragraph. The State should complete the
sentence with a brief description of these nonstatistical uses of the data and be broad
enough to cover any future uses.

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EXHIBIT 3I Solicitation Letter for Multi-Establishment Employers Who Refused Previous
Solicitation
Dear Employer,
Last year we contacted you to request your cooperation in completing a Multiple
Worksite Report, but you either indicated that you were not able to, or chose not to,
complete the form. However, because of the importance of the information, we are
asking again for your cooperation. This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2 and
completion of the form is required by Section and Title of State Law. 1/ The economic
information collected on this form is shared with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau
of Labor Statistics as part of a Federal/State cooperative effort to reduce employer
reporting burden.
Employers that conduct business operations in more than one location within the State
are requested/required to complete this report. To do this, you should/must provide
employment and wage information for each worksite (e.g., store, plant, office). Please
review and update the worksite information preprinted on the attached report and
provide a trade name (e.g., division, subsidiary) and worksite description (e.g., store
number, plant name) for each of the listed worksites. Please add any omitted worksites
and indicate units that are inactive, closed, or have been sold. A computer generated
listing which includes all of the worksite information requested on the Multiple Worksite
Report is acceptable in lieu of the form.
For employers in the construction industry, we are requesting that you provide
information for only those projects which have an expected duration of twelve months or
longer. Whether or not you have any projects of this length, please include your office
location(s) on the report. 2/
The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State
agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and
Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with
law. Worksite-level data are necessary for this agency to prepare summaries of
economic conditions and business activities by geographical area and industry within
our State. State name may include purposes such as list additional uses of the data. 3/
This report should be returned separately from the State name and form number for the
contribution report in the postage-paid envelope enclosed. If you have any questions
regarding these reporting procedures, please contact name and telephone number.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Note: It might be useful to put a sample completed MWR form on the back of this cover letter so
that the new respondents can see how it is to be completed.

July 2003

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EXHIBIT 3J Instructions For Solicitation Letter For Multi-Establishment Employers Who
Did Not Report Previously

State-Specific Sections
All underlined words are State-specific and should be included if appropriate, or deleted
if not.
1. Include this underlined phrase if completion of the MWR is mandatory in your State.
2. States have the option to add this paragraph if they think construction industry
reporting needs to be specifically addressed.
3. This sentence should be included by those States that use the data collected in this
survey for purposes other than the statistical and Unemployment Insurance purposes
mentioned in the first sentence of this paragraph. The State should complete the
sentence with a brief description of these nonstatistical uses of the data and be broad
enough to cover any future uses.

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EXHIBIT 3K Informed Consent Letter for Continuing MWR Reporters

Dear Employer,
Thank you for your continuing cooperation in completing the Multiple Worksite Report.
This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2 and completion of the form is required by
Section and Title of State Law. 1/ The economic information collected on this form is
shared with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of a
Federal/State cooperative effort to reduce employer reporting burden.
Employers that conduct business operations in more than one location within the State
are requested/required to complete this report. To do this, you should/must provide
employment and wage information for each worksite (e.g., store, plant, office). Please
review and update the worksite information preprinted on the attached report. Add any
omitted worksites and indicate units that are inactive, closed, or have been sold. A
computer generated listing which includes all of the worksite information requested on
the Multiple Worksite Report is acceptable in lieu of the form.
For employers in the construction industry, we are requesting that you provide
information for only those projects which have an expected duration of twelve months or
longer. Whether or not you have any projects of this length, please include your office
location(s) on the report. 2/
The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State
agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and
Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with
law. Worksite-level data are necessary for this agency to prepare summaries of
economic conditions and business activities by geographical area and industry within
our state. State name may include purposes such as list additional uses of the data. 3/
This report should be returned separately from the State name and form number for the
contributions report in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you have any questions
regarding these reporting procedures, please contact name and telephone number.
Thank you again for your cooperation.
Sincerely,

July 2003

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EXHIBIT 3L Instructions for Informed Consent Letter for Continuing MWR Reporters

State-Specific Sections
All underlined words are State-specific and should be included if appropriate, or deleted
if not.
1. Include this underlined phrase if completion of the MWR is mandatory in your State.
2. States have the option to add this paragraph if they think construction industry
reporting needs to be specifically addressed.
3. This sentence should be included by those States that use the data collected in this
survey for purposes other than the statistical and Unemployment Insurance purposes
mentioned in the first sentence of this paragraph. The State should complete the
sentence with a brief description of these nonstatistical uses of the data and be broad
enough to cover any future uses.

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EXHIBIT 3M Informed Consent Letter to MWR Respondent Using Magnetic Media

Dear Employer:
The purpose of this letter is to thank you for your cooperation in completing the Multiple
Worksite Report (MWR) for your business operations conducted in State. The
information you provide is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2 and is requested/required by
State Law XXX-XXX. The economic information collected on this form is shared with
the U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of a Federal/State
cooperative effort to reduce employer reporting burden. A MWR form has not been
enclosed since your firm is providing these data each quarter in a magnetic medium to
State name. 1/ Name of Data Collection Center, Regional Office or BLS-Washington,
which in turn distribute these data to State name. 2/ This letter is a reminder that data
for MWR information for the first quarter is due on date.
The information obtained from this report is held confidential by State Name to the full
extent permitted by law and 3/ will be used for both statistical and Unemployment
Insurance purposes. Worksite-level data you provide are used to prepare summaries of
economic conditions and business activities by geographical area and industry within
our State. In addition, State name may include purposes such as list additional uses of
the data. 4/
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. John Doe at (123) 456-7890.

Sincerely,

July 2003

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EXHIBIT 3N Instructions for Informed Consent Letter to MWR Respondent Using
Magnetic Media

State-Specific Instructions
1. Firms reporting to State, only.
2. Firms reporting to Data Collection Center, only.
3. The phrase "is held confidential to the full extent permitted by law " should be
included by only those States for which it is true.
4. This sentence should be included by those States that use the data collected on this
survey for purposes other than the statistical and Unemployment Insurance uses
mentioned in the second paragraph of the letter. The State should complete the
sentence with a brief description of these additional uses of the data and be broad
enough to cover any future uses.

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EXHIBIT 3O Letter to Multi-Establishment No Longer Meeting MWR Definition

Dear Employer:
Thank you for your past cooperation in completing the Multiple Worksite Report. The
information you have provided is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2 and is
requested/required by State Law XXX-XXX.
The information obtained from this report is used for both statistical and Unemployment
Insurance purposes to the full extent permitted by law . The worksite-level data
provided by multi-business establishments are used to prepare summaries of economic
conditions and business activities by geographical area and industry within our State.
Because your most recent report indicated that you no longer meet the requirements
necessary to identify multiple worksites within this State, you will no longer be requested
to complete this report form. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has established ten as the
minimum number of employees working outside of the primary worksite (defined as the
largest worksite in terms of employment) for an employer to be considered a multiple
worksite employer.
If at some future point your worksite employment in State should increase, such as
through the addition of new worksites, you may again be requested to complete the
Multiple Worksite Report.
Again, thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact Mr.
John Doe at (123) 456-7890.
Sincerely,

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EXHIBIT 3P Hypothetical State's Letter to New Multi-Establishment Employers

Dear Employer,
The enclosed Multiple Worksite Report is designed to collect employment and wage
data by location (worksite) from employers who conduct business operations at more
than one location within the State. This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2 and
completion of the form is required by Penntucky State Law 104-38B. The economic
information collected on this form is shared with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau
of Labor Statistics as part of a Federal/State cooperative effort to reduce employer
reporting burden.
Employers fitting the above description are required to complete this report. To do this,
you must provide employment and wage information for each worksite (e.g., store,
plant, office). Please review and update the worksite information preprinted on the
attached report and provide a trade name (e.g., division, subsidiary) and worksite
description (e.g., store number, plant name) for each of the listed worksites. Please add
any omitted worksites and indicate units that are inactive, closed, or have been sold. A
computer generated listing which meets worksite-level reporting criteria is acceptable in
lieu of the form.
For employers in the construction industry, we are requesting that you provide
information for only those projects which have an expected duration of twelve months or
longer. Whether or not you have any projects of this length, please include your office
location(s) on the report.
The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State
agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and
Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with
law. Worksite-level data are necessary for this agency to prepare summaries of
economic conditions and business activities by geographical area and industry within
our State. In Penntucky, uses of this data may include purposes such as assisting the
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in building a database for job placements.
This report should be returned separately from the Penntucky Employer's Quarterly
Contribution Report (PT-UI-50) in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you have any
questions regarding these procedures, please contact Mr. John Smith at (123) 4567890.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,

June 2007

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3.4.3 Review and Processing of MWR Data
The flow chart in Exhibit 3Q, on the following page, is intended to be a useful guide for State
staff as they review returned MWRs and process the data for existing multi-unit employers.
While special circumstances may cause State procedures to differ slightly from this workflow,
the activities shown are all needed to meet the full range of QCEW program needs. States whose
processing of the existing MWRs deviates significantly from this workflow should review their
current procedures to determine if the suggested workflow is more efficient.
When MWRs are received, they generally are in one of two formats: paper or facsimile (e.g.,
computer-generated report). Facsimiles are generated by the employer and may or may not
resemble the MWR (BLS 3020) form. Paper MWR forms are printed by the State system and
are returned by the employer.
In processing MWRs, both formats have common tasks. The main difference between the two is
the assignment of RUNs. For facsimile copies, States have to compare the previous quarter’s
MWR to assign the RUNs to each worksite. This comparison varies by State. Some States write
the RUNs on the facsimile and then transfer the RUNs to the current quarter’s facsimile, while
other States may reprint the previous quarter’s MWR for the comparison. With the paper format,
the RUNs are printed onto the MWR form, thus the assignment of RUNs is unnecessary (except
for new worksites or locations).
Once the MWR is received, a cursory review prior to inputting the monthly employments and
total wages should be made. This review should cover changes and/or comments made by the
employer, and large data changes (employments and wages).
Employer changes could include the following:
• Mailing Address and/or contact name or phone number
• Trade Name and/or RUD for a worksite
• Address change for a worksite
• Narrative comments from the employer
• New worksites (locations)
• Worksites that are no longer in business (deaths) or transferred to another UI account
• Worksites that are sold
• Worksites that are broken out further
• Worksites that are combined (two or more worksites combine into one worksite)
• Worksites that transfer employees to another worksite (new or existing)
Changes to Mailing Addresses, Trade Names, RUDs, Physical Location Addresses (PLA), and
narrative comments should be made immediately. If a PLA change causes the County code to
change, assign the new County code and comment code 82 (economic code change).
For new worksites, additional information is needed to determine the action required. In most
cases, a new worksite is a result of a new opening. These new worksites are considered “births”

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and NAICS, County, and Ownership codes should be assigned along with comment code 85
[new establishment or worksite]. In other cases, these new worksites may have come from
another UI number (predecessor) or from another worksite within the UI account due to a
transfer or merger. In these cases, refer to Chapter 5 to assign proper predecessor/successor links
and comment codes.
Conversely, if an employer closes a worksite, it is considered a “death.” These worksites should
be given an End of Liability (EOL) Date and comment code 86 [establishment permanently out
of business]. As with new worksites, “deaths” could be caused by worksites that are sold to
another UI account or by combining one or more worksites into one worksite. New RUNs
should be assigned, if applicable. In these cases, refer to Chapter 5 to assign proper
predecessor/successor links and comment codes.
If the UI number changes due to a merger or some other reason, add predecessor/successor links
to the master and each RUN. Also, assign new RUNs (if applicable), appropriate comment
codes, and termination dates to the master and each RUN for the predecessor. Refer to Chapter 5
for more information on processing predecessor and successor transactions.

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Page 3-40

EXHIBIT 3Q Recommended Processing Flow for Existing Multi-establishment Employers
Returned Existing MWRs

Paper MWRs

Prior QTR MWR

Current Qtr MWR

Current QTR MWR
Facsimile

Corrections

E&W

MWR Facsimiles

Cursory Review
Examine for:
1) Changes made by employer,
2) Comments provided by employer,
3) Large employment/wage changes.

Other Data
Elements

Prior QTR MWR
Facsimile

Match to Prior Qtr
Assign RUNs

Changes/Other Action
Required Y/N?

Yes
No
MWR Mailing
Address
Contact Name
Contact Phone

Worksite:
Trade Name
RUD

Worksite Address
New RUN? Y/N

Narrative Comments
Review
Assign CC?

New Worksites?
Births/Transfers

Yes
Births

Transfers

Check Count y
and/or Township

No

Determine if
change is
economic or
noneconomic. Add
to Control File if
noneconomic.

No
change

Change

Data Entry

Assign
NAICS,
Cnty,
Own, CC
85 &
liability
date

Determine
Predecessor
UI & RUN,
enter p/s
info., CC 93,
add to
Control File
if needed

Deaths?
Transfers?

Deaths
Enter
CC 86
&
EOL
date

New UIs
Determine if a new
UI or a merger.
Merger

Transfers

Determine
Successor UI
& RUN, enter
Succ info,
CC 93

New

Enter p/s info.,
appropriate CC,
Term dates
and CCs 88, 89,
or 93 to Pred.

Assign new
RUNs, if
applicable

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3.4.4 Delinquent MWR Reporters
The QCEW program depends upon accurate employment and wage data submitted by employers
on a quarterly basis. This is especially important since the QCEW program is publishing on a
quarterly basis. Much of these quarterly employment and wage data comes from the Multiple
Worksite Report. For this reason, MWR reporters who are delinquent in submitting their
quarterly reports must be contacted as soon as possible to obtain the necessary information. This
will ensure that the QCEW data are timely and accurate.
The State of Louisiana created a follow-up cover letter that has proven very effective in
soliciting information from delinquent MWR reporters. Their form has been modified by BLSWashington for use in all States. Exhibit 3R contains a template that should be used for
contacting delinquent reporters in voluntary States, and Exhibit 3S contains a template for use in
mandatory States.
When using the templates, States must replace the generic information found within the form’s
body with State-specific information. This information includes State Workforce Commission
name, relevant State laws, State data uses, State contact names, and State contact telephone
numbers. A MWR form must be enclosed with the cover letter. The cover letter also mentions
the alternative methods by which an employer may submit MWR data in addition to returning
the MWR paper form.

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EXHIBIT 3R Cover Letter for Delinquent MWR Reporters (Voluntary States)

Dear Employer:
RE: Failure to Report Notice – Multiple Worksite Report
The (insert State Workforce Commission) sends your company quarterly the Multiple Worksite Report
that is a nationally standardized form to collect employment and wage data from employers that have
more than one location or economic activity in (insert State). This survey is authorized by 29 U. S. Code
2 and completion of the form is requested by (insert State Law XXX-XXX). Our records indicate that
your company is not completing and returning this form to our office.
The information collected on this form, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the (insert State Workforce
Commission) cooperating in its statistical programs, will be used for statistical and Unemployment
Insurance (UI) program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law. In addition to the statistical
and UI uses of these data, (insert State Workforce Commission) also uses the data for (insert State data
uses). The information supplied on this report is a direct input into the unemployment rate for
(counties/townships/parishes) throughout the state and can affect government funding to these
(counties/townships/parishes).
We have enclosed the Multiple Worksite Report form, designed to collect employment and wage
information quarterly for each worksite (e.g., store, plant, office), preprinted with the latest available
information on your company. Please review the form and update the worksite information by adding
any omitted worksites and indicate units that are inactive or have been sold. A reporting unit number will
be assigned to each location and/or establishment and will become a permanent identification number for
that particular worksite.
In order to reduce your workload, we will accept a computer generated listing, magnetic tape, or diskette,
which includes all the requested information including the reporting unit number that we have assigned to
each location.
We appreciate your cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions concerning this report, please
contact (insert name) at (insert state phone #).
Sincerely,

June 2007

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EXHIBIT 3S Cover Letter for Delinquent MWR Reporters (Mandatory States)

Dear Employer:
RE: Failure to Report Notice – Multiple Worksite Report
The (insert State Workforce Commission) sends your company quarterly the Multiple Worksite Report
that is a nationally standardized form to collect employment and wage data from employers that have
more than one location or economic activity in (insert State). This survey is authorized by 29 U. S. Code
2, and completion of the form is required by (insert State Law XXX-XXX). Our records indicate that
your company is not completing and returning this form to our office, and is therefore not in compliance
with the above referenced statue.
The information collected on this form, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the (insert State Workforce
Commission) cooperating in its statistical programs, will be used for statistical and Unemployment
Insurance (UI) program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law. In addition to the statistical
and UI uses of these data, (insert State Workforce Commission) also uses the data for (insert State data
uses). The information supplied on this report is a direct input into the unemployment rate for
(counties/townships/parishes) throughout the state and can affect government funding to these
(counties/townships/parishes).
We have enclosed the Multiple Worksite Report form, designed to collect employment and wage
information quarterly for each worksite (e.g., store, plant, office), preprinted with the latest available
information on your company. Please review the form and update the worksite information by adding
any omitted worksites and indicate units that are inactive or have been sold. A reporting unit number will
be assigned to each location and/or establishment and will become a permanent identification number for
that particular worksite.
In order to reduce your workload, we will accept a computer generated listing, magnetic tape, or diskette,
which includes all the requested information including the reporting unit number that we have assigned to
each location.
We appreciate your cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions concerning this report, please
contact (insert name) at (insert phone #).
Sincerely,

June 2007

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3.5 When Quarterly MWRs Are Unavailable
There may be instances in which a multi-establishment employer either refuses or is unable to
provide a complete establishment-level breakout on a quarterly basis. To ensure the validity and
reliability of the QCEW data, both industry and county breakouts are necessary. Therefore as an
interim measure – until such time as the employer can provide complete establishment breakouts
each quarter – State staff should take the following steps, in the order they are listed, to obtain
the necessary data.

Yearly Submission of a Breakout
If State staff determine that it is impossible for the employer to provide an establishment
breakout each quarter, the State agency should negotiate an alternative solution with the
employer. One solution might be for the employer to submit a complete establishment breakout
for one quarter each year. The State can then prorate the aggregate data for the remainder of the
year. (See Section 8.3 for the proration procedures.) BLS prefers that the first quarter data be
obtained. However, if the first quarter is not representative of the other quarters in the year,
States should work with the firm to select the most representative quarter's data for that
employer. For school districts, it is preferable to have two quarters of data each year – the third
quarter (the beginning of the school year) and the second quarter (the end of the school year).

Compiling a Breakout from Other Available Records
It is preferable that data by establishment be obtained from the employer even if it must be
provided on some schedule other than a quarterly basis. However, if such a solution cannot be
negotiated with the employer, State staff should attempt to compile establishment breakouts
using various other sources of information available. These sources include the employer's wage
records and CES data.
One of the best sources of information on some large employers (especially those in retail trade)
is the company’s website. Many of these firms list all of their locations for their customer’s
convenience. It is better to use this information and prorate the employment and wage data from
the Quarterly Contributions Report (master record) than to collapse this record to one county or a
statewide report.

1. CES Data
Another possible source of information on multi-establishment employers is the CES
program. CES data include a total employment figure as well as employment and hourly
earnings information for non-supervisory or production workers. Not every employer

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covered by Unemployment Insurance submits CES data. However, many large employers do
participate for one or more of their establishments.
The CES can be a valuable source for estimating establishment level data. However, when
comparing information reported for QCEW purposes to that of the CES program, it is
important to ensure that the reports are for comparable units.
CES staff maintain a registry of CES sample members and a cross reference file (CRF). The
CES cross reference file is the place where CES staff annotate the relationship of their reports
to corresponding QCEW records. See Section 2.2 for more information about the CRF.
The QCEW staff should arrange to have access to the Registry and the CRF to determine
whether a given firm reports in the CES program. If all or some of the multi-establishment
employers are respondents in the CES survey (the CES survey may include different workers
than the QCEW program), the payroll and employment information available may facilitate
the compilation of establishment breakouts for the QCEW micro file and the EQUI. State
staff should obtain the name, address, title, and telephone number of the individual(s)
responsible for supplying the CES data and seek their assistance.

2. Employer's Wage Record
The wage records can be useful in approximating breakouts by establishment (see Exhibit
3B). If possible, sort by establishment and the establishments' addresses. However, even
when the data are not arranged by establishment, it may still be possible to determine
breakouts for smaller multi-establishment accounts. This determination will be possible if
establishment identifier codes are provided along with names, addresses, or other types of
identifying information. Location of stores identified by store numbers can usually be
obtained by calling the corporate office and requesting a list.
One limitation of the wage records is that it includes data for all employees for the account –
not just those employed during the pay period including the 12th of the month. Thus, in
approximating employment data for establishments, State staff should consider the impact of
employee turnover and any other factors that could result in fluctuations of the data.
Furthermore, controls should be set up to ensure that the sum of approximated employment
data for individual establishments does not exceed the total reported employment for the
employer on the contribution report.
State staff should be cognizant of the limitations involved in using wage records to
approximate establishment data.

Handling a New Breakout for an Uncooperative Employer
In some instances the employer may have been unable or unwilling to provide establishment,
industry, or county breakouts on a quarterly basis or on any other schedule. State staff may have

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contacted the employer to negotiate yearly submission and then reviewed other available records
– all to no avail. The State agency may have exhausted all acceptable methods for obtaining
establishment breakouts, including business directories, the internet, etc. In this case, as a last
resort, the following procedures should be used to properly code the data for the multiestablishment employer.
1. The primary county should be identified.
States should consider primary county as the county with the largest share of the employment in
the account, but should only code to primary county when 50% or more of the total employment
is in the primary county.
Some examples of this primary county coding concept are presented below.
Example 1: A multi-unit account has the following locations.
Location
A (primary)
B
C

Employment
8
2
7

County
001
003
003

The State should assign county 003 to the single unit (combined) record because the employment
for this county is more than 50% of the total employment for the account.
Example 2: A multi-unit account has the following locations.
Location
A
B
C
D (primary)

Employment
2
3
1
4

County
101
103
105
107

The State should assign county code 995 (Statewide, locations in more than one county, or no
primary county) to the single unit (combined) record because the primary county’s employment
(location D) does not make up 50% or more of the total employment for the account. County
code 995 should also be used if State staff have exhausted every source of information, including
estimates by the employer, and is still unable to determine whether 50% or more of the
employees work in the primary county.
2. The primary industry should be identified.
The primary industry is the industry with the largest revenue or receipts. Sometimes, however,
where diverse industrial activities exist for a multi-establishment employer, revenues or receipts
cannot be determined or estimated for each product or service. In other instances, the revenues
or receipts for each product or service do not adequately reflect the economic importance of each

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establishment within the firm. In these situations, as well as for agencies involved in public
administration, employment or payroll information should be used to determine the primary
industry.
The State must determine the approximate employment for the primary county and primary
industry. Information from the following sources should be used in determining employment:
employer contacts, employer wage records, industrial classification statements, CES data,
newspaper articles, information gathered during previous attempts to obtain establishment
breakouts, and any other sources available.
If the industry breakout is not available, then the State should code all the employer's
establishments into the primary industry as previously defined.

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3.6 Report of Federal Employment and Wages
BLS is collecting the RFEW data centrally from many Federal departments and agencies. This is
discussed in Section 4.6, Central Reporting of Federal Data. Presently, Federal employment and
wage data are centrally collected by the EDI Center in Chicago for the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Department of Interior
Civilian Department of Defense (DoD)
Departments and agencies reported by the National Finance Center (NFC)
Army Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) activities
Department of Transportation
General Services Administration
Department of Labor

Until BLS can collect RFEW data centrally for all remaining agencies, States should collect the
data using the procedures described in this section.
All Federal departments and agencies having civilian employees subject to the provisions of 5
U.S. Code, Sections 8501-8509, are required to furnish each State Employment Security Agency
with a listing of all the installations it operates within the State. They are also required to inform
the State agency of any subsequent changes in the listing. Each installation, or its parent agency
in its behalf, will report the monthly employment and quarterly wages of its covered employees
each quarter. The installation or agency will use the RFEW provided by the State agency or will
provide printouts produced by payroll data centers. The UCFE Instructions For Federal
Agencies provide general instructions for the preparation of Federal agency data for statistical
reports.
All agencies that have at least one employee in a State must report to that State. Non-defense
Federal agencies should report data on an “installation level.” An agency that maintains records
by GSA location code (full place code) in its accounting systems rather than by installation may
report by GSA location code. GSA location codes are described in Section 4.6.
In general, employment and wage data and identification information should be collected from
multi-installation Federal agencies at the installation level, not statewide. The specific criteria
for identifying a multi-installation agency to be disaggregated is as follows:
1. An agency that has more than one installation within the State and has a total employment of
10 or more in all of the secondary installations (combined) is considered a multi-installation
employer. It should be disaggregated.
2. The primary installation is defined as the installation with the largest employment. Under
this definition, the industry and county codes of the secondary installations are not factors in
the determination of the multi-status. Once the criterion of 10 employees is met, each
installation should be reported separately, regardless of the size of each installation. Do not

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automatically merge or separate installations because of rare and temporary oscillations in
employment. The criterion of 10 employees should reflect a consistent level of employment.
Example 1: Multi-installation agency that meets the employment criterion:
Installation
A
B
C

NAICS
922120
921110
921110

County
011
013
015

Employment
100
6
6

Treat as:
Primary
Secondary
Secondary

Total Secondary Employment = 12
Installation A is primary. The sum of employment in the secondary installations is 12. Each
establishment should be reported separately with its proper industry code, county code, other
identifying information (i.e., Reporting Unit Description), employment, and wages.
Example 2: Multi-installation agency that does not meet employment criterion:
Installation
A
B
C

NAICS
922120
921110
921110

County
011
013
015

Employment
100
5
1

Treat as:
Primary
Secondary
Secondary

Total Secondary Employment = 6
Installation A is primary. The sum of employment in the secondary installations is 6. This
agency may report on a statewide basis since the sum of the secondary installations is less than
10. All activity may be coded in NAICS 922120 in county 011. This multi-installation reporter
would remain a single unit for statistical purposes. A statewide total is acceptable only if the
sum of agency personnel in the secondary units is less than 10.
Reports for cabinet level departments should not be aggregated to a department-wide level. The
department should submit separate reports for each bureau or agency (terminology for subdepartmental entities may differ) within the department. On the other hand, independent
agencies should report on an agency-wide basis. Any questions concerning the level of reporting
should be directed to the BLS-Washington.

RFEW Form
The RFEW form, Exhibit 3T, is required for reporting quarterly employment and wage data for
all Federal government installations except for those reporting directly to the EDI Center (See
Section 4.6.) The RFEW was made mandatory in 1993. Exhibit 3U provides a sample of the
cover letter that should be sent with the first quarter RFEW form. Appendix P also provides

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RFEW form examples with fictitious data to show how data appear on the form when issued to
installations.
Each quarter the State agency should mail the RFEW to each installation or its parent agency.
Chapter XI of the UCFE Instructions For Federal Agencies provides that the installation will
have 30 days after the end of the quarter to return the completed RFEW. Some Federal agencies
that report from a central office may provide employment and wage data on computer-generated
listings of installations within a State. State agencies may wish to send them quarterly reminder
notices, in lieu of the RFEW form, since the listings are acceptable in such a format. States
should remind Federal reporters of the EDI Center reporting option.

Printing RFEW Forms
The standard State systems will print the physical location address of each subunit record in the
Worksites section (Exhibit 3T, Section 3) of the RFEW form, along with the Trade or Legal
name and the Reporting Unit Description if they are present. In the most common situation, the
subunit record represents a true one-establishment worksite and the record has a physical
location address.
If the Street Address Line 1 and City are blank on the physical location address block of the
worksite (MEEI 3, 5), the State systems will print the message “*** Address Unknown -- Please
Provide ***” in the space reserved for the Street Address in the Worksite box on the RFEW
form.
If the FIPS County code for the worksite (MEEI 3, 5) is greater than 900, the State systems will
print the following text in the space reserved for the Street Address in the Worksite box on the
RFEW form.
For County 995: MANY LOCATIONS OR STATEWIDE
For County 996: PHYSICAL LOCATION(S) OUTSIDE OF U.S.
For County 998: PHYSICAL LOCATION(S) OUTSIDE OF STATE
For County 999: ADDRESS UNKNOWN
The Reporting Unit Description, if present on the worksite record, will print on the RFEW form.
The employer will hopefully follow the instructions on the RFEW form and provide a physical
location address for the unit based on the reporting unit description.
If the record represents an aggregated subunit (MEEI 5) record and a physical location address is
available for each of the worksites comprising that record, the State should put the address of the
largest establishment for that (aggregated) subunit onto the record so it will print on the RFEW.
Use the Reporting Unit Description to describe the aggregation of establishments so that
employment and wage data are reported properly. (The employer should be familiar with the

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aggregation since it was the employer who informed the State of the unavailability of worksitelevel data and the need to aggregate data for some combination of worksites.)
If the record represents an aggregated subunit (MEEI 5) and a physical location address is
available for only one of the worksites comprising that subunit record, that address should be
used even though the worksite may not be the largest. Again, the Reporting Unit Description
should be used to describe the aggregation.
In converting from county-level reporting to establishment-level reporting, States should collect
worksite identification information so it can be pre-printed on the RFEW. If a pre-existing
multi-establishment employer has not provided worksite identification information prior to being
solicited for worksite-level data, the worksite boxes on the RFEW form would preferably be
blank and the Reporting Unit Descriptions would not identify the county. Using only the county
name has been shown to mislead employers into submitting county-level data even though
establishment-level data are desired. Of course, this practice is acceptable for those industries
identified in Section 3.1 where county and industry code reporting is appropriate.
RFEW forms should be kept in such a manner that State staff can retrieve them with reasonable
ease, for example, by batch number.

Federal Agency Delinquency and Data Problems Resolution
To expedite resolution of delinquency and/or questionable data collected directly by the States
on the RFEW (iincludes agency printouts of their data in lieu of the form), a
question/clarification form is available to note specific problems with an agency. To view a
copy of the form, which is modeled after the EDI Center Form for MWR questions, see Exhibit
3V. (Readers who use this manual as a Word document may click on the title to open a copy of
the form.) Please note that this form is to be used for Non-EDI Center collected data from
Federal Agencies. Questions on Federal agency data supplied by the EDI Center should be
addressed to the EDI Center staff using their existing form, not the form mentioned above.
States should follow the procedures listed below when problems with Federal agencies (non-EDI
Center collected data) develop:
1. States should first contact the appropriate staff at the Federal agency to resolve the issue.
2. If the State staff person determines that resolution of this issue will neither be timely nor
adequate or is an issue impacting all States, then they should complete the above form and
send it to the group name "Fed-Problems" using the BLS e-mail system. A copy of the
message and the attachment should also be sent to the appropriate regional office.
3. BLS-Washington staff will contact the Federal agency to seek resolution of the issue.
4. BLS-Washington staff will then provide their response to the issue using the new form and
return it to the State with a copy to the appropriate regional office.

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5. If the State staff have further questions or does not agree with the response, then that person
should call the BLS-Washington staff member who prepared the response.
6. These staff will resolve the issue and a copy of the final resolution will then be sent to all
parties.

Federal Payroll Service Centers
Four Federal agencies act as payroll service bureaus for other Federal agencies. These agencies
should not be sent RFEWs nor should State agencies contact them if these data are delinquent.
All of these agencies report their RFEW data electronically to the EDI Center (see Section 4.6).
At present, the following Federal payroll service bureaus report to the EDI Center:
•
•
•
•

Defense Manpower Data Center (for civilian Department of Defense)
National Finance Center (for Departments of Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Justice, and
Homeland Security, as well as many other smaller independent agencies)
General Services Administration (for itself and many smaller agencies)
National Business Center of the Department of Interior (for Interior, Social Security
Administration (SSA), and many smaller agencies)

BLS-Washington will maintain a register of those service centers that provide payroll services
for other Federal departments and agencies.

State Agency Publication of Federal Civilian Employment and Wage Data
Federal civilian employment and wage data are subject to provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act. Accordingly, there are no restrictions on State publication of Federal
government civilian employment and wage figures, including Department of Defense civilian
employment and wage data. The Privacy Act of 1974 does not prohibit disclosure of the salaries
paid to individual Federal government employees.

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Exhibit 3T RFEW Form Template

Page 3-53

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Exhibit 3T (continued) RFEW Form Template

Page 3-54

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Exhibit 3U Notification Letter to Existing Federal Agencies

Dear Federal employer,
The enclosed Report of Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW) is a standardized
form used to collect employment and wage data from federal agencies with employees
covered by the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program.
This report is authorized by law, 5 U.S. Code, Sections 8501-8509, and is required for
each Federal agency. The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics and the State agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for
statistical and UCFE program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law.
To complete the report, please provide employment and wage information for each
installation. Please review and update the preprinted information on the attached report
and provide a worksite name and description (e.g., site name, base number) for each of
the listed installations. Please add any omitted installations and mark those that are
inactive or closed. A computer generated listing which includes all of the installation
information requested on the RFEW is acceptable in lieu of the form.
If you have any questions about these reporting procedures, please contact [State
contact person] at [telephone number].
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,

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Exhibit 3V Question/Clarification Request Form for RFEW Data
QUESTION / CLARIFICATION REQUEST FORM FOR RFEW DATA
INSTRUCTIONS: COMPLETE THIS FORM AND FORWARD IT TO BLS VIA EMAIL TO [email protected], WITH A CC TO THE RESPECTIVE REGIONAL OFFICE. PLEASE USE
ONLY ONE FORM PER FIRM. ALL RESPONSES WILL BE PROVIDED VIA EMAIL.
DATE:

STATE:

SENDER’S INFO:
NAME:

EMAIL ADDRESS:

PHONE #:
FEDERAL AGENCY INFO:
NAME:
RFEW REPORTED (UI)
NUMBER(S):

RFEW REPORTED
RUN:

THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS REQUIRED. IF INCOMPLETE, THE FORM MAY BE RETURNED TO
THE REGIONAL OFFICE FOR FOLLOW UP WITH THE STATE.

FEDERAL
AGENCY
CONTACT:

PHONE NUMBER:

A. DELINQUENT

(PLACE AN X IN THE APPROPRIATE BOXES)

YEAR

QUARTERS

1

YEAR

2

YEAR

3

YEAR

4

NOTE: IF ADDITIONAL QUARTERS ARE DELINQUENT, PLEASE NOTE IN SECTION B.
B. QUESTION/CLARIFICATION(S):

C. BLS RESPONSE

D. REVIEWED BY BLS STAFF MEMBER
NAME:

IMPORTANT:

PHONE:

DATE:

If the State has questions or comments on the BLS response, PLEASE contact
the above BLS Staff member, Kim Riley, by phone within 10 working days.

E. FINAL RESOLUTION

DATE:

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Federal Agency Codes (FACs) and EINs
Federal Agency Codes (FACs) were developed by the Employment and Training Administration
(ETA) under the U.S. Department of Labor. These codes are used by ETA staff to properly
charge each Federal agency for unemployment benefits received by their former workers under
the UCFE program.
Since Federal agencies are not covered by the UI program but by the UCFE program mentioned
above, the UI staff in most States neither assign these agencies UI numbers nor mail the Federal
agencies an Employer's Contribution Report each quarter. Consequently, LMI staff have to
create artificial UI numbers to process their data for the QCEW program. To deal with this
situation and another QCEW program requirement from many years ago (States had to send
Federal data by industry and by FAC code to BLS), many States embedded the FACs in the
artificial UI numbers that they created for their Federal accounts. This practice has typically
continued in many States but due to staff turnover in the States, some staff members may be
unaware of how these artificial UI numbers were developed. Listed immediately below is an
example.
Within many UI numbers for Federal accounts is a three-digit FAC code that identifies a specific
Federal agency. For example, if the UI number is 0009440123, the 440 indicates this is a unit of
the Department of Interior. Or, for 0009025167, the 025 indicates this is a unit of the US Gov't
Printing Office (GPO). Note that the three-digit code is not always in the same three positions
within the UI number as this practice varies from State to State depending upon the length of the
UI number. In the case above, the State has a seven-digit UI number with three preceding zeros.
The first real digit (a 9 in the fourth position) was and still is used to identify this as a Federal
record. Next, comes the three-digit FAC followed by three additional digits which could be used
to further note the different agencies within the Department of Interior in this example. For
example, the digits 123 in UI 0009440123 could denote the Bureau of Land Management within
the Dept. of Interior. Likewise, in UI 0009440178, the 178 could denote the Bureau of Indian
Affairs within the Dept. of Interior.
To facilitate State and regional office use of this information and possibly answer questions
concerning what EIN should be used for a Federal agency, FACs were added to a Federal
Agency Contact Information Spreadsheet compiled by BLS-Washington. BLS-Washington may
release this spreadsheet onto the Stateweb in the future, so if a State uses the FACs within their
UI numbers for Federal agencies, then this information could help identify what agency is part of
a particularly large Federal cabinet department. It is anticipated that updated versions of this
spreadsheet will have all FAC codes to identify the Federal agencies. There are several agencies
missing FAC codes. Some of these, especially the independent agencies, may no longer be in
existence. BLS-Washington will try to verify these agencies, as well as determine some agencies
for which they have FAC codes but are not on the spreadsheet.

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Please note that not all States may be incorporating FAC codes in their UI numbers. Also,
because some agencies have been reported by more than one agency over the years, this method
of FAC code use may or may not have been incorporated. For example, SSA, which used to be a
part of Health and Human Services, is now an independent agency with a different FAC and
being reported by the Department of Interior. Thus, some States may not have the FAC code
that corresponds to SSA embedded in their UI number.

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Chapter 4 – Multiple Worksite Central Reporting
BLS developed the central collection of Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and Report of Federal
Employment and Wages (RFEW) data to streamline the process of data collection from large
employers and clients of payroll outsourcing firms. The Electronic Data Interchange Center
(EDIC) in Chicago, Illinois is responsible for processing and editing the data and forwarding the
clean data to the States each quarter. States are able to access their quarterly MWR and RFEW
data provided by the EDIC through Employment and Unemployment Statistics (EUS) Web, as
well as through the SunGard Service Center (SunGard). State staff should then use their State
processing system to load their quarterly electronic MWR/RFEW files directly to their
QCEW micro database files.
To supplement central data collection by the EDIC, BLS-Washington also collects MWR and
RFEW data via the internet. The MWRweb application at the Internet Data Collection Facility
(IDCF) allows employers with a small to moderate number of worksites, or their payroll
outsourcing firms, to report their data centrally.
------------------------- Contents of Chapter 4 ------------------------4.1 Data Collection by the EDI Center
4.2 Data Processing at the EDI Center
4.3 Communications between the EDI Center and the States
4.3.1 Coordinating the Employer's Transition to Central Reporting
4.3.2 New and Discontinued Worksites
4.3.3 Data Transmission to the States
4.4 Communication with Central Reporters
4.5 Handling Special Situations
4.5.1 Data Quality
4.5.2 Employment and Wage Totals
4.6 Central Reporting of Federal Data
4.7 Employer Reporting of MWR Data Directly to States
4.8 MWRweb Internet Data Collection

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4.1 Data Collection by the EDI Center
BLS developed the central collection of the MWR and the RFEW data to streamline the process
of data collection from large employers and clients of payroll outsourcing firms. With the
opening of the EDIC in February 1995, multi-State employers have the option of submitting their
data for all States to one location instead of multiple State agencies. The central collection
option (which requires just one transmittal per quarter) encourages large employers, who may
have refused in the past to complete the MWR or RFEW in all or some States, to begin reporting
their data at the worksite level. The EDIC maintains a list of centrally reporting firms and
payroll outsourcing firms on its website.
Companies submit their data to the EDIC using either a 310 or 350-position ASCII or EXCEL
spreadsheet record format. The current file formats appear in Appendix N. A similar 350position format is also being used to collect Current Employment Statistics (CES) data. The
formats are coordinated so that those data elements common to both programs have common
definitions, format locations, and lengths. Please note that the EDIC collects data only for the
QCEW (MWR and RFEW) and CES programs.
The standard State systems have been programmed to accept the 424-position format shown at
the beginning of Appendix N (the first export layout), so the EDIC transmits employers’ data to
the States in this format. The EXPO-202 system also maintains the capability of handling the
310-character format for employers that still use the earlier 310-character format and report
directly to the State.
The electronic MWR and RFEW data received from an employer may contain single-unit
Unemployment Insurance (UI) Accounts in a State. However, the EDIC does not export the data
for single-unit accounts of private sector companies. These employment, total wages, as well as
taxable wages and contributions data are provided by the employer directly to the State on the
Quarterly Contribution Report each quarter. Only data from the National Finance Center (NFC),
Department of Defense (DoD), and other Federal agencies can have zero-filled Reporting Unit
Numbers (RUN) and still be exported. The main reason that single worksites can be exported for
Federal agencies is that there are no corresponding Quarterly Contribution Reports (QCR) filed
with UI staff for these accounts. For private sector UI accounts, data from the QCR are used.
The EDIC receives additional QCEW data from some Federal agencies that previously provided
their data directly to the States via RFEW forms or on computer printouts. The EDIC currently
receives data from the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) for civilian Department of
Defense), the National Finance Center (NFC) for Departments of Agriculture, Treasury,
Commerce, Justice, Labor, FBI, and Homeland Security, as well as many other smaller
independent agencies, General Services Administration (for itself and many smaller agencies),
the National Business Center of the Department of Interior (for Interior, Transportation, Social
Security Administration (SSA), and many smaller agencies), the Department of Energy, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Navy Exchange, and the Army Non-Appropriated Fund

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(NAF) activities. The EDIC expects to collect data centrally for additional Federal agencies in
the future. Section 4.6 describes the central collection of Federal data in more detail.

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4.2 Data Processing at the EDI Center
The EDIC is responsible for editing, reviewing, and exporting data to the States.
The EDIC uses the Central Collection 2 (CenCo2) system to load and process the reporter file
(the file provided by the employer or payroll outsourcing firm). The CenCo2 system loads
incoming data, performs edits, incorporates crosswalks, aggregates records (when applicable),
identifies missing records, identifies new (i.e., birth) records, and builds/maintains historical
files.
CenCo2 System Processing
CenCo2 first performs basic pre-edits to check for any problems or systematic discrepancies on
the firm's data. The system later performs more extensive (detail) editing on employment,
wages, and other fields of the firm’s file. The edits performed in CenCo2 have the same
requirements as those edits performed in the BLS-Washington and State QCEW processing
systems. However, the CenCo2 edits can only use the data elements and records collected by the
EDIC. For example, CenCo2 cannot compare Total Wages with Taxable Wages because the
EDIC does not collect Taxable Wages. CenCo2 cannot perform balance (additivity) edits
between worksite records and their master record because the EDIC does not have access to
master records. Also, CenCo2 processes and edits only one address block per record − the
physical location address fields.
The EDIC staff can assign up to three comment codes and a narrative comment to help explain
questionable data. CenCo2 also identifies and processes missing/potentially out-of-business
records (that is, those records provided by the firm in the previous quarter but not on their current
quarter file submittal). Missing/out-of-business records are identified by comment code 86
(establishment permanently out of business), or possibly by other appropriate “missing record”
comment codes such as 88 (establishment dissolution) or 18 (active employer reporting zero
employment and wages).
CenCo2 identifies and displays single unit records for private sector firms, although the EDIC
does not export the data for single unit accounts of private sector firms. These employment, total
wages, as well as taxable wages and contributions data are provided by the employer directly to
the State on the QCR eport each quarter. Only data from Federal agencies can have zero filled
RUNs and still be exported.
CenCo2 performs inter-quarter edits on employment and wage fields. These edits check for
unusual fluctuations in the data. (Again, the EDIC staff may assign up to three comment codes
and a narrative comment to help explain questionable data.) The CenCo2 system then identifies
and edits birth records, which are typically records that have not been previously provided by the

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firm. The EDIC will provide the NAICS, County/Township, and Ownership codes on birth
records and assign comment code 85 (new establishment or worksite) or 90 (reporter changes
basis of reporting – greater detail).
Next, CenCo2 performs non-wage/non-employment edit checks and identifies changes in fields
from the previous quarter, such as Reporting Unit Descriptions (RUDs), address fields,
Employer Identification Numbers (EINs), and name fields (Trade, Legal). CenCo2 edits are
further described in Appendix O.
The EDIC will also enter predecessor/successor (P/S) UI and RUNs to report mergers, transfers,
acquisitions, closed/sold businesses, and other similar reporting changes. These are entered into
the CenCo2 system (along with comment codes 92 or 93 as applicable on reporter records) prior
to exporting the data to States so that P/S information will be transmitted as needed. The P/S
information record(s) are provided immediately below the full detail 424-length reporter record
as applicable. Please note that not every detail record will have P/S records.
Finally, CenCo2 exports the quarterly data to the States via EUSWeb and SunGard.

Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs)
Input files provided by Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) are processed identically to
other reporter input files. In addition, PEO input files also have any client-related data (Client UI
Account Number, Client EIN, Client SIC/NAICS code, Client Telephone Number, Client
Worksite Economic Activity, month/year became client of PEO, and month/year client left PEO)
copied to a separate system table which holds the data for later export to States. The client data
can also be updated by the EDIC during the course of processing the PEO reporter file through
the CenCo2 system.

CenCo2 Crosswalk Process
A number of companies that supply MWR data may not be able to, or refuse to, supply Stateassigned UI Account Numbers and/or RUNs. This may occur because the UI Account Numbers
may not be configured as needed by the State, and the RUNs are not likely to be stored by the
employer. The crosswalk function within CenCo2 is designed to accommodate this problem by
translating an employer's unique worksite identifiers into unique State FIPS Code-UI Account
Number-RUN combinations. The employer-specific crosswalk is set up in the employer's
transition to central reporting.
In performing a crosswalk, CenCo2 attempts to match the crosswalk identifier (the employer's
own unique identifier) on the reporter file against the company identifier in their crosswalk
information. Should the crosswalk find a match, CenCo2 copies the UI Account Number and
RUN (the ones that need to go to the State) from the reporter’s crosswalk information onto the
appropriate reporter file record. If the crosswalk does not find a match, CenCo2 processing will

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identify non-matches and require resolution of these before processing continues. To continue,
the staff at the EDIC perform the following tasks:
1. Update the reporter’s crosswalk information, or
2. Modify certain fields on the records that were not matched so that the records can be matched
with existing records on the reporter’s crosswalk information.

Data Distribution
The EDIC is responsible for processing and updating the data sent by firms and providing these
data to the States as clean as possible each quarter. The EDIC transmits the data to the States via
EUSWeb and SunGard. It is possible for a State to receive more than one set of data per quarter
from the EDIC since they process and export data for multi-unit account firms and installations
that have locations in more than one State.
States use EUSWeb and SunGard as needed to retrieve their data for incorporation into their files
after the EDIC notifies them (via email) that their quarterly data are available. The data includes
continuous (quarter-to-quarter) records, birth records, and missing/out-of-business records.
Continuous records should match one-to-one to records on State micro files. The EDIC
separately identifies birth records to the States by assigning a comment code of 85 (new
establishment or worksite) or 90 (reporter changes basis of reporting – greater detail).
Missing/out-of-business records are identified by comment code 86 (establishment permanently
out of business), or possibly by other appropriate “missing record” comment codes such as 88
(establishment dissolution) or 18 (active employer reporting zero employment and wages).
For reporting units that ought to be inactivated, State staff should use their standard State
processing system to change the Status Code to 2 (inactive) and preferably to assign an End of
Liability Date. If no better date is available, use the last date of the last active quarter (for
example, use March 31, 2007 if the last active quarter is the 2007 first quarter).

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4.3 Communications between the EDI Center and the States
Communication between the EDIC and the States usually pertains to one of the following four
topics:
1. Coordinating an employer's transition from reporting directly to the States to reporting to the
EDIC.
2. Transmitting data that pertains to new firms and/or firms that no longer report to the EDIC.
3. Transmitting quarterly data.
4. Questions and/or clarifications on data.
In addition, the EDIC will request that States provide email addresses, mailing addresses, fax
numbers, etc. States should respond in a timely manner.
The EDIC does not provide support for EUSWeb or SunGard. Email [email protected]
for questions or problems associated with EUSWeb. You can also call LAN support at (202)
691-5950; be sure to identify yourself as a State User.

4.3.1 Coordinating the Employer's Transition to Central Reporting
A firm reporting to the EDIC requires a setup period and various coordinating activities. These
activities include the identification of correct UI/RUNs; appropriate transmission method of data
from the firm to the EDIC; establishment of contacts with the firm for resolving data problems;
and providing information to the States on the firm.
Generally, the EDIC will use the ES-202 Database (EDB) and Longitudinal Database (LDB) to
identify the correct UI/RUNs.
Before beginning live reporting of MWR data to the EDIC, an employer will send a test file.
The EDIC will review the test file’s format and content. This policy ensures the file is sent
correctly and appears usable. Additional test files may be needed before the EDIC approves the
reporting as acceptable. The length of the testing phase can vary significantly. During the test
phase, employers normally continue to send paper copies of the MWR directly to the appropriate
State agencies.
In nearly every State the UI Account Number assigned by the tax division within the State is not
in the same format or length as that used by the research division within the State. For this
reason, the UI Account Number configuration is reviewed. (The State research division is
responsible for the MWR.) For example, one format may contain leading zeros or a hyphen
followed by a suffix, while another format does not. Thus, there may be some variation in the
format of the UI numbers among the QCR, MWR, and the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) forms.
The use of the proper UI number is critical.

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The EDIC staff will inform the States via email when a new reporter will transition to the EDIC.
States will need to know when an employer will begin reporting to the EDIC because the States
must make these processing changes:
1. Stop mailing the company a paper copy of the MWR form,
2. Stop sending the company reminder notices or calling the employer when the MWR is not
returned to the State, and
3. Stop contacting the employer with questions about the employer's data. Contact the EDIC
instead.

4.3.2 New and Discontinued Worksites
Birth File
The CenCo2 system uses the files listed below to process birth records contained on the reporter
file:
•
•
•

Reporter File – File from the reporter (employer or payroll outsourcing firm) supplying
the data to be processed by the EDIC.
Historical Employment File – CenCo2 compares the data on the reporter file with the
data on the Historical Employment File. No matches indicate a birth record.
Birth File – File that contains all birth records.

After CenCo2 completes the inter-quarter edits, it determines the number of birth records
submitted on the reporter file. To accomplish this, CenCo2 determines which records submitted
on the reporter file do not reside on the Historical Employment File. (The Historical
Employment File contains up to five quarters of data.) The Historical Employment File uses the
following three fields to uniquely identify a record:
•
•
•

State FIPS Code
UI Account Number
Reporting Unit Number

During birth record processing, EDIC staff must provide all birth records with a comment code
of 85 (new establishment or worksite) or 90 (reporter changes basis of reporting – greater detail),
and the correct NAICS, County/Township, and Ownership code on the record sent to the States.
(None of the elements may be blank, but the Township field will be zero filled for most States.)

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CenCo2 exports records of new (birth) establishments to the States via EUSWeb and SunGard.
CenCo2 differentiates these records from records of existing (continuous) establishments by
including the codes mentioned above and a comment code of 85 or 90. CenCo2 maintains a
separate file of birth records, called a Birth File, although it does not use this file in the
processing of data. Another useful source that the EDIC employs for identifying birth records is
through the CenCo2 crosswalk processing function.

Missing/Out-Of-Business Records
As mentioned earlier, the CenCo2 system identifies records that are missing or potentially outof-business for review by the EDIC. Missing records are normally those that are not on the
current quarter reporter file but were provided by the reporter on their previous quarter file
submittal.
Records identified as missing and truly out-of-business can be added back to the reporter file
with a comment code of 86 (establishment permanently out of business) for export to the States.
Other appropriate comment codes for additional “missing record” situations could include codes
such as 88 (establishment dissolution) or 18 (active employer reporting zero employment and
wages). If the EDIC adds a missing record back to the reporter file as a result of a
predecessor/successor transaction, the EDIC will provide comment codes and successor
information in the narrative comment field on that record.

4.3.3 Data Transmission to the States
Two methods are used by the EDIC to transmit the data to the States. One is EUSWeb. The
other is via SunGard for States who do their processing of QCEW data via SunGard.
Quarterly data exported electronically to the States from the EDIC will be in the first export
layout shown in Appendix N. Additional predecessor and successor UI and RUNs are exported
within the 424 position export file as supplemental records below each “detail” 424 position
record as applicable. Please note that not every detail record will have supplemental
predecessor/successor records.
In addition to the exporting of quarterly data, the EDIC will use email to provide additional
information about the data that is not included on the data transmission. Additional information
may include the following:
•
•
•
•

Changes in processing procedures since the previous quarter
Closed/sold/merge information
New reporter announcements
Reporters who have left the EDIC

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•
•
•

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Problem firms, such as ones that did not report for a particular quarter
UI accounts for which no data are being transmitted because the UI accounts changed
from a multiple reporter to a single reporter and no longer qualify as a central reporter
List of known predecessor/successor information

Employers will be required to report their MWR data to the EDIC by the date that they are
currently required to report to the States, which is one month following the end of the reference
quarter. The EDIC will notify States via email whenever their quarterly data for a firm are
available using EUSWeb and SunGard. If a firm is late transmitting their data so as to affect the
final transmission date of data for the current quarter, States will be notified via email about the
delay, its causes, and the anticipated receipt date.
Each State's quarterly data exported from CenCo2 to EUSWeb has a filename consisting of the
State's abbreviation plus the current day’s date and time with a .DAT extension. For example,
“CT011607.t1602.dat” contains Connecticut's data for January 16, 2007 at 4:02pm. The “1602”
after the letter “t” is military time, which translates into 4:02pm. Please note that there may be
more than one file for a State for a given quarter. Also, the file size (byte) limit for transferring
files via EUSWeb is 10MB.
Each State’s quarterly data exported from CenCo2 to SunGard has a mainframe dataset name
which contains, as part of the dataset name, the word “CENCO”, the State’s abbreviation, and a
date and time of the dataset. For example, “YBU56X.A145.CENCO.WY072107.T1600”
contains Wyoming’s data for July 21, 2007, 4:00pm. As above, the “1600” after the letter “T” in
dataset name example is military time, which translates into 4:00pm. Again, please note that
there may be more than one dataset for a State for a given quarter.

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4.4 Communication with Central Reporters
All communication with employers that submit their data centrally to BLS must go through the
EDIC. Personnel in the EDIC will be responsible for contacting these employers. The EDIC
staff will develop company contacts that can answer questions not necessarily related to
employment and wages information. An additional contact person will be identified to answer
questions relating to opening of businesses. Other persons, if needed, will be identified to
contact concerning closings of establishment locations or to handle predecessor/successor
relationship issues. States should contact the EDIC (and not regional offices nor reporters) via
the EDI website with questions on data received from the EDIC. The EDIC will contact States
or go through the regional offices, depending on the issue and timing.
States must submit their questions or change requests via the EDI website only using the online
web-based form at http://199.221.111.170/edi/mwrquestion.asp. Questions on data should be
requested within four weeks of the availability of data and should include the following specific
information:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Firm name
UI Account Number
RUN
EIN
Sender’s name, work phone number, email address
Resolution sought

Staff at the EDIC will complete their part of the online web form and send a reply to the State.
The form will contain the name and phone number of the EDIC staff person that handled the
request. The email reply will be addressed to the person who sent the request. Should the State
have a question concerning the reply, a State staff person should phone that EDIC staff member
to resolve the issue. The EDI Question/Clarification Request Form contains a section to note the
final resolution of the issue and the date that the resolution was reached. This procedure will
allow the EDIC to maintain an electronic file of all inquiries and their responses. It will also
facilitate the ability to send a question/response raised by one State to all States, if applicable,
without having to re-write the message had the initial question been sent via fax. The requests to
change UI numbers or RUNs will be reflected in the next quarter’s data. The EDIC will respond
to all correspondence via email.
To improve the way the EDIC responds to questions (the timeliness of responses and the ability
of States to track their submitted questions/changes), two enhancements have been implemented.

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Preliminary versus Final Responses
The EDIC now has the option of sending out preliminary responses or final responses to State
questions. Having this option now allows EDIC staff to provide partial information when
available, or to provide feedback indicating that EDIC has communicated with the company and
is awaiting a response. This way, State staff that send questions will be reassured that EDIC is
researching their answer. In the past, States would not have heard anything from EDIC until an
answer was complete. If only partial answers to State questions are available, EDIC will be able
to send such information to States.
The subject line of the email States receive from EDIC will say whether the reply is a
preliminary or final response. The questions will remain active in EDIC’s system until a final
response goes out. Once a final response goes out, the question will be archived.

Tracking of State Questions
State technicians now can review a list of all unanswered and archived questions reported by
their State. From the home page of the EDI website, click on "STATE Login" to access Statespecific questions and change requests. A user requires a login id and password to access this
option. The EDIC will send out state login ids and passwords in separate emails.
After logging in, a user can access either change requests or question requests. Both changes and
questions are organized by groups -- outstanding and answered (archived). The questions and
changes on the screen are specific to each State, so one State cannot view questions from other
States. The screen can be sorted by Date, Firm Name, Firm Code, Quarter and Year.
This new function will allow for better organization and tracking of State questions and changes
sent to the EDIC. Regional office staff may request login ids and passwords for their respective
States to view each States’ questions individually.
If there are any problems to report, the HELP section has a "Report Problems" feature that allows
a State to report a data or web problem directly to the EDIC programming staff. This is the
quickest, most efficient way to report any problems.
The toll-free telephone number of the EDIC is 1-800-861-3804. This number should be used in
rare cases. The preferred method of contact is via email to [email protected], unless
the reason has to do with a question/change on exported data. The mailing address for the EDIC
is below.
BLS/EDI Collection Center,
230 South Dearborn Street, 9th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604

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States should send a copy (“cc”) of any email communication they may have with the EDIC to
their regional office. States should inform their regional office of any significant telephone
contact made with the EDIC. Likewise, States should send a copy (cc) of their request for
assistance or response to a request from the EDIC to their regional office. The EDIC will send a
copy (cc) of a response to a State to the appropriate regional office.
All requests by the EDIC for State information will be directed to the State with a copy to the
respective regional office. The States should send the requested information to the EDIC and an
email message to the appropriate regional office noting its submittal. Should a reply not be
provided in a timely manner, the EDIC will send a follow-up request to the regional office which
will be responsible for ensuring a reply to the request. Each State will designate a contact
person, plus a back-up person, to handle EDIC requests.
Each quarter, the EDIC will send reminder notices informing the employers that it is time to
submit the next quarter's MWR data. These reminder notices will take the place of the quarterly
MWR forms. In the first quarter of each year, the EDIC will be responsible for mailing State
cover letters to central reporters. Thus, in February of each year, BLS-Washington will ask the
regional offices for the most recent copy of each State’s MWR cover letter. BLS-Washington
will then send the cover letters to the EDIC. The EDIC will include the cover letters with the
reminder notices mailed out for the first quarter. This way, central reporters will receive a cover
letter from each State in which it conducts business. The EDIC is also responsible for contacting
central reporters/employers that no longer meet the definition of a multiple worksite reporter.
An example of a form letter, used to inform an employer/reporter that they no longer meet the
multiple worksite reporter definition, is given in Exhibit 4A.

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EXHIBIT 4A Letter to Multi-Establishment No Longer Meeting MWR Definition

Dear Employer:
Thank you for your past cooperation in completing the Multiple Worksite Report. The
information you have provided is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2 and is
requested/required by State Law XXX-XXX.
The information obtained from this report is used for both statistical and Unemployment
Insurance purposes. The worksite-level data provided by multi-business establishments
are used to prepare summaries of economic conditions and business activities by
geographical area and industry within our State. Because your most recent report
indicated that you no longer meet the requirements necessary to identify multiple
worksites within this State, you will no longer be requested to complete this report form.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has established ten as the minimum number of
employees working outside of the primary worksite (defined as the largest worksite in
terms of employment) for an employer to be considered a multiple worksite employer.
If at some future point your worksite employment in State should increase, such as
through the addition of new worksites, you may again be requested to complete the
Multiple Worksite Report.
Again, thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact Mr.
John Doe at (123) 555-7890.
Sincerely,

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4.5 Handling Special Situations
Special situations arise concerning data quality, aggregation, and employment and wage totals.

4.5.1 Data Quality
Two main issues affect data quality:
• Predecessor/successor information
• Inadequate physical location addresses
To collect employer/establishment predecessor/successor information, the EDIC staff research
large worksites using the LDB and other means. The EDIC communicates
predecessor/successor information to the States using the new Supplemental P/S Record format.
A follow-up email may be necessary to inform the States of which reporters are involved by
specifying the predecessors and successors, whether or not the successor reports to the EDIC,
and if the States should contact the successor.
If a worksite's physical location address changes, and the company deems that the new unit is
different operationally, then the EDIC staff will assign a new RUN. In most cases if there is no
change in the operations of the unit, then the same RUN is used.
The EDIC works with firms to improve the quality of their Physical Location Addresses. The
EDIC staff has placed added emphasis on obtaining the physical location address of new
establishment locations. All establishments with employment greater than 25 (excluding Federal
accounts) should have a physical location address provided by the EDIC during the first quarter
that employment is reported. Others, if not immediately available, will be obtained from the
employer on a lag quarter basis. Until a good physical location address is received for an
establishment, the EDIC will leave the street address, city, State, Zip Code, and Zip Extension
fields blank. If there is an out-of-State address or PO Box reported by the firm for an
establishment, the EDIC will also report blanks in these fields.

4.5.2 Employment and Wage Totals
The EDIC does not have the ability to compare MWR employment and wages totals to those on
the QCR. If there is a significant difference between the totals on the MWR (data summed from
worksite records) and those on the QCR (on the master record), States should contact the EDIC
via the EDI website using the online web-based form at
http://199.221.111.170/edi/mwrquestion.asp. Please ensure that the form contains complete
information on the discrepancy between the MWR and QCR data. The form must contain
information on the employment for month 1, month 2, and month 3 of the quarter and the total

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wages for both the QCR and the MWR totals. If the difference is not significant, States should
use the numbers they think are correct and, if necessary, adjust the other numbers.
The EDIC is responsible for contacting the employer about errors or questionable data that are
noted by the edits. In the case of errors affecting an entire file, the EDIC will obtain a new file
from the employer and re-edit it before sending these data to the States.
After the EDIC staff completes processing for an employer, States can retrieve their data via
EUSWeb and SunGard and load them to their system. If the EDIC staff discovers problems with
the data for an individual reporting unit, the entire UI will be held back. The EDIC only exports
data for an entire UI account. The EDIC will notify States via an email message regarding
reporters who do not provide useable data for a given UI, State or the entire country.
States should submit questions about data by email on the form in Exhibit 4A. Questions will not
be taken over the phone.

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4.6 Central Reporting of Federal Data
BLS is endeavoring to centrally collect the RFEW data from all Federal Departments and
Agencies. The EDIC currently receives data from the DMDC (for civilian Department of
Defense), the National Finance Center (for Departments of Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce,
Justice, Labor, FBI, and Homeland Security, as well as many other smaller independent
agencies), the General Services Administration (for itself and many smaller agencies), the
National Business Center of the Department of Interior (for Interior, Transportation, SSA, and
many smaller agencies), the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Navy Exchange, and the Army NAF activities. This section of the QCEW Operating Manual
will be updated as additional agencies begin to report centrally.
Once the EDIC has collected and processed Federal data from these sources, it transmits the data
to the States in the same manner as data for private sector employers.

Department of Defense – Appropriated Fund Activities
Each month, the DMDC in Monterey, California, provides the EDIC with a file that contains
civilian Department of Defense (DoD) employment data. The monthly reporting of civilian
defense employment by the DMDC meets the requirements of the CES program as well as the
quarterly RFEW. The monthly file contains total worker employment and total women worker
employment for each installation. These employment counts represent the bi-weekly payroll
period that includes the 12th of the month. The submittal of quarterly payroll data on the third
month of a quarter could result in the delayed receipt of the monthly employment data for the
CES program. Therefore, the DMDC provides the quarterly payroll data with the submittal of
the employment data for the following month. That is, wage data for the first quarter are
provided on the file containing employment data for April, wage data for the second quarter are
provided with July employment, etc. The EDIC receives approximately 10,000 records from the
DMDC each month.
The EDIC processes the monthly file using a crosswalk and aggregation procedure. The EDIC
uses the crosswalk to assign a UI/RUN combination to each record reported by the DMDC.
Upon completion of the assignments, the UI and RUN fields summarize the data of each record.
This procedure is designed to minimize, to the extent possible, births and deaths of temporary
units with relatively small employment counts.
States assign UI/RUNs to each of these records during the development of the original
crosswalk. The EDIC maintains the crosswalk on an ongoing basis.
For the most part, installations are assigned a NAICS code 928110 (National Security). Only
selected activities are excluded from NAICS 928110. These are listed below:

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NAICS Code
325998
332993
332995
336411
336611
336992
445110
541330
541710
611110
611310
621493
622110

Page 4-18

Title
All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation
Manufacturing
Ammunition (except Small Arms) Manufacturing
Other Ordnance and Accessories Manufacturing
Aircraft Manufacturing
Ship Building and Repairing
Military Armored Vehicle, Tank, and Tank Component
Manufacturing
Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience)
Stores
Engineering Services
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering,
and Life Sciences
Elementary and Secondary Schools
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
Freestanding Ambulatory Surgical and Emergency Centers
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

Installations that include activities that fall in the above industries are separately identified. For
example, a hospital at an Army fort is specifically identified.
No physical location address information is available. Employment and wage data provided by
the DMDC are by military service command (4-digit code). A nine-digit General Service
Administration (GSA) geographical location code identifies an installation's location. The GSA
location code consists of a 2-digit Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) State code,
3-digit county code, and a 4-digit place code combination. Reporting units for RFEW purposes
are:
1. Military bases and other places with significant employment, and
2. County wide, or balance of county employment.
Generally, bases with more than 100 employees and "Other Defense" activities with large
employment located within cities are reported at the place (unit) level. Data for an installation,
such as an Army fort, will have significant numbers of civilian Army personnel and can also
have some Navy personnel, Air Force personnel, and "Other Defense" civilians (all represented
by a variety of command codes). To reduce the total number of records that States need to
process, all of these personnel (micro data) are aggregated into one record/report for that
installation. In this case, the name of the Army base will be the RUD for that record. These
reporting units may well contain personnel counts that include civilian personnel of the other
Armed Services and "Other Defense." Significant employment changes within a UI/RUN may
be the result of employment changes within the micro data (service command) and can be
identified if needed.

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In addition to the above, the headquarters of the Army and Air National Guard in each State, as
well as the Air National Guard bases, are reported as a separate installation. As Stated before,
significant "Other Defense" activities will also be treated as an installation and reported
separately.
To summarize, some installations are reported separately for industry code purposes and others
for their significant employment (primarily military bases, Army, and Air National Guard
headquarters). All remaining installations are aggregated to the county level so that the QCEW
Program will reflect the employment and wages in the correct county. In counties that have no
installations reported, the county level's summary record uses a RUD of "(county name)
County." For those records that have an installation reported separately, the RUD is "Balance of
(county name) County."
The aggregation process results in approximately 3,100 DoD reporting units for QCEW
purposes. These levels of aggregation meet QCEW program reporting needs and allow the CES
to use the DoD data in their metropolitan area, State, and national samples in an efficient
manner, minimizing the number of reports. These levels also effectively meet industry specific
and geographical needs.
The data furnished by the DMDC include civilian employment and wages for all branches
except for the Exchange Services of the Army/Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and their other
non-appropriated fund activities. States should continue to solicit non-appropriated funded
employment data, if these activities are not reporting separately to the EDIC. This includes:
• Army/Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES).
• Air Force non-appropriated fund activities
• Navy non-appropriated fund activities (Officer, NCO, and enlisted men’s clubs, bowling
alleys, golf courses, other morale/welfare/recreation activities, etc.).

Army Non-Appropriated Funds
Each month the Army Non-Appropriated Fund Central Payroll Services (NAFCPS) provides the
EDIC with employment data. The data contains total worker employment and total women
worker employment for each Army NAF activity. These employment counts represent the biweekly payroll period that includes the 12th of the month.
The following points describe the Army NAF activities employment and wages data:
1. Army NAF data includes activities related to Morale, Welfare, and Recreation activities such
as Officer, NCO, and enlisted men's clubs; child care, health, welfare, and recreation
activities; bowling alleys, golf courses; etc. There are approximately 100 different Army
NAF Programs for which NAF provides data.
2. Army NAF Programs and Army NAF Installations are identified by two different 2-digit
alphabetic codes.

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3. Approximately 30 different industry classifications are assigned to the approximately 100
different Army NAF Programs.
4. Army NAF data are reported for each installation with Army NAF activities by the associated
Army NAF Program. Each activity is identified by a 6-digit code consisting of the State FIPS
code, the Army NAF Installation code, and the related Army NAF Program code. Not all
States have installations with Army NAF activities, and each installation only has a small
portion of the programs.
5. Monthly data include the total employment and the female employment counts.
6. Total quarterly wage data will normally be supplied with the reporting of the employment
data for the third month of the quarter.
7. No physical location address information is available for the installations with Army NAF
activities. GSA location codes consisting of a 2-digit FIPS State code, 3-digit county code,
and a 4-digit place code combination will be available in the near future.
EDIC uses a crosswalk to assign a UI-RUN combination to each combination of State, Army
installation, and industry code of the Army NAF records. New records for the quarter are
assigned a new UI-RUN combination; consequently, an on-going maintenance of the Army NAF
Crosswalk is required.
Upon completion of these UI-RUN assignments, the data are summarized for each unique UIRUN combination. This aggregation is done to minimize the number of births and deaths of
temporary units with relatively small employment counts and results in approximately 825
reporting units for CES and QCEW purposes.

National Finance Center
Each quarter, the NFC reports employment and wages information to the EDIC for the
Departments of Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, and Labor, as
well as many other smaller independent agencies. The EDI Center uses a crosswalk and
aggregation procedure to process NFC data. Industry codes are assigned to the individual
agencies within the Cabinet level Departments and to each of the other smaller agencies reported
by NFC. UI and RUN assignments, which control how employment and wages are aggregated,
are made for each Department/agency by industry code at the place or county/township level.
The purpose of this aggregation is to minimize the number of births and deaths of records with
relatively few employees.
The most detailed level of workplace identification (location) that NFC provides is by agency at
the GSA place (city) within a county and in a State. No physical location address information is
available from this payroll system. GSA location codes are nine-digit numeric codes. Digits 1-2
are the State code, digits 3-6 are the place (city) code, and digits 7-9 are the county code. In
addition to the nine-digit location codes, NFC provides two-digit codes (total 11-digit codes) that

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identify the individual agencies within the Departments of Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce,
Justice, Homeland Security, Labor, and each of the smaller independent agencies. The two-digit
agency codes determine the industry classifications within the Departments and for each of the
independent agencies. To develop the crosswalk initially, each State assigned UI/RUNs to each
of the 11-digit codes for their respective State. The EDIC currently maintains the crosswalk.
Employment and wages of agencies within Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Justice, Homeland
Security, and Labor, are summarized by industry code at their Department level. For the other
smaller independent agencies, data are summarized at their respective agency levels. That is, no
further breakouts by industry code are provided. Depending upon the magnitude of employment,
RFEW data are provided to States for each Department and independent agency at either the
place (city) or county level. Approximately 24,000 records are received each quarter from the
NFC. The aggregation process results in approximately 17,000 agency/industry records for
QCEW purposes.

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4.7 Employer Reporting of MWR Data Directly to States
Submittal of MWR Data Directly to States
Companies that report MWR data on transmittable media and that have multiple worksites
within only one State may report their data directly to their State agency.
As with central reporters, testing of tapes/diskettes/CDs/electronic file should be performed
before an employer is authorized to transmit MWR data via portable media on a regular basis.
State systems personnel should perform initial acceptance testing for the first quarter in which
the employer reports via portable media. The record format should be verified as one of the
input file formats in Appendix N and the data should be compared to the hard copy MWR
received concurrently. Thus, data should be dual reported during the testing phase. In addition,
the employer’s UI Account Number format on the test file should be verified.
For each quarter following the initial testing quarter, the State should send a letter by fax
reminding the employer that the file is due. (See Exhibit 4B for a sample letter.) Note that the
letter should mention the next available RUN for the employer. This reminder notice will
replace the hard copy of the MWR, which is usually sent to multi-establishment employers each
quarter. For the first quarter of each year, an "informed consent" cover letter should be sent to
the employer. (See Exhibit 4C for a generic sample letter and Exhibit 4D for special instructions
concerning the generic letter.)
Therefore, the State should prevent the mailing of the MWR to those companies who report via
magnetic media.

State Processing of MWR Magnetic Media Data Submitted Directly
The standard State processing systems have the ability to suppress the mailing of printed MWR
forms for employers that have been authorized for magnetic media submittal. However, the
States should still send these employers reminder notices and follow-up notices for delinquent
files.
States should be able to determine if data for more than one State are present on the employer's
file. If this is the case, only that State's data should be loaded into the system.
Files should be checked immediately upon receipt. States should run timely micro edits on the
MWR data, as is done with data from the hard copy reports. If there are any obvious, serious
problems with the file, States should contact the employer immediately and ask for a revised file.

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Assignment of RUNs
Normally, States accept MWR electronic/magnetic media data from those employers who store
and provide the State-assigned RUNs. (However, States may make exceptions to this by creating
crosswalks for certain employers.) In obtaining RUNs for new worksites, the employer is
permitted to assign what appears to be the next available RUN to a new worksite. Employers
should be instructed to assign the next available number (in sequence) and not to reuse RUNs.
States should check for new and invalid RUNs. States must start their initial assignment of
RUNs for a new MWR with 00001. In this manner, it is easier for employers to determine the
next RUN when a worksite opens within a State. Invalid RUNs include duplicate RUNs and
RUNs that were discontinued. If State personnel determine that an employer used an
inappropriate number, they should contact the employer and request the appropriate change.
One approach to ensure proper assignment of RUNs is to use the reminder letter or notice
mentioned above to identify the next available RUN to be assigned to a new worksite.

Magnetic Medium Transmittal Form
The BLS "MWR Magnetic Medium Transmittal Form" must accompany each MWR
tape/diskette transmitted by an employer. (See Exhibit 4E.) The completed form provides
information that is vital to the accurate and timely processing of the MWR. Detailed instructions
for completing the form are on the back of the form.

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EXHIBIT 4B Quarterly Reminder to Submit MWR

Dear Employer,
This is a reminder that your tape/diskette containing Multiple Worksite Report (MWR)
data is due on _____________.
The tape/diskette you submit to each State in which your business is conducted must
meet the specifications outlined in the "Magnetic Media Reporting of BLS Multiple
Worksite Report Data" employer package. If you are reporting a new worksite for this
quarter, it must be assigned a Reporting Unit Number (RUN). The next available RUN
which you would be able to assign to a new worksite is ________.
If you have any questions regarding this request, call
_____________________________.

Sincerely,

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EXHIBIT 4C Informed Consent Letter To MWR Respondent Using Magnetic Media

Dear Employer:
The purpose of this letter is to thank you for your cooperation in completing the Multiple
Worksite Report (MWR) for your business operations conducted in State. The
information you provide is authorized by 29 U.S. Code 2 and is requested/required by
State Law XXX-XXX. The economic information collected on this form is shared with
the U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of a Federal/State
cooperative effort to reduce employer reporting burden. A MWR form has not been
enclosed since your firm is providing these data each quarter in a magnetic medium to
State name. 1/ Name of Data Collection Center, Regional Office or BLS-Washington,
which in turn distribute these data to State name. 2/ This letter is a reminder that data
for MWR information for the first quarter is due on date.
The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State
agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and
Unemployment Insurance purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law.
Worksite-level data you provide are used to prepare summaries of economic conditions
and business activities by geographical area and industry within our State. In addition,
State name uses the report information for list additional uses of the data. 4/
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. John Doe at (123) 555-7890.

Sincerely,

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EXHIBIT 4D Instructions for Informed Consent Letter to MWR Respondent Using
Magnetic Media

State-Specific Instructions
1. Firms reporting to State, only.
2. Firms reporting to Data Collection Center, only.
3. The phrase "is held confidential to the full extent permitted by law" should be
included by only those States for which the information is not released at an
establishment level outside of the State agency.
4. This sentence should be included by those States that use the data collected on this
survey for purposes other than the statistical and Unemployment Insurance uses
mentioned in the second paragraph of the letter. The State should complete the
sentence with a brief description of these additional uses of the data.

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EXHIBIT 4E Multiple Worksite Report Magnetic Medium Transmittal Form

Page 4-27

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EXHIBIT 4E (continued) Multiple Worksite Report Magnetic Medium Transmittal Form

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4.8 MWRweb Internet Data Collection
Data Collection by MWRweb
BLS also developed a central collection point for the MWR and RFEW on the Internet to provide
a means for reporters with a small number of worksites to report their quarterly data. Each
quarter, a computer-generated email message is sent to each registered respondent reminding
them it is time to report their data. Respondents access the BLS Internet Data Collection Facility
with an account number and password. The account number acts like a User ID and is assigned
to them by the IDCF to access all of the BLS surveys for which data are submitted. Respondents
create their personal password using BLS criteria. Once respondents have navigated through the
IDCF “gatekeeper,” they select the MWR survey and click on the UI account to enter their data.
Respondents who do not provide complete data for two consecutive quarters are returned to
paper reporting. The Division of Business Establishment Systems (DBES) may notify States of
a respondent’s failure to provide complete data by an email message. States may also notify
DBES if they wish to exclude an MWRweb respondent from web reporting by sending email to
[email protected].
Firm Solicitation
BLS staff solicits firms for web reporting who meet all of the following criteria:
1) Employer is not an EDI reporter, and
2) Employer has been a good MWR/RFEW reporter for the past two quarters, and
3) The maximum number of worksites is 33, unless the employer is willing to report
regardless of the number of worksites.
Once potential firms are identified, BLS-Washington sends a Solicitation Request file to each
State to trigger the solicitation process in the State systems. At the same time, BLS-Washington
also sends each State a listing that shows all of the UI accounts that will be solicited in the State
for the upcoming quarter. States should load the Solicitation Request File to their processing
system. This takes place approximately three weeks before the beginning of the quarterly
collection period.
Later in the month, each State produces a State Historical Data file, which must be returned to
BLS-Washington by the established due date, or no later than a week before the collection cycle
begins. It is imperative that States return the State Historical Data file by the due date. These
data are preloaded to the MWRweb site so that an employer sees previously-reported totals on
the web to assist with entering data for the correct worksite. Failure to provide these files in a
timely manner will prevent the MWRweb from collecting MWR data for other States until all
files are loaded into the IDCF and MWRweb systems.

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States mail the solicited firms their paper MWR or RFEW form with a temporary User ID and
password printed on it, a brightly-colored flyer inviting them to participate in web reporting, and
a brochure explaining how to access the IDCF. Employers not wishing to report on the web may
fill out and return the forms to their respective States. Firms are solicited for three consecutive
quarters if they do not register and submit their data. They will not be re-solicited again for at
least three quarters. States should mail MWRs according to their normal processing times.
However, States should not mail forms to employer UI accounts that are being solicited for the
MWRweb until they are notified the MWRweb is ready to begin the collection process. This
will prevent employer frustration when they try to log on to the IDCF for the first time.
Registering
Respondents must first register with the IDCF before entering data. Respondents are provided
with the URL in the solicitation brochure for the IDCF home page (https://idcf.bls.gov/).
Respondents must then enter the temporary account number (User ID) and temporary password
provided on their paper MWR/RFEW. Respondents are prompted to update their contact
information to include their email address and enter a permanent personal password. IDCF will
then generate a permanent IDCF account number to allow access to all of the BLS surveys
administered to the selected firm.
BLS-Washington sends Confirmed Register files to States on a flow basis (several times per
quarter). These files identify firms that have been solicited, registered to participate in
MWRweb, and completed entering data for their UI account. The receipt of this file stops the
follow-up printing and mailing of paper forms.

Entering Data
Once respondents select the MWR survey, they will be directed through the system as necessary.
The respondent will enter monthly employments and total quarterly wages for existing worksites
(majority of activity) and add new worksites and corresponding employments and wages as
necessary. They can also indicate which worksites should be closed or sold. This is done
indirectly by entering zero employments and wages for the record and then selecting the
applicable plain language explanation, and/or by entering a narrative comment.
Before quarterly MWR data are submitted, a summary sheet appears asking the respondent to
verify that the employment and wages match their State QCR. In addition, the system also
allows the firm to notify their State of the following reporting situation(s):
• If their company has been sold, merged, or reorganized, or
• If their company has acquired another company, or
• If their company has opened a new UI account
Respondents who fail to report for two consecutive quarters will revert back to paper reporting.
These accounts are recognized when the MWRweb system identifies that no data have been
reported a second time. Before doing so, an automated email will be sent to them reminding

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them of their obligation to report, and inform them that failure to do so will result in paper
mailings.
Quarterly MWR/RFEW data that has been provided through the MWRweb is fed back to the
States through the Collected Data files. The Collected Data files are provided to States on a
weekly flow basis during the quarterly collection cycle. States are able to access this data
through EUSWeb, as well as through SunGard. State staff should use their State processing
system to load their Collected Data files directly to their QCEW micro database.
At the end of the Collected Data file, there is a field which will contain an indicator to continue
MWRweb reporting or to change back to paper reporting. This indicator acts as an on/off switch
for printing and mailing operations. This method is the only communication between BLS and
the States when a respondent is returned to paper reporting.
Cost Reduction and Improved Reporting
States participating in the MWRweb data collection will reduce costs in the areas of printing
(fewer forms, cover letters, and envelopes), postage, handling (less mailing, opening, sorting,
filing, and data entry) and follow-up phone calls.
The MWRweb also helps to resolve the following MWR reporting issues:
1) Incomplete report (forgot to provide data for those worksites on the 2nd or 3rd pages).
The MWRweb system prompts respondents that they are not finished, indicating that no
data have yet been provided for the remaining worksites. It then lists the incomplete
worksites for further data entry. If a worksite has been closed, respondents are required
to zero-fill the employment and wages and choose from a list of plain language
explanations or enter a narrative comment.
2) New worksites: The system prompts them to add new worksites before it completes the
sum of the worksites' employment and wages.
3) Out-of-balance employment and wages: Respondents review a summary of employment
and wages and then they are asked how it compares to the QCR.
4) Other employment and wage reporting problems:
a. Respondents experience real time employment and wage edits to help resolve
problems where employer's data for one worksite are entered on the wrong line
(inverse situation). Prior quarter data for all worksites are displayed to help
alleviate this type of error.
b. Invalid data entry is reduced by asking respondents to correct or verify potential
discrepancies. For example, say an employer enters 300 for employment when 30
is correct. If the change is invalid, the employer can immediately correct the
problem. If the change is valid, employers are requested to click on common
language explanations that translate into comment codes provided to the State for
that worksite. A narrative box is also available for the employer to provide more
information, if necessary.

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The MWRweb system also provides online help content for respondents. This is selected by
clicking on the “Help” item in the menu bar within MWRweb. The help content is presented in a
simple “How Do I” format. In addition, user assistance instructions are provided on nearly every
screen within the MWRweb system.
Additional information on the MWRweb data collection is available on the Stateweb
(http://199.221.111.170/).

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

Page 5-1

Chapter 5 – Handling Changes in Reporting
Configuration
In FY 1995, Congress provided funding to BLS to begin creation of a database using QCEW
micro level data that would allow for the longitudinal analysis of business establishments. The
Longitudinal Database (LDB) tracks establishments over time and links them from quarter to
quarter. The resultant longitudinal establishment data allow for high-quality measures of job
creation, job destruction, and job reallocation within and between industry sectors, regions,
employment size classes, wage size classes, and establishment age classes. For policy makers
and business forecasters, who rely heavily on economic indicators, information regarding job
flows and the births and deaths of establishments is of great interest.
The quality of longitudinal data is dependent on accurately distinguishing between continuous
and discontinuous business establishments. Because of the importance of keeping establishment
information continuous, this chapter discusses what to do when an establishment's UI Account
Number and Reporting Unit Number – its reporting configuration – changes.
------------------------- Contents of Chapter 5 ------------------------5.1 Predecessor/Successor Relationships
5.2 One to Many or Many to One
5.3 Successors with Code Changes
5.4 Successors Reporting at a Different Level
5.5 Breaking Out (Disaggregating) New Multiple Worksite Reporters
5.6 Consolidating Multiple Worksite Reporters
5.7 Tracking Establishments that Change UI or Reporting Unit Numbers in the LDB
5.7.1 LDB Linkage Process
5.7.2 Updates and the Linking Process

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5.1 Predecessor/Successor Relationships
The QCEW program defines a predecessor/successor relationship as one where the successor
(the new owner of an establishment) performs similar operations to the predecessor (the previous
owner of an establishment) using some or all of the predecessor’s employees. These operations
are frequently, but not necessarily, performed at the same location as the predecessor. In many
States, the QCEW definition of a predecessor/successor situation does not match the legal
Unemployment Insurance (UI) definition of an ownership transaction.
There are many cases where businesses are sold to existing accounts and the data are merged
together. In other cases, only part of the operation is sold, and a portion of the original business
continues to function. Do not always assume that the successor account never existed before or
that the predecessor account ceases to continue. Be careful when determining if and when data
should move from one employer (one UI account) to another.
Although a new employer is located in the same site as an out-of-business account, it should not
be assumed that the new account is the successor. For example, it would be inappropriate to
assign this relationship for stores in shopping malls. As one retailer ceases operations and the
store is leased to another retailer, there is usually no relationship between the old and new
establishments.
Predecessor/successor information in the QCEW program is reported using the following fields:
• Predecessor UI Number
• Predecessor Reporting Unit Number
• Successor UI Number
• Successor Reporting Unit Number
Establishments are uniquely identified by their UI Account Number and Reporting Unit Number
(RUN) within a State. The UI Account Number is a 10-digit identifier assigned by the State
Workforce Agency (SWA) to identify employers covered under State UI laws. UI Account
Numbers are assigned to firms that have one or more establishments. The Reporting Unit
Number (RUN) is a 5-digit number used to uniquely distinguish worksites of a multi-unit UI
account. Establishments sometimes change UI/RUNs due to changes in ownership or changes in
reporting level. Changes in reporting level generally take two forms:
1. An employer who previously reporting multiple locations as a single-unit account
disaggregates the consolidated unit and begins reporting those locations on a Multiple
Worksite Report (MWR)
2. An employer whom the State has set up as an MWR reporter (a multi-unit account) is no
longer willing to provide disaggregated data. The multi account must be consolidated into a
single.
These cases are referred to respectively as breakouts and consolidations.

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Records with a UI/RUN change appear to be births or deaths unless there is a link reported
between the old and new UI/RUN. The basic link used to identify a continuous unit is the
Predecessor UI Account Number or the Successor UI Account Number. Since many UI
accounts are reported using multiple records (for their multiple establishments or worksites),
Predecessor or Successor RUNs are also needed to link at the establishment level.
Some States have been very successful in identifying predecessor and successor relationships,
while other States have significantly less information to make these determinations. Predecessor
and successor account information should be extracted from UI tax files where available. If the
State does not maintain worksite information and Reporting Unit Numbers on the tax file, the
predecessor and successor Reporting Unit Numbers should be zero-filled initially, until State
staff can follow up to verify or correct them. (Issues related to extracting predecessor and
successor information are also discussed in Section 7.3.)
When researching predecessor/successor links on the tax file, you may find non-extracted
information that would be useful when examining the data. This may include transfer codes,
transfer dates, merger information, successor suffix codes on the account number, etc. Wage
records are another possible source of predecessor/successor information.
When there is not a unique link, you should use all nines in the Predecessor/Successor UI
Account Number and/or Reporting Unit Number, as discussed in detail in the next section.

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5.2 One to Many or Many to One
The purpose of Predecessor and Successor UI/RUN coding is to identify establishments as
continuous. These cases are not limited to units that have changed ownership or UI number, but
may also include UI accounts that change Reporting Unit Number configuration (i.e., the
breakout or consolidation of units).
Whenever a one-to-one relationship can be established, the predecessor UI and RUN fields
should be coded with the UI and RUN numbers under which the unit was previously reported.
Similarly, the successor UI and RUN fields of the predecessor record should be coded with the
UI and RUN numbers under which the account is currently reported. For example, an
establishment that changes owners twice in simple one-to-one transactions could be reported as
follows:
Predecessor
UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 2222222222
RUN 00000

Predecessor
UI# 2222222222
RUN 00000

Successor
UI# 2222222222
RUN 00000

Successor
UI# 3333333333
RUN 00000

UI# 3333333333
RUN 00000

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Whenever a many-to-one predecessor/successor relationship exists, it is not possible to identify a
specific UI/RUN as the predecessor. Nevertheless, if the multiple units that are consolidating
into the single unit all contain the UI and RUN of the consolidated successor in the successor UI
and RUN fields, it is possible to reconstruct the many-to-one transaction based on that
information alone.

Example 1: Many-to-One.
No Unique Predecessor to Put on Consolidated Unit
UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000
Successor
UI 2222222222
RUN 00000

UI# 4567891230
RUN 00000
Successor
UI 2222222222
RUN 00000

UI# 3124567890
RUN 00000
Successor
UI 2222222222
RUN 00000

Predecessor
UI ?
RUN ?

UI# 2222222222
RUN 00000

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Page 5-6

Similarly, whenever a one-to-many predecessor/successor relationship exists, it is not possible to
identify a specific UI/RUN as the successor. However, if the UI and RUN of the consolidated
unit are inserted in the Predecessor UI and RUN fields of all the newly formed subunits, the oneto-many event will be identified.

Example 2: One-to-Many.
No Unique Successor for the Unit Being Split.
Predecessor
UI 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 2222222222
RUN 00000

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

Predecessor
UI 1234567890
RUN 00000

Successor
UI ?
RUN ?

UI# 3333333333
RUN 00000

Predecessor
UI 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 4444444444
RUN 00000

Previously, the UI Account Number and RUN of the largest unit were used for one-to-many and
many-to-one situations. That should no longer be done, since that coding does not provide
adequate information, and can be misleading in the LDB continuous unit matching process (i.e.,
indicating a unique match where none exists.). For one-to-many and many-to–one
predecessor/successor relationships, when a unique UI account cannot be established for the
predecessor or successor account, the predecessor (or successor) UI field should be coded as
“9999999999.” If a unique predecessor or successor RUN cannot be established, the predecessor
(or successor) RUN field should be coded as “99999.” If the 9's cannot be assigned, it is
preferable to leave both these fields blank as opposed to inserting a unique UI/RUN that points to
only one of the units moving into or out of the consolidated unit.
For instance, when data for a multi-unit employer are broken out for the first time, the unit for
which data are being broken out (i.e., the original, aggregated record) should contain the UI
Account Number of the new worksite records in its Successor UI field. Meanwhile, the

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Page 5-7

Successor RUN should be set to “99999” to indicate that there is more than one RUN identified
as the successor.

Example 3: Initial Break Out For A Multi-Unit Employer

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000
Successor
UI# 1234567890
RUN 99999

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00001

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00002

When a multi-unit employer is collapsed (e.g., because the employer refuses to report on the
MWR), the Successor UI/RUN fields of each predecessor worksite record would be coded with
the UI/RUN of the successor since there is only one UI Account/RUN to point to as the
successor.
For cases involving the merger of several UI accounts either in whole or in part, it is usually
possible to assign unique Predecessor UI/RUNs to each of the establishments being reported on
the MWR of the re-formed multi establishment reporter. In the case of multiple UI Accounts
contributing to a newly formed multi-establishment in which the employer refuses to report a
MWR, each establishment shifting into the consolidated unit must carry the UI and RUN of the
record from which they were shifted. In addition, the Predecessor UI Account Number should
be coded "9999999999" and the Predecessor RUN should be coded "99999" to indicate that
more than one UI Account/RUN maps to the new reporting unit.

Example 4: Merger of Several UI Accounts.
Successor Not Willing To Report as an MWR.

UI# 1357900000
RUN 00001

UI# 1357900000
RUN 00002
UI# 2468000000
RUN 00013

Predecessor
UI# 9999999999
RUN 99999

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

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To consider this same example again, it would be better to report unique Successor UI/RUNs on
the records that contribute to the new record (that is, on the predecessors). This gives a clearer
link:

Example 5: Merger of Several UI Accounts.
Each Predecessor Matched To the Successor.

UI# 1357900000
RUN 00001
Successor
UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 1357900000
RUN 00002

Predecessor
UI# 9999999999
RUN 99999

Successor
UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 2468000000
RUN 00013
Successor
UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

Changes Within the Same UI Account
Records in UI accounts that change-reporting configuration (by breaking out or consolidating
reporting units) should also be assigned a Predecessor or Successor UI/RUN. When data for a
multi-unit employer are broken out for the first time, each newly disaggregated subunit should
repeat the UI Account Number and RUN of the previously aggregated unit in the Predecessor UI
Number and Predecessor RUN fields. When a multi-unit employer is collapsed (e.g., because
the employer refuses to report on the MWR), the subunits in the prior quarter must be assigned
the appropriate UI/RUN of the collapsed successor in their successor code fields. In addition,
the newly combined record could include the UI Account Number of the previous multi-unit
account in its Predecessor UI Number field. In this case, the Predecessor Reporting Unit
Number should be coded as "99999" because there is not an individual reporting unit that can be
identified as the predecessor. It would be better to code the appropriate UI Account
Number/RUN in the successor fields of each of the predecessor reporting units, since this more
clearly identifies the relationships.

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Summarized below are the principles involved in assigning predecessor and successor codes
when there is not a unique one-to-one relationship.
1. When there is more than one reporting unit to point to as the predecessor of the unit, the UI
and RUN of the successor should be inserted in the Successor UI/Successor RUN fields of
each of the multiple predecessor reporting units (in one or more UI accounts). (See Example
8.)
2. Similarly, when there is more than one reporting unit to point to as the successor of a unit, a
specific Successor RUN should not be assigned. Instead, "99999" should be assigned as the
Successor RUN to indicate that more than one reporting unit must be identified as a successor
reporting unit. (See Example 6.)
3. When there is more than one UI Account Number to point to as the predecessor of a unit, a
specific Predecessor UI Account Number should not be assigned. Instead, "9999999999"
should be assigned as the Predecessor UI Account Number to indicate that more than one UI
Account must be identified as a predecessor UI Account. (See Example 10.)
4. Similarly, when there is more than one UI Account Number to point to as the successor of a
unit, a specific Successor UI Account Number should not be assigned. (See Example 2.)
Instead, "9999999999" should be assigned as the Successor UI Account Number to indicate
that more than one UI Account must be identified as a successor UI Account.
5. The situations described in #1 and #3 above can be fully identified by assigning the Successor
UI/Successor RUN to each of the multiple predecessor reporting units (in one or more UI
accounts). Therefore, it is better to assign Successor UI/RUNs to provide a unique link.
6. The situations described in #2 and #4 above can be fully identified by assigning the
Predecessor UI/Predecessor RUN to each of the multiple successor reporting units (in one or
more UI accounts). Therefore, it is better to assign Predecessor UI/RUNs to provide a unique
link.
See the examples at the end of this section for specific cases of predecessor/successor coding.
Note A): There are many cases where it is not possible to accurately assign predecessor and
successor codes because of reporting discrepancies. In the textbook case where there is a
transfer of ownership and all multi-establishment reporters are reporting their establishments on
a MWR, it is possible to code predecessor and successor codes accurately to the individual
establishments. In these cases, it is important to code predecessor and successor codes with the
individual UI Account Number and/or RUN if individual UI Accounts/reporting units can be
identified as the predecessor or successor.
BLS recognizes that an ideal reporting model does not always exist, and therefore it is not
always possible to code predecessor and successor codes accurately. If it is not possible to point
to a specific predecessor UI Account and/or RUN, the Predecessor UI Account Number and/or
Predecessor RUN should be coded with all "9"s to indicate that there is more than one

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Page 5-10

Predecessor UI Account and/or Predecessor RUN. The presence of the Predecessor or Successor
codes can be used to note that the units are not business deaths or births and are thus continuous
units; meanwhile Predecessor codes of all "9"s shows that individual UI Account Numbers
and/or individual RUNs cannot be identified as the predecessor. (One important aspect of this
coding is that we should be able to distinguish continuous units from deaths and births even if
the specific units cannot be linked together because of the inconsistencies in MWR reporting.)
Note B): Predecessor codes should still be assigned for reporting changes (such as a breakout or
consolidation of worksites) within an existing UI account. The Predecessor UI number should
be the same as the UI Account Number field. Meanwhile the Predecessor RUN "99999" should
be assigned where it is not possible to point to a single predecessor.
Note C): The availability of this information might not reflect the exact quarter the change
occurred. While BLS strongly prefers the timely reporting of these fields, the
Predecessor/Successor fields should be assigned when the information becomes available.
Note D): There may be cases where a new multi worksite is opened (a birth). In these instances,
the new record should not have a Predecessor UI/RUN. Creating a new record in this case
reflects an economic event rather than a reporting change. In the case where a single-unit UI
account becomes a multi-unit UI account because of the opening of a new location, predecessor
and successor codes should be assigned to the original location so that it remains a continuous
establishment despite its change of RUN.
Note E): Predecessor and Successor UI/RUNs are much more useful on single-unit or subunit
records (MEEI 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6) than on master records (MEEI 2). This is because a master record
never identifies a single establishment; it always represents several establishments (worksites)
within the UI account.

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Predecessor/Successor Situations
[Note: Left side = prior quarter, right side = current quarter reporting]
Example 6: Further Breakout of Worksites in a Multi-unit Account
Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00002

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00003
UI# 1234567890
RUN 00002
Successor UI# 1234567890
Successor RUN 99999
Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00002

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00004

Example 7: Consolidated Predecessor/
Successor Provides Breakout
Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00000

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00000

UI# 2987654321
RUN 00001

Successor UI# 2987654321
Successor RUN 99999
Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00000

UI# 2987654321
RUN 00002

Page 5-11

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Example 8: Multi-Unit Predecessor/
Successor Does Not Provide Breakout

UI# 5678901234
RUN 00001
Successor UI# 7890123456
Successor RUN 00000

Predecessor UI# 5678901234
Predecessor RUN 99999

UI# 7890123456
RUN 00000

UI# 5678901234
RUN 00002
Successor UI# 7890123456
Successor RUN 00000

Page 5-12

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Example 9: Multi-Unit Predecessor Sells to Many Successors/
Each Successor Provides Breakouts

Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00002

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00002
Successor UI# 7890123456
Successor RUN 99999

UI# 7890123456
RUN 00001

Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00002

UI# 7890123456
RUN 00002

Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00001

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00001
Successor UI# 5678901234
Successor RUN 99999

UI# 5678901234
RUN 00001

Predecessor UI# 1234567890
Predecessor RUN 00001

UI# 5678901234
RUN 00002

Page 5-13

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

July 2003

Example 10: Many Predecessors with Different UI Account Numbers
Collapsed into One Successor Account

UI# 1234567890
RUN 00002
Successor UI# 3456789012
Successor RUN 00000

UI# 5678901234
RUN 00000

Predecessor UI# 999999999
Predecessor RUN 99999

Successor UI# 3456789012
Successor RUN 00000

UI# 3456789012
RUN 00000

UI# 9012345678
RUN 00001
Successor UI# 3456789012
Successor RUN 00000

Page 5-14

QCEW Operating Manual
Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

July 2003

Example 11: Multi-Unit Establishment Collapses into One Unit

UI# 1032547698
RUN 00000 (master record)
Successor UI# none
Successor RUN none

UI# 1032547698
RUN 00001

Predecessor UI# 1032547698
Predecessor RUN 99999

Successor UI# 1032547698
Successor RUN 00000

UI# 1032547698
RUN 00000

UI# 1032547698
RUN 00002
Successor UI# 1032547698
Successor RUN 00000

Example 12: Multi-Unit Establishment Breakout into Two Units

Predecessor UI# none
Predecessor RUN none

UI# 1092547698
RUN 00000 (master record)
UI# 1092547698
RUN 00000

Predecessor UI# 1092547698
Predecessor RUN 00000

Successor UI# 1092547698
Successor RUN 99999

UI# 1092547698
RUN 00001

Predecessor UI# 1092547698
Predecessor RUN 00000

UI# 1092547698
RUN 00002

Page 5-15

July 2003

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

Page 5-16

5.3 Successors with Code Changes
A substantial number of determinations are made each quarter for subject employers who are
successors to active accounts, and the majority of these determinations are for small units. When
new nature-of-business information is obtained for each of these employers, the codes are
determined accordingly. The problem arises as how best to handle those cases that involve
changes from the codes of the predecessors. This section discusses this problem under the
assumption that the level of reporting for the acquired unit(s) does not change.
If the unit had 25 or fewer workers in the last month before or the first month after the change of
ownership, assign the industry and geographic codes that correspond with the successor's
activity and location. This is effective with the date of the change of ownership or when
information of the change becomes available, whichever is later, regardless of whether the new
activity or location represents a change from the previous codes. No investigation is necessary to
determine if the prior codes were different, and no reporting of a noneconomic code change is
necessary. This should substantially reduce the workload of checking codes for these small
successors.
Codes for units with more than 25 workers in the last month before and the first month after the
change should be handled as follows:
(1) If the activity or location of the successor unit corresponds to the predecessor's industry and
geographic (county and, for some States, township) codes, assign the same codes to the
successor, effective immediately. There will, of course, be no code change to report.
(2) If the activity or location of the successor does not correspond to the predecessor's industry
and county (or county/township) codes, then:
a) If the successor unit uses the predecessor's facilities for a totally new business (as
determined by industry code) or moves to another county (county/township), and this
change takes place in less than 30 days, the change in code is an economic code change.
The new code or codes should be put into effect with the change in ownership, assuming
that this information is available in time to be included in the appropriate EQUI file.
Assign the Economic Code Change Indicator of the successor, using the value
corresponding to the code or codes that change. The Economic Code Change Indicator is
described in Appendix B.

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

July 2003

Page 5-17

b) If the predecessor had changed to the same activity (industry) or location as the successor
unit since its industry and geographic codes were previously assigned, handle the change
as a noneconomic code change. The successor should be given the old codes until the
beginning of the next year, and then the change to the new industry or county
(county/township) code should be handled as a noneconomic code change. Use the
procedures in Chapter 11 so that the system will place the successor record on the Code
Change Supplement (CCS) files. See in particular Section 11.5.3. (In brief, make sure
that the Old fields, ARS Response Code, and other needed data elements have been
assigned to the successor record on the micro file. The system will create the
corresponding CCS record.)
The following diagram gives an example of noneconomic code changes to industry and
county on the successor record, showing the correct assignment of the Old fields.
2002/1-2002/3

2002/4

2003/1

UI/RUN 1111111111/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Terminated (status 2)
001/5/335999

UI/RUN 1111111111/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Inactive (status 2)
001/5/335999
Doesn't belong on CCS

UI/RUN 2222222222/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Active (status 1)
001/5/335999

UI/RUN 2222222222/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6); Active (status 1)
013/5/336322
Belongs on CCS; needs
Old NAICS 335999
and Old County 001
(Old fields 001/5/335999)

UI/RUN 1111111111/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Active (status 1)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999

c) If the predecessor had the same activity (industry) and location (county or
county/township) as the successor, but the industry or county code was in error when
previously assigned, the successor should be given the old (incorrect) codes until the
beginning of the next year. Then the change to the new codes should be handled as a
noneconomic code change. Use the procedures described in Section 11.5.3 so that the
successor is placed on the CCS.

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

July 2003

Page 5-18

However, if the change to the new UI account takes place during first quarter and the first quarter
EQUI has not yet been submitted, the predecessor's codes may be corrected back to the
beginning of the current year and the noneconomic code change reported accordingly. The
predecessor record in this case belongs on the CCS. In this situation, the predecessor and
successor are both active during first quarter. The predecessor's End of Liability Date and the
successor's Initial Liability Date both fall within the quarter.
2002/4

UI/RUN
1111111111/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Active (status 1)
001/5/335999

2003/1

2003/2

UI/RUN 1111111111/00000
MEEI 1, 4, or 6; Active (status 1)
End of Liability Date during 2003/1
013/5/336322
Belongs on CCS; needs Old
NAICS 335999 & Old County 001
(Old fields 001/5/335999)

UI/RUN 1111111111/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Terminated/inactive (status 2)

UI/RUN 2222222222/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6); Active (status 1)
Initial Liability Date during 2003/1
013/5/336322

UI/RUN 2222222222/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Active (status 1)
013/5/336322

Suppose the change to the new UI account took place with the beginning of first quarter and the
predecessor becomes inactive sometime during the preceding fourth quarter (or at the end of
fourth quarter). If the first quarter EQUI has not yet been submitted, the successor should be
assigned the appropriate data elements, including Old fields, so it will be included on the CCS:
2002/1 through 2002/4

2003/1
UI/RUN 1111111111/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Terminated/inactive (status 2)

UI/RUN 1111111111/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Active (status 1)
County/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999

UI/RUN 2222222222/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6); Active (status 1)
013/5/336322
Belongs on CCS; Needs
Old NAICS 335999 & Old County 001
(Old fields 001/5/335999)

July 2003

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

Page 5-19

Section 5.5 describes the procedures for handling industry or geographic code changes resulting
from new breakouts of multi-establishment employer reporting units. Although such breakouts
include reporting in predecessor and successor fields on the EQUI file to maintain continuity of
records over time, the procedures for industry and geographic code changes in successor
relationships described in this section do not apply to such breakouts.

July 2003

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

Page 5-20

5.4 Successors Reporting at a Different Level
Many predecessor/successor transitions involve multi-unit accounts. Either the predecessor UI
account, the successor account, or both may have multiple worksites in the State. Sometimes the
successor (the employer with the successor UI account) is not willing to continue reporting
disaggregated data on a MWR and the successor account must be collapsed. Sometimes the
successor is willing to begin MWR reporting, and can be handled as a new breakout. Sometimes
the successor continues as an MWR reporter, but will provide the data at a different level of
aggregation. There are many possible scenarios, with only a few illustrated here.
1. A Successor That Becomes an MWR Reporter
In this hypothetical example, the business changes hands beginning in first quarter and the new
employer (under a new UI account number) agrees to report data separately for each worksite.
The Old fields on the subunit records of the successor account (UI Number 3333333333) should
match the fourth quarter codes of the predecessor (of UI/RUN 2222222222/00000). This
resembles the first example in Section 5.5, the simple breakout introduced in first quarter.

2002/1 through 2002/4

2003/1

UI/RUN 2222222222/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Terminated/inactive (status 2)

UI/RUN 2222222222/00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Active (status 1)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999

UI/RUN 3333333333/00000
MEEI 2; Active (status 1)
900/5/335999
Doesn't belong on CCS
(master record)
UI/RUN 3333333333/00001
MEEI 3; Active (status 1)
001/5/335999
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)
UI/RUN 3333333333/00002
MEEI 3; Active (status 1)
013/5/335999
Belongs on CCS
Needs Old County 001
(Old fields 001/5/335999)

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

Page 5-21

2. A Successor That Discontinues MWR Reporting
In this example, the business changes hands beginning in first quarter and the new employer
(under a new UI account number) will not provide disaggregated data, this is, will report only on
the Quarterly Contribution Report (QCR). In other words, the successor collapses into a singleunit account. The records that belong on the CCS are the inactivated subunits of the predecessor,
but only those subunits that were formerly reported with different area or industry codes than the
successor.
This resembles the example in Section 5.6, the multi that collapses in first quarter. The Old
fields on the inactivated subunits are identical to their classification codes in fourth quarter,
while their first quarter classification codes must be the same as the codes on the active successor
record (the MEEI 4 record in the new UI account).
2002/1 through 2002/4

UI/RUN 0404040404/00000
(MEEI 2)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 900/5/335999
Active (status 1)

2003/1
UI/RUN 0000055555/00000
(MEEI 4)
001/5/335999
Active (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
UI/RUN 0404040404/00000
(MEEI 2)
Terminated/inactive (status 2)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(master record)

UI/RUN 0404040404/00001
(MEEI 3)
001/5/335999
(status 1)

UI/RUN 0404040404/00001
001/5/335999
Terminated/inactive (status 2)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)

UI/RUN 0404040404/00002
(MEEI 3)
003/5/335999
(status 1)

UI/RUN 0404040404/00002
001/5/335999
Terminated/inactive (status 2)
Belongs on CCS
Needs Old County 003
(Old fields 003/5/335999)

UI/RUN 0404040404/00003
(MEEI 3)
003/5/336322
(status 1)

UI/RUN 0404040404/00003
001/5/335999
Terminated/inactive (status 2)
Belongs on CCS
Needs Old County 003
and Old NAICS 336322
(Old fields 003/5/336322)

July 2003

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

Page 5-22

3. A More Complicated Transition from Predecessors to Successors
The following hypothetical case suggests some of the complications that can occur. A singleunit account (UI 5555555555) stays in business but acquires other UI accounts beginning with
first quarter. This employer agrees to report worksite data separately on the MWR, thus
becoming a multi. The predecessors for the newly acquired worksites are: (1) a multi that was
reporting as a single (UI 6666666666), and (2) a single with an incorrect county code (UI
7777777777). As with other cases considered in this section, the records that belong on the CCS
were not active in fourth quarter under the same UI/RUN. Their Old fields should match the
fourth quarter classification codes of their predecessors.
2002/1 through 2002/4

UI/RUN 5555555555/00000
(MEEI 1)
County/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999
Active (status 1)
(This single establishment
becomes a subunit,
with RUN 00001.)

UI/RUN 6666666666/00000
MEEI 4
003/5/335999
Active (status 1)
(Acquired by UI 5555555555,
which agrees to break out its
two worksites.)

UI/RUN 7777777777/00000
(MEEI 1)
005/5/335322; Active (status 1)
(A single acquired by UI
5555555555.
It becomes a subunit.)

2003/1
UI/RUN 5555555555/00000
(MEEI 2 – a new master record)
900/5/335999; Active (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS (master record)
UI/RUN 5555555555/00001
(MEEI 3)
001/5/335999; Active (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS (no code change)
UI/RUN 6666666666/00000
003/5/335999
Terminated/inactive (status 2)
Doesn't belong on CCS (no code change)
UI/RUN 5555555555/00002
(MEEI 3)
003/5/335999; Active (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS (no code change)
UI/RUN 5555555555/00003
(MEEI 3)
005/5/336322 (status 1)
Belongs on CCS, needs Old County 003
and Old NAICS 335999
(Old fields 003/5/335999)
UI/RUN 7777777777/00000
005/5/335322
Terminated/inactive (status 2)
Doesn't belong on CCS (no code change)
UI/RUN 5555555555/00004
(MEEI 3)
007/5/335322 (status 1)
Belongs on CCS, needs Old County 005
(Old fields 005/5/335322)

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

Page 5-23

4. Transferring Employment to a Professional Employer Organization
Arrangements between Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) and their clients represent a
special case of successor reporting, usually at a different reporting level. Section 15.3 describes
PEOs, which carry NAICS code 561330, and discusses in detail how the data should be reported.
This list summarizes key steps for establishments that transfer their employment to a PEO:
• Set up the reporting unit as a new multi-establishment worksite in the PEO’s UI account.
• Assign the UI Account Number and RUN under which the unit was formerly reported as the
Predecessor UI and RUN of the new worksite. If possible, assign the unit’s new UI Account
Number and RUN as the Successor UI and RUN on the old record.
• Determine the correct industry and geographic codes for the unit, based on its own location
and activity rather than the PEO’s location and activity (for example, do not assign NAICS
561330; assign the NAICS code representing the primary activity of the reporting unit).
• If the industry and location codes formerly assigned to the unit are not correct, handle the
correction as a noneconomic code change. Hold the code change until the next first quarter,
and assign the necessary data elements (ARS Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and Old
fields) that place the record on the CCS.
• If the PEO-client relationship is terminated and the unit leaves (or moves to a different PEO),
assign Predecessor and Successor UI/RUNs to maintain the linkage over time. Treat any
code change that result from the reporting change as a noneconomic code change.
• Under normal circumstances, if a breakout occurs in a PEO in mid-year (i.e., other than first
quarter) and the breakout causes a change from one classified industry or area to another
classified industry and/or area due to non-economic events, the code change(s) should be
held by the State until the next first quarter and reported on the Code Change Supplement.
However, for larger PEOs, handling and reporting breakouts, births, deaths, out-of-business
units, or other reporting changes can become difficult and very time consuming for State
QCEW staff. Clients enter in and out of relationships with PEOs regularly. It is advised in
these particular cases that the State contact their appropriate BLS regional office for guidance
and/or assistance in handling these more difficult PEO cases.

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

July 2003

Page 5-24

5.5 Breaking Out (Disaggregating) New Multiple Worksite
Reporters
Introducing Data from Initial Multiple Worksite Reports
1. Breakouts Held for the First Quarter Report
Generally, when a Multiple Worksite Report is initially received for a multi-establishment
account, and when the data will be reported with different industry or geographic codes than
before, it should be treated as a noneconomic code change. Data from an initial second, third, or
fourth quarter Multiple Worksite Report should not be used in preparing the EQUI File until the
next first quarter to avoid unrealistic breaks in employment and wage data for the industries and
counties involved (and, for some States, townships). Data from an initial first quarter Multiple
Worksite Report should be included in the EQUI File for that quarter.
To reduce the State's workload in handling new MWR respondents, States have the option to add
new breakouts of multi-establishment employers during any quarter of the year within the
following guidelines: the industry code, county, township, and ownership codes must be
maintained (held the same as before the breakouts) until the next first quarter. This is explained
in more detail later in this section.
Changes in industry/ownership/area that result from information on the Multiple Worksite
Report or from other sources are noneconomic code changes that need to be placed on the Code
Change Supplement files. Use the procedures described in Section 11.5.1 so that worksite
records with these noneconomic code changes are placed on the CCS.
Each new sub-unit that has an industry or geographic code different than the previously
combined unit belongs on the CCS; however, the combined, or master, record does not belong on
the CCS. An example will further clarify this CCS reporting procedure. Assume the following
is a record for a multi-establishment unit employer before being broken out:
UI Number

RUN

MEEI

County

Own

NAICS

Employment

1234567890

00000

1

001

5

335999

350

After being identified as a multi-establishment employer, the record is broken out into three
subunit (worksite) records:
Establishment

UI Number

RUN

MEEI

Cnty

Own

NAICS

Emp

Belongs
on CCS

A
B
C

1234567890
1234567890
1234567890

00001
00002
00003

3
3
3

001
003
003

5
5
5

335999
335999
336322

250
50
50

No
Yes
Yes

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July 2003

Page 5-25

Since establishment A has the identical classification codes as the previously combined unit, this
record should not be on the CCS. Establishment B has a county code (003) that is different from
the previously combined unit, while establishment C has different county and industry codes
(003 and 336322). Therefore, these two records should be included on the CCS with the
following Old and New fields:
CCS Record
RUN

MEEI

Old
County

Old
Own

Old
NAICS

New
County

00002
00003

3
3

001
001

5
5

335999
335999

003
003

New
Own

New
NAICS

336322

This is also illustrated in the following diagram:

2002/1 through 2002/4

2003/1
RUN 00000
(MEEI 2 – a new master record)
900/5/335999
Doesn't belong on CCS
(master record)

RUN 00000
(MEEI 1)
County/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999

RUN 00001
(MEEI 3)
001/5/335999
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)
RUN 00002
(MEEI 3)
003/5/335999
Belongs on CCS
needs Old County 001
(Old fields 001/5/335999)
RUN 00003
(MEEI 3)
003/5/336322
Belongs on CCS, Needs Old
County 001 and Old NAICS 335999
(Old fields 001/5/335999)

To be included on the CCS, RUNs 00002 and 00003 need the Old fields and first quarter codes
on the micro file consistent with the codes in the diagram. Section 11.5.1 describes how the Old
fields, ARS Response Code, and other data elements are assigned that will put the record onto
the CCS file.

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The record with RUN 00000 remains as an active record; however, its Multi-Establishment
Employer Indicator (MEEI) code should become 2. It does not belong on the CCS. Although it
continues to show employment and wage data (equal to the sum of the data on the subunits), its
MEEI code (2) will exclude it from the macro file and the CCS.
2. Breakouts Introduced in Pending Status before First Quarter
In the example above, the new subunit records do not exist before first quarter. The State could
also create the subunit records before first quarter and keep these records in pending status
(Status Code = 9). Code 9 prevents their economic data from being used on the macro file. The
new pending records can use the correct classification codes – the county, ownership, and
industry codes they will carry in first quarter. The RUN 00000 record continues to carry MEEI
1, 4, or 6 through fourth quarter, so its economic data continue to be used on the macro file.
Beginning in first quarter, the subunits become active (Status Code = 1) while the RUN 00000
record becomes a master with MEEI 2. As in the first example, RUNs 00002 and 00003 belong
on the CCS and should carry Old fields showing where the data were reported on the active
record in fourth quarter.
2002/1 – 2002/2

RUN 00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999

2002/3 – 2002/4

2003/1

RUN 00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
001/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00000
(MEEI 2)
900/5/335999; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(master record)

RUN 00001
(MEEI 3 or 5)
001/5/335999
Pending (status 9)

RUN 00001
001/5/335999; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)

RUN 00002
(MEEI 3 or 5)
003/5/335999
Pending (status 9)

RUN 00002
003/5/335999; (status 1)
Belongs on CCS
Needs Old County 001
(Old fields 001/5/335999)

RUN 00003
(MEEI 3 or 5)
003/5/336322
Pending (status 9)

RUN 00003
003/5/336322; (status 1)
Belongs on CCS; needs Old
Cnty 001 & Old NAICS 335999
(Old fields 001/5/335999)

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3. Data Included in the Current Quarter
Under certain circumstances, data from initial Multiple Worksite Reports for multi-establishment
accounts should be used in preparing the EQUI File for the quarter for which they are received.
These situations are as follows:
A. An employer with an existing business opens a new worksite (a birth, not a successor).
Report the new operation in the month when it began, using its current industry and area
codes. Births do not belong on the CCS.
B. A Multiple Worksite Report is received for a multi-establishment account for which either
the industry or the county was coded on the previous quarter's file as unclassified (i.e.,
NAICS 999999 or County 995-999, respectively). This is not a noneconomic code change,
but a change from unclassified. It does not belong on the CCS. (An exception to this rule
occurs if the change from unclassified is combined with a change from one specific county or
industry code to another. In that case, it is treated as a noneconomic code change.)
C. A Multiple Worksite Report is received when a new UI account is established for a multiestablishment employer. If the new account is a successor to an active account, however, the
guidelines regarding successors determine when the data should be reported. (Refer to
Section 5.3) For multi-establishment employers, the total account employment should be
used when applying those guidelines. In other words, it is not necessary to handle a code
change as noneconomic if total employment for the UI account is 25 or less in the last month
before or the first month after the change from the predecessor UI account.
D. New breakouts of multi-establishment employers with MEEI codes of 1, 4, or 6 can be
broken out to MEEI codes of 3 or 5 during any quarter of the year. However, the State must
follow these guidelines: the industry, county, townships, and ownership codes must be
maintained (held the same as before the breakouts) until the next first quarter. While the
reporting unit counts may potentially rise each quarter as a consequence, the employment and
wages would not be adversely affected.
Consider the following example in which a multi-establishment employer begins reporting in a
quarter other than the first quarter:
Old Record
UI Number

RUN

MEEI

County

NAICS

Employment

3456789012

00000

4

005

452111

400

New Records (Master and Subunits)
UI Number

RUN

MEEI

County

NAICS

Employment

3456789012
3456789012
3456789012
3456789012

00000
00001
00002
00003

2
3
3
3

005
005
005
005

452111
452111
452111
452111

400
150
130
120

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July 2003

Page 5-28

There is no effect on the county or industry in the above case. No discontinuity in data for the
macro cell would appear, except in the number of reporting units. As a result, it is acceptable to
introduce the breakout when first reported.
Consider a second, slightly different example:
Old Record
UI#

RUN

MEEI

County

NAICS

Employment

3456789012

00000

4

001

335999

400

New Records (Master and Subunits)
UI#

RUN

MEEI

County

NAICS

Employment

3456789012
3456789012
3456789012
3456789012

00000
00001
00002
00003

2
3
3
3

900
001
003
003

335999
335999
335999
336322

400
250
80
70

Here the worksites with RUNs 00002 and 00003 are in a different county than the original
record, and RUN 00003 is also in a different industry. There is a greater effect than in the first
example. A shift of 150 employees would occur, plus their corresponding wages, from county
001 to county 003, while 70 employees shift from NAICS 335999 to 336322. Such a
noneconomic change within the year should be prevented. This breakout can be introduced
when first reported, however, provided the State meets one important requirement. The second
and third worksites (RUNs 00002 and 00003) must initially be coded in county 001 and NAICS
335999, where they were coded when grouped as part of the MEEI 4 record. The county and
industry changes must then be held until first quarter and included on the Code Change
Supplement. The other worksite should not be included on the CCS because it has no code
changes. Beginning with the first quarter, RUN 00002 should appear in the correct county
(county 003) while RUN 00003 should appear in county 003 and NAICS 336322.
The reporting principle is as follows: breakouts may be introduced in mid-year, if necessary, but
the industry and county code changes should be held through the end of the year and introduced
in the next first quarter. The key in all these situations is that industry and area codes should not
change in mid-year because of noneconomic reporting changes.

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The example above is repeated in the following diagram, illustrating the use of the Old fields.
Note that in this case, the Old fields match the fourth quarter codes of each reporting unit (but
should not match the fourth quarter codes of RUN 00000).
2002/1 – 2002/2

2002/3 – 2002/4

2003/1

RUN 00000
(MEEI 2)
900/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00000
(MEEI 2)
900/5/335999; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(master record)

RUN 00001
001/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00001
001/5/335999; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)

RUN 00002
001/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00002
003/5/335999; (status 1)
Belongs on CCS
Needs Old County 001

RUN 00003
001/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00003
003/5/336322; (status 1)
Belongs on CCS, Needs
Old County 001
and Old NAICS 335999

RUN 00000
(MEEI 1, 4, or 6)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999

Introducing Data from Existing Multiple Worksite Reports
If a multi-establishment account consistently submits quarterly Multiple Worksite Reports as
requested, the data from the form will always be used in preparing the EQUI File for the quarter
for which they are received.
Establishments of multi-establishment employers should be treated in the same manner as single
establishments with regard to changes in product or activity, location, and, of course, births.
Thus, data from a Multiple Worksite Report received when a multi-establishment account adds
one or more establishments during any quarter would be used in preparing the EQUI File for the
quarter for which they are received. Such new establishments are births and do not belong on the
CCS.

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Records with MEEI code 5 (comprised of more than one establishment or worksite) can be
broken out to become several records with an MEEI code of 3 (worksite or establishment level).
If this reporting change causes economic data to be reported with different industry or area codes
than before, the code change is noneconomic and belongs on the CCS. The following diagram
gives an example.
2002/1 – 2002/4

2003/1

RUN 00000
(MEEI 2)
County/Own/NAICS 900/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00000
(MEEI 2)
900/5/335999; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(master record)

RUN 00001
001/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00001
001/5/335999; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)

RUN 00002
003/5/335999
Active (status 1)

RUN 00002
003/5/335999; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)
RUN 00003
003/5/336322
Terminated; status = 2
Doesn't belong on CCS

RUN 00003
003/5/336322
Active (status 1)
Breaks out to RUNs 00004
& 00005

RUN 00004
003/5/336322; (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)
RUN 00005
007/5/335999; (status 1)
Belongs on CCS, needs Old
County 003 & Old NAICS 336322
(Old fields 003/5/336322)
RUN 00006
013/5/336322; (status 1)
New unit (birth). Doesn’t
belong on CCS

Note that in this previous case, there are several possible ways the configuration of active RUNs
in fourth quarter could map to the configuration in first quarter. For example, all three new

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RUNs (00004 through 00006) could be interpreted as births, or all three could be considered
successors to RUN 00003. The proper assignment of Old fields (along with other data elements
such as ARS Response Code) will allow the BLS-Washington and State systems to generate
CCS records that reflect the actual movement of employment and wages between macro cells. In
addition, the proper assignment of Predecessor UI/RUN fields will provide the linkage to map
the new RUNs to the fourth quarter RUNs.
Records with MEEI 5 can be broken out to become several records with an MEEI code of 3
during any quarter of the year within the following guidelines: the industry, area, and ownership
codes must be maintained (held the same as before the breakouts) until the next first quarter.
While the reporting unit counts may potentially rise each quarter as a consequence, the
employment and wages within a macro level cell would not be adversely affected. The
following shows an example:
2002/1 – 2002/3

2002/4

2003/1

UI/RUN 0011223344/00000
(MEEI 2)
Active (status 1)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 900/5/335999

UI/RUN 0011223344/00000
(MEEI 2)
Active (status 1)
900/5/335999

UI/RUN 0011223344/00000
(MEEI 2)
900/5/335999; Active (status 1)
Master; doesn't belong on CCS

UI/RUN 0011223344/00001
MEEI 3; Active (status 1)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 001/5/335999

UI/RUN 0011223344/00001
MEEI 3; Active (status 1)
001/5/335999

UI/RUN 0011223344/00001
MEEI 3; Active (status 1)
001/5/335999
Doesn't belong on CCS; no
code change

UI/RUN 0011223344/00002
(MEEI 5)
Terminated (status 2)

UI/RUN 0011223344/00002
(MEEI 5)
Inactive (status 2)
Doesn't belong on CCS; no
code change

UI/RUN 0011223344/00003
(MEEI 3)
Active (status 1)
003/5/335999

UI/RUN 0011223344/00003
(MEEI 3)
003/5/335999; Active (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS; no
code change

UI/RUN 0011223344/00004
(MEEI 3)
Active (status 1)
003/5/335999

UI/RUN 0011223344/00004
(MEEI 3)
003/5/336322; Active (status 1)
Belongs on CCS; needs
Old NAICS 335999
(Old fields 003/5/335999)

UI/RUN 0011223344/00002
(MEEI 5
Active (status 1)
003/5/335999
Breaks out to RUNs 00003
and 00004

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

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5.6 Consolidating Multiple Worksite Reporters
Orphans and other Multi-establishment Situations
Most States do not store individual multi-establishment worksites on the UI tax file. For those
that do, the Reporting Unit Number assignment on the tax file may not be the same as required
for the QCEW program. In these cases, where a multi-establishment employer sells or closes all
but one worksite, RUNs for the remaining worksites should be terminated (made inactive). The
data from the QCR should be reported as RUN 00000. Any orphaned or single worksites with a
RUN greater than zero will fail the micro edits.
There may be instances in which a multi-establishment employer who has been regularly
submitting quarterly Multiple Worksite Reports either refuses or becomes unable to provide an
establishment-level breakout on a quarterly basis. When this occurs, there are three main
concerns:
1. Can the State obtain other information (explained below) to prorate employment and wage
data from the QCR on an ongoing basis?
2. If the answer to the first question is no, and the employer discontinues reporting in the middle
of the year, how can the State avoid showing a discontinuity in data resulting from collapsed
reporting?
3. How should the collapse be represented on the Code Change Supplement?
After learning of the change in reporting, the State should initially try to negotiate with the
employer to obtain complete establishment breakout information for at least one quarter of the
following year. If the employer agrees to report for one quarter a year, the State should use the
data obtained from the reported quarter to estimate data for the remaining quarters. States may
also examine other available sources of information to estimate establishment breakouts,
including CES data and the employer's wage records. (See Section 3.5 for more detail.)
If the State is not able to obtain data for one quarter a year to prorate employment and wage data,
and the employer has discontinued reporting in the middle of the year, it is important for the
State to continue estimation of establishment-level data for the remainder of that calendar year.
The State should first attempt to use data captured for one of the earlier quarters to prorate data
from the QCR to the worksite level for the remaining quarter(s). Again, States may also be able
to use CES data and the employer's wage records to estimate data for the remainder of the year.
The State should choose whatever method it deems most reliable.
The State should estimate the employer's establishment-level data through the fourth quarter of
the year, prorating from available data. If the employer is still unwilling or unable to provide
establishment-level data at the end of the year, the State may then collapse all subunit (worksite)
records into the primary worksite for the following first quarter. To do this, inactivate the
subunit records in the first quarter and stop reporting employment, wage, and other economic

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

July 2003

Page 5-33

data on these records (the records with RUN greater than 00000). Change the MEEI code of the
record with RUN 00000 from 2 (master) to 4 (multi reporting as a single). Set the first quarter
codes of this record equal to the industry and geographic codes of the primary worksite (subunit).
If there is no primary county (i.e., no single county representing 50% or more of the employment
of the UI account), use county code 995. (See Section 3.5.)
The State should collapse establishments only at the end of the year, and only after all attempts
to persuade the employer to report have failed. If collapsing a large multi will move substantial
employment between industries or counties, the State should consider prorating for an additional
year while continuing to negotiate for disaggregated data.

Including Collapsed Worksites on the Code Change Supplement
To assist in explaining shifts in macro data, a Code Change Supplement record should be
generated for each subunit record that was in a county or industry different from the primary
establishment. Section 11.5.2 gives the procedures for this. Only subunits that had a county or
industry code different from the new consolidated record belong on the Code Change
Supplement. An example will further clarify this reporting procedure. Assume the following
records were part of a multi-establishment employer before the establishments had to be
collapsed:
Worksite

UI Number

RUN

MEEI

NAICS

County

Ownership

Employment

Master
A
B
C
D

1032547698
1032547698
1032547698
1032547698
1032547698

00000
00001
00002
00003
00004

2
3
3
3
3

511110
511110
511110
451110
451120

900
001
003
001
015

5
5
5
5
5

400
250
50
50
50

After the collapse, the employer should be reported in the first quarter as follows:
UI Number

RUN

MEEI

NAICS

County

Ownership

Employment

1032547698

00000

4

511110

001

5

400

Establishments B, C, and D are the only units from this account that should be included on the
CCS because they are the only units with changes to the industry code and/or county codes.
Establishment B (RUN 00002) had a county code different than the new aggregated record;
establishment C (RUN 00003) had an industry code different than the new aggregated record;
establishment D (RUN 00004) had both an industry code and a county code different than the
new aggregated record. Therefore, these three records should be included on the CCS report as
follows:

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

July 2003

Page 5-34

CCS Record
RUN

Old
County

Old
Own

Old
NAICS

New
County

00002
00003
00004

003
001
015

5
5
5

511110
451110
451120

001

New
Own

001

New
NAICS

Dec.
Emp

MEEI

511110
511110

50
50
50

3
3
3

The Old fields on the micro file become the Old fields on the CCS. The first quarter codes on
the micro file become the New fields on the CCS, even though the first quarter is inactive:
2002/1 through 2002/4

2003/1

RUN 00000
(MEEI 2)
Cnty/Own/NAICS 900/5/511110
Active (status 1)

RUN 00000
(MEEI 4)
001/5/511110
Active (status 1)
Doesn't belong on CCS

RUN 00001
(MEEI 3)
001/5/511110
(status 1)

RUN 00001
001/5/511110
Inactive (status 2)
Doesn't belong on CCS
(no code change)

RUN 00002
(MEEI 3)
003/5/511110
(status 1)

RUN 00002
001/5/511110
Inactive (status 2)
Belongs on CCS
Needs Old County 003
(Old fields 003/5/511110)

RUN 00003
(MEEI 3)
001/5/451110
(status 1)

RUN 00003
001/5/511110
Inactive (status 2)
Belongs on CCS, Needs
Old NAICS 451110
(Old fields 001/5/451110)

RUN 00004
(MEEI 3)
015/5/451120
(status 1)

RUN 00004
001/5/511110
Inactive (status 2)
Belongs on CCS, Needs Old
County 015 & Old NAICS 451120
(Old fields 015/5/451120)

Chapter 11, and in particular Section 11.5.2, explains how to assign Old fields as well as the
ARS Response Code and other data elements needed to include the subunit records with code
changes on the CCS.

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Handling Changes in Reporting Configuration

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5.7 Tracking Establishments that Change UI or Reporting
Unit Numbers in the LDB
This section describes the record linkage process used by the Longitudinal Database (LDB)
System at BLS-Washington. The record linkage system constructs the longitudinal data of the
LDB by linking records over time. The data proceed through a series of steps comparing
establishments in the current quarter with establishments in the prior quarter. The order of the
steps involved in the record linkage process is listed below.
1. Identification of SESA ID Links
2. Removal of successors in fully-imputed, single unit SESA ID links
3. Identification of inter-quarter predecessor/successor code links
4. Identification of inter-quarter breakouts/consolidations
5. Identification of inter-quarter weighted matches
6. Identification of intra-quarter predecessor/successor links
7. Identification of intra-quarter breakouts/consolidations
8. Fully-imputed single unit links
For more detail about the data of the QCEW Program, see Section 1.1 The Program and Its Data
and Section 1.2 Purpose and Uses of the Data.

5.7.1 LDB Linkage Process
Step 1 - Identification of SESA ID Links
The files are first linked by the State FIPS code/UI/RUN combination, the “SESA ID.” 95 to 97
percent of the current quarter’s records match by SESA ID, with the percentage of SESA ID
matches from first quarter to fourth quarter being at the lower end of that range. Matches by
SESA ID do not undergo any type of validation; it is assumed that they are accurate. A SESA ID
link takes precedence over any other type of link involving a particular unit.

Step 2 - Removal of successors in fully imputed, single unit SESA ID links
Fully imputed subunits of multi-establishment employers (records with MEEI Codes of 3 or 5)
that match by SESA ID are assumed to be valid matches and are removed from the matching
process along with the SESA ID matches involving non-imputed records. SESA ID links
involving current quarter, fully imputed, single units (those with MEEI codes of 1, 4, or 6) are
not initially accepted.

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Step 3 - Identification of inter-quarter predecessor/successor code links
The system next links records across quarters that match via State-assigned Predecessor or
Successor codes. To be considered, records cannot have linked via SESA ID earlier in the
process (unless they are fully imputed single units). One-to-one predecessor/successor code
matches do not undergo any type of validation. The State-provided information is assumed
correct.

Step 4 - Identification of inter-quarter breakouts/consolidations
The system next attempts to identify cases of administrative reporting changes occurring
between quarters. The system looks for these changes both within and between UI accounts.
The system identifies as breakouts or consolidations those records within a quarter that have
repeated predecessor or successor UI/RUN combinations and the single units in the other quarter
that they point to. In addition, the system checks UI accounts that have changed between
quarters from a single unit reporter to a multi-establishment reporter and vice versa and that may
or may not have predecessor/successor information on them. In the situation when
predecessor/successor numbers are not present, if an UI account’s employment changes between
the third month of the prior quarter to the first month of the current quarter by 50 percent or less
(based on prior quarter employment), that UI account is also identified as a breakout or
consolidation.
This employment change edit is run on all potential inter-quarter breakouts and consolidations –
those with predecessor and/or successor information and those without it. When the employment
check is run on those situations identified by predecessor/successor information, the system will
not overturn the identification based on employment change, but adds a flag describing whether
the employment changed more or less than 50 percent. When the employment check is run on
potential breakouts and consolidations not identified by predecessor/successor information
(always within a UI account), a breakout or consolidation is identified only if the employment
difference between the two periods is within the range of 50 percent.

Step 5 - Identification of inter-quarter weighted matches
A probability-based weighted match process which involves only the unmatched records from
step four, the administrative code match process, is then executed. The weighted match process
is accomplished using the software packages SuperStan and SuperMatch, from Ascential
Software. SuperStan standardizes names and addresses for linking. SuperMatch employs a
record linkage methodology using the frequency of occurrence of selected variable values to
calculate the probability that a variable’s values agree at random within a given block. Pairs of
records having enough in common to exceed a pre-specified point value are identified as valid
matches.
The weighted matching component is structured into 21 separate matching routines. Only pairs
of records that match on certain variables are allowed into each routine or “block,” as they are

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called. The combination of matching variables is different in each of the blocks so those pairs of
records excluded from some blocks qualify for others. Cutoff weights -- the point values that
must be exceeded in each block to qualify as a good match -- are set individually for each block.
In the initial system, these cutoff weights are universal. They do not vary based upon the State,
industry, or other characteristics of the incoming records. In general, the cutoff weights are
lower in blocks in which matches must have a lot in common just to qualify for the block and
higher in blocks where potential matches can be considered despite having less in common.

Step 6 - Identification of intra-quarter predecessor/successor links
Within the current quarter, records that link to each other via predecessor and/or successor
numbers are considered a valid match. All current quarter records are considered as potential
predecessors in the intra-quarter matching. The successor records involved in these matches,
however, are not allowed to match to the prior quarter. Records with a match to the prior quarter
that were identified before entering this component are not given the opportunity to be
successors in this step. Likewise, once a record is identified as a successor in an intra-quarter
match, it cannot match to the prior quarter in subsequent phases of the process.
The successor records identified in the weighted match, step five, subsequently are allowed to
match as either predecessors or successors in the intra-quarter matching. If one of these records
links as a successor in the intra-quarter matching, the weighted link to the prior quarter will be
broken and the intra-quarter link will be accepted.
The system can have only one record on the database representing each individual continuous
unit identified by a unique LDB number. To meet this requirement, the system merges the pair
of records linked within the current quarter. The merged record retains the administrative
information of the successor. The system determines which record’s employment to retain by
comparing the monthly employment values independently for each month. If the successor’s
employment is greater than zero, then its employment and associated flag are retained. If the
successor’s employment is zero and the predecessor’s employment is greater than zero, then the
predecessor’s employment and associated flag are retained. If both records have positive wages,
the wages are combined in the merged record.

Step 7 - Identification of intra-quarter breakouts/consolidations
When the system identifies new current quarter records with repeated predecessor or successor
UIN/RUN combinations that point to a current quarter single unit, the involved units are
identified as intra-quarter breakouts or consolidations. Similar to the one-to-one intra-quarter
processing described above, the predecessor records involved in these situations are given the
opportunity to match in all other phases of the matching process while the successor records are
not allowed to match to the prior quarter – with one exception. The initial system will not allow
predecessors in an intra-quarter breakout and consolidations to have been involved in an interquarter breakout or consolidation. Thus, combinations of inter- and intra-quarter breakouts and
consolidations are not identified.

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Similar to the way the system merges one-to-one intra-quarter matches; the system also merges
the records involved in many-to-one and one-to-many intra-quarter matches. Similar logic is
utilized to perform the merging but it is expanded to handle these more complex cases. The
administrative information of the successor records is retained. Regarding merging employment
and wages, breakouts and consolidations undergo slightly different procedures.

Step 8 - Fully imputed single unit links
A fully imputed establishment is one that has all three months of employment and quarterly
wages imputed. When there are fully imputed current quarter units with MEEI Codes of 1, 4, or
6 that have a SESA ID match to the prior quarter, the prior quarter records involved are returned
to the matching process after their identification (Step 2 of the Record Linkage process). These
prior quarter records are then eligible to match in all other components of the matching process.
Rather than assume that these units are delinquent, an attempt is made to identify the units that
actually may have been reported under new ownership. Following completion of the matching
process, if the prior quarter records were not linked to another current quarter record, they will be
rejoined with their fully imputed current quarter counterpart (Step 8 of the Record Linkage
process).

5.7.2 Updates and the Linking Process
Only the "current" quarter's records and the "previous" quarter's records are involved in the
linking process. Updates made to quarters that come before the "previous" quarter will not affect
how records are linked. To illustrate, suppose that the current quarter is 2003/2 and that a file
with a new SESA ID is submitted with no State assigned predecessor/successor numbers. The
linking process is then performed on the file and no match is found. This file is considered a
birth file. In the following quarter, 2003/3, a record for this file (same SESA ID) is submitted
with a set of predecessor/successor numbers. The newly submitted, updated record is still a part
of the linking process. The newly acquired predecessor/successor numbers allow the linking
process to correct the "birth" status initially conferred upon the file. Accurate linkage is
maintained on the LDB.
Now suppose a similar but different scenario. The current quarter is 2003/2 and a file with a new
SESA ID is submitted with no State assigned predecessor/successor numbers. The linking
process is performed on the file and no match is found. The file is then considered a birth file.
In the following quarter, 2003/3, a record for this file (same SESA ID) is again submitted
without a set of predecessor/successor numbers. This third quarter file is linked to the initial file
submitted in second quarter. In 2003/4, a record for this file (same SESA ID) is submitted with
predecessor/successor numbers. This fourth quarter file is correctly linked to the third quarter
file with the same SESA ID. However, the file associated with this specific SESA ID is not
linked to the predecessor/successor files as indicated by the predecessor/successor numbers
submitted in the 2003/4 file.

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Annual Refiling Survey

June 2007

Page 6-1

Chapter 6 – Annual Refiling Survey
The main purpose of the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) is to verify or correct the North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes assigned to establishments. Other
important purposes of the ARS are to verify or update establishments’ mailing and physical
location addresses and geographic codes such as county and township (independent city, parish,
or island in some States). The ARS also asks employers to identify new locations in the State.
This chapter outlines the three-year processing cycle by which the QCEW program surveys
virtually all covered establishments. After describing the criteria used to select establishments
each year, details are provided on the response rate requirements. Following the requirements is
a detailed section on the forms used in the survey, the BLS-3023 NVS, NVM, and NCA. Key
portions of the forms are described and instructions are given for printing and proofing. Also
included is a section on cover letters, complete with requirements and sample letters that the
States can adapt to their individual purposes.
Following the section on cover letters is information on obtaining form fonts, templates, and
logos. This section also outlines the yearly request for information that is input to the form
printing process such as authorization statements and State agency names.
After describing the inputs, a section is given that outlines the entire process of reviewing the
refiling forms once they are received back from the employers. Key decision points are
described in detail and a flowchart of the process is given. Following the section on the process
is a section on the methods used for mailing and collecting the ARS information.
There is also a section on the Centralized Annual Refiling Survey (CARS) that provides State
offices the opportunity to take advantage of printing, mailing, receiving, scanning and sorting
services for the ARS. In addition to reducing costs associated with these activities, CARS
should allow the State staff to use their limited time in a more productive manner.
Finally, this chapter concludes with sections on Professional Employer Organizations, the
various reports used to track the progress of the ARS, and a discussion of response rates.
---------------Contents of Chapter 6---------6.1 Purpose of the ARS
6.2 ARS Processing Cycle and Selection Criteria
6.3 ARS Response Rate Requirements
6.4 ARS Forms
6.4.1 Explanation of Key Areas of ARS Forms
6.4.2 Printing the ARS Forms
6.4.3 Proofing the ARS Forms

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6.5 Cover Letters
6.6 Obtaining ARS Forms
6.7 ARS Processing
6.7.1 Most Common ARS Response Codes
6.8 Mailing and Collection Methods
6.8.1 Touchtone Response System
6.8.2 BLS ARS Review
6.8.3 Centralized ARS (CARS)
6.9 Dealing with Professional Employer Organizations
6.10 Reports for BLS
6.11 Usable Response Rate and Total Response Rate

Page 6-2

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Page 6-3

6.1 Purpose of the ARS
The main purpose of the ARS is to verify or correct, if necessary, the NAICS code assigned to
the establishment. The NAICS code reflects the main economic activity of the business at that
location, but may not include all activities conducted since only one code is assigned. The
industry description is preprinted on the ARS form and is a general description of establishments
that are coded in that NAICS industry. If an employer disagrees with or is not sure of the
NAICS industry description, then the employer is requested to provide more details about the
business activities and goods and/or services provided. The State coder will then review the
information and change, if necessary, the NAICS code assigned to that employer.
Another important purpose of the ARS is to verify or update the mailing address of the
establishment. Since other statistical programs require this information, which is part of the use
of the Longitudinal Database (LDB) as a sampling frame, it is important that the employer’s
mailing address be current. The physical location address, which is the actual location of the
business, also needs to be reviewed and updated, if necessary. This address is the one where the
employer conducts business and receives deliveries. Therefore, the physical location address
cannot be a Post Office Box or rural route number. The physical location address must be
accurate and current so that data can be geocoded at sub-county levels.
Other data verified and/or updated during the ARS are geographic codes such as county,
township, independent city, parish, or island. Data in the QCEW Program are published by these
geographic locations, so it is important to update this field, if necessary.
Finally, the ARS asks employers to identify new locations in the State. Sometimes an employer
will have opened a new store or office and is asked to give the physical location address and the
number of employees at each new location. This information is necessary to determine whether
this employer should be requested to file a Multiple Worksite Report (MWR).
When there are changes to the NAICS, geographic codes, or Ownership codes, the State includes
this information in the Code Change Supplement (CCS), a component of the Enhanced Quarterly
Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file that is submitted for the first quarter of each year. States
send mailing and physical location address changes to BLS-Washington in the EQUI every
quarter.

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6.2 ARS Processing Cycle and Selection Criteria
Once every three years, the State Workforce Agencies send employers that are covered by the
State's Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws an Industry Verification Form to ensure that State
records correctly reflect the business activity and location of that employer. States send this
form to approximately one-third of the businesses in the State each year, surveying the entire
universe of covered businesses over a three-year cycle. The employer specific information is
preprinted on the form and the employer is asked to correct anything that is incorrect and to
supply data that are missing.
Establishments in the survey are selected across industries using the seventh and eight digits of
the Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN). In year one, units in the range 00-33 are
surveyed. In year two, units in the range 34-66 are surveyed. In year three, units in the range
67-99 are surveyed. The following table illustrates the ARS cycle.
EIN Digits
7-8
7-8
7-8

EIN Range
00-33
34-66
67-99

Year
1
2
3

Fiscal Year
05, 08
06, 09
07, 10

This processing cycle repeats itself in succeeding years. All establishments missing EINs (blank
or zero-filled) are selected for the ARS based on the UI Account Number field. Two digits of
the 10-position UI Account Number field should be used in the same manner as the seventh and
eight digits of the EIN. Most States use positions 9 and 8, respectively, of their UI Account
Number. There are exceptions as listed in the table below:
State
AL
MD
ME
MS
MT
NC
NE
NV
NY
VT
WA
WY

Use UI Number Positions
6, 7
9, 8
5, 6
5, 6
9, 10
9, 10
6, 7
6, 7
9, 10
10, 9
6, 7
5, 6

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ARS Exclusions
The following establishments are excluded from the ARS:
•

Establishments coded in NAICS 814110 (Private Households) are excluded. Establishments
that are assigned this code are primarily engaged in employing workers on or about the
premises in activities primarily concerned with the operations of the household. These
private households may employ individuals such as cooks, maids, nannies, butlers, and
outside workers such as gardeners, caretakers, and other maintenance workers. These
establishments do not provide services to the public outside of the household. BLSWashington periodically assesses the quality of the coding within NAICS 814110 to ensure
that only private households, and not businesses, are classified there. Many of the records
found to be miscoded are the result of data entry errors.

•

Establishments that were active but had less than three employees for each of the most recent
12 months, regardless of total wages, are excluded from the ARS. Typically, the most recent
12 months would include the current quarter and the three prior quarters. This less-thanthree exclusion does not apply to records coded in counties 995-999 with employment
greater than zero in at least one of the 12 months. NOTE: Establishments that have between
two and three employees for the most recent 12 months have been excluded only for the ARS
in FY 2007. This is to compensate for the additional establishments being reviewed due to
the NAICS 2007 revision.

•

Selected private establishments are excluded. Instead of sending survey forms to large
private establishments with well known business activities, BLS will centrally review the
NAICS codes of a limited group of companies, and States will make additional contacts and
updates as necessary. This topic is discussed in Section 6.8.2.

•

Federal, State, and Local government establishments are excluded. Establishments with
Ownership codes 1, 2, or 3 will not be sent survey forms. However, BLS-Washington staff
will centrally review this information with the help of the BLS regional office, and States
will make additional contacts and updates as necessary. This topic is also discussed in
Section 6.8.2.

•

Unclassified establishments are excluded. Specifically, establishments coded as NAICS
999999 are not included in the ARS cycle and should instead be processed on a flow basis
throughout the year. All unclassified establishments should be sent a BLS-3023 NCA form
as soon as possible after being assigned a NAICS code of 999999 and updated when
information on the establishment’s activities is obtained.

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6.3 ARS Response Rate Requirements
The Cooperative Agreement between each State and the Bureau of Labor Statistics requires a
State to obtain a usable ARS response rate of at least 75% of units or 80% of employment. Most
States will send at least two follow-up mailings during the year to accomplish this goal. Some
States will also make telephone contact with large employers to verify their NAICS code and
address in the absence of a returned ARS form. Another way to find industry and location
information on a business is to access its website. Often, all company locations and business
activities are listed. This information can then be used to verify or update State files.

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6.4 ARS Forms
States must collect product and activity information for ARS purposes using current BLS-3023
forms prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) and the U.S. Department of Labor.
There are three different types of BLS-3023 forms, each designed to collect information from
different types of employers. The BLS 3023-NVS and NVM forms request the respondent to
verify the accuracy of a NAICS description of their activities, as well as other important business
identification information. The 3023-NCA form is sent to unclassified establishments (NAICS
999999).
Each form is designed to verify and collect specific information concerning the employer's
NAICS code and geographic location. Physical location addresses are verified for single-unit
employers through the use of the BLS 3023-NVS form. The BLS 3023-NVS and 3023-NCA
forms are also used to assess Multiple Worksite Reporting eligibility.
BLS 3023-NVS - Industry Verification Form – Single Locations
This form is sent to single-unit establishments (MEEI 1, 4, 6) within a State. Respondents are
asked to verify a preprinted industry description regarding the establishment’s business activities
and whether multiple locations exist within the State. The respondent is asked to verify or
correct preprinted physical location and mailing addresses and county location or provide this
information if any of these data elements are missing. See Appendix P for an example of the
3023-NVS form. This example contains fictitious data to show how data appear on the form
when issued to employers.

BLS 3023-NVM - Industry Verification Form – Multiple Locations
This form is sent to employers that have multiple worksites within a State under the same
unemployment insurance number. Employers are asked to review a preprinted industry
description for those worksites that are involved in the same economic activity. Employers that
have worksites with various economic activities are sent a BLS 3023-NVM form with separate
continuation pages for each establishment with a different business activity. If the description(s)
is correct, the employer checks the "YES" box for each establishment. If the description is
incorrect for one or more of the establishments, the employer checks the “NO” box and is then
asked to provide an appropriate description of the establishment(s) actual products or services.
The employer is also asked to provide answers to other questions pertaining to their current
physical location address and assigned county and/or township location. See Appendix P for an
example of the 3023-NVM form. This example contains fictitious data to show how data appear
on the form when issued to employers.

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BLS 3023-NCA - Industry Verification Form - All Industry Form
This form is sent to new or unclassified establishments that are coded in NAICS 999999
(Unclassified Establishments). The employer is asked to provide a detailed description of their
products or services. Additionally, the employer is asked to provide answers to other questions
pertaining to multiple worksites within the State. The BLS-3023 NCA form asks the employer
either to verify or to correct their physical location address and county and/or township location,
or provide this information if missing. States should keep the percentage of total employment
classified in NAICS 999999 below 0.5% of total employment in the State. See Appendix P for
an example of the 3023-NCA form. This example contains fictitious data to show how data
appear on the form when issued to employers.

6.4.1 Explanation of Key Areas of ARS Forms
The BLS 3023 ARS forms include key sections as listed below:
1. Authorization Statement
This is the statement (Item 1 on the front of the form) that cites the United States Code that
authorizes the survey and, if applicable, the State law that mandates the survey. Due to space
limitations, 4 lines with 90 positions per line are reserved on each of the NAICS forms for this
authorization Statement. The language for this statement was provided to the States by BLS.
States that mandate the survey should use an appropriate “mandatory” statement:
"This report is mandatory under [State name and law], and is authorized by law, 29
U.S.C. 2. Your cooperation is needed to make the results of this survey complete,
accurate, and timely."
States that do not mandate the survey MUST use the "voluntary" statement:
"This report is authorized by law, 29 U.S.C. 2. Your voluntary cooperation is
needed to make the results of this survey complete, accurate, and timely."
2. Confidentiality Statement
All States must use the same confidentiality/informed consent statement. It is included in the
“Purpose and Use” statement at the bottom front or bottom back of the form and accurately
reflects the confidentiality policy in all States as well as BLS.
The confidentiality/informed consent statement to be used by all States on all BLS 3023 forms is
as follows:
“The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State
agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and

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Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with
law.”
3. Unemployment Insurance Account Number
Each of the BLS 3023 ARS forms reference one Unemployment Insurance Account Number.
This UI number is used by the employer to identify the business in order to answer the survey
questions. When an employer has multiple locations with the same UI number in the State, then
all the locations print on the NVM form are identified by a Reporting Unit Description (RUD)
and a Reporting Unit Number (RUN).
4. Name and Mailing Address
This section asks the employer to verify or correct the name and mailing address to which ARS
correspondence will be sent. The name and mailing address listed here may differ from the
physical location address. One reason is that some employers want their administrative reports
sent to a third-party agent, such as an accounting firm or payroll service. Another reason that
mailing address and physical location addresses do not match is that while mail can be delivered
to a Post Office Box, it is not enough descriptive information for the physical location address
which is used to assign geographic codes to the actual place of business.
5. Physical Location Address
The Physical Location Address is where the business is actually located (street and number).
This is the address of the place where business is conducted and deliveries received, thus it
cannot be a Post Office Box. If the Physical Location Address is known, it appears on the ARS
forms. If not, employers are asked to provide it.
6. Geographic Location
The BLS 3023 ARS forms ask employers to verify or correct geographic designation information
such as county, township, independent city, parish, island, municipality, city, etc. When the
employer changes this information, the new geographic designation should be checked against
the FIPS code currently on file.
7. NAICS Industry Description
The BLS 3023 NVS and NVM forms ask employers to review the printed industry description
for the NAICS code assigned to the business. This industry code should correspond to the main
activity and therefore might not incorporate all business activities. Only one NAICS code is
assigned to each location.
When the printed industry description does not describe the main business activities of the
location in the last 12 months, then the employer is asked to write the main business activities,
goods, products, or services and give an approximate percentage of sales or revenues resulting
for each item. State coders then use this information to assign a new NAICS code.

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During the NAICS 2007 revision for employers currently coded in a split industry, the preprinted
industry descriptions on the ARS forms have been modified to collect percentage breakouts of
sales revenues that correspond to the activities into which the NAICS 2002 code is splitting for
NAICS 2007.
The BLS 3023 ARS forms are sometimes also called Industry Verification Forms because they
ask the employer to read and then verify the industry description on file. Another approach to
obtaining an industry code, although time consuming, would be to ask all businesses to write
their most important activities on the form regardless if they are already known, and then have
State staff assign a NAICS code. The industry verification approach is preferred because it saves
time for both the respondent and State staff. The only time the employer has to write and the
State has to review anything is when the industry description is incorrect.
Non-coding State personnel can perform an initial review of forms. Skilled coding personnel
need only review those forms on which the employer indicates that the printed industry
description is incorrect. It is important to note that States must assign the appropriate NAICS
code to all firms. All forms, including those where the employer verified the printed industry
description, must still be reviewed to validate or correct other information provided.
8. Support Services
Support services under the SIC and 1997-2002 version of NAICS were coded with an additional
code (auxiliary). However, with the current makeup of NAICS, auxiliary codes are no longer
needed as establishments are now coded by their primary activity, regardless of the enterprise.
Some examples of auxiliaries were headquarters, warehouses, and laboratories. Those
establishments are now coded by their economic activity. As of 2006/2, auxiliary codes are no
longer required or maintained.
9. Website
Coders should use the business' website to obtain more information when the employer’s
response to the survey form does not give sufficient detail. The website can be helpful for
clarifying activities, goods, or services, as well as for obtaining business locations.
10. Touchtone Response System Information (NVS only)
Single-location businesses that are eligible to respond using the Touchtone Response System will
have instructions printed in Item 13 on the back of the NVS form.

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11. Contact Person
When coders have questions about any answers given by the employer, they should call the
contact person listed. Whenever possible, States should input this information along with the
contact fax number into the State system.
12. Office Use Area
States use this section of the form to see current codes, assign an ARS Response Code, and to
record updates for NAICS, geographic code(s), etc.

6.4.2 Printing the ARS Forms
The standard State processing systems (EXPO and WIN-202) generate the ARS forms by using
and merging various inputs and files which include employer and State-specific data and form
templates.
The printing of the ARS forms is arranged by each State and can be done in-house or at another
location. For States that use the EXPO Service Center, the forms can be printed at the SunGard
facility in Voorhees, New Jersey and shipped to the State. SunGard is also an option for those
States that do not have access to a Xerox laser printer. States may use their own printer, or work
with their regional office (and in some cases the State system developers) to make other printing
arrangements. WIN-202 States can also have forms printed in Maine if needed. Finally, both
EXPO and WIN–202 States have the option to use the CARS contractor to print the NVS forms
(please see Section 6.8.3).
Only States that print their forms in-house are required to have one sample of each type of form
(NVS, NVM, NCA) reviewed each year. The ARS forms should be reviewed and approved by
the regional and national office before the States mail them to employers. The regional office
should forward a copy of each form (NVS, NVM, NCA) to BLS-Washington.
Periodically, BLS-Washington revises the ARS forms. In the past, comments from States have
been very useful in improving these forms. State comments should be provided to BLSWashington through the regional office on a flow basis.
Comments on the industry descriptions are also useful. If the State identifies any description that
is incorrect, not as inclusive as it could be, or generates a large amount of refiling records with
ARS Response Code 42 (employer misunderstood industry descriptions(s) but codes assigned
are correct), notify the regional office. The regional office should then inform BLS-Washington
of the problem. The ARS industry descriptions will then be updated, where necessary.

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BLS-Washington Form Printing Inputs
Once a year, BLS-Washington will request via email updated information concerning (1) the
Authorization Statement to be printed by each State on their ARS forms (Item 1, front side of
each ARS form template), and (2) the State Agency Name to be printed on their ARS forms.
The State Agency Name is printed in the upper right corner of the first page of each ARS form
template and at the top of the Instructions Page of the NVM form.
Once all information is received and all questions are resolved, the information is forwarded by
BLS-Washington via email attachments to the various system developers (EXPO and WIN-202)
so that this information is printed on the ARS forms for each State as needed.
This information is requested annually and maintained by BLS-Washington to ensure that the
most current information is printed on the ARS forms for each State.

6.4.3 Proofing the ARS Forms
State staff must proof the printed forms before mailing to verify that the forms are printing
correctly. Be sure to check the accuracy and positioning of the variable data. Review a sample
of forms from each print run. Preferably, the sample should be drawn from the beginning,
middle, and end of the run rather than just the first few forms on top.
The variable data includes both State-specific and employer-specific elements. The Statespecific elements include:
• State agency name
• State agency return address
• Phone, Fax, and other numbers
• Authorization Statement (voluntary or mandatory as applicable)
• Geographic label (for example, "County," "County/Town," "Parish", "Island", etc.)
Employer-specific elements on some or all the forms include:
• UI Account Number
• Reporting Unit Number
• Trade/Legal Names
• Address (Mailing, Physical Location, and/or UI)
• RUD
• Approximate employment (represents average monthly employment (AME))
• Industry, County, Township, and Multi Establishment Employer Indicator (MEEI) codes
In addition, the industry description and the name of the county (or township, parish, etc.) are
determined by codes specific to the employer or the reporting unit.
To verify the accuracy of printed forms, use the standard State system to examine the
corresponding records or UI accounts. Compare the forms to the records. To protect the

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confidentiality of the data, make sure that all the employer-specific data (including the address)
on each form in the sample belongs to the subject employer.
Check that the variable data are positioned correctly, as shown on the sample forms in Appendix
P. Most forms are mailed in window envelopes. Verify that the name and address will appear in
the window once the form is folded.

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6.5 Cover Letters
A cover letter must accompany each ARS form. Exhibits 6A and 6C are sample cover letters
that can be used as guides for the States to prepare comparable State-specific versions for their
needs. The sample letters are generalized so that cover letters will be somewhat standardized
throughout the country. Instructions on how to adapt the sample letters to specific State needs
are also provided. The BLS-Washington and the appropriate BLS regional office must approve
all State cover letters before they are used. There may be special circumstances, the NAICS
2007 revision for example, where a special cover letter might be needed.
The cover letter should explain the purpose of the survey, describe how the employer was
selected, and convey the importance of industry coding. For reference purposes, cover letters
should be dated. The letter should indicate that the survey is authorized by Federal law. It
should also indicate whether the return of the form is voluntary or mandatory under State law.
The following issues are of particular importance within the cover letter:
A. Mandatory or voluntary authorization statement
•

Mandatory statement: Note the title and section of the State law which establishes the
requirement.

•

Voluntary statement: “This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2” and if
appropriate, add "and….”

B. Confidential statement requirements - The cover letter must include the OMB-approved
confidentiality statement shown on the BLS form:
•

Basic: “The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the
State agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and
Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with
law.”

•

Additional State uses, if any: "In addition to the statistical and Unemployment Insurance
uses of the data,  also uses the data for .”

C. Recommended:
•

Response deadline: The State should use the cover letter as a vehicle to establish a
response deadline (within 14 days).

•

Contact information: Provide a telephone number, a name (if appropriate), the hours
that help is available, and your time zone (to benefit out-of-state callers). Do not use
“standard” or “daylight savings” time, as this can change over the course of the ARS

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cycle. Rather, say something like, “…between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Mountain
Time.”
•

Use State letterhead, and keep the letter to one side of one page. This procedure will be
easier with a proportionally-spaced font such as Times Roman rather than a fixed space
(typewriter) font such as Courier. If necessary, use smaller margins at the sides and
bottom.

•

Fonts should be as large as possible so that employers can easily read the letter. Where
possible, States should use different cover letters for each mailing. Cover letters mailed
with follow-up requests for information (i.e., second or third mailings) should say that
information was requested previously. A sample follow-up cover letter is provided as
Exhibit 6B.

•

Cover letters must be kept up-to-date. For instance, during a gubernatorial election year,
a State should only print the amount of cover letters needed for the first mailing because
a new governor may take office in January and thus the letterhead used for the ARS
letters would need to be updated.

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EXHIBIT 6A Sample Survey Cover Letter (First Mailing)
ARS Letter (one page)
Date (Month, Year)
Dear Employer,
Every few years the  sends you an Industry Verification Form to ensure
that our records correctly reflect your business activity and location. If you have changes to the
preprinted information, please make them directly on the form. Return it within 14 days using
the postage-paid envelope provided. We need to hear from you whether or not anything has
changed. If you are an accountant, payroll service, or other third party representing the business
named on the form, we need the information for this client.
Why are we asking for this information? In conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, we compile detailed economic statistics for  based on business
activity and location. Together we prepare profiles of labor markets for local communities, for
, and for the nation as a whole. The information is widely used by
academic researchers, community organizations, government agencies, and others looking at
businesses and jobs in your area. .
(1) This survey is mandatory for employers in  under , and authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section
2. (2) This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2 and . The information collected on this
form by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State agencies cooperating in its statistical
programs will be used for statistical and Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other
purposes in accordance with law. .
Please complete all items of the form and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope within
14 days. Your timely response saves tax dollars by reducing the need for follow-up mailings. If
you have any questions, call our office at . Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,



Enclosures

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1.

Sentence (1) should be included by those States in which the survey is mandatory. These States have a specific
State law referenced at the top of the refiling form mandating completion of the form. The “1” and the
surrounding parentheses should be omitted.

2.

Sentence (2) should be used by those States in which the survey is voluntary. If there is an applicable law, it
should be mentioned. The number “2” and the surround parentheses should be omitted.

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EXHIBIT 6B Sample Survey Cover letter (Follow-up Mailing)
ARS Letter (one page)
Date (Month, Year)
Dear Employer,
Please take a few minutes to complete the enclosed Industry Verification Form. Recently we sent the
form to you, but so far we have not received a response. It is important that you respond so that the
information in our records is accurate and up-to-date.
Every few years the asks  employers to verify the
information we have on your business activity and location. All you need to do is look at the form,
correct any errors, and mail it back in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you're no longer operating
as a business in , please tell us when the business was closed or sold. If everything
is correct and nothing has changed, we need to know that too. If you are an accountant, payroll service,
or other third party representing the business named on the form, we need the information for this client.
Why are we asking for this information? In conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we
compile detailed economic statistics for  based on business activity and location.
Together we prepare profiles of labor markets for local communities, for , and for
the nation as a whole. The information is widely used by academic researchers, community
organizations, government agencies, and others looking at businesses and jobs in your area. .
(1) This survey is mandatory for employers in  under , and authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2. (2) This survey
is authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2 and . The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics and the State agencies cooperating in its statistical programs will be used for statistical and
Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law. .
Please complete all items of the form and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope within 14 days.
Your timely response saves tax dollars by reducing the need for follow-up mailings. If you have already
reviewed and returned the form, please accept our thanks. We really appreciate your cooperation.
If you have any questions, call our office at .
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,


Enclosures

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1.

Sentence (1) should be included by those States in which the survey is mandatory. These States have a specific
State law referenced at the top of the refiling form mandating completion of the form. The “1” and the
surrounding parentheses should be omitted.

2.

Sentence (2) should be used by those States in which the survey is voluntary. If there is an applicable law, it
should be mentioned. The number “2” and the surround parentheses should be omitted.

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EXHIBIT 6C Sample NCA Survey Cover letter
ARS Letter (one page)
Date (Month, Year)
Dear Employer,
The  does not have sufficient information to assign a North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS) code to your business. Please take a few minutes to
complete both sides of the enclosed Industry Verification Form. In item 9, be sure to describe
your business activities, goods, products or services in , as though you were
telling a prospective employee what you do.
(1)Completing this form is mandatory for employers in  under the  and authorized by 29 U.S. Code,
Section 2. (2) This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2 and .
Why are we asking for this information? In conjunction with the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, we compile detailed economic statistics for  based on business
activity and location. We prepare profiles of labor markets for local communities, for , and for the nation as a whole. The information is widely used by academic
researchers, community organizations, government agencies, and others looking at businesses
and jobs in your area. .
Please complete all items of the form and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope within
14 days. Your timely response saves tax dollars by reducing the need for follow-up mailings. If
you have any questions, call our office at . Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,


Enclosures
1.

Sentence (1) should be included by those States in which the survey is mandatory. These States have a specific
State law referenced at the top of the refiling form mandating completion of the form. The “1” and the
surrounding parentheses should be omitted.

June 2007

2.

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Sentence (2) should be used by those States in which the survey is voluntary. If there is an applicable law, it
should be mentioned. The number “2” and the surround parentheses should be omitted.

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6.6 Obtaining ARS Forms
Form Templates/Fonts/Logo
BLS-Washington will provide the necessary Xerox LPS-based 3023 ARS form templates (and
accompanying fonts and logo) automatically to States and SunGard whenever new forms are
approved for production use. Prior to distributing the necessary form templates/fonts/logo, BLSWashington will request the following information from States via email:
1) Where they will print the forms (in-State, SunGard)
2) Transmission medium
3) Delivery address
This also applies whenever existing form templates are modified or if new fonts are introduced.
Note that BLS-Washington currently supports Xerox LPS-based form templates, fonts, and logo
(.FRM, .FNT, and .LGO files). Examples of Xerox LPS-capable printers are Xerox 87xx, 97xx,
4050, 4090, 4135, 4635, 4850, and 4890 printers.
The Xerox LPS-based ARS form templates, fonts, and logo are typically transmitted to States
and SunGard via Xerox LPS-formatted 5.25” and 3.5” floppy disks. These same resources can
also be transmitted via other transmission media such as regular DOS-formatted disks (3.5”) or
email attachments, if requested. However, please note that transmission of these resources
via DOS disks or e-mail attachments depends upon the specific Xerox printer and/or
system setup that you use. Do not request these transmission media if they are not
applicable to your particular environment.
For ad-hoc requests of Xerox LPS-based ARS form templates, fonts, or logo, the State can send
an e-mail to the group NAICSForms (with a cc to appropriate BLS regional office staff) and
include the same three pieces of information requested above.
ARS form templates, fonts, and logo for Hewlett-Packard (HP) printing are currently supported
for EXPO Service Center States and maintained by the EXPO developers and the State of Iowa.
The same is true for 3020 MWR and 3021 RFEW forms.

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6.7 ARS Processing
Listed below are various activities and suggestions that will assist States in their review of
returned ARS forms. Although the States may vary the order in which these activities are
conducted, all steps must be completed before the end of the annual ARS cycle. Flowcharts
summarizing procedures for processing returned 3023-NVS, 3023-NVM, and 3023-NCA forms
are available in Exhibits 6D (NVS, NVM) and 6E (NCA).
When ARS forms are returned by the employer to the State agency, State staff scan the barcode
(if applicable) to note the returned forms and prevent an inadvertent follow-up for non-response.
States should then assign ARS Response Code 31 to pending forms that have not yet been
reviewed. The forms should be sorted into various groups --- NVS (single-unit establishments),
NVM (multiple-unit establishments), and NCA (unclassified establishments). The primary
reason for these groupings is that different questions appear on each form and it is more efficient
to review a group of similar forms. State coders may utilize the High Employment Indicator (///)
optionally printed onto the ARS form to prioritize their review and possible updates of the
information for the large employers.
Procedures for reviewing ARS forms may vary. The questions asked and the actions required
differ by form. After the three groupings are set, further sorting may be helpful. The goal
should be to handle a particular form as little as possible and to reduce the total staff time
required to perform all tasks. Listed below are recommended best practice review procedures for
selected data elements on the ARS forms. Please note that only key (numbered) decision points
from the processing flowcharts at the end of this section are detailed below.
1. Mailing Address (direct mailing address, i.e., and not a third-party address) ---- Was the
address updated?
NO

Does the current mailing address have complete information --- see example below of
a good and bad mailing address. Does it contain a number and street name or a Post
Office Box number, City, State, and Zip Code? If it is not a good address and the
employment is large, contact the employer or use the web as a source to update the
State micro database.
Example of a bad mailing address (no Zip Code or City):
2 Mass Avenue
Utana
Example of a good mailing address:
2 Mass Avenue
Silver City, Utana 04000

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YES Does the new mailing address have complete information? Does it contain a number
and street name or a Post Office Box number, City, State, and Zip Code? If yes,
update the mailing address on the State micro database.
Note: The Address Type (AT) code, which represents the address type of the printed mailing
address, can be found in the Office Use section at the bottom right corner on the front side of the
NVS and NCA forms. If the form’s printed mailing address is the record’s Mailing/Other
Address, valid Address Type code values are:
1 = Physical Location
2 = Mailing Address
3 = Corporate central office mail address
9 = Unknown/other
Otherwise, the Address Type code should be:
U = Printed Mailing Address is the record’s UI Address
P = Printed Mailing Address is the record’s Physical Location address
2. Physical Location Address ---- Was the address updated?
NO

Does the current physical location address have complete information? See example
below of a good and bad physical location address. Does it contain a number and
street name, City, State, and Zip Code? If it does not and the employment is large,
contact the employer or use the web as a source to update the State micro database.
Example of a bad physical location address (no street address, Zip Code):
Silver City, Utana
Or
Main Street, Gold Canyon
Another example of a bad physical location address includes the intersection of two
streets:
Intersection of Oak and Maple streets
Other bad physical location addresses include post office boxes or rural route
numbers:
P.O. Box 123, Utana
Or
Route 1, Utana
Example of a good physical location address:
2 Mass Avenue
Silver City, Utana 04000

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YES Does the new physical location address have complete information? Does it contain a
number and street name, City, State, and Zip Code? If yes, update the address on the
State micro database.
If the address was blank and is now filled, is it usable and complete? Does it contain a
number and street name, City, State, and Zip Code? Is the address within the State?
Update the address on the State micro database.
Note: The alphanumeric fields like street addresses, City, etc., do not have QCEW edits that
discover data entry or typographical errors making it extremely important that the data
entered to these fields is correct.
3. Geographic code ---- Was this information updated? With each new physical location
address, the analyst should review the current County code assigned (and Township code in
New England States and New Jersey) and determine if the answers to both questions are
consistent. If no, contact the employer to resolve the inconsistencies and update the State
micro database.
NO

Is the physical location address information consistent with the County (or Township,
Independent city, Parish, Island) code currently assigned? If no, contact the employer,
resolve the issue, and update the State micro database.

YES Is this information consistent with the physical location address that was reviewed
(and possibly updated)? If yes, no action is needed. If the current County code is
99X, make the changes on the State micro database.
4. Single/Multi Establishment Status (NVS and NCA form only) ---- Did the employer
check the single establishment box?
YES The employer is a single employer. Proceed to the next question.
NO

The employer has multiple locations. Review the list of establishments that the
employer provided and determine whether the employer should be solicited for
completing an MWR. The MWR rule is that the employer has multiple locations
within the State under the same UI Account Number and that the sum of the
employment in all of the secondary locations is greater than 10. The primary location
is defined as the location with the largest employment. If the employer meets the
MWR criteria, copy the form and provide it to the MWR staff for solicitation
purposes.

5. NAICS Code Verification (NVS and NVM form) ---- Did the employer check the box
indicating that the printed NAICS industry description provided was correct?
YES Complete review of the ARS form.

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NO or Not Sure Review and compare the economic activity information provided by the
employer to the printed NAICS industry description.
Look at the printed NAICS industry description. Are these economic activities related or
are they vastly different? Could they reflect a shift from one product or service to
another? Was the current NAICS code based on a response from the employer or was it
system assigned during the NAICS conversion? Could this be a situation where the
employer doesn’t understand the difference between retail and wholesale trade? Does this
information necessitate a change in the assigned NAICS code?
NO

The economic activity information provided by the employer indicates that the printed
NAICS industry description is incorrect and should be updated on the State micro
database.

State coders are encouraged to use AutoNAICS, the automated NAICS coding software, in
assigning NAICS codes to establishments. AutoNAICS features the NAICS Manual as well as
an easy-to-use keyword search function. A published edition of the NAICS Manual is available
to State coders as well, although it does not contain BLS-specific NAICS industries found in the
Construction Sector. AutoNAICS is available for download at
http://lmi.state.oh.us/Special/AutoNAICS.htm. The required password is available from the
regional offices. Please note that AutoNAICS may not be shared with the general public.

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EXHIBIT 6D Procedures for Processing Returned 3023-NVS and 3023-NVM Forms
3023-NVS and 3023NVM forms returned
to State

A
Scan the barcode for the
forms (if applicable)

3023-NVS

1.
Is the mailing
address
correct?
Sort forms

N

2.
Is the physical
Is the
location establishment
address
correct?
out of business?

N
Y

Update microfile
with new mailing
address
3023-NVM

Update microfile
Assign
Response
with
new
physical
Codeaddress
64
location

N

3. Is the
Isestablishment
the
a
geographic
code
P.O. Return?
correct?

Y
N

Update microfile
Can
coder
and enter
new
code
obtain
valid
as CCS update
address?
(Response
Code 46)

N
N
Y

A
B

Assign Response
Code 63

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B

4.
Is the
establishment a
single? (NVS only)

N

Send an MWR to
establishment

Y

5.
Is the NAICS code
correct according to
the employer?

N

Update microfile
and enter CCS
update (Response
Code 46)

Y

Did employer
incorrectly
indicate change?

Y

Enter Response
Code 42
(incorrect/correct)

N

Submit updates on
CCS with 1st
quarter EQUI

Y

Were there any
updates to
geographic or
NAICS codes?

Y

3023-NVS and 3023-NVM form
review complete

N

Assign Response
Code 41 (clean
record – no updates)
to establishment

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EXHIBIT 6E Procedures for Processing Returned 3023-NCA Forms
3023-NCA forms
returned to State

Scan the barcode for
forms (if applicable)

Is the
establishment
out of business?

Y

Assign Out of
Business indicator

N

Is the
establishment a
P.O. Return?

Y

Can coder
obtain valid
address?
Y

N

A

Update
microfile
and re-mail

N
Assign Response
Code 63

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A

1.
Is the mailing
address
correct?

N

Update microfile
with new mailing
address

Y

2.
Is the physical
location address
correct?

Y

N
Update microfile
and enter code

3.
Is the
geographic code
correct?

Y

Is the
record on
ARS file?

B
N
Add to ARS for NECC

N

Update microfile
with new physical
location address

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B

4.
Is the
establishment a
single?

Y

Assign the correct
NAICS code to the
establishment

Submit updates on
next quarter EQUI

3023-NCA form review complete

N

Update microfile with
known worksites with
status “9”

Send a Multiple
Worksite Report to
establishment

June 2007

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6.7.1 Most Common ARS Response Codes
When entering the results of the ARS form review into the CCS, coders will most often use these
ARS Response Codes:
41

Reviewed, no CCS changes (no changes to the NAICS code, geographic code, or
ownership code) on a single or subunit record. This code also applies to master records
with usable ARS responses, with or without any code changes.

42

Employer misunderstood industry description but codes are correct.

46

Clean record with CCS updates from the ARS (changes to the NAICS code, geographic
code, ownership code, or any combination of these codes).

The below response code (50) indicates a code change as a result of information from non-ARS
sources. These records may or may not have been in the current year’s ARS.
50

Code changes from non-ARS sources. Establishments not already on the ARS Control
File receive ARS Response Code of 50.

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6.8 Mailing and Collection Methods
Mailing the Forms
Presently mail is the only way most employers receive the ARS. Similarly, most responses from
employers are also received by mail. Postage costs on outgoing as well as incoming mail have
been increasing, thus new ways must be found to make the ARS more cost effective.
Some States have found that postage costs can be reduced by using pre-sorted first class mail.
This means that before sending the mail to the Post Office, it is sorted by Zip Code. Other
discounts are available if the four-digit Zip Code extension and barcodes are used. States should
check with the US Postal Service for details on these cost-savings methods. All States should
evaluate their postage costs related to the ARS and develop ways to reduce postage expenses.

Other Collection Methods
The following sections discuss other methods that are currently available to collect employers’
responses to the ARS. The Touchtone Response System (TRS) saves return postage costs as
well as staff time devoted to opening envelopes, interpreting responses, and entering Response
Codes. Central Review saves postage costs because forms are not printed or mailed, and it helps
standardize the industry codes assigned to multi-establishment employers with locations
throughout the country.

6.8.1 Touchtone Response System
The TRS is a data collection tool for the ARS and is used in all States. Eligible single
establishment employers call a toll-free telephone number and answer a few questions. If there
are no changes to the pre-printed information on the survey form the employer received in the
mail, the employer can then successfully complete the call. If there are any changes necessary to
the pre-printed information (mailing address, physical location address, NAICS code, additional
location) the employer is asked to mail the form to the State using the postage-paid return
envelope. States make employers aware of the TRS by including a TRS specific cover letter
and/or a TRS flyer in the envelope with the survey form. The text in item 13 of the NVS form
also provides employers with the telephone number, State code and Unemployment Insurance
account number needed to access the system.
The TRS became mandatory in all States in FY 2004.

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The advantages of data collection by TRS are:
1.

Significant postage cost savings because a postage-paid envelope does not need to be
returned.

2.

Reduced State staff time spent opening mail and processing (i.e., scanning, reviewing, and
filing) ARS forms.

3.

Increased efficiency because one system job loads all responses into the State processing
system and there is no additional data input.

4.

Provides an additional tool to help States reach their ARS response rate.

5.

System is continuously operational and available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

6.

No paper forms to store.

There are four phases that need to be completed each year for States to use TRS. These phases
are: TRS Preparation, TRS Mailout, TRS Update, and TRS Conclusion. Please note that BLSWashington will provide detailed TRS State Instructions for each ARS cycle to help States
through the process.
The below information describes each phase of TRS and contains steps within each phase that
can be used to help accomplish TRS-related activities.

TRS Preparation Phase
During the Preparation Phase, States will have to decide which solicitation/advertising method
will best inform employers about the TRS. BLS recommends that States use both the TRSspecific cover letter (Exhibit 6F) and the TRS flyer (Exhibit 6G). The TRS cover letter and TRS
flyer must be reviewed in advance by the State’s BLS regional office and BLS-Washington
before States reproduce or send them to employers.
The Preparation Phase also includes using the State systems (EXPO or WIN-202) to create the
TRS Eligible File. This file then must be sent to BLS-Washington, which is done by posting the
file at SunGard or another pre-determined secure location. States must notify BLS-Washington
when the TRS Eligible file is loaded to the TRS server.
Step 1: Decide which supplemental materials to use – letters and flyers – and draft them
for the current year.
Each survey form must be accompanied by a cover letter; either your State’s standard
letter or one specifically geared to TRS, and may include a TRS flyer. Samples of both
the letter and the flyer appear in Exhibit 6F and 6G. BLS strongly recommends that
States use a flyer and a TRS-specific cover letter. In a test, the combination of the TRS

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letter and the flyer generated higher TRS response rates than either the TRS-specific
letter or the combination of standard letter and flyer.
Step 2: Send the draft letter(s) and flyer to your BLS regional office for approval.
Be sure that the correct TRS toll-free telephone number and the State’s help line number
appear in TRS-specific cover letters and flyer. You can incorporate State-specific
information and data uses into the sample letter or flyer. Send your draft cover letter(s)
and flyer to your BLS regional office for approval prior to duplicating them. Both the
BLS regional and BLS National Office must approve your cover letters and flyer.
Step 3: Create the ARS Control File and update the file with leftover TRS responses from
the previous year’s ARS TRS.
In preparation for TRS, you will create your fiscal year ARS Control File. Use the
appropriate EXPO or WIN-202 system functions to create your ARS Control File. In
EXPO, the ARS Control File must be created before the TRS Eligible File. In WIN202, creation of both files is done at the same time.
Next, update the new Control File with last year’s remaining TRS responses.
Step 4: Create the TRS Eligible File.
States will create and submit a TRS Eligible File. It will be used as the initial load file
into the BLS-Washington TRS data collection system and will identify those
respondents who will be offered the Touchtone Response System to reply to the ARS.
The Collection Mode Indicator (CMI) value of 01 is system-assigned by EXPO and
WIN-202 to TRS-eligible records. The program also generates counts of eligible
records that States can use for printing flyers or other materials. As noted in Step 3,
creation of the TRS Eligible File in the WIN-202 system is done at the same time as
creation of the ARS Control File. Exhibit 6H provides the file format of the TRS
Eligible File.

TRS Mailout Phase
Once the TRS cover letter and TRS flyer have been approved, the State can then reproduce them.
States can look at the number of UI accounts in the TRS Eligible File to know how many cover
letters and flyers will be needed for the first mailing. States should also coordinate with their
mailroom on procedures to stuff and mail the envelopes and develop a timeline for follow-up
mailings.
States must first receive notification from BLS-Washington that the TRS eligible file has
been received and loaded to the TRS server before mailing any TRS eligible form. If the
TRS server does not have the list of eligible accounts, the system will not recognize employers
that are responding via TRS.

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Step 1: Once approved, print TRS flyer and letters.
There are no EXPO or WIN-202 system features for printing the TRS flyer or TRSspecific cover letter. BLS recommends printing the TRS flyer on colored paper so that
it stands out from the other materials. In TRS-specific cover letters and flyers, it is
important to ensure that the correct TRS toll-free telephone number and the State’s help
line number are included in these materials. States should use the BLS-recommended
letter or flyer (Exhibits 6F and 6G) and incorporate State-specific information and data
uses as needed.
Step 2: Notify and receive confirmation that the TRS Eligible File is sent and available to
the BLS-Washington TRS server before sending out the mailing.
Please send an e-mail to [email protected] and cc your region to notify BLS-Washington
and your BLS regional office that you have created the TRS file. Include information
on when it was created and where it is located for retrieval. BLS-Washington will
return a confirmation e-mail that the file has been loaded and provide a test UI number
and TRS script.
Please do not mail until you receive confirmation from BLS-Washington that the TRS
file has been loaded in the TRS server.
Step 3: Print NVS Forms.
Use the appropriate EXPO or WIN-202 system functions and/or parameters to print
NVS forms for TRS-eligible accounts. The NVS form for TRS-eligible employers will
display the appropriate text in Item 13 of the form:
If you answered YES to Items 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, please call our Touchtone Response System
toll free at 1-888-256-0864 and follow the instructions. Keep the form for your records.
Your state code is: 99

Your U.I. account number is: 1234567890

If you answered NO to any of these items, return your completed form within 14 days,
using the postage-paid envelope provided. Thank you for your cooperation.

Step 4: Prepare and conduct the TRS mailout.
States are responsible for their own ARS/TRS mailouts. Each mail package will contain
the NVS form, a cover letter (standard or TRS-specific), a return envelope, and a TRS
flyer (if the State is using one).
Prior to each mailout, notify BLS-Washington ([email protected]) of your planned
mailing date, with a cc to your BLS regional office.

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Important: Follow-up mailings.
•

Update the ARS Control Files with TRS respondent data before each mailing. (See
Step 1 under TRS Update Phase.) This will ensure that follow-up mailings go only to
firms that have not previously responded.

•

Use the features of EXPO or WIN to remail NVS forms with the updated TRS
respondent data. The user will choose the settings, and then the EXPO or WIN system
will automatically generate NVS forms to remail to respondents for ARS Response
Codes 01, 02, 03, 04, and CMI Code 01 or 07. Forms will not be printed (nor
remailed) in this situation for records with CMI Codes 02, 08, 09, or ARS Response
Codes 11, 12, 41, 42, 46, 50, 63, 64, and 65.

TRS Update Phase
Once responses have been received, BLS-Washington will transmit the information to the States
via the TRS output file. Updating the ARS Control File with this latest TRS respondent
information is critical. BLS-Washington will send an e-mail message to States whenever a new
response file is ready. These files are typically posted monthly as indicated in the TRS State
Instructions.
The State systems (EXPO and WIN-202) have pre-programmed jobs that will take these files and
update the ARS Control File. States should load these TRS files to their ARS Control File as
soon as they are received. Additionally, States must update their ARS Control File with TRS
responses just prior to printing forms for a follow-up mailing. This ensures that employers
who have previously called TRS do not receive forms in subsequent mailings. To request an
additional TRS file outside the normal download cycle, notify [email protected].
The TRS production activity will be posted on the State Summary Management Reports (SMR)
and counts of the responses will be sent by e-mail to the State and regional office contacts.
Step 1: Download TRS output file and update ARS Control File
The TRS update schedule will be established and sent out before the beginning of the
ARS.
BLS-Washington will send a monthly message to [email protected]. This message
will notify all States that the TRS output files are posted and ready for State access and
download. These TRS files contain records of all calls to the TRS system as of the
cutoff date for the file. If more frequent files are needed, please notify [email protected]
by e-mail. Please remember to incorporate the most recent TRS responses to update
ARS Control Files before printing the follow-up ARS mailings.

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The TRS output files provided by BLS-Washington will have the naming convention
“TRSstnnn.txt” where st = State Abbrevation and nnn = a sequence batch number. For
example, if this file is the first TRS output file sent from BLS-Washington for Montana,
the filename will be TRSMT001.txt.
For EXPO Service Center (SC) States, TRS output files provided by BLS-Washington
will reside at your SunGard CENCO site under the file area YBUscX.A145.CENCO
(where sc = State FIPS code). For example, the first TRS output file provided for
Montana (an EXPO SC State) would be named TRSMT001.txt under the area
“YBU30X.A145.CENCO”.
For EXPO Non-Service Center States, TRS output files provided by BLS-Washington
will reside on EUSWeb in the QCEW Program, Download, QCEW TDE Files area for
your State with the naming convention “TRSstnnn.txt”. For example, the first TRS
output file provided for Oregon (an EXPO non-service center State) would be named
“TRSOR001.txt”.
The dataset name convention for the EXPO job that actually updates the ARS Control
File with the TRS output file will be “YBUscX.A145.CENCO.TRSstnnn.txt” where:
sc = State FIPS code
st = State postal code (State Abbreviation)
nnn = a sequentially assigned batch number (001, 002, etc)
For WIN-202 States, TRS output files will be provided from BLS-Washington in the
same manner as for EXPO Non-Service Center States.
States should use the appropriate EXPO and WIN-202 system functions to update ARS
Control Files with the TRS output file data.
The file layout of the TRS output file provided from BLS-Washington is:
Position
1-2
3-12
13-14
15-18
19-20
21-30

Length
2
10
2
4
2
10

Field Name
State FIPS Code
UI Account Number
Collection Mode Indicator
ARS Refile Year
ARS Response Code
Fax Number

Step 2: Report and Address TRS System Problems
Respondents may notify your State of operational problems that interfere with the use of
the TRS system. Examples of problems include (1) respondents calling and getting a

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busy signal, (2) being unable to enter a State FIPS code or UI Account Number, or (3)
not hearing the script. If you are notified or learn of an operational problem:
•

Complete a TRS Problem Reporting Form (Exhibit 6I). This form specifies all of
the information needed so that BLS-Washington and the phone line supplier can
track down and remedy the situation.

•

Immediately notify BLS-Washington by e-mail at [email protected]. Your message
should include the caller’s city, state, telephone number, and the date and time you
received the call.

•

Part of the Problem Reporting Form is a question to the respondent about whether
there were changes to the preprinted information on the NVS form (see the “State
Actions” portion at the bottom of the form in Exhibit 6I). If there are no changes,
tell the respondent that you will take care of the call. When the system is again
operational, use the information from the Problem Reporting Form to update the
employer’s record. If there are changes, ask the respondent to mail back the form
using the envelope provided.

Exhibit 6J (Touchtone Response System (TRS) Cheat Sheet) is included to help the State track
their TRS cycle.

End of Refiling Year for TRS
The TRS continues to function through September of the fiscal year. Before the beginning of the
next ARS refiling year, BLS-Washington will update the State offices with the latest respondent
information. The old TRS-eligible file will remain in the system until replaced with next year’s
refiling file. There is no further TRS action required by the State offices at the end of the ARS
year.

June 2007

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EXHIBIT 6F Touchtone Response Cover letter

Division of Employment Security and Labor Market Information
P.O. Box 1234, State Capitol, UA 99999
(999) 999-9999
Month, Year
Dear Employer,
Like everyone else in business, the SESAxxxxx0 xxxxxxxx1 xxxxxxxx2 xxxxxxxx3 xxxxxxxx4
xxxxxxxx5123456 wants to save time and money! Periodically, we contact all Statexxxxxxxxx
employers and ask them to verify or correct our information about their firms. Most businesses will be
able to confirm the information in this Industry Verification Survey with one quick toll-free telephone call
to the Touchtone Response System. The system is easy to use, the call will take only a minute or two,
and there’s no paperwork for you or for us. That saves your tax dollars.
We need to hear from you whether or not anything has changed, and the Touchtone Response System
makes it easy. If all the preprinted information on the form is correct, please call the number shown in
Item 13, answer a few questions, and keep the form for your records. Why wait? Do it today! The
system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can call at your convenience.
If you have changes to the preprinted information, please make them directly on the survey form. Use the
envelope provided to return the survey by mail within 14 days. You cannot use the phone system to
update this information.
Why are we conducting the Industry Verification Survey? Our office, along with the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, compiles economic statistics based on business activity and geography. We prepare
profiles of labor markets for your local area, for Statexxxxxxxxx, and for the nation as a whole. We need
accurate and up-to-date information to be sure that the statistics show the correct picture. Private
businesses, community leaders, academic researchers, and government agencies use these data for
research, economic analyses, policy decisions, and planning.
This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2. [It is mandatory for employers in Statexxxxxxxxx
under the STATE LAW xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]. The
information collected on this form, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State agencies cooperating in
its statistical programs, will be used for statistical and Unemployment Insurance program purposes, and
other purposes in accordance with law. [In addition to these specific purposes, 
Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please call our office at [1-8xx-xxx-xxxx
insert State toll-free number] between the hours of ___ a.m. and ___ p.m. [time zone] time Monday
through Friday.
Sincerely,
Name and Title

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EXHIBIT 6G Touchtone Response Flyer

TOUCHTONE RESPONSE SYSTEM
Like everyone else in business, the SESAxxxxx0 xxxxxxxx1 xxxxxxxx2 xxxxxxxx3
xxxxxxxx4 xxxxxxxx5123456 wants to save time and money—both yours and ours!
We’ve developed the quick and easy Touchtone Response System for our Industry
Verification Survey. If all the preprinted information on your survey form is correct,
and you meet the conditions below, please respond by phone. You'll save tax
dollars, your call should take only a minute or two, the call is free, and you can call at your convenience.
Our system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Why wait? Call today!
Use the Touchtone Response System if you have access to a touchtone phone AND:
• The Statexxxxxxxxx business listed in Item 2 is an active operation, and
• The mailing address and business location information are correct (YES to Items 3, 4, and 5), and
• The answer to Item 6 is YES, and
• The business operates in only one location (Yes to Item 8), and
• The main activity shown in Item 9 on the back accurately describes your business in Statexxxxxxxxx.
You are NOT eligible to respond by phone if:
•
The Statexxxxxxxxx business is no longer operating.
•
The answer to any of Items 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, or 10 is NO.
If you are not eligible to respond by phone, please complete the survey form and return it by mail to
the address shown in Item 14. We've provided a postage-paid envelope for your convenience. You
cannot use the phone system to update this information.
Calling instructions
• Before you call, locate your State Code and ten digit Unemployment Insurance account number (U.I.
account number) in Item 13 on the back of the survey form.
• Dial 1-888-256-0864. A recorded message will prompt you to enter the State code and U.I. account
number. Be sure to enter any zeros at the beginning or end of the State code or U.I. account number.
• The system will prompt you for your responses.
After your call, please retain the survey form for your files. Please do not mail the form back unless
the system instructs you to do so.
Remember, we need to hear from you whether or not anything has changed.
Questions? Need help? Can’t verify account number? Not sure if you’re eligible?
Call the Statenamexxxx Help Line at 1-ZZZ-YYY-YYYY. Our staff will be happy to help you. We’re
available for assistance between ___ a.m. and ___ p.m. [time zone] time, Monday through Friday.
Thank you for participating in our survey!

1-888-256-0864
TOUCHTONE RESPONSE SYSTEM

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

June 2007

Page 6-43

EXHIBIT 6H TRS Eligible File Format
Position
1-2
3
4-13
14
15-16
17
18-21
22
23-24

Length
2
1
10
1
2
1
4
1
2

Field Name
State FIPS Code
Filler (blank)
UI Account Number
Filler (blank)
Collection Mode Indicator
Filler (blank)
ARS Refile Year
Filler (blank)
ARS Response Code

Field Description
Numeric State FIPS code number
UI Account Number
CMI = 01
Current control file ARS Refile Year
ARS Response Code as it appears on
the control file each time the TRS
Eligible File is created

See TRS Preparation Phase for additional details on this file.

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

June 2007

Page 6-44

EXHIBIT 6I TRS Problem Reporting Form

TRS Problem Reporting Form
DIRECTIONS:
•

Record all calls from respondents who report difficulties with accessing or using the TRS system.
Problems could include a continuous busy signal, being unable to enter a State Code or UI Account
Number, not hearing the script, or other difficulties.

•

Obtain enough information from the respondent so that if there are no changes, the respondent does
not have to repeat the call. When the problem is corrected, your State office should call in the
respondent's information. If there are changes to mailing or physical location address, number of
units, or industry, ask the respondent to return the form by mail.

•

Notify BLS-Washington immediately when you learn about a problem ([email protected]). You
may also telephone BLS at 202-691-6492 or -6479; however, the email message will reach a larger
group of people.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CALL
State reporting the problem:
Date:

Time:

AM

PM

Respondent
Name:
Company name:
UI Account Number (10 digits):
Area code and telephone number: (

)

City and state of caller:
Description of the Problem (Check all that apply):
F ... Constant busy signal
F ... Constant ring/won't pick up
F ... Can't enter State code
F ... Can't enter UI Account Number

F ... Can't hear script
F ... Dead space during script
F ... Script not responding appropriately
F ... Other (Describe) _________________________
_______________________________________

STATE ACTIONS
(Ask respondent) Are there any changes to the printed information in items 3,4,5,6,8 or 10?
F... Yes ... (Tell respondent) Please make corrections or updates directly on the form, and return it to us in
the envelope provided.
F... No ...... (Tell respondent) Thanks for your call. Since you weren't able to get through, we'll take care of it
for you.
F... BLS-National notified by email
F... No-change response entered

(Date, time)
(Date, time)

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

June 2007

Page 6-45

EXHIBIT 6J Touchtone Response System (TRS) Cheat Sheet

Touchtone Response System (TRS) Cheat Sheet
TRS Checklist

Step
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

TRS Activity

Y
Or
N

Decide which supplemental materials to use—letters and flyers—and draft them for the
current year.
Send the draft letter(s) and flyer to your Regional Office for approval.
Create the 20xx ARS Control file and Update the 20xx ARS Control File with carryover TRS
responses from the FY 20xy TRS
Create the 20xx TRS eligible file
Once approved, print TRS flyer and letters.
Notify and receive conformation that the TRS-eligible file is sent or available to the BLS
National Office TRS Server before sending out the mailing.
Print NVS Forms
Prepare and conduct the mailout
Download TRS output file and update ARS Control File
Report and address TRS System problems

xx = last two digits of year
TRS CMI Codes

CMI

Brief Definition

00
01
02

Not eligible for TRS
TRS selected, no response
Successful TRS response

07
08
09

TRS but not eligible
TRS and mail
TRS selected, mail response

TRS File Availability Schedule

Dates to Be Announced at the
Beginning of the ARS year

Reporting TRS Problems:
Please refer to the “TRS Problem Reporting Form”
Email: [email protected] or telephone 202-691-6492 or 202-691-6479.
Requesting Additional TRS File Updates:
Please request additional updates to: [email protected]

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-46

6.8.2 BLS ARS Review
Respondent burden, labor, and postage costs are three significant issues for any program,
especially one as large as the QCEW. One of the initiatives to address these issues in the ARS is
for BLS-Washington to review selected data elements of some private sector and government
establishment records instead of requiring each State to mail BLS 3023 ARS forms and review
address and industry information independently. Goals of the review include NAICS coding
accuracy and improved MWR information. The result of this review will be that the small
investment of time spent examining these establishments will reap larger gains by improving the
accuracy of the addresses for our Fed/State surveys and the precision of industry and geographic
detail of the QCEW program.
The private sector establishments included in this review are chosen by BLS-Washington based
on EIN, relative homogeneity of industry codes, and employment level. Centrally reviewing the
addresses and industry codes of these large establishments is a cost-effective initiative with
maximum potential benefit. These establishments have EINs that fall within the regular ARS
selection criteria of the year that they are centrally reviewed. In addition, EINs for Electronic
Data Interchange (EDI) reporters will be reviewed by BLS-Washington in cooperation with the
Chicago EDI Center and the company contacts who provide industrial activity information for
their respective enterprise EINs.
Government establishments included in the BLS review during any year will all be in the same
ownership code. One year Federal government establishments will be reviewed, then the next
year State government, followed by a review of local government establishments. The objective
of these government reviews is to improve NAICS coding and increase physical location
addresses and MWR reporting for government establishments in all ownership codes. Flexibility
is given to the States as to how they reach these goals. BLS regional offices are expected to
work closely with States to develop action plans for data improvement. BLS-Washington will
provide information and resources to the regional offices and States when possible to assist in
meeting these data objectives.
Federal government reporting has shown vast improvements in accuracy and timeliness. State
government, where traditional reporting is highly aggregated, accounts for a small percentage of
units but a higher percentage of employment and wages. Finally, local government is important
to review because it is the largest government employer and has the most number of
establishments. Regional staff should also work with State staff to obtain more breakouts of
State government units where possible to help in achieving more industry and geographic detail.
A QCEW technical memorandum is provided at the beginning of each year’s ARS detailing the
procedures for that year, including information on the EINs covered in the central review.
An attachment to the memorandum lists the worksites with NAICS codes that do not appear to
conform to the companies’ recognized economic activity. The NAICS codes were evaluated
using company internet web sites, business directories, and other information. Another
attachment provides information on improving MWR reporting for EINs in the central review.

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

June 2007

Page 6-47

By conducting the preliminary review centrally and providing only questionable codes for State
review, this process minimizes State workload and eliminates postage costs for the centrallyreviewed employers.
Please note that many central review activities will be limited during the FY 2007 ARS due to
the NAICS 2007 conversion. The central review will include all Government establishments that
are coded in a split industry.

6.8.3 Centralized ARS (CARS)
CARS provides State offices with printing, mailing, receiving, scanning and sorting services for
the Annual Refiling Survey. This project underscores an initiative to:
• Reduce costs associated with printing, stuffing, mailing and data collection services
(opening, scanning, and sorting/batching) for the ARS.
• Reduce State staff time dedicated to ARS administrative and clerical tasks. This labor
savings should allow the staff to use their limited time in a more productive manner.
• Use commercial advantages related to printing, stuffing, mailing, and data collection.
The project currently is available for the printing of NVS forms. State offices may inquire and
sign up for this project through their regional offices.
Overview of CARS Processes
A. CARS Set-Up
Participating States provide the following to their regional office:
a) System-generated CARS Employer Information Files. EXPO SC States place their files at
State-specific SunGard locations, WIN States place their files at their EUS Direct sites.
The SunGard and EUS sites will be the same as those used by TRS.
b) Printable final versions (camera copy version, electronic file version – either Adobe
Acrobat 6.0 or higher or Microsoft Word Office XP) of TRS/ARS Cover letters (initial
and follow-up) to their regional offices (RO will forward them to BLS-Washington).
c) State authorization statement file (for Item 1 of form), State agency name file (for printing
the State agency name above Item 1 and below the OMB number), State office, contact
information file and return address (for the outgoing envelope).

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-48

B. CARS Printing and Mailing
The ARS is printed and mailed by the contractor following specifications provided by BLS
and according to a schedule established by BLS. This schedule takes into account workload
issues for the State offices and the TRS (for example, mailing needs to be staggered).
Detailed print specifications for the NVS form will be provided to the contractor by BLSWashington, to ensure all currently required information is printed onto the form.
C. CARS Processing
The contractor performs the following activities:
a) Opens all responses and sorts them by State. For each State, the contractor reviews the
forms, and groups them based on response categories (see Exhibit 6K). This is done to
reduce the sorting of forms at the State offices.
b) For each response form within a bundle, the contractor scans the barcode (i.e., a 2-digit
State Code followed by a 10-digit Unemployment Insurance (UI) Account Number) and
assigns a sequence code, a batch number, and a response code. This information is
placed in a data base file for the State.
c) Within each group, the contractor places the responses in bundles, up to 100 forms.
d) During the ARS processing year, CARS database response files are provided to State
offices one business day before receipt of the response forms. The schedule for
providing the files and forms is weekly for two months after the initial mailout, then
weekly for one month after the follow-up mailing. Any response that includes a payment
(i.e., checks, money orders, etc.) will be sent within three (3) workdays of receipt to BLSWashington and forwarded immediately to the appropriate State.
e) State offices import database response files into their State systems and process returned,
sorted forms. BLS-Washington notifies participating States that the CARS Response
Files are ready for retrieval, by system job or other method, at the designated State
SunGard or EUS Direct site.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-49

Exhibit 6K NVS Form Response Categories -- CARS Processing
NVS Form (excluding updates to
Blocks 1, 7, 12-14)
1) No corrections to form -- not returned to the State
2) No corrections to the form, but white mail*
attached (return to the State)
Any corrections to Block 2 or 4
“No” in Block 3 and corrections on Block 2
“No physical location” written in Block 2 or 4
“No physical location” written in Block 3 and
nothing checked
No other corrections to the form
“No” in Block 5
Or if they have written “No Physical Location”
No other corrections to the form
“No” in Block 8
Or if they have written “No physical location”
Or if photo copies are sent with the original -- staple
copy to original, code original
No other corrections to the form
“Yes” in Block 10 and any information written in
Blocks 9, 10 or 11
No other corrections to the form
“No” in Block 10 (information may or may not be
written in Block 11)
Or if they have something written in Block 11, but
did not check Block 10
No other corrections to the form
All other changes or a combination of changes
Or “No” in Block 3 and nothing is corrected
Or they checked company out of business/moved
Or if there is any writing in Block 3
Or forms that come back with “Business closed -- no
longer in business” messages written on the form
Or blank surveys -- no responses answered - no
comments
Forward to States
Undeliverable Mail -- Forward to the correct States
White Mail - no forms enclosed (see white mail*
below)
*White Mail: Payments (return to the States via
BLS), non-payment attachments (attached to form
and returned to States), if white mail and no form return to the State

Subject Area
n/a

Sorted Group
Assignment
0

Addresses

1

Geographic Descriptions

2

Single and Multi Status

3

Industry Classifications

4

Industry Classifications

5

Combination of above

6

NAICS 2007 Revisions
(FY 2007 only)
Address Incorrect, OOB

n/a
n/a

QCEW provides written correspondence at the beginning of each year’s ARS detailing the
CARS processes for that year.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-50

6.9 Dealing with Professional Employer Organizations
It is important to clarify the treatment of establishments classified in NAICS 561330,
Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs). Unlike establishments classified in NAICS
561320 (Temporary Help Services), PEOs operate in a co-employment relationship with their
client companies. For this reason, the client companies of a PEO should be identified as separate
establishments on the MWR and assigned the industry code based on their own primary
economic activity -- not activity of the PEO. The same principle applies to the client’s
geographic code. Only those employees administering the core functions of the PEO are
classified in NAICS 561330. Only if the State Agency is unable to identify the activities of the
PEO’s clients for the MWR report should they report the entire employment and payroll under
NAICS 561330.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-51

6.10 Reports for BLS
Summary Management Report (SMR)
The SMR is a valuable tool in assessing a State’s progress in meeting the necessary response
rates for the ARS. It includes counts of records by mailing date and response status as well as
response rate percentages. States should refer to the SMR frequently during the ARS to assess
their progress.
The SMR can be produced in electronic format by the standard State processing system. This
file should be generated by each State between the 20th and 25th of each month of ARS
processing and submitted to the BLS regional office by the 25th of the same month. BLS
regional offices then review and transmit the file to BLS-Washington by the end of the month.
The SMR file that is generated by the State processing systems must follow the file naming
convention: "AAsmrMMYY.txt"
Where:
AA is the State alpha abbreviation
MM is the numeric month
YY is the numeric 2-digit year
Further detailed information on how SMR data are to be submitted to BLS-Washington can be
found on Stateweb at http://199.221.111.170/program/es202/misc/SMR_Instructions.htm.
Appendix R gives the SMR file format.

Unclassified Processing Report
The Unclassified processing report is available to monitor the processing of BLS 3023-NCA
forms, which are mailed to unclassified establishments. Processing of unclassified
establishments is not part of the normal ARS processing but should be done on a flow basis
throughout the year. States should assign a NAICS code to new establishments as soon as
possible and should work to obtain a valid NAICS code for those establishments without one on
the file. A State should not have more than 0.5 percent of employment of the total file in any
quarter with NAICS 999999 (Unclassified). Each time a state runs the NCA processing
program, a management report should be generated and supplied to their BLS regional office.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-52

6.11 Usable Response Rate and Total Response Rate
The Usable and Total Response Rates measure a State's progress on the ARS. The State's
processing system calculates the two response rates using formulas based on Response Codes.
Appendix Q lists the valid response codes and Section 11.4 discusses their effect on the CCS.
The two response rates, expressed both for units and for employment, are noted at the bottom of
page 2 of the ARS and SMR reports. Separate Usable and Total Response Rates are shown for
singles, subunits, carryovers, and for "all." All refers to all single-unit records as well as all
subunit records, since master records (MEEI 2) are always excluded from the response rate
calculations. By counting subunits instead of masters, the formulas give greater weight to multiunit respondents. "Carryovers" refers to single-unit records and subunit records that started the
year as nonrespondents. The Usable Response Rate is the measure used to track a State’s
compliance with the Cooperative Agreement.

Usable Response Rate
The numerator includes records with the following Response Codes:
• Centrally Collected Data (32) –Response Code Discontinued
• Reviewed -- no CCS changes necessary (41)
• Codes correct; employer misunderstood the industry description (42)
• TRS respondent to ARS refiling (43) –Response Code Discontinued
• Clean records with CCS updates (46)
• Code change from other sources (50)
The denominator includes records with the following Response Codes:
• Mailable, not yet mailed (00)
• Mailed once (01)
• Mailed twice (02)
• Mailed three times (03)
• Mailed four times (04)
• Clean subunit in a mailable multi (11)
• Updated, but has a CCS I-error (30)
• Not reviewed - Pending (31)
• Centrally Collected Data (32) –Response Code Discontinued
• Reviewed, no CCS changes (41)
• Codes correct; employer misunderstood the industry description (42)
• TRS respondent to ARS refiling (43) –Response Code Discontinued
• Clean record with CCS updates (46)
• Code change from other sources (50)
• Refusal (65)

June 2007

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Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-53

Records carried over as nonrespondents from last year's survey are not included in the
denominator unless they are also included in the numerator. Thus, carryover nonrespondents are
only included in the formula if the record has a final, usable response (Response Code 41, 42, or
46) and the carryover records that remain as nonrespondents do not reduce the response rate in
any way. Meanwhile, the carryover records that get a usable response give a significant boost to
the Usable Response Rate.

Total Response Rate
In contrast to the Usable Response Rate, which represents the percentage of survey forms mailed
that were usable responses, the Total Response Rate represents the percentage of forms mailed
out that were simply returned. The Total Response Rate, like the Usable Response Rate,
excludes master records (MEEI=2).
The numerator includes all reporting units with these usable or unusable ARS Response Codes:
• Updated but has CCS I-error (30)
• Not reviewed - Pending (31)
• Centrally Collected Data (32) –Response Code Discontinued
• Reviewed, no CCS changes (41)
• Codes correct, employer misunderstood the industry description (42)
• TRS respondent to ARS refiling (43) –Response Code Discontinued
• Clean with CCS updates (46)
• Code change from other sources (50)
• Post Office Return (63)
• Out of Business (64)
• Refusal (65)
The denominator consists of all reporting units with the following ARS Response Codes:
• Mailable, not yet mailed (00)
• Mailed once (01)
• Mailed twice (02)
• Mailed three times (03)
• Mailed four times (04)
• Clean subunit in a mailable multi (11)
• Updated, but has a CCS I-error (30)
• Not reviewed - Pending (31)
• Centrally Collected Data (32) –Response Code Discontinued
• Reviewed, no CCS changes (41)
• Codes correct, but employer misunderstood the industry description (42)
• TRS respondent to ARS refiling (43) –Response Code Discontinued
• Clean record with CCS updates (46)
• Code change from other sources (50)
• Post Office Return (63)

June 2007

•
•

Out of Business (64)
Refusal (65)

QCEW Operating Manual
Annual Refiling Survey

Page 6-54

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Collecting and Loading the Quarterly Data

Page 7-1

Chapter 7 – Collecting and Loading the Quarterly
Data
State data come from employers primarily through Quarterly Contributions Reports (QCR).
QCR data are initially placed on the Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax file, from which they are
extracted to the QCEW micro file database. Other methods of QCEW data collection include
Multiple Worksite Reports (MWRs), which collect data from multi-establishment employers,
and Reports of Federal Employment and Wages (RFEWs), which collect data for Federal
installations. Some data are delinquent or missing initially, so States follow up to obtain as much
of these data as possible and then impute (estimate) the rest.
This chapter begins with a brief summary of State processing, then follows with sections dealing
with Quarterly Contributions Report data, extracting data, and loading MWR and Federal
installation data. Topics include the types of information that should be extracted, the number
and timing of extracts, and MWR issues. Discrepancies between the MWR and the contribution
report, for instance, must be resolved in an effective manner.

------------------------- Contents of Chapter 7 ------------------------7.1 Recommended Data Flow of State Processing
7.2 Data from the Quarterly Contributions Report
7.3 Extracting Data and Delinquent Accounts
7.4 Loading Data for Multi-unit Employers and Federal Installations

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Collecting and Loading the Quarterly Data

Page 7-2

7.1 Recommended Data Flow of State Processing
Although States have some options for the processing sequence (as described in Section 12.1),
the State QCEW Program and the State UI Tax section of every State should perform all the
following activities. Most of them are described in greater detail in Section 1.5.
•

Mail contributions, MWR, and RFEW forms to employers or their agents. States should not
mail forms to reporters that report centrally to the EDI Center (EDIC) in Chicago or via
MWRweb.

•

Upon receipt, enter data from the contributions reports to the UI tax file, screen the reports,
and generate missing data notices.

•

Extract micro data from the UI tax file and load it to the micro file (the respective database of
the QCEW standard State processing system used in each State).

•

Upon receipt, process and enter MWR and RFEW data onto the micro file. Some MWR and
RFEW data are provided electronically by the EDIC (central reporters) or BLS-Washington
(MWRweb).

•

Perform an initial edit on complete reports. UI mails out notices for delinquent contributions
reports.

•

Review edit listings from the first extract.

•

Enter corrections and comment codes from the edit review onto the micro file.

•

Generate missing data notices.

•

Enter missing data to the micro file.

•

Refer wage corrections to the UI tax section.

•

Contact delinquent MWR or RFEW reporters, especially those with significant employment.
See Section 3.4.4 for additional MWR delinquency information and sample cover letters.

•

Impute missing data for all incomplete contributions reports on hand.

•

Extract micro data from the UI tax file a second time.

•

Impute for all missing or delinquent contributions report, MWR, or RFEW data.

•

Perform a second edit. Note that this edit, at least, should include the full integrated edit
(both micro and macro levels).

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Collecting and Loading the Quarterly Data

Page 7-3

•

Review second edit listings.

•

Enter additional corrections and comment codes onto the micro file.

•

Review totals to ensure accuracy.

•

Generate the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file.

•

Submit the EQUI file to BLS-Washington as described in Section 12.3.

•

Make additional updates and corrections to the micro file and generate an EQUI correction
file. (See Section 13.3.)

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Collecting and Loading the Quarterly Data

Page 7-4

7.2 Data from the Quarterly Contributions Report
Quarterly Contributions Reports are due one month after the end of the quarter. The UI Tax
department may receive contributions report data on hardcopy forms for some employers and via
data files for others. Many States require large employers to submit their UI wage records via
data files; the contributions report data may be included on the file as well in these cases.
Payroll processing firms that file contributions reports on behalf of employer clients also
generally provide this information via data files. State and local government agencies typically
report via data files as well. Upon receipt in the UI Tax department, hardcopy reports will be
keypunched or scanned into the tax system and data files will be loaded. The data will be
available on a flow basis for the State QCEW unit to extract into their standard State system
(EXPO or WIN-202).
The UI Tax department does little or no editing of contributions report data before the State
QCEW unit extracts them. Employer reporting errors as well as keypunch errors will be present
in the data as extracted from the UI tax system. The comprehensive edits in the standard QCEW
State systems perform a critical function in identifying these errors for resolution by the State
QCEW staff. Chapters 9 and 10 discuss editing in detail.

Missing Data and Delinquent Accounts
In addition to errors present in reported data, missing and delinquent data must also be addressed
by the State. An employer is referred to as delinquent when no report is received at all. In other
cases, a report will be received, but it will be missing critical data items, most commonly the
monthly employment figures. The standard State QCEW systems have the ability to denote the
appropriate data fields for these employer accounts as having missing data (even if zero-filled) to
distinguish them from reported zeroes.
Notices must be sent to delinquent employers and employers whose reports were missing data.
In most States, the UI Tax department will automatically send follow-up notices to delinquent
employers. In the case of missing data, especially missing employment data, some UI Tax
departments are unlikely to follow up. In these circumstances, the State QCEW unit must take
responsibility for the follow up and use the features of the standard system to generate missing
data notices. Additionally, the QCEW unit must take responsibility for sending notices to
Federal agencies whose RFEW is delinquent (Federal agencies which report centrally via the
EDIC are excluded). Delinquency and missing data notices should be sent to employers
regardless of their size. The requests should be sent as soon as possible after the due date or
receipt of the incomplete report to allow time for submittal of the information from the employer.
Such follow up is critical to the overall quality of the State’s QCEW data. Missing and
delinquent data follow up minimizes the number of imputations that will have to be generated by
the State’s QCEW system and included on the EQUI deliverable.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Collecting and Loading the Quarterly Data

Page 7-5

All costs associated with the follow up of missing and delinquent data from quarterly
contributions reports are the responsibility of the UI Tax department. If the State QCEW unit
takes the responsibility for collecting missing data, they should make arrangements to be
reimbursed by the UI Tax department. Costs include staff time, printing and processing of
notices, and postage. The QCEW program must assume the cost of following up for missing and
delinquent data from MWR and RFEW forms.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Collecting and Loading the Quarterly Data

Page 7-6

7.3 Extracting Data and Delinquent Accounts
Every State uses a standard QCEW State processing system and is expected to work from
standard data element definitions (given in Appendix B). Nevertheless, the UI tax file and other
data sources vary from State to State. Each State develops its own extract programs to provide
the input data for its QCEW system. This section outlines the issues related to extracts. Consult
your regional office if you have any questions about changing or improving your State's extract
programs.
A generic “tax file” is usually referred to as the primary source for the extract. When reviewing
data sources, identify specific files and options used to build the QCEW micro file. File formats
should be obtained and reviewed, definitions assessed, and programs rewritten to extract data for
all required records and all required and optional fields, as appropriate.
Most required data are on the tax file. In some States, however, quarterly contributions data are
separate from the administrative or master file information. In these cases, information about
ownership transactions, addresses, contacts, liability status, etc. are on a file apart from the
employment and wage data. In rare cases, employment is not added to the file with wages and
must be extracted separately.
If a State transaction file is used, identify which records/data elements are included. Your
strategy for doing this should consider the following issues: Is this a data entry file of new
information and changes waiting to be loaded to the tax file or is it similar to an audit trail of
changes already made to the tax file? Are multiple entries included for a single record? If so,
can they be processed in sequence to ensure that more recent information is not overlaid with
older data?
In some cases, data are available from multiple sources. For instance, data may reside on a
transaction file until the data are loaded to the tax file or even after the data are loaded. Search
the transaction file if it contains the appropriate information; otherwise search the tax file. Due
to their size, tax files are usually more expensive to search, but they often have more fields and
more information than a transaction file. If the State is considering extracting from transaction
files, ensure that all appropriate transactions are included. Transaction files may be more
accessible but may not use any internal tax system edits or processing that would benefit the
QCEW staff.
Some States maintain files for selected types of records (e.g., pending legal action, set up but not
active, pending possible awarding of a business contract, receiverships to close out accounts,
etc.). Each of these types of records must be examined, based on State law, to determine if the
records should be extracted and included on the State micro file.
Timing and Frequency Issues – States must extract all current quarter data at least twice
each quarter. Additionally, at least one extract should include prior quarter data received
since the previous extract. Note that the prior quarter is defined as the quarter immediately

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preceding the current reference quarter. These extracts include all data for the current quarter,
including any non-quarterly or quarterly fields that may have changed.
Each State should work with the regional office to optimize when these extracts should be run.
Additionally, the data source may influence the timing. For instance, if transaction files are
used, it may be easier to manage the workload by loading and processing the transaction file
more frequently, resulting in several smaller listings.
How a State handles missing and delinquent data may also impact timing. If a State imputes
missing and delinquent data at the onset of processing, the review may be redundant when the
data are subsequently reported. By delaying the imputation and waiting until more records are
reported, the number of imputations that need to be reviewed may be reduced. However,
running imputation earlier in the cycle may facilitate using the integrated edit (including edits at
the level of the macro cell) instead of initially editing at the micro level only. (A detailed
discussion of editing options appears in Section 12.1.)
Consider how the State sends missing data and delinquency notices, how late data are processed
and loaded to source files, and how timing effects the levels of imputed data. Since current data
are extracted at least twice per quarter and prior quarter data are extracted at least once per
quarter, it is important to remember that reported data would replace estimates for many active
records.
Another area of concern is whether previously extracted data can be distinguished from data that
have not been extracted or were not available at the time of the last extract. A few States have a
field on the tax file to identify extracted data.
If the same data are extracted more than once, how are the data processed? If corrections are
included in a subsequent extract, the updated information should be loaded to the micro file and
edited. On the other hand, if the data are re-extracted without change, these data should not
replace data already on the micro file. In cases where State QCEW staff may have already
manually corrected the data, a new extract should not overlay the corrected data.
Many States may find that an initial extract from the tax and other source files followed by
succeeding extracts from transaction files provide a more efficient approach; however, this
would also require additional programming.
Complete Extracts – While most records on State tax files are covered and included in the
extracts, some records on the source files should not be on the micro file. Activity Status and
Type of Coverage are discussed further below and in Appendix B, Data Element Definitions.
Other issues to consider are:
• Which employers are covered?
• Which record types are included? Does the State micro file include all required records?
What record type may be missing?
• How is an active account defined?
• When is an account determined to be inactive?

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How long is the record zero-filled on the source file?
Does the State tax file include pending accounts?
How are pending accounts defined?
How is missing employment identified?
What are the procedures to solicit missing employment?
How are delinquent accounts identified?
What procedures are used to obtain information on delinquent accounts?
How are zero reporters distinguished from non-reporters on the tax file?
When and how are retroactive accounts added to the tax file?
How can replacement data be identified on the tax file?
When should replacement data be extracted?
Does the tax system allow the employer to provide more than one report for the account that
must then be aggregated to generate a complete report? How are these augmented data
reports processed?
How and when does the State set up multi-establishment breakouts?
How are multi-establishment consolidations handled?
When and how are predecessors and successors identified on the State tax file?
How are mergers identified on the tax file?
How are partial transfers handled on the tax file?

Coverage – Coverage issues should not cause many problems. Typically, if State UI law
considers an account covered, the record should be included on the State extract. (For purposes
of the QCEW program, “covered” refers to UI-covered or UCFE-covered.) Some States include
non-covered data on the tax files. Each State has specific coverage requirements. For example,
some States cover the State National Guard, local elected officials, and lay persons working for
religious organizations. (See Type of Coverage in Appendix B, Data Elements.)
Only covered accounts are required in the QCEW program; however, States may opt to include
non-covered accounts as well. If they choose to include them, the non-covered record should be
clearly marked by using the appropriate Type of Coverage code.
Samples of coverage issue questions include but are not limited to the following:
Are there any records for which the UI coverage is in question? Are these records extracted or
excluded? Do pending court cases or legal rulings impact coverage? For instance, in some
States poll workers are covered but in other States these workers are not covered due to a legal
ruling. Consult your regional office for answers to specific questions.
Another important consideration related to coverage is the type of coverage and data maintained
on the source files. If the State uses the tax file or source files as a multi- purpose file where data
are maintained on UI taxes, personal income taxes, and other State taxes, it may be difficult to
distinguish which records are only covered and active under the unemployment compensation
laws.
Record Types – States must identify the different types of record codes included on the tax file
or other source files to determine if a record should be extracted. These codes may include the

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following: activity status, pending codes, liability codes, reporting codes, organization types,
transfer codes, payment or billing codes, mail codes, forms codes, business activity status,
receipt dates, etc.
There are limitations to the codes that may result in omitting records that are needed, or
extracting records that should have been excluded. For instance, if a receipt date is used, only
records with reported data might be extracted (i.e. delinquent accounts which should have been
included would be excluded). In this case, delinquent reports would only be included if a QCR
was eventually received for at least one of the quarters extracted. If the account was never
received in time to include on an extract, it would never be imputed and never appear on the file.
The size of the unit would not matter. A large unit with several thousand employees could just
as easily be missed as a unit with only a few people.
Non-quarterly Data – Non-quarterly data fields are those fields that will only appear once on
the State QCEW micro file although they should be updated with changes each quarter, as
appropriate. Most of these fields are frequently referred to as administrative or address
information. These fields include UI Account Number, Reporting Unit Number, names,
addresses, initial liability date and other related date fields, refiling information, etc. (The UI
Account Number and Reporting Unit Number are the SESA ID or record key and can not be
modified.) Quarterly data fields, on the other hand, are fields that appear every quarter. They
include not only the economic data (such as employment or total wages) but also industry and
geographic codes; type of coverage; or activity status (described below).

Activity and Coverage Information
The information obtained from the Status Code, Tax Rates, and Type of Coverage is required to
process each record.
Status Code – The status codes in the standard State QCEW systems are limited to three codes:
active (1), inactive (2), or pending (9). (In addition, the BLS-Washington system uses code 3 for
a previously submitted record that is no longer submitted and is presumed inactive.) Almost all
State UI systems include many more designations of status. Some of these designations are
actually reporting designations (e.g., the unit may be identified as delinquent with its Quarterly
Contributions Report but may have a different designation if delinquent for two consecutive
quarters). Others use different codes if the employer owes money for delinquent UI taxes or
special use codes to determine if the employer has a legal action taken against it by the State.
Many States have a wide array of codes for different types of inactivity or presumed inactivity.
Several States even designate different types of reporting patterns (e.g., seasonal reporter, zero
reporter, special contractor, special event).
Each code should be closely examined to determine if the record should be included or excluded
in the extract. Also examine other types of codes. It is possible that an “activity status” on UI
files is used for other situations, and a different code actually identifies records which are active,
inactive, or pending. Once the appropriate codes are identified based on the definitions in
Appendix B, then map the State-specific codes to the codes used in the standard QCEW systems.

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Type of Coverage and Tax Rates – Coverage and rating information are used in imputing,
prorating, editing, and data submittals. The Type of Coverage code was expanded to distinguish
between accounts with employee contributions and those with only employer payments. In
addition, Federal government has a unique code, thus eliminating the need to use either the
ownership code or combination of type of coverage and ownership to identify strictly Federal
government data or strictly contributory accounts. These codes may match the standard QCEW
system codes.
State-specific coverage codes have been a source of confusion and misuse in the past. In some
States, records with a limited selection of codes were extracted resulting in the absence of
covered records from the file. In other cases, records were miscoded into incorrect standard
QCEW codes because the State codes were confusing. Some State tax files maintain noncovered information for units that are eventually expected to meet coverage requirements. It
may be difficult to identify when records switch from non-covered to covered. Other extracts
have assumed that all records are covered when some should be excluded.
Some States maintain special records on separate files, such as phantom, suspense, or pending
accounts. Each State may define these same types of records with a different name. For
instance, a pending record in one State may be non-covered pending meeting a wage threshold.
A pending record in another State may be active, but one in which the State has taken legal
action for nonpayment of taxes that were assessed using the employer’s tax rate.
The tax rate is the rate assigned to the employer based on an industry, flat rate structure, new
employer designation, or experience-rating. This rate should exclude any excise taxes, surcharge
levels, or other amounts resulting in taxes that are not added to the unemployment insurance trust
fund. Any employee tax rate should be added to the lookup file and will be submitted on the
EQUI header record (described in Appendix K). In States collecting employee contributions, a
single employee tax rate is used for all applicable accounts.

Information for Inactive Employers
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) requires that a unit not currently reporting
employment or paying wages subject to the State’s unemployment compensation law, or paying
no wages during the eight calendar quarters immediately preceding the current quarter be
terminated, administratively inactivated, or granted permission to suspend filing Quarterly
Contributions Reports (excluding seasonal accounts).
States also have numerous categories for inactive records. These may include:
• Zero reporters that do not want to lose their account and tax rate because they may operate in
the State again.
• Units that have stopped reporting but have not provided out-of-business dates or notifications
to UI.
• Out-of-business accounts which still have financial debts or obligations to the State.

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Employers that stopped reporting but have not been audited or investigated by UI.
Units that sold their operations but never notified UI.
Units that purchased new operations and obtained new account numbers without transferring
the previous owner’s history or activities.
Accounts that notified UI of closure and were terminated by the State.
Accounts that were investigated by UI and found to be inactive.
Accounts where the QCEW analyst determined that units were inactive.

Accounts known to be inactive should only be extracted if new information is obtained (e.g., a
previously unknown end of liability date is added to the file). Delinquent records still considered
active on the tax file should be extracted; however, the features of the standard QCEW State
system must be used to process the record. States should use the EXPO/WIN-202 features that
will inactivate a record on the micro file if it has not been reported or imputed for several
quarters. In these cases, the status code is changed to two (inactive), and even though the record
continues to be extracted from the tax file, it requires no processing by the State and is not
submitted on the EQUI.
If this option is not used, the system will assign unique employment and wage indicators of “N”
to the file to indicate that the record has not been reported or imputed for several quarters. These
records will be processed through the system and submitted to BLS-Washington.
When is a record inactive? To answer this question, consider. The tax file may have termination
dates, end of liability dates, out-of-business dates, closing dates, closed dates, inactive dates, etc.
On the QCEW micro file, the end of liability date is required for inactive records and should be
the last date the account was active and had employment and wages. If the end of liability date
on the tax file identifies when the account no longer sustained a legal or financial obligation,
then this date is not the actual end of liability date for purposes of the QCEW program. Each
date should be reviewed to determine which most closely matches the required definition.
Other types of records, such as retroactive accounts, pending accounts, delinquent accounts, etc.
should be reviewed to determine if they are active accounts. For instance, a retroactive account
may be set up for all quarters that it was active but could exclude data for quarters for which it
did not meet unemployment insurance definitions as a subject employer.

Classification Codes
Classification codes are fields that describe the ownership, industry, or location of the record.
Coding standards for most of these are provided in Chapter 2. Many of these fields are initially
extracted from the tax or source files and subsequently maintained through the QCEW systems.
Fields include:
• NAICS Code
• Ownership Code
• County Code

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Township Code
Township Extension (a.k.a. Zone Code)
Organization Type Indicator

Note: Many UI tax departments may change incorrect codes when identified or if an employer
disputes the code and the State UI opts to change the value. The QCEW program does not allow
for mid-year non-economic code changes. These changes should not be extracted. They should
be held until first quarter and assigned to the Code Change Supplement using the data elements
discussed in Chapter 11.
NAICS and Ownership Codes – QCEW staff frequently assign these codes when the account is
set up. This information should be extracted for new units or for reactivated units, but should not
overwrite information on existing QCEW micro file accounts because these fields are maintained
independently as part of the QCEW program and Annual Refiling Survery (ARS) processing
requirements.
NAICS replaced the SIC as the primary basis for industry coding. States should work with their
BLS regional offices and State UI tax divisions as necessary to ensure that extracts are always
properly designed to capture the correct industry code information from the tax files. Extracts
should capture the correct industry code information before moving the information to the
QCEW micro files. When a NAICS code is present on the tax file, it should be extracted for new
or reactivated units. Existing SIC codes will be retained but new units will not be coded with an
SIC code and consistency between the NAICS and SIC code will not be checked or maintained.
Location Codes – County information is required for all States. When new accounts are initially
set up on the tax file, county codes are assigned as well as ownership and industry codes. The
county code should be extracted and updated as part of routine editing, refiling, and other
processing functions.
Some States use township codes (and township extension/zone code, where applicable) or other
sub-county location designators on their tax files. If the data are maintained on the source file, it
may be useful to extract them. It might be helpful to ask how the sub-county data are updated.
If they are not maintained on the source file or in the micro file, do not use them. New Jersey
and the New England States are required to maintain township codes.
Organization Type Code: More than 40 States collect selected organization type information
on their Status Determination form. These include information on different types of
partnerships, associations, non-profit organizations, trusts, estates, companies, corporations, subdivisions, joint ventures, etc.
The organization type code should be blank for all Federal, State, and local government records.

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Date Fields
Most State tax files or other source files contain many dates, some with very clear names and
definitions and others that are not so clear. These include reporting dates, liability dates, liability
incurred dates, effective liability dates, dates incorporated, end of liability dates, termination
dates, setup dates, reactivation dates, reinstall dates, reissue dates, transaction dates, transfer
dates, effective transfer dates, filing dates, penalty assessment dates, partial change dates, rating
dates, coverage dates, employment dates, contributions due dates, billing dates, update dates,
contact dates, inactive dates, active dates, code assignment dates, entered dates, keyed dates, etc.
The QCEW micro file includes fields for five dates:
• Initial Date of Liability
• End of Liability Date
• Setup Date
• Reactivation Date
• Predecessor/Successor Transfer Date
The State should review all possible dates on the UI tax file or other source files to determine
which dates meet the QCEW definitions as described in Appendix B. There may be instances
where additional dates have been added to the source files when that date already existed under a
different name.
When these dates are not extracted, the standard State processing systems will assign them in
certain circumstances, as shown in the following chart.
MEEI
Code

Initial
Date of
Liability

Setup Date

1, 2, 4, or
6 (single,
master, or
multi
reporting
as a single)

Extract
these from
the tax file
using the
proper
definition.

Extract these
from the tax file
using the proper
definition. If not
included on
source files, then
the date this
account is first
extracted is
system-assigned.

Reactivation
Date

Extract these
from the tax
file using the
proper
definition.

End of
Liability
Date
Extract
these from
the tax file
using the
proper
definition
when
applicable.

Predecessor/
Successor
Transfer
Date
Currently this
is an optional
use field –
this date may
be left blank.

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April 2006

MEEI
Code

Initial
Date of
Liability

Setup Date

Reactivation
Date

3 or 5
(worksite)

The first
day of the
quarter
that has an
active
status
code (or
employme
nt and
wages).

The actual date
that the worksite
was assigned an
active status
code.

The first day
of the quarter
that has an
active status
code after at
least one
quarter with
an inactive
status code.

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End of
Liability
Date

Predecessor/
Successor
Transfer
Date
The last
The actual
day of the
date of the
quarter that predecessor/
has an
successor
active
transaction.
status code
(or
employme
nt and
wages).

Ownership Transactions: Predecessors, Successors, and Mergers
In many States, the QCEW definition of a predecessor/successor situation does not match the
legal UI definition of an ownership transaction. The QCEW program defines a
predecessor/successor relationship as one where the successor performs similar operations to the
predecessor using some or all of the predecessor’s employees. These operations are frequently
but not necessarily performed at the same location as the predecessor.
In some States, UI considers the buyer a successor account only if legal and financial liabilities
and status are transferred (i.e., debts, trust fund balances, and experience-rating). In other cases,
the account is transferred at the option of the buyer and seller. In a few States, UI rarely
transfers account numbers between owners.
Caution: While Predecessor or Successor UI Account Numbers are usually present on the UI tax
file (or other source files), the corresponding Predecessor or Successor Reporting Unit Numbers
are typically not available. Whenever this occurs, the Predecessor/Successor RUNs should be
set to zero initially, during the extract. Later, after researching the transactions, QCEW staff can
enter specific Predecessor or Successor RUNs as needed. In some cases involving changes to the
reporting level, QCEW staff may set Predecessor/Successor RUNs to all nines (99999). There
are even situations in which staff may set Predecessor or Successor UI numbers to all nines.
This is discussed in detail in Section 5.2.

Orphans and other Multi-establishment Situations
Most States do not store individual multi-establishment worksites on the tax file. For those that
do, the RUN assignment may not be the same as required for the QCEW program. In these cases
where a multi-establishment employer sells or closes all but one worksite, the remaining UI
worksites should be dropped, and the data from the QCR should be reported using RUN

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“00000.” Any orphaned or single worksites with the UI and a RUN greater than zero will fail
the micro edits because this does not follow QCEW reporting requirements.

Locking Fields to Prevent Changes
Each standard QCEW system has procedures for locking selected fields. Normally, State staff
should lock fields when the State UI tax system does not follow the same guidelines as those
required by BLS-Washington. Each system also has a mechanism to compare extracted data
against locked data to manually determine if changes are needed. The EXPO or WIN-202
documentation should be reviewed for specific details.

Unlocked Quarters on State and BLS-Washington Files
For those quarters that are unlocked in BLS-Washington, as described in Section 12.2.3, all
corrections made to the State QCEW micro file should be included on the EQUI and submitted
to BLS-Washington.
For the prior and current quarters, extract data from the tax file or other sources. New
information (information since the last extract) is available for active accounts, retroactive or
reactivated accounts, reported data for delinquent accounts, corrections, etc. These changes must
be made to the State QCEW micro file so they will be included on the EQUI file that is
forwarded to BLS-Washington.

Retention of Delete Records
“Deleted” data are held in the system in case there is a need to restore the information at a later
date. These records are “marked” as deletes and their status codes are changed to “2” (inactive)
for any unlocked quarters.
The State systems retain deleted records until each of the last six quarters and the current quarter
has a status code of “2”. Once this time period is met, the deleted records are rolled off the file.

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7.4 Loading Data for Multi-unit Employers and Federal
Installations
State staff typically enter data from MWRs, since this information is not normally available on
the UI tax file. As explained in Chapter 3, the MWR provides disaggregated data for the
individual worksites that are included in the total for the UI account (the total data for the
employer, as reported on the Quarterly Contributions Report).
Increasingly, MWR data are collected/processed by the EDIC and MWRweb and provided to the
States electronically, as described in Chapter 4. The standard State processing systems provide
the means to directly load MWR data files provided by the EDIC and MWRweb to the State
micro file. When the MWR data files contain new reporting units (new worksites) for an
existing multi-unit account, the State processing systems will create the appropriate new records
on the micro file.

Edits for Multi-Unit Employers
The standard State systems add the employment and wage data reported on the Multiple
Worksite Report, and compare the totals obtained to those on the contributions report. If there is
a discrepancy between these sets of data the system assigns edit flags as described in Section 9.4.
The QCEW staff should determine whether the difference makes up a significant proportion of
the total for the employer or for any of the industry and county combinations where these data
will be reported. Other Level 8 edits verify the proper reporting configuration for multi-unit
employers, including Multi-Establishment Employer Indicator (MEEI ) codes, Reporting Unit
Numbers, and so on (as described in Chapter 3). As mentioned in the previous section, single or
"orphaned" worksite records in a multi-unit account will fail these edits.

Resolution of Discrepancies
If further investigation is warranted, the following procedures should be followed to resolve the
discrepancy.
First, check to make sure that data for each establishment listed on the Multiple Worksite Report
have been included on the State QCEW micro file and have been keypunched accurately. If the
keypunching is verified as complete and accurate, then consult other sources until the
discrepancy is resolved.
One source of information is the employer. (This does not apply to data received from the
EDIC. Individual State offices should not contact employers that report MWR data to the
EDIC.) Sometimes different offices within the firm complete the Multiple Worksite Report and
the contribution report. Contacting these offices may resolve the discrepancy.

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Another source of information available in most States is the wage record for the employer. This
document or file lists the total wages for each person employed by the firm during the quarter.
The wage record is only useful for this purpose if the establishment where the employee works is
identified. In the event that the wage records can be used to derive establishment totals, compare
these totals with the data on the Multiple Worksite Report. One limitation of the wage record is
that it includes information for all employees of the firm for the quarter and not just those
employed during the pay period that includes the 12th of the month.
Another possible source of information on multi-unit employers is the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) program, which contains employment and hourly earnings information for nonsupervisory personnel. Although not every employer that is covered by Unemployment
Insurance submits CES data, most large employers submit CES data for one or more of their
establishments.
To find out whether or not a firm reports in the CES program, the QCEW staff should arrange
with the CES staff in the State to have access to the sample members. If all or some of an
employer's establishments are respondents in the survey, the QCEW staff may compare the data
reported on the Multiple Worksite Report with those reported on CES data. It should be noted
that industries covered under the State UI laws may differ from those solicited in the CES
program. The QCEW staff should refer to individual State laws. (See Chapter 3 for a more
detailed discussion of the uses and limitations of wage records and CES data.) Because of the
nature of these data, CES data are more helpful in resolving differences in employment than
resolving differences in wages.
Other possible sources of information on multi-unit employers are reports describing work
stoppages or layoffs.
After discrepancies between the data reported on the Multiple Worksite Report and on the
contribution report have been resolved, taxable wages and contributions should then be imputed.
(See Chapter 8 for procedures for imputing taxable wages and contributions.)

Review of Federal Installation Reports
Employment and wage reports from Federal installations should be screened for completeness
and entered onto the QCEW micro file for mechanical editing, similar to the same way UI data
are edited. However, Federal data are exempted from some edit conditions (for example, the
checks for missing physical location address). MWR and RFEW data received from Federal
installations should be processed in the same manner as other Multiple Worksite Reports
described at the beginning of this section. (Note that some Federal data are provided
electronically by the EDIC as described in Section 4.6.) Reporting requirements for Federal
installations are stated in Section 3.6.

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Chapter 8 – Imputation of Missing and
Delinquent Data
When employers do not provide complete and timely data, imputed (estimated) data are used
instead. This chapter describes in general terms how the standard State processing systems
(EXPO-202 and WIN-202) impute economic data that are missing or delinquent. The formulae
used by the State systems are described in detail in Appendix J. Even though imputed data are
computer-generated, State staff should edit and review the imputations and revise them where
appropriate. When reported data become available, the State should replace the imputed data on
their file.

------------- Contents of Chapter 8 ------------8.1 Overview of Data Imputations
8.1.1 Follow-ups of Incomplete and Delinquent Reports
8.1.2 Types of Imputations
8.2 Determining How Long to Impute Delinquent Records
8.3 Imputing Missing and Delinquent Data
8.3.1 Guidelines by Data Element
8.3.2 Multi Establishment Reporters
8.4 System Options
8.5 Imputation Codes and Indicator Flags
8.6 Reviewing Imputations
8.7 Replacing Imputations with Live Data

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8.1 Overview of Data Imputations
Within five days of the end of each quarter, the States mail Quarterly Contributions Reports
(QCRs), Multiple Worksite Reports (MWRs), and Reports of Federal Employment and Wages
(RFEWs) to employers. The completed reports are due 30 days after the end of the quarter.
Data from submitted QCRs are entered onto the Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax file and
subsequently extracted and loaded to the QCEW micro file. Typically, State staff enters data
from the MWR and RFEW forms directly to their QCEW micro file. Some multi-unit employers
report their MWR data to the Electronic Data Interchange Center (EDIC) rather than to the State,
as described in Chapter 4 – Multiple Worksite Central Reporting. The EDIC provides files of
these MWR data to the States, and the files should be loaded directly to State QCEW micro files.
Sometimes data are missing (the employer omitted some data elements) or delinquent (the form
is not received in time to use for file deliverables or to meet program needs). Missing and
delinquent data must be imputed. Imputation is a process that enables the States to use estimated
data when the actual data are unavailable. It is based on the assumption that historical trends are
still valid and can be used to effectively estimate current data.

8.1.1 Follow-ups of Incomplete and Delinquent Reports
After information from the submitted QCRs is entered, the accounts should be screened
mechanically for missing data. It is important that the UI tax file systems be able to distinguish
between zero-reported data and missing data. This may be accomplished by indicator codes,
date fields, or other mechanisms. If it is not possible to make this distinction, notices may be
sent to accounts that already reported zeroes, or data may be imputed for UI accounts that
correctly have zero-filled data fields.
Request notices for missing data should be computer-generated for all QCRs with missing data.
The State should send these requests to every employer who submitted an incomplete quarterly
report, regardless of size or the amount of reported wages. The State should send the requests as
soon as possible after receiving the incomplete reports. This allows the employer’s time to
submit amended data. Once the State receives the missing data, these data should be entered to
the UI tax file and extracted for the QCEW micro file.
All costs associated with the collection of data missing from employers' Quarterly Contributions
Reports
are the responsibility of the UI tax unit. If the research unit is responsible for collecting these
missing data, they should arrange to be reimbursed by the UI tax unit. Costs include staff time,
printing, processing of notices, and postage.
Most data for Federal government installations, as well as some reports for multi-establishments,
are collected through the EDIC. The EDIC will resolve any reporting problems with accounts
they handle, as described in Section 4.4. The State research unit is responsible for obtaining any

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missing data from MWRs and RFEWs that are not collected by the EDIC. The research unit
must assume the cost of missing data follow-ups on incomplete MWRs, as well as those rare
cases of missing data follow-ups for RFEWs.
QCEW micro files in both the EXPO and WIN-202 systems use indicator flags to distinguish
between reported and missing data. The indicator flags are listed and identified in the Indicator
Flag table at the end of Appendix J – Imputation Formulas.
About six weeks after the end of the quarter, the UI tax file should be scanned for delinquent
accounts. The UI tax unit is responsible for determining which UI accounts are active and
delinquent, while the research unit is responsible for determining if MWRs and RFEWs are
delinquent. The UI tax unit should generate and mail delinquency notices for all delinquent
QCRs. The research unit is responsible for collecting data for delinquent MWRs and RFEWs.
The EDIC is responsible for obtaining delinquent reports from those accounts that it handles. A
second notice, if necessary, should be sent eight to ten weeks after the end of the quarter.
In addition, the research unit should monitor the delinquency of large QCR respondents. If the
UI tax unit does not successfully follow-up for missing data or missing QCRs on a consistent
basis, the research unit should initiate follow-up with the non-respondent. A telephone call can
determine if an employer is no longer an active business or has moved. For large employers who
are still active, the research unit can collect missing data by phone.
As with the collection of missing data, all costs associated with the follow-up for delinquent
employer Quarterly Contribution Reports are the responsibility of the UI tax unit. The research
unit must assume the cost of follow-up for delinquent Multiple Worksite Reports and delinquent
Reports of Federal Employment and Wages. Costs include staff time, printing, processing of
notices, and postage.

8.1.2 Types of Imputations
The standardized State systems generate micro level imputations for the following situations:
•

A delinquent account that last reported within a parameter-controlled number of quarters
(typically two).

•

A delinquent MWR (represented by the subunit records) when the account’s QCR
(represented by the master record) was reported.

•

A delinquent QCR and MWR when the account’s last reported QCR was within the last two
quarters.

•

A delinquent QCR when the account’s MWR was reported.

•

Missing current quarter employment when current quarter Total Wages were reported.

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•

Missing current quarter Taxable Wages or Contributions when current quarter Total Wages
were reported.

•

QCR and MWR data that were already imputed when new data were received that replaced
the missing data for one or the other.

The systems will not impute for the current quarter in the following cases:
•

An inactive account.

•

An account that did not report for a parameter-controlled number of quarters (typically two).

•

Worksites (subunits) with missing data when at least one worksite reported on the MWR.

•

An imputation that is not allowed by the program parameters.

•

An account that is fully reported.

•

A subunit that does not have a matching master record.

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8.2 Determining How Long to Impute Delinquent Records
If a report was not submitted for the two previous quarters and a report has not been received for
the current quarter, the State system does not automatically impute an account for the current
quarter. Instead, it flags this account for review by the research unit. UI accounts which are
delinquent for two or more quarters should be contacted by the UI tax unit, if necessary, to
determine if they are still active. Only if they are still active should the research unit prepare
imputations for these accounts.
The research unit should carefully monitor nonresponse and imputation for larger employers.
Missing data for large employers may cause inaccuracies or revisions in QCEW data -- both
employment and wage data and measures coming from the LDB.
An important goal is to minimize the number of accounts for which imputations have to be
made. A number of factors can influence the number of accounts to be imputed and how long
these accounts are imputed. While many factors influence nonresponse, some of these factors
are under control of the research unit, and some are not.
The States should regularly review their operations to consider the following factors:
•

Use of well-designed UI forms with clear instructions.

•

The proper use of scanning equipment to ensure accurate data entry files.

•

Timely identification and review of predecessor/successor ownership transactions and
linkages to prevent or reduce the number of inappropriate imputations for predecessor
accounts.

•

Use of reporting penalties to discourage delinquency.

•

Use of interest charges to encourage timely payment of contributions.

•

Adjustments to tax rates in response to late or problem reporting.

Also, please remember: imputations for delinquent accounts should not be made
automatically from previous imputations for an extended period. Such a practice
compounds errors from previous quarters. However, since it may be difficult for UI tax units to
resolve delinquency problems and determine if the account is still active (or has a successor), it
may take a couple of quarters of imputations before the reporting problems are addressed. It is
also acceptable to incorporate imputations for the current quarter of one data type (e.g., Total
Wages) in imputing another missing data type (e.g., Taxable Wages) for the sake of consistency
within the quarter.

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Meanwhile, if a reporter submits an incomplete report, it is acceptable to impute the missing data
item(s) for that record even if the data field was not reported for the two prior quarters. Since
some data are reported, it is likely that the employer is still active. Unfortunately, some
employers tend not to report employment even though they do report wages.
Imputations should be replaced on the State micro file when actual data are received and edited.
At first glance, real data that are several quarters old may seem to be of limited value. However,
data replacement can be useful for future imputations, particularly if an employer often reports
on a lagged basis.
States need not extract actual data from accounts older than the BLS’s correction policy. See
Section 12.2.3 for more details on the correction policy.
When the State research unit has confirmed that an employer is still operating, an imputation is
required for inclusion in the State’s micro file and subsequent EQUI submittal, even when the
employer’s data are more than 12 weeks delinquent. Every effort should be made to collect
current QCR data from these employers if their employment level exceeds 500. After addressing
the largest delinquencies, State staff should follow up on other critical reports.

Imputation Exceptions
Exceptions are allowed in several States for domestic employers (NAICS 814110) and for some
small units in Minnesota, where legislative changes provide for annual reporting. For employers
falling under these exceptions, State systems allow data to be imputed for three continuous
quarters instead of just two.

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8.3 Imputing Missing and Delinquent Data
Imputation formulae used by the standard State systems are listed in Appendix J along with
examples for each formula. For most data fields, multiple formulae exist that may be used based
on the availability of historical data or related data.
The imputations calculated from the formulae are usually reasonable, but there are numerous
situations that cannot possibly be anticipated in the mechanical imputation process. Hence, an
analyst's knowledge of the limitations of the formulae in various situations becomes essential in
reviewing the validity of the mechanically-generated data.
Large imputed records that turn out to have been reported under a different UI account
(predecessor-successor linkages) or reported for a firm that has actually gone out of business can
cause substantial inaccuracies in QCEW data. Subsequent corrections could result in significant
revisions and may also affect data coming from the Longitudinal Database. In addition,
inaccurate imputations affect other economic data series, including the State’s own CES
benchmarking process. To reduce the impact of erroneous imputations, States should review all
records with imputed employment levels of 500 or more. If corrections are necessary, they
should be made prior to the EQUI submittal.

8.3.1 Guidelines by Data Element
The standard formulae used by the State systems frequently yield inaccurate imputations when
the past employment and wage data used in the calculations represent economic aberrations. In
these cases, the standard formulae's chief assumption – that previous patterns will recur – does
not apply. Similarly, the standard formulae may miss critical current economic changes that
differ from historical patterns in the data. In still other cases, it is possible that there is not
enough historical data to use the formulae. Alternate formulae are listed in Appendix J to
compensate for inadequate historical data.
The standard formulae are based on the assumptions and explanations outlined above. This
section includes suggestions and exceptions that analysts should consider when reviewing the
imputed data for monthly employment, Total Wages, Taxable Wages, and Contributions Due.

Guidelines for Monthly Employment
1. The formulae in Appendix J are most effective for large accounts (for example, accounts
with Average Monthly Employment, or AME, of 50 or more) with five quarters of previous
data.
The over-the-year change formulae are clearly inappropriate if five quarters of data are not
present. For these cases, copy the third month of the previous quarter to all three months of

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the current quarter. If any month of the current quarter is reported, review the record to
determine if the remaining months should be zero-filled or imputed.
2. In cases where some but not all months are reported, imputations should be calculated from
the most recently reported month. For instance, if the first month employment for the current
quarter (M1c) is three times the third month employment of the prior quarter (M3p), and the
data for M2c and M3c are missing, then the report may have been filled out incorrectly by
the employer. It is quite possible that the respondent took the total of all three months in a
quarter and placed the sum in M1c. An analyst should not automatically impute M2c and
M3c from M1c in this case because the initial error will be compounded. The analyst should
use both judgment and alternative sources of information to assess the validity of the reported
value of M1c. However, if M1c is the only data item in the current quarter and it appears
reasonable in light of past trends, then it may be reasonable to project M1c for the second and
third months as well. On the other hand, it may be reasonable to leave the last two months
zero-filled if it appears the unit is being inactivated. Since the EXPO and WIN systems will
attempt to impute these data, those imputations that flag on edit output should be reviewed
for their reasonableness and consistency with historical data or other data within the countyownership-industry macro cell.
3. Aberrations in monthly employment could stem from a variety of unusual economic factors
(e.g., supply bottlenecks, seasonal demand, strikes, etc.). States may want to consult
comments from prior quarters to help explain current employment patterns. Phenomena such
as adverse weather conditions or fire damage could explain the existence of incomplete and
delinquent reports.
4. Delinquent accounts that are known to be both active and seasonal should be imputed using
seasonal formulae. If these do not work, then it is possible that the historical data no longer
represent the current seasonal patterns of other units within the same cell.
5. When Total Wages are reported and employment levels are missing, an analyst can use the
reported Total Wages data to assess the reasonableness of the employment imputation(s).
6. Review employment imputations for large employers carefully. Verify that the employer is
still operating and attempt to collect the data by phone. Validate that the account is not part
of an undetected predecessor/successor ownership transfer.

Guidelines for Total Wages
1. In the absence of five quarters of back data, copy the previous quarter Total Wages to the
current quarter.
If the prior quarter of an active non-seasonal account has been imputed, and if efforts have
been made to contact the firm for total wage information for current and previous quarters
without success, then repeat the most recent reported total wage value for current Total
Wages.

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2. Skewed historical Total Wages can result in distorted imputations. Relevant examples
include changes in labor costs (e.g., a negotiated wage increase) that took place in a prior
quarter or year, but are not scheduled for the current quarter. Unscheduled bonuses or raises
could also distort a total wage imputation.
3. In reviewing total wage imputations when current quarter employment data exist, evaluate
the validity of the imputation by comparing the relationship between Total Wages and
reported current employment levels. If a consistent relationship between Total Wages and
employment levels has been established in previous quarters, then this relationship should be
maintained by imputations for the current quarter.
4. Imputed Total Wages for large employers should be carefully reviewed.

Guidelines for Taxable Wages
1. The ratio between Taxable and Total Wages in the current quarter will presumably equal the
ratio of the same quarter one year before. However, many factors affect Taxable Wages such
as changes in taxable wage basis, tax law changes, and employment changes. Therefore,
review taxable wage imputations carefully.
2. If employment and Total Wages are reported for an account while Contributions and Taxable
Wages are missing in contrast to previous quarters, then investigate the possibility that the
account has switched from non-reimbursing to reimbursing.
3. With an uncharacteristic hiring of large numbers of employees late in a prior year (e.g., the
third or fourth quarter), the taxable wage to total wage (TAXW/TOTW) ratio becomes higher
than usual. This distorts the imputation of the TAXW/TOTW ratio for the current quarter
and year. Taxable Wages will be higher than normal because the paid annual income of the
new employees will not have exceeded the taxable wage base.
4. The imputation for Taxable Wages should generally not exceed the taxable wage base times
the Average Monthly Employment for the current quarter (AMEc).
5. Taxable Wages should never exceed Total Wages in any quarter.
6. If a State changes the taxable wage base, the effectiveness of taxable to total wage ratios will
diminish between these years. Hence, analysts may make adjustments in the TAXW/TOTW
ratios when taxable wage bases are different between years and manual imputations are
needed.

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Guidelines for Contributions Due
Compute contributions by multiplying the Taxable Wages, whether reported or imputed, by the
account’s Tax Rate. If the account is a multi-establishment reporter, use the same Tax Rate for
all units of the account when generating contributions.

8.3.2 Multi Establishment Reporters
Two reports are received each quarter for multi-establishment reporters: a QCR and an MWR
(multi worksite report). When either report is delinquent or incomplete, imputation or proration
may be required.
The QCR (the master or “parent” summary) provides the sum of employment and wage data for
all related worksites. When the QCR is delinquent but current worksite data are available from
an MWR or the EDI Center, QCR data can be derived by simply summarizing worksite data.

Prorations
Alternatively, a current QCR may be available when the MWR is delinquent or missing critical
data. In this case, the State can derive worksite data by applying previously derived ratios to
current QCR data. These derived data are referred to as prorations.
When a QCR for a multi-unit account has been received, but the corresponding MWR is
incomplete or delinquent, the State should first contact the employer and attempt to obtain the
current worksite (subunit) information. If the data are not available for the missing worksites,
the formulae provided in Appendix J are performed by the EXPO and WIN systems to prorate
detailed employment and wage data.

Proration Problems
When the employment and wage ratios of individual units to the master account are stable from
quarter to quarter, the proration procedure is quite reliable and MWR data can be prorated from
reported QCRs indefinitely; however, the longer these prorations continue, the less reliable the
data become.
For example, when worksites open or close, the number of units comprising the multi-unit
account will change. The distribution of employment and wages across the new firm structure
may change as well. In this case, prorations become less reliable. Particularly for large master
accounts, States should contact the respondent and obtain current subunit data when they become
aware of a significant worksite opening or closing. The State reviewer should examine subunit
prorations and attempt to obtain reported MWR data on at least an annual basis.

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The proration may also become unreliable when seasonal or economic trends differ across the
subunits. In addition, seasonal industries present a special problem since the unit-to-account
ratios may be subject to seasonal change as well.
It is imperative that the State thoroughly evaluate questionable prorations and, where
appropriate, modify the results prior to EQUI transmittal. Prorations based on larger master
records (UI accounts with 500 or more employees) require careful review at least annually to
ensure that prorations are reasonably accurate.

Taxable Wages and Contributions
Taxable Wages and Contributions are not collected at the worksite level on the MWR, but
instead are derived using current data from the QCR. Similarly, contributions can be derived for
each unit by multiplying its Taxable Wages by the account’s tax rate.

Federal Reporters
Typically, imputations for missing data from an incomplete or delinquent RFEW use the same
methodology as those used for private sector multi-establishment accounts. Since Federal
government data are not reported on QCRs, the missing master record data are imputed using the
single-establishment methodology. These imputed master record data are then distributed
amongst the multi-establishment subunits.
Taxable Wages and Contributions Due for Federal government accounts are always equal to
zero.

Imputed Prorations
If both the QCR and MWR are delinquent, impute the QCR using the single unit methodology
and then prorate the data for the multi-establishment subunits. Because the prorated data are
based on an imputation, the derived worksite data are also considered an imputation.
Taxable Wages and Contributions are not collected at the worksite level on the MWR, but
instead are derived using current data from the QCR. This means that when the QCR is
delinquent or does not include data for Taxable Wages and Contributions, the worksite detail
must be prorated from an imputation. The State must first impute Taxable Wages and
Contributions for the master record using the single-establishment formula. Then the State can
prorate the imputation to derive worksite imputations. Similarly, contributions can be imputed
for each unit by multiplying its Taxable Wages by the account’s tax rate.
Multi-establishment subunits whose data are generated from a reported QCR are treated
differently than those whose data are generated from an imputed QCR. Those from reported
QCRs are referred to as prorated and are not considered imputed since they are derived from

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current quarter, reported data. Prorations based on imputed QCRs, however, are considered
imputations.

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8.4 System Options
The EXPO User and Technical Documentation or the WIN-202 Documentation should be
referenced for details on system options for each imputation processing. Several possible
options exist when running these jobs. It may be possible to run the following:
•

Separate jobs to sort imputed records by size and type of imputation (using indicator flags).

•

Separate jobs for multi-establishment prorations from single accounts.

•

Separate jobs for missing employment from delinquent accounts.

•

Separate jobs for each of missing employment, multi-establishment prorations, and
delinquent accounts.

•

Separate jobs for imputations from edits or combinations of edits and imputations.

•

Online, individual record or multi-establishment family imputation.

•

Separate jobs or queries to identify imputed large establishments for detailed review.

•

Employment and wage edits as well as specific imputed record edits.

Imputations can be run at any time in the processing cycle once the quarters are rolled and the
reference quarter is the system’s current quarter. The earlier in the cycle that imputations are
generated, the more imputations will be generated for the micro file. Since States should be
attempting to obtain missing and delinquent data, it is possible that some of the imputations will
be reviewed by analysts and later replaced with live data.
Running imputations late in the cycle allows additional time for data collection of previously
missing or delinquent accounts. Running them too late in the cycle, however, may not allow
adequate time for their proper review. States should run imputations early enough to allow
adequate review time for large employer imputations.
Imputations can also be rerun if the analyst feels that partial data may have been received that
would affect the quality of the imputations. Keep in mind that if the imputations are rerun, they
should be reviewed or checked afterwards for any significant problems or fluctuations.

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8.5 Imputation Codes and Indicator Flags
Each standard State system assigns an Indicator Flag to all employment and wage data items to
indicate its source. An additional code is generated and displayed for State review when
imputation or proration is attempted for a missing data field.

Imputation Report Codes
Imputation Report Codes describe either the formulae used for successful imputation, or the type
of failure the system encountered during imputation. These Imputation Report Codes are not
stored, but are displayed on the imputation reports as a useful tool for State review.
When an imputation is successfully generated, the Imputation Report Code is a three-letter alpha
abbreviation of the field (e.g., EMP for employment, TOT for Total Wages, TAX for Taxable
Wages, and CTB for Contributions) followed by a number designating the formula that was
used. For example, TOT4 is the code for Total Wages that were successfully imputed using the
fourth formula for Total Wages, TotW(cq) = TotW(pq). These codes are listed and defined at
the end of Appendix J in the table entitled Imputation Report Codes: Successful Imputation
Codes.
If the system could not generate the data, the three-position abbreviation of the data field is
followed by one alpha character indicating the last formula attempted. For example, TOTD
means that Total Wages were not imputed because of an imputation error for the master account.
The full list of these codes and their definitions appears in the table entitled Imputation Report
Codes: Imputation Failure Codes, also in Appendix J.
Imputation codes are not stored in the State system. They are only displayed for reference on the
successful imputation and failed imputation reports generated as part of the imputation runs.

Indicator Flags
In contrast to Imputation Report Codes, Indicator Flags are stored for each Monthly
Employment, Total Wage, Taxable Wage, and Contributions data field on the State micro file.
These indicator flags are also submitted to BLS on the EQUI file. The indicator flags are listed
and identified in the Indicator Flag table at the end of Appendix J.
As the State initializes a new quarter in their processing system, the indicator flag for all
collectable data fields on the micro file is set to “M” (missing). As actual data arrives and are
entered via online entry, Input Micro Transaction (IMT) files, EDI load programs, or other batch
routines, the indicator flag changes from an “M” to an “R” (reported). The indicator flag is also
used to identify late reports (“L”), or data collected in response to missing data notices (“D”).

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Note that if a particular data element was never reported, imputed, prorated, or changed, its
indicator flag will remain M – whether or not the entire account (the QCR) is delinquent.
Indicator flag values also indicate when data are imputed or derived through proration. These
flags are useful to monitor workload associated with nonresponse and imputation. Indicator
flags are also useful for State data collection management. They can also be used to assess data
quality -- how much of employment is reported versus imputed -- or possible areas of
improvement. For example, if the State is finding it necessary to override system-generated
imputations with manual corrections, the imputation formulae may need review and
improvement. Other codes, such as those used to identify data obtained as a result of sending
missing data notices or delinquency notices, are useful for evaluating the workload associated
with collecting late data. This may indicate that forms changes are needed, that better public
relations and education about the value of the data may be needed, or that the requirements may
need to be modified.

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8.6 Reviewing Imputations
Failed imputations (when the system could not successfully generate an imputation from the
programmed formulae) should be reviewed for employers of all sizes. If live data cannot be
collected and the record must be imputed, the State may have to manually create the imputation
in lieu of a system imputation.
System-generated and manually-produced imputations should be processed through micro edits
and integrated (macro) edits. This ensures that the data are reasonable and consistent with
historical data and with the data of other employers within the cell.
The State should review all records with imputed employment levels of 500 or more prior
to EQUI submittal. If corrections are necessary, they should be made prior to submitting the
EQUI. See additional information on Large Employers below.
During the review process, analysts should draw upon additional resources to assess the quality
of imputations. Industry patterns across the State, or more current industry data from the Current
Employment Statistics program, can be used to review the reasonableness of imputations. At the
employer/worksite level, the analyst’s familiarity with the particular account is an important
input to evaluation. Using outside sources of information -- other local indicators and media -may be helpful in arriving at more meaningful estimates.
When actual data are received, they should replace the mechanically-generated estimates.

Problem Areas
Several problems can occur when imputing data. These issues are discussed below for large
employers, new units, predecessor/successor units, discontinued units, prior data with an unusual
trend or atypical seasonality, and partial imputations. Large employers are also mentioned in the
other subtopics as helpful.

Large Employers
Large employers (with employment of 500 or more) merit additional attention and scrutiny since
these imputations can create critical errors in the QCEW data. Subsequent corrections could
result in significant revisions and may also affect data coming from the Longitudinal Database.
In addition, inaccurate imputations affect other economic data series, including the State’s own
CES benchmarking process.
When missing or delinquent data are imputed for these employers, the State should carefully
review the employer’s status to verify that the business is still operating and that a change in
ownership has not resulted in accidental double counting. If an imputation is required for a large

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nonrespondent, the State should give the imputations careful review in light of current economic
trends and seasonal fluctuations.

New Units
Most imputation procedures rely on historical information; therefore, it is very difficult to impute
data for new units with no reporting history. When reviewing imputed data for new accounts,
always consider the following:
• Check the Initial Date of Liability to ensure that data are not being imputed for a time period
when the account is not yet active.
• Check the status determination form for information on anticipated employment.
• Check wage records if they were reported separately (e.g., via magnetic media).
• Contact the employer for information, particularly if the new unit is expected to employ a
large number of people.
• Check the Internet and other media sources.
• Use CES reports.
• Consider using industry averages derived from similarly classified units.
• Determine if the unit is a successor and use information from the predecessor unit.

Predecessor/Successor Units
It is important that the UI tax unit or the research staff identify units that were sold. If the unit
was sold, imputation for the predecessor would create an employment overcount because the
imputed data on the predecessor duplicates the employment and wages paid on the report of the
successor. Predecessor/successor edits may identify this error, or the error may be reflected in
integrated macro edits when it causes an abnormal significant increase.
It is critical that either the predecessor’s or the successor’s data be on the file. If neither the
predecessor nor the successor reports, and data are not imputed, then an employment and wage
undercount will result.
Predecessor/successor transactions involving large employers require thorough investigation to
reduce possible overcounts or undercounts.

Discontinued Units
It is important that the UI tax unit or the research staff identify units that no longer report or are
out of business.
Unfortunately, it may take the UI tax or audit units a couple of quarters to identify these closures.
For this reason, the imputation formulae usually allow two quarters of delinquency for nonreporting. This should allow enough time for the UI tax or audit staffs to contact the employer
and determine its reporting status. If a record was imputed but should have been inactivated, a

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retroactive inactivation in the appropriate quarter will change the Status Code. This, in turn,
causes the system to ignore the imputed data during aggregation, in the integrated (macro) edit,
and for other uses.
Note that if a unit is discontinued or an employer is delinquent for two consecutive quarters,
QCEW program policy recommends that data for the second quarter not be automatically
imputed by the system. (This can be controlled, to some extent, by settings in the State system.)
Instead, the system should be used to list these accounts so that State staff may attempt to verify
that the unit or account is still active. If it is active, then they should make a manual imputation.
The following actions should be considered in the review of delinquent accounts:
• Check the End of Liability Date or the Status Code to ensure that data are not being imputed
for a time period when the account is no longer active.
• Check for a successor account.
• Contact the employer for information.
• Check the Internet.
• Use CES reports.
• Use Mass Layoff reports.
If a multi-establishment employer closes a unit and the reviewer finds an End of Liability Date or
an inactive status code, and the employer does not report the MWR, adjustments exist in the
proration formulae to exclude prior data from the ratio computations for the inactive unit.
Meanwhile, several State legislative changes now allow domestic employers (NAICS = 814110)
to report once a year instead of each quarter, and in Minnesota, certain small units are allowed to
report annually. State systems allow three continuous quarters of imputation for these units.

Prior Data with an Unusual Trend or Atypical Seasonality
If the historical data of the unit are atypical, the analyst may need to manually override the
imputation to compensate for the anomaly. Similarly, historical data may not accurately reflect
atypical economic or seasonal changes in the current period. Additional information can be
obtained from the following actions to help modify the imputation:
• Check wage records if they were reported separately (e.g., via magnetic media).
• Contact the employer for information.
• Use CES reports.
• Check for an upcoming or future quarter.

Partial Imputations
The imputation formulae typically treat each data element independent of the other elements.
There are a few cases where one data field is used in the formula to impute another data field
(e.g., Total Wages are used in some of the employment formula). There are only a few situations
where the absence of one data field will cause another data field to fail to be imputed. As a

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result, there are several instances where part of the record may be imputed but the other data
field(s) are not. These failed imputation cases should be reviewed. Partial imputations will
result in missing employment or wages, create skewed average wages, and affect the quality of
the data. These errors can be particularly critical when they involve large reporters.

Information Sources
Possible sources of useful information in the States include the following:
1. Comments – Analysts should examine narrative or coded comments for previous quarters to
ensure that the previous data follow a typical trend. The appropriateness of seasonal
formulae can be more accurately judged if the quarters or months from which the data items
will be projected are not deviations from the normal trend. If an aberration occurred in the
past, the imputation for the current quarter should not be calculated simply by using the
general formulae. Finally, comments may point to other information sources that may help
in the imputation process.
2. Upcoming Quarter Data – It may be possible to review a QCR or MWR for the next quarter.
These data could then be used in conjunction with the prior quarter data to establish a range
for imputing missing items in the current quarter.
3. Information Generated from Imputation Procedures – Imputation procedures should produce
the following information to assist an analyst in reviewing the imputation:
a. A list of all accounts that are delinquent and their imputation data.
b. A list of each account which either:
•
Reported zero-data last quarter and did not report this quarter, or
•
Did not report last quarter and did not report this quarter.
c. For all large (50 or more employees) delinquent and missing data accounts, a list of the
imputations and the previous five quarters of data.
4.

CES Data – Data reported in the CES survey by a firm may be used to aid in the review of
mechanical estimates for the firm. Estimates replaced with CES data must be assigned an
indicator code of A to clearly identify the data source for CIPSEA restrictions.

5.

Employee Wage Records – The tally of all employees listed should equal or exceed monthly
estimates, depending on turnover, seasonality, etc.

6.

Layoff Reports – Reports showing the time period including the reference week may be used
to revise estimates of employment and should provide an idea of why wage levels fluctuated
since last quarter.

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7.

Predecessor/Successor Codes – A transfer in ownership may be a clue to finding a
delinquent or missing report.

8.

Status Codes – By determining whether a firm is active or inactive for UI purposes, it is
possible to tell whether the report is delinquent or whether the firm is actually out of
business.

9.

Initial Date of Liability and End of Liability Date – These dates are useful when determining
if the account was active for all months of the quarter, was not active at the beginning of the
quarter, or was closed before the end of the quarter. Both standard State systems use these
dates to adjust the Status Code for the record.

10. Local News Media – The local news media is an important source for information on local
establishments, particularly the closing of large businesses.
11. Local Office Information – Analysts or other staff in the local offices should keep abreast of
community happenings that impact their labor market, particularly business closings.
12. Industry Averages – As an additional tool for certain estimation procedures, quarterly
industry averages of employment and wages for each industry would be useful. To impute
current quarter data for a new account for which only the prior quarter's data are available, a
ratio of change for the industry as a whole from prior-quarter-a-year-ago to current-quartera-year-ago can be applied to the previous quarter's data for the account. In addition, industry
averages can be used to calculate industry trends that can then be compared to imputed
quarterly changes for individual accounts.
13. Employer – The employer is generally the best source of information. The analyst can often
call the employer to verify unusual fluctuations or to obtain missing information. The
employer will sometimes be the only source for resolving a data problem, such as erroneous
employment reporting. However, some employers will not always be cooperative.
14. Analyst Judgment - The QCEW analyst's knowledge of the State economy, especially in
their immediate area, is invaluable. A senior analyst may have information regarding a data
situation that occurred in the past or general information about a local company or industry
that will help resolve a flagged record or failed imputation. Analyst knowledge and
background information also play an important part in making judgment calls about whether
a flagged record is suspicious or not.
15. Internet - The Internet can be a useful tool to obtain additional information about the
reporter. Possible information may include:
•
Subunit locations
•
New locations
•
Employment levels
•
Predecessor/successor transactions
•
Mergers

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General Suggestions and Considerations
Large employer imputations should always be carefully reviewed by appropriate State
specialists. Consider the size of the employer when reviewing imputation formulae and
alternative methods.
State analysts should keep abreast of legislative changes. They may affect UI taxes.
If imputations for Total Wages, Taxable Wages, or Contributions will be written back to the UI
tax file, then coordination may be needed to ensure that the data are acceptable to all interested
staff.

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8.7 Replacing Imputations with Live Data
When missing data or delinquent accounts are finally reported by the employer, State staff
should replace imputations with the actual data on the State micro file. The State system will
then generate an Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) update record for BLSWashington. The EQUI update will replace the earlier imputations sent to BLS-Washington
with the reported data, provided that the update occurs within the time frame permitted by the
BLS correction policy described in Section 12.2.3.

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Chapter 9 – Editing Micro Data in the States
This chapter and the next discuss using the edits in the standard State systems, reviewing edit
results, and making corrections. The edits are automated: a computer processes the data, assigns
edit flags according to certain conditions, and identifies flagged records. State staff then use the
edit results to review, research, correct, and explain suspect data. Editing in the standard State
processing systems, EXPO-202 and WIN-202, follow BLS requirements explained in detail in
Appendix F (Edit Conditions and Formulas).
When State staff conscientiously review and follow up on edit results, data quality improves in
several ways:
• Erroneous data are corrected.
• Unusual data changes are verified and explained by a comment code or narrative.
• Reporting problems are identified and resolved.
• Data from Quarterly Contribution Reports (QCRs) and Multiple Worksite Reports
(MWRs) are consistent.
• Imputations are adjusted, where necessary, to reasonably predict missing data.
While correcting erroneous data dominates the quarterly effort, verifying and documenting
questionable data helps data users understand economic events, and also prepares for the review
of future data.
------------- Contents of Chapter 9 ------------9.1 Edit Types and Edit Levels
9.2 Editing for Reasonable Employment and Wage Levels
9.2.1 Edits for Monthly and Average Employment
9.2.2 Edits for Total and Average Wages
9.3 Address Editing: At Least One Clean Address
9.4 Multi-Establishment Editing
9.5 Using Wage Records in Editing
9.6 Using BLS Comment Codes
9.7 Setting the Parameters
9.8 Determining the Research Needed
9.9 Resources for Researching Suspect Data
9.10 Resolution of Suspect Records
9.11 Improving Data Quality

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9.1 Edit Types and Edit Levels
The standard BLS edits consist of several types:
• Micro edits – These identify invalid or questionable data associated with individual
establishments (individual reporting units).
• Macro edits – These identify questionable data that have been summed to a macro cell
level. Macro cells are typically the aggregation of individual reporting units in a detailed
level industry, ownership, and area.
• Integrated edits – The State systems and the BLS-Washington system process macro edits
in combination with comparable micro edits. In this way, the individual reporting units
that cause or contribute to the macro flag can be identified and corrected (or explained).
Macro editing and the integrated edit are discussed in Chapter 10 – Macro File and the
Integrated Edit.
• Predecessor/Successor edits – These examine the relationship between previous and
current business owners to ensure that consistent classification codes are used and to
prevent data overlaps or gaps.
• Multi edits – These ensure consistency within multi-establishment Unemployment
Insurance (UI) accounts, including between QCR data (reported on the master record)
and MWR or EDI Center or MWRweb data (reported on the subunit or worksite records).
• Wage record edits – These edits use data from wage records as a tool to determine
whether employment and wage levels are reasonable. They are performed in the State
systems, if the wage records are available, but not in the BLS-Washington system.
The edits are grouped into nine levels, based on the type, purpose, and severity of the error or
flag. The first six edit levels are routine micro/macro edits and are ranked in ascending order
according to their seriousness. In general, edit Level 1 flags are the most serious and edit Level
6 flags are the least serious. Detailed information about priorities for edit review and cleanup
appears in Section 13.3.2. Edit Levels 7 through 9 are special purpose edit levels that focus on
specific issues.
Individual edits are grouped within edit levels and have a unique, three-digit code assigned to
them. For a small number of data elements, there is no edit code, and the edit will force invalid
data to the default value without manual intervention.
I-errors indicate invalid data and must be corrected. Warning edits (W-flags) indicate a record
has failed an edit because of questionable data and that the data should be reviewed for possible
errors. All error flags occurring in edit Levels 1-4 are I-errors. All flags in edit Levels 5, 6, 7,
and 9 are W-flags. Both I-errors and W-flags occur in edit Level 8.
For more detail concerning edit flags, see Appendix F.

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The Nine Edit Levels
Level 1 – Pre-edit I-errors (edits 001-006)
Pre-Edits ensure that each record’s identifying information is properly formatted as numeric or
alpha-numeric, has the expected values, and can be loaded to the BLS-Washington system.
These errors rarely if ever occur in State systems since the data elements are usually systemcontrolled. These edits are important in the BLS-Washington system to ensure that the correct
State’s data are loaded to the database for the correct year and quarter and are processed as
instructed by the State.
Level 2 – Key Field I-errors (010-016)
Key fields (industry, ownership, and county) are essential classification fields which are most
used for aggregation, sampling, and other data uses. Errors in these fields render a record
fundamentally unusable.
Level 3 – Date and Status Code I-errors (021-025)
The date and status code edits ensure that the record has adequate information to properly
determine its status (active, inactive, or pending). The status code and the date fields (such as
initial liability, end-of-liability, and reactivation dates) are used to determine whether or not the
record should be edited, refiled, aggregated, and provided to various State and BLS users.
Level 4 – Remaining I-errors (031-080)
Level 4 edits review the data elements for the following:
• Valid numeric or alpha conditions
• Valid responses from a limited set of expected values
• Valid relationships between two or three data elements
In almost all cases, these edit flags must be corrected. There are a few situations where the State
systems will override an invalid response with a blank, or will zero fill.
Level 5 – Large Record Employment and Wage Edits (085-086, 091-099)
Several of the employment and wage edits are divided into significant changes (Level 5) and
important but not as large changes (Level 6). This was done to help reviewers focus first on
those changes that have the greatest impact on the data. Most of these edits are performed at
both the micro and macro level. The micro and macro versions of the same edit share the same
three digit code.
Level 5 edits identify:
• Significant fluctuations over time in employment or wages
• Significantly large new, discontinued, or imputed records
• Records with high wages but no employment

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Records with high employment but no wages
Records with wages that are equal to the sum of the three months employment, if
employment is large

The parameter/tolerance values used in Level 5 are greater than those used in Level 6. Because
of this, records flagged during a Level 5 edit indicate a more significant employment or wage
fluctuation than their comparable counterparts in edit Level 6. Though similar, Level 5 edits
have different three-digit codes than their equivalent edits in Level 6.
Most of these records warrant further review, possible corrections, and usually some explanation
if not corrected. Problems can be researched:
• Using wage records, or
• Using UI correspondences or supplemental information, or
• Using similar units of a multi-establishment employer, similar employers in the cell, or
• By contacting the employer.
Level 6 – Warning (W) and Other Summed Level Edits (088 and 101-146)
The same type of edits performed in Level 5 are performed in Level 6 but with a different,
smaller set of parameters. Level 6 edits identify fluctuations in the economic data (on both
micro and macro records) that are smaller than at Level 5, but still significant. For example, an
employment change of 50 people from one month to the next might flag at Level 6 but pass at
Level 5.
Edits in this level also include most other W (Warning) edits that flag questionable data of other
types (such as address fields, missing physical location addresses on large records, telephone and
fax numbers, tax rate, Employer Identification Number (EIN), missing taxable wages (on
experience-rated accounts), relationships between classification codes, code changes, and records
that have an unclassified industry code with higher employment). While the flagged data may be
accurate, they are sufficiently unusual that data users would look for an explanation.
Records flagged by these edits should be reviewed and corrected (where necessary) or explained
with an appropriate comment code.
Level 7 – Predecessor/Successor edits (156-164)
Predecessor/Successor edits are designed to identify potential relationship problems between
predecessor and successor units. In these cases, either the predecessor of a new or merged unit is
identified and/or the successor of a partially or completely discontinued unit is identified.
Level 7 edits identify two general types of errors, code discrepancies and suspect economic data.
First, a comparison of the predecessor’s and successor's data fields may show unexpected
differences in one of the following codes:

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NAICS
County
Township (for certain States)
Ownership

Usually, the codes of the predecessor and successor are the same unless the successor had an
immediate economic code change at the time of the ownership transfer. If there was a noneconomic code change (e.g., the predecessor was incorrectly coded and the successor is assigned
the correct code), the change should be held until first quarter. There are two exceptions to this
rule:
•
•

The employment is 25 or less in the months immediately before and after the change of
ownership, or
The change is from an unclassified to a classified industry or geographic code.

The parameters used in these edits should exclude these smaller units. If the code change should
be held until the next first quarter, follow instructions in Chapter 5.
The second type of error is an overlap or gap in reporting economic data. When both the
predecessor and successor – or neither the predecessor nor the successor – reported during the
reference period, there is either an overlap or a gap in reporting.
For QCEW purposes, when both the predecessor and successor both have employment and
wages, one of the following has generally occurred:
1. One of the units was imputed and the imputed record should have been inactivated, or
2. Both the predecessor and successor reported, and only one should have.
To correct these:
• The predecessor should have employment and wages changed to zero, or
• The predecessor should be inactivated for the reference period, or
• The successor should have its employment and wages changed to zero and the record
coded as pending until the appropriate quarter when it would be activated.
3. The transfer of ownership occurred in the middle of the reference period and the information
should be handled in either one of two ways:
• Merged under one unit, or
• Properly explained using numeric or narrative comments.
If neither the predecessor nor the successor reported during the reference period, the following
should be determined:
• If the business’s employees continued to work during the reference period.
• And if so, who paid their wages?

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The appropriate record’s data should be either reported or imputed based on the data of the
predecessor’s last report.
Level 8 – Multi-establishment edits (171-185)
These edits review the relationships among records within a UI account, or compare the total
employment or wages of the sub-unit records with the master (parent) record. These edits ensure
the following:
• That the sum of the economic data from sub-units is relatively close to the amount
reported for the master record.
• That each multi-establishment account (family) has a master record with at least two subunits (worksites).
• That all members of the family have the same Ownership Code and EIN. Also, for
Indian Tribal Councils, all members of those families should have the same Special
Indicator value of T.
Level 9 – Wage record edits (not performed in BLS-Washington) (191-198)
These edits are a tool which can be used in conjunction with the employment and wage edits to
help determine if the employment or wage change is supported by data changes in wage record
data. These edits should only be run if the State can obtain and load automated files of wage
record data.
Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar field length
for the total wage amount.

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9.2 Editing for Reasonable Employment and Wage Levels
The data on each micro record can mostly be classified into two types: quarterly and nonquarterly. Non-quarterly data elements include the micro file key fields (UI/RUN), predecessor
and successor IDs, address-related fields, date fields, Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) fields, EIN,
and other special codes and indicators. These are data elements that rarely change, or whose
current value is the only one used. Quarterly data, on the other hand, include the economic data
fields (employment, total wages, taxable wages, and contributions), the classification codes,
Status Code, Type of Coverage, and other data elements used to generate current and historical
aggregations of the economic data. The two sections that follow discuss the quarterly edits for
the essential economic data: monthly employment and total wages.

Editing Effects of Shifts Between Reporting Units
At most edit levels, the standard BLS editing is applied to individual reporting units (individual
UI/RUNs). The exceptions are:
• Macro edits that apply to county-ownership-industry aggregations,
• Predecessor/successor (Level 7) edits that connect reporting units using predecessor or
successor IDs. The use of predecessor and successor IDs is described at length in
Chapter 5.
• Multi-establishment (Level 8) edits that compare reporting units within the same UI
account.
One example of a major data event that is not the result of error is the shifting of employees from
one reporting unit or UI account to another. Some of these employment shifts will cause the
State to consider whether to change an account from a single to a multi-unit account, a process
described in Chapter 3 – Special Processing for Multi-unit Employers. The shifting of
employees to and from professional employer organizations (PEOs) will also cause employment
fluctuations. In the case of a PEO, the State should make every attempt to have the employment
reported in the correct industry code. This situation is described in detail in Section 15.3.
Inter-quarter fluctuations may be caused by a restructuring, a change in ownership, or the
breakout of a multi reporter. Indication of the latter two situations may occur in the State UI
system. A distinct possibility is that the data for either the current or prior quarter are incorrect.
These data must be examined and corrected based on the procedures described in this chapter.

Significant Employment and Wage Situations
Employment and wage edits are divided among two edit levels: edit Level 5 and edit Level 6.
Level 5 edits flag records that have excessively large fluctuations of employment or wage levels.
Because the records flagged by Level 6 edits do not have the large data fluctuations as those

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records flagged by Level 5 edits, they have less of an impact on the macro level data. Five edits
selected for special consideration are given in the following table.
Table 9.1 - Codes and Descriptions for Edit Levels 5 and 6
Level 5 Edit
Code
091
092
093
094
095

Level 6 Edit
Code
126
127
130
131
132

Edit Description
Monthly Employment Change Check
AQW Change Check
Employment Without Wages Check
Wages Without Employment Check
Wages/Employment Sum Check

The employment edits are performed on any month of employment loaded to the file or corrected
on the file. If multiple quarters of data are loaded or edited at one time, then all applicable
quarters need to be edited. In the State system, this may require special runs of the micro edits
for quarters other than the current and immediately prior quarter.

Editing Previous Quarters
The correction policy (described in Section 12.2.3), which is subject to change, includes
updating older data for at least the prior quarter to improve the quality of data and to obtain
better longitudinal information. Editing and updates to back data should be made when:
• Late-reported data are extracted from the UI tax or other source files;
• Reported data replace imputations (estimates);
• Additional predecessor/successor relationships are identified;
• Retroactive records (those that were set up for the older reference period after the fact)
are identified and added to the file;
• Records known to be out-of-business during earlier quarters are inactivated;
• Older data determined to be in error are corrected.
The standard State systems will accept newly extracted or updated data for up to four quarters
earlier than the current processing quarter, although BLS recommends focusing on current and
immediately prior quarter. This is subject to change with changes to the BLS correction policy.
This policy, described in Section 12.2.3, determines which corrected or updated data will be
submitted to BLS-Washington.

9.2.1 Edits for Monthly and Average Employment
The primary monthly employment edit is edit code 091 at Level 5 and code 126 at Level 6.
(WIN-202 uses other codes: 089-091 for each month at Level 5, and 136-138 for each month at
Level 6.) This edit consists of six different tests plus an additional step (step 7) for first month
processing. (Appendix F provides a detailed description, including examples.) The State and

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BLS-Washington systems perform this edit on each month’s employment. The edit flags a
monthly employment value only if the employment value fails all six tests. Whenever one of the
tests cannot be performed due to insufficient data, that test is bypassed and the next test in the
sequence is performed.
The edit applies six tests (one test at a time) to each month of the quarter. At the first occurrence
of a successful test (provided it is one of the first five tests), the month passes the employment
edit.
Beyond the first five tests, however, month 1 is edited slightly differently than months 2 and 3.
If employment data for months 2 or 3 pass the 6th test, those months will pass the edit. On the
other hand, if data for month 1 employment passes (or bypasses) the 6th test, then a 7th test is
performed. (The edit does not apply the 7th test to employment data in months 2 and 3.) If data
for month 1 employment passes the 7th test, then month 1 employment passes the edit.
Otherwise, month 1 employment fails the edit.
In summary, if the monthly employment values for months 1, 2, or 3 pass any of the first five
tests, then employment values for that month pass the edit and the sixth test is not performed. If
a 6th test is necessary, employment values for months 2 and 3 can pass the edit if they pass the 6th
test. This is not so with month 1 employment. If the employment value for month 1 passes (or
bypasses) the 6th test, it must also pass the 7th test to pass the edit.
The seven tests consist of the following comparisons
1. current month to preceding month absolute fluctuation
2. current month to preceding month percent fluctuation
3. current month to preceding month t-test (outlier test)
4. current month to year-ago same month absolute fluctuation
5. current month to year-ago same month percent fluctuation (seasonality test)
6. current month to year-ago same month t-test, and
7. current first month to third month prior quarter (applicable only to month one).
Monthly employment values from the four previous quarters for the same record are not used for
comparison if either of the following occurs:
•

Employment indicator value of M (missing data), N (zero-filled pending resolution of longterm delinquent reporter), or X (non-numeric employment zero-filled pending further action)
in the employment indicator codes, OR

•

Status Code of 2 (inactive), 3 (not submitted on the EQUI file for the reference quarter (used
in the BLS system only)), or 9 (pending).

For the t-test, the editing of updates to previous quarters may involve using data from any of the
historical quarters on the file. The most important consideration when determining which
quarters’ data to use for the t-test is to make sure that 12 months of data are used.

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In addition, edits 093 (Employment Without Wages Check) and 095 (Wages/Employment Sum
Check) flag records that have large employment and no wages and records where the sum of the
employment is equal to the total wages.

Editing Data Changes to Earlier Quarters
To perform the full edit, the system requires that four consecutive quarters of data (consecutive
to the quarter being edited) must reside on the micro file database. If this requirement is not met,
the t-test is not performed. The most important consideration when determining which quarters’
data the system will use for the t-test is that 12 consecutive months of data are available. The
following table summarizes the comparison scheme used in the t-test.
Table 9.2 - Quarters Used for the T-test
Quarters Used
for Comparison
(X)
Current Qtr.
Hist. Qtr. – 1
Hist. Qtr. – 2
Hist. Qtr. – 3
Hist. Qtr. - 4
Hist. Qtr. – 5

Quarter Being Updated and Edited (E)
Hist. Qtr.- 1 Hist. Qtr.- 2 Hist. Qtr.- 3

E
X
X
X
X

X
X
E
X
X

X
X
X
E
X

Hist. Qtr.- 4
X
X
X
X
E

Hist. Qtr.- 5

X
X
X
X
E

Seasonality Test
The updated employment data (the data being edited) must be compared to data from the same
month of the quarter, either four quarters before or four quarters after. This means that the
seasonality test cannot be performed on all quarters in the historical file. The seasonality test is
limited to the current quarter, the quarter immediately preceding the current quarter, the fourth
quarter before the current quarter, and the fifth quarter before the current quarter. (For example,
if the current quarter was 2003/1 and an update was made to 2002/3, the t-test would use data
from 2003/1, 2002/4, 2002/2, and 2002/1 to edit the updated record.). Thus, for updates to the
fourth quarter back and the fifth quarter back, the comparison will be to the quarter that is four
quarters after the updated quarter. For the quarter that immediately precedes the current quarter,
the comparison will be to the quarter that is four quarters earlier than the updated quarter. The
following table summarizes the comparison scheme used in the seasonality test.

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Table 9.3 - Quarter to Use for the Seasonality Test
Quarters
Used for
Comparison
(X)
Current Qtr.
Hist. Qtr.- 1
Hist. Qtr.- 2
Hist. Qtr.- 3
Hist. Qtr.- 4
Hist. Qtr.- 5

Quarter Being Updated and Edited (E)
Hist. Qtr.- 1 Hist. Qtr.- 2 Hist. Qtr.- 3 Hist. Qtr.- 4

Hist. Qtr.- 5

X
X

E

E
X

E

Reviewing Employment Fluctuations
Monthly Employment problems can be broken down into two situations:
• Within-quarter fluctuations
• Between-quarter fluctuations.
Table 9.4 – Example of a Within-Quarter Employment Fluctuation
1st Quarter
Employment

January
152

February
153

March
49

2nd Quarter
Employment

April
151

May
135

June
145

Table 9.5 - Example of a Between-Quarter Employment Fluctuation
1st Quarter
Employment

January
152

February
153

March
150

2nd Quarter
Employment

April
16

May
17

June
12

In both situations, the analyst would take the following actions:
1. Eliminate the possibility that the data have been entered onto the UI file or other source file
incorrectly. UI or source files, and QCR or MWR forms, should be reviewed to see if
keypunch errors have occurred. If data were keyed in error, correct the QCEW micro file.
2. If the data are correct as reported, then the investigation proceeds to determining a cause for
the fluctuation. (The investigation of data fluctuations would include previously-assigned

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comment codes, reporting patterns, EDI Center contacts, news articles, or other resources
discussed in Section 9.9.)
a. In the case of a within quarter fluctuation, it may be an event-driven fluctuation. A brief
layoff, or a seasonal slowdown may be the cause.
b. It may also be an error on the part of the reporter.
3. If a cause cannot be discerned with available resources and an employer contact is initiated,
proceed under the assumption that the data were reported correctly.
a. Approach the respondent seeking a cause for the fluctuation, although it is very possible
that whoever completed the form made an error.
b. Seek to verify the reported data if the respondent indicates that there was no event to
cause a fluctuation.
c. Request verification that the data are correct as reported, if the employer cannot or does
not wish to reveal the cause of the employment fluctuation.

Seasonal Data
For the seasonality test portion of the employment edit, the updated employment data must be
compared to data from the same month from the quarter either four quarters before or four
quarters after the quarter being edited. Thus, for updates to the fourth and fifth quarters back
from the current quarter, the comparison will be to the quarter that is four quarters later (to the
current quarter or to the quarter immediately preceding it). For the quarter that immediately
precedes the current quarter, the comparison will be to the quarter that is four quarters before the
updated quarter. The micro edit calculates a seasonal tolerance that helps prevent seasonal
fluctuating data from being flagged. However, this component is based on only two
observations, the prior year’s employment and the current year's employment, and often a
seasonal fluctuation will cause the record to be flagged for review. Experience will help an
analyst discern which industries have seasons and when the seasons occur. It is likely that the
amount of fluctuation due to seasonal factors will vary from one year to the next, and the analyst
will need to assess each seasonal impact each year.
Example: Each third quarter a strawberry crop is manually harvested and a temporary
employment increase occurs in only a few counties. Weather conditions and crop yield causes
this seasonal event to fluctuate in size, commencement, and duration. Seasonal data are the
hardest to predict and the edit tolerances cannot possibly manage seasonal activity based on the
limited number of observations. This event will be flagged for review on the third quarter edit
and each year the analyst will bypass these same units with a minimum of investigation.
Another factor that makes seasonal data easier to research is the amount of documentation
available. An exceptional strawberry harvest or a crop failure may be noted in the area
newspaper. The QCEW program enjoys the advantage of analyzing economic events that are far
enough past to be somewhat defined and final yet also be recent enough to be common
knowledge.

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Wage Record Reporting, Constant Data, and Other Misunderstandings
Wage record reporting is one type of improper employment reporting in which employers simply
count the number of people on their wage record report, and include all persons who received
any pay during the quarter. Counting checks is another reporting error that can lead to an
overestimate of employment if employees receive multiple checks for the reference period. If
these mistakes are made consistently, they may never be detected. This condition can be
detected when other programs gather similar data and notice inconsistencies between their
reports and the QCEW. Conversely, some reporters will not report employees whose wages
exceed the taxable limit. When contacting a company, be prepared to answer questions about the
Quarterly Contributions Report form and the uses of the data.
Another suspect data situation (sometimes difficult to detect) is the reporting of data as a
constant. While some industries are not as prone to turnover as others are, a large reporter
should generally show some fluctuation. A small reporter may show a constant level (e.g., 12
employees) and could very likely be correct. However, the following data situation should be
investigated:
Table 9.6 - Constant Employment/Varying Wages
Quarter
2002/1
2002/2
2002/3
2002/4
2003/1

M1
1524
1524
1524
1524
1524

M2
1524
1524
1524
1524
1524

M3
1524
1524
1524
1524
1524

Total Wages
11,689,200
9,562,112
14,002,619
17,205,632
16,199,865

A large reporter that does not experience fluctuations should seem very suspicious to an analyst.
Notice that the total wages do fluctuate. While it may be possible to discover the approximate
employment for this unit through other sources, which would be helpful information, an
employer contact will most likely be needed. The respondent probably has some confusion
about how to complete the employment section of the form. The current edits flag these
situations for review. A similar situation that would not be flagged would be a large reporter
with very small or occasional fluctuations. These situations would only be noticed during the
investigation of other flagged elements. In these types of situations, the analyst should pursue
the investigation until they are satisfied with all the reported data.
These reporting errors, and several others, are explored at length in Chapter 15 – Recurring
Coverage and Reporting Problems.

9.2.2 Edits for Total and Average Wages
The total wage edit (edit code 092 at Level 5 and code 127 at Level 6) consists of a large record
edit, two stages, a supplemental edit, and an edit level check. These are preceded by various

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“condition” checks (a pre-edit, small record bypass check, and a check for newly reported
records). Appendix F provides a detailed description with an example. In the large record stage
of the edit, the Total Wages and Average Quarterly Wages (AQW) of the current (edited) and
previous quarter are compared to various parameters. In stage one of the edit, the AQW for the
current (edited) quarter and previous quarter are compared to another parameter. In stage two, a
statistical test is used to compare the current (edited) AQW to the four prior AQWs. The
supplemental edit looks for a significant difference between AQW in the current (edited) and
prior quarter, when employment is at a significant level. The edit level check looks for a
significant difference between AQW in the current (edited) quarter and previous quarter greater
than a calculated parameter. This edit flags the following types of records:
• Records that fail the large record stage
• Records that fail both stage 1 and stage 2
• Records that fail stage 1 and that do not have enough historical data to perform stage 2 or
the supplemental edit.
• Records that fail stage 1, pass stage 2, and fail the supplemental edit.

Previous Quarters
States may sometimes extract or update data up to four quarters earlier than the current
processing quarter (this is subject to change with changes to the BLS correction policy).
However, only five quarters of historical data will be available on the database. Since all updates
should be edited, even four quarters back, the normal micro edits described earlier (see Section
9.2.1) will not have enough historical data available to perform all the tests. Since fewer tests
can be performed, a record has fewer opportunities to pass the edits. This would make updates
to the earliest quarters more likely to flag. Therefore, the system does not restrict the data used
to edit back quarters to data from quarters preceding the quarter being edited. As with the
interquarter employment edit 091/126, the interquarter wage edit 092/127 may also compare the
quarter being edited to quarters that are more recent.

Other Wage Edits
In addition, the State and BLS-Washington systems perform edits 094 (Wages Without
Employment Check) and 095 (Wages/Employment Sum Check) as described in Appendix F.
These edits flag records that have large wages and no employment and records where the sum of
the employment is equal to the total wages.

Reviewing Wage Fluctuations
Since respondents may face legal penalties for incorrectly reporting wages, wage data are less
likely to be incorrect than employment. However, wage data on the tax file may have been
estimated for tax purposes or be incorrect due to human error. In addition, wage data may

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include large bonuses paid to individuals. While not errors, such changes, absent any
explanation, cause concern for users of the wage information.
Taxable wages and contributions may be derived numbers and usually do not require
investigation. In the third and fourth quarters, contributions may decline because the maximum
taxable level has been reached by a majority of employees. Taxable wages and contributions
may be reported incorrectly by employers due to confusion about the maximum taxable level.
Overall, wage data changes usually reflect employment data changes. If the level of employees
increases, the wages should also increase, usually at a lower rate as new hires are at a lower wage
scale. A decrease in employment should also result in a decrease in wages; however, severance
and vacation pay may distort this relationship.
The relationship between monthly employment and the quarterly wages is very elastic.
Employment is measured as those who worked or received pay for the pay period that includes
the 12th of the month. The key thing to note is pay period. Pay periods can be weekly, biweekly, and monthly. Using the within-quarter data from Table 9.4 (Within Quarter
Employment Fluctuation) and assuming a bi-weekly pay period, suppose the period of low
employment in March began February 13 and ended April 12, resulting in a period of low
employment spanning nine weeks. Because the employment was normal on the 12th of February
and the 13th of April, only March would reflect the low employment level. Compare this event
to a period of low employment from March 1 to 15, a two-week period. Both situations would
result in the same employment data but with very different wage data.
To further illustrate:
Sample Monthly Activity of a Reporter for the First Quarter

Under normal conditions the employer has 100 employees and pays each exactly $100 dollars
per day. The normal Quarterly Contributions Report, QCR, for 1st quarter would state:
M1
100

M2
100

M3
100

Total Wages
$640,000 (64 work days (Mon-Fri), 100 employees, $100 per day)

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Sample Monthly Activity: Situation 1
A layoff occurs on the 5th of January and lasts until the 31st. The QCR would state:
M1
100

M2
100

M3
100

Total Wages
$450,000 (45 work days, 100 employees, $100 per day)

The four-week layoff would not be reflected in the employment level because the definition of
employment includes all employees who worked or received pay during the pay period that
includes the 12th of the month, and we assumed a bi-weekly pay period. The level of pay is
the only indication of an economic event.
A more extreme example would be a layoff that began the 5th of January and ended the 23rd of
February. The QCR would state:
M1
100

M2
100

M3
100

Total Wages
$280,000 (28 work days, 100 employees, $100 per day)

Sample Monthly Activity: Situation 2
Due to a scheduled retooling of production machinery, a temporary partial shutdown during
which only ten maintenance employees worked occurs from February 1st to the 16th. In
anticipation of the shutdown, the employer scheduled additional 8-hour shifts of ½ the workforce
for January, paying overtime to employees. No new employees were hired. In addition, a
$10,000 bonus was paid to the plant manager. The QCR would state:
M1
100

M2
10

M3
100

Total Wages
$695,000 (52 work days, 100 employees, $100 per day + 22 work
days, 50 employees, $150 per day + manager’s bonus)

As illustrated earlier, the within quarter employment fluctuation would look very much like a
keypunch error. The point this example should illustrate is that wages may not follow
employment trends, but the normal behavior of employment rising and wages following or
employment falling and wages decreasing is more likely to be observed.

Other Simple Observations About Employment and Wage Patterns
New hires are usually paid less and are the first to be let go.
This is why employment’s decrease can be more severe than the wages.
New employees may start employment on any day of the quarter.
If an employee was hired on the last day of the pay period including the 12th, the employee
would be included in the employment total for that month and all wages earned until the end of

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the quarter would be included in Total Wages. While a single employee would not make much
difference, this kind of situation can have a cumulative effect on the data.
Bonuses are a very common occurrence in all industries.
These events may or may not follow a seasonal pattern, and may or may not recur. They are
very disruptive of data patterns and can be difficult to research. A review of the wage record of a
reporter, if the research unit has access to this information, can help determine if bonuses were
paid. Wage information is usually considered privileged and the employer may not wish to
discuss it over the telephone. It is important to remember when contacting a company that there
is no way for them to know that you are actually a State employee performing statistical
verification and not another party using deception to gather personal information.

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9.3 Address Editing: At Least One Clean Address
Problems in Non-Quarterly Data
Non-quarterly data problems are less complex in nature, but may have a direct and immediate
impact on in-house data users. Consequently, these data users are more likely to ask questions
and offer information. Unfortunately, the contact person for one program may not be supplying
the same information as the contact for the QCEW program. For this reason, some solutions to
non-quarterly data problems may not be usable or may not even be valid.
During the micro edit, the analyst will find situations where units have been incorrectly coded or
addressed. While the correction of industry codes follow specific guidelines (see Chapter 2 Assigning and Updating the Classification Codes), address corrections should be made
immediately.

Address Edits (070)
The edit reviews up to three address blocks per record. These address blocks are field specific
on the micro and EQUI files.
1. Physical Location Address
2. Mailing/Other Address
3. UI Address
The edit requires only one to be usable. Each address field is examined separately, then blocked
together as an individual address, and then compared to determine if any meets all editing
requirements. An address block is defined by the following six components:
• Street Address Line - 1,
• Street Address Line - 2,
• City, State, Zip Code, and Zip Code Extension.
If at least one address block passes the edits, then all flags are counted but only a limited number
of fields will be listed for review (only where appropriate). If none of the address blocks pass
the edits, then the system assigns I-error 070 and lists all three addresses. This allows all address
information to be available for review so that the address problems can be resolved for that
record. The address data elements do not affect macro edits or the various uses of economic
data.
All of the address fields are edited separately, and fields, other than zip code fields, that contain
all zeroes are blanked out. (The address zip code and the address zip code extension are blanked
out only if all other address fields are blank.) For the record to pass the address block edit, just
one address block has to pass the edits. An address block will pass the edit only if all of the
fields in the address block pass the edit. This will ensure at least one usable address.
Information about addresses that do not pass the edits will be given in the counts/listings. For

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multi-unit accounts, the master address should be copied to subunits that do not have useable
addresses.
Federal addresses are not edited, therefore the system first determines if the ownership is Federal
government (Ownership code of 1).

Large Record Without Usable PLA Check (Edit 088)
To pass this edit, records must contain a full Physical Location address that can be geocoded. To
test for usability and the ability to geocode the Physical Location Address, the system examines
each address field separately, then blocks the fields together as an individual address, and then
compares the blocked address to determine if it meets all editing requirements.
This edit will flag a record with significant employment if either of the following conditions is
met.
• All of the PLA fields are blank or missing.
• The record’s PLA is flagged for any other PLA edit (edit 102, 103, 104, or 114).
Further details on edit 088 can be found in Appendix F.

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9.4 Multi-Establishment Editing
The Level 8 multi-establishment edits screen reporters who have multiple establishments
(multiple reporting units with the same UI Account Number). The system first identifies the
reporter as a multi-establishment via the Multi Establishment Employer Indicator (MEEI) Code.
Employers with multiple locations should report data using the Multiple Worksite Report
(MWR), or report their MWR data centrally to the EDI Center (their MWR data are transmitted
quarterly to the State by the EDI Center) or quarterly via MWRweb. MWR reporting units
appear in the micro edits in the same manner as individual reporters, and are generally edited in
the same manner in the other edit levels.
The MWR data from the current quarter can be easily compared with the data from the previous
quarter. In this manner, sites that have “disappeared” or have relocated can be identified. The
discontinued locations may have been sold to another employer (another UI account), who either
does not break out data in the same manner or may be reporting them incorrectly. Once a multiestablishment account is identified, there arises the need to differentiate each individual unit. To
accomplish this, each individual unit carries a unique identifier, the Reporting Unit Number
(RUN). Several of the multi-establishment edits use RUNs in combination with the MEEI Code
to verify that multi-unit accounts are properly configured: the account should contain one master
record representing the account as a whole, and at least two subunit (worksite) records.

Multi Establishment Employer Indicator
The MEEI is a required, quarterly code that distinguishes between records for single units, multiunit master records, and subunits of a multi-establishment employer. State QCEW staff assigns
this code. There is no State default value.
The MEEI code has six valid values:
1 = Single establishment unit
2 = Multi-unit master record
3 = Subunit establishment level record for a multi-unit employer
4 = Multi-establishment employer reporting as a single unit due to unavailability
of data, including refusals
5 = A subunit record on the State's file that actually represents a combination
of two or more establishments Finer level breakouts not yet available.
6 = Known multi-establishment employer reporting as a single unit and not
solicited for disaggregation because of small employment (< 10) in all secondary
establishments combined

Reporting Unit Number
The Reporting Unit Number (RUN) is a 5-digit number used to uniquely distinguish worksites of
a multi-unit account, and is a key (identifying) field for every reporting unit. The RUN is
required but non-quarterly. State staff assigns the RUN for new worksites with multi-unit

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accounts. Single and master records are assigned zeros (00000) as part of the extract process.
Most State UI tax files do not include a reporting unit number field, as defined by BLS. In these
cases, the Reporting Unit Number should be zero filled when extracting single and master
accounts from the tax files.
The valid RUN values for single and master units are 00000. Subunits (worksites) must have
RUN values greater than 00000. RUNs for subunits of the same UI Number must be assigned
sequentially, but not reused. When a multi-unit account is set up for the first time, the first
subunit must have a RUN of 00001, and the number for each additional subunit must increase by
1. For example, a UI account with three subunits will have them numbered 00001, 00002, and
00003. Gaps in the numbering system may occur over time due to units going out of business or
being sold.
The Level 8 edits require the RUN of each record to be consistent with the MEEI. Records with
MEEI of 1 (single), 2 (master), 4, (multi reporting as single), or 6 (multi not solicited) should
have a Reporting Unit Number of 00000. Records with MEEI of 3 (subunit) or 5 (combined
subunit) should have a Reporting Unit Number greater than 00000. RUN 99999 should not be
assigned since it is reserved for use in the predecessor/successor ID fields to indicate that the
predecessor or successor is not unique.
If an “orphan” occurs (where a multi-establishment account or family terminates all units but
one, leaving a single, surviving worksite), use RUN 00000 for the remaining unit. Assign the
correct MEEI Code (typically MEEI 1). Since the account should already have a master record
whose RUN is 00000, the record for the orphaned subunit (whose RUN is greater than 00000)
should be inactivated, and its data should be assigned to the RUN 00000 record for the current
quarter. The MEEI code of the RUN 00000 record should be changed from 2 to 1 in the current
quarter. To assist in longitudinal record linkage, the RUN 00000 record (which now represents
the surviving worksite) should have a predecessor UI Number and RUN pointing to the
inactivated record that used to carry its data. In addition, the inactivated orphan may be assigned
a successor UI Number and RUN pointing to the RUN 00000 record.

Consistent EINs and Ownership Codes
The Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is assigned by the IRS to each employer
(corresponding to each UI account). All units in the account should therefore carry the same
EIN. The Ownership Code indicates the legal proprietorship of the enterprise (the UI account),
and therefore all units in the account must carry the same Ownership Code. These relationships
are enforced by Level 8 I-error edits.

Indian Tribal Councils
For those accounts that are true Indian Tribal Councils, all units in the account should have a
Special Indicator value of T. This relationship is also enforced by Level 8 I-error edits.

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Additivity
In multi-unit accounts, the master record (with MEEI 2 and RUN 00000) corresponds to the
Quarterly Contribution Report (QCR) – it represents the UI account as a whole, as the employer
reports data to the State UI program. The subunits, taken as a whole, represent the UI account as
the employer reports to the QCEW program on the MWR or to the EDI Center or via MWRweb.
The economic data on the QCR should equal the economic data on the MWR, and the combined
data of the subunits should equal the data on the master record. The Additivity/Balance Edits
(171-176) of Level 8 ensure this relationship. The combined data of the subunits for
employment, total wages, taxable wages, and contributions should equal the master record data.
When the data are out of balance by more than a small tolerance, the UI account will fail the
additivity edits. Subunits (worksites) may be missing from the MWR or may be duplicated.
There may be keypunch errors on the MWR or the QCR form. When additivity flags occur, take
appropriate measures (similar to those discussed in Section 9.2.1 for reviewing employment
fluctuations), such as the following:
• Verify keypunching.
• Review resources (see Section 9.9).
• Contact the EDI Center, if they provided the data.
• Contact the employer.

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9.5 Using Wage Records in Editing
A wage record is the sum of an individual employee’s wages for the quarter, as included on the
QCR. Wage record edits should be run in the State if the data are accessible. They should be
run either with the other edits, on a lagged basis when most of the information would be
available, or periodically to capture potential reporting problems. These edits help to identify
reporting problems that are frequently missed by other edits when the data normally do not
fluctuate from month to month or over time. Wage records are not provided to BLSWashington, and these edits are not performed by the BLS-Washington system.
Wage records are individual records of employees who have worked for an employer during a
business quarter. In most States, employers are required by law to report wage records to the
respective State UI program for all UI-covered employees. Because wage records account for all
employees paid during a business quarter, they may or may not reflect the number of employees
an employer has during the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Due to the potential
of wage records to exceed the employment during that pay period, they are only used for hand
imputations and for comparison of data.
Wage records may be used to impute data for the following items:
• First Month Employment
• Second Month Employment
• Third Month Employment
• Total Wages
All seven wage record edits issue W-flags. These Level 9 edits are fully described in Appendix
F. Each wage record edit will be bypassed if any of these conditions are met:
• The wage record count or wage record wage is zero or invalid
• MEEI = 3 or 5 (the record is a subunit)
• Type of Coverage = 1, 3, 8, or 9 (the account is reimbursable or is not UI covered)
• Ownership = 1 (Federal)
• The wage records are not available.
Table 9.7 - Wage Record Edits
Edit Code
191
192
193
194
195
196
197

Edit Message
Questionable Wage Record Count
Questionable Wage Record Wages
First Month EMPL > Wage Record Count
Second Month EMPL > Wage Record Count
Third Month EMPL > Wage Record Count
All Months Employment = Wage Record Count
Total Wages Vary From Wage Records

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9.6 Using BLS Comment Codes
The QCEW and Current Employment Statistics (CES) programs have created a joint set of
comment codes to explain fluctuations and unusual economic and noneconomic occurrences in
the data. These standard comment codes and their meanings are fully listed in Appendix I.
Assigning QCEW comment codes simplifies the review of edit listings by the State and BLS.
Comment codes should explain fluctuations or changes in the data that cause current quarter
records to be flagged as questionable. After the State EQUI files are submitted to BLS, BLS
provides the comment codes to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), along with QCEW
macro data, to assist in the preparation of BEA’s personal income estimates. Comment codes
can also be an important reference by BLS survey users seeking to understand a data fluctuation
or abnormality.
The standard BLS QCEW comment codes can only be applied to micro records. Assign the
comment code(s) which best explains the reason or cause of the fluctuation/change in the
specific data element(s) or record. Comment codes should not be used in lieu of addressing
issues regarding the proper and accurate reporting of data.
States have the option of using up to three standard comment codes on a micro record. A 57position narrative comment field is also available for each micro record for use when the
standard comment codes are not applicable or sufficient. A narrative can be used to provide
specific supporting or supplemental information about flagged reporting units that have
significant employment, or data changes that are especially significant or unusual. At least one
numerical comment code should accompany a narrative comment. A numerical comment of 99
should be used along with the narrative if no other numerical codes are assigned.
Comment codes are grouped and based on the data elements most affected by the change. States
should, however, use the comment code(s) which best explains the data fluctuation regardless of
its grouping. Comment codes are grouped according to the following list:
• Employment shifts
• Pay shifts
• Hours, time and vacation issues
• External factors
• Secondary effects
• Environmental legislation
• Defense-related codes
• Temporary codes
• State specific CES codes
• Tax and coverage changes
• Coding and classification changes
• Reporting issues
• Data verification

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Using standard comment codes to explain reporting issues (comment codes 82-93) does not
preclude the proper coding and processing of accurately reported data. Comment codes are
helpful, however, in clarifying or highlighting particular reporting issue changes (e.g., mergers,
predecessor/successor transactions, or changes in the basis of reporting) for those accessing the
data or researching the relationship between worksites. Appendix I includes a number of
comment codes relating to business and reporting issues.
Comment code 95, data verified using CES, should be used with caution. CES and QCEW data
can differ significantly. University, hospital, and railroad employment, for example, are not
comparable between the two data sources; hence, the use of comment code 95 would be
inappropriate to verify fluctuations in these industries. It is most appropriate when used to verify
the micro data for a unit or firm that is also a CES reporter.
Comment code 98, Data Verified/Accepted by EDIC, must not be assigned by States. This code
is reserved for use by the EDI Center, for use on reporting units of centrally collected employers.
When the EDI Center has assigned comment code 98, States that properly load the MWR files
provided by the EDI Center will have this code on their micro file, and the EQUI file will
provide this code to BLS-Washington.
BLS strongly recommends that States send supplemental narrative material to their regional
office if significant data shifts affect numerous records. For example, State unemployment
insurance coverage changes affecting the definition of covered wages or employees can result in
notable data shifts affecting large numbers of macro cells. A specific example of this would be a
change to exclude from wages employer contributions to certain types of pension plans, which
had previously been considered covered wages, resulting in a broad decrease in wage levels. A
change in unemployment insurance coverage or a new interpretation of existing laws for classes
of employees such as parochial school employees, poll workers, or the status of religious
institution workers, are also examples when such documentation would be beneficial.
Comment Code Examples
Some examples of comment code usage are listed below. This is not a complete and exhaustive
list.
Comment
Code
Situation
If a new unit that did not exist before begins operations, code the unit...

85

If a multi-establishment account sells or closes all but one of its sub-units (the
master record becomes a single), code the single…

00

If a single or multi reporter begins reporting data after an extensive period of
imputed, prorated or inaccurate data, and the employment and wages are
noticeably different, code the single or master and sub-units ….

48

If a unit that previously reported in a different State, begins newly reporting in
State, code the unit…

17

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Comment
Code

If a record that previously reported aggregated data begins reporting sub-unit or
disaggregated data, AND
a. if disaggregation causes a change in industry code or county code, code
the master record...

90

b. code the disaggregated sub-units that do not experience a change in the
industry or county code...

90

c. code the disaggregated sub-units that will change industry or county
codes in the first quarter...

90

If a new unit of a multi-establishment reporter
a. begins operations that did not exist before AND
b. has not previously reported its employment and wages data as part of
another unit of the multi, then code the new unit...

85

If a unit of a multi-establishment reporter
a. begins reporting separately AND
b. previously reported its employment and wages data as part of another
unit of the multi, then code the unit...

90

(Separately reported units should not experience any non-economic code
changes as a result of this reporting change until first quarter.)
If a unit no longer provides disaggregated sub-unit data,
a. AND if aggregation or collapse of the multi-establishment breakout
causes a change in industry code or county code for any sub-unit portion
of the multi-establishment, then code the sub-unit record (if available)...
b. code the collapsed MEEI 4 record...
(Multis should not be collapsed outside of the first quarter if data will
change industry or county codes. Data should be prorated until first
quarter.)
If a single unit is bought by a new owner who did not previously operate in the
State, code the new unit...

91
91

93

If a single unit is bought by a new owner who already had existing operations
in the State,
a. code the master record of the purchasing account (successor) as an
establishment merger...
b. code the selling account (predecessor)…

93, 89
93

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

Situation
c. code each sub-unit (only if employment level for the sum of the
secondary subunits is 10 or more)…

Page 9-27

Comment
Code

93

i. set up a multi-establishment breakout effective with the quarter of the
purchase if the purchasing account (successor) was previously a
single unit.
OR
ii. add the purchased unit to the multiple worksite report (MWR)
effective with the quarter of the purchase, if the purchasing account
(successor) was previously a multi-establishment reporter.
(Purchased units should not experience any noneconomic code changes as
a result of the purchase until first quarter.)
If a new owner who did not previously operate in the State purchases a
multi-establishment account, code the master and each sub-unit of the successor
and predecessor…
(The successor should continue to report the breakout and the purchased
multi-establishment account should not experience any noneconomic code
changes as a result of the purchase.)
If a new owner who already had existing operations in the State purchases a
multi-establishment account, code the purchasing account (successor) as an
establishment merger...
Code each sub-unit and the successor's pre-existing unit (that should now
be set up as a sub-unit)…

93

93, 89
93

i. Set up a multi-establishment breakout effective with the quarter of the
purchase if the purchasing account (successor) was previously a
single unit.
OR
ii. Add the purchased sub-units to the successor's MWR effective with
the quarter of the purchase if the purchasing account (successor) was
previously a multi-establishment reporter.
(The sub-units previously owned by the purchaser should not be assigned
reporting issue comment codes relating to the merger. Purchased units
should not experience any noneconomic code changes as a result of the
purchase.)
If employment changes within an individual unit or sub-unit resulting from an
internal reorganization,
a. code a resulting increases in employment...

13

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

Situation
b. code a resulting decrease in employment...
If a multi-establishment account sells one or more (but not all) sub-units, code
the master record of the predecessor...

Page 9-28

Comment
Code
12
92

a. code the sold sub-unit(s) of the predecessor...

93

b. code the purchased sub-unit(s) [can be either a newly set up sub-unit(s)
or a predecessor/successor transaction]…

93

(The sold sub-units should not experience any noneconomic code changes
as a result of the sale.)
If a single unit or a sub-unit sells a portion of its operations or business to a new
account,
a. code the predecessor unit (depending on the circumstances involved in
the reporting change) as a dissolution…

88, 92

b. code the purchasing unit as a merger...

89, 92

c. code new sub-units as breakouts...

93

If an account shifts employment from one unit to another within the same
account,
a. AND if the sub-unit(s) involved existed before, and there was no
significant change in scope, code the respective intra-account (firm)
transfers as...

15

b. if a sub-unit is eliminated as a result of the intra-account (firm) transfer,
code both the unit absorbing the employment and/or operations and the
eliminated unit(s)…

15

c. if sub-unit(s) are added as a result of the intra-account (firm) transfer,
code both the new unit(s) and the unit(s) losing employment as an intraaccount (firm) transfer...

15

If an employer eliminates a large percentage of jobs, laying off many people
while downsizing operations, code the record...

12

If most employees of a unit go on strike against the employer, code the record
as a strike...

08

If most employees of a unit go on strike and the employer hires replacement
workers at lower pay, code the record as having an increased percentage of
lower-paid workers...

08, 22

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

Situation

Page 9-29

Comment
Code

If an employer moves an established business into the State from another State,
code the record as moved into State...

17

If an employer moves an established business into the State from another
country, code the record as new business...

85

If an employer lays off employees
a. because it is the end of a seasonal operation, code the record as a
seasonal decrease...

02

b. while retooling the assembly line, code the record as a conversion or
retooling...

10

c. during a shutdown while remodeling, code the record as conversion or
remodeling...

10

d. when the operations failed a health and safety inspection, code the
record as a temporary shutdown...

09

c. because of less demand for goods or services, code the record as less
business...

04

f. without notice but the impact of the layoff can be verified by reports in
the local news media, even when no reason is given, code the record as
a layoff...

07

If an employer lays off the employees as the firm enters bankruptcy, code the
record as bankrupt...

12

If an employer resumes operations after being inactivated or coded out of
business and the employer is reassigned the old account, code the record as
reactivated...

87

If an employer ceases to report the majority of the employment, turning over
that responsibility to an employee leasing firm/Professional Employer
Organization (PEO), code the original firm and the new unit as switched to
employee leasing...

83

If an increase in Total Wages for an account is reflected in data on the wage
records, code the record as showing a general pay increase...

97

If employment and wages increase significantly for units of an employer in a
volatile industry, and that employer reports through the EDI Center, the EDI
Center will assign the code...
(Note: ONLY the EDI Center may assign comment code 98.)

98

December 2004

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-30

9.7 Setting the Parameters
Parameters are included in the edits to ensure efficient use of State resources without a negative
impact on data quality. Parameters are also used to identify which records to either edit or
bypass. Such parameters are usually included to allow data with a negligible impact to either be
bypassed, suppressed, overridden, or blanked out, depending on the individual situation. For
instance, if a unit has low average monthly employment and the telephone number is not valid,
the telephone number is currently blanked out by the BLS-Washington system.
Many of the micro and macro level specifications include parameters (parms) and tolerances. To
determine reasonableness, most data elements are compared to other data elements or to the
same data element over time. Tolerances are used to allow a reasonable amount of leeway
between the "expected" value for a data element and the value actually reported or imputed.
Data elements that have a limited, known set of values (e.g., Ownership Code) are edited to
check for exact matches. Other data elements, such a Trade Name, are alpha-numeric and can
contain any value.

State Integrated Edit vs. BLS-Washington Integrated Edit
All edits run by BLS-Washington are expected to have been run by States. The editing of
summed micro data is based on a number of constants and tolerances. State systems allow users
to tighten these tolerances beyond the BLS-Washington default levels to suit the needs of the
State. EQUI files sent to BLS-Washington always include a header record that gives the editing
parameter and tolerance values used by the State. The rate used to compute the amount of
employee contributions collected is also provided as a parameter on the EQUI header record.
Although States can modify their parameters and tolerances each quarter, only the parameters
and tolerances used for their most recent processing are submitted on the header record. The
State systems only maintain the most current parameters, and they are applied to all data
processed until they are changed. Any revisions to the parameters and tolerances should
continue to respect the need for data quality.
BLS-Washington parameters and tolerances are never tighter than those of the State, unless the
State has set theirs above acceptable levels (above the default values shown in Appendix H).
BLS-Washington parameters are higher than or equal to State default values, since this allows
BLS-Washington edit listings (described in Section 13.2.3) to identify the most serious data
conditions (conditions most in need of correction or explanation).

Recommendations
States should consider these points when setting their editing parameters and tolerances:
1. Set edit parameters based on data quality standards.

December 2004

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Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-31

The distribution of work, the number of staff to review the material, and the tools available to
facilitate the review all impact the editing results. Setting parameters/tolerances to smaller
values may cause more records to flag than can be effectively reviewed; this can lead to
significant errors being overlooked.
2. Set employment and wage edit parameters to identify potential problems for micro records
with significant employment and wage levels. In addition, set these edits to capture problems
in the published macro levels.
Micro level data are frequently used for sampling and solicitation by other BLS programs.
These data are also used to compare reporting practices between CES respondents and the
QCR or MWR reports to resolve reporting problems. Macro level data are published and
released by BLS to various users at levels as detailed as industry, county, ownership, and
occasionally size class.
3. Prioritize review of critical non-quarterly data based on the needs of data users.
Some non-quarterly fields are of greater importance than others. For instance if one useable
address already exists on most records but the identification of EINs is below acceptable
levels, it is more important to strive for better EIN information than to seek out supplemental
address information. By setting small parameter/tolerance values for EIN edits, the States
can focus on this important data element. See Section 13.3.2 for more detail on edit
priorities.

December 2004

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Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-32

9.8 Determining the Research Needed
The first extract will usually include the most records with incorrect data. The optimum goal of
the review is to investigate each flagged record and either verify the data as correct or to replace
it with correct data. Due to time constraints, this level of investigation may not be achievable.
Analysts must apportion their time to the records that are most significant and most likely
incorrect. As the analyst progresses through the edit, they will constantly have to reassess
progress and target completion date. Investigation of records may proceed faster or slower than
initially expected and the analyst will adjust the effort expended per record accordingly. The
decision to terminate or continue investigation is necessary because of the time frame within
which the analyst must work. Analysts have to maximize the effect of their review by using
judgment in deciding which records to investigate and to what degree this investigation
progresses.

Suspect Data Situations: Missing Data or Missing Reports
The first extract will contain the most records with missing data items or missing reports. The
majority of these will be received and processed sometime within the quarter or additional data
will be received as a result of the mailout of missing data notices. Machine-generated estimates
of delinquent accounts may be made at a later stage of QCEW processing as discussed in
Chapter 8. The analyst must review these machine estimates and determine whether to use the
machine estimate or replace with a hand (manual) estimate. The system will not estimate
missing data indefinitely, and significant reporters who are missing for extended periods, but still
in operation, may have to be manually estimated until a report is received or contact is made with
the company.
Estimates should always be replaced with employer-supplied data when it becomes available.
This does not lessen the importance of editing the estimated data because the units may be
undergoing transition, or the employers may not understand how to complete the quarterly
report. To put it simply, a report missing data obviously has problems and identifying which
reports have problems is the purpose of the edit.

More Suspect Data Situations: Data Does not Correspond with Prior Reports
If the current quarter’s data are incorrect, it can be corrected during the quarter. However, if the
prior quarter’s data are incorrect, then back quarters must be addressed. Significant back quarter
corrections will impact other programs, especially CES. These users must be made aware of
these back quarter corrections.
Although it should be the goal of each State to deliver the most accurate data possible on the
quarterly deliverable EQUI, the need to make corrections to back quarter data will always exist

December 2004

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Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-33

to some extent given the volume of data records being processed. Generally there are two causes
for back quarter corrections:
•

The record did not flag on the past quarter’s edit but did flag on the current quarter’s edit.
The current quarter’s data are actually correct, but it is discovered that the prior quarter’s
data are not.

•

The record may have been flagged for review on the prior quarter’s edit and may have
resulted in an employer contact. The employer’s response may have not been received
until after that quarter’s cleanup date.

Some amounts and types of back quarter corrections are a normal part of the quarterly edit and
do not negatively reflect on the research efforts of the analyst.

December 2004

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Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-34

9.9 Resources for Researching Suspect Data
Each State has its own methods and resources for researching data events. Variations in UI laws,
computer systems, communications between programs and agencies, and even the physical
characteristics of the State are reflected in these review procedures. There are some common
resources and methods. This chapter can serve to guide the State analyst by describing, in
general terms, the procedures to follow while investigating suspect data.
Examples of resources and their format:
Quarterly Contributions Report

Electronic or paper

Multiple Worksite Report

Electronic or paper

Annual Refiling Survey

Electronic or paper

CES reporters

BLS form 790 or CES data file

State QCEW micro file database

Electronic record of establishment history

UI database

The State agency’s repository of UI-related data

Tax documents

Forms used to create new accounts, transfer
accounts, or change existing accounts (part sales,
additional business etc.)

Wage Record Database

The State agency’s repository of wage record
data

EDI Center

Email, for centrally collected employers

Internet

Search engines by name, product, or service
(See Appendix T – Useful Links and References)

Telephone contact

Employer or local Unemployment Insurance
office

Other research programs

Be aware of special projects or program
developments that may supply data or insight
into industries

Newspaper articles, Yellow and White
pages, and business directories

Internet or paper

With experience, the analyst will develop a methodical routine for researching different data
situations. The first step is to verify the data from the source document and the final step should
be contacting the employer directly.

December 2004

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-35

Other BLS/State Programs
The employer's contact person for one program may not be supplying the same information as
the contact person for the QCEW program.
This can create conflict between QCEW and other programs. Some conflicts between programs
are due to differences in program definitions and concepts. Analysts should be aware of these
differences and accommodate them to the best of their ability while adhering to QCEW program
concepts. Direct conflict between employer-supplied information when there is no conflict in
program definitions should be investigated and resolved in the State agency. This requires
cooperation between program analysts and a willingness to accept information from other
programs.

Employer Contact
This is by far the most difficult part of the analyst’s job. Although a phone number and the name
of a contact person are available, that person may not be able to answer your questions. It is not
unusual to talk to several different people before a data question can be resolved. This can be
very frustrating and time-consuming. When contacting an employer, the analyst must remember
that they are representing not just their agency, but the entire State government. If an analyst
encounters resistance to their inquiries, the fault could lie with an unfavorable impression formed
during an earlier contact – an impression that can be overcome or improved by acting in a
courteous and professional manner. Although an occasional negative experience can be
expected, it is more normal that the employer will answer your questions, and will have a
positive opinion of the experience.

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

December 2004

Page 9-36

9.10 Resolution of Suspect Records
The investigation of suspect data will be an ongoing process from the first micro edit until the
submission of the quarterly file. When making a correction, it is important to only replace
suspect reported data with data from a verifiable source. Again, the analyst’s judgment plays a
large part in this decision. These decisions may have to be reviewed throughout the edit. To
facilitate this effort, good documentation procedures should be developed.

Documentation
During the edit process, meticulous care must be given to documenting the research performed
on a file and to the corrections made on the file. This will save time when you have to answer
inquires from other analysts and in working future quarters. The documentation may consist of
only the name of a company or contact, date, address, or brief remarks but should be made in a
consistent, legible manner so that a data situation can be explained without too much personal
recall. There is not enough time to document every detail of a data event the analyst researches,
so document enough to backtrack the editing steps which will support the data. Using comment
codes as a shorthand facilitates this well.
Additional documentation may be recorded in the Narrative Comment field, where the
information would be useful to BLS reviewers or other data users. The standard State systems
also include note fields on their micro files, which are not copied to the EQUI file. Use a note
field for helpful information that does not address data issues (for example, specific information
about the employer contact).
An example using the previous data:
UI 123456789
M1
100

M2
10

Cty 123
M3
100

Own 5

Total Wages Taxable Wages
$687,500
$450,000

NAICS 316212
Contribution
$25,000

Called 05/10, Talked to Rita Book, Chf Acct (909)999-9999, OT in Jan,
Feb Layoff for retooling, 1 employee Bonus = $10,000
or 05/10, Rita Book, Chf Acct (909)999-9999 cc 27-M1, cc 10-M2, & cc

31-10k

This notation would be adequate for an event of normal significance. For larger or more unusual
events, more detail should be included. In the example, comment codes were preceded by a “cc”
to distinguish them from other numerical details.

December 2004

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-37

Other examples of annotation for normal data events:

Closed 7/10
or cc 86 7/10

Business was closed on July 10th.

Prior qtr data in
error, rptd cor.

Data reported incorrectly for prior quarters; it is
now being reported correctly. Back quarter
corrections may or may not be available.

OOB Q3
or cc 86 Q3

Unit was Out of Business in the 3rd Quarter.

Correction:
Emp M1 and T.Wages
Emp cont: Ida Nough 6/8

Notation of a correction and source.

cc 31, 7/10
Higher than normal
bonuses paid

Total wages verified, including substantially
higher bonuses paid.

cc 03, 7/12
Added another
shift of workers

Employment increase due to more business and
added another shift.

cc 99, 7/15
Privatizing parts
of govt operations

Employment decrease due to privatizing
(contracting out) half of employment operations
(mailroom and billing).

While it is up to the analyst to be able to decipher their own notes, some effort should be made
so that all analysts are able to retrace the others' steps. Common methods would also aid in
training new analysts.

Closing a File
Normally the investigation of records results in either a correction or documentation of
anomalous data. At the time of the submittal of the quarterly EQUI file, it is expected that all
data are clean – corrected or updated with comments. Remaining questionable data will be
identified by the BLS edit and are to be corrected or commented on during the cleanup period.
However, it is possible that some questions are not resolved by that time. An accurate correction
may not be possible until the following quarter, or later. This can be frustrating to an analyst
who wishes to “finish” a quarter and submit a “clean” file. The analyst must understand that
they are seeking to achieve the highest level of quality in the allotted time using every means
available.

December 2004

QCEW Operating Manual
Editing Micro Data in the States

Page 9-38

9.11 Improving Data Quality
Although the edit review process will continuously undergo refinement and improvement, it will
always require the analyst’s judgment. Throughout the micro edit, the analyst will use his/her
own discretion, based on past experience in reviewing the industry or individual account, to
decide if the suspect record warrants further investigation or can be bypassed.
These are examples of the kinds of familiarity an analyst gains through editing:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Seasonal events such as harvests, tourism, holidays, hunting seasons, and layoffs
Industry employment and wage patterns
Industry locations
General growth or decline of industries
Emerging industries
Related industries, and the nature of their relationship
Opening or closings of specific sites
Past telephone contacts
Experiences with other reporters in the same industry
General economic conditions

By working the quarterly files, in conjunction with the annual refiling, an analyst is exposed to
nearly every facet of the State’s economy. With each quarter’s edit, the analyst will accumulate
background knowledge that contributes greatly to the overall quality of the data.

QCEW Operating Manual
Macro File and the Integrated Edit

July 2003

Page 10-1

Chapter 10 – Macro File and the Integrated Edit
The standard State systems (EXPO-202 and WIN-202) and the BLS-Washington system all
generate macro files from their micro data. The integrated edit screens basic macro file cells for
reasonable levels of aggregated economic data, while applying similar editing to the micro
records that make up the cells. Since the macro file depends on the micro data, the integrated
edit promotes the resolution of questionable data encountered on the macro records by
associating the flagged macro data with specific micro records. Macro records cannot be
corrected independently, but must be corrected by making adjustments to the micro records.
Where the suspect data are verified as accurate, they should be explained by assigning comment
codes (and sometimes narrative comments) to the most applicable micro records.
The States also generate macro data summary files and send copies to their regional office. The
States, BLS-Washington, and the regional offices review these data files to find questionable
large data fluctuations at the statewide level by various industry aggregates for all ownership
codes.

------------------------- Contents of Chapter 10 ------------------------10.1 Aggregating Reporting Units by County, Ownership, and Industry Codes
10.2 Macro Level of the Integrated Edit
10.3 Code Changes and Macro Data
10.3.1 Code Change Integration for Noneconomic Code Changes
10.3.2 Other Code Changes
10.4 Macro Data Review

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Macro File and the Integrated Edit

Page 10-2

10.1 Aggregating Reporting Units by County, Ownership,
and Industry Codes
Micro data in the QCEW program are reported at the establishment level. Each record – each
reporting unit – on the State micro database typically represents one establishment. Reporting
Unit Numbers (RUNs) are assigned to each micro record, and RUNs must be unique within each
Unemployment Insurance (UI) account. Every record on a State's micro file must have a unique
UI Account Number/RUN combination because these two fields in combination are its
identifying or "key" fields.
The micro data are aggregated to higher levels at several points in the quarterly processing cycle.
The basic aggregation used in the QCEW program is the county-ownership-six digit NAICS cell.
One "macro" record is created for each basic cell, showing the combined employment and wage
data of all reporting units (all micro records) that have the same unique combination of county
code, ownership code, and 6-digit industry code. These three codes in combination are the
identifying or key fields of the macro record.
The micro data elements that are aggregated on the macro file in the integrated edit include:
• Number of Establishments
• First Month Employment
• Second Month Employment
• Third Month Employment
• Total Quarterly Wages
These are quarterly data elements – they occur once for each quarter. At least eight quarters of
macro data are available. Information about macro files and processing in EXPO-202 and WIN202 appears in the user documentation for these systems.
Additional data elements may be aggregated for other purposes. Higher levels of aggregation are
generated for publication (see Appendix U).
The State systems and the BLS-Washington system generate macro files based on the NAICS
industry code. Information about NAICS coding appears in Section 2.1.5.
Some micro records are excluded from all aggregations, so they are never represented on macro
records. The following exclusions apply:
•

Master (MEEI 2) records are excluded because they do not represent individual
establishments. Instead, master records represent the combined State total of all worksites
(establishments) in a multi-establishment UI account. The economic data of a master record
duplicates the combined data of its subunit (worksite) records. The data from the subunits
(and not the master) are used on the macro file because the subunit records carry the accurate
county and industry codes for each establishment.

July 2003

•

QCEW Operating Manual
Macro File and the Integrated Edit

Page 10-3

Records that are inactive or pending (records with Status Code 2, 3, or 9) are also excluded
from the macro file. Establishments that are inactive should not contain economic data since
they are not operating in the reference quarter. Establishments in pending status are
generally set up in advance to provide greater detail of economic data in a future quarter.
The inclusion of inactive or pending records would duplicate the data on active records.

In the BLS-Washington system, micro records are excluded if the Type of Coverage Code is 8
(not UI- or UCFE-covered). Additional exclusions include records with County, Ownership, or
NAICS fields with all zeroes or non-numeric data.
States send only micro data to BLS-Washington on the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment
Insurance (EQUI) files. In both BLS-Washington and the States, the macro data are generated
from the micro data. No changes or corrections are made to macro data directly. Instead, all
corrections are made at the micro level, after which the macro data can be re-aggregated when
needed.
As Section 10.4 describes, the States also generate macro data summary files at several points in
the quarterly processing cycle and send them via e-mail to their regional office. These files are
generated at higher levels of aggregation than the macro cells described above (the macro file
used by the integrated edit). The macro data summary files are used for data review purposes
only and are not used for publication or provided to data users.

QCEW Operating Manual
Macro File and the Integrated Edit

December 2004

Page 10-4

10.2 Macro Level of the Integrated Edit
The integrated edit screens basic cell macro data and micro data in combination, applying similar
editing at both levels. This approach is intended to flag suspect data that are significant at the
macro level but that can be identified and corrected at the micro level. The macro edits are not
applied above the basic macro cell level. For example, it is possible to create Metropolitan
Statistical Area and statewide macro data cells from the micro data, but these cells are neither
created nor edited. Macro cells above the six-digit NAICS level are also not generated for the
integrated edits. This practice saves computer time by not running higher level macro data
through edits. However, higher level macro data are shown on the edit output and should guide a
top down review and prioritization of edit flags. A top down review of macro data is essential
for State and BLS publications. Flagged micro records appear on EQUI edit output Tables 9A
and 13B. Aid in prioritization can be found in the discussion of Table 2A (State totals) in
Section 13.2.2.
The following are the macro edits. Appendix F (Edit Conditions and Formulas) explains in
detail how they operate.
Level 5 Macro Edits
Edit Code
091-W
092-W
093-W
094-W

Edit Message
Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW
Range
Average Employment is Significantly > Parm, but Total Wages = 0
Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages Is Significantly > Parm

Level 6 Macro Edits
Edit Code
126-W
127-W
130-W
131-W
134-W
135-W

Edit Message
Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
Average Employment > Parm, but Total Wages = 0
Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages > Parm
Number of Establishments out of Range
New or Discontinued Macro Record

All the macro edits are Priority "A" edits as described in Section 13.3.2. This means that macro
flags should receive the highest priority for data review and cleanup. Before the deliverable
EQUI file is transmitted each quarter, these flags should be corrected (by correcting data on the
micro records) or explained (by assigning comment codes or narrative comments to micro
records).

July 2003

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Macro File and the Integrated Edit

Page 10-5

For most of the edits listed, the micro and macro records are edited using identical or very
similar formulas. This results in consistent micro and macro edits. States cannot correct macro
records directly, but must correct the micro record(s) that have caused the macro record to flag.
The first four edits listed, 091 through 094, are Level 5 edits (Significant Employment and Wage
edits), while the rest are at edit Level 6 (Warning Edits). For the eight macro edits that screen
employment or wage levels, there are eight corresponding micro edits that use the same edit code
and message. Edits 134 and 135, which focus on the number of reporting units in a countyownership-industry cell, are performed only at the macro level. Edit 134 flags a significant
change in the number of reporting units (micro records) in the cell from one quarter to the next.
Edit 135 flags whole macro cells that never existed before or that cease to exist. Edit 135 is
related to micro edits 096-W and 139-W that flag new micro records as well as to edit 140-W
that flags discontinued micro records.
As with the micro edits discussed in Section 9.2, several of the Level 6 macro edits are the same
as Level 5 edits, but performed with smaller parameters or tolerances:
Significant
Level 5 Edit Code
091
092
093
094

Warning
Level 6 Edit Code
126
127
130
131

Edit Description
Monthly Employment Change
AQW Change
Employment Without Wages
Wages Without Employment

The difference between a Level 5 edit and its equivalent Level 6 edit is typically based on a
multiplier parm. A crucial parameter or tolerance in the Level 6 edit is multiplied by the
corresponding multiplier parm. If the appropriate data condition exceeds the parm/tolerance
times the multiplier, the system assigns the Level 5 flag. If the data condition exceeds the
parm/tolerance but does not exceed the parm/tolerance times the multiplier, the system assigns
the Level 6 flag. This means that Level 5 flags identify data that are questionable at a greater
order of magnitude than Level 6 flags. Therefore, Level 5 flags require more attentive review
and, if the State verifies the data as accurate, a clear explanation via comment codes or narrative
comments.
As an example of the difference between edit levels, edits 094 and 131 flag cells with zero
employment in all three months and with significant wages. This pair of edits uses a wage parm
whose default is $25,000, and a multiplier parm whose default is 3. In the current quarter, a
hypothetical macro cell has zero employment but has Total Wages of $50,000. The $50,000
wages on the macro record exceed the wage parm and therefore the cell is flagged by the edit.
However, the wages do not exceed $75,000 (the wage parm times the multiplier parm).
Therefore, the integrated edit assigns the Level 6 flag 131-W rather than the more serious Level
5 flag 094-W.

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Options: Micro Edits Only, or the Full Integrated Edit
The standard State processing systems give States the option of editing current quarter data either
at the micro level only or at both micro and macro levels together (the integrated edit). Early in
the quarter, there are advantages to editing at only the micro level, since the current quarter's data
may not be reported or may not be available for a significant portion of the State's reporting
units. This allows the State staff to edit, correct, and assign comments before processing and
reviewing the macro data. The integrated edit requires that both reported and imputed data
(where necessary) are present. The macro portion of the integrated edit will not give accurate
results if it is run so early that numerous reporting units have missing data and cannot be
aggregated to the macro level. Imputation must be run for the units with missing data (as
described in Chapter 8) before running the full integrated edit.
On the other hand, there are advantages to running the integrated edit fairly early in the cycle.
State staff will find it easier to evaluate the impact of micro edit flags on the macro data, easier to
monitor industry patterns, and easier to review all edit flags before the EQUI deliverable is due.
There are several processing options, described in Section 12.1 and Appendix E, that allow the
State to make the most advantageous tradeoffs.

Situations That Cause Macro Flags
Macro records are impacted by micro records and can flag for a variety of reasons, including
these:
1. Employment or wages change significantly on one or more of the micro records that
comprise a significant portion of the macro cell. This is the situation the integrated edit
normally identifies. The flagged macro record is shown on edit listings (Tables 9A and 13B)
followed immediately by its micro records that have similar or related flags.
2. One or more micro records shifts from one cell to another cell, causing a large change in the
macro cell’s employment and/or wage levels, as discussed in Section 10.3. Micro records
(establishments) shift cells whenever a change occurs in their county, ownership, or industry
codes from one quarter to the next, thus impacting the macro data. This shift will impact two
macro records (the one gaining employment and wages and the one losing employment and
wages). The proper occasions and timing for changes to these classification codes are
described in Section 2.3.
3. Micro records in the cell begin operations (births), cease operations (deaths), or otherwise
change in ways that include or exclude them from the macro cell. For example, a record may
change its Status Code from 9 (pending) to 1 (active) and thus enter the cell. When these
types of micro record changes are large enough they will cause the macro cell to flag in the
integrated edit.

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4. Multi-establishment breakouts and collapses. For example, a record with Reporting Unit
Number 00000 may change its Multi Establishment Indicator (MEEI) Code from 1 (single
unit account) to 2 (master record) and the new subunits under the master record may, in
effect, leave the cell. When these types of micro record changes are large enough they will
cause the macro cell to flag in the integrated edit. Employment and wage changes in macro
records due to changes in reporting by multi-establishments are generally considered
noneconomic code changes. Follow the procedures described in Chapter 11.
5. Predecessor and successor changes. For example, if an establishment is sold and moves in its
entirety from one UI account to another, the predecessor record must be inactivated (with
Status Code 2 and an End of Liability Date) and the successor must become active (with
Status Code 1 and a Date of Initial Liability) at the proper time. Inaccurate timing may
create an overlap or gap in the reporting of the establishment’s data for specific quarter(s),
causing the macro data for the quarter(s) in question to incorrectly appear high or low.
Employment and wage changes in macro records due to predecessor and successor micro
record changes are generally considered noneconomic code changes. Follow the procedures
described in Chapter 11.
6. A significant portion of employment or wage data in the macro cell are imputed rather than
reported. This can occur in the early stages of quarterly processing. The imputed data may
vary significantly from the actual, reported data. Replacing the imputed data with reported
data may increase or reduce the fluctuation in the cell and may therefore cause different edit
outcomes.
7. Employment or wage data in the micro records that make up the macro cell are missing. This
can happen when partial updates to micro records zero out the values not updated, or records
that have been estimated for two quarters are not estimated for a third quarter.

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10.3 Code Changes and Macro Data
The classification codes that identify and define the macro cell are the county, ownership, and
industry codes. If one or more of these codes on a micro record is changed from one quarter to
the next, then that reporting unit moves from one macro cell to another. This movement changes
the economic data in both cells, and may affect editing in both cells when the edit compares data
between quarters.
The State may change classification codes for various reasons. Code changes fall into three
basic types, as discussed in Section 2.3 and summarized below. The timing for implementing
these code changes differs, as explained in Section 2.3.2.
1. Changes from Unclassified to Classified Codes – These changes typically occur when a
reporting unit is originally established on the micro file using unclassified industry or county
codes (for example, County 999). When adequate information is obtained to assign a
specific valid code, the State should introduce the code change onto to the file immediately,
in any quarter.
2. Economic Code Changes – The State makes these changes at the time of a true economic
event or by the end of the thirty-day clean up period of the quarter in which the event
occurred. The time of the code change must be identifiable and not a gradual shift. For
example, if a retail sales operation relocates to another county, and the State learns of the
move in time to include the new county code in the data for the quarter when the move
occurred, the change is considered economic. These changes should also be implemented
immediately, in any quarter. Please note that corrections to coding are not economic code
changes.
3. Noneconomic Code Changes – Noneconomic code changes include code changes for which
it cannot be determined whether the previous code was incorrectly assigned, or when a
change occurred between accurately assigned codes but was not reflected in the EQUI file for
the quarter in which it occurred. Most noneconomic code changes are identified during the
Annual Refiling Survey (ARS). These code changes must be reflected in the first quarter
only. The next section describes how the macro edit uses a special process to accommodate
code changes that are properly identified and processed as noneconomic.

10.3.1 Code Change Integration for Noneconomic Code Changes
When the change in a reporting unit's classification codes is noneconomic, the State should
follow the procedures in Chapter 11 to place that unit onto the Code Change Supplement (CCS)
file. The State and BLS-Washington systems will then reflect that code change on the Summary
of Differences file. The Summary of Differences file is described in Section 11.6 and its file
layout appears in Appendix M.

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The macro portion of the integrated edit uses the Summary of Differences file when editing first
quarter, in a process called code change integration. Summary of Differences data are used to
minimize the effect of the code changes by making a temporary adjustment to the following data
elements on the macro record:
• Number of Establishments in first quarter
• January Employment (Month 1 employment in first quarter)
• February Employment (Month 2 employment in first quarter)
• March Employment (Month 3 employment in first quarter)
• Total Quarterly Wages in first quarter
Code change integration in the editing process compensates for the data fluctuations caused by
the movement of units in and out of macro cells from fourth quarter to first quarter, provided that
this movement (these code changes) appear on the CCS. Therefore, this temporary adjustment to
first quarter data sharply reduces the effects of noneconomic code changes in certain macro edits.
Each noneconomic code change identified on a CCS record (and a micro file record) affects two
macro cells: the cell from which the data leave, and the cell into which the data enter. More than
one CCS record enter or leave the same cell; on occasion, some records are entering the same
cell that other records are leaving. The net change on the cell may be positive, negative, or zero.
This net change is applied during the temporary macro editing adjustment.
For purposes of code change integration, the Summary of Differences information shows net
changes at the cell level for January, February, and March employment; for first quarter wages;
and for the number of reporting units. The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program and
other data users need CCS and Summary of Differences files showing December Employment
and Fourth Quarter Wages. The CCS and Summary of Difference files include December
through March employment as well as Total Quarterly Wages for fourth and first quarter.
The State and BLS-Washington systems use non-adjusted data for comparison when editing
second, third, and fourth quarter data. The systems use adjusted data for comparison when
editing first quarter data. Though CCS adjustments are temporarily applied to first quarter data
when first quarter is being edited, only non-adjusted data are maintained on the macro and micro
files, including the macro and micro files for first quarter. Also, keep in mind that prior quarter
data may be edited along with current quarter data during current quarter processing. For
example, first quarter data may be edited during second quarter processing. During that second
quarter processing, the first quarter data are temporarily adjusted when the first quarter is the
quarter being edited. If second quarter is the quarter being edited, data for first and second
quarter are left unadjusted, and second quarter is edited as described in Appendix F.
Code change integration works each time first quarter data are processed through the integrated
edit as either the current or prior quarter. The requirement that noneconomic code changes be
properly identified and held for first quarter activation ensures that all users benefit from the
special features applied to first quarter editing. These features are not available when second,
third, and fourth quarter data are edited.

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The following macro edits for employment, wages, and number of reporting units are adjusted by
code change integration in first quarter:
Edit Code
091-W
092-W
126-W
127-W
134-W

Edit Message
Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW
Range
Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
Number of Establishments out of Range

Code change integration is only performed for the most recent first quarter on the file. For
example, when the current processing quarter on the micro file is the 2003 first quarter (2003/1),
the system will use Summary of Differences information to temporarily adjust 2003/1 data when
that quarter is processed through the integrated edit.
When first quarter is processed through the integrated edit, macro edits 091-W and 126-W
compare each month of employment to the previous month, and then to the same month a year
ago. January is compared to December and to last January; February is compared to January and
to last February; March is compared to February and to last March. Edits 092-W and 127-W
compare first quarter wages to fourth quarter wages and then to year-ago first quarter wages.
Therefore, the net change due to noneconomic code changes is calculated for the employment of
each month (January, February, and March) and for first quarter wages. The number of
establishments entering and leaving the cell is also calculated. The net changes are subtracted
from January, February, and March employment, from first quarter wages, and from the first
quarter number of establishments. Then those fields are edited using the normal macro edit
formulas. By making these adjustments for movement due to noneconomic code changes, first
quarter data can usually pass the edits that compare them to the period immediately prior.
States may find it necessary to run the integrated edit (including the code change integration
routine) more than once when processing first quarter, since the first quarter cleanup process
may include additional industry, county, or ownership code changes on micro records. Once
corrections are made, corrected summary of differences data can be generated and used in a final
integrated edit before the State generates the first quarter deliverable. BLS-Washington re-runs
the data through the full integrated edit (both micro and macro editing) whenever a State
provides updates.
Another aspect of code change integration is the display of Summary of Differences data on edit
listings. Sometimes the edit adjustment does not remove all macro edit flags. When a macro
cell is flagged for any reason and is displayed on edit listings, any Summary of Differences data
for that cell are displayed with the macro data. Note that the macro data are displayed
accurately, that is, in unadjusted form. An example appears in Exhibit 13P. In this exhibit
(EQUI Table 9A), Summary of Differences data are displayed just below the flagged macro data.

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10.3.2 Other Code Changes
Code change integration controls the effects of noneconomic code changes on the first quarter
macro edit; however, various situations can lead to other types of code changes. Since code
changes move micro data from one macro cell to another, they can cause one or more macro
flags. Where the code changes are inappropriate (or are introduced at the wrong time), the State
should make the necessary correction to the classification code. This normally requires (1)
recoding the establishment to its former classification, (2) waiting until the first quarter of the
following year to make the code change, and (3) including the record on the CCS. Where the
code change is proper (or are economic in nature), the States should assign the appropriate
comment code to the micro record that changes. Where the impact of the code change is
significant, also adding an appropriate narrative comment can help data users interpret the
situation more accurately and may preclude follow-up questions from BLS-Washington and
BEA. Comment codes and narrative comments are discussed in Appendix I and in Section 9.6.

Changes from Unclassified County or Industry Codes
When a reporting unit with the unclassified industry code (NAICS 999999) can be assigned a
specific, valid code, the code change should be made immediately, in the current quarter.
Similarly, when a unit that carries any of the county equivalent codes (County 995-999) can be
changed to a specific code, the change should occur immediately. Code changes of this type
improve the accuracy of the data, but may cause macro edit flags as the units shift between cells.
Assign comment code 80 (change in unclassified to classified) to the affected micro records.
Changes from classified to unclassified must follow the rules of normal noneconomic code
changes.

Economic Code Changes
Economic code changes are changes from one specific, accurately assigned industry, county, or
ownership code to another. This type of change must be implemented in time to reflect the
actual economic event (typically a change in business activity or a relocation). It should be
reflected in QCEW data in the same quarter which is affected by the economic event. States
have until the end of the thirty-day cleanup period for the affected quarter to implement such a
change. If the change is discovered later, it must be treated as a noneconomic: hold the code
change until the following first quarter, and assign the necessary ARS Response Code and other
coding that will include it on the CCS and Summary of Differences files.
Corrections to coding (such as errors) are never economic and must be introduced in first quarter
data. As an example, if a State is working on their second quarter data and identify a coding
error during the second quarter processing period, the State can still make the coding change and
go back to first quarter and make that correction, rather than holding the correction until next
year’s first quarter. See Section 2.3.2 for additional information concerning timing and reporting
of code changes.

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As with other types of code changes, economic code changes may cause the unit's present or
former macro cell to flag. The State and BLS-Washington systems use a data element to identify
these changes, called the Economic Code Change Indicator (discussed in Appendix B).

Predecessor/Successor Transitions
When an establishment changes owners and is transferred to a new UI/RUN account, new
information on the business activity or geographic location may become available that requires a
change to the industry, county, or ownership codes. (Procedures are described in Section 5.3.) If
the unit has significant employment, the code change should be treated as noneconomic.
For smaller units (with 25 or fewer workers in the last month before or the first month after the
change of ownership), the State may assign the correct codes in any quarter. This policy is
spelled out in Section 5.3.
Code changes of this sort can cause a macro edit flag where the macro cell is small, or if several
of these code changes occur for the same cell. Assign comment code 93 (full
predecessor/successor transfer) to the micro records in question, and provide the appropriate
Predecessor or Successor UI/RUNs as described in Section 5.1.

Breakouts and Consolidations of Multi-unit UI Accounts
When a UI account reporting as a single unit begins to report as a multi, some of the new subunit
records may belong in a different county or industry than the former single unit. Similarly, if an
account will no longer report as a multi but will be consolidated to report as a single-unit
account, classification coding may change. Some subunits may be inactivated whose county or
industry codes differ from the codes on the collapsed single.
These changes in reporting level can move employment and wage data between macro cells,
even though no economic event caused the movement. Code changes of this sort are
noneconomic code changes. They must be held until the following first quarter and assigned
the necessary coding to include them on the CCS and Summary of Differences. Code changes of
this type are explained in Sections 5.5 (for breakouts) and 5.6 (for consolidations).

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10.4 Macro Data Review
The States and regional offices are required to review high level macro data in addition to
reviewing output from the integrated edit after the EQUI has been submitted. Reviewing
aggregated data for consistency as well as irregularities can be a powerful supplement to the
standard set of edits. States and regional offices must compare State macro data with data from
the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program to uncover and resolve data and reporting
problems before sending EQUI files to BLS-Washington.
As explained further below, States generate and send a macro data summary file at specified
times in the production cycle to their regional office. Regional offices and States review the data
using the CES/QCEW Roll-Up Spreadsheet and correct the data as necessary. This spreadsheet
is generated using the macro data summary file as well as CES data. The spreadsheet provides
graphical and tabular representations of aggregated QCEW data. It can display QCEW data for
an entire State, QCEW data for an individual county, or QCEW data summed across several (up
to 10) counties. States should aggregate the data in the spreadsheet to the level specified by
BLS-Washington.
The CES/QCEW Roll-Up Spreadsheet was developed in the Dallas/Kansas City regional office.
It is used to compare the State QCEW employment data against State CES data and to compare
current year QCEW trends against prior year QCEW patterns in both employment and wages.
Documentation that explains the use of this tool is located on the EXPO-202 website at
http://199.221.111.170/systems/EXPO/NeatEXPOStuff.htm.
This review will alert staff at all levels to reporting problems in either of the programs, as well as
to any large data discrepancy. This review should uncover any large data errors before the initial
EQUI and subsequent update files are submitted to BLS-Washington. It also reduces the time
spent uncovering and tracking large data and production problems in both the regional office and
BLS-Washington.
Before the State generates and sends the initial quarterly EQUI file to BLS-Washington, the
regional office reviews the macro data using this tool. The regional office reviews each update
file in the same way. State QCEW staff must use the same tool, or similar approaches, to
examine their own data to identify potential problems. The regional office sends the latest
spreadsheet as a zipped Excel file via e-mail using a specific naming convention to BLSWashington (at e-mail address [email protected]), where it is used to supplement the data
review described in Section 13.3.1.
An additional requirement is that each time a State submits an EQUI update file or an EQUI
subset file to BLS-Washington, the State should submit a macro data summary file to the
regional office. This macro data summary file is created by the standardized State systems in the
same job that creates the EQUI file. The regional office uses the file to generate the spreadsheet
which, after review, is sent to BLS-Washington.

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BLS-Washington compares the spreadsheets against EQUI edit listings as well as the listing of
State ownership totals (BLS Table 2A). BLS-Washington will alert the regional office (and
system developers, if appropriate) to potential errors or significant data discrepancies. The
regional office will research the problem, contact the State if needed, and report their findings to
BLS-Washington.

Processing Sequence
Each State is required to generate a macro data summary (using the appropriate features of their
standard State processing system) at the following points in the quarterly processing cycle, and
to send the file to the regional office.
1. Three to five days before generating the initial EQUI file
2. The day the initial EQUI is generated
3. Three to five days before generating an EQUI update file
4. The day each EQUI update file is generated
5. The day each EQUI subset file is generated (after rebuilding the macro)
At points 2 and 4 (generating a macro data summary file on the same day as an initial EQUI file
or EQUI update file), the macro data summary and the EQUI file should be fully consistent, with
no intervening updates to the micro data. States should limit the number of update files to no
more than one per quarter. If serious problems are identified, a subset file may be submitted
from the State only upon receiving BLS-Washington approval. States should strive to send in an
EQUI file that does not require an update file. If the quality of the State’s datafile requires an
EQUI update file, it must be transmitted to BLS-Washington in time to meet the cleanup
deadline. Regional offices work with their States to ensure that the updated data are edited and
reviewed prior to submission of the update transactions to BLS-Washington. State processing
schedules may need to be adjusted to allow for this editing and review. States and regional
offices also need to allow time for the updates to be received and processed by BLS-Washington.

Steps for Macro Data Review
The State and regional office follow these steps each time a macro data summary is required.
1. The State generates the macro data summary and sends it to the regional office as a plain text
file, using a standard naming convention. The files must follow the following naming
convention:
MacroYYQSTVn.txt
YY = Two-digit year
Q = Quarter
ST = Two-character State abbreviation
V = File version: Use I for initial files. Use U for update files.
n = File number: Use 1 if it is the first initial file or first update file. Use
2 for the second version of either file.

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For example, a macro data summary file corresponding to an initial EQUI file
from Delaware, containing 2003, first quarter data would be named as follows:
Macro031DEI1.txt
2. The regional office reviews the data using the CES/QCEW Roll-Up Spreadsheet. If any
large data errors are found, the regional office notifies State QCEW staff immediately. When
the macro data summary is generated at the same time as an EQUI file, the regional office
also notifies BLS-Washington of any large data errors.
3. The State reviews the macro data summary using the CES/QCEW Roll-Up Spreadsheet.
When the macro data summary is generated at the same time as an EQUI file, the State
conducts this review before transmitting the file.
4. The State researches and corrects (if necessary) any data discrepancies or errors.
5. The State QCEW staff alerts State CES staff of any large data errors.

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Chapter 11 – Code Change Data: Concepts,
Rules, and BLS Processing
The Code Change Supplement (CCS) is a file of reporting units with a noneconomic change to
one or more of the essential classification codes – industry, ownership, county, or (for certain
States) township. Both the State and BLS-Washington systems generate the CCS and its more
aggregated equivalent, the Summary of Differences file, using data from their micro files.
Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file transactions keep State and BLSWashington versions of these files essentially consistent.
This chapter describes how the CCS and Summary of Differences files are generated and
processed in BLS-Washington. Processing in the standard State systems (EXPO-202 and WIN202) is somewhat similar. The user documentation for EXPO-202 and WIN-202 provide
detailed instructions about performing essential tasks for CCS processing.
------------------------- Contents of Chapter 11 ------------------------11.1 Overview of CCS Processing
11.2 Micro File Data Elements for the CCS
11.3 Generating the CCS File
11.4 Micro Edits and EQUI Updates for the CCS
11.4.1 Micro Edits That Affect the CCS
11.4.2 Updating Response Codes, Old Fields, and Other Data
11.4.3 The BLS-Washington System Reassigns Some ARS Response Codes
11.5 Handling Code Changes for Special Cases
11.5.1 Multi-unit Breakouts with Code Changes
11.5.2 Multi-unit Collapses with Code Changes
11.5.3 Predecessors and Successors with Code Changes
11.5.4 How the System Handles Missing Employment or Wages
11.5.5 When Out-of-Business Units Have No Successor
11.6 Generating the Summary of Differences File for the Integrated Edit
11.7 Printed Output from CCS Processing
11.7.1 CCS Table 1: Response Code Change
11.7.2 CCS Tables 1A and 1B: Code Changes for Large Records
11.7.3 CCS Table 2: CCS Creation Counts Report
11.7.4 Missing Code Changes, Problem Response Codes, and Other Reports
11.7.5 Summary of Differences Reports
11.8 Additional BLS-Washington Processing of Code Change Data
11.9 Cleaning CCS Data

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11.1 Overview of CCS Processing
The BLS-Washington system generates the CCS directly from its micro file (the QCEW
database of micro level reporting units) by examining and comparing certain relevant fields. The
CCS is primarily used for first quarter processing. For each affected reporting unit, the CCS file
shows noneconomic changes made to industry, area, or ownership codes. Noneconomic code
changes are held until first quarter, so code changes on the CCS represent changes made on the
micro file from fourth quarter to first quarter.
State staff are responsible for identifying the reporting units that belong on the CCS, including
those introduced by EDI Center records, and for making the necessary updates in their State
processing system that will place these units on the CCS. Noneconomic code changes that are
properly entered onto the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) Control file are automatically included
on the CCS file, both in the States and in BLS-Washington. If State staff do not enter the code
changes to the ARS Control file, they must enter them directly to their micro file and include the
necessary data elements (described in Section 11.2).
On the CCS file, the essential data elements include the Old and New fields. The Old fields (Old
NAICS, Old Ownership, Old County, and Old Township) are similar in purpose to the Old fields
on the EQUI and the micro file. They show where the employment and wage data for that unit
were reported in fourth quarter. The New fields (New NAICS, New Ownership, New County,
and New Township) show where the data have moved in first quarter, whenever the first quarter
code is different than the fourth quarter code. The CCS record also includes some of the
employment and wage data fields for fourth and first quarters, to show the magnitude of the
change.
EQUI corrections and updates can change the micro file in ways that affect the CCS, so the BLSWashington system regenerates the CCS each time an EQUI file is processed. This begins with
the quarterly deliverable for first quarter and continues through the second quarter EQUI cleanup period. The standard State processing systems translate changes on their own micro files into
EQUI transaction records for BLS-Washington, and the BLS-Washington system uses the EQUI
records to update its own micro file. This keeps the BLS-Washington micro file consistent with
the State’s file, at least for active, covered reporting units in recent quarters. BLS provided its
CCS software to the developers of the State systems so that all the systems can use the same
logic for generating the CCS and Summary of Differences files (and for other CCS-related
processing). This means that the CCS and Summary of Differences in the States can remain
largely consistent with the files generated by BLS-Washington.
The Summary of Differences gives CCS information aggregated to a macro level. For a
county/ownership/industry cell affected by a CCS record (or records), the Summary of
Differences reports the employment, wages, and number of units entering or leaving that cell.
The BLS-Washington system regenerates the Summary of Differences file each time it processes
an EQUI file and generates the CCS. Therefore the Summary of Differences corresponds
exactly to the CCS – that is, all changes to the CCS are reflected in the Summary of Differences.

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For purposes of the CCS, a noneconomic change to "area" normally consists of a change to the
FIPS county code. However, for States that are required to report township codes on the EQUI,
a change to the township code may also be noneconomic, even if this change occurs within the
same county. In other words, for certain States (the New England States and New Jersey) a CCS
record may report a change only to the township code. For all States, the aggregated Summary
of Differences file (in contrast to the base CCS itself) reflects noneconomic code changes only to
county, ownership, and industry code, not to township.
As with the macro file, the system excludes master records (records with Multi Establishment
Employer Indicator (MEEI) of 2) from the CCS and Summary of Differences files. Unlike the
macro file, the system can include inactive records on the CCS and Summary of Differences.
This is because inactive records may provide some of the essential code change information for
special cases such as predecessors with code changes and multi-unit collapses. This is explained
in Section 11.5, and in Sections 5.3 and 5.6.
The CCS and Summary of Differences only apply for the most recent first quarter on the micro
file. For example, suppose the current processing quarter is the 2003 first quarter (2003/1).
State and BLS-Washington micro files will contain data for both 2003/1 and 2002/4. Under the
BLS correction policy described in Section 12.2.3, both 2003/1 and 2002/4 will be unlocked and
available for updating. Nonetheless, the system will generate a CCS and Summary of
Differences only for the most recent year (in this example, 2003). Code change data for earlier
years would have little if any value for data users.

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11.2 Micro File Data Elements for the CCS
Beginning with the first quarter EQUI deliverable and continuing through second quarter, the
BLS-Washington system will use the following non-quarterly fields when generating and then
re-generating the CCS:
• ARS Response Code
• ARS Refile Year
• Old NAICS
• Old Ownership
• Old County
• Old Township
These fields must be correct on the State and BLS-Washington micro files for the CCS records to
be correctly produced.
The BLS-Washington system (and the State systems as well) use the ARS Response Code and
ARS Refile Year to recognize records that are intended for the CCS. The system also compares
first quarter classification codes (NAICS code, ownership, county, and sometimes township) to
the “Old” fields to determine whether a true code change is present. The system uses the MEEI
code to exclude master records. It uses the Status Code to exclude records that are not active in
either first or fourth quarter. ARS Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and the Old fields are nonquarterly fields (occurring only once on the micro file) while the other fields mentioned are
quarterly.
Once the system chooses a record for the CCS, it copies a number of data elements from the
micro file to the CCS. The complete list of CCS data elements is given in Section 11.3.

ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year
The ARS Response Codes that signal the presence of a noneconomic code change are these:
46 – Clean record with CCS updates
50 – Code change from non-ARS sources
The ARS Response Code on the micro file may be very recent, or it may have been updated to
the micro file in earlier years. Therefore the system also uses the ARS Refile Year field in
choosing records for the CCS. If the ARS Response Code is 46 or 50, and if the ARS Refile
Year is current, then the record is included (although there must also be a true CCS code change,
as discussed below). “Current” in this case means that the ARS Refile Year is the same as the
year of the most recent first quarter on the micro file.
The following examples illustrate how these two fields are used. For all three cases, assume that
BLS-Washington has begun processing first quarter 2003 data, so 2003/1 is the micro file’s
current quarter.

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1. A micro file record that was surveyed in the FY 2003 ARS includes a code change that the
State entered onto its ARS Control file. The record has an ARS Response Code of 46. When the
State processing system passed FY 2003 ARS data to the micro file, it assigned an ARS Refile
Year of 2003. Therefore this reporting unit carries ARS Response Code 46 and ARS Refile Year
2003 on the EQUI and the BLS-Washington micro file. If all other necessary conditions are met,
this record will be included on the CCS.
2. A micro file record has an ARS Response Code of 46 and ARS Refile Year of 2002. This
indicates that it had a noneconomic code change in the previous year’s ARS (and was included
on the 2002 CCS.) The record will not be included on the CCS now because the ARS Refile
Year field is not current. That is, 2002/1 is not the most recent first quarter on the micro file.
3. A micro file record has ARS Refile Year 2003 and ARS Response Code 41 (meaning:
Reviewed, no CCS code changes). Even though the ARS Refile Year is current, the system will
not put the record onto the CCS because the ARS Response Code is not 46 or 50. Even if one or
more of the classification codes changed from 2002/4 to 2003/1 on this micro file record (for
example, a code change discovered and applied after the ARS), ARS Response Code 41 will
exclude the record from the CCS file in BLS-Washington. It will be excluded in the State
version of the CCS as well.
This last example illustrates an important distinction. If State staff enter a noneconomic
code change on the ARS Control file, the system assigns the ARS Response Code (and
eventually the ARS Refile Year). However, if State staff enter code changes on the State
micro file, then State staff (rather than the system) are responsible for entering or verifying
the ARS Response Code and the ARS Refile Year.
Section 11.4.3 describes the reassignment of ARS Response Codes by the BLS-Washington
system.

“Old” Fields and CCS Code Changes
The following are the relevant “Old” fields on the micro file for CCS code change purposes:
• Old NAICS
• Old Ownership
• Old County
• Old Township
The system compares the Old fields with the corresponding first quarter codes (typically the
NAICS code, ownership, and county) to determine whether a true CCS code change is present.
A code change occurs when an Old field is not blank, and it differs from the first quarter code.
Remember that the CCS shows changes from fourth quarter to first quarter, so a non-blank Old
field should normally be the same as the corresponding fourth quarter classification code.

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There can be special circumstances (described further in Section 11.5 and in Chapter 5) in which
the fourth quarter classification code fields cannot be used to hold the code change aside through
fourth quarter. The Old fields serve this purpose instead, and may differ from the fourth quarter
codes in those unusual circumstances.
A record has a true CCS code change if it contains at least one of the following:
•
•
•
•

An ownership code change, or
A NAICS code change other than a change from the unclassified code (from 999999), or
A county code change other than a change from a county equivalent code (from 900, 995,
996, 998, or 999), or
For New England States and New Jersey only, a township code change other than a
change from a township equivalent code (from 900, 995, 996, 998, or 999).

The county equivalent codes are defined as follows:
900 = master record
995 = Statewide, locations in more than one county, or no primary county
996 = foreign locations
998 = Out-of-state locations
999 = unknown locations
The township equivalent codes have essentially the same definitions. An area change from any
of these equivalent codes, as well as a NAICS change from 999999, is considered as a "change
from unclassified" rather than as a specific, noneconomic code change.
Consider the following examples:
Case #

Old
NAICS

First
Quarter
NAICS

Old
County

First
Quarter
County

Old Own

First
Quarter
Own

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

327215
541990
999999
721214
812332
999999
221111
562920

327215
561599
322226
721214
812332
523110
221113
221320

035
013
999
995
999
013
999
023

035
013
999
111
995
035
023
023

5
5
5
3
5
5
5
3

5
5
5
3
5
5
5
5

CCS
Code
Change
record?
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes

1. In case 1, no Old fields differ from the corresponding first quarter code. The system will not
put this record on the CCS.
2. The record in case 2 has an industry code change from one specific, valid code to another.
Therefore if the other conditions (ARS Refile Year, ARS Response Code, and MEEI) are
met, this record will appear on the CCS.

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3. Case 3's only change from Old fields to first quarter codes is an industry code change from
999999. As described in Section 2.3.2, this is a change from unclassified rather than a
noneconomic code change. It does not belong on the CCS, so ARS Response Codes 46 or 50
are not correct for this situation. If the record carries an ARS Response Code, it should be 41
(Reviewed, no CCS change).
4. Case 4 is also treated as a change from unclassified because its only code change is a county
change from one of the county equivalent codes. It will not be placed on the CCS.
5. The county code change in case 5 is like case 4. Because it is not a change from one specific
county to another, it will not appear on the CCS.
6. Even though case 6 has an industry code change from the unclassified code 999999, it also
has a legitimate, specific county code change. Therefore the system will include this record
on the CCS.
7. Case 7 also combines a change from unclassified (for county) with a legitimate, specific
noneconomic code change (for industry code). It will therefore appear on the CCS.
8. Case 8 has a code change between ownerships and industry code. Either one is sufficient to
qualify the record for the CCS. This record will appear on the CCS.
For most States, the system will not consider the Old Township field when creating records for
the CCS. Township codes are required and edited only for New Jersey and the New England
States; therefore a change only to township code may be treated as noneconomic only for these
States. For example, if a record on the New Hampshire file has a township code change while its
county, ownership, and industry code remain the same, that record will qualify for the CCS. An
identical record on the Texas file will not.
MEEI and Status Codes
Master records do not belong on the CCS and Summary of Differences files since they represent
an aggregated duplication of the real reporting units. Including master records would exaggerate
the movement of reporting units, employment, and wages between macro cells. The system
checks the MEEI code in first quarter and the preceding fourth quarter. If a record has an MEEI
of 2 (master record) in either quarter, it will not be included on the CCS.
Some records (some UI/RUNs) change from masters to single-unit records or from single-unit
records to masters when multi-unit reporters break out or collapse. These changes often occur
from fourth to first quarter. Sections 11.5.1 and 11.5.2 cover this in some detail. It is also
discussed in Chapter 5.
Breakouts and collapses of multi-unit accounts often involve subunit records that report a
noneconomic code change and that are active in only one of the two affected quarters. The BLSWashington system checks Status Codes on records marked for the CCS to ensure that either
first quarter, fourth quarter, or both are active (Status Code = 1). If neither quarter is active, the
system excludes the record from the CCS and Summary of Differences files.

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11.3 Generating the CCS File
The BLS-Washington system generates the CCS file (file format shown in Appendix L)
primarily by copying data elements from qualifying records on the micro file, although it uses
parameters as well. The previous section (Section 11.2) explains how records qualify for the
CCS, based on ARS Refile Year, ARS Response Code, MEEI, Status Code, and the presence of
a true CCS code change. The essential first quarter classification codes (for most States, the
county, ownership, and industry codes) must all be present on the record. At least one Old field
must be present that differs from the equivalent first quarter code. The system will also verify
that the necessary employment and wage fields are present.

Sources for the CCS Data Elements
The BLS-Washington system assigns CCS data elements as follows:
From parameters:
• State FIPS Code
• ARS Refile Year
(The documentation for your State system explains the assignment and use of parms.)
Copied from non-quarterly fields on the micro file record:
• UI Account Number
• Reporting Unit Number (RUN)
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Name (Trade Name if present, otherwise the Legal Name)
Copied from the most recent first quarter on the micro file record:
• MEEI code
• January Employment – from Month 1
• February Employment – from Month 2
• March Employment – from Month 3
• First Quarter Total Wages
Copied from the fourth quarter immediately preceding the most recent first quarter on the micro
file record:
• December Employment – from Month 3
• Fourth Quarter Total Wages
Copied from Old Fields and first quarter classification codes on the micro file record:
• Old NAICS code
• Old Ownership code
• Old County code

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•
•
•
•
•

Page 11-9

Old Township code
New NAICS code
New Ownership code
New County code
New Township code

Fourth Quarter Fields, First Quarter Fields, Old Fields, and New Fields
The BLS-Washington system copies the Old fields from the micro file record (Old NAICS, Old
Ownership, Old County, Old Township) to the Old fields in the CCS record. The system copies
the first quarter classification code to the New field of the CCS record where it differs from the
corresponding CCS Old field.
Unlike the standard State systems, the BLS-Washington system can generate a CCS record if one
or more of the essential Old fields (Old NAICS, Old Ownership, or Old County) is blank. If
there are Old fields without data (that is, blank), then the BLS-Washington system copies the
value from the corresponding first quarter code into the Old field of the CCS record. For
example, if Old NAICS is blank, the first quarter NAICS code from the micro file record is
copied to Old NAICS code on the CCS record.
Here are several examples. Townships are not shown because for most States, township codes
are not required and do not affect their CCS files.
Codes

Micro File
Old Field

NAICS
Ownership
County

811213
(blank)
(blank)

NAICS
Ownership
County

811211
5
005

NAICS
Ownership
County

(blank)
(blank)
013

Micro File 4th
Micro File 1st
Quarter Field
Quarter Field
Example 1
811213
811211
5
5
033
033
Example 2
811211
811211
5
5
005
033
Example 3
221113
221113
5
5
025
025

CCS Old
Field

CCS New
Field

811213
5
033

811211
(blank)
(blank)

811211
5
005

(blank)
(blank)
033

221113
5
013

(blank)
(blank)
025

Notice that all Old fields are assigned on the CCS, even when the Old field is blank on the micro
file. Meanwhile the CCS New fields are only assigned when the code changes. Where the CCS
New fields are present, they are consistent with the first quarter fields. Where the CCS New
fields are blank, the fourth quarter and first quarter fields are the same – the code did not change.
In the first two examples, the Old fields on the micro file, when present, are identical to the
fourth quarter fields. This will be the typical situation. However in Example 3, the micro file

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Old fields are not consistent with the fourth quarter fields. Old County is 013 while the fourth
quarter county is 025. The system copies 013 to the Old County field on the CCS and ignores
the fourth quarter county code. There are special circumstances (discussed in Section 11.5 and
in Chapter 5) in which the fourth quarter is inactive or pending (Status Code = 2 or 9) and the
Old fields may differ from the fourth quarter fields. Example 3 could be one such case – a newly
broken out multi worksite record, with pending status in fourth quarter and active status (Status
Code = 1) in first quarter.
However in the normal case, in which the fourth quarter of the record are active, the Old fields
should be identical to the fourth quarter classification codes. The standard State systems will set
the Old fields equal to the fourth quarter codes in that case. If for some reason they differ on the
EQUI (and the BLS-Washington micro file), the micro edit in BLS-Washington will assign a W
(Warning) flag, as discussed in the next section.
The BLS-Washington system will not create a CCS record if any of the required first quarter
codes are missing (blank). In other words the first quarter industry, ownership, and county codes
(plus the township code for New England States and New Jersey) must all be present on the
micro file. This becomes significant when the first quarter of the record is inactive or pending,
because a blank code (for example, a blank NAICS code) is normally harmless when the quarter
is not active.

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11.4 Micro Edits and EQUI Updates for the CCS
The BLS-Washington system does not directly edit either the CCS or Summary of Difference
files. Instead it edits the relevant data elements, and key relationships between them, on the
micro file. Correcting these errors on their respective micro files allows both the State and BLSWashington to generate more complete and accurate CCS files.
For some edits discussed in Section 11.4.1, an edit failure (a flag) causes the BLS-Washington
system to change the ARS Response Code on its micro file. This, in turn, excludes the record
from the CCS. When the State corrects the error, the BLS-Washington system changes the ARS
Response Code again in a way that allows the record to be included on the CCS. Most micro
edits do not affect the ARS Response Code and therefore do not exclude the record; however,
correcting the micro file record results in a more accurate CCS record. In the BLS-Washington
system, all of the I-errors and W flags discussed in the following section will appear on Table
9B, the Micro Edits Only listing.
Section 11.4.2 explains how the content of the CCS can be changed when certain fields on the
micro file are changed (via the EQUI), especially the ARS Response Code and the Old fields.
Section 11.4.3 explains how the BLS-Washington system changes ARS Response Codes.

11.4.1 Micro Edits That Affect the CCS
Some edits have no effect on the CCS (for example, edits for taxable wages, contributions, or
address fields). However, a number of micro edits relate to the quality of the data copied to the
CCS, and some edit flags prevent records from being included on the CCS file in BLSWashington (and possibly in the States as well). To generate an accurate CCS files for their own
use and in BLS, States should update their micro file with corrections to the I-errors described in
this section. They should also correct the W-flags that identify inaccurate codes or other data.

I-errors that Prevent Records from Being Included on the CCS
As discussed in Section 11.2, the BLS-Washington system uses the ARS Response Code on the
micro file as a primary criterion to include records on the CCS. If ARS Response Code is not 46
or 50, then the record will not be chosen. However, the system may change the ARS Response
Code on the micro file, based on what happens in micro editing. In particular, certain I-errors
cause the system to change the ARS Response Code in a way that excludes invalid data from the
CCS. When EQUI transactions correct the errors on the BLS-Washington micro file, the system
changes the ARS Response Code in a way that allows the record to be selected again. This is
explained in more detail below, in Section 11.4.3.
The I-errors in question follow. The last column in this table shows which quarter's data applies.
"First" and "fourth" refer to the most recent first and fourth quarters. For example when 2003/1

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is the current quarter, BLS-Washington will be creating the 2003 CCS. Invalid NAICS codes in
2002/1 through 2002/3 would require correction but would not affect the ARS Response Code –
or the CCS.
Edit
Code
010
012
013
016
031
032
033
034
065
074
075
076
078

Edit Message

Edit Quarter

Invalid NAICS Code
Invalid Ownership Code
Invalid County Code
NAICS & Ownership Inconsistent
Invalid First Month Employment
Invalid Second Month Employment
Invalid Third Month Employment
Invalid Total Wages
Inconsistent County/Township Combination
Invalid Old Ownership
Invalid Old County
Invalid Old County/Old Township Combination
Invalid Old NAICS Code

first
first
first
first
first
first
fourth and/or first
fourth and/or first
first
non-quarterly edit
non-quarterly edit
non-quarterly edit
non-quarterly edit

Edits 074, 075, 076, and 078 are performed only when the ARS Refile Year and ARS Response
Code indicate that the record is intended for this year's CCS. These edits require that the Old
fields, if not blank, contain valid codes. For example, edit 078 flags the Old NAICS code if it is
not a valid code, while edit 075 flags the Old County if it is not a valid FIPS county code for the
State or a valid county equivalent code.
Note that code 900 will flag as invalid in the Old County (and Old Township) fields. This is
because code 900 is a county (and township) equivalent code that may only be used on master
records. The CCS Old fields should identify the county-ownership-industry code macro cell
where the economic data were reported in fourth quarter. Master records are always excluded
from the macro file as well as the CCS, so the Old fields should never correspond to a master
record. As Section 11.5.2 describes, multi-unit UI accounts that collapse into a single-unit
account should never use the former master record as the source of any Old fields for the CCS.

Other CCS-related Edits
When you address Warning (W) flags for any of the employment and wage fields that will later
be copied to the CCS, you can improve the CCS data. Beyond this, there are edits that were
specifically implemented to promote a more accurate and complete CCS file.
1. Invalid ARS Response Code/Year (Edit 046-I) – If the record belongs on the CCS but its ARS
Response Code or ARS Refile Year field are invalid, it will not be included. Assigning ARS
Response Code 46 or 50 is not sufficient; a record intended for the CCS must also have a
current ARS Refile Year. If the ARS Response Code was assigned in the current ARS or in a

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subsequent update to the State's micro file, the ARS Refile Year should equal the current
processing year.
2. Expected Code Change not Made (Edit 123-W) – This edit flags records whose ARS Refile
Year and ARS Response Code signal that the record is intended for the CCS; however, the
relationship between Old fields and first quarter codes does not indicate a true CCS code
change. (A true noneconomic code change for the CCS is defined in Section 11.2). Check
the Old codes and the ARS Response Code to see which field or fields should change.
3. Code Change Back to a Recent Code (Edit 121-W) – This edit identifies records whose codes
have changed twice within the past year. Such frequent code changes are rarely appropriate,
and should be researched thoroughly. Some records with this flag may have appeared on last
year’s CCS and also qualify for this year’s CCS. BLS-Washington may require an
explanation for these units.
4. Possible Noneconomic Code Change (Edit 120-W) – This edit flags records with code
changes occurring in second, third, or fourth quarter. Such code changes should be checked
to verify that they are truly economic in nature. If the code change is noneconomic, it should
be held until first quarter and reported on the CCS, using the procedures described in the next
section. In first quarter, this edit flags records with code changes that do not carry an ARS
Response Code and ARS Refile Year for inclusion on the CCS.
5. Old Codes Are Inconsistent with 4th Quarter Codes (Edit 146-W) – This edit flags records
whose Old fields, if present, do not match the corresponding fourth quarter classification code
(for example, the Old NAICS and the fourth quarter NAICS fields contain different codes).
The edit is only performed when the ARS Refile Year and ARS Response Code indicate that
the record is intended for this year's CCS, when the record is active in fourth quarter (Status
Code = 1) and edit flags 074, 075, 076, and 078 have not been assigned.
Edit 146 reflects two characteristics of noneconomic code changes reported on the CCS:
• The code change must be held until first quarter and not implemented earlier; and
• CCS records report changes only from fourth quarter to first quarter, not from (for
example) third quarter to the following first quarter.
On occasion, a record in the State may carry a different classification code on the ARS
Control file than on the fourth quarter of the micro file. Since the Old fields are typically
passed from the ARS Control file to the State micro file, a difference between the Old fields
and fourth quarter codes can occur. For example, the county code present on the FY 2005
ARS Control file may be the one used in the 2004 first quarter. If the county code on the
micro file record had an economic code change between 2004/1 and 2004/4, the Old County
field passed from the ARS Control file to the micro file will differ. To accommodate these
situations, the State systems will set the Old fields on their micro files to equal the
corresponding fourth quarter classification codes, when fourth quarter was active. This
action by the State systems should prevent or minimize the instances of edit flag 146-W in
BLS-Washington.

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Some records with an inactive or pending fourth quarter may belong on the CCS and should
contain Old fields; however, their Old fields might differ from their fourth quarter
classification codes. Subunit records created for a new Multiple Worksite Report (MWR)
breakout are an example. (See Section 11.5.1 and Section 5.5.) Edit 146-W will not be
performed for these records because their fourth quarter is not active. However, their first
quarter must be active to be included on the CCS.

11.4.2 Updating Response Codes, Old Fields, and Other Data
State staff can update the BLS-Washington micro file by changing the same data elements on
their own micro files. Their State systems generate EQUI files that apply these same changes in
BLS-Washington. State staff should make these data changes not only to correct errors, but also
to make appropriate adjustments to the content of the CCS and Summary of Differences files in
BLS-Washington (as well as the States). For example, correcting employment or wage data on
the micro file and the EQUI for certain time periods also corrects the comparable data on the
CCS.
As mentioned before, the State controls what records appear on the CCS file primarily by
updating the ARS Response Code. The ARS Refile Year must also be current, and Old fields
must be present that show where the economic data were reported in fourth quarter.

ARS Response Code
On the State's ARS Control file, a record’s ARS Response Code reflects its progress through the
survey – whether it has been mailed (and how often), whether a response has been received, and
whether its final response has been recorded. This data element is central to the calculation of
usable and total response rates.
On State and BLS-Washington micro files, the ARS Response Code has more limited purposes.
The ARS Response Code here is not used to calculate response rates or track mailings. It has
only two uses:
1. ARS Status – The ARS Response Code shows what progress the record made through the
refiling survey, as of the time this data element was transferred from the ARS Control file to
the micro file. Preferably it records a usable employer response. Meanwhile the ARS Refile
Year field shows whether the code reflects the most recently completed survey, or an earlier
ARS.
2. CCS Selection – The ARS Response Code is the primary indicator used to determine if a
record does or does not belong on the CCS – but only when the ARS Refile Year is current.
These purposes may occasionally conflict, in which case the second purpose (CCS) takes
precedence. For example during the most recent ARS, the State may have assigned ARS
Response Code 41 to the subunit records (worksites) of a multi-unit UI account. Code 41

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indicates that the existing industry code, county, and ownership codes are accurate. Meanwhile
the employer stopped providing separate, disaggregated data for this account. The subunits of
this multi have to be consolidated or collapsed so the account can be reported as though it were a
single unit. If this consolidation involves code changes, then one or more subunits may belong
on the CCS and therefore require a CCS-type ARS Response Code. In this case, State staff
should update the ARS Response Code field to replace code 41 with code 50 (Code change from
a non-ARS source). State staff should also make sure the ARS Refile Year is current, and assign
Old fields to express the code change. Section 11.5.2 and Section 5.6 explain in detail how to
handle an MWR collapse.
In this situation and others, the ARS Response Code that BLS-Washington receives on the EQUI
file will no longer show what happened in the ARS, but will reflect information gathered from a
source other than the ARS. However, generating an accurate and complete CCS is more
important, so it takes precedence over the ARS status.
Sometimes the ARS Response Code that came from the ARS indicates that further follow-up is
still needed. For example, ARS Response Code 30 (CCS I-error) might remain on several
records when the codes are transferred from the ARS Control file to the State micro file, and to
BLS-Washington. The BLS-Washington system will list micro records that have ARS Response
Code 30 as well as several other ARS Response codes – codes assigned only in BLSWashington. The BLS-Washington system will list records with these codes, as described in
Section 11.7.4. You should review these records to identify any that may belong on the CCS;
then update ARS Response Code and other fields on the State micro file as needed.

Old fields
Sections 11.2 and 11.3 explain in detail how the Old fields identify code changes. Where
accurate Old fields are not already present on a record that belongs on the CCS, State staff
should update the record to assign them. In particular, if a record was not included in the ARS
then its Old fields are likely to be all blank on the State micro file. If a noneconomic code
change is then identified for the record and it belongs on the CCS, the Old fields must be entered.
Except for special cases described in Section 11.5 and Chapter 5 (certain MWR breakouts and
predecessor/successor situations), the Old fields should be identical to the corresponding
classification codes that the record carries in the fourth quarter.

11.4.3 The BLS-Washington System Reassigns Some ARS Response
Codes
The BLS-Washington system will reassign ARS Response Codes on its micro file in certain
circumstances. The BLS-Washington system assigns three ARS Response Codes that appear in
BLS only, and are never used in State systems. Records receiving these codes will appear on a
CCS table (described in Section 11.7.4) and should be reviewed by State staff:

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33 – BLS-Washington assigned, submitted as 46/50/76 but has CCS I-error on the BLSWashington micro file
34 – BLS-Washington assigned, submitted as 46/50/76 but does not have a true CCS code
change on the BLS-Washington micro file
35 – BLS-Washington assigned, submitted with Comment Code 81 and a true code change
but not with ARS Response Code 30/46/50/76.
The BLS-Washington system also assigns two ARS Response Codes that do appear in State
systems. Records receiving these codes are not listed, and no further action is needed:
41 – Reviewed, no CCS changes
46 – Clean record with CCS updates.
Every change the system makes to an ARS Response Code will be listed on CCS Table 1, the
Response Code Change report. This report is described in Section 11.7.1.
Following are more detailed explanations of each of these ARS Response Code reassignments.
ARS Response Code 33 – When micro editing assigns one or more of the CCS-related I-errors to
a record, the BLS-Washington system will change the ARS Response Code to 33. The CCS Ierrors are shown in the table in Section 11.4.1. ARS Response Code 33 is similar to code 30
(CCS I-error) in the States. It is assigned only in the BLS-Washington system and only when the
record carried ARS Response Code 46, 50, or 76 and a current ARS Refile Year on the EQUI.
Since its ARS Response Code is no longer 46 or 50, the flagged record is excluded from the CCS
file in BLS-Washington, although it may have been included in the State version.
ARS Response Code 34 – The BLS system will assign ARS Response Code 34 to records that
carried ARS Response Code 46, 50, or 76 and a current ARS Refile Year on the EQUI, and that
do not have a true CCS code change (as defined in Section 11.2). Code 34 is not assigned if any
of the CCS I-errors shown in Section 11.4.1 are present.
As an example, a record may have a code change only from the unclassified industry code
999999, or a change only from a county equivalent code (995-999). If the record carries ARS
Response Code 46, 50, or 76 on the State micro file and the EQUI, the BLS-Washington system
will assign ARS Response Code 34. The record will be listed on the Response Code Change
report (shown in Section 11.7.1) and on one of the CCS Tables shown in Section 11.7.4. If the
Old fields and first quarter codes are accurate, State staff should change the ARS Response Code
on the State micro file. Usually code 41 will be appropriate.
ARS Response Code 35 – The BLS-Washington system will assign ARS Response Code 35 to
records that do not carry an ARS Response Code for the CCS (46 or 50), but apparently should.
The system assigns this code when the record does have a true CCS code change, the ARS Refile
Year is current, the comment code for a noneconomic code change (code 81) is present for first
or fourth quarter, and an appropriate ARS Response Code is not present. The appropriate ARS
Response Codes are 30, 46, 50, or 76. State staff should review any record with ARS Response
Code 35 and assign code 46 or 50, if it belongs on the CCS.

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ARS Response Code 41 – When an EQUI correction removes any CCS I-errors from a record
that previously carried ARS Response Code 30 or 33 and the current ARS Refile Year, the BLSWashington system will make an appropriate adjustment. The system determines whether a true
CCS code change is present. If there is not, the system assigns code 41. No further action is
needed for BLS purposes; however, State staff should review the ARS Response Code on their
own micro file. To be accurate and consistent, the record should not carry ARS Response Code
46 or 50 on the State file if it does not have a true CCS code change (as defined in Section 11.2).
The record should carry ARS Response Code 41 instead.
As an example, a record on the 2003/1 deliverable EQUI may have ARS Response Code 30 and
an invalid county code. It may have an industry code change from 999999, or no code change at
all. If a 2003/1 EQUI correction fixes the I-error, the BLS-Washington system will change the
code from 30 to 41 on the BLS-Washington micro file. State staff should assign ARS Response
Code 41 on their micro file, if it is not already present.
ARS Response Code 46 – As with ARS Response Code 41, the BLS-Washington system assigns
this code when an EQUI correction removes CCS I-errors. When a record with ARS Response
Code 30 or 33 and the current ARS Refile Year has a true CCS code change – and has no CCS Ierrors – the system assigns code 46. By doing so, the BLS-Washington system restores the
corrected record to the CCS. No further action is needed for BLS-Washington files; however,
the record also belongs on the State's version of the CCS. State staff should assign ARS
Response Code 46 or 50 to the micro file record, if the record does not carry 46 or 50 already.

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11.5 Handling Code Changes for Special Cases
Some noneconomic code changes coincide with changes in reporting configuration. In other
words, they occur along with a change in the UI Account Number and Reporting Unit Number
(UI/RUN) under which an existing establishment is reported.
New breakouts of MWR subunits are one example of reporting changes resulting in
noneconomic code changes. A given subunit (worksite) may have been reported as part of a
combined reporting unit (typically a record carrying RUN 00000 and MEEI code 4). When the
employer agrees to report data separately for each worksite on the MWR, some of the new
worksite reporting units (the newly broken out records) may carry different industry codes or
area codes than previously reported on the combined RUN 00000. The movement of their data
into the correct county/ownership/industry cell should be treated as a noneconomic code change
and reported on the CCS, as described in Section 5.5. For the States that are required to report
township codes, the movement of worksite data between townships is also noneconomic and
belongs on the CCS.
The consolidation or collapse of MWR reporters into a single, combined record (with RUN
00000 and MEEI 4 or 6) may also involve the movement of employment and wages between
cells. Such movement is also considered a noneconomic code change and belongs on the CCS,
as described in Section 5.6. When an establishment changes from one UI account to another,
that is, changes from a predecessor to a successor, there also may be code changes that should be
treated as noneconomic and that belong on the CCS. These circumstances are described in
Section 5.3.
In all these special circumstances, the BLS-Washington system will create CCS records when it
finds the necessary ARS Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and Old fields. If State staff entered
the information properly on the ARS Control file, then the State system will pass the necessary
data elements to the micro file and no further action is needed. As an alternative, if State staff
make appropriate changes to their micro file, the EQUI will deliver the proper Old fields, ARS
Response Code, and ARS Refile Year to BLS-Washington.
In most of these special circumstances, the record that should carry the Response Code and other
CCS-related fields will be active in first quarter but not fourth, or will be active in fourth quarter
but not first. However, the record must be active in at least one of these two quarters. The BLSWashington system will exclude from the CCS any record that is not active (Status Code = 1) in
either fourth or first quarter.

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11.5.1 Multi-unit Breakouts with Code Changes
The standard systems allow States to handle breakouts and consolidations of multi-unit accounts
in various ways. However in every case, there should be a record on both State and BLSWashington micro files for every reporting unit (every worksite) that is, will become, or has been
active within recent quarters. Some of these worksite records (records with RUN > 00000) may
belong on the CCS, as they report the noneconomic movement of their employment and wages
between cells.
State staff should first determine which subunits (worksites) have a noneconomic code change.
In other words, identify the subunits that will be active in the first quarter and that will report
their employment with different industry codes or area codes than were used for those workers in
fourth quarter.
Next, use the features of your standard State system (see the system's user documentation) to
apply the necessary data elements to your micro file and the EQUI:
1. Assign the fourth quarter values of the earlier record’s industry code, county and (for
specified States) township to the Old fields of the subunit, where they differ from the new
codes. This is also clarified in the examples.
2. Assign the new, correct values of the industry code, county and (for specified States)
township to the appropriate first quarter fields of the subunit.
3. Assign an ARS Response Code of 46 or 50 to the subunit, if 46 or 50 is not already present
(that is, if 46 or 50 was not already transferred from the ARS Control file).
4. Assign the current ARS Refile Year, if it is not already present on the record.
Several examples follow that explain this further.

Example 1: New MWR Breakout. Consider the case of a multi-unit employer being broken
out for the first time in first quarter. All the fourth quarter employment was reported on a record
with RUN 00000. Now for the first quarter, the RUN 00000 record becomes a master record
(MEEI = 2) while several subunit records become active for the first time. In this example, some
of these carry a different county code or industry code (or both) than the RUN 00000 record.
The fourth quarter (2005/4) of the UI account on the micro file might appear as below. The
employment shown in parentheses would be the actual employment at each of those worksites;
however, since the records are not active in fourth quarter, all the employment, wages, and other
data are reported and used only on the RUN 00000 record (the only active record).
In this and other examples that follow, the employment is provided to show the relative size of
the subunits. For simplicity’s sake, the employment appears as completely stable from month to

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month. The fluctuations that occur in real data would not affect what these examples are
intended to show – how the Old fields, ARS Response Code, and ARS Refile Year should be
properly constructed to include the records on the CCS.
2005 Fourth Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

00000
00001
00002
00003
00004

4
3
3
3
5

Status
Code
1
2 (or 9)
2 (or 9)
2 (or 9)
2 (or 9)

County

NAICS

Employment

013
013
009
009
011

336211
336211
336211
336211
336350

500
0 (or 300)
0 (or 100)
0 (or 50)
0 (or 50)

Note that this account is being reported as a single, since none of the subunit records are active
yet. When they become active in the first quarter, records 00002, 00003, and 00004 will report
their employment and other data in a different industry code or county than in fourth quarter, that
is, they have a different industry code or county code than the previously combined RUN 00000
record. Therefore records 00002, 00003, and 00004 belong on the CCS.
2006 First Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

Status
Code

00000
00001
00002
00003
00004

2
3
3
3
5

1
1
1
1
1

ARS
Resp
Code
41
41
46
46
46

ARS
Refile
Year
2006
2006
2006
2006
2006

Old
Cnty

Qtr 1
Cnty

013
013
013

900
013
009
009
011

Old
NAICS

Qtr 1
NAICS

Emp

336211

336211
336211
336211
336211
336350

500
300
100
50
50

In the first quarter, this same UI account is reported with all the subunits as active. The RUN
00000 record is now a master record with MEEI = 2 and county equivalent code = 900 (master).
The employment and other data for the macro file (and for most other purposes) will no longer
come from the RUN 00000 record because it is a master. The data will now come from the
subunit records instead.
The last three records, the records shown in italics, belong on the CCS file. They need ARS
Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and Old fields as shown. The BLS-Washington system will
then copy the three records to the CCS.
Note in particular how the Old fields and first quarter codes should be assigned. Record 00002
has a different county code than record 00000, so its correct county code (code 009) is reported
in the first quarter county field while the county code under which it was previously reported
(code 013) is reported in the Old County field. Record 00004 has different codes both for county
and for industry; the first quarter fields carry the correct codes while Old County and Old NAICS
carry the previous codes of the account when it was reported as a single.

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Record 00003 is handled the same as 00002 where the county code change qualifies both records
for the CCS.
In this and all the examples that follow, the code changes shown are from one specific industry
code or county code to another. However, there may be cases when the code change is only
from an "unclassified" code. Codes changes only from unclassified codes do not belong on the
CCS. Suppose, in the example above, the MEEI 4 record (RUN 00000) did not carry county
code 013 in fourth quarter, but instead had county 999 (unknown) or 995 (statewide). In that
case, subunit records 00002 and 00003 would not belong on the CCS because their only code
change is the county code change from 999 to 009. This is a change from unclassified, not a
noneconomic code change; therefore, ARS Response Code 46 would be incorrect. The BLSWashington system would reassign the ARS Response Code to exclude these two records from
the CCS. Record 00004 should still carry ARS Response Code 46 and would still belong on the
CCS because it also has an industry code change from one specific code to another.
This discussion focused on the data elements needed for including new subunit records on the
CCS. However when breaking out subunit records, or when making any change in the UI/RUN
reporting configuration of existing establishments, State staff should also assign the predecessor
or successor ID fields (Predecessor UI Number/Predecessor RUN, or Successor UI
Number/Successor RUN). In the example shown above, all four of the new records should
report the Predecessor ID on the first quarter EQUI. The Predecessor UI number will be the
same as the regular UI Account Number because all the reporting units remain in the same UI
account as before. The Predecessor RUN on all four new records will be 00000, because all the
worksites were reported under that RUN in the prior quarter.

Example 2: Further Breakout of a Combined Subunit. Consider the case of a combined
subunit (several worksites reported as a combined MEEI 5 record). If the employer will now
report the data separately, and if one or more of the new worksites has a different industry code
or county than the MEEI 5 record, then it belongs on the CCS.
In this example, assume that this is the same UI account a year later. The employer has offered
to report the data separately for the combined subunit record 00004, so this record is being
further broken out into new subunit records 00005 and 00006 beginning in the 2006 first quarter.
In 2005/4, the new records are not yet active. In 2006/1, record 00004 will become inactive as
its employment and other data move to the new records, one of which is in a different county.

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2005 Fourth Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

00000
00001
00002
00003
00004
00005
00006

2
3
3
3
5
3
3

Status
Code
1
1
1
1
1
2 (or 9)
2 (or 9)

County

NAICS

Employment

013
013
009
009
011
025
011

336211
336211
336211
336211
336350
336350
336350

500
300
100
50
50
0 (or 20)
0 (or 30)

Record 00005 belongs on the 2006 CCS file because of the change in its county code. Its
employment and other data will move from county 011 (the code of the MEEI 5 record from
which 00005 breaks out) to county 025. When first quarter becomes the current quarter, this UI
account should appear on the EQUI with the necessary data:
2006 First Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

Status
Code

00000
00001
00002
00003
00004
00005
00006

2
3
3
3
5
3
3

1
1
1
1
2
1
1

ARS
Resp
Code
41
41
46
46
46
50

ARS
Refile
Year
2005
2005
2005
2005
2005
2006

Old
Cnty

011

Qtr 1
Cnty
013
013
009
009
011
025
011

Old
NAICS

Qtr 1
NAICS

Emp

336211
336211
336211
336211
336350
336350
336350

500
300
100
50
0
20
30

The BLS-Washington system will copy record 00005 to the CCS because it has:
• A true CCS code change in the relationship between the Old fields and the 2006/1 codes,
• A current ARS Refile Year (in this case, 2006), and
• A CCS ARS Response Code (code 50 in this example, although a code 46 has the same
effect and would be appropriate if the information came from the ARS).
Note that last year’s ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year remain on other records;
however, this does not affect this year’s CCS.
In addition to the data elements needed for CCS purposes, State staff should assign Predecessor
ID fields (including Predecessor RUN 00004) to the new subunit records. This will link them to
the record from which they are breaking out.

Example 3: Breakouts Made in Mid-year. States have the option to break out new subunit
records as soon as the employer begins reporting disaggregated data, provided that any code
changes are held until first quarter and are included on the CCS. This is described in Section 5.5.

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For example, an MEEI 4 reporting unit may represent two worksites in different counties. The
employer begins providing separate data in second quarter. The combined record (RUN 00000)
carried the county code of the primary county. Now that it becomes a master record in second
quarter, its county code typically should change to 900, although it may continue to use the same
code as before. Meanwhile, both of the new subunit records must remain in the same county
(and industry code) in second, third, and fourth quarters as was used for the combined record in
first quarter. In this example, the smaller subunit record (RUN 00002) is reported in county 005
even though the worksite is really located in county 007.
2005 First Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

00000

4

Status
Code
1

County

NAICS

Emp

005

452990

100

County

NAICS

Emp

900
005
005

452990
452990
452990

100
65
35

2005 Second, Third, and Fourth Quarters:
RUN

MEEI

00000
00001
00002

2
3
3

Status
Code
1
1
1

The county code for RUN 00002 should be corrected beginning in first quarter, and it belongs on
the CCS. When first quarter becomes the current quarter, the UI account should be updated to
carry the necessary data on the EQUI file:
2006 First Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

Status
Code

00000
00001
00002

2
3
3

1
1
1

ARS
Resp
Code

50

ARS
Refile
Year

2006

Old
Cnty

Qtr 1
Cnty

005

900
005
007

Old
NAICS

Qtr 1
NAICS

Emp

452990
452990
452990

100
65
35

As in earlier examples, the choice of ARS Response Code (46 or 50) should be based on the
source of the information. If the information for the code change originated in the refiling
survey, assign 46; otherwise assign 50. As before, the records that do not belong on the CCS
may or may not already carry an ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year.
Also as in the earlier examples, the State should include predecessor information when the new
records are broken out. In this case, the predecessor fields (including Predecessor RUN 00000)
should appear on the new records in 2005/2, since that is the quarter during which they become
active. While BLS requires that noneconomic code changes be held until first quarter, the

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predecessor or successor fields should be provided right away. They should appear on the EQUI
file for the quarter when the reporting change takes place.

Example 4: Professional Employer Organization (PEO) Breakouts in Mid-year. As
mentioned in Section 15.3, many businesses, small businesses in particular, enter into a coemployer relationship with PEOs. In most cases, only a small portion of the client business staff
(typically executives and managers) will remain on the payroll of the original (client) firm. The
workers are normally transferred to the PEO. Client businesses find it financially advantageous
to transfer their workers to PEOs since this arrangement can relieve the clients of human
resource and administrative work.
Under normal circumstances, if a breakout occurs in a PEO in mid-year (i.e., other than first
quarter) and the breakout causes a change from one classified industry or area to another
classified industry and/or area due to non-economic events, the code change(s) should be held by
the State until the next first quarter and reported on the Code Change Supplement.
However, for larger PEOs, handling and reporting breakouts, births, deaths, out-of-business
units, or other reporting changes can become difficult and very time consuming for State QCEW
staff. Clients enter in and out of relationships with PEOs regularly. It is advised in these
particular cases that the State contact their appropriate regional office for guidance and/or
assistance in handling these more difficult PEO cases.

11.5.2 Multi-unit Collapses with Code Changes
State staff should first determine which subunits (worksites) have a noneconomic code change.
In other words, identify the old subunits that will become inactive in the first quarter and whose
employment will now be reported in a different industry code or county than was used for those
workers in fourth quarter.
Next, use the features of your standard State system (see documentation for your State) to apply
the necessary changes to your micro file and the EQUI:
1. Allow the record for the old subunit to remain on the micro file, even though it becomes
inactive. Do not mark it for deletion since that effectively removes all quarters of data
(including active quarters) from the State and BLS-Washington micro files and prevents the
record from being copied to the CCS. The record must remain until all CCS processing for
the year is completed, and so its historical data will be included in subsequent aggregations.
2. Assign the new values of the industry code, ownership, county, and (where appropriate)
township to the inactive first quarter of the old subunit record. Make sure that all the first
quarter codes are present, whether or not they differ from the fourth quarter.

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3. Assign the old values of industry code, county or (where appropriate) township to the Old
fields of the subunit record, where they differ from the first quarter values.
4. Assign an ARS Response Code of 46 or 50 to the subunit, if 46 or 50 is not already present
(that is, if 46 or 50 was not already transferred from the ARS Control file).
5. Assign the current ARS Refile Year, if it is not already present on the record.
Examples follow that will explain this further.

Example 1: Collapse of an MWR Reporter to a Single. Consider the case of a multi-unit
employer being consolidated or collapsed into a single-unit record beginning with first quarter.
The new single, the record with RUN 00000, was formerly a master record with MEEI = 2. Now
its MEEI will typically change to 4 or 6, and it will begin to carry all the employment and wage
data. The industry code and county codes should be assigned as described in Section 5.6. Any
of the subunits whose industry code or county codes were different than the new MEEI 4 or 6
record belongs on the CCS.
The fourth quarter (2005/4) of the UI account on the micro file might appear as follows.
2005 Fourth Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

00000
00001
00002
00003

2
3
3
3

Status
Code
1
1
1
1

County

NAICS

Own

Employment

900
013
007
009

561599
561599
561599
541990

5
5
5
5

150
85
40
25

This fourth quarter multi has more than one county and more than one industry code.
Collapsing it into a first quarter single unit means in this case that the county and industry codes
of the largest former subunit become the codes of the RUN 00000 record (whose MEEI code
changes from 2 to 4). The employment of the two smaller subunits will change county, industry
code, or both; therefore they belong on the CCS. On the first quarter EQUI, the account should
be reported as follows:
2006 First Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

Status
Code

00000
00001
00002
00003

4
3
3
3

1
2
2
2

ARS
Resp
Code
41
41
46
46

ARS
Refile
Year
2006
2006
2006
2006

Old
Cnty

Qtr 1
Cnty

007
009

013
013
013
013

Old
NAICS

Qtr 1
NAICS

561599

561599
561599
561599
541990

Old
Own

Qtr 1
Own

Emp

5
5
5
5

150
0
0
0

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Even though RUNs 00002 and 00003 are inactive (Status Code = 2), they will be placed on the
CCS because of their ARS Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and Old fields, and because their
fourth quarter was active (Status Code = 1).
The ARS Response Codes shown here are 46 for the units belonging on the CCS, and 41 for the
others. In this example, ARS Response Codes are assigned as though information came from the
FY 2006 ARS. (In fact all of the information shown might have been passed from the ARS
Control file to the State micro file).
If the information came from sources other than the ARS, ARS Response Code 50 (code change
from non-ARS source) would be more appropriate for RUNs 00002 and 00003. Meanwhile
State staff would not assign an ARS Response Code or an ARS Refile Year to RUNs 00000 and
00001, but instead leave those fields blank.
As in the earlier examples, the State should provide predecessor or successor information, even
though it does not directly affect CCS processing. In this case, BLS will receive the most
beneficial linking information if all the collapsing subunits (including 00001) contain Successor
ID fields (including Successor RUN 00000) on the 2005/4 EQUI.

Example 2: Collapse of Several Worksites into a Combined Worksite. There may be
occasions when an employer will no longer report the data for some of the worksites separately,
so some records should be consolidated by terminating (inactivating) them and creating a new,
combined record with MEEI 5. This consolidation may cause some employment to be reported
in a different industry or county, so the inactive subunit(s) in question belong on the CCS.
Consider the following example.
The fourth quarter (2005/4) of the UI account on the micro file might appear as follows.
2005 Fourth Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

00000
00001
00002
00003

2
3
3
3

Status
Code
1
1
1
1

County

Own

NAICS

Emp

900
015
015
009

5
5
5
5

562920
562920
221320
562920

90
35
25
30

Suppose records 00001 and 00002 can no longer be reported separately. A new record should be
created in 2006/1 with the next available RUN (00004) and with MEEI 5. In this case it will
carry the industry code and county of the larger inactivated subunit – NAICS 562920 and county
015. The smaller inactivated subunit, 00002, belongs on the CCS because its employment will
now be reported in a different industry code. The record should be reported as follows on the
micro file and the EQUI file in first quarter:

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2006 First Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

Status
Code

00000
00001
00002
00003
00004

2
3
3
3
5

1
2
2
1
1

ARS
Resp
Code

50

ARS
Refile
Year

2006

Old
Cnty

Qtr 1
Cnty
900
015
015
009
015

Old
NAICS

Qtr 1
NAICS

221320

562920
562920
562920
562920
562920

Old
Own

Qtr 1
Own

Emp

5
5
5
5
5

90
0
0
30
60

As in the previous example, RUN 00002 will be placed on the CCS even though it is inactive in
first quarter.
As in all the earlier examples, BLS needs predecessor or successor information. This will
identify the establishments as continuous, in spite of the change to their UI/RUN reporting
configuration. In this case the linkage will be clear if you assign the Successor ID (including
Successor RUN 00004) to both collapsing records (records 00001 and 00002) in time for the
2005/4 EQUI.

11.5.3 Predecessors and Successors with Code Changes
Section 5.3 describes the successor situations that should be should be reflected on the CCS. Use
the following procedures to place successors with noneconomic code changes on the CCS:
State staff should first identify the record that will report the noneconomic code change. This is
discussed further below. Then use the features of your standard State system to apply the
necessary data elements to your micro file and the EQUI file:
1. Assign the new, correct values of the industry code, ownership, county and (for specified
States) township to the first quarter fields of the record that will report the code change
(typically the successor).
2. Assign the fourth quarter values of the industry code, ownership, county and (for specified
States) township to the Old fields of the record, where they differ from the first quarter codes.
3. Assign an ARS Response Code of 46 or 50 to the record, if 46 or 50 is not already present
(that is, if 46 or 50 was not already transferred from the ARS Control file).
4. Assign the current ARS Refile Year, if it is not already present on the record.
In addition to assigning the CCS-related data elements listed above, State staff should also
update the records in question with the predecessor or successor ID fields. (The successor record
should carry the Predecessor UI Account Number and Predecessor RUN; or the predecessor

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

June 2007

Page 11-28

record should carry the Successor UI Account Number and Successor RUN.) The proper use of
these fields is explained in Chapter 5 and Appendix B.
Example 1: A single unit that changes UI accounts. Suppose a store was sold to a new owner
in June 2005, and it begins operating under a new UI Account Number. An ARS response
shows that the establishment is not a warehouse club and supercenter (NAICS 452910) as it has
been coded for several years, but a discount department store (NAICS 452112). If the
employment is sufficiently large (greater than 25 in the months preceding and following the
change) then the industry code change should be applied to the successor record, but not until the
following first quarter. The successor record belongs on the CCS. Update the record if
necessary so it will appear as follows on the micro file and the EQUI file in first quarter:
2006 First Quarter:
RUN

MEEI

Status
Code

00000

1

1

ARS
Resp
Code
46

ARS
Refile
Year
2006

Old
NAICS

Qtr 1
NAICS

452910

452112

As with any continuous record, assigning the ARS Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and
appropriate Old field(s) is sufficient to place the record on the CCS in BLS-Washington. The
procedure would be the same if the store in question is a subunit (worksite) of a multi-unit
account, or if it were formerly a single unit and became a subunit record within a different UI
account. Section 5.4 describes this further.
Suppose the transfer of ownership (and the transition to a new UI Account Number) had
happened at the end of December 2005 or during the first quarter of 2006. The successor record
would not exist as an active record until first quarter. Nevertheless, updating the successor with
an appropriate ARS Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and Old field(s) would place the
successor record onto the CCS.
As explained in the next section, the employment and wage data on the CCS might then be
incomplete, since part of these data would come from the successor and be included on the CCS,
while part would reside on the predecessor and be omitted. In other words, the four months of
employment (December through March) and both quarters of total wages (fourth and first
quarter) would be split between the predecessor and successor records. If the employment in
question is sufficiently large and depending on when the transfer occurred, the State can take the
necessary steps to put the predecessor record onto the CCS rather than the successor. You may
also put both the predecessor and successor records onto the CCS.
To put a predecessor record onto the CCS, assign the same ARS Response Code, ARS Refile
Year, Old fields, and first quarter codes as you would use for the successor record. As in the
case of a collapsed subunit with code changes, the first quarter codes on a predecessor should
show where the employment is being reported in first quarter. The Old fields show where the
employment was reported in fourth quarter. In addition, the record must be active during at least
one of the quarters in question (first or fourth quarter).

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-29

Note that partial successor situations, in which part of one establishment's employment transfers
to another establishment, are not normally treated as noneconomic code changes. They do not
belong on the CCS. This is addressed in Section 2.3.2.

11.5.4 How the System Handles Missing Employment or Wages
The CCS and Summary of Differences files include employment data for four months:
December (month 3 of the fourth quarter) plus all three months of first quarter. They also
include total wages for both fourth and first quarter. In some of the circumstances covered in the
preceding sections, the four months of employment and two quarters of wages do not reside
entirely on one record (one UI/RUN). Yet in nearly all cases, only one record will be copied to
the CCS. Therefore part of the data for the establishment may be omitted from the CCS. In
some of these situations, the system will either estimate or zero fill the missing CCS data.
When a reporting unit is not continuously active over the whole period in question (fourth and
first quarter), some of the employment or wages fields may be "missing." On the micro file
record, "missing" means that the employment or wage field is zero while the indicator associated
with that field is set to M (missing). The employment and wage indicator flags are described in
Appendix B and Appendix J.
This section describes how the system treats missing employment and wage data on records that
otherwise qualify for the CCS. In brief, if all other conditions are met but economic data fields
are missing, then the system will still create the CCS record. If economic data are missing in a
configuration consistent with a breakout, the BLS-Washington system copies first quarter data to
the fourth quarter on the CCS record. For a probable collapse, the system copies fourth quarter
data to the CCS first quarter. For other situations including a probable predecessor or successor,
the system zero-fills the missing data fields.
This process may sometimes assign imprecise or inaccurate data to the CCS and Summary of
Differences; however, the remedies for this are very limited. Employment and wage data on the
CCS and Summary of Differences are copied from the micro file, and the systems (in BLSWashington and the States) do not offer any capability to change CCS data separately from the
corresponding data fields on the micro file. These economic data fields on the micro file must be
as accurate as possible because they appear (in aggregated form) on the macro file and in various
other uses.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-30

Probable Breakouts
December employment and fourth quarter wages cannot be copied to the CCS record when they
are not present on the micro file record. When a CCS record is created for a subunit that has
been broken out for the first time in first quarter, the real December employment and fourth
quarter wages may reside only on a different record, and only as part of an aggregation. In other
words, the fourth quarter data may exist only as some portion of the data on the RUN 00000
record, which was reported as a single (typically with MEEI 4). The BLS-Washington system
will attempt to estimate (copy) data between quarters so the CCS will not understate the
movement of fourth quarter data.
The BLS-Washington system will estimate CCS data for a probable breakout situation when all
these conditions occur:
1. The RUN of the micro file record that qualifies for the CCS is greater than 00000,
2. The fourth quarter total wages and December employment of the record are missing (data = 0
and indicators = M), and
3. For the three months of first quarter employment and for first quarter total wages, none of the
fields are missing.
When these conditions occur, the system creates a CCS record with estimated December
employment and fourth quarter wages. The estimation simply consists of copying January
(month 1) employment to December employment, and copying first quarter wages to fourth
quarter wages.

Probable Consolidations
The BLS-Washington system will estimate CCS data for a probable consolidation or collapse
when all these conditions occur:
1. The RUN of the micro file record that qualifies for the CCS is greater than 00000,
2. The first quarter total wages and all three months of first quarter employment of the record
are missing (data = 0 and indicators = M), and
3. Neither December employment nor fourth quarter wages are missing.
When these conditions occur, the system creates a CCS record with estimated January, February,
and March employment as well as estimated first quarter wages. The estimation consists of
copying December employment to January, February, and March; and copying fourth quarter
wages to first quarter wages.

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

July 2003

Page 11-31

As in the case of a new breakout, subunit records that are consolidated in first quarter typically
do not carry their real first quarter data – these data are now part of the aggregation on an MEEI
4 record. The system therefore estimates (copies) data on the CCS record from the fourth quarter
to the first quarter.

Probable Successors or Predecessors and Other Cases
The BLS-Washington system will zero-fill missing data on the CCS record when missing data on
the micro file are present in any configuration other than the ones described above – for a
probable breakout or a probable consolidation.
The following configurations suggest a probable predecessor or successor:
Case #

RUN

1
2
3
4
5
6

00000
00000
(any)
(any)
(any)
(any)

Dec Emp
Missing?

Q4 Wages
Missing?

yes
yes
yes

yes
yes
yes

Jan
Emp
Missing?
yes
yes
yes

Feb Emp
Missing?

Mar Emp
Missing?

Q1 Wages
Missing?

yes

yes

yes

yes
yes

yes
yes

Cases 1 and 2 are identical to the conditions for probable breakout subunits and probable
consolidation subunits, respectively, except that the RUN is zero-filled. Subunits cannot have
RUN 00000. Therefore cases 1 and 2 are more consistent with a single-unit successor and
predecessor, respectively. Case 1 might be a predecessor that terminates in December, while
case 2 might be a successor that begins operations in January.
Cases 3 and 4 are consistent with successor records. The case 3 record apparently starts up in
February, while case 4 seems to start in March. Cases 5 and 6 are consistent with predecessors
that terminate after January and February, respectively.
There are many possible configurations of missing employment and wage fields other than the
six described above for probable breakouts, consolidations, successors, and predecessors. These
other configurations seem questionable, but suggest unsuccessful data imputation (estimation) in
the State rather than situations that affect the CCS. For example, fourth quarter wages may be
missing (Total Wage Indicator = M) because insufficient wage data were present in earlier
quarters for the State system to impute fourth quarter. (Successful imputation would change the
indicator from M to another value, typically E.)
These are just a few examples of questionable situations:

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

July 2003

Case #

RUN

1
2
3
4
5

(any)
(any)
(any)
(any)
(any)

Dec Emp
Missing?

Q4 Wages
Missing?
yes
yes

Jan Emp
Missing?

Feb Emp
Missing?

Page 11-32

Mar Emp
Missing?

Q1 Wages
Missing?

yes
yes
yes

yes
yes

When any of these questionable cases occur, the BLS-Washington system will zero-fill the data
field on the CCS and list the record for review on a report. This report (CCS Table 8) is titled
CCS Records with Questionable Missing Employment/Wages and is shown in Section 11.7.4.

11.5.5 When Out-of-Business Units Have No Successor
The sections above describe special cases that belong on the CCS when there is not a stable,
active record present in both fourth quarter and first quarter. In these cases (breakouts,
consolidations, and successors) a noneconomic code change occurs when there is an active,
continuous establishment in some sense, even though the data are not continuously reported
under the same UI Account Number and RUN.
For some records a noneconomic code change is identified, but the establishment does not
remain active because the unit goes out of business. The ARS (or some other source) may
identify a correction to an establishment’s industry, area, or ownership codes; however, before
the correct code can be implemented in first quarter, the establishment permanently ceases
operations. Such records do not belong on the Code Change Supplement. The CCS should
not be used to retroactively identify and correct inaccurate codes for business “deaths” that occur
before the first quarter. If a reporting unit goes out of business permanently and without a
successor, the State should not assign the ARS Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and Old fields
that would put it onto the CCS. ARS Response Code 64 (Out of business) is appropriate for such
cases; codes 46 and 50 are not.
Meanwhile, State staff should verify that the reporting unit has been terminated, or take the
necessary actions to do so. An End of Liability Date should be assigned to the micro file (and
EQUI) record, and the Status Code should change to 2 (inactive) for the quarter following the
last quarter with reported employment.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-33

11.6 Generating the Summary of Differences File for the
Integrated Edit
The Summary of Differences file provides the CCS employment and wage data at an aggregated
level. For all affected county/ownership/industry cells, this file shows how much data enter and
leave due to CCS code changes. The Summary of Differences file contains one record for each
county/ownership/industry cell.
The data fields are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

December Employment
Fourth Quarter Wages
January Employment
February Employment
March Employment
First Quarter Wages
Number of Records (reporting units)

The BLS-Washington system generates the Summary of Differences file from the CCS file, so
they are consistent and use the same data. The only exception occurs for States that are required
to use township codes (New Jersey and the New England States). If the CCS file for one of these
States includes records with a change only to the township code (i.e., no changes to county,
ownership, or industry), such records are excluded from the Summary of Differences. The
Summary of Differences shows changes only to county, ownership, or industry.
The BLS-Washington system uses two important steps when generating the Summary of
Differences file:
1. CCS records are sorted by the Old fields (Old County, Old Ownership, and Old NAICS).
Then the data elements listed above are summed for each county/ownership/industry cell.
This becomes the data “from” each cell, that is, the data that are leaving the cell due to
noneconomic code changes.
2. CCS records are then sorted by current fields (Current County, Current Ownership, and
Current NAICS), and then the data elements listed above are summed for each cell. A
“current” field is the New field if present; otherwise it is the Old field. For example, if a
record has New NAICS as its only New field, then the current fields consist of Old County,
Old Ownership, and New NAICS. Note that the current fields on a CCS record match the
first quarter codes on the corresponding micro file record. This data becomes the data “to”
each cell, that is, the data that are entering the cell due to noneconomic code changes.
The BLS-Washington system also generates a Summary of Differences report, shown in Section
11.7.5. For each cell, the report shows the data leaving (“from”), the data entering (“to”), and

December 2004

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-34

the net change (calculated as data “from” minus data “to”). The net change is used in the macro
portion of the integrated edit, in a process called code change integration.
Code change integration uses Summary of Differences data in a temporary editing adjustment to
the macro data. Its purpose is to prevent macro flags that would occur due to noneconomic code
changes. Code change integration temporarily restores data that enter or leave macro cells as a
result of noneconomic code changes reported on the CCS. Code change integration is used in
the following macro edits:
Edit Code
091
092
126
127
134

Edit Message
Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
Number of Establishments out of Range

In the BLS-Washington system, if Summary of Differences data exist for a macro cell but that
cell still fails one of the macro edits, then the edit listing displays the Summary of Differences
data. This appears on Table 9A, the Integrated Macro Edit listing. Code change integration is
more fully explained in Section 10.3.1.
The Summary of Differences file includes December employment and fourth quarter wages even
though these data are not used for code change integration. This is because CES and other data
users still need December employment and fourth quarter wages for noneconomic code changes,
aggregated to the macro cell level.

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-35

11.7 Printed Output from CCS Processing
The BLS-Washington system generates the following listings during normal EQUI processing,
beginning in first quarter and continuing through the end of second quarter. These reports are
described in the sections immediately following.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

CCS Table 1: Response Code Change
CCS Table 1A: Selected Records with Sector Level Code Change
CCS Table 1B: Selected Records with Code Changes Within the Sector or/and Locality
Change or/and Ownership Change
CCS Table 1P: Records Failing Predecessor-Successor CCS Check
CCS Table 2: CCS Creation Counts Report
CCS Table 3: Records Excluded Due to Nonnumeric Employment/Wages or Missing
Classification Codes
CCS Table 5: Records with Response Code 30, 33, 34, or 35
CCS Table 6: Records Excluded Due to Missing Code Change
CCS Table 7: ES-202 Code Change Summary of Differences

The BLS-Washington system can also generate three additional reports upon request. The first
report is described in Section 11.8:
• CCS Master List
• CCS Table 4 – CCS Zero Employment and Wages Reported
• CCS Table 8 – CCS Records with Questionable Missing Employment/Wages

11.7.1 CCS Table 1: Response Code Change
The listing of (ARS) Response Code changes displays the identifying fields of EQUI records
whose (ARS) Response Codes were changed by the BLS-Washington system in the current edit
job. The listing also shows the codes for each record, before and after they changed. It
concludes with a count for the number of records whose codes were changed (and listed). ARS
Response Code reassignment is described in Section 11.4.3.
A sample page appears as Exhibit 11A.

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-36

EXHIBIT 11A Response Code Change Report
DATE: 07/25/2005
INITIAL RUN 2005/1

TIME:

06:07:08 PM

UI NUMBER
0000400403
0000400403
0000400403
5000400404
5000400404
2000300313
2000300313
2000100118
6000300314
6000400416
6000400416
7000500518
0000300328
5000504568
4000604658
7000804857
7000404459
9000904964
6000604666
6000604666
9000404466
1000604661
9000604661

RUN
00030
00031
00036
00035
00074
00002
00003
00000
00000
00011
00018
00006
00003
00000
00000
00000
00000
00000
00004
00005
00000
00000
00000

(STATE)
RESPONSE CODE CHANGE (CCS TABLE – 1)
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

STATE ASSIGNED RESPONSE CODE
50
50
50
50
50
46
46
46
46
46
46
46
46
50
46
50
50
50
50
50
50
50
50

PAGE
**CONFIDENTIAL

BLS ASSIGNED RESPONSE CODE
34
34
34
34
33
34
34
34
34
34
34
34
34
34
33
34
34
34
35
35
33
34
34

1
DATA**

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-37

11.7.2 CCS Tables 1A and 1B: Code Changes for Large Records
The Selected Records with Sector Level Code Change report (CCS Table 1A) lists CCS records
with employment above a parameter and with an industry code change between industry sectors.
The system compares December employment to the parm unless December employment is zero.
In that case, the system compares January employment to the parm.
Selected Records with Code Changes Within the Sector (CCS Table 1B) lists CCS records with
employment above a parameter and with a code change within an industry sector. This type of
code change can include a change between industry codes in the same sector. It can also include
changes to ownership, county, or township. As long as the CCS record does not change industry
codes between sectors, it will appear on 1B rather than 1A. As with CCS Table 1A, the system
compares December employment to the parm unless December employment is zero. In that
case, the system compares January employment to the parm.
These two listings should be used to verify and correct, if necessary, the code changes. BLSWashington may follow up with specific questions concerning records listed on these reports.
The parms for these two reports, which determine the employment size of the records to be
listed, are included on the EQUI header record. This gives BLS-Washington the opportunity to
generate the reports using the same employment thresholds used by the State. BLS’s default
values for these parameters are provided in Exhibit 11B.
Samples of CCS Tables 1A and 1B are provided as Exhibits 11C and 11D, respectively.

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

July 2003

Page 11-38

EXHIBIT 11B Parameters for CCS Edit Tables 1A and 1B
The following are the State-specific parameter defaults BLS-Washington uses to generate CCS
Tables 1A and 1B.
State

Sector

Within

Level
(1A)

State

Sector

Within

Sector

Level

(1B)

(1A)

Boston/New York region

Sector

Within

Sector

Level

Sector

(1B)

(1A)

(1B)

Atlanta region

State

Dallas/Kansas City region

CT

225

400

AL

175

275

AR

100

200

ME

90

175

FL

500

950

CO

225

375

MA

475

875

GA

300

475

KS

150

225

NH

90

175

KY

200

350

LA

200

325

NY

500

1,000

MS

90

175

MO

250

450

PR

50

50

NC

250

425

MT

50

90

RI

90

175

SC

175

250

NM

90

175

VT

50

90

TN

225

425

OK

175

250

VI

50

50

TX

500

1,000

Philadelphia region

Chicago region
IL

500

1,000

UT

100

200

WY

50

50

DE

60

125

IN

225

375

DC

200

350

IA

175

225

MD

350

600

MI

450

800

AK

50

60

NJ

450

900

MN

250

450

AZ

225

425

PA

500

1,000

NE

125

200

CA

500

1,000

VA

375

600

ND

50

90

HI

100

225

WV

80

150

OH

500

950

ID

50

80

SD

50

90

NV

175

450

WI

250

475

OR

175

250

WA

225

375

San Francisco region

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-39

EXHIBIT 11C Listing 1A
DATE: 07/25/2005
TIME:
INITIAL RUN 2005/1

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
PAGE
SELECTED RECORDS WITH SECTOR LEVEL CODE CHANGE (CCS TABLE-1A)
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING
_________________________________________________________________________________

PARAMETERS:
MIN-EMP-TO-LIST-CCS-RECORD-WITH-SEC-CHANGE =

UI ACCOUNT
__________

0000034650
0000232431
0000264458
0000423341
0000425731
0000536576
0000616575
0000666078
0000666078
0000786052
0000789051
0000883076
0000883076
0000883076
0000883076

500

RUN EI NUMBER TRADE/LEGAL NAME
________________________________________

00000
00012
00076
00000
00002
00004
00006
00002
00005
00000
00000
00001
00002
00007
00008

541830748
412300010
545500000
769915696
871745273
760053657
468600020
873252522
873252522
873842488
876946096
874252522
874252522
874252522
874252522

*** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ***

MOONS TAVERN
PINPOINT BALLOONS INC
STARES & BARES
FOOD FOR THAT
SERENITY MARKERS
FORMANS COUNTRY FOUNDATI
BABAR SQUIRE CONSTRUCTIO
NATIONAL PRONOUNCEMENT
NATIONAL PRONOUNCEMENT
ASSOCIATED SOULS & GHOUL
PUN SERVICE EVENTS INC
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES

1

A
U
OLD OLD OLD OLD
NEW NEW
X NAICS OWN CTY TWN NAICS OWN
_ ______ ___ ___ ___ _____ ___

5
0
5
5
0
5
5
1
5
5
5
1
1
1
1

565412
445947
515211
715411
445099
567389
496512
445812
445812
455357
475947
784141
784141
784141
784141

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

047
083
085
085
075
037
037
065
065
065
065
065
065
065
065

000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000

701112
411915
729914
738978
571915
386174
593202
799995
799995
782242
735935
593274
593245
593296
593214

085
037
081
073

4TH QTR
NEW NEW DEC
WAGES
JAN
CTY TWN EMPL ($1000S)
EMPL
___ ___ _____ __________ ____

73
103
54
55
126
96
248
115
61
116
55
83
292
0
0

1709878
3711214
925445
724524
893245
1922343
2852665
1913840
758429
392385
925450
1499482
5454933
0
0

73
98
48
55
129
86
209
0
0
113
44
78
0
103
185

1ST QTR
WAGES
ADM
($1000S) VER
_________ ___

1669823
4276897
829254
648754
932458
2124386
2266586
276
1669
498188
718193
901275
138
2303105
2709828

FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY, DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511
511

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-40

EXHIBIT 11D Listing 1B
DATE: 07/25/2005
TIME:
INITIAL RUN 2005/1

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
SELECTED RECORDS WITH CODE CHANGE WITHIN THE SECTOR OR/AND
LOCALITY CHANGE OR/AND OWNERSHIP CHANGE (CCS TABLE-1B)
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING
_______________________________________________________________________

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

PARAMETERS:
MIN-EMP-TO-LIST-CCS-RECORD-FOR-REPORT 1B = 1000

UI ACCOUNT

RUN

EI NUMBER TRADE/LEGAL NAME

A
U
X

__________ _____ _________ __________________________

0000100432
0000200243
0000213227
0000300434
0000500473
0000508566
0000509556
0000600065
0000604574
0000630054
0000660657
0000663245
0000700534
0000700567

00000
00012
00044
00000
00006
00000
00002
00000
00000
00000
00006
00016
00000
00003

410389000
410230000
420105000
893656570
416824450
451603540
745656744
420066557
987766447
895765435
749686099
450455000
410078556
893122430

*** CONFIDENTIAL DATA

TWEEDLEDUM LANE MARKET
WATTERFORD AND LESTER
STARKEY INC
L & L LANDSCAPE
MOLE & SON LANDSCAPERS
FAMISHED SHOE WARHOUSE
BOBS BAR & GRILL
MICKEYS TAVERN
MIRAKLE MARKETS
HOSS SHOES
BAB SQUARE CONSTRUCTION
GOSTARE
FASHION STOREY MARKETING
INFORMANTS COUNTRY FOUND

OLD OLD OLD OLD
NAICS OWN CTY TWN
_____

0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
5
0
0

209911
367922
421066
509953
509978
514954
541198
581232
602145
621148
651296
651212
738936
738984

NEW NEW NEW NEW
NAICS OWN CTY TWN

___ ___ ___ _____

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

057
083
037
085
075
081
037
047
059
037
037
085
037
037

___ ___ ___

220632
085
423165
508732
503378
544115
581389
602265
622132
653114
651320

037
081
037
071

073
073

DEC
EMPL
____

4TH QTR
WAGES
($1000S)
_________

104 2112305
223 33711214
212 2276859
144 2324524
226 5593245
124 3289072
119 1796786
573 1709878
199 2724597
151 4183490
308 1452665
138 6925445
286 9223283
116 1922343

1ST QTR
JAN
WAGES ADM
EMPL ($1000S) VER
____ ___________

101 2012371 511
280 24676897 511
210 2127598 511
154 2394527 511
226
593245 511
133 2928907 511
117 1742389 511
573 1627822 511
187 2324091 511
166 4834904 511
302 1465745 511
130 6255483 511
280 9323269 511
131 2122337 511

*** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY, DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

July 2003

Page 11-41

11.7.3 CCS Table 2: CCS Creation Counts Report
This report is generated each time the CCS file is created. A downloadable file is also produced
for internal BLS-Washington use that is utilized in generating edit counts. The report may be
especially helpful in identifying the level of records excluded from the CCS file due to problems,
such as containing a CCS-related I-error or not having the expected code change. It displays the
following counts:
NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER

OF
OF
OF
OF
OF

RECORDS ON THE MICRO FILE
CURRENT REFILE RECORDS ON THE MICRO FILE
RECORDS PUT ONTO THE CCS FILE
CCS RECORDS WITH ZERO EMPLOYMENT/WAGES
CCS RECORDS WITH QUESTIONABLE MISSING EMPLOYMENT/WAGES

NUMBER OF MICRO FILE RECORDS EXCLUDED FROM THE CCS FILE:
- WITH RESPONSE CODE 46/50/76 AND NO CCS CODE CHANGE
- WITH NON-NUMERIC EMPLOYMENT/WAGES OR MISSING CODES
- WITH RESPONSE CODES FOR I-ERRORS (30 & 33) OR OTHER
PROBLEMS (34 & 35)

Additional counts include:
TOTAL NUMBER OF CCS RECORDS WITH:
NEW NAICS
NEW OWNERSHIPS
NEW COUNTIES
NAICS CHANGES ONLY
OWNERSHIP CHANGES ONLY
LOCATION CHANGES ONLY
NAICS AND OWNERSHIP CHANGES
NAICS AND LOCATION CHANGES
OWNERSHIP AND LOCATION CHANGES
NAICS, OWNERSHIP AND LOCATION CHANGES

The second count, number of current refile records on the micro file, is a count of records with
the current year in the ARS Refile Year field. The fourth count, CCS records with zero
employment and wages, refers to the records listed on the CCS Zero Employment and Wages
Report. This report is described in the next section. The fifth count, CCS records with
questionable missing employment/wages, refers to the records listed on CCS Table 8 and is
described in the next section as well as Section 11.5.4.
The sixth, seventh, and eighth counts refer to records that were excluded from the CCS;
however, their ARS Response Code or other conditions suggest that these records were intended
for the CCS and should be reviewed. The records counted here are displayed on CCS Tables 6,
3, and 5, respectively. They are also described in the next section.
The final ten counts show the types of code changes present on the CCS file. The first group
shows how many code changes altogether are present for that code. For example, the total
number of CCS records with a New NAICS shows the number of CCS records with any NAICS
industry code change. The second group shows more specifically how many industry code
changes (for example) occur by themselves and how many occur in the various combinations
with other types of code changes.

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-42

11.7.4 Missing Code Changes, Problem Response Codes, and Other
Reports
The BLS-Washington system generates five reports using similar formats:
• CCS Table 3: Records Excluded Due to Nonnumeric Employment/Wages or Missing
Classification Codes
• CCS Table 4: CCS Zero Employment and Wages Report (generated on request only)
• CCS Table 5: Records with Response Code 30, 33, 34, or 35
• CCS Table 6: Records Excluded Due to Missing Code Change
• CCS Table 8: CCS Records with Questionable Missing Employment/Wages (generated
on request only)
CCS Tables 4 and 8 (generated on request only) list records that are included on the CCS file but
have characteristics calling for review. The other three tables list records from the BLSWashington micro file that may belong on the CCS but were excluded. Table 5, the report of
Records with Response Code 30, 33, 34, or 35, is provided as Exhibit 11E to illustrate the format
shared by this group of reports.
The BLS-Washington system generates another report as part of EQUI processing during first
and second quarter; its format differs from the reports mentioned above. This is CCS Table 1P:
Records Failing Predecessor-Successor CCS Check. It is described at the end of this section and
illustrated in Exhibit 11F.

CCS Table 3: Records Excluded Due to Nonnumeric Employment/Wages or
Missing Classification Codes
This listing, CCS Table 3, shows micro file records that otherwise qualified for the CCS but were
excluded for certain reasons. Specifically, these are records with a missing (blank) first quarter
classification code (industry code, ownership, county, or (for New England States and New
Jersey) township. This report also shows records excluded due to nonnumeric entries in one of
the four monthly employment fields (December through March) or the two total wages fields
(fourth quarter or first quarter). State staff should review records listed on this report to identify
and correct the missing or nonnumeric data elements on the State micro file. In addition, any
records on this report should be reviewed to see whether they belong on the CCS. If so, the
appropriate correction should be made.

CCS Table 4: CCS Zero Employment and Wages Report
This listing, generated on request, shows CCS records with zero data in either the fourth quarter,
the first quarter, or both. A CCS record will be listed if any of these conditions occurs:
1. Both December employment and fourth quarter wages are zero.
2. All three months of first quarter employment as well as first quarter wages are zero.

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-43

3. All four months of employment (December through March) and both quarters of wages
(fourth and first) are zero.
The records are listed for reference. These situations may be legitimate, and usually do not
require correction.

CCS Table 5: Records with Response Code 30, 33, 34, or 35
This listing, CCS Table 5, shows micro file records that have a current ARS Refile Year and that
have one of the following ARS Response Codes:
30 – CCS I-error
33 – BLS-Washington assigned, submitted as 46/50/76 but has CCS I-error on the BLSWashington micro file
34 – BLS-Washington assigned, submitted as 46/50/76 but doesn’t have a true CCS code
change on the BLS-Washington micro file
35 – BLS-Washington assigned, submitted with Comment code 81 and a true code change
but not with an ARS Response Code of 30/46/50/76
Records with any of these codes should be reviewed by State staff and corrected if they belong
on the CCS. Records with ARS Response Codes 33, 34, and 35 may also appear on CCS Table
1 since the BLS-Washington system will assign these. (The records will appear on CCS Table 1
if the codes are assigned in the same edit run.) ARS Response Code 30 will only be assigned in
the States, typically in the State ARS system. However, a CCS I-error flag would also be
assigned to any ARS Response Code 30 record by the BLS-Washington edit; otherwise, the
system would have changed the ARS Response Code from 30 to 41 or 46. Records with ARS
Response Codes 30 or 33 that have I-errors and require correction will also appear on Table 9B.
(Response Code reassignment is described in Section 11.4.3.)

CCS Table 6: Records Excluded Due to Missing Code Changes
This listing, CCS Table 6, displays records on the BLS-Washington micro file that have a current
ARS Refile Year and an ARS Response Code 46 or 50, but do not have a true CCS code change
as defined in Section 11.2. State staff should review these records to determine whether their
Old fields and first quarter codes are accurate. If the record does not belong on the CCS, remove
the ARS Response Code or assign some other, more appropriate code such as 41 (Reviewed, no
CCS code change). Correcting the ARS Response Code on the State micro file will likely
remove inappropriate records from the State CCS file.

CCS Table 8: CCS Records with Questionable Missing Employment/Wages
CCS Table 8, generated on request, displays records that are included on the CCS but have a
questionable configuration of "missing" employment or wage data. That is, the records have
indicator M for one or more of the economic data fields used on the CCS, where the

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-44

configuration of missing data fields indicates a possible problem or failure with estimating data.
This is explained in the latter part of Section 11.5.4.

CCS Table 1P: Records Failing Predecessor-Successor CCS Check
CCS Table 1P, generated during first and second quarter initial and update/subset EQUI
processing, displays records that have an apparent predecessor and that have Old fields (Old
NAICS, Old Ownership, and Old County) that may point to the wrong macro cell.
As described in Sections 11.3 and 11.5.3 above, the Old fields normally match the record’s
fourth quarter classification codes. Where the establishment’s fourth quarter employment and
wages were reported on a different record (a unit with a different UI number and Reporting Unit
Number), the Old fields identify the cell in which the fourth quarter employment and wages
appeared. For most predecessor/successor situations involving noneconomic code changes, the
successor belongs on the CCS while its Old fields should correspond to the fourth quarter codes
of its predecessor. The predecessor/successor CCS check looks for these situations and attempts
to identify cases where the Old fields do not correspond.
There are limitations, however, to this check. In particular, the predecessor information carried
on the micro file does not yet include field(s) showing when the transition from predecessor to
successor occurred. A predecessor ID on the record may signify a transition that occurred long
before fourth or first quarter.
CCS Table 1P will display a record selected for the CCS if all these conditions are met:
•
•
•
•

the record carries a predecessor ID (Predecessor UI and Predecessor RUN)
the record or its predecessor has employment of 50 or more
the record’s Old fields do not match its own fourth quarter classification codes
the record’s Old fields do not match the fourth quarter codes of its predecessor.

CCS records with employment of 50 or more and a predecessor UI/RUN that does not match any
record on the BLS micro file will also be displayed. Records are printed in pairs with the
successor record listed first, followed by the predecessor. Current and prior quarter information
is displayed for each record.

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-45

EXHIBIT 11E CCS Table 5: Records with Response Code 30, 33, 34, or 35
DATE: 07/25/2005
INITIAL RUN 2005/1

UI ACCT.
---------0102002323
0304001243
0600088307
0600088307
0801031714
0801031714
0801031714
0801031714
0800033003
0801031614

RUN
----00000
00002
00007
00008
00000
00003
00006
00013
00000
00000

TIME: 09:42:41 PM
(STATE)
RECORDS EXCLUDED DUE TO RESPONSE CODE 30, 33, 34, OR 35 (CCS TABLE-5)
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

EI NUMBER
--------410200103
410300198
874252522
874252522
420100250
420100250
420100250
420100250
000000000
424344450

TRADE/LEGAL NAME
---------------BARBS TAVERN
S & P
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES
JLM&N SQUARE CONS
JLM&N SQUARE CONS
JLM&N SQUARE CONS
JLM&N SQUARE CONS
SOLDER OF FORTUNE
HEIGHO MINING SER

A
U
X
0
0
1
1
0
5
0
0
0
0

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

4TH QTR
1ST QTR
OLD
OLD OLD OLD Q-1
Q-1 Q-1 Q-1 RS
DEC
WAGES
JAN
FEB
MAR
WAGES
NAICS OWN CTY TWN NAICS OWN CTY TWN CD
EMP ($000S)
EMP
EMP
EMP ($000S)
------ --- --- --- ------ --- --- --- -- ------ ------- ------ ------ ------ ------336414 5 999 000 336414 5 085 000 34
0
0
0
80
83
676
445110 5 057 000 445110 5 057 000 34
13
102
26
44
42
92
721214 5 065 000 721214 5 065 000 34
113
3655
103
96
88
2303
999999 5 065 000 711320 5 065 000 34
0
0
185
166
113
2710
541330 5 900 000 541330 5 073 000 33
165
4055
136
128
130
3688
238990 5 037 000 238990 5 037 000 34
25
96
20
20
23
83
322121 5 025 000 322121 5 025 000 34
6
13
5
2
0
11
522292 5 075 000 532412 5 075 000 35
10
42
0
6
6
32
331494 5 081 000 331494 5 081 000 34
4
11
0
0
0
0
212399 5 037 000 212399 5 037 000 34
9
28
13
10
16
33

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-46

EXHIBIT 11F Records Failing Predecessor-Successor CCS Check
DATE: 07/25/2005
INITIAL RUN 2005/1

TIME:

03:06:56 PM
(STATE)
RECORDS FAILING PREDECESSOR-SUCCESSSOR CCS CHECK (CCS TABLE-1P)
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

UI ACCOUNT: 0600060006 - 00001
TRADE NAME: LAST NATIONAL BANK
LEGAL NAME: HOGS HEDGE FUND GROUP
RU DESCR:
CNTY: 006
M3:
110
2005-1
OWN: 5
M2:
114
NAICS: 522291 M1:
114

EIN:
PRED.:
SUCC.:
SP:

000456650
0902012121 - 00000
-

INLDATE: 1996/01/29
ENDLDATE:
/ /
REACTDATE:
/ /
SETUPDATE: 1996/01/29

CMNT:
TOTAL W:

89

773001

STA:
MEEI:
EDI:

1
3

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

ARS REF. YEAR:
ARS RESP CODE:
OLD NAICS:
OLD CNTY:
OLD OWN:

2005
AVER: 521
46
523999
006
5
QVER: 521

NARTV CMNT:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2004-4

CNTY:
OWN:
NAICS:

006
5
522291

M3:
M2:
M1:

203
203
202

CMNT:
TOTAL W:

STA:
MEEI:
EDI:

1757049

1
2

QVER: 521

NARTV CMNT:
************************************************************************************************************************************

UI ACCOUNT:
TRADE NAME:
LEGAL NAME:
RU DESCR:

2005-1

CNTY:
OWN:
NAICS:

0902012121 - 00000
THE HASTE MIDTOWN BANK
HASTE BANK HOLDING CO

900
5
522110

M3:
M2:
M1:

0
0
0

EIN:
PRED.:
SUCC.:
SP:

987123456
0450045041 - 00000
0600060006 - 00002

INLDATE: 1996/01/28
ENDLDATE: 2002/12/10
REACTDATE:
/ /

CMNT:
TOTAL W:

0

89

STA:
MEEI:
EDI:

1
2

AVER: 521

QVER: 521

NARTV CMNT: A MASTER BUT UNMATCHED
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2004-4

CNTY:
OWN:
NAICS:

900
5
522110

M3:
M2:
M1:

233
243
232

CMNT:
TOTAL W:

1723456

STA:
MEEI:
EDI:

1
2

QVER: 521

NARTV CMNT:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

************************************************************************************************************************************

** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

DESTROY ACCORDING TORECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE. **

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-47

11.7.5 Summary of Differences Reports
CCS Table 7
The Summary of Differences Report generated by the BLS-Washington system (CCS Table 7) is
a formatted listing of the Summary of Differences file described in Section 11.6. For each record
on the file (each county/ownership/industry cell affected by the CCS), the report shows data
leaving, data entering, and the net change. Data leaving are labeled “from,” while data entering
are labeled “to.”
There are two differences to note between the file and the report.
1. The report itself shows only two months of employment for each cell: December and
January. However, the Summary of Differences file includes fields for all four months
represented on the CCS: December, January, February, and March. The file has two fields
for each month; one shows the employment entering and the other shows employment
leaving.
2. While the report shows the net change to employment and wages, there are no net change
fields present on the file. The net change is calculated when the report is generated, as well
as when the Summary of Differences file is used by the macro edit for code change
integration.
A sample of the Summary of Differences Report appears as Exhibit 11G.

CCS Table 7A
The Changes in the CCS Summary of Differences Report (CCS Table 7A) displays Summary of
Differences records/cells that are changed as a result of an EQUI update. It shows, in a format
similar to CCS Table 7, the Summary of Differences data from the previous run and from the
current run, with a third line showing the amount of change. Table 7A gives analysts the
capability to identify large changes in the Summary of Differences caused by EQUI data
changes, beginning with first quarter EQUI update/subset runs and continuing through second
quarter processing. Due to system limitations, the sort sequence is approximate; it is based on
the net change to first quarter (January) employment.
Exhibit 11H shows a sample of the Changes in the CCS Summary of Differences Report.

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-48

EXHIBIT 11G Summary of Differences Report (CCS Table 7)
DATE: 07/25/2005
INITIAL RUN 2005/1
CELL
____________
CNTY/OWN/NAI
___

_

001

5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST
5
4TH
1ST

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

001

____
236115
QTR
QTR
236118
QTR
QTR
238122
QTR
QTR
238131
QTR
QTR
238171
QTR
QTR
238211
QTR
QTR
238221
QTR
QTR
238292
QTR
QTR
238321
QTR
QTR
423220
QTR
QTR
423450
QTR
QTR
423830
QTR
QTR
425120
QTR
QTR
441110
QTR
QTR
441120
QTR
QTR

TIME:

06:07:08 PM
(STATE)
PAGE
1
CODE CHANGE SUMMARY OF DIFFERENCES FOR 4TH QTR AND 1ST QTR (CCS TABLE-7)
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
FROM (-)
TO (+)
NET CHANGE (+/-)
_____________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________
# OF CCS
DEC/JAN
TOTAL # OF CCS
DEC/JAN
TOTAL
# OF CCS
DEC/JAN
TOTAL
RECORDS EMPLOYMENT
WAGES RECORDS EMPLOYMENT
WAGES
RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
WAGES
________ __________ _________________ ________ __________ _________________
________ __________ __________________

2
2

7
8

28,704
28,337

0
0

0
0

0
0

-2
-2

-7
-8

-28,704
-28,337

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

1
1

5,350
4,100

+1
+1

+1
+1

+5,350
+4,100

1
1

6
3

24,545
18,049

0
0

0
0

0
0

-1
-1

-6
-3

-24,545
-18,049

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

3
3

8,016
14,450

+1
+1

+3
+3

+8,016
+14,450

1
1

1
1

5,350
4,100

0
0

0
0

0
0

-1
-1

-1
-1

-5,350
-4,100

1
1

8
0

42,944
44,487

1
1

10
9

43,161
41,293

+0
+0

+2
+9

+217
-3,194

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

8
0

42,944
44,487

+1
+1

+8
+0

+42,944
+44,487

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

0
0

1,350
1,080

+1
+1

+0
+0

+1,350
+1,080

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

2
2

3,900
3,900

+1
+1

+2
+2

+3,900
+3,900

1
1

9
9

53,884
38,657

0
0

0
0

0
0

-1
-1

-9
-9

-53,884
-38,657

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

9
9

53,884
38,657

+1
+1

+9
+9

+53,884
+38,657

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

8
8

69,106
55,326

+1
+1

+8
+8

+69,106
+55,326

1
1

3
4

69,861
98,777

0
0

0
0

0
0

-1
-1

-3
-4

-69,861
-98,777

1
1

1
1

3,000
3,000

0
0

0
0

0
0

-1
-1

-1
-1

-3,000
-3,000

0
0

0
0

0
0

1
1

1
1

3,000
3,000

+1
+1

+1
+1

+3,000
+3,000

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-49

EXHIBIT 11H Changes in the CCS Summary of Differences report (CCS Table 7A)
DATE: 10/25/2005
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
2005/2

02:25:38 PM
(STATE)
CHANGES IN CCS SOD FOR 4TH QUARTER 2004 AND 1ST QUARTER 2005 - CCS TABLE 7A
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

CELL
-----------CNTY/OWN/NAI

FROM(-)
----------------------------------# OF CCS DEC/JAN
TOTAL
RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
WAGES
---- - ------ ----------------------------------086

TO(+)
----------------------------------# OF CCS DEC/JAN
TOTAL
RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
WAGES
-----------------------------------

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

NET CHANGE (+/-)
---------------------------------# OF CCS DEC/JAN
TOTAL
RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
WAGES
----------------------------------

5 336411

1ST OLD
1ST NEW
NET

0
1
1

0
0
0

0
0
0

3
3
0

33
33
0

551,289
551,289
0

3
2
-1

33
33
0

551,289
551,289
0

4TH OLD
4TH NEW
NET

0
1
1

0
374
374

0
2,794,276
2,794,276

3
3
0

33
33
0

556,614
556,614
0

3
2
-1

33
-341
-374

556,614
-2,237,662
-2,794,276

1ST OLD
1ST NEW
NET

5
5
0

17
17
0

196,176
196,176
0

3
4
1

15
15
0

173,171
173,171
0

-2
-1
1

-2
-2
0

-23,005
-23,005
0

4TH OLD
4TH NEW
NET

5
5
0

17
17
0

185,595
185,595
0

3
4
1

17
391
374

242,815
3,037,091
2,794,276

-2
-1
1

0
374
374

57,220
2,851,496
2,794,276

086

5 611610

****END OF SUMMARY OF DIFFERENCE CHANGE REPORT*****

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-50

11.8 Additional BLS-Washington Processing of Code
Change Data
The BLS-Washington system also performs additional functions. In particular, it generates files
and listings for data users, and it can generate an additional report on request: the CCS Master
List.
Some important users of the data include the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program,
which uses CCS data in conjunction with employment benchmarking activities, and the Bureau
of Economic Analysis (BEA), which uses CCS data to track data movement between fourth and
first quarter macro data. Other BLS surveys use CCS data as well.
CES and most other data users receive Summary of Differences files and reports at higher levels
of aggregation than the basic county/ownership/industry cell. The National Summary of
Differences summarizes CCS data for all States to show data entering and leaving each affected
ownership/6-digit industry code, as well as the net changes. A statewide Summary of
Differences shows, for each State, the data entering and leaving affected ownership/6-digit
industry code, as well as net changes.
The BLS-Washington system can generate, on request, CCS Master Lists of State CCS files. A
sample page of the CCS Master List is provided as Exhibit 11I. The master list is a report
showing every record on the CCS file, displayed in similar format as the four reports covered in
the previous section. Master Lists can be generated in two sort sequences:
• UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number, in ascending order
• Old County/Old Ownership/Old NAICS, in ascending order
The second sort option is similar to the sort sequence of Table 9A, the Integrated Macro Edit
listing. A master list in this sequence may be useful for identifying the individual reporting units
on the CCS that affect flagged macro cells.

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

April 2006

Page 11-51

EXHIBIT 11I CCS Master List
DATE:

08/08/2005
TIME:
RUN
2005/1

02:36:26 PM

(STATE)
CCS MASTER LIST
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

UI ACCOUNT RUN EI NUMBER TRADE/LEGAL NAME
__________ _____ _________ ________________

A
4TH QTR
1ST QTR
U
OLD OLD OLD OLD
NEW NEW NEW NEW RS DEC
WAGES
JAN
FEB
MAR
WAGES
X NAICS OWN CTY TWN NAICS OWN CTY TWN CD EMPL ($1000S) EMPL EMPL EMPL($1000S)
_ ______ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ________ _____ _____ _____ _______

0230343120
0460716048
0560086052
0720532079
0310601035
0570357053
0570357053
0670067062
0750315077
0790669075
0810341084
0650675062
0800650289
0870657081
0610451060
0890319084
0610291060
0760006078
0760006078
0760006078
0730183076
0730183076
0730183076
0730183076
0730183076
0730183076
0730183076
0730183076
0530833054
0780438076
0860266086
0840944081
0660716062
0590789051

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

00008
00000
00000
00000
00002
00004
00005
00000
00000
00000
00000
00000
00000
00002
00013
00000
00000
00001
00002
00003
00001
00003
00004
00007
00008
00009
00010
00011
00000
00000
00000
00012
00000
00000

769915696
871745273
873842488
959986398
911323439
872848484
872848484
872637167
872257423
873355231
877452141
870053100
872457448
871456142
878150419
877454148
227883488
873252522
873252522
873252522
874252522
874252522
874252522
874252522
874252522
874252522
874252522
874252522
877943691
874353535
930114519
417096207
878155414
876946096

PHLEMCORP
RANT AMERICA
ASSOCIATED SOULS & GH
DR OPTIMIST LENS CO
EGAD DISCOUNT LIVEWAR
PC INTROSPECTION COMP
PC INTROSPECTION COMP
WHIZCO SALES CORP
ABC PRIZE INC
PINPOINT BALLOONS INC
MAC'S MICROCOMPUTER
US CONCOCT SALES CO
WINFIELD LODGE & STOR
BONGERS
RAT RACK BREWING COMP
CARVING ENTERPRISES I
BAGGETTS BODY SHOP IN
NATIONAL PRONOUNCEMEN
NATIONAL PRONOUNCEMEN
NATIONAL PRONOUNCEMEN
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES
ODD SERVICES INC
ODD SERVICES INC
ODD SERVICES INC
FRONTAGE THRIFT INC
FATNESS FIRST INC
PAMPAS RETAIL OUTLETS
G DOLTEN COMIX
GRANT SLAP SPORTS
PUN SERVICE EVENTS IN

541820
515112
443112
443112
443120
443120
443120
443120
443120
443120
443120
451220
711110
711110
722410
722410
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
446110
522298
451110
451110
451211
451120
453220

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

062
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066
066

000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000
000

056
515111
512120
443120
048
048
086
421440
443120
443120
048
443120
070
086
711110
624410
446199
454390
454390
454390
454390
454390
454390
454390
454390
454390
454390
454390
086
421910
448210
086
446199
532299

50
46
46
46
50
50
50
46
46
46
50
46
46
50
46
50
46
46
46
46
46
46
46
46
46
50
50
50
46
46
46
50
46
46

0
5
116
2
12
0
0
1
7
2
14
30
20
32
4
11
23
9
115
4
83
103
48
232
185
0
0
0
32
5
13
0
2
25

0
25
392
37
33
0
0
6
20
13
98
321
24
52
24
12
57
1317
1913
193
1499
1103
531
2454
2509
0
0
0
80
51
27
0
4
25

8
5
113
2
11
5
5
1
5
2
12
31
15
29
4
9
20
0
0
0
78
251
0
261
0
179
8
0
32
5
11
3
2
14

7
5
116
2
11
5
5
1
5
0
12
33
20
31
4
10
18
0
0
0
78
254
0
266
0
182
8
1
32
5
9
3
2
14

7
5
115
2
11
5
5
1
3
0
11
37
20
31
4
11
18
0
0
0
80
269
0
261
0
176
8
1
32
5
9
3
2
14

*** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY, DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

30
24
498
38
40
28
28
3
22
4
38
356
16
49
24
13
50
0
0
0
901
3644
0
3052
0
3383
120
28
76
36
24
10
4
18

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Data: Concepts, Rules, and BLS Processing

Page 11-52

11.9 Cleaning CCS Data
States should perform their review and clean-up of CCS data in coordination with the general
cleaning of first quarter data for other purposes. The EQUI correction files should address CCS
issues as well as I-errors, macro flags, multi-unit discrepancies and so on. CCS issues include
addressing edit flags on the Micro Edits Only listing (Table 9B) as well as reviewing CCS output
tables. In first quarter, the regular 30-day clean-up schedule applies to the CCS as well as the
normal data problems that can occur in any quarter.
Meanwhile, BLS-Washington will follow up with the State where necessary regarding records
with code changes and large employment (on CCS Tables 1A and 1B) or possibly other records
listed on reports described in Section 11.7. Some issues of concern to BLS may not be resolved
within the 30-day clean-up period, and may continue into second quarter processing. Meanwhile
data changes and corrections that States make for other purposes can continue to change CCS
files in BLS-Washington, as long as the BLS-Washington system is used to regenerate those
files. Although BLS-Washington does not close out CCS processing and generate final versions
of the files until all related issues are solved in every State, a complete and accurate National
Summary of Differences must be generated in a timely manner.
In brief, CCS processing in BLS-Washington is performed in the first and second quarters.
Afterwards, CCS processing in BLS-Washington is discontinued for the remainder of the year.

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

July 2003

Page 12-1

Chapter 12 – Preparing and Transmitting the
EQUI
The State systems generate files of EQUI records with the specified layout, including the
required data elements, from the State micro file database. By using the standard system to
update its own micro file and then generate an EQUI file, the State provides BLS with all its
micro level corrections for all unlocked quarters. This ensures substantial consistency between
State and BLS data.
States have several processing options, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. They
are discussed in the first section of this chapter. The remainder of this chapter explains:
• State processing options and activities
• EQUI records and transaction types
• Formats for all data records
• The correction policy
• Header and trailer records
• File transmittal options
-------------------- Contents of Chapter 12 -------------------12.1 State Processing to Generate a Clean Deliverable
12.2 Creating the Deliverable EQUI File
12.2.1 EQUI Records and Transaction Types
12.2.2 Special Measures to Maintain Consistency between Files
12.2.3 Corrections and Updates for Earlier Quarters
12.2.4 Header and Trailer Records
12.3 Transmitting the File
12.3.1 Transmittal Options
12.3.2 Using the QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form
12.4 Sending Test Files When Making System Changes
12.5 File Retention

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

Page 12-2

12.1 State Processing to Generate a Clean Deliverable
States have several processing options within each standardized system:
• Edit micro data on an on-going basis and then run the integrated edit during the last few
weeks of processing.
• Impute all missing or delinquent data when the first extract is loaded. Then edit all data
through the integrated (micro and macro level) edits throughout the production cycle.
• Edit micro data on an on-going basis. At a selected cut-off, impute all missing or delinquent
data. After that, include in the integrated edit all previously edited micro records as well as
all new micro records not previously edited. The integrated edit output will list flagged new
micro records, previously flagged records with remaining invalid errors, and all flagged
macro records.
Each State should work with their regional office to ensure that their processing schedule will
produce clean, timely data. Once an integrated edit is run for a current quarter, however, the
State should not switch back to editing micro records only but should continue editing in an
integrated edit mode.

Options
Option 1: Running the Micro Edit Before Running the Full Integrated Edit
Advantages:
• Reported micro data can be edited early in the production cycle. (Initial review of first
micro extract.)
• Allows the user to edit, update, and assign comments to micro data prior to processing
macro data.
Disadvantages:
• Less efficient than concurrently resolving micro problems and viewing impact on macro
data.
• Does not utilize other data in the cell to assist in the micro data review.

Option 2: Running the Full Integrated Edit
Advantages:
• Easier to determine the impact of the micro records on the macro data, if data are
simultaneously processed at both the micro and macro levels.
• Easier to monitor industry patterns and other economic occurrences
• More efficient to resolve all questions associated with a micro record at one time, including
both micro issues and their impact on the macro level.
• Greater assurance that all edit flags are addressed.

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

Page 12-3

Disadvantages:
• You must generate missing and delinquent data imputations prior to running the full
integrated edit or the quarter will be missing numerous records and have significantly
reduced employment and wage levels in various cells.
• You will review an imputed version and a reported version of the same micro record within
a few weeks time when employers send late data.

Option 3: Combination of Approaches
(If two UI Tax File extracts are run, edit the first extract using the micro edit programs. Use the
integrated edit for the second round of extracted micro data. The integrated edit should also be
used to continue editing any unresolved micro errors/failures and imputed missing or delinquent
micro data. If more than two extracts are run, this approach should be modified based on the
timing of the extracts and when the imputations are generated.)
Advantages:
• Reported micro data can be edited early in the production cycle. (Initial review of first
micro extract.)
• Comments can be assigned and problems corrected closer to the time the reports are actually
received from the respondent.
• Once the integrated edit is run, all associated flagged micro records are listed with the macro
cell. Your review of the previously processed micro records may identify an economic
condition or pattern within the macro cell. It may take fewer resources to review the
remainder of the records with similar data movement.
• You have an opportunity to easily determine the quality of the imputations on both the micro
and macro data and address problems.
Disadvantages:
• You do not have a complete (imputed and reported) file early in the production cycle
• Records previously addressed reappear each time you review the record
See Appendix E to view a suggested quarterly State data processing sequence.
Tax System Cutoffs
To reduce regional and national office editing workload and to improve macro data quality,
States should not import any new data from the tax system after a cutoff date, which the State
should set in conjunction with the regional office. The cutoff data should reflect the last day that
new data could be received in time to correct it before it is included in an EQUI.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

Page 12-4

12.2 Creating the Deliverable EQUI File
The State systems generate a file of EQUI records with the specified layout, including the
required data elements, from the State micro file. State systems do not generate EQUI records
for establishments with a Type of Coverage code of 8 (not covered). However, they do generate
records for units with a Status Code of 2 (inactive) if additional information is available after the
inactive status was first assigned. All remaining records are included on the EQUI, including
master records with an MEEI code of 2.
The same file may also contain back quarter records, also in EQUI format. All records must
include the appropriate Transaction Code , State FIPS Code, Year, Quarter, UI Account Number,
and Reporting Unit Number to be loaded to BLS files. The format used for all data records can
be viewed in Appendix K.
The update process allows States to submit the current quarter data to BLS along with
corrections/updates for up to four previous quarters. States are able to continue correcting the
current and previous quarters on a flow basis during the clean-up period.
The primary focus of the submittal policy is to efficiently ensure consistency between State and
BLS data. States submit to BLS all changes made to open quarters of data. A mechanism in
each of the standardized systems identifies all known corrections and new data. Each subsequent
EQUI submittal contains all changes made since the last EQUI transmission. EQUI subset files
are an exception since they will only include data for specific targeted UI/RUNs.

Back Up Files
It is essential that States keep a copy of every EQUI file sent to BLS since files can be lost or
damaged in transmission and may need to be replaced. State systems provide the means for
States to back up and save every EQUI file. State systems can generate a file of all records
changed since the system last generated a file for BLS. However, it may be problematic to
generate a file of all changes that were made since the last file that was successfully processed by
BLS, if the most recent file is lost. Therefore, lost files should always be replaceable from a
backup of EQUI files.

12.2.1 EQUI Records and Transaction Types
The standardized systems create the following types of record entries:
•
•
•

Deleted records
Initial current quarter active records
Inactivated records

April 2006

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

Page 12-5

Initial records for one or more back quarters of micro data
Reactivated records
Updates to current quarter micro data
Updates to prior quarter micro data
Updates to administrative or non-quarterly data
Header record
Trailer record

Five possible transaction type codes are used in the first position of each EQUI record to identify
each entry. These codes are:
TRANSACTION CODES AND TYPES
Transaction Code
Transaction Type
H
Header record
T
Trailer record
D
Deleted record
F
Full data record (all fields provided)
U
Update record
Header Records (H):
The header record contains detailed, control information about the tape or cartridge used (e.g.,
volume serial number, record length, block size, creation due date and time); information
identifying the processing State, year, and quarter; and information about the State editing
parameters and tolerances. The format of the header record is provided in Appendix K.

Trailer Records (T):
The trailer record provides summary information on the number of records in the transmission,
as well as, establishment counts and employment and wage totals by year, quarter, and
ownership. BLS-Washington compares the trailer record with EQUI micro data to ensure that
BLS was able to read all of the data included on the file. The format of the trailer record is
provided in Appendix K.

Delete Records (D):
A “delete” or D record has the effect of removing all data on the file for that unit, regardless of
how many quarters are on the file. States should delete erroneous UI Account Number and
Reporting Unit Number combinations that never belonged on the micro file. “Delete” records
should not be confused with “inactivate” records (units that are out of business, were sold, or
subunits which ceased to be reported separately). A change in the Status Code to a “2”
inactivates the record, but its historical data are retained on the file.
The standardized system will generate “delete” records with the following fields:

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

Page 12-6

"DELETE" RECORD FIELDS
Positions Length Data Element
1
1
Transaction Code = “D”
2-3
2
State FIPS Code
4-7
4
Year
8
1
Quarter
9-18
10
UI Account Number
19-23
5
Reporting Unit Number
To delete an entire multi-establishment family, a "D" record must be sent for each subunit as
well as the master record.
If the user designates a record for deletion, the system will automatically inactivate data for the
record for all open quarters. Deletions should be rare, since all quarters of data will effectively
be removed. The user should be very cautious when deleting data. Only those records that were
written to the micro file in error should be deleted.
If, however, only the current quarter micro data should be deleted or a particular segment of the
file, the fields should be zero- or blank-filled on quarterly occurrence fields, as appropriate.
Inactive records should be assigned an end of liability date and an inactive status (Status Code 2)
on the micro file so that systems do not impute for missing data.
The State should maintain a transaction file or audit trail and back up files in case large segments
of the file are incorrectly deleted. If a few records are incorrectly deleted, the State should add
the data for all appropriate quarters.

Full Data Records (Transaction Code F):
These update records provide normal data using every field. Every EQUI data element that is
present on the State micro file for the specified year/quarter is included on these records, whether
or not they were transmitted to BLS already. The State systems generate these records in the
EQUI format with the following fields:
• Transaction Code of "F" in the first position of the EQUI record
• State FIPS code
• Year
• Quarter
• UI Account Number
• Reporting Unit Number
• All other EQUI data elements as they exist on the State micro file

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

Page 12-7

Update Records (U):
Update records contain manual updates to the BLS micro file. These are special updates applied
in BLS to State data in unusual circumstances such as fixing a large error just prior to BLS
publication. Each update record contains a State, Year, Quarter, UI, and RUN (the fields that
comprise the key field). Besides the key field, update records contain data only for those
individual fields (or field) that need correcting.
All required and optional data elements available on the State micro file are included on the
EQUI data record, whether that quarter's data are being transmitted to BLS for the first time or
because data provided before has changed. The initial quarterly deliverable EQUI file provides
the current quarter's data for the first time, while EQUI correction files provide data corrections
and other modifications, as well as new reporting units.
EQUI records are loaded to the BLS micro file and matched to BLS records based on State,
Year, Quarter, UI, and RUN. If no matching BLS record exists, the BLS system creates the
appropriate record. If a matching BLS record exists, Transaction Code F tells the BLS system to
overlay all relevant data elements on the BLS micro file with the contents of the EQUI record.
For example, an EQUI update record with Transaction Code F may have a blank Trade Name
field. This indicates that no Trade Name is present on the State micro file; therefore, the Trade
Name will become blank on the BLS file as well (whether or not it was blank before).
EQUI updates may result when imputations are replaced with reported data, unresolved errors
are corrected based on employer information, additional comment information is provided to
resolve earlier questions, etc.

Multiple Quarters/Multiple Record Types
EQUI files may:
• Include multiple quarters of data
• Include new reporting units (new UI/RUNs) not previously reported
• Include a new quarter of data for UI/RUNs reported previously
• Include data changes for UI/RUNs reported previously in the current or earlier quarters
This approach minimizes the number of small files being processed separately.
Data changes are reported as follows.
INITIAL RECORDS FOR ONE OR MORE BACK QUARTERS OF DATA:
The first time a record is submitted for a prior quarter, that back quarter record includes all data
fields in the EQUI format. This record includes current administrative or non-quarterly
information, because only the set of most current administrative data is maintained for each
record. For example, suppose a unit was not on the State micro file for an earlier quarter but
research indicates that the physical location differed during that time period. Only the most
recent address information is retained on the micro file and submitted on the EQUI file.

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI

Page 12-8

INACTIVE RECORDS:
If a record is inactivated for a quarter and the EQUI submittal is the first submittal for that record
for that quarter, then all fields are submitted. This includes zeroes in the employment and wages
and "M" (missing) in the employment and wage indicator fields. A "2" (inactive) would be
reported in the Status Code field. For records becoming inactive, the State systems send a full
EQUI record only for the first inactive quarter. The State systems are not required to send EQUI
records for subsequent quarters unless there is a change to at least one field on the EQUI (e.g.,
successor UI/RUN, end of liability date, quarterly data, etc.). If a record is already inactive and
you are updating other data fields (e.g., end of liability date), the system will still send a full
record.
Note: If data were reported or imputed for the time frame that is being inactivated, the
employment and wage data will remain on the file unless the State physically alters the data to
zero. Altering is not required since the Status Code will be searched in all aggregation programs,
and output programs will bypass all inactive records. For example, inactive records are always
excluded from the macro file.
REACTIVATED RECORDS:
If a record is reactivated, it is submitted on the EQUI with a "1" (active) in the Status Code field.
The Status Code field is a quarterly field. The State must also update this field for any quarter
submitted as inactive but being reactivated.
UPDATES TO ADMINISTRATIVE OR NON-QUARTERLY DATA:
Non-quarterly fields can be changed in any quarter consistent with the correction policy
(explained in Section 12.2.3). Non-quarterly fields are updated on the BLS file regardless of the
year/quarter as long as the year/quarter combination of the EQUI record is unlocked on BLS
files. If the reference period is locked, the BLS system will not update the record.
UPDATES TO BACK QUARTERS OF QUARTERLY DATA:
All quarterly and non-quarterly fields are included on the EQUI record. If multiple quarters are
submitted on the same EQUI, all the data will first be loaded to the BLS micro file and then
edited. For example, if three quarters are submitted for the first time for a record, and all data are
reported each time, the non-quarterly data will only be edited once. (If a record has an invalid
EIN, and the invalid EIN is submitted on all three records, it will only fail the edit once.) In
addition, the inter-quarter editing of the quarterly economic data is more accurate when all
quarters are loaded first, and then edited.
REMOVING DATA:
If you change a numeric field such as employment, wages, or contributions to zero on the State
micro file, the system zero-fills that numeric field on the EQUI. If you change an alphanumeric

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field to blank on the State micro file, the system will blank out that field on the EQUI. This in
turn converts the field on the BLS file to blanks.
An example of how changes to alphanumeric fields would be reported:
2005/1 submitted in August
second line of a street address includes "Suite 7431"
2005/2 submitted in November second line of the street address is blank
2005/3 submitted in February second line of the street address is reported as blank
In the third quarter of this example, the field is reported as blank because it was already blanked
out on both the State and BLS micro files in the prior quarter.

Macro Data
All macro file data are derived from the micro database file, in both the States and BLS. Once
the micro file is updated, the changes are applied to the macro file to ensure that the micro files
and macro files also remain in synch. Many data elements submitted on the EQUI will not effect
macro data. Some of these include dates, addresses, names, telephone numbers, EINs, etc.
Other elements like industry, county, and ownership codes, monthly employment, and total
wages will effect the macro records. (Macro data processing is discussed in more detail in
Chapter 10 – Macro File and the Integrated Edit.)
Some changes to micro data may result in two macro cells being changed. For instance, if a
private sector restaurant is updated and re-coded from county code “031” to “059,” both macro
cells 722110/50/031 and 722110/50/059 will be updated and edited.
Normally, all EQUI data available for the current quarter or any back quarter unlocked in BLS
are submitted together. (Note that State systems never generate an EQUI record for a future
quarter.) Once received in BLS-Washington, the data are loaded together and all quarters of data
for a given record are processed and edited together. Once the current quarter file is submitted,
corrections to it and/or other back quarters should be submitted in compliance with the correction
policy.

12.2.2 Special Measures to Maintain Consistency between Files
The standard State systems provide the capability to generate special EQUI files that provide full
data for one quarter only, or that provide data only for specified reporting units. Processing
problems may sometimes occur that cause significant inconsistencies between data on the State
micro file and data on the BLS micro file. Following consultation with their regional office,
States can generate one of these special files to bring State and BLS data back in synch.
A one-quarter EQUI file provides an EQUI record for every status 1 (active) and status 2
(inactive) record on the State micro file for the specified quarter. This file replaces all data on
the BLS micro file for the matching UI/RUNs for the specified quarter.

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A second option for restoring consistency between State and BLS files, as well as for fixing
serious errors just prior to BLS publication, is for the State to submit a subset EQUI file. This
type of special file only provides data for specified reporting units. The State systems generate
the subset EQUI file using, as input, a file of identifying information. The input file contains the
State FIPS code, Year, Quarter, UI Account Number, and RUN for each record needed. The
State system finds the matching record on its micro file and creates the corresponding EQUI
records. These are full EQUI records containing all available data for the specified quarter, plus
all available non-quarterly data. EQUI subset file records have a status of either 1 (active), 2
(inactive), or 9 (pending).

12.2.3 Corrections and Updates for Earlier Quarters
Consistency between State and BLS data is maintained by only updating the State micro file and
providing BLS with all micro level corrections made to the State micro file for all unlocked
quarters.
Extract Requirements
All States follow the same minimum requirements. States must extract all current quarter data
and prior quarter data received since the previous extract. Note that the prior quarter is
defined as the quarter immediately preceding the current reference quarter (e.g., if the current
reference quarter is 2003/4, then the prior quarter is 2003/3).
These extracts include all data for the current quarter, including any non-quarterly or quarterly
fields that may have changed. Each standard State system has procedures for locking selected
fields. These are normally locked to protect data that have already been reviewed, so they are
not replaced by data of lesser quality. Often the State UI tax system does not follow the same
guidelines as those required by BLS. Each State system also has a mechanism to compare
extracted data against locked data to manually determine if changes are needed. Review the
EXPO-202 or WIN-202 documentation for specific details.
Prior quarter data extracts, as well as subsequent extracts for the current quarter, are also run to
obtain information on retroactive accounts, set up since the last extract. Late data are loaded to
the files to replace imputations. Current imputation procedures only allow one to two quarters of
imputation before the data are zero-filled. Imputation studies have found that a number of
establishments whose data are imputed remain active after the State has ceased to generate
estimates for them. By replacing estimates with late data, the State can reduce the number of
imputed quarters for the records. (On-going users such as the Current Employment Statistics
(CES) staff should be notified when these changes occur and which quarters are impacted.)
In addition, any QCEW program information added to the tax file or other source files for
inactive accounts that still reside on the State micro file must also be extracted to provide
information on successors. For example, an account reports on the Quarterly Contributions
Report (QCR) through 2005/2, is imputed for 2006/3 and 2006/4, and zero-filled for 2007/1 and
2007/2. Staff manually inactivates the record as of 2007/2. During the 2007/4 extract, the End

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of Liability Date and a Successor UI Account Number are also extracted for the record. The
inactive record on the State micro file should be updated with this information so the correction
will be provided to BLS. These data fields provide greater detail on deaths on the file, and
predecessor/successor information, both of which will be used extensively for longitudinal
research purposes as discussed in Chapter 5.

Key Features of the Correction Policy
The correction policy is summarized on the chart that follows. Specific points are listed below.

AUTOMATED TRANSFER OF CORRECTIONS TO BLS FILES:
The standardized State systems generate EQUI correction records, which are submitted to BLS.
This approach ensures substantial consistency between the files and minimizes errors.

AUTOMATED CORRECTION OF MACRO FILES FROM MICRO FILES:
All corrections made to the micro files are applied to the macro file when it is re-aggregated. No
corrections are directly made to the macro data, either in the States or BLS.

UNLOCKED QUARTERS ON STATE AND BLS FILES:
For those quarters that are unlocked on BLS files, all corrections made to the State files are
submitted to BLS.
For the prior and current quarters, extract data from the tax file or other sources for all new
information available since the last extract. This includes:
• Active accounts
• Retroactive or reactivated accounts
• Reported data for delinquent accounts
• Other corrections
These changes must be made to the State micro file so the State system will transmit them to
BLS on the EQUI. Any current and prior quarter corrections that significantly impact earlier
unlocked quarters are then made to both State and BLS files.
INACTIVE ACCOUNTS:
Any new information added to inactive records for any unlocked quarter maintained on the State
micro file is sent to BLS for use in longitudinal research.

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QCEW CORRECTION POLICY (See note at end of table.)
Any correction/update made in the State to quarters that are unlocked in BLS is
transmitted to BLS to maintain consistency in the files.
Current

Example

(reference)

Quarter

(Quarterly
Occurrence
Data)

Extract from UI
tax and other
information
sources

Example

Quarters which can be
corrected/updated on
BLS files

Example for
BLS files

(required for
quarters noted)

First

02/1

Fourth of prior
year and first
of reference
year

01/4,
02/1

Must update fourth
quarter of the prior year
and the reference
quarter; may update
first, second, and third
quarters of the prior year

01/4 and 02/1
required; may
update 01/1,
01/2, and 01/3

Second

02/2

First and
second of
reference year

02/1,
02/2

Must update only first
and second quarters of
the reference year

02/1 and 02/2
required

Third

02/3

Second and
third of
reference year

02/2,
02/3

Must update second and
third quarters of the
reference year, may
update first quarter of
the reference year

02/2 and 02/3
required; may
update 02/1

Fourth

02/4

Third and
fourth of
reference year

02/3,
02/4

Must update third and
fourth quarters of the
reference year, may
update first and second
quarters of the reference
year

02/3 and 02/4
required; may
update 02/1
and 02/2

Note: Changes are made to the correction policy from time to time. Such changes may affect
the number of quarters that are extracted.

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RECORDS TO INCLUDE WITH ADMINISTRATIVE DATA
Administrative
Data Fields
Data
Non Quarterly
Any data for active accounts.
Data – active
accounts

Non-Quarterly
Data - inactive
accounts

Missing End of Liability
Date, Input (Setup) Date,
Reactivation Date, Initial
Liability Date, or Predecessor
UI#, Predecessor RU#,
Successor UI#, Successor
RU#, Status Code, ARS
Response Code, ARS Refile
Year, Old Fields, etc.

Page 12-13

Which Records to Include?
Included for all active single, sub-unit,
or master UI- or UCFE-covered
records on State micro file. Note: If a
record is reporting retroactively, also
include quarterly occurrence for the
reference and prior quarter.
Included for any inactive single, subunit, or master UI- or UCFE-covered
record on State micro file that has not
been archived off the file.

12.2.4 Header and Trailer Records
When State systems generate an EQUI file, header and trailer records are included that provide
relevant information. Three types of information are included on the header and trailer records:
1. The date and time the file was created (header record). This is needed by BLS for the proper
sequencing of update transactions. If BLS has more than one file from the State containing
updates, and if the same record is updated on more than one of these files, the date and time
allow BLS to apply the updates in the proper sequence.
2. Editing parameters and tolerances (header record). The parameters and tolerances used by
the State to edit the data are included on the header record. Although parameters and
tolerances can be modified each quarter, only the parameters and tolerances used for the most
recent processing are submitted. The EXPO-202 and WIN-202 systems only maintain
parameters for a point in time and they are applied to all data processed at that point in time
and until the parameters and tolerances are changed. Parameters and tolerances are not
maintained on a quarterly basis. Typically, States make only minor modifications to the
parameters and tolerances once they are set.
3. Record counts and other data by year/quarter (trailer record). This information allows BLS
to verify that it has all the data the State intended to provide.

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Header Record
The header record includes information on the processing State, Year, Quarter, creation data
and time of the file, and State editing parameters and tolerances. The Transaction Code is
always H on the header record.
The header record includes the following tape information and file creation information:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

State FIPS Code
Year
Qtr
SESA ID (zero-filled)
Date file created (YYYYMMDD format)
Time file created
Record Length
Block Size

The header record must include the same 23-position identifier as the trailer record. This
includes the following information (see Appendix K):
•
•
•
•
•

Transaction Code (always ‘H’)
State FIPS Code
Year
Quarter
SESA ID (zero-filled)

State parameters are provided to BLS for reference. BLS uses looser parameters for most edits
to limit the size of edit listings.

Trailer Record
The trailer record includes summary information on the number of records in the transmission
as well as establishment counts and employment and wage totals by year, quarter, and
ownership. The Transaction Code is always T on the trailer record. BLS uses the trailer to
compare the expected output of the EQUI file to the actual output to ensure that no records were
lost either when the file was created or when it was loaded. Two sets of data are collected in the
trailer record, including:
Record Counts per Year/Quarter for a maximum of five quarters (as well as a count of delete
records)
Control Totals (include records with any MEEI code, any Status Code, and any Type of
Coverage). Note that all records are included to ensure that the entire file is read and loaded to
the BLS micro file.

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The number of units reflects the number of EQUI records that provide or change data elements
of any kind. Totals for Employment, Total Wages, Taxable Wages, and Contributions are
summarized for the data on the EQUI file itself. For example, an EQUI record that changes only
an address field or industry code is counted once in the Number of Units, but would be counted
as zero for Employment Month One, for Employment Month Two, etc.
There may be EQUI records for the current quarter that do not include an Ownership Code.
(Typically these records will change or correct current quarter data.) Data from such records are
included in the Control Totals for the Current Quarter for All Ownerships, even though they
cannot be counted by federal, State, local, or private sector ownership.
Note that the trailer record, whose layout is given in Appendix K, also contains a 23-position
identifier including:
•
•
•
•
•

Transaction Code (always ‘T’)
State FIPS Code
Year
Quarter
SESA ID (Always zero-filled)

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12.3 Transmitting the File
There are five approved general methods for transmitting EQUI data to BLS-Washington. EQUI
data files must not be sent to the BLS-Washington via e-mail under any circumstances due to
BLS data security provisions. The five approved general methods are as follows:
1. Submitting as a Service Center State
2. Submitting tapes and cartridges directly to SunGard
3. Submitting files via 56K lines using EUSWeb
4. Submitting via CD-ROM
5. Submitting via FTP

The following criteria should be used in determining the appropriate method.
•

If a State is using the Service Center at SunGard for processing, they should also use the
Service Center for submission of the EQUI. (See option #1 below.)

•

All other EQUI files should be submitted via tape or cartridge directly to SunGard (see
option #2 below), unless the State cannot use the standard tape and cartridge format or the
file is sufficiently small for an alternate method.

•

If an EQUI file is less than 10MB (compressed or uncompressed), the State may submit via
56K lines using EUSWeb. (See option #3 below.) The State may submit a correction file or
EQUI subset file via EUSWeb even if its full EQUI file was submitted via tape or cartridge.

•

If an EQUI file fits on a CD-ROM, submittal of the EQUI using this method may be
considered. (See option #4 below.)

•

Non-Service Center States may send their files in via FTP. (See option #5 below.) FTP
may only be used by States that have successfully completed FTP testing in coordination
with DBES. Interested States should contact their regional office about testing.

The procedures for each of the methods are briefly outlined below.

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12.3.1 Transmittal Options
1. Submitting as a Service Center State
For Service Center States, the creation of EQUI deliverables is done at SunGard. Though all
handling is done on-site at SunGard, information regarding the exchange and processing of tapes
must still be communicated.
a) All Service Center States must create their deliverable on a SunGard cartridge using the
following naming conventions. Unlike tapes created in the State, DBES cannot bypass
labels on tapes created at SunGard – they must contain the following dataset names:
For the initial quarterly submittal or an EQUI correction file, use the following naming
convention:
DSN = ACTINT.ACCT.EQUI.DATA.STYRQ
Where:
ACTINT = the State's account and initial assigned at SunGard
(example = YBU10W which is Delaware's)
ACCT = the account at SunGard (example = A145 which is Delaware's)
ST = State postal abbreviation (example = DE for Delaware)
YRQ = the most recent processing year and quarter contained on the file
(example = 074 for the 2007 fourth quarter)
A complete example would be DSN = YBU10W.A145.EQUI.DATA.DE074 for the
2007/4 file from Delaware.
For a one-quarter EQUI file or an EQUI subset file (described in Section 12.2.2.), use the
following naming convention:
DSN = ACTINT.ACCT.EQUI.FED.STYRQ
Where:
ACTINT = the State's account and initial assigned at SunGard
(example = YBU10W which is Delaware's)
ACCT = the account at SunGard (example = A145 which is Delaware's)
ST = State postal abbreviation (example = DE for Delaware)
YRQ = the most recent processing year and quarter contained on the file
(example = 074 for the 2007 fourth quarter)
A complete example would be DSN = YBU10W.A145.EQUI.FED.DE074 for the 2007/4
file from Delaware.

b) After creating the cartridge, the State should catalog their dataset and send DBES a
completed QCEW data transmittal form. Preferably, send the transmittal form via e-mail

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to the group name “EQUI_Submittals” with a copy to the regional office. This will get
the form directly to a group of people responsible for EQUI processing or interested in
file receipts. Alternately, the transmittal form may be faxed with a cover sheet addressed
to “ATTN: EQUI Processing” (Fax # 202-691-7292) or sent via FedEx directly to DBES
at the following address:
ATTN: EQUI Processing
Bureau of Labor Statistics, DBES
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE – Room 5625
Washington, DC 20212
Phone: (202) 691-7300
If the transmittal form was faxed or sent via FedEx to the BLS-Washington rather than emailed, the State must also notify the regional office that the cartridge is at SunGard and
is ready to be processed. The regional office will then notify DBES via e-mail. E-mail is
more reliable and ensures that all of the relevant participants are notified. Similar to
earlier directions, e-mail to the BLS-Washington should be sent to the group name
“EQUI_Submittals.”
Note: For a small number of States, EQUI files are transmitted to SunGard via
cartridges. From SunGard, the cartridges are sent to BLS-Washington where they are
eventually sent back to the States for re-use.

2. Submitting Tapes and Cartridges Directly to SunGard
For this transmittal method, DBES will continue to supply tapes, and States should continue to
use what is currently in circulation (WOU's and BU's). A State-owned tape/cartridge may be
used if the deliverable needs to be sent and the State doesn’t have any WOU or BU tapes on
hand. The procedures for sending the EQUI directly to SunGard are as follows:
a) The State prepares the file on a WOU, BU, or State-owned tape or cartridge. When using
this method, if there is no way of correctly reading the Data Set Name, DBES will bypass
labels on the files.
b) The State completes the QCEW Program Data transmittal form, marking the boxes and
giving information about the tape as appropriate. (See the separate instructions for using
the transmittal form.) If the file is a one-quarter file or an EQUI subset file, the State
should designate it accordingly. Similarly, if the file is a test file rather than a production
EQUI file, this should be clearly specified on the form.
c) The State mails the file and a copy of the transmittal form to the following address via
FedEx:
SunGard eSources
600 Laurel Oak Road
Voorhees, New Jersey 08043
ATTN: Tape Library

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PHONE # 1-800-628-9440 (choose option three)
d) The State sends another copy of the transmittal form to DBES in BLS-Washington. This
copy must contain the ten-digit Federal Express Airbill Tracking Number so that DBES
can track tapes when necessary. It is strongly recommended that the transmittal form be
e-mailed to “EQUI_Submittals” with a “copy” e-mailed to the regional office. This is
the preferred method. This will get the form directly to a group of people responsible for
EQUI processing, or interested in file receipts. Alternately, the transmittal form may be
faxed with a cover sheet addressed to “ATTN: EQUI Processing” (Fax # 202-691-7292)
or sent via FedEx directly to DBES at the following address:
ATTN: EQUI Processing
Bureau of Labor Statistics, DBES
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE – Room 5625
Washington, DC 20212
Phone: (202) 691-7300
e) If the transmittal form was faxed or sent via FedEx to BLS-Washington rather than emailed, the State must also notify the regional office as to when the file was mailed. The
regional office will then notify DBES via e-mail. E-mail to BLS-Washington should be
sent to the group name “EQUI_Submittals.”
f) When SunGard receives a file, they will log it into their Tape Management System and
notify DBES so that the file can be processed.
g) After successful processing, SunGard will return the State tapes/cartridges to DBES for
mailing back to the States for re-use.
NOTE: If the State chooses to supply any additional hardcopy materials, such as the JCL
used to create the actual EQUI file, they should not be sent to SunGard, but transmitted
via FedEx separately to DBES.

3. Submitting Files Using EUSWeb
Although used less frequently, EUSWeb is another method for transmitting the EQUI and update
transaction files when they are less than 10MB (uncompressed or compressed) in size. (The
limit of 10MB is too small for most initial EQUI files, but is generally adequate for correction
files and subset files.) The procedures for using EUSWeb are documented in the EUSWEB
User's Guide that can be accessed at http://199.221.111.170/content/EUSWEB.doc. States must
conform to the proper format, naming conventions, and compression conventions given below.
For format, files must be saved in ASCII (text) format.
For the file name, States must use the following standard naming convention. This step is
necessary for correct routing of the files. States should put their initial EQUI files in the
MCR directory and put update files in the CRX directory.

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For an initial quarterly EQUI submittal:
File Name = STMCRYQN.txt
Where:
ST = the State postal abbreviation (example = DE for Delaware)
MCR = the constant portion of the EQUI file name that is used for pollster routing
Y = the last digit of the most recent year
Q = most recent quarter
N = an incremental field in case a State has more than one file to transmit for the same
year/quarter
A complete example would be file name = DEMCR741.TXT for Delaware’s initial submittal
of their EQUI in 2007/4.
For a correction file:
File Name = STCRXYQN.txt
Where:
ST = the State postal abbreviation (example = DE for Delaware)
CRX = the constant portion of the correction file name that is used for pollster routing
Y = the last digit of the most recent year
Q = most recent quarter
N = an incremental field in case a State has more than one file to transmit for the same
year/quarter
A complete example would be file name = DECRX742.TXT for Delaware’s second update
transaction file in 2007/4.
Files over 1MB in size must be transmitted in zipped format. States may use a standard product
such as PKZIP or WinZip. When zipping files, States should put each text file in a .zip file with
the same naming convention (except for the extension). For example, the zipped version of
DECRX832.TXT would be called DECRX832.ZIP.
Once the file has been posted to EUSWeb, the completed transmittal form should be sent via email to DBES at the group name “EQUI_Submittals” with a copy to the regional office. This
will get the form directly to a group of people responsible for EQUI processing, or interested in
file receipts. Alternately, the transmittal form may be sent via fax or FedEx to DBES and the
regional office notified via e-mail.

4. Submitting via CD-ROM
States can submit their EQUI files on CD-ROM without receiving advanced approval. States
that have not previously used this transmittal method should check the CD before sending it and
verify that the complete EQUI file is present. States using these methods should transmit the

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EQUI file directly to BLS-Washington using Federal Express. The completed transmittal form
should be enclosed with the EQUI file.
Shipments should be sent via FedEx directly to DBES at the following address:
ATTN: EQUI Processing
Bureau of Labor Statistics, DBES
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE – Room 5625
Washington, DC 20212
Phone: (202) 691-7300
The regional office also should be notified via e-mail of the transmission date.

5. Submitting via FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is not a relevant option for Service Center States as their files are
generated at SunGard and do not need to be transferred. However, other States may find it
useful as a means to make files available to BLS for processing on the SunGard mainframe on
the same day they are generated in the State processing system. The FTP method requires a
State to have a PC application for uploading files to the mainframe computer at SunGard as well
as a SunGard account and initials. A brief procedures document is available from national office
to interested States who request it. Send requests for this document to e-mail group 202ftp.
FTP may only be used by States that have successfully completed FTP testing in
coordination with DBES. Until DBES certifies that a participating State has successfully
completed testing, the State must use another approved method to transmit production files.
FTP test procedures are available on the State web (http://199.221.111.170/program/Es202).
The testing process includes the following steps:
1. A State must assign an appropriate SunGard data set name that includes the correct
initials.
2. A State must allocate appropriate disk space and formatting (record length and blocksize)
at SunGard.
3. After uploading the test file to SunGard, a State must send an QCEW Data Transmittal
form to national office staff involved in testing. An e-mail group (202ftp) has been set
up for such purposes. The form should identify the file as a test file. The State should
NOT send the transmittal form to the e-mail group used for production files
(EQUI_Submittals).
States may not switch from an approved transmittal method to FTP without successfully
completing FTP testing because there can be unexpected technical difficulties involved in setting
connections and then uploading a fully usable file to SunGard. A State must successfully upload
a complete and properly formatted test file via FTP before relying on FTP to transmit a timely
deliverable or update file in production.

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FTP transmittal may be used for initial quarterly deliverable EQUI files, correction files, or
subset files. Very large States, however, may find this method impractical for their quarterly
deliverable. The practical limits of file size and uploading time can be explored in the testing
phase. States intending to use FTP for transmitting production files should complete testing at
least two weeks before the due date for the quarterly deliverable.

12.3.2 Using the QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form
The QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form (Exhibit 12A) was designed to be stored and filled
out electronically in Microsoft Word. (You may optionally print a blank form and complete it by
hand.) The following procedures give some general guidelines for using the form. Please read
the instructions before using or attempting to open the form file.

Acquiring the Transmittal Form
The EQUI data transmittal form is available via the Stateweb server. Connect to the Stateweb
(http://199.221.111.170/program/Es202). On the left pane under the topic heading “QCEW
Forms” select “EQUI Transmittal Form.” A read only version of the EQUI data transmittal
template (*.dot) will open.

Saving the .DOT File
Before using the template, it is important to save it to your hard drive in the same location as
your other user templates. To determine the correct drive, open Microsoft Word. Choose
Options from the Tools menu and click on the tabbed dialog box named File Locations. Look to
see which directory is specified for User Templates. Save the EQUI Transmittal file template in
the same directory on your hard drive.

Accessing the Transmittal Form
To access the transmittal form in Microsoft Word, select File from the menu bar and then select
New from the drop-down menu. (Do not use the New button on the Word toolbar.) We
recommend that you open the file in this manner rather than using the possible alternate
methods: choosing Open from the drop-down, using the New or Open button on the toolbar, or
opening it from within Windows Explorer. This is an important step because these alternative
methods may not allow you to save the form correctly after you fill it out. Choosing New from
the file menu allows you to eventually save the completed form as a Microsoft Word document
(.DOC) file. By saving the completed form as a document file, you preserve the original
template for future use.

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Completing the Transmittal Form
The transmittal form is fairly self-explanatory. In general, when filling out the form, make sure
that only one box is checked in items with multiple check boxes. If you check “Other” box, be
sure to include the appropriate information in the space provided. Finally, if additional
information is helpful for any specific item or the file in general, provide the information in the
“Remarks” section of the form. (For example, if the file is a test file.)

Saving the Transmittal Form
The State should save a copy of the completed form. This may be done electronically by saving
it as a Microsoft Word document (.DOC). (Saving the form as a document rather than a template
ensures that the original template is preserved on your hard drive for future use.) If it is saved
electronically, we recommend that you use a file naming convention that identifies the year,
quarter, and number of submittals within the quarter (1st tape, revised tape, etc.). For example,
the state of Virginia may save its first EQUI transmittal form for 2008/4 as
EQUI2008-4VA1.doc, where "…VA1" would indicate Virginia's first submittal. Subsequent
submittals would be labeled "…VA2", "…VA3", etc. Alternately, a State may print and save a
hard copy of the completed form.

Printing the Transmittal Form
After completing the form, print one (or more) copies using MS Word’s normal printing features.
As a technical note, the form was created to print on one page using an HP printer and printer
driver. Various other printers and/or drivers could potentially affect the appearance of the
printed form. The form is designed to fit on one page.

Sending the Form
Send the form as appropriate, based on the method of data transmittal. For instance, if you are
submitting directly to SunGard, remember to enclose a copy of the form with the tape and send a
copy of the form to DBES, preferably via e-mail to "EQUI_Submittals." Regional offices may
want a copy of the transmittal form as well.

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EXHIBIT 12A QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form

Page 12-24

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12.4 Sending Test Files When Making System Changes
BLS-Washington strongly recommends that test EQUI files be submitted to BLS-Washington at
least several weeks in advance of the deliverable whenever a State implements a new processing
system or makes a major change to an existing processing system. (Making a normal version
change, such as changing from EXPO Version 5.1 to Version 5.2, would not be considered a
major change and would not require a test tape.)
The reason for the submittal of the test file is to determine if the new or changed processing
system adversely affects the deliverable so that any identified problems can be corrected before
the deliverable is submitted. Early identification of problems will make it more likely that
corrective action can be taken before the actual QCEW data are needed for tabulation. The test
files will not be stored on the databases at BLS-Washington, and corrections will not be
processed against the test files.
The tape must contain all regular data elements so that the test file may be properly screened by
the BLS EQUI processing system.
The regional office should notify BLS-Washington of any changes in the State's processing that
might require the submittal of a test file and of the approximate mailing date and method of
transmittal of this file.

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12.5 File Retention
State systems should provide the means for States to easily archive and retain EQUI files as well
as other files, including the oldest quarters of data that "roll off" the Micro file and the Macro
file.
It is essential that States keep a copy of every EQUI file sent to BLS, whether it is the quarterly
deliverable or a correction/cleanup file. This is because EQUI files can be lost or damaged in
transmission and may need to be replaced. State systems will generate correction records by
identifying all changes made to the data since the last EQUI file was generated. However, this
tracking of data changes can be thrown off if the previous file was lost and needs to be replaced.
Therefore, lost files should be replaced from backup copies, so State systems are not called upon
to generate EQUI records a second time for data that were only changed once.
Current: BLS currently requires the following retention of files by the States:
• EQUI: retain in machine-readable form for a minimum of three years.
• ARS Control file: maintained until after completion of the next cycle for the same
portion of the universe.
• Micro Files: retain in machine-readable form for a minimum of 3 years after submittal
of data to BLS. It is strongly recommended that 5 years be retained.
• QCEW macro data: indefinitely in a usual manner
BLS should continue to retain data indefinitely.

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Chapter 13 – BLS Processing of the EQUI Data
The Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file is the primary quarterly
deliverable States send to BLS. It is the source of all data the QCEW program publishes and
provides to data users. This chapter describes how BLS processes EQUI files, and gives
particular emphasis to printed output. Also covered are correction procedures and BLS data
estimation for late files.
----------- Contents of Chapter 13 ----------13.1 Overview of BLS Processing
13.1.1 BLS Micro File
13.1.2 Normal BLS Processing of EQUI Files
13.1.3 Macro Data for Key Users and Publication
13.1.4 Locking Out Data Changes for Older Quarters
13.1.5 Special Processing to Ensure Consistent, Accurate Data
13.2 Output from BLS Processing
13.2.1 BLS Pre-edits the Data
13.2.2 EQUI Counts and Information
13.2.3 EQUI Management Information Spreadsheets
13.2.4 EQUI Edit Listings
13.3 BLS Review and State Correction Procedures
13.3.1 BLS Review Activity
13.3.2 State Correction Activity
13.3.3 Edit Priorities
13.3.4 Four Week Correction File (Subset)
13.3.5 Clean Declaration/Quarterly Signoff
13.4 BLS Estimates for Late Files
13.4.1 BLS-Related Users and Uses
13.4.2 Level of BLS Estimation
13.4.3 Methodology
13.4.4 Estimate Output Listings
13.4.5 Review of BLS-Generated Estimates
13.4.6 Time Schedule for BLS-Generated Estimates
13.4.7 Replacing Estimates with Live Data

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13.1 Overview of BLS Processing
Under policies in place since the EQUI file became the standard deliverable, all data entry,
updates, and corrections occur only at the micro level and usually only in the States. All data for
the current and prior quarter that are loaded or entered onto the State micro file through a
standard State system (EXPO or WIN-202) are provided to BLS on EQUI files. The BLS micro
file database, built from the EQUI files, should have the same or virtually the same data as the
States, at least for recent unlocked quarters.
The following sections outline BLS-Washington’s role in the QCEW program. The full
processing flow of the program is diagrammed and described in Section 1.5, Overview of
Quarterly and Annual Processing. The latter part of the flow chart in Section 1.5.1 illustrates the
processing described in this chapter.

13.1.1 BLS Micro File
The BLS system, similar to the standard State systems, uses a database called the micro file. All
data on the BLS micro file are loaded from EQUI files and all EQUI data elements are present on
the BLS micro file. The micro file contains a number of non-quarterly data elements that occur
only once, including:
• Key fields (State FIPS Code, Unemployment Insurance (UI) Account Number, and
Reporting Unit Number (RUN))
• Predecessor and successor UI Account Numbers and RUNs
• Name and address fields
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Date fields (Initial Liability, End of Liability, Setup, and Reactivation dates)
• Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)-related fields such as Response Code, ARS Year, and
Old Code fields
• Geocoding fields such as latitude and longitude
• Facts of discrepancy fields such as fact of discrepancy NAICS
• Other codes and indicators such as organization type, data source, Current
Employment Statistics (CES) Indicator, and version fields (administrative, quarterly)
The BLS micro file contains seven identically structured blocks of quarterly data elements,
beginning with the current processing quarter and extending six quarters back. BLS does not use
a future quarter. Quarterly data elements include:
• Economic data (monthly employment, total wages, taxable wages, contributions)
• Indicator flags (imputation flags) for each of the economic data elements
• Classification codes (including NAICS, ownership, county, township)
• Status code
• Multi Establishment Employer Indicator (MEEI) Code
• Comment codes and the narrative comment field

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•
•
•
•
•
•

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Census fields (such as Census ID)
Class code
Data source
Delete identifier
Pplace (city) code
Type of coverage
Year

The BLS database contains data for all 53 States. It actually consists of 53 mainframe computer
datasets, allowing each State’s data to be processed separately; however, the data are also
aggregated on a national level for various purposes mentioned in Section 13.1.3. Altogether, the
BLS micro file database has more than ten million records.

13.1.2 Normal BLS Processing of EQUI Files
The BLS system loads EQUI files to its micro file in a sequence of steps that generate various
files as well as the listings described in Section 13.2. The output files are given to established
data users (as the next section describes), loaded to the BLS Longitudinal Database (LDB), and
used for publication and data dissemination.
EQUI files are processed either as initial files for the quarter or as update/correction files. For
initial EQUI files for the quarter (typically the quarterly deliverable), the quarterly blocks of data
on the micro file for that State are “rolled” before EQUI processing begins. This means that the
oldest quarter is removed and archived, while each of the other quarters is shifted. The current
quarter’s data are moved to the block for the prior quarter, the prior quarter’s data are moved to
become two quarters old, and so on. A new current quarter is initialized (set to initial values)
before the EQUI is loaded.
On the BLS micro file, the initial values for the economic data fields are zero, the employment
and Total Wage indicator flags are “M” (Missing), while most other quarterly data elements are
set to blank. The initial values of the classification codes (primarily the industry, ownership, and
county codes) are blanks, not values copied from the prior quarter. The initial values for the
Status Code and the Taxable Wage indicator flag are “3” and “B,” respectively. These are
special values used only in BLS.
While each micro file record contains fields for seven quarters, each EQUI record contains data
for only one quarter. When an EQUI record is loaded to the BLS micro file, data from the nonquarterly EQUI fields replace the contents of the equivalent micro file fields. Data from the
quarterly EQUI fields replace corresponding data in the micro file fields for the designated
quarter. If the initial quarterly file does not include an EQUI record for every reporting unit
(every UI/RUN) on the BLS micro file, the unmatched UI/RUNs retain their initial values on the
micro file for the new quarter. If an EQUI record introduces a UI/RUN that is not already
present on the micro file, a new micro file record is generated with the full set of seven quarters;
however, earlier quarters will retain the initial values. When a UI/RUN associated with an edit

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flag is new or discontinued, these BLS initial values (including Activity Status 3) can appear on
edit listings such as the Integrated Macro Edit (Table 9A).
For an EQUI correction (update) file, the corresponding quarter of data will already be present
on the BLS micro file. When the EQUI record matches a record on the micro file, the EQUI data
will replace the micro file data. Both initial EQUI files and correction files normally include
records for more than one quarter. The BLS system separates the EQUI records by quarter so
records for the prior quarter are treated like correction/update records.
Every EQUI file is processed through the pre-edit (described in Section 13.2.1) to verify that the
data meet minimum standards. If the number of pre-edit errors is not excessive, the EQUI data
are loaded to the BLS micro file. Micro file records are then edited. The full, integrated edit,
including both micro and macro edits, is always performed whenever any EQUI file is loaded.
This means that the BLS macro file (discussed in Chapter 10) is regenerated each time. Editing
is always performed as a batch job.
States can run all edits run by BLS. Only one set of edit parameters and tolerances is maintained
in the standard State systems. This set is used to edit all historical quarter changes, current
quarter data, and subsequent quarters of data until such time as the State modifies the parameter
and tolerance values and settings. The current set of parameters/tolerances is copied to the
header record each time the State system generates an EQUI file.
The BLS system uses its own set of parameters and tolerances when editing. The BLS
parameters are never tighter than those of the State unless the State has set theirs to levels looser
than the default values (that is, above levels acceptable to BLS). BLS parameters are always
looser than or equal to default parameters. BLS parameters are set in line with how the data are
used and released as well as to resolve problems before questions are received from other users
(for example, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)). Appendix H provides a summary of the
edit parameters and tolerances.
The BLS micro file includes an edit indicator for each micro edit that shows whether the record
passed or failed. This means that the results of the most recent edit run are stored on the micro
file. As with the other data elements, edit indicators are either non-quarterly (occurring only
once on the file) or quarterly (occurring seven times, once in each quarterly block). When the
initial quarterly EQUI file is processed, the entire micro file is edited. For correction/update
files, however, the system only edits micro records that are updated. The quarterly micro edits
are only performed on the quarters of those records that are updated. Meanwhile, the macro edits
are always performed on the entire file for all quarters. Additional information about editing
appears in Section 13.2.4.
The LDB is loaded with current quarter data from the BLS micro file sometime after the thirtyday cleanup deadline. In the future, corrections to back quarters may be used to update the LDB.

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13.1.3 Macro Data for Key Users and Publication
Shortly after the due date for the initial quarterly deliverable files, BLS provides files of
aggregated economic data to established users. In some cases, the data levels are consistent with
the BLS macro file although some users require different levels of aggregation or additional data
elements.
For the most part, these data must be provided well before the thirty-day cleanup deadline, so the
current quarter economic data and classification codes from each State’s initial quarterly
deliverable must be of good quality.
Essential data users include the following:
• The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the Department of Commerce. BEA
receives macro data for each State at the county-ownership-industry level and State
data totals by ownership. BEA also receives information about comment codes,
noneconomic code changes, and significant data changes occurring during the cleanup
period.
• The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program in BLS-Washington. CES receives
employment and wage data at both State and national levels. Benchmark files include
employment by industry by size class. CES also receives national Summary of
Differences data showing noneconomic code changes by industry and ownership.
• The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor.
ETA receives State and national data including Taxable Wages and Contributions,
broken out based on type of coverage (taxable, reimbursable, and Federal).
Shortly after the thirty-day cleanup deadline, the QCEW program releases data to the public.
This publication deadline limits the amount of time available for review of the initial quarterly
deliverable. For that reason, States must deliver an initial quarterly deliverable that is of good
quality. Refer to Appendix T for a hyperlink to the QCEW homepage, which contains more
information on data releases.

13.1.4 Locking Out Data Changes for Older Quarters
The correction policy described in Section 12.2.3 describes when specific quarters of data will
normally be unlocked. The BLS system, however, is able to unlock individual quarters and/or
State files when there is a specific need.
The correction policy is intended to ensure that both State and BLS files match for all unlocked
quarters. States should extract data for both the current and prior quarter data as well as any
changes to non-quarterly (administrative) fields. BLS places greater emphasis on the quality of
these quarters’ data than on older quarters. However, BLS makes some effort to ensure that data

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are accurate and consistent for a full calendar year. For example, a record exists with a
significant change between third quarter and fourth quarter. If the third quarter is corrected and
this causes a significant difference between second and third quarter, second quarter data may
need correction as well. First quarter may also need correction, since it can affect publication.
Changes to the correction policy may change the quarters to be extracted.

13.1.5 Special Processing to Ensure Consistent, Accurate Data
Normal EQUI files generated by the standard State systems are either initial quarterly files (the
deliverable) or update/correction files. Correction files include an EQUI record only for
reporting units whose data have changed for an unlocked quarter. Initial quarterly files provide a
current quarter record for every active, UI- or UCFE-covered reporting unit on the State micro
file. Inactive and pending reporting units may be included as well. EQUI records from earlier
unlocked quarters may also be included on the deliverable file, if the State changed the unit’s
data for that quarter.
For the most part, the features of the State systems that create normal EQUI files keep State and
BLS data consistent. However, the State systems are also able to generate special EQUI files for
BLS that do not depend on changing data in the State. These capabilities are sometimes used to
give BLS a copy of the most current State data. This brings BLS data in line with State data
immediately, without waiting for the normal deliverable or correction files.
These special EQUI files take two forms:
• A single quarter file contains an EQUI record for every active and inactive record on
the State micro file for a specified quarter.
• A “subset” file provides data for selected reporting units. BLS or State users provide a
file of short records for each requested reporting unit, specifying the State FIPS Code,
UI/RUN, year, and quarter. The State system generates the corresponding EQUI
records.
Both single quarter files and subset files contain full data records. The BLS system processes
subset files the same way as normal EQUI correction files. A single quarter file is typically used
to replace a full quarter of data. The previous version of the data is typically removed from the
BLS database and then the new version of the data is loaded. This is to ensure that BLS data
matches the State’s data.
Very infrequently, BLS determines that a State’s quarterly deliverable file is unusable. This may
happen because the file cannot be read, was generated incorrectly, or was generated before the
State processed and edited all necessary data. Sometimes the situation can be corrected by using
one or more single quarter files. As a last resort, BLS may request a revised file. The State
systems do not generate revised files as part of normal processing; intervention by system
developers may be needed.

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On occasion, data must be corrected on the BLS micro file immediately, without waiting for an
EQUI file from the State. For example, a large employment error may be identified very shortly
before BLS must generate data for CES or BEA. Users in BLS-Washington can generate manual
EQUI records to enter the correction on short notice. Meanwhile, the State must also enter the
correction on its own micro file; otherwise, the inaccurate data may be reported to BLS again on
a subsequent EQUI record.
The manual EQUI records are not full data records – they contain only key fields and the data
that change, while all other fields are blank. The BLS system processes these records using a
special transaction code, as described in Section 13.2.1. Because BLS and the State Workforce
Agency (SWA) files should be largely the same, BLS is reluctant to make manual corrections to
the files. However, if an update file or subset file can not be provided in time to meet
publication deadlines, BLS-Washington will make manual corrections to the files as needed so
that the data will be usable at the end of the quarterly review and cleanup.

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13.2 Output from BLS Processing
The EQUI format is used to send all appropriate micro level data from the State micro file to
BLS-Washington, including initially submitted current quarter data, retroactive back quarter
data, corrections or other updates, deletion records, and certain inactive records. When a normal
EQUI data record is submitted for a given quarter, all data elements – quarterly and nonquarterly
– are included. (Appendix K shows the EQUI formats.) When BLS-Washington processes
EQUI files, it generates data files for established users. It also generates extensive listing output
including data element counts, edit listings, edit counts, and data summaries. Some information
listed on the EQUI output tables is confidential, therefore wording in the header is provided on
the necessary listings to indicate the confidential nature of the data.
The BLS-Washington office will notify the State and regional offices via Email when output is
available to print in their office. When copies are not printed directly in the State, the regional
office then sends a copy of the listings (or makes them available) to the State. On occasion, the
State may send annotated listings to the regional office. When listings are sent between the
regional office and the State, it is essential that they be handled properly to prevent the
unauthorized disclosure of confidential data.

13.2.1 BLS Pre-edits the Data
Once a State’s EQUI file is received and ready to process by BLS, the records are sorted. The
header record is read to identify the State's edit parameters. The trailer record is read to identify
data totals included on the submittal. The trailer record totals (generated by the State processing
system as it created the file) are compared to load totals (generated by the BLS system as it reads
the file) to ensure that the files remain consistent. This comparison helps identify whether some
records may not have been read, or were dropped.
The EQUI data records for all quarters on the file are processed through a pre-edit. The pre-edit
identifies serious errors prior to running the full edits. If the number of pre-edit failures is not
unreasonable, the EQUI data are loaded to the BLS micro file. Then full editing and other
processing continues, as described in the following two sections.
The following tables are printed in these early stages of BLS processing on both initial and
update runs.
Table 1A - Comparison of EQUI Totals to Data Reported on the Trailer Record (initial and
update)
This listing compares the record counts, economic data, and delete totals reported on the trailer
record to those calculated by the BLS system. If data differences appear for the counts of the
entire file (all quarters), this may indicate that BLS was not able to read all the records that
should be present. See Exhibit 13A at the end of this section for an example of the report.

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Table 1B – EQUI Pre-Edit Error Summary Counts (initial and update)
This report shows the number of records flagged on the EQUI Pre-Edit Listing. If the number of
records with pre-edit errors exceeds a parm (typically 1,000), processing will stop and the data
will not be loaded to the BLS micro file. BLS-Washington will then contact the regional office
about how to proceed. See Exhibit 13B at the end of this section for a sample page of the report.
Table 1C – EQUI Pre-Edit Listing (initial and update)
This listing displays the records that fail the following edit conditions as well as for non-numeric
employment or wages. The edit conditions include all of the Level 1 edits, plus selected edits
from Levels 2-4 that identify critical errors affecting data aggregation and key data users such as
CES and BEA. See Exhibit 13C at the end of this section for a sample page of the report.
Level 1 – Pre-edits
001-I
002-I
003-I
004-I
005-I
006-I

Invalid Transaction Code
Invalid UI Account Number
Invalid Reporting Unit Number
Invalid Reference Year
Invalid Reference Quarter
Invalid State Code

Level 2 – Key Field edits
010-I
012-I
013-I

Invalid NAICS Code
Invalid Ownership Code
Invalid County Code

Level 3 – Date and Status Code Edits
025-I

Invalid Status Code

Level 4 – Remaining Invalid Error Edits
040-I

Invalid MEEI Code

The pre-edit output should be the primary vehicle for identifying the rare case of non-numeric
employment or wages, as they might not be displayed on Table 9B. Records with non-numeric
employment and wages will be loaded to the database with the non-numeric fields zero-filled.
Typically, States must submit an update transaction for every record on Table 1C. However,
States may choose to focus on edit codes 001-006 when reviewing this pre-edit listing, since the
other edit codes (010-013, 025, and 040) will also appear on the Micro Edits Only listing (Table
9B). Level 1 errors (001-006) are not displayed on Table 9B. All of the edit conditions,
including those above, are described in detail in Appendix F.

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Page 13-10

EXHIBIT 13A
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME: 07:07:00 AM
(STATE NAME)
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q
COMPARISON OF EQUI TOTALS TO DATA REPORTED ON THE TRAILER RECORD – TABLE 1A
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

YEAR/QTR.
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
N/A
N/A

TOTAL RECORDS ON TRAILER.
8,904
2,350
1,253
0
0

TOTAL RECORDS ON EQUI.
8,904
2,350
1,253
0
0

NET DIFFERENCE.
0
0
0
0
0

TRAILER DELETED RECORDS.
43

EQUI DELETED RECORDS.
43

NET DIFFERENCE.
0

PAGE
1
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

ALL QUARTERS ON TRAILER RECORD:

ALL RECORDS
TRAILER
EQUI
DIFF.

NO. ESTABL.
12,507
12,507
0

MONTH 1 EMPL.
202,119
202,119
0

MONTH 2 EMPL.
201,888
201,888
0

MONTH 3 EMPL.
204,566
204,566
0

TOTAL WAGES.
1,781,531,266
1,781,531,266
0

TAXABLE WAGES.
640,537,198
640,537,198
0

CONTRIBUTIONS.
11,572,977
11,572,977
0

CURRENT QUARTER COUNTS-2005/1

TOTAL
TRAILER
EQUI
DIFF.

NO. ESTABL.
8,904
8,904
0

MONTH 1 EMPL.
178,816
178,816
0

MONTH 2 EMPL.
178,237
178,237
0

MONTH 3 EMPL.
180,477
180,477
0

TOTAL WAGES.
1,617,456,564
1,617,456,564
0

TAXABLE WAGES.
518,127,311
518,127,311
0

CONTRIBUTIONS.
9,270,354
9,270,354
0

FEDERAL OWN.
TRAILER
EQUI
DIFF.

NO. ESTABL.
2,350
3
2,347

MONTH 1 EMPL.
15,865
731
15,134

MONTH 2 EMPL.
16,145
732
15,413

MONTH 3 EMPL.
16,601
731
15,870

TOTAL WAGES.
99,853,224
10,407,582
89,445,642

TAXABLE WAGES.
72,023,894
0
72,023,894

CONTRIBUTIONS.
1,369,444
0
1,369,444

STATE
OWN.
TRAILER
EQUI
DIFF.

NO. ESTABL.
1,253
47
1,206

MONTH 1 EMPL.
7,438
12,726
-5,288

MONTH 2 EMPL.
7,506
12,561
-5,055

MONTH 3 EMPL.
7,488
13,156
-5,668

TOTAL WAGES.
64,221,478
119,401,159
-55,179,681

TAXABLE WAGES.
50,385,993
0
50,385,993

CONTRIBUTIONS.
933,179
0
933,179

LOCAL
OWN.
TRAILER
EQUI
DIFF.

NO. ESTABL.
0
49
-49

MONTH 1 EMPL.
0
31,514
-31,514

MONTH 2 EMPL.
0
30,734
-30,734

MONTH 3 EMPL.
0
33,325
-33,325

TOTAL WAGES.
0
283,331,485
-283,331,485

TAXABLE WAGES.
0
4,300,635
-4,300,635

CONTRIBUTIONS.
0
68,180
-68,180

PRIVATE OWN.
TRAILER
EQUI
DIFF.

NO. ESTABL.
0
8,805
-8,805

MONTH 1 EMPL.
0
133,845
-133,845

MONTH 2 EMPL.
0
134,210
-134,210

MONTH 3 EMPL.
0
133,265
-133,265

TOTAL WAGES.
0
1,204,316,338
-1,204,316,338

TAXABLE WAGES.
0
513,826,676
-513,826,676

CONTRIBUTIONS.
0
9,202,174
-9,202,174

END OF THE COMPARISON OF EQUI TOTALS TO DATA REPORTED LISTING.

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April 2006

Page 13-11

EXHIBIT 13B
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:21:06 AM

(STATE)
PRE-EDIT ERROR SUMMARY COUNTS - TABLE 1B
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

RECORDS READ
RECORDS WITH NO PRE-EDIT ERRORS
RECORDS WITH NO PRE-EDIT ERRORS(EDIT CODES 001-006)
RECORDS WITH ONE OR MORE EDIT FIELDS WITH EDIT FLAGS (EDIT CODES 001-006)
FIELDS FLAGGED (EDIT CODES 001-006)
RECORDS SUBMITTED FOR LOCKED YEAR/QUARTERS
EDIT FLAGS

DESCRIPTION
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
TOTAL

TRANSACTION CODE
UI ACCOUNT NUMBER
REPORTING UNIT NUMBER
REFERENCE YEAR
REFERENCE QUARTER
STATE CODE

EDIT CODE
001
002
003
004
005
006

2005/1

:
:
:
:
:
:
:

PAGE

181,834
181,447
181,834
0
0
0
0

2004/4

ALL OTHER QUARTERS

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

1

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Page 13-12

EXHIBIT 13C
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

07:07:00 AM

(STATE NAME)
PRE-EDIT LISTING – TABLE 1C
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

TRAN
CD ST YEAR/Q
UI ACCT NO RUN STAT
NAME
EI NUMBER EDI NAICS
-- -- --------------- --- --------------- --- ----A
66 2005/1
0000065432 00000 1
LACKLUSTER VIDEOS INC
000000000
SETUP DATE: 1989/11/28 INITIAL LIAB DATE: 1989/11/28 END OF LIAB DATE:
/
13-I INVALID COUNTY CODE
A
66 2005/1
0000065434 00000 1
NEEDLESS MARKUP DEPARTMEN
SETUP DATE:
/ /
INITIAL LIAB DATE: 1999/10/01 END OF LIAB DATE:
12-I INVALID OWNERSHIP CODE
13-I INVALID COUNTY CODE

029876543

A
66 2005/1
0000065436 00000 1
CUTTLEVISION MFR, INC
000067
SETUP DATE: 1998/01/01 INITIAL LIAB DATE: 1999/10/01 END OF LIAB DATE:
13-I INVALID COUNTY CODE

119876543

A
66 2005/1
0000065440 00000 1
A D D CO SUSHI-CO RESTAUR
SETUP DATE: 1982/10/01 INITIAL LIAB DATE: 1982/10/01 END OF LIAB DATE:
13-I INVALID COUNTY CODE

29876543

A
66 2005/1
0000065444 00000 1
BUB FOLDING BOOKS CO INC
SETUP DATE:
/ /
INITIAL LIAB DATE: 2000/10/01 END OF LIAB DATE:
12-I INVALID OWNERSHIP CODE
13-I INVALID COUNTY CODE

049876543

A
66 2005/1
0000065450 00000 1
000005
SETUP DATE:
/ /
INITIAL LIAB DATE: 2000/10/01 END OF LIAB DATE:
12-I INVALID OWNERSHIP CODE
13-I INVALID COUNTY CODE

229876789

***

END OF PREEDIT

PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL DATA

MEEI
OWN CTY CD
--- --- -532230
5
/
REACT DATE:

000000
0
1998/12/31 REACT DATE:

515210

5

000

EMPLOYMENT
M2
M3
--1
/ /

1
/

000

1

/

000068

000060

/

/

REACT DATE:

/

999999
5
REACT DATE:

000

/

1

/

000000
0
REACT DATE:

000

/

000001
/ /

000000

000

1

000005

0

1997/12/31 REACT DATE:

***

M1
-000

/

/

/

/

1

/

000005
/

1

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13.2.2 EQUI Counts and Information
BLS generates numerous counts that provide significant information about individual data
elements or combinations of elements. These counts are also included in the EQUI edit output as
Table 3 and Table 8, respectively. Counts, parameters, and other information are also written to
files in BLS-Washington and used in various spreadsheets.
The following informational tables print on the EQUI edit output. Some of these listings will
only be generated when a full (initial) EQUI is run; others will be generated for initial and update
runs. This information is provided in parentheses next to the table names. Not discussed here
are the CCS Tables generated during first and second quarter processing. Those listings appear
in Section 11.7.
Table 2A - State Totals (initial and update)
This report provides State ownership totals by quarter for average monthly employment,
average weekly wages, the number of establishments (reporting units), monthly employment,
total wages, taxable wages, and contributions for the current and seven previous quarters.
This report excludes data from master records (records with MEEI 2 or County 900), inactive or
pending records (Status Code not 1), non-covered records (Type of Coverage Code 8), and
records without a valid Ownership (Code is not 1, 2, 3, or 5). The Over-the-Quarter (OTQ) and
Over-the-Year (OTY) percent changes are included as analytical tools to facilitate data review.
This high level summary can be used to quickly identify significant changes in State total data
from one quarter to the next, or in the current quarter compared with the same quarter of the
previous year. See Exhibit 13D at the end of Section 13.2.3 for a sample page.
Table 2B - County Summary (initial and update)
Table 2B focuses on OTY data comparisons and has three sections. A summary of the table
appears first. This summary lists the percentage changes in third month employment and
average weekly wages by county. Columns marked as "T Adj" contain adjusted totals, which
exclude data from records with publication error flags. Columns marked with "T" contain the
nonadjusted totals. See the discussion on Table 9X for a complete list of the publication edits.
The summary section is followed by a section of detailed employment and wage data for each
county broken out by ownership. Over-the-year changes are given as a percent and as a level for
third month employment, average weekly wage, total wages, and average monthly employment.
Also provided are the average annual employment and the average annual wage, compared to a 4quarter moving average for the current year-to-date.
A final section provides statewide totals broken out by ownership.
The purpose of this table is to identify and review large fluctuations within a county that may
impact publication. Annual averages and comparisons can provide early warning of these
fluctuations, which might otherwise go undetected from the macro cell-level review and the industrybased editing and data review tools. Analysts can target problem counties for more detailed
review.

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Table 2B can also provide warning of systematic problems. It should be used to identify very
large and suspicious data movements in the initial run and to review changes to county-level
employment and wages in update runs, as needed. Very large movements in the current quarter's data
that are not explained by seasonality or code changes should be investigated further. The listing may
also be used to monitor the annual data and, during first quarter processing, to identify unexpected
changes between the preliminary and final publication data for the previous year. Review Table 2B
generated from update runs only to the extent that large changes to the data are made, which are listed
in Table 13A. See Exhibit 13E at the end of Section 13.2.3 for a sample of Table 2B.
Table 3 – EQUI Data Counts (initial and update)
This report is used to review the reporting level of many data elements, such as employment and
wages indicator flags, address information, and various codes. Along with the number of edit
flags (see Table 8), these data element counts are also indicators of data quality. The counts are
for active non-master records, except where footnotes indicate otherwise. See Exhibit 13F at the
end of Section 13.2.3 for a sample.
Based on these counts, BLS-Washington provides feedback through the regional offices about
each State's initial EQUI file. This feedback points out increased data quality (such as a decline
in the use of NAICS 999999 or an increase in the proportion of employment data that are
reported and not imputed). Also emphasized are unusual data patterns or areas needing
improvement (for example, a significant percentage of continuous units having county code 999,
or physical location addresses that appear on the file at a level well below the national average).
Record counts for each data element are displayed in Table 3 as follows:
• Current quarter totals
• Percent of current quarter total records
• Previous quarter totals
• Percent change between the previous and current quarters
A corresponding total of third month employment is also displayed for most data elements.
Total wages is substituted for third month employment for select data elements.
• Current quarter totals
• Percent of current quarter total records
• Previous quarter totals
• Percent change between the previous and current quarters
Section 1 displays characteristics by MEEI code, including counts of continuous units, dropped
records, and new records. Continuous units are records reported and active under the same UI
Account Number and Reporting Unit Number (RUN) in both the current quarter and the prior
quarter. Dropped records are UI/RUNs that were present and active in the prior quarter but not
the current quarter. New records are UI/RUNs that are present and active this quarter but not in
the prior quarter.
Section 2 displays the following identification information and characteristics:

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Pred/Succ
NAICS
SIC
SIC 4-Digit Coding Exceptions
Location
Ownership
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Auxiliary

Page 13-15

Dates
ARS Year and Response Codes
CES Indicator
Data Source (EDI Center)
Special Indicator
Reporting Change Indicator
Comments
Agent Code

a) Industry Codes – Shows a count and percentage of records carrying NAICS and SIC industry
codes. The various record counts are grouped by industry code. Some of the groupings common
across the industry codes are listed below:
• Records with valid/specific codes (excluding 999999/9999)
• Records with 999999/9999
• Month 3 employment
b) Location Codes – Shows a count and percentage (with month three employment) of records
having valid, specific County codes. There are separate counts and percentages for each of the
county equivalent codes:
• 900 (master records)
• 995/999 (combined)
• 995 (statewide/multi-county)
• 996 (foreign)
• 998 (out of State)
• 999 (unknown)
c) Date Fields – Shows counts and percentages of records reporting each of the EQUI dates:
• Set-up Date
• Initial Liability Date
• End of Liability Date
• Reactivation Date.
The Date portion of Section 2 also shows a count and percentage of records having both an End
of Liability Date and a Reactivation date, with (1) the Reactivation Date more recent than the
End of Liability Date, and (2) with the End of Liability Date more recent than the Reactivation
Date.
d) ARS Information – Shows a count and percentage for selected values of the ARS Response
Code: 41, 42, 46, 50, 63, 64, 65, 76, 77, and 98. It shows a count and percentage of records with
a non-blank ARS Year and numeric response code.
e) Comment Codes – This part of Section 2 lists separate counts and percentages of records with
one, two, and three numeric comment codes. Also, there is a count and percentage of records
with non-blank narrative comments.

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f) Agent Codes – Shows counts and percentages for records with a non-blank value in the Agent
Code field.
Section 3 displays employment and wage information including summaries of month three
employment and total wages reported, imputed, prorated, and missing. It provides detailed
record counts, employment and wage indicator counts, and employment for each value of the
employment indicator flag, broken out by ownership and by month. Detailed record counts and
total wages are provided for each value of the total wages indicator flag. Employment and total
wage indicator flags are identified and discussed in Appendix J.
Section 4 displays information about addresses and related fields. Separate counts and
percentages are given of records with Physical Location (PL) address fields, non-blank UI
address fields, and non-blank Mailing/Other address fields. Record counts by MEEI groupings
appear for the Reporting Unit Description.
The count for # RECS WITH MEEI 3 OR 5 WITH BLANK RUD & A BLANK PL ADDRESS
includes records that have a blank city field or a PLA edit flag (i.e., edit 102, 103, 104, or 114).
The system checks for records that have a blank city field since an existing PLA must have a city
while a single line for the street address sometimes appears on line 2 rather than on line 1.
Furthermore, even if a PLA does exist on a record, the system also checks whether the PLA is
valid by checking for edits 102, 103, 104, or 114.
Section 5 displays summary counts of continuous units, with detail about records that changed
MEEI, NAICS, SIC, County, Auxiliary, or other codes. The "valid county" appearing on the
count for # RECS CHGD FROM VALID COUNTY TO ANOTHER VALID COUNTY, does
not include county 99x codes.
Section 6 provides record counts by third month employment broken out by size class for private
continuous records, excluding masters for the following categories:
• All private continuous records
• All private continuous subunit
• Units and empl of recs with NAICS 999999 by size class
• Units and empl of recs with SIC 9999 by size class
• Units and empl of recs with county code 999 by size class
• Units and empl of recs with zero-filled EIN by size class
• Units and empl of recs with valid physical location address (PLA) by size class
• Units and empl of subunits (MEEI 3 or 5) with reporting unit description by size
class
• Units and empl of subunits (MEEI 3 or 5) with no RUD nor valid PLA by size class
Most of the percentages listed in Section 6 are based on the respective size class for total private
continuous records as opposed to the total for each category. In addition, employment totals for
each address data element and counts for valid address blocks are included in the listing. (Valid

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Page 13-17

address blocks are defined as records with non-blank addresses that do not have any of the
address-related edit flags.)
Section 6 of Table 3 is used in the generation of the QCEW Quality and Performance Measures
report ("Flash Report"). The "Flash Report" is a report generated by BLS-Washington and
posted on the Stateweb that provides various quarterly performance measures.
Section 7 displays summary counts of new units, giving some characteristics about MEEI,
NAICS, County code, and EIN.
Section 8 (Geocoding Counts) reflects the geocodes (based on PLAs) supplied through the
previous quarter, assigned in the national office, loaded to State files, and provided back to the
national office in the current quarter's EQUI files. These counts do not reflect any improvements
the State may have made to the PLAs in the current quarter.
Table 4A - EIN Matrix Map (initial only)
This listing specifies the number of times that a given character is used in each position of the
EIN field for all active, covered records including masters. See Exhibit 13G at the end of
Section 13.2.3 for a sample.
Table 4B - UI Number Matrix Map (initial only)
This listing specifies the number of times that a given character is used in each position of the UI
Account Number field for all active, covered records including masters. See Exhibit 13H at the
end of Section 13.2.3 for a sample.
Table 4C - RUN Matrix Map (initial only)
This listing specifies the number of times that a given character is used in each position of the
Reporting Unit Number field for all active, covered records including masters. See Exhibit 13I
at the end of Section 13.2.3 for a sample.
Table 5A - Third Month Employment by Ownership by NAICS (initial only)
This listing provides totals of units and valid and invalid third month employment by ownership
and 2-digit industry code for active, non-master records. See Exhibit 13J at the end of Section
13.2.3 for a sample page.
Table 5B - Average Employment and Wages by Ownership by NAICS (initial only)
This listing provides totals of average employment and average weekly wages by ownership and
2-digit industry code for active, non-master records. See Exhibit 13K at the end of Section
13.2.3 for a sample page.
Table 5C - Taxable Wages and Contributions by Ownership and Type of Coverage (initial
only)
This report provides the State totals of establishments, employment, total wages, taxable wages,
and contributions by ownership, industry sector , and type of coverage for active, non-master
records. See Exhibit 13L at the end of Section 13.2.3 for a sample page.

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Page 13-18

Table 6 - Record Counts by Valid County/Township Codes (initial only)
This table lists counts of the number of records reported in each valid county (and township for
States required to use them) for active, non-master records. See Exhibit 13M at the end of
Section 13.2.3 for a sample page.
Table 15 - Comment Codes and Narrative Comments (initial only)
This listing provides detailed information on comment code usage, including counts for each
code used as well as various percentages. See Exhibit 13Z at the end of Section 13.2.3 for a
sample.
Table 16 - EQUI Sample Records (initial only)
This listing provides a sample of approximately 300 records from the State's EQUI file in a
three-records-per-page format (so they are a sampling of the whole file from beginning to end).
A review of this listing can sometimes uncover systematic data problems. Particular attention
should be given to the area of physical location addresses because of the growing importance of
geocoding. If there are high levels of edit 114 (physical address error), the sample listing could
be used to provide examples. See Exhibit 13AA at the end of Section 13.2.3 for a sample page.

13.2.3 EQUI Management Information Spreadsheets
BLS and State users should make use of the EQUI management information spreadsheets, which
can be accessed via the StateWeb intranet. These spreadsheets provide a wealth of useful
information about State processing and can help identify possible systemic problems or issues
with the State data. Counts are available from the deliverable files, as well as from more recent
correction/update files (if there were any).
Initial Deliverable
The first version of the data element counts spreadsheets represents the current quarter’s data
once the deliverable EQUI is processed. Normally, this processing includes the initial edit of the
quarterly deliverable. Once BLS-Washington determines that a State’s deliverable file is
acceptable (no single quarter or revised file will be requested), then the counts from that edit are
downloaded and used for calculations. The spreadsheets are produced after the initial files for
every State have been processed.
Correction Files
Data element counts are also generated from correction files. These counts are downloaded and
used to produce an updated data element counts spreadsheet, which compiles the data counts
from the BLS micro file at the end of the cleanup period, after all update files have been
processed.
Historical Counts
Record counts and associated percentages across multiple quarters for selected EQUI data
elements are displayed on the historical EQUI data counts spreadsheet. Graphing ability is
included. This spreadsheet offers a broad perspective that a reviewer might miss from looking at

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Page 13-19

the quarterly counts alone. The historical counts are compiled from the initial EQUI data
element counts spreadsheets that are prepared each quarter.
The various counts spreadsheets should be used to monitor problem areas in each State's
processing of data and improve data quality.

13.2.4 EQUI Edit Listings
BLS generates several tables to identify flagged records and summarize edit results. Some
listings will only be generated when a full (initial) EQUI deliverable is run; others will be
generated for both initial and update runs. (This information is provided for each table in
parentheses next to the table names.) See Appendix F to view the edit specifications for all the
required edits used in the standard State QCEW processing systems and in the BLS system.
Table 7 - Edit Parameter and Tolerance Listing (initial and update)
This listing provides the edit parameters and tolerances used by the State (as provided on the
EQUI header record) and those used by BLS. The "State Parameter Values" column reflects
values included on the EQUI header record. If a particular value does not exist on the header
record, the corresponding field on the report will be blank. The "BLS Parameter Values" in the
last column show the actual values used to edit the data and generate Tables 8-10. At the end,
Table 7 displays the BLS print cutoff parameters used for generating Table 9B. See Exhibit 13N
near the end of this section for a sample page of Table 7.
Table 8 - Edit Code Summary (initial and update)
This report lists multi-unit discrepancy counts and the number of records that failed each edit
(both micro and macro) for the current quarter, the prior quarter, and all other back quarters.
Each edit run generates a set of counts that identifies how many times an edit condition occurred
along with the edit code and the edit message. See Exhibit 13O near the end of this section for a
sample.
The counts on this table may not always be consistent with the records printed on Tables 9A and
9B. For example, some employment and wage W-flags on micro records that do not cause a
macro record to flag will not be printed. W-flags in this category that are not significant enough
to cause the macro cell to flag on Table 9A will not print on Table 9A, and they will not print on
Table 9B. In addition, records exceeding the Table 9B print cutoff will continue to be flagged
and counted on Table 8, but they will not be printed on Table 9B.
Table 9A – Integrated Macro Edit (initial)
The purpose of this table is to review macro cells with significant current quarter changes in
employment or wages. Regional offices should review this listing to identify significant or
suspicious macro employment and wage data changes so the State can explain or provide microlevel corrections if necessary. The Over the Quarter (OTQ) and Over the Year (OTY) percent
changes for the macro cells and level changes for the micro records are included as analytical
tools to help determine if there is an issue with the record listed on the tables. It is essential that

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Table 9A be reviewed in its entirety from the initial EQUI run so that all current quarter macro
edit failures are examined at least once. In particular, macro records flagged with edit codes
091-094 and 135 should be reviewed carefully. This listing shows all macro record edit failures
for the current quarter - that is, the flags assigned to County/Ownership/NAICS macro cells.
There may be some instances where there are no associated micro record edit flags, so only the
macro record will appear. For current quarter failed records, Table 9A along with Table 13B
could be used to review the entire macro record and any accompanying micro records that might
explain the data. See Exhibit 13P near the end of this section for a sample page.
A print cutoff was incorporated for Table 9A that is designed to prevent the printing of
immensely large listings caused by large numbers of micro records printing for macro cells. The
number of micro records being printed for a particular macro cell will be limited to a specified
parameter. A message will print at the end of the cell if the parameter is exceeded.
The macro records are sorted by County, Ownership, and industry code. Below each macro
record are the associated micro records that have the corresponding edit flags, with supporting
data including the micro comments. Economic data for the macro record are shown for the
current quarter and the seven previous quarters. The micro data appear for the current quarter
and six previous quarters. Included are the economic data, classification codes, and other
essential quarterly data elements such as Activity Status (ST), MEEI (ME), and Ownership
(OW). Over-the-quarter (O-T-Q) and over-the-year (O-T-Y) changes in average monthly
employment and average weekly wages are included for the micro files. The employment and
wage numbers on the micro data records are followed immediately by the employment or wage
indicator flags, to show whether the data were reported, imputed, prorated, and so on.
Records with more serious macro employment and wage flags are the following Level 5 edits:
091-W Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
092-W AQW Change Is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW
Range
093-W Average Employment Is Significantly > parm, but Total Wages = 0
094-W Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages Is Significantly > Parm
The other edit flags that may appear on this listing are these Level 6 edits:
126-W Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
127-W AQW Change > parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
130-W Average Employment > parm, but Total Wages = 0
131-W Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages > parm
134-W Number of Establishments Out Of Range
135-W New or Discontinued Record
Table 9A focuses on fluctuations in current quarter economic data; however, edit messages for
other flags may also appear – provided that the macro cell for the current quarter is flagged.
Specifically, Table 9A may show edit messages:
• For the same set of flags if they occur in back quarters
• For other micro edit flags in Levels 2-6. These will also appear on Table 9B.

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During first and second quarter processing, Table 9A reflects an editing adjustment based on
noneconomic code changes. This process, called code change integration, uses data from the
Summary of Differences file to temporarily adjust macro data (monthly employment, total
wages, and number of units) as they are edited. (See Section 11.6 for more information.) If
Summary of Differences data account for any data fluctuations, the macro cell does not flag and
is not listed on Table 9A. If Summary of Differences data exist for the cell but do not prevent
edit flags, these data appear on Table 9A below the macro edit codes/messages. All data shown
on the listing for the macro cell (and for associated micro records) are the actual, unadjusted data
existing on BLS files.
Table 9B - Micro Edits Only (initial and update)
All current quarter I-errors (except for edit codes 001-006) not displayed on Table 9X will
appear on this listing. This means that any I-errors displayed on the Integrated Macro Edit
listing (Table 9A) will also be displayed on Table 9B. Table 9B and Table 9X should be the
primary tool for identifying and correcting I-errors (010-080). Warning flags are also included
on this listing for review and correction or verification as needed. Similar to I-errors, these may
not appear on Table 9B if the record has large employment and a publication edit flag. They will
be displayed on Table 9X instead. These records will be sorted primarily in ascending order by
edit code (putting I-errors at the top for multiple flags) with a secondary sort by ascending
UI/RUN. See Exhibit 13Q near the end of this section for a sample page of Table 9B.
This listing is formatted like the bottom (micro) portion of Table 9A. It shows economic data,
classification codes, and other codes for the current quarter and the five previous quarters. It also
shows name and address fields and most other non-quarterly data.
A print cutoff prevents the printing of extremely large listings in cases where there are
widespread errors. When the number of records being printed for a particular edit flag reaches a
specified parameter, additional records with that edit flag will generally not be printed on Table
9B. (An exception occurs if a record is flagged for more than one edit code and if one of the edit
codes has not yet been printed above the parameter – in that case the record will still print on
Table 9B.) Parameter values can be set for each edit level (2-6).
Table 9D – Micro Deletes Only (initial and update)
Table 9D should be reviewed to ensure that micro records with employment greater than 100 that
were intended as a "delete" were correctly marked for deletion and are now appropriately
inactivated (e.g., a duplicate account). Records on this table are sorted by prior quarter month 3
employment in descending order for all open quarters. See Exhibit 13R near the end of this
section for a sample page of the report.
Table 9G- Unusable Physical Location Addresses (initial only)
Table 9G displays records flagged for edit 088 (Large Record without Usable PLA); it also
displays any other PLA edit messages for these records. In addition to displaying the address
information, various identifier and contact information is provided. The records are sorted by
UI/RUN in ascending order. This listing is only included with initial edit output. Addressing the
records on this table should help States meet the geocoding PLA requirements in the LMI

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Cooperative Agreement. See Exhibit 13S near the end of this section for a sample page of the
report. See Appendix V for the current geocoding requirements.
Table 9X – Records Failing NAICS Publication Standards (initial and update)
Table 9X is used to identify records failing the NAICS publication edits as well as to address any
non-publication edit flags on records also having a publication edit flag. In other words, these
are records that will be entirely excluded from publications unless their data are fixed. Economic
data for the micro record are shown for the current quarter and five previous quarters. Records
with significant employment or wages should be marked for correction. Records failing special
conditions are listed first, followed by those failing publication edits. This listing only prints
records having large employment, and the entire listing should be reviewed, as some records
with smaller third month employment in the most recent quarter might have larger employment
and wages with errors in previous quarters. Quick resolution of these problems is necessary to
meet quarterly publication deadlines. See Exhibit 13T near the end of this section for a
sample page of the report.
NAICS Publication Edits
Edit Code Edit Name
010
NAICS Code Check
012
Ownership (OWN) Code Check
013
County (CNTY) Code Check
016
Ownership/NAICS Conflict
025
Status Code Check
031
First Month Employment (M1) Check
032
Second Month Employment (M2) Check
033
Third Month Employment (M3) Check
034
Total Wages (TW) Check
035
Taxable Wages (TAXW) Check
036
Contributions (CTB) Check
039
Type of Coverage Check
040
MEEI Code Check
056
Federal/Type of Coverage Check
057
Federal/Taxable Wage Check
058
Federal/Contributions Check
059
Coverage/Taxable Wage Check
060
Coverage/Contributions Check
062
Taxable > Total Wage Check
063
Contributions > Taxable Wages Check
Table 9M-EMP – Large Master Record Edit (initial and update)
This listing contains large master records failing employment edits (91, 94, 96, 97) that may not
be listed on Table 10 or Table 9A. The purpose of this table is to allow for the review of large
master records that may be in balance with the subunits but have significant fluctuations in
employment where employment is spread out among many industries and counties. The table is
sorted by the largest AME in descending order for all open quarters and one quarter back from

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-23

the earliest open quarter. Economic data for the micro record are shown for the current quarter
and the six previous quarters. Included are the economic data, classification codes, and other
essential quarterly data elements such as Activity Status (ST), MEEI (ME), and Ownership
(OW) codes. The listing also includes over-the-year (O-T-Y) changes and over-the-quarter (OT-Q) changes in AME and AWW; unit tallies (UT) – the number of active worksites; and EDI
tallies (ET) - the number of EDI reports (records with Data Source = C or E). Records showing
significant changes in employment should be researched further. Quick resolution of these
problems is necessary to meet quarterly publication deadlines. See Exhibit 13U near the end
of this section for an example of this table.
Table 9P - Predecessor/Successor Edit Listing (initial and update)
Table 9P identifies those records with employment greater than 250 failing the
predecessor/successor edits (edit codes 156, 157, 159, 160, 161, and 164). Current and prior
quarter employment/wages information along with applicable administrative data are shown for
the predecessor and successor records. The listing is sorted by the successor ownership, NAICS,
and county codes as well as the successor UI number in ascending order. Discrepancies shown
on this listing should be reviewed and corrected where necessary. Corrections may include
changing administrative codes (NAICS, ownership, county, or township), economic data, or the
predecessor/successor links themselves. See Exhibit 13V near the end of this section for an
example of this table.
Table 10 - Multi-Establishment Edit Listing (initial and update)
The purpose of this table is to identify and correct multi-establishment accounts that fail Level 8
edits (edit codes 171-185). This table is an essential editing tool that can expedite finding the
source of large employment and wage errors due to erroneous MEEI and/or status codes. These
erroneous MEEI and/or status codes cause employment and wage data to either be double
counted or eliminated from the macro aggregation. Please note that if the total wages are in
error, taxable wages and/or contributions may also need to be corrected even though they do not
appear on the edit output. Also displayed on this listing are other multi-establishment account
edit failures (Level 8) such as the additivity balance checks (employment or wages differ
between the master and the subunits). These edit flags will not appear on the other edit listings.
See Exhibit 13W near the end of this section for a sample page.
Multi-unit accounts will be printed if a multi edit flag exists in either the current quarter, prior
quarter, or both quarters. When the number of subunits being printed for a particular multi
account reaches a specified parameter, additional subunits for that account will not be printed. A
message will be displayed indicating the parameter has been reached. The sum of the worksites
and the net difference lines for both quarters will be printed for all edits except edit code 179
(worksites without master account check).
The master unit's predecessor/successor UI account number is located on the top line. If the
master's predecessor and successor information exist, only the successor UI will print. An "S" or
"P" will appear at the end of the “PRED/SUCC:” field to indicate whether it is the successor or
predecessor UI account number. The multi-establishment edit counts appear on Table 8 (Edit
Code Summary).

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-24

Table 13A – Macro Revisions (initial and update)
The purpose of this listing is to review any significant employment and wage changes that have
been made to a macro cell. This table is the primary editing tool for identifying and validating
current and back quarter updates to macro data resulting from micro-level corrections. Table
13A should be used to identify the macro records that failed the edits. The initial run of Table
13A includes only back quarter data that must be reviewed. It should be used to verify that
questionable data left over from the previous quarter have been addressed and that no new
backquarter macro errors have been introduced with the initial file. The update run may include
current quarter records that changed in addition to the back quarter records. It is essential for
regional offices to review this listing for all edit runs to identify significant or suspicious macro
employment and wage data changes and for the States to explain or provide micro-level
corrections. Suspicious records must be researched using Table 9A, the ES-202 Database (EDB,
a client server system containing QCEW micro data from the EQUI) or EXPO/WIN. See
Exhibit 13X near the end of this section for an example of this table.
Table 13A shows the macro-level impact of micro updates applied to the file. The table shows a
"old" value, a "new" value, and a net difference for establishments, monthly employment, and
total wages. Current year/quarter records will not appear on the initial or revised edit runs. The
table is sorted by County, Ownership, and industry code. The information is displayed in
year/quarter pairs or groupings in ascending order, from left to right and top to bottom. This
design eliminates the printing of duplicate records on Table 13A and requires that the analyst
review the table from left to right, top to bottom to find significant changes.
All current quarter records are excluded from listing on the initial run of Table 13A. However,
updates to prior quarter records (such updates are included on the current quarter file) that
change their employment value by more than 100 or the total wages by more than $1 million are
displayed in Table 13A.
Table 13A also displays any macro edit codes still remaining on the macro record under the
footnote "EDIT CODES - REMAINING MACRO CODES AND ERROR LEVEL STATUS".
Macro level codes are displayed under “EDIT CODES." Information about the edits flagging the
micro records (the micro records that comprise the macro record) appear under "ERROR LEVEL
STATUS." An “Lx” (where “x” equals the level number) indicates that one or more micro
records have been flagged by an edit in that level. For example, "L5 L6" indicates that one or
more micro records were flagged by at least one edit in Level 5 and one edit in Level 6.
A macro level code can be displayed by itself with no accompanying error level status code and
vice versa. However, If there are no macro or micro errors in either that quarter or its previous
quarter, only the footnote will be displayed.
Table 13B - Macro Revisions Failing Edits (initial and update)
This table lists the macro cells that have had large employment or wage updates and currently
have a macro edit flag for any of the updated quarters. Table 13B focuses on large changes to
the data that failed the macro edits. This listing is a hybrid report that essentially outputs
selected records from the Table 13A but with the existing Table 9A format. The report is a
listing of all macro records that appear in Table 13A and have a macro edit flag for any of the

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-25

updated quarters. The output looks like Table 9A, with the macro data listed first and the
associated micro records printed below the macro data. The Over the Quarter (OTQ) and Over
the Year (OTY) percent changes for the macro cells and level changes for the micro records are
included as analytical tools. This report should be reviewed in the same manner as Table 13A
and for all edit runs. Since all of the records have been flagged from the macro edits, all records
in this listing should be reviewed. See Exhibit 13Y near the end of this section for a sample page
of the report.
EDB Tables – Over-The-Quarter (O-T-Q), Over-The-Year (O-T-Y), Old vs. New, and Big
Industry Changes (initial and update). Data from the BLS micro file are copied to the EDB on
the BLS LAN, soon after EQUI files are loaded. BLS staff in the regional and Washington
offices can use an application called the EDB Explorer to look up micro and macro data located
on the EDB. Data can be selected in several ways, such as by UI Account Number, by EIN, or
by county-ownership-NAICS combinations. Macro and micro records can be viewed along with
over-the-quarter (O-T-Q) changes, over-the-year (O-T-Y) changes, Old/New changes (at a 3digit industry code level), and industry changes.
Over The Quarter Table – The purpose of this table is to review O-T-Q changes in macro data
(employment and wages) for each State to the six-digit industry code level and up. This feature
is used for top level review of large changes in Average Monthly Employment (AME) and
Average Weekly Wages (AWW) between the current and previous quarter, by level or percent.
Individual records are characterized by a combination of their supersector, sector, NAICS code,
and ownership level. The report is grouped by supersector, even though this results in the sectors
being out of numeric order.
The report option for this feature of the EDB Explorer displays data only to the three-digit
NAICS level. If analysts see a problem on the printed report, they can use the browse option of
the EDB Explorer to narrow down their research to the six-digit level. Along with the browse
option, the analyst can import the data to Microsoft Excel. This function is useful when an
analyst needs to get a better view of the data either by filtering or sorting the data.
Over The Year Table – The purpose of this table is to review O-T-Y changes in macro data
(employment and wages) for each State to the six-digit industry code level and up. This feature
is used for top level review of large changes in Average Monthly Employment (AME) and
Average Weekly Wages (AWW) between the current and previous year, by level or percent.
Individual records are characterized by a combination of their supersector, sector, NAICS code,
and ownership level. The report is grouped by supersector, even though this results in the sectors
being out of numeric order.
The report option for this feature of the EDB Explorer displays data only to the three-digit
NAICS level. If analysts see a problem on the printed report, they can use the browse option of
the EDB Explorer to narrow down their research to the six-digit level. Along with the browse
option, the analyst can import the data to Microsoft Excel. This function is useful when an
analyst needs to get a better view of the data either by filtering or sorting the data.
Old vs. New Data Table – The purpose of this table is to review changes in macro data
(employment and wages) that have been supplied on the initial file for a previous quarter or on

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-26

the update file for any quarter subject to the correction policy. This feature is used for a toplevel review of large changes in updated employment and wage data. The difference in macro
data between current levels and prior levels is shown in individual records, which are
characterized by a unique combination of supersector, sector, NAICS code, and ownership level.
Only records with changed data at the six-digit NAICS level, as well as the affected higher level
aggregations, are displayed. This report is a companion to EQUI Table 13.
The report option for this feature of the EDB Explorer displays data only to the three-digit
NAICS level. If analysts see a problem on the printed report, they can use the browse option of
the EDB Explorer to narrow down their research to the six-digit level. The analyst can also
import the data into Microsoft Excel after selecting the browse option. This will allow the
analyst to be able to manipulate the data, such as sorting and filtering.
Big Industry Change Table – The purpose of this table is to view large changes in employment
or wages in a macro cell over many quarters or months. The Big Industry Change Reports are
designed to be a management tool for determining the overall status of the macro data. Big
Industry Change refers to large deviations from a predicted value that is based upon a calculation
using data derived from previous quarters or months. When values deviate from expected
values, a few things may be happening. They could be caused by a keypunch error, an economic
code change, a non-economic code change, seasonality, or a shift in the economy such as a strike
or layoff. Specifics for each of the reports, including the period upon which the calculations are
based are listed under each heading below.
There are three types of Big Industry Changes reports from which to choose: AWW,
Emp_Open, or Emp_Curr. By choosing the appropriate radio button on the EDB Explorer, one
of the following reports is displayed.
• Average Weekly Wage and Total Wage
The 8-quarter wage report lists macro records if the AWW or Total Wages in the current
quarter differ greatly from a predicted value using a six-quarter estimation formula.
• Employment – Open Period
This 18-month employment report lists macro records if the change between any months
in the open period was over 1,500 employees and greater than 30%. The open period
varies from 6 to 15 months based on the particular most recent quarter and in accordance
with the correction policy.
• Employment – Latest 3 Months
This 18-month employment report lists macro records if the change between any of the
last three months was over 1,500 employees and greater than 30%.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13D
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
PAGE
1
STATE TOTALS - TABLE 2A
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
STATE TOTAL
|
|
|
|
|
AME
OTQ
OTY |
AWW
OTQ
OTY |
NUM EST |
M1
M2
M3 |
TOT W
TAX W
CONT
YEAR/Q | (000S)
PCT
PCT |
PCT
PCT |
(000S) | (000S)
(000S)
(000S) |
(IN B)
(IN B)
(IN M)
2003/2 |
1,782
2
0 |
577
-1
2 |
123.37 |
1,774
1,785
1,786 |
13.37
2.22
44.9
2003/3 |
1,764
-1
0 |
580
0
2 |
106.86 |
1,747
1,772
1,774 |
13.30
1.33
27.6
2003/4 |
1,773
0
0 |
624
8
3 |
106.41 |
1,772
1,771
1,775 |
14.38
1.12
23.9
2004/1 |
1,753
-1
0 |
596
-4
2 |
109.65 |
1,738
1,748
1,774 |
13.58
6.86
149.5
2004/2 |
1,803
3
1 |
595
0
3 |
111.54 |
1,793
1,805
1,811 |
13.94
2.31
52.4
2004/3 |
1,793
-1
2 |
603
1
4 |
113.05 |
1,775
1,800
1,803 |
14.05
1.43
33.1
2004/4 |
1,809
1
2 |
655
9
5 |
114.52 |
1,806
1,809
1,811 |
15.41
1.20
28.3
2005/1 |
1,788
-1
2 |
611
-7
3 |
116.07 |
1,774
1,788
1,800 |
14.20
7.03
153.5
|
|
|
|
|
_______|________________________|_______________________|____________|____________________________|_______________________________
|
|
|
|
PRIVATE SECTOR
|
|
|
|
|
AME
OTQ
OTY |
AWW
OTQ
OTY |
NUM EST |
M1
M2
M3 |
TOT W
TAX W
CONT
YEAR/Q | (000S)
PCT
PCT |
PCT
PCT |
(000S) | (000S)
(000S)
(000S) |
(IN B)
(IN B)
(IN M)
2003/2 |
1,466
2
0 |
564
-2
2 |
120.12 |
1,455
1,467
1,476 |
10.75
2.20
44.7
2003/3 |
1,465
0
0 |
566
0
2 |
103.68 |
1,468
1,469
1,459 |
10.79
1.33
27.5
2003/4 |
1,455
-1
0 |
621
10
4 |
103.23 |
1,456
1,453
1,455 |
11.75
1.12
23.8
2004/1 |
1,437
-1
0 |
586
-6
2 |
106.43 |
1,424
1,432
1,456 |
10.94
6.81
148.6
2004/2 |
1,487
3
1 |
582
-1
3 |
108.27 |
1,476
1,487
1,500 |
11.26
2.29
52.1
2004/3 |
1,493
0
2 |
588
1
4 |
109.78 |
1,498
1,495
1,487 |
11.42
1.42
33.0
2004/4 |
1,489
0
2 |
651
11
5 |
111.24 |
1,487
1,489
1,490 |
12.61
1.20
28.2
2005/1 |
1,467
-1
2 |
604
-7
3 |
112.79 |
1,457
1,467
1,478 |
11.52
6.98
152.7
|
|
|
|
|
_______|________________________|_______________________|____________|____________________________|_______________________________
|
|
|
|
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
|
|
|
|
|
AME
OTQ
OTY |
AWW
OTQ
OTY |
NUM EST |
M1
M2
M3 |
TOT W
YEAR/Q | (000S)
PCT
PCT |
PCT
PCT |
(000S) | (000S)
(000S)
(000S) |
(IN B)
2003/2 |
28
-1
0 |
898
-4
2 |
0.61 |
28
28
28 |
0.33
2003/3 |
28
0
0 |
955
6
4 |
0.60 |
28
28
28 |
0.35
2003/4 |
28
0
-2 |
921
-4
2 |
0.60 |
28
28
28 |
0.34
2004/1 |
28
-1
-2 |
994
8
7 |
0.64 |
28
28
28 |
0.36
2004/2 |
28
1
0 |
938
-6
4 |
0.64 |
28
28
28 |
0.34
2004/3 |
28
1
1 | 1,019
9
7 |
0.65 |
29
28
28 |
0.38
2004/4 |
28
-1
0 |
982
-4
7 |
0.65 |
28
28
28 |
0.36
2005/1 |
28
1
2 |
993
1
0 |
0.65 |
28
28
28 |
0.37
|
|
|
|
|
_______|________________________|_______________________|____________|____________________________|_______________________________
|
|
|
|
STATE GOVERNMENT
|
|
|
|
|
AME
OTQ
OTY |
AWW
OTQ
OTY |
NUM EST |
M1
M2
M3 |
TOT W
TAX W
CONT
YEAR/Q | (000S)
PCT
PCT |
PCT
PCT |
(000S) | (000S)
(000S)
(000S) |
(IN B)
(IN B)
(IN M)
2003/2 |
88
-1
-1 |
654
2
2 |
0.80 |
90
89
86 |
0.75
0.00
0.0
2003/3 |
85
-3
-2 |
661
1
2 |
0.80 |
84
84
88 |
0.73
0.00
0.0
2003/4 |
89
4
-2 |
649
-2
1 |
0.80 |
88
89
89 |
0.75
0.00
0.0
2004/1 |
88
-1
-2 |
659
2
2 |
0.80 |
86
88
88 |
0.75
0.00
0.1
2004/2 |
88
0
0 |
638
-3
-2 |
0.85 |
89
88
86 |
0.73
0.00
0.1
2004/3 |
86
-2
1 |
679
7
3 |
0.84 |
85
85
88 |
0.76
0.00
0.0
2004/4 |
89
4
1 |
676
-1
4 |
0.85 |
89
89
89 |
0.78
0.00
0.0
2005/1 |
88
-1
1 |
676
0
3 |
0.85 |
86
89
89 |
0.77
0.00
0.1
|
|
|
|
|
_______|________________________|_______________________|____________|____________________________|_______________________________

Page 13-27

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-28

EXHIBIT 13E
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

(STATE)
001 ABBEY

TOTAL

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
COUNTY SUMMARY- TABLE 2B SUMMARY PAGE
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
--M3 EMPLOYMENT--||-------AWW-----|
T ADJ
T ||
T ADJ
T |
OTY
OTY ||
OTY
OTY |
%CHG
%CHG ||
%CHG
%CHG |
+1.5

+1.5 ||

+2.5

+2.9

+3.2 ||

-0.6

PAGE
1
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
--M3 EMPLOYMENT--||-------AWW-----|
T ADJ
T ||
T ADJ
T |
OTY
OTY ||
OTY
OTY |
%CHG
%CHG ||
%CHG
%CHG |

+2.5 |

-1.0 | 057 HURRY
+4.6
+2.8 ||
+0.4
-1.2 |
_________________________________________________________________
003 ACH
-0.2
-0.3 ||
-0.8
-0.8 | 059 JASH
+10.1 +12.3 ||
+3.6
+3.4 |
005 ALLENTOWN
-5.0
-5.2 ||
+7.5
+7.5 | 061 KEYSHONE
+1.6
-0.7 ||
+5.9
+4.4 |
007 ANDYTAYLOR
+0.0
+0.2 ||
+1.3
+1.3 | 063 LANCASTER
-1.4
-0.6 ||
+9.8 +10.0 |
009 BAMBI
+0.5
+0.7 ||
+1.6
+1.6 | 065 LAURAYS
+4.0
+5.4 ||
+4.9
+4.5 |
011 BARNSNOBLE
-0.4
-0.3 ||
+0.4
+0.2 | 067 LIE
-2.0
-2.1 ||
+2.9
+2.9 |
013 BUFORD
+2.8
+3.1 ||
+2.2
+2.1 | 069 LEX_LUTHER
+5.3
+2.7 ||
+4.8
+3.8 |
_________________________________________________________________
015 BRINKLY
+0.3
+3.8 ||
+0.6
+0.9 | 071 MCCORMICK
+0.9
+0.3 ||
+0.6
+0.6 |
017 CALLOWAY
+0.5
+5.0 ||
-4.6
-4.1 | 073 MARTIAL
-4.9
-6.2 ||
+2.6
+2.4 |
019 CHARLES
+2.7
+2.5 ||
+3.3
+3.5 | 075 MARLBORO
+0.3
+0.2 ||
+2.4
+2.4 |
________________________________________________________________
025 CHERRY
-5.1
-5.2 ||
+1.0
+1.0 | 077 NEWSBORO
+3.5
+3.0 ||
+2.9
+3.1 |
027 CHESS_MASTER
+4.5
+5.0 ||
+4.0
+4.0 | 079 OCCOCHOBEE
-1.4
-1.0 ||
-0.2
-0.3 |
029 CHESTERFIELD
-0.4
-1.2 ||
+0.6
+1.2 | 083 ORANGE
-0.1
+0.3 ||
+1.9
+1.5 |
031 CLAIRE
+0.2
+0.0 ||
+0.9
+0.7 | 085 PIGSKIN
+0.9
+1.1 ||
-0.4
-0.2 |
035 COLLECTION
-1.4
-1.5 ||
+2.1
+1.8 | 087 RICHERTHAN
+3.0
+0.5 ||
+2.2
+1.6 |
_________________________________________________________________
037 DARLING
-0.1
-0.4 ||
+7.5
+7.3 | 089 SALADA
-1.1
+2.0 ||
+4.8
+3.6 |
039 DILLSOWER
+0.4
+6.0 ||
-1.4
+1.6 | 091 SPRINGMOUNT
+0.7
+0.2 ||
+3.2
+3.3 |
_________________________________________________________________
041 DORCA
+2.9
+2.2 ||
+1.1
+0.6 | 093 SUMMER
+0.9
+0.9 ||
-0.8
-0.8 |
043 EDGEFIELD
-3.2
-3.5 ||
+1.0
+1.0 | 095 UNICORN
+0.0
-1.0 ||
+4.2
+3.9 |
045 FAIRFAZ
+3.9
+3.8 ||
-3.1
-2.8 | 097 WILLIAMS
+1.2
+3.6 ||
+6.2
+5.8 |
047 FLOE
-2.1
-7.4 ||
+1.4
-1.0 | 101 YORKSHIRE
+1.5
+1.5 ||
+3.5
+3.3 |
049 GEORGET
+7.0
+8.5 ||
+7.7
+7.3 | 995 STATEWIDE,LOCS IN MORE THAN
+5.3 +319.8 ||
-7.7 -25.5 |
051 GREENWHICH
+1.5
+1.2 ||
+0.6
+0.6 | 996 FOREIGN LOCATIONS
-22.7 -22.7 || +48.8 +48.8 |
________________________________________________________________
053 GREENWOOD
+0.5
-0.5 ||
-1.2
-0.9 | 998 OUT OF STATE
-33.3 -33.3 || +226.5 +226.5 |
055 HAMPTON
+0.3
+0.8 ||
+3.5
+4.0 | 999 UNKNOWN LOCATIONS
-6.0
-7.4 || +22.5 +22.2 |
END OF THE COUNTY SUMMARY 2B LISTING

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-29

EXHIBIT 13E (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
COUNTY SUMMARY - TABLE 2B
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
1
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

***********************************************************************************************************************************
ANNUAL 2004: AE
6,739 %CHG
+1.8
COUNTY: 001
ABBEY
AAW $
27,138 %CHG
+3.6
-------------M3 EMPLOYMENT----------------||---------AWW----------||-------TW------||-------------------AME-------------------OTY OTY LEVEL||
OTY||
OTY LEVEL||
OTY
OTY LEVEL
OWN
2004/1
2005/1
%CHG
CHANGE || 2004/1 2005/1
%CHG||
CHANGE ||
2004/1
2005/1
%CHG
CHANGE
1
43
42
-2.3
-1||
813
791
-2.7||
-16,117||
45
44
-2.2
-1
2
231
232
+0.4
+1||
556
559
+0.5||
+16,625||
232
233
+0.4
+1
3
1,225
1,237
+1.0
+12||
515
521
+1.2||
+218,594||
1,208
1,226
+1.5
+18
5
5,238
5,440
+3.9
+202||
496
488
-1.6||
+670,017||
5,178
5,368
+3.7
+190
T
6,737
6,951
+3.2
+214||
504
499
-1.0||
+889,119||
6,663
6,872
+3.1
+209
||
||
||
T ADJ
6,758
6,951
+2.9
+193||
502
499
-0.6||
+874,397||
TW LEVEL 2005/1
44,533,392
||
||
QAF
+21
||TW 2004/1
+14,722||
***********************************************************************************************************************************
ANNUAL 2004: AE
57,013 %CHG
+1.1
COUNTY: 003
ACH
AAW $
38,458 %CHG
+1.2
-------------M3 EMPLOYMENT----------------||---------AWW----------||-------TW------||-------------------AME-------------------OTY OTY LEVEL||
OTY||
OTY LEVEL||
OTY
OTY LEVEL
OWN
2004/1
2005/1
%CHG
CHANGE || 2004/1 2005/1
%CHG||
CHANGE ||
2004/1
2005/1
%CHG
CHANGE
1
820
770
-6.1
-50|| 1,060
1,041
-1.8||
-952,589||
825
769
-6.8
-56
2
1,676
1,681
+0.3
+5||
594
627
+5.6||
+603,606||
1,662
1,648
-0.8
-14
3
4,927
5,468 +11.0
+541||
634
592
-6.6||
+847,858||
4,876
5,335
+9.4
+459
5
49,083
48,400
-1.4
-683||
750
748
-0.3||
-7,380,951||
48,908
48,225
-1.4
-683
T
56,506
56,319
-0.3
-187||
740
734
-0.8||
-6,882,076||
56,271
55,977
-0.5
-294
||
||
||
T ADJ
56,441
56,319
-0.2
-122||
740
734
-0.8||
-6,516,199||
TW LEVEL 2005/1
534,109,841
||
||
QAF
-65
||TW 2004/1
-365,877||
***********************************************************************************************************************************
ANNUAL 2004: AE
3,337 %CHG
-4.4
COUNTY: 005
ALLENTOWN
AAW $
30,219 %CHG
+6.8
-------------M3 EMPLOYMENT----------------||---------AWW----------||-------TW------||-------------------AME-------------------OTY OTY LEVEL||
OTY||
OTY LEVEL||
OTY
OTY LEVEL
OWN
2004/1
2005/1
%CHG
CHANGE || 2004/1 2005/1
%CHG||
CHANGE ||
2004/1
2005/1
%CHG
CHANGE
1
29
27
-6.9
-2||
583
624
+7.0||
+7,424||
29
28
-3.4
-1
2
447
444
-0.7
-3||
568
594
+4.6||
+102,101||
447
441
-1.3
-6
3
916
859
-6.2
-57||
457
439
-3.9||
-540,703||
872
813
-6.8
-59
5
2,050
1,933
-5.7
-117||
582
649 +11.5||
+1,235,987||
2,035
1,971
-3.1
-64
T
3,442
3,263
-5.2
-179||
548
589
+7.5||
+804,809||
3,382
3,252
-3.8
-130
||
||
||
T ADJ
3,433
3,263
-5.0
-170||
548
589
+7.5||
+851,824||
TW LEVEL 2005/1
24,899,491
||
||
QAF
-9
||TW 2004/1
-47,015||

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13E (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
PAGE
28
COUNTY SUMMARY - TABLE 2B
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
***********************************************************************************************************************************
COUNTY: 999
UNKNOWN LOCATIONS
-------------M3 EMPLOYMENT----------------||---------AWW----------||-------TW------||-------------------AME-------------------OTY OTY LEVEL||
OTY||
OTY LEVEL||
OTY
OTY LEVEL
OWN
2004/2
2005/2
%CHG
CHANGE || 2004/2 2005/2
%CHG||
CHANGE ||
2004/2
2005/2
%CHG
CHANGE
1
0
0
+0.0
+0||
0
0
+0.0||
+0||
0
0
+0.0
+0
2
0
0
+0.0
+0||
0
0
+0.0||
+0||
0
0
+0.0
+0
3
0
0
+0.0
+0||
0
0
+0.0||
+0||
0
0
+0.0
+0
5
127
106 -16.5
-21||
671
738 +10.0||
-31,844||
117
103 -12.0
-14
T
127
106 -16.5
-21||
671
738 +10.0||
-31,844||
117
103 -12.0
-14
||
||
||
T ADJ
127
106 -16.5
-21||
671
738 +10.0||
-31,844||
TW LEVEL 2005/2
985,388
***********************************************************************************************************************************
STATE TOTAL
-------------M3 EMPLOYMENT----------------||---------AWW----------||-------TW------||-------------------AME-------------------OTY OTY LEVEL||
OTY||
OTY LEVEL||
OTY
OTY LEVEL
OWN
2004/2
2005/2
%CHG
CHANGE || 2004/2 2005/2
%CHG||
CHANGE ||
2004/2
2005/2
%CHG
CHANGE
1
46,492
45,911
-1.2
-581|| 1,002
1,013
+1.1||
+795,687||
46,310
45,896
-0.9
-414
2
74,898
77,585
+3.6
+2,687||
573
595
+3.8||
+40,274,904||
80,133
82,359
+2.8
+2,226
3
169,130
179,053
+5.9
+9,923||
582
585
+0.5||
+85,075,376||
173,172
183,439
+5.9
+10,267
5
1,136,851 1,162,469
+2.3
+25,618||
560
580
+3.6||
+483,128,457|| 1,131,967 1,157,095
+2.2
+25,128
T
1,427,380 1,465,018
+2.6
+37,638||
578
595
+2.9||
+609,219,192|| 1,431,591 1,468,789
+2.6
+37,198
||
||
||
T ADJ
1,427,284 1,464,966
+2.6
+37,682||
578
595
+2.9||
+609,318,687||
TW LEVEL 2005/2
11,359,290,829
||
||
EXCLUD
-96
-52
||TW 2004/2
-546,374|| TW 2005/2
-446,879

Page 13-30

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-31

EXHIBIT 13F
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

TOTAL NUMBER OF ACTIVE, COVERED RECORDS EXCLUDE DELETES
TOTAL NUMBER OF INACTIVE, PENDING, OR NON-COVERED RECORDS
TOTAL NUMBER OF ACTIVE, COVERED RECORDS EXCLUDING MASTERS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# ACTIVE COVERED RECORDS WITH REPORTING UNIT NUMBER > 0
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

PAGE

1

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------117,401 |
100.00 |
115,734 |
1.44
|
4,500 |
|
3,562 |
|
116,069 |
98.86 |
114,404 |
1.45
|
1,800,327 |
100.00 | 1,811,033 |
-0.59
|
17,125 |
14.58 |
17,020 |
0.61
|
588,669 |
32.69 |
607,443 |
-3.09
|

SECTION 1 - CHARACTERISTICS BY MEEI CODE
MULTI-ESTABLISHMENT EMPLOYER INDICATOR
-------------------------------------# RECORDS WITH MEEI 1 - SINGLE UNITS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MEEI 2 - MULTI-UNIT MASTER RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MEEI 3 - SUB-UNIT RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECS WITH MEEI 4 - MULTI-ESTAB EMPL REPORTING AS A SINGLE
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECS WITH MEEI 5 - COMBINATION OF ESTAB AS ONE SUB-UNIT
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECS WITH MEEI 6 - MULTI RPTING AS SNGL (BELOW EMPL LEVEL)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

98,811
1,179,145
1,332
588,250
17,124
587,388
71
29,171
1
1,281
62
3,342

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

84.16
65.49
1.13
32.67
14.58
32.62
0.06
1.62
0.00
0.07
0.05
0.18

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

97,265
1,181,126
1,330
607,441
17,019
606,121
57
19,116
1
1,322
62
3,348

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1.58
-0.16
0.15
-3.15
0.61
-3.09
24.56
52.59
0.00
-3.10
0.00
-0.17

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

CONTINUOUS UNIT RECORDS, BY MEEI CODE
------------------------------------# CONTINUOUS RECS WITH MEEI 1 - SINGLE UNITS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# CONTINUOUS RECS WITH MEEI 2 - MULTI-UNIT MASTER RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# CONTINUOUS RECS WITH MEEI 3 - SUB-UNIT
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# CONTINUOUS RECS WITH MEEI 4 - MULTI REPORTING AS A SINGLE
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# CONTINUOUS RECS WITH MEEI 5 - COMBINATION AS ONE SUB-UNIT
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# CONTINUOUS RECS WITH MEEI 6 - MULTI RPTG AS SNGL (LOW EMPL)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# CONTINUOUS RECS EXCLUDING MEEI 2 (MASTER RECORDS)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

94,887
1,154,020
1,316
583,597
16,663
575,196
70
28,897
1
1,281
61
3,331
111,682
1,762,725

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

80.82
64.10
1.12
32.41
14.19
31.94
0.05
1.60
0.00
0.07
0.05
0.18
95.12
97.91

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

94,464
1,166,356
1,326
606,691
16,707
597,022
55
18,926
1
1,322
61
3,344
111,288
1,786,970

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.44
-1.05
-0.75
-3.80
-0.26
-3.65
27.27
52.68
0.00
-3.10
0.00
-0.38
0.35
-1.35

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-32

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

2

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------RECORDS DROPPED, BY MEEI CODE
----------------------------# RECORDS DROPPED WITH MEEI 1 SINGLE UNITS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS DROPPED WITH MEEI 2 MULTI-UNIT MASTER RECS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS DROPPED WITH MEEI 3 SUB-UNIT
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS DROPPED WITH MEEI 4 MULTI REPORTING AS SINGLE
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS DROPPED W/MEEI 5 COMBINATION AS ONE SUB-UNIT
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECS DROPPED W/MEEI 6 MULTI REPORTING AS SINGLE(LOW EMPL)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS DROPPED EXCLUDING MEEI 2 (MASTER RECORDS)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS DROPPED WITH ALL MEEI CODES
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

2,539
13,545
18
2,892
299
18,466
1
1,845
0
0
2
29
2,841
33,885
2,859
36,777

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2.16
0.75
0.01
0.16
0.25
1.02
0.00
0.10
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2.41
1.88
2.43
2.04

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1,563
6,407
10
947
191
6,153
0
0
0
0
1
0
1,755
12,560
1,765
13,507

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

62.44
111.40
80.00
205.38
56.54
200.11

NEW RECORDS, BY MEEI CODE
------------------------# NEW RECORDS WITH MEEI 1 - SINGLE UNITS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NEW RECORDS WITH MEEI 2 - MULTI-UNIT MASTER RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NEW RECORDS WITH MEEI 3 - SUB-UNIT
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NEW RECORDS WITH MEEI 4 - MULTI REPORTING AS A SINGLE
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NEW RECORDS WITH MEEI 5 - COMBINATION AS ONE SUB-UNIT
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NEW RECS WITH MEEI 6 - MULTI REPORTING AS SINGLE (LOW EMPL)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NEW RECORDS EXCLUDING MEEI 2 (MASTER RECORDS)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

3,924
25,125
16
4,653
461
12,192
1
274
0
0
1
11
4,387
37,602

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

3.34
1.39
0.01
0.25
0.39
0.67
0.00
0.01
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.73
2.08

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2,801
14,770
4
750
312
9,099
2
190
0
0
1
4
3,116
24,063

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

40.09
70.10
300.00
520.40
47.75
33.99
-50.00
44.21

100.00
61.88
169.78
61.98
172.28

0.00
175.00
40.78
56.26

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-33

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

3

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------SECTION 2 - OTHER IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION AND CHARACERISTICS
PREDECESSOR / SUCCESSOR
----------------------# RECORDS WITH VALID PREDECESSOR UI ACCOUNT# AND RUN
# RECORDS WITH PREDECESSOR UI ACCOUNT# AND RUN ALL 9
# RECORDS WITH VALID PREDECESSOR UI ACCOUNT#
AND WITH PREDECESSOR RUN = 99999
# RECORDS WITH VALID SUCCESSOR UI ACCOUNT# AND RUN
# RECORDS WITH SUCCESSOR UI ACCOUNT# AND RUN ALL 9
# RECORDS WITH VALID SUCCESSOR UI ACCOUNT#
#
AND WITH SUCCESSOR RUN = 99999

31,648 |
1 |

26.95 |
0.00 |

31,023 |
1 |

2.01
0.00

|
|

5 |

0.00 |

4 |

25.00

|

1,583 |
2 |

1.34 |
0.00 |

1,733 |
2 |

-8.65
0.00

|
|

7 |

0.00 |

4 |

75.00

|

NAICS
-------**
# RECS WITH VALID NAICS CODES (EXCL 999999)
**
# RECORDS WITH NAICS 999999
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH NAICS 999999 & COUNTY 999
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

112,333
3,736
9,338
910
1,784

|
|
|
|
|

96.78
3.21
0.51
0.78
0.09

|
|
|
|
|

110,341
4,063
10,203
1,043
2,176

|
|
|
|
|

1.80
-8.04
-8.47
-12.75
-18.01

|
|
|
|
|

SIC
--**
**
**
***

78,912
32,498
237,822
1,087

|
|
|
|

67.98
27.99
13.20
81.60

|
|
|
|

80,527
29,176
211,404
1,104

|
|
|
|

-2.00
11.38
12.49
-1.53

|
|
|
|

228
609
3,822
4,659

|
|
|
|

0.19
0.52
3.29
4.01

|
|
|
|

232
619
3,850
4,701

|
|
|
|

-1.72
-1.61
-0.72
-0.89

|
|
|
|

# RECS WITH SPECIFIC SIC CODES (EXCLUDING 9999 & EXCEPTIONS)
# RECORDS WITH SIC 9999
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# MASTER RECORDS WITH SPECIFIC SIC CODES

SIC 4-DIGIT CODING EXCEPTIONS
----------------------------**
SIC 0740
**
SIC 0780
**
SIC 5810
**
# RECORDS WITH SIC CODING EXCEPTIONS
--------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY
OTHER COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-34

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

4

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------LOCATION
-------**
#
**
**
#
**
**
#
**
**
#
**
**
#
**
**
#
**
#

RECORDS WITH VALID COUNTY CODES (EXCL 000, 900, 995-999)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH COUNTY CODE 995/999 COMBINED
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH COUNTY CODE 995 (STATEWIDE/MULTI-COUNTY)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH COUNTY CODE 996 (FOREIGN)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECRDS WITH COUNTY CODE 998 (OUT OF STATE)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH COUNTY CODE 999 (UNKNOWN)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH MEEI 2 AND COUNTY CODE 900 (MASTER)

105,184
1,732,751
10,881
67,557
546
17,210
1
17
3
2
10,335
50,347
329

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

90.62
96.24
9.37
3.75
0.47
0.95
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
8.90
2.79
0.28

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

103,870
1,749,863
10,531
61,150
512
10,423
1
18
2
2
10,019
50,727
310

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1.26
-0.97
3.32
10.47
6.64
65.11
0.00
-5.55
50.00
0.00
3.15
-0.74
6.12

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

OWNERSHIP
--------**
#
**
**
#
**
**
#
**
**
#
**

RECORDS WITH OWNERSHIP
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH OWNERSHIP
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH OWNERSHIP
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
RECORDS WITH OWNERSHIP
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

654
28,350
850
89,338
1,775
204,856
112,790
1,477,783

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.56
1.57
0.73
4.96
1.52
11.37
97.17
82.08

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

646
28,200
850
89,338
1,784
203,681
111,124
1,489,814

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1.23
0.53
0.00
0.00
-0.50
0.57
1.49
-0.80

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

116,819
0
582
685
0
874
2
1,850
8
113,410
572
1
1

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

99.50
0.00
0.49
100.00
0.00
99.77
0.22
99.56
0.43
99.49
0.50
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

115,173
0
561
676
0
874
2
1,860
8
111,763
551
4
3

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1.42

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 (FEDERAL GOVERNMENT)
2 (STATE GOVERNMENT)
3 (LOCAL GOVERNMENT)
5 (PRIVATE INDUSTRY)

EI ACCOUNT NUMBER
----------------# RECORDS WITH USABLE EIN
# RECORDS WITH UNUSABLE EIN
# RECORDS WITH ZERO-FILLED (UNKNOWN) EIN
*
# FEDERAL GOVT (OWNERSHIP 1) RECS WITH USABLE EIN
*
# FEDERAL GOVT RECS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN
*
# STATE GOVT (OWN 2) RECS WITH USABLE EIN
*
# STATE GOVT RECS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN
*
# LOCAL GOVT (OWN 3) RECS WITH USABLE EIN
*
# LOCAL GOVT RECS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN
*
# PRIVATE (OWN 5) RECS WITH USABLE EIN
*
# PRIVATE RECS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN
*
# PRIVATE RECS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN AND MONTH 3 EMP 25 TO 50
*
# PRIVATE RECS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN AND MONTH 3 EMP > 50
--------------* PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON TOTAL FOR RESPECTIVE OWNERSHIPS
** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
OTHER COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS

3.74
1.33
0.00
0.00
-0.53
0.00
1.47
3.81
-75.00
-66.66

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-35

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

5

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------AUXILIARY
--------**
# RECORDS WITH AUXILIARY CODE 0 (UNKNOWN)
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH AUX CODE 5 (NOT AN AUXILIARY UNIT)
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH AUX CODE 8 (AUXILIARY UNIT)
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1
121
115,777
1,785,718
291
14,488

|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
99.74
99.18
0.25
0.80

|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
114,151
1,797,307
253
13,726

|
|
|
|
|
|

1.42
-0.64
15.01
5.55

|
|
|
|
|
|

108,323
117,401
4,531
9,009
3,659
60

|
|
|
|
|
|

92.26
100.00
3.85
7.67
3.11
0.05

|
|
|
|
|
|

106,455
115,734
4,938
8,842
3,423
122

|
|
|
|
|
|

1.75
1.44
-8.24
1.88
6.89
-50.81

|
|
|
|
|
|

33,242
21,986
468
2,351
427
286
159
373
0
0
2,014

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

28.31
18.72
0.39
2.00
0.36
0.24
0.13
0.31
0.00
0.00
1.71

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

33,598
22,227
445
2,961
302
348
159
423
0
0
3,229

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-1.05
-1.08
5.16
-20.60
41.39
-17.81
0.00
-11.82
0.00
0.00
-37.62

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

6,401 |
0 |

-1.35

|
|

DATES
----#
#
#
#
#
#

RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS

WITH
WITH
WITH
WITH
WITH
WITH

VALID SETUP DATE
VALID INITIAL LIABILITY DATE
VALID END OF LIABILITY (EOL) DATE
VALID REACTIVATION DATE
REACTIVATION DATE LATER THAN EOL DATE
EOL DATE LATER THAN REACTIVATION DATE

ARS YEAR 2005 AND RESPONSE CODES
-------------------------------# RECS WITH CURRENT ARS YEAR = 2005 & NUMERIC RESPONSE CODE
# RECS WITH RC 41 (NO CCS CHANGES)
# RECS WITH RC 42 (INCORRECT/CORRECT)
# RECS WITH RC 46 (ARS CCS CHANGE)
# RECS WITH RC 50 (NON-ARS CCS CHANGE)
# RECS WITH RC 63 (PO RETURN)
# RECS WITH RC 64 (OUT OF BUSINESS)
# RECS WITH RC 65 (REFUSAL)
# RECS WITH RC 76 (CCS, NSTA SYSTEM-ASSIGNED)
# RECS WITH RC 77 (NSTA SYSTEM-ASSIGNED)
# RECS WITH RC 98 (CARRYOVER OOB)
CES INDICATOR
------------**
# RECORDS WITH CES INDICATOR C (ON CES REGISTRY)
# RECS WITH CES INDICATOR INVALID (RESET TO BLANK)
--------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
OTHER COUNT AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS

6,314 |
0 |

5.43 |
0.00 |

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-36

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

6

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------DATA SOURCE
----------**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH DATA SOURCE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

= C (LOADED USING EDI JOB)
= E (NORMALLY COLLECTED BY EDI CTR)
= Q (STATE QCR WEB COLLECTION)
= R (REGISTERED TO REPORT VIA MWR WEB)
= S (STATE MAGNETIC MEDIA)
= W (MWR WEB COLLECTION)
= X (FUTURE USE)
= BLANK (OTHER)

2,765
79,059
335
4,528
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
112,969
1,716,740

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2.38
4.39
0.28
0.25
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
97.32
95.35

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2,610
74,582
293
4,901
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
111,501
1,731,550

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

5.93
6.00
14.33
-7.61

2
40
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|

2
31
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|

0.00
29.03

0
0
100,276
1,799,908
0

|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
100.00
100.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|

0
0
98,714
1,811,031
0

|
|
|
|
|

721
123
8
123

|
|
|
|

0.61
0.10
0.00
0.10

|
|
|
|

719
48
2
38

|
|
|
|

SPECIAL INDICATOR
----------------**
# RECORDS WITH INDICATOR = T (TRIBAL COUNCIL)
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECORDS WITH INDICATOR = L (STAFF IS LEASED)
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH INDICATOR INVALID (WILL BE SET TO BLANK)
REPORTING CHANGE INDICATOR
-------------------------****
# RECORDS WITH RCI = 1 (CHANGE IN REPORTING)
****
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
****
# RECORDS WITH RCI = 0 (UNKNOWN, OR NO CHANGE)
****
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH RCI INVALID (WILL SET TO 0)

1.31
-0.85

1.58
-0.61

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|

COMMENTS
-------#
#
#
#

RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS

WITH
WITH
WITH
WITH

ONE COMMENT CODE ONLY
TWO COMMENT CODES ONLY
THREE COMMENT CODES ONLY
NARRATIVE COMMENT & COMMENT CODE(S)

AGENT CODE
---------****
# RECORDS WITH NON-BLANK AGENT CODES
****
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

--------------**
COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
**** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE SINGLES AND MASTERS ONLY (MEEI = 1, 2, 4, & 6)
OTHER COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS

0 |
0 |

0.00 |
0.00 |

0 |
0 |

0.27
156.25
300.00
223.68

|
|
|
|

|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-37

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

7

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------SECTION 3 - EMPLOYMENT AND WAGE INFORMATION
**
**
**
**

#
#
#
#

RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS

WITH
WITH
WITH
WITH

ZERO
ZERO
ZERO
ZERO

EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT

ALL 3
- 1ST
- 2ND
- 3RD

MONTHS
MONTH
MONTH
MONTH

13,252
16,147
15,751
16,113

**
**

# RECORDS WITH ZERO WAGES
# RECS WITH ZERO WAGES AND ZERO EMPLOYMENT ALL 3 MONTH

|
|
|
|

11.41
13.91
13.57
13.88

12,156 |
11,964 |

|
|
|
|

10.47 |
10.30 |

11,820
14,329
14,477
14,233

|
|
|
|

12.11
12.68
8.80
13.20

|
|
|
|

10,730 |
10,534 |

13.28
13.57

|
|

SUMMARY OF THE EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES INDICATORS
---------------------------------------------EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS
--------------------**
# RECS WITH REPORTED DATA - R OR BLANK,C,D,L
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH IMPUTED DATA - A,E,H,W
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH MISSING DATA - M,N
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH PRORATED DATA - P
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
WAGES INDICATORS
---------------**
# RECS WITH
**
TOTAL
**
# RECS WITH
**
TOTAL
**
# RECS WITH
**
TOTAL
**
# RECS WITH
**
TOTAL

REPORTED DATA - R OR BLANK,C,L
WAGES
IMPUTED DATA - E,H,W
WAGES
MISSING DATA - M,N
WAGES
PRORATED DATA - P
WAGES

92,408
1,584,864
8,929
33,889
10,537
0
4,195
181,574

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

79.61
88.03
7.69
1.88
9.07
0.00
3.61
10.08

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

93,972
1,595,592
6,586
32,841
9,525
0
4,321
182,600

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-1.66
-0.67
35.57
3.19
10.62
0.00
-2.91
-0.56

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

93,648
12,448,145,927
7,501
171,944,671
10,448
0
4,472
1,580,693,720

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

80.68
87.65
6.46
1.21
9.00
0.00
3.85
11.13

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

94,718
13,571,827,171
5,562
137,985,437
9,406
0
4,718
1,685,382,592

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-1.12
-8.27
34.86
24.61
11.07
0.00
-5.21
-6.21

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS - ALL OWNERSHIPS:
--------------------------------------1ST MONTH:
**
# RECS WITH R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH A - DATA ESTIMATED FROM ACES
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
--------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI

90,454
1,545,168
2
1,043
1,903
38,433

= 2)

|
|
|
|
|
|

77.93
85.82
0.00
0.05
1.63
2.13

|
|
|
|
|
|

91,896
1,554,312
2
1,161
2,068
40,747

|
|
|
|
|
|

-1.56
-0.58
0.00
-10.16
-7.97
-5.67

|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-38

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
***
***
**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH

D
3
E
3
H
3
L
3
M
3
N
3
P
3
S
3
W
3
X
3

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

- DATA REPORTED FROM MISSING DATA NOTICE
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA HAND-IMPUTED
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA REPORTED LATE
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA MISSING
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
EMPLOYMENT

PAGE

8

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
8,935 |
7.69 |
6,587 |
35.64
|
33,040 |
1.83 |
31,747 |
4.07
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
10,571 |
9.10 |
9,528 |
10.94
|
1,043 |
0.05 |
498 |
109.43
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
4,204 |
3.62 |
4,323 |
-2.75
|
181,600 |
10.08 |
182,568 |
-0.53
|
1 |
0.07 |
0 |
|
953 |
0.16 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|

2ND MONTH:
**
# RECS WITH R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH A - DATA ESTIMATED FROM ACES
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH D - DATA REPORTED FROM MISSING DATA NOTICE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH L - DATA REPORTED LATE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH M - DATA MISSING
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECS WITH S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH W - DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
--------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
OTHER COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY

90,467
1,554,119
2
1,043
1,932
30,499
0
0
8,934
33,028
0
0
0
0
10,534
64
0
0
4,200
181,574
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

77.94
86.32
0.00
0.05
1.66
1.69
0.00
0.00
7.69
1.83
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
9.07
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.61
10.08
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

91,917
1,553,335
2
1,161
2,055
41,910
0
0
6,584
31,672
0
0
0
0
9,522
387
0
0
4,324
182,568
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-1.57
0.05
0.00
-10.16
-5.98
-27.22

35.69
4.28

10.62
-83.46

-2.86
-0.54

|
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QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-39

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

**
**

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

# RECS WITH X - DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

3RD MONTH:
**
# RECS WITH R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH A - DATA ESTIMATED FROM ACES
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH D - DATA REPORTED FROM MISSING DATA NOTICE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH L - DATA REPORTED LATE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH M - DATA MISSING
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECS WITH S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH

W
3
X
3

- DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
EMPLOYMENT

PAGE

9

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|

90,389
1,546,929
2
1,043
2,019
37,935
0
0
8,927
32,846
0
0
0
0
10,537
0
0
0
4,195
181,574
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

77.87
85.92
0.00
0.05
1.73
2.10
0.00
0.00
7.69
1.82
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
9.07
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.61
10.08
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

91,880
1,553,499
2
1,161
2,092
42,093
0
0
6,584
31,680
0
0
0
0
9,525
0
0
0
4,321
182,600
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|

512
26,501
0
0
0
0
0
0
4

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

78.28
93.47
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.61

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

501
26,518
0
0
1
379
0
0
15

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-1.62
-0.42
0.00
-10.16
-3.48
-9.87

35.58
3.68

10.62

-2.91
-0.56

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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|

* EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS - FEDERAL OWNERSHIP (OWN 1)
------------------------------------------------3RD MONTH:
**
# RECS WITH R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH A - DATA ESTIMATED FROM ACES
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH D - DATA REPORTED FROM MISSING DATA NOTICE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
---------------* PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 3 ARE BASED ON TOTAL FOR RESPECTIVE OWNERSHIPS
** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY

2.19
-0.06

-100.00
-100.00

-73.33

|
|
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|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-40

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
***
***
**
**
**
**

MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH

3
H
3
L
3
M
3
N
3
P
3
S
3
W
3
X
3

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

EMPLOYMENT
- DATA HAND-IMPUTED
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA REPORTED LATE
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA MISSING
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
EMPLOYMENT

PAGE

10

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------1,813 |
6.39 |
1,303 |
39.14
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
128 |
19.57 |
129 |
-0.77
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
10 |
1.52 |
0 |
|
36 |
0.12 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|

* EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS - STATE GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP (OWN 2)
---------------------------------------------------------3RD MONTH:
**
# RECS WITH R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH A - DATA ESTIMATED FROM ACES
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH D - DATA REPORTED FROM MISSING DATA NOTICE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH L - DATA REPORTED LATE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH M - DATA MISSING
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECS WITH S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH W - DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
---------------* PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 3 ARE BASED ON TOTAL FOR RESPECTIVE OWNERSHIPS
** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECS ONLY

182
39,760
0
0
3
1,224
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
663
48,354
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

21.41
44.50
0.00
0.00
0.35
1.37
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.23
0.00
0.00
0.00
78.00
54.12
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

258
53,130
0
0
12
4,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
578
32,208
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-29.45
-25.16

-75.00
-69.40

0.00

14.70
50.13

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-41

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

**
**
**

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECS WITH X - DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

PAGE

11

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|

* EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS - LOCAL GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP (OWN 3)
--------------------------------------------------------3RD MONTH:
**
# RECS WITH R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH A - DATA ESTIMATED FROM ACES
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH D - DATA REPORTED FROM MISSING DATA NOTICE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH L - DATA REPORTED LATE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH M - DATA MISSING
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECS WITH S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH W - DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH X - DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1,532
181,084
0
0
15
2,278
0
0
12
1,586
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
0
205
19,908
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

86.30
88.39
0.00
0.00
0.84
1.11
0.00
0.00
0.67
0.77
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.61
0.00
0.00
0.00
11.54
9.71
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1,624
175,236
0
0
20
6,122
0
0
5
2,984
0
0
0
0
15
0
0
0
120
19,339
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

88,163
1,299,584
2
1,043
2,001
34,433
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

78.16
87.94
0.00
0.07
1.77
2.33
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

89,497
1,298,615
2
1,161
2,059
31,592
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-5.66
3.33

-25.00
-62.78

140.00
-46.84

-26.66

70.83
2.94

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

* EMPLOYMENT INDICATORS - PRIVATE OWNERSHIP (OWN 5)
------------------------------------------------3RD MONTH:
**
# RECS WITH R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH A - DATA ESTIMATED FROM ACES
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH D - DATA REPORTED FROM MISSING DATA NOTICE
---------------* PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 3 ARE BASED ON TOTAL FOR RESPECTIVE OWNERSHIPS
** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY

-1.49
0.07
0.00
-10.16
-2.81
8.99

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-42

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
***
***
**
**
**
**

MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH

3
E
3
H
3
L
3
M
3
N
3
P
3
S
3
W
3
X
3

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

EMPLOYMENT
- DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA HAND-IMPUTED
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA REPORTED LATE
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA MISSING
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
EMPLOYMENT
- DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
EMPLOYMENT

PAGE

12

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
8,911 |
7.90 |
6,564 |
35.75
|
29,447 |
1.99 |
27,393 |
7.49
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
10,396 |
9.21 |
9,379 |
10.84
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
3,317 |
2.94 |
3,623 |
-8.44
|
113,276 |
7.66 |
131,053 |
-13.56
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
CURRENT |%OF CURR|
PREV.QTR
|
|
QTR TOT |QTR TOT |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
------------------------------------------------------

TOTAL WAGES INDICATORS - ALL OWNERSHIP
--------------------------------------**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
***
***
**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL

R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
WAGES
C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
WAGES
E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
WAGES
H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
WAGES
L - DATA REPORTED LATE
WAGES
M - DATA MISSING
WAGES
N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
WAGES
P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
WAGES
S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
WAGES
W - DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
WAGES
X - DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
WAGES

---------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY

93,442
12,406,502,555
206
41,643,372
7,501
171,944,671
0
0
0
0
10,447
0
1
0
4,472
1,580,693,720
1
219,620
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

80.50
87.36
0.17
0.29
6.46
1.21
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
9.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.85
11.13
0.07
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

94,360
13,467,151,762
358
104,675,409
5,562
137,985,437
0
0
0
0
9,406
0
0
0
4,718
1,685,382,592
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-0.97
-7.87
-42.45
-60.21
34.86
24.61

11.06

-5.21
-6.21

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-43

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

13

CURRENT |%OF CURR|
PREV.QTR
|
|
QTR TOT |QTR TOT |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------* TOTAL WAGES INDICATORS - FEDERAL OWNERSHIPS (OWN 1)
------------------------------------------------------**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
***
***
**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL

R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
WAGES
C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
WAGES
E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
WAGES
H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
WAGES
L - DATA REPORTED LATE
WAGES
M - DATA MISSING
WAGES
N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
WAGES
P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
WAGES
S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
WAGES
W - DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
WAGES
X - DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
WAGES

512
334,019,818
0
0
4
31,826,786
0
0
0
0
128
0
0
0
10
499,071
1
219,620
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

78.28
91.17
0.00
0.00
0.61
8.68
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
19.57
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.52
0.13
3.22
0.07
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

501
340,521,849
0
0
16
17,083,304
0
0
0
0
129
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

185
367,863,577
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
663
406,505,324
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

21.76
47.50
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.23
0.00
0.00
0.00
78.00
52.49
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

259
501,214,072
11
27,824,682
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
578
253,960,496
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2.19
-1.90

-75.00
86.30

-0.77

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

* TOTAL WAGES INDICATORS - STATE GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
(OWN 2)
----------------------------------------------------------**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
***
***

# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL

R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
WAGES
C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
WAGES
E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
WAGES
H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
WAGES
L - DATA REPORTED LATE
WAGES
M - DATA MISSING
WAGES
N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
WAGES
P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
WAGES
S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
WAGES

---------------* PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 3 ARE BASED ON TOTAL FOR RESPECTIVE OWNERSHIPS
** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY

-28.57
-26.60
-100.00
-100.00

0.00

14.70
60.06

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-44

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

14

CURRENT |%OF CURR|
PREV.QTR
|
|
QTR TOT |QTR TOT |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|

W - DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
WAGES
X - DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
WAGES

* TOTAL WAGES INDICATORS - LOCAL GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
(OWN 3)
----------------------------------------------------------**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
***
***
**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL

R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
WAGES
C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
WAGES
E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
WAGES
H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
WAGES
L - DATA REPORTED LATE
WAGES
M - DATA MISSING
WAGES
N - DATA ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
WAGES
P - DATA PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
WAGES
S - DATA FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
WAGES
W - DATA IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
WAGES
X - DATA SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION
WAGES

1,550
1,356,341,647
0
0
10
16,607,514
0
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
205
165,748,000
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

87.32
88.14
0.00
0.00
0.56
1.07
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.56
0.00
0.00
0.00
11.54
10.77
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1,646
1,462,077,234
0
0
5
21,398,998
0
0
0
0
14
0
0
0
119
177,111,500
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

91,195
10,348,277,513
206
41,643,372
7,487
123,510,371
0
0
0
0
10,307
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

80.85
89.81
0.18
0.36
6.63
1.07
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
9.13
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

91,954
11,163,338,607
347
76,850,727
5,541
99,503,135
0
0
0
0
9,261
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-5.83
-7.23

100.00
-22.39

-28.57

72.26
-6.41

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

* TOTAL WAGES INDICATORS - PRIVATE OWNERSHIP (OWN 5)
-----------------------------------------------------**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL

R OR BLANK - DATA REPORTED
WAGES
C - DATA CHANGED / RE-REPORTED
WAGES
E - DATA IMPUTED/PRORATED FR IMPUTED MASTER
WAGES
H - DATA HAND-IMPUTED
WAGES
L - DATA REPORTED LATE
WAGES
M - DATA MISSING
WAGES

---------------* PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 3 ARE BASED ON TOTAL FOR RESPECTIVE OWNERSHIPS
** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY

-0.82
-7.30
-40.63
-45.81
35.12
24.12

11.29

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-45

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

**
**
**
**
***
***
**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL
# RECS WITH
TOTAL

06:06:06 PM

N - DATA
WAGES
P - DATA
WAGES
S - DATA
WAGES
W - DATA
WAGES
X - DATA
WAGES

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

ZERO PENDING RESOLUTION OF DELINQUENT
PRORATED FROM REPORTED MASTER
FOR MASTER SUMMED FROM WORKSITES
IMPUTED FROM WAGE RECORDS
SET TO 0 PENDING FURTHER ACTION

**
**

# RECS WITH ALL 3 MOS EMPL IMP/MISS/PRO BUT WAGES REP
# RECS WITH ALL 3 MOS EMPL IMP/MISS/PRO AND WAGES IMP/MISS/PRO

**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**

#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#

**
**
**
**

# RECS WITH EMPL/WAGES EQUAL/UNCHANGED FOR 7 QTRS
#
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECS WITH EMPL/WAGES IMPUTED, NEW BIRTHS
#
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

RECS WITH
MONTH
RECS WITH
MONTH
RECS WITH
MONTH
RECS WITH
MONTH

EMPL/WAGES IMPUTED
3 EMPLOYMENT
EMPL/WAGES IMPUTED
3 EMPLOYMENT
EMPL/WAGES IMPUTED
3 EMPLOYMENT
EMPL/WAGES IMPUTED
3 EMPLOYMENT

FOR LAST 4 QTRS
FOR LAST 5 QTRS
FOR LAST 6 QTRS
FOR LAST 7 QTRS

PAGE

15

CURRENT |%OF CURR|
PREV.QTR
|
|
QTR TOT |QTR TOT |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------1 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
3,594 |
3.18 |
4,021 |
-10.61 |
1,007,941,325 |
8.74 |
1,254,310,596 |
-19.64 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
|

1,638 |
22,014 |

1.41 |
18.96 |

1,227 |
19,188 |

33.49
14.72

|
|

2
322
2
322
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.01
0.00
0.01
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2
284
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
13.38
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

5,074
2,128
0
0

|
|
|
|

4.37
0.11
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|

4,610
2,338
0
0

|
|
|
|

10.06
-8.98
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|

SECTION 4 - ADDRESSES AND RELATED FIELDS
CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------COUNTS OF NON-BLANK ADDRESS LINES:
---------------------------------TRADE NAME ONLY
LEGAL NAME ONLY
BOTH TRADE AND LEGAL NAMES
# RECS WITH NON-BLANK, NON-ZERO TELEPHONE NUMBERS
**
# RECS WITH NON-BLANK, NON-ZERO FAX NUMBERS

|
|
|
|
|

0.01
3.95
96.03
93.71
21.43

|
|
|
|
|

5
4,772
110,957
108,376
22,482

|
|
|
|
|

140.00
-2.78
1.61
1.51
10.67

|
|
|
|
|

# RECS WITH VALID PHYSICAL LOCATION BLOCK
80,755 |
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
1,556,122 |
# RECS WITH VALID UI ADDRESS BLOCK
101,320 |
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
1,263,960 |
# RECS WITH VALID MAILING/OTHER BLOCK
19,627 |
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
471,645 |
--------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECS: MEEI=2
*** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE MASTER RECORDS ONLY
OTHER COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CURRRENT QUARTER RECORDS

69.57
86.43
86.30
70.20
16.71
26.19

|
|
|
|
|
|

81,008
1,573,169
99,758
1,256,681
19,357
465,682

|
|
|
|
|
|

-0.31
-1.08
1.56
0.57
1.39
1.28

|
|
|
|
|
|

**
**

12
4,639
112,750
110,022
24,883

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-46

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

16

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------PHYSICAL LOCATION ADDRESS:
-------------------------**
STREET ADDRESS LINE 1
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
STREET ADDRESS LINE 2
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
CITY
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
STATE ABBREVIATION
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

81,053
1,559,120
5,385
88,174
80,826
1,557,779
80,787
1,557,628

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

69.83
86.60
4.63
4.89
69.63
86.52
69.60
86.51

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

81,324
1,576,429
5,037
88,279
81,082
1,574,870
81,043
1,574,728

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-0.33
-1.09
6.90
-0.11
-0.31
-1.08
-0.31
-1.08

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

80,955
1,558,302
2,059
65,736

|
|
|
|

69.74
86.55
1.77
3.65

|
|
|
|

81,216
1,575,533
1,854
65,100

|
|
|
|

-0.32
-1.09
11.05
0.97

|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

UI ADDRESS:
----------STREET ADDRESS LINE 1
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
STREET ADDRESS LINE 2
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

101,352
1,263,549
9
325

|
|
|
|

86.32
70.18
0.00
0.01

|
|
|
|

99,793
1,256,293
9
352

CITY
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
STATE ABBREVIATION
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

101,329
1,264,304
101,296
1,263,935

|
|
|
|

86.31
70.22
86.28
70.20

|
|
|
|

ZIP CODE (NUMERIC AND > 0)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
ZIP CODE EXPANSION (NUMERIC AND > 0)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

101,296
1,263,935
6
164

|
|
|
|

86.28
70.20
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|

**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**

ZIP CODE (NUMERIC AND > 0)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
ZIP CODE EXPANSION (NUMERIC AND > 0)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH
# RECS WITH
MONTH

PL STATE ABBREVIATION "ZZ" (OUT OF COUNTRY)
3 EMPLOYMENT
PL STATE ABBREVIATION "CN" (CANADA)
3 EMPLOYMENT
PL STATE ABBREV "AE","AA" OR "AP" (MILITARY P.O.)
3 EMPLOYMENT

--------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEE= 2)
OTHER COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CUENT QUARTER RECORDS

0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|

1.56
0.57
0.00
-7.67

|
|
|
|

99,767
1,257,020
99,734
1,256,655

|
|
|
|

1.56
0.57
1.56
0.57

|
|
|
|

99,734
1,256,655
6
166

|
|
|
|

1.56
0.57
0.00
-1.20

|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-47

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

17

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------MAILING/OTHER ADDRESS:
---------------------STREET ADDRESS LINE 1
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
STREET ADDRESS LINE 2
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
CITY
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
STATE ABBREVIATION
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
ZIP CODE (NUMERIC AND > 0)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
ZIP CODE EXPANSION (NUMERIC AND > 0)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

19,664
472,324
1,974
30,231
19,640
471,995
19,617
471,637
19,628
471,898
3,511
95,931

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

16.74
26.23
1.68
1.67
16.72
26.21
16.70
26.19
16.71
26.21
2.99
5.32

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

19,396
466,374
1,842
27,874
19,369
466,045
19,347
465,673
19,359
465,987
3,333
92,502

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

ADDRESS TYPE:
------------UI ADDRESS TYPE:
1 - PHYSICAL LOCATION
2 - MAILING ADDRESS
3 - CORPORATE HQ OR CENTRAL OFFICE
9 - UNKNOWN

0
0
0
113,818

|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
96.94

|
|
|
|

0
0
0
112,487

3,357
18
1
14,699

|
|
|
|

2.85
0.01
0.00
12.52

|
|
|
|

3,202
17
1
14,586

MAILING/OTHER
1 2 3 9 -

ADDRESS TYPE:
PHYSICAL LOCATION
MAILING ADDRESS
CORPORATE HQ OR CENTRAL OFFICE
UI TAX ADDRESS OR UNKNOWN

# RECS WITH PL ADDRESS IDENTICAL TO UI OR M/O ADDRESS

REPORTING UNIT DESCRIPTION
-------------------------# RECS WITH REPORTING UNIT DESCRIPTION NOT ALL BLANKS
***** # RECS WITH RUD AND MEEI 1
***** # RECS WITH RUD AND MEEI 2
***** # RECS WITH RUD AND MEEI 4 OR 6
***** # RECS WITH RUD AND MEEI 3 OR 5
***** # RECS WITH MEEI 3 OR 5 WITH BLANK RUD & A BLANK PL ADDRESS
# RECS WITH RUD ZEROES (WILL BE SET TO BLANK)

--------------***** PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON TOTAL FOR RESPECTIVE MEEI CODE
OTHER COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES INCLUDE ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS

1.38
1.27
7.16
8.45
1.39
1.27
1.39
1.28
1.38
1.26
5.34
3.70

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|

1.18

|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|

4.84
5.88
0.00
0.77

|
|
|
|

20,371 |

17.35 |

20,557 |

-0.90

|

14,004
113
35
1
13,855
192
0

11.92
0.11
2.62
0.75
80.90
1.12
0.00

13,947
114
35
1
13,797
188
0

0.40
-0.87
0.00
0.00
0.42
2.12

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-48

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

18

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------SECTION 5 - SUMMARY COUNTS OF CONTINUING UNITS
****
****

# TOTAL CONTINUOUS UNIT RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

MEEI CHANGES
-----------# RECORDS CHANGING MEEI CODE FROM PREV QTR
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS CHANGING FROM MEEI 1, 4 OR 6 TO 2
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS CHANGING FROM MEEI 2 TO 1, 4 OR 6
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS CHANGING FROM MEEI 3 TO 5
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS CHANGING FROM MEEI 5 TO 3
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# MASTER RECORDS WITH REPORTING CHANGE INDICATOR = 1
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NON-MASTER RECORDS WITH REPORTING CHANGE INDICATOR = 1
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

112,998 |
1,762,725 |

96.24 |
97.91 |

112,614 |
1,786,970 |

0.34
-1.35

|
|

41
16,353
15
2,278
17
12,761
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.03
0.92
0.01
0.12
0.01
0.72
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

19
6,908
7
1,864
8
782
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

115.78
136.72
114.28
22.21
112.50
1531.84

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2,035
54
0
2,304
3

|
|
|
|
|

1.82
0.04
0.00
2.06
0.00

|
|
|
|
|

2
4
2
3,167
2

|
|
|
|
|

1650.00
1250.00
-100.00
-27.24
50.00

|
|
|
|
|

0
0
97
28,321
1,101

|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.08
25.35
0.98

|
|
|
|
|

0
0
4
26,355
1,058

|
|
|
|
|

2325.00
7.45
4.06

|
|
|
|
|

NAICS
-------**
**
**
**
**

#
#
#
#
#

RECS
RECS
RECS
RECS
RECS

CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
WITH
WITH

BTWN VALID NAICS CODES (EXCL 999999)
FROM NAICS 999999 TO A VALID NAICS
BTWN VALID NAICS TO NAICS 999999
NAICS 999999 FOR CURRENT & PREV QTS
NAICS 999999 FOR CUR & PREV QTR, EMPL > 25

SIC
--**
**
**
**
**

#
#
#
#
#

RECS
RECS
RECS
RECS
RECS

CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
WITH
WITH

FROM VALID SIC TO ANOTHER VALID SIC (EXCL 9999)
FROM SIC 9999 TO A VALID SIC
FROM VALID SIC TO SIC 9999
SIC 9999 FOR CURRENT & PREV QTR
SIC 9999 FOR CURRENT & PREV QTR, EMPL > 25

--------------OTHER PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 5 BASED ON CONTINUOUS RECORDS
**
COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
**** PERCENTAGES BASED ON ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-49

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

19

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------COUNTY CODE
----------**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS

CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
WITH
WITH

FROM VALID COUNTY TO ANOTHER VALID COUNTY
FROM A VALID CODE TO 999
FROM 999 TO A VALID CODE
FROM VALID COUNTY TO 995, 996 OR 998
FROM 995, 996 OR 998 TO VALID COUNTY
COUNTY 999 FOR CURRENT & PREV QTR
COUNTY 999 FOR CURRENT & PREV QTR, EMP > 25

AUXILIARY CODE
-------------**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS
**
# RECS

CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
CHGD
CHGD

FROM
FROM
FROM
FROM
FROM
FROM

AUXILIARY CODE 0 TO AUX CODE 5
AUX CODE 0 TO VALID AUX CODE 8
AUX CODE 5 TO AUX CODE 0
AUX CODE 5 TO VALID AUX CODE 8
AUX CODE 8 TO AUX CODE 0
AUX CODE 8 TO AUX CODE 5

CODE CHANGES (INCLUDING ECONOMIC CODE CHANGES)
---------------------------------------------**
# RECS WITH NAICS CHANGE ONLY (FROM PREVIOUS QUARTER)
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH LOCATION CHANGE ONLY
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH OWNERSHIP CHANGE ONLY
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH NAICS & LOCATION CHANGE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH NAICS & OWNERSHIP CHANGE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH LOCATION & OWNERSHIP CHANGE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# RECS WITH NAICS, LOCATION & OWNERSHIP CHANGE
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
----------------** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
OTHER PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 5 BASED ON CONTINUOUS RECORDS

822
22
74
22
3
9,550
308

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.73
0.01
0.06
0.01
0.00
8.55
0.27

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

51
34
7
0
0
9,165
306

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
1
32
0
3

|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.02
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

1,906
38,349
785
19,754
0
0
181
3,044
1
24
0
0
1
33

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1.70
2.17
0.70
1.12
0.00
0.00
0.16
0.17
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

6
38
107
504
0
0
2
144
0
0
0
0
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1511.76
-35.29
957.14

4.20
0.65

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|

1666.66
818.42
633.64
3819.44

8950.00
2013.88

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-50

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

20

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------SECTION 6 - SUMMARY OF PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS BY SIZE CLASS, EXCLUDING MASTERS
ALL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS
-----------------------------*
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
*
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
*
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
*
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
*
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
*
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
**
**

# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1000 OR MORE
500-999
250-499
100-249
50-99

20-49
10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

ALL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS SUBUNIT
-----------------------------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1000 OR MORE
500-999
250-499
100-249
50-99

63
116,631
141
94,085
459
160,011
1,520
228,272
2,910
198,816

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.05
8.09
0.13
6.53
0.42
11.10
1.40
15.84
2.68
13.80

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

67
117,970
145
97,441
471
163,304
1,580
237,133
2,896
197,859

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-5.97
-1.13
-2.75
-3.44
-2.54
-2.01
-3.79
-3.73
0.48
0.48

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

8,379
252,794
12,250
165,529
19,172
126,960
48,319
97,408
15,193
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

7.72
17.54
11.30
11.49
17.68
8.81
44.57
6.76
14.01
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

8,599
261,079
12,477
168,203
19,323
127,807
48,913
98,685
13,565
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-2.55
-3.17
-1.81
-1.58
-0.78
-0.66
-1.21
-1.29
12.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

108,036 |
1,469,481 |

0.34
-1.97

|
|

-12.90
-15.60
-5.35
-5.38
-0.64
-0.90
-8.87
-9.70
1.00
0.92

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

108,406 |
1,440,506 |

27
42,967
53
36,315
154
55,243
503
74,060
1,005
68,718

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

96.11 |
97.47 |

42.85
36.84
37.58
38.59
33.55
34.52
33.09
32.44
34.53
34.56

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

--------------* PERCENTAGES BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT
** PERCENTAGES BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT
OTHER PERCENTAGES BASED ON RESPECTIVE SIZE CLASS FOR ALL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT

31
50,911
56
38,382
155
55,750
552
82,024
995
68,089

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-51

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

21

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
*

10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

NAICS 999999
--------------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
*

20-49

1000 OR MORE
500-999
250-499
100-249
50-99

20-49
10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

2,278
68,738
2,724
37,374
3,731
25,055
2,827
7,723
829
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

14,131 |
416,193 |

27.18
27.19
22.23
22.57
19.46
19.73
5.85
7.92
5.45
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

13.03 |
28.89 |

2,420
73,942
2,778
37,878
3,632
24,446
2,774
7,577
806
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-5.86
-7.03
-1.94
-1.33
2.72
2.49
1.91
1.92
2.85
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

14,199 |
438,999 |

-0.47
-5.19

|
|

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
64

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.03
0.03

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
117

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-50.00
-45.29

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

21
508
81
1,029
203
1,330
1,225
2,034
773
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.25
0.20
0.66
0.62
1.05
1.04
2.53
2.08
5.08
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

33
850
134
1,725
300
1,931
1,909
3,191
791
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-36.36
-40.23
-39.55
-40.34
-32.33
-31.12
-35.83
-36.25
-2.27
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

3,169 |
7,814 |

-27.29
-36.46

|
|

2,304 |
4,965 |

2.12 |
0.34 |

--------------* PERCENTAGES BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT
OTHER PERCENTAGES BASED ON RESPECTIVE SIZE CLASS FOR ALL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-52

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

22

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------SIC 9999
-------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
*

1000 OR MORE
500-999
250-499
100-249
50-99

20-49
10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL RECS WITH SIC 9999
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

COUNTY 999
---------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

9
14,381
13
8,132
37
12,838
155
23,154
313
21,067

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

14.28
12.33
9.21
8.64
8.06
8.02
10.19
10.14
10.75
10.59

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

9
12,833
13
8,402
32
10,795
144
21,314
327
22,537

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
12.06
0.00
-3.21
15.62
18.92
7.63
8.63
-4.28
-6.52

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1,165
35,015
1,932
25,993
3,955
26,059
15,413
27,891
5,234
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

13.90
13.85
15.77
15.70
20.62
20.52
31.89
28.63
34.45
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1,081
32,179
1,862
24,759
3,699
24,251
14,699
26,658
4,316
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

7.77
8.81
3.75
4.98
6.92
7.45
4.85
4.62
21.26
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

26,182 |
183,728 |

7.80
5.87

|
|

0.00
-4.52
-50.00
-61.82
22.22
14.25
-10.63
-8.84
-3.00
-2.54

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

28,226 |
194,530 |

1000 OR MORE
500-999
250-499
100-249
50-99

1
1,476
1
510
11
3,824
42
6,175
97
6,596

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

26.03 |
13.50 |

1.58
1.26
0.70
0.54
2.39
2.38
2.76
2.70
3.33
3.31

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

--------------* PERCENTAGES BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT
OTHER PERCENTAGES BASED ON RESPECTIVE SIZE CLASS FOR ALL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT

1
1,546
2
1,336
9
3,347
47
6,774
100
6,768

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-53

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

23

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
*

10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL RECS WITH COUNTY 999
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

ZERO-FILLED EIN
--------------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
*

20-49

1000 OR MORE
500-999
250-499
100-249
50-99

20-49
10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL RECS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

333
9,959
489
6,665
731
4,772
5,013
7,770
2,851
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

9,569 |
47,747 |

3.97
3.93
3.99
4.02
3.81
3.75
10.37
7.97
18.76
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

8.82 |
3.31 |

334
10,004
453
6,136
676
4,455
4,976
7,726
2,612
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-0.29
-0.44
7.94
8.62
8.13
7.11
0.74
0.56
9.15
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

9,210 |
48,092 |

3.89
-0.71

|
|

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
86

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.03
0.04

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
102
2
143

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
-100.00
-100.00
-50.00
-39.86

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

3
69
10
138
52
323
185
335
243
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.03
0.02
0.08
0.08
0.27
0.25
0.38
0.34
1.59
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

5
142
16
235
45
297
202
365
228
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-40.00
-51.40
-37.50
-41.27
15.55
8.75
-8.41
-8.21
6.57
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

499 |
1,284 |

-1.00
-25.93

|
|

494 |
951 |

0.45 |
0.06 |

--------------* PERCENTAGES BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT
OTHER PERCENTAGES BASED ON RESPECTIVE SIZE CLASS FOR ALL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-54

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

24

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------VALID PHYSICAL LOCATION ADDRESS
------------------------------# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
*
*

1000 OR MORE
500-999
250-499
100-249
50-99

20-49
10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL RECS WITH A VALID PL ADDRESS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

SUBUNITS (MEEI 3 OR 5) WITH REPORTING UNIT DESCRIPTIONS
------------------------------------------------------***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 1000 OR MORE
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 500-999
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 250-499
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 100-249
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 50-99
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

61
113,806
139
92,955
438
152,272
1,431
215,689
2,577
176,894

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

96.82
97.57
98.58
98.79
95.42
95.16
94.14
94.48
88.55
88.97

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

65
115,258
141
95,080
453
156,763
1,493
224,582
2,559
175,095

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-6.15
-1.25
-1.41
-2.23
-3.31
-2.86
-4.15
-3.95
0.70
1.02

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

7,194
217,071
10,142
137,279
15,332
101,791
32,581
69,016
8,238
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

85.85
85.86
82.79
82.93
79.97
80.17
67.42
70.85
54.22
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

7,381
224,801
10,386
140,422
15,469
102,574
33,112
70,263
7,354
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-2.53
-3.43
-2.34
-2.23
-0.88
-0.76
-1.60
-1.77
12.02
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

78,413 |
1,304,838 |

-0.35
-2.15

|
|

-9.52
-11.14
-11.11
-9.64
-0.85
-1.33
-11.03
-12.57
-1.38
-1.43

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

78,133 |
1,276,773 |

19
31,437
40
27,940
116
42,916
379
55,365
785
53,880

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

72.07 |
88.63 |

70.37
73.16
75.47
76.93
75.32
77.68
75.34
74.75
78.10
78.40

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

--------------* PERCENTAGES BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT
*** PERCENTAGES BASED ON RESPECTIVE SIZE CLASS FOR PRIVATE CONTINUOUS SUBUNITS AND EMPLOYMENT
OTHER PERCENTAGES BASED ON RESPECTIVE SIZE CLASS FOR ALL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS RECORDS AND EMPLOYMENT

21
35,381
45
30,924
117
43,496
426
63,329
796
54,662

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-55

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

25

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
****
****

# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

20-49
10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL SUBUNITS WITH RU DESCRIPTIONS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

SUBUNITS (MEEI 3 OR 5) WITH NO RUD NOR VALID PL ADDRESS
------------------------------------------------------***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 1000 OR MORE
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 500-999
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 250-499
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 100-249
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL 50-99
***
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
****
****

# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# RECORDS WITH MONTH 3 EMPL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

20-49
10-19
5-9
1-4
0

# TOTAL SUBUNITS WITH NO RUD NOR VALID PL ADDRESS
#
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1,732
52,362
2,161
29,612
3,034
20,382
2,298
6,280
707
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

11,271 |
320,174 |

76.03
76.17
79.33
79.23
81.31
81.34
81.28
81.31
85.28
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

79.76 |
76.92 |

1,854
56,430
2,223
30,137
2,960
19,909
2,220
6,049
679
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-6.58
-7.20
-2.78
-1.74
2.50
2.37
3.51
3.81
4.12
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

11,341 |
340,317 |

-0.61
-5.91

|
|

0
0
0
0
2
726
2
338
14
955

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.29
1.31
0.39
0.45
1.39
1.38

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0
0
0
0
1
386
5
721
10
718

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
100.00
88.08
-60.00
-53.12
40.00
33.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

12
355
8
106
32
209
26
56
23
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0.52
0.51
0.29
0.28
0.85
0.83
0.91
0.72
2.77
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

14
467
14
195
27
170
26
64
23
0

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

-14.28
-23.98
-42.85
-45.64
18.51
22.94
0.00
-12.50
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

120 |
2,721 |

-0.83
0.88

|
|

119 |
2,745 |

---------------*** PERCENTAGES BASED ON RESPECTIVE SIZE CLASS FOR PRIVATE CONTINUOUS SUBUNITS AND EMPLOYMENT
**** PERCENTAGES BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE CONTINUOUS SUBSUNITS AND EMPLOYMENT

0.84 |
0.65 |

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-56

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

26

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------SECTION 7 - SUMMARY COUNTS OF NEW UNITS (NEW UI/RUNS)
****
****

# TOTAL NEW RECORDS
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

MULTI-ESTABLISHMENT EMPLOYER INDICATOR
-------------------------------------1 - NEW SINGLE UNITS
2 - NEW MULTI-UNIT MASTER RECORDS
3 - NEW SUB-UNIT RECORDS
4 - NEW MULTI-ESTAB EMPLOYER REPORTING AS A SINGLE UNIT
5 - NEW SUB-UNIT REPRESENTING A COMBINATION OF ESTABL
6 - NEW MULTIS REPORTING AS SINGLE UNIT (BELOW EMPL LEVEL)
NAICS
-------**
# NEW RECS WITH VALID NAICS (EXCLUDING 999999)
**
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
**
# NEW RECS WITH NAICS 999999

4,403 |
37,602 |

3,924
16
461
1
0
1

|
|
|
|
|
|

3.75 |
2.08 |

89.12
0.36
10.47
0.02
0.00
0.02

|
|
|
|
|
|

3,120 |
24,063 |

41.12
56.26

|
|

2,801
4
312
2
0
1

|
|
|
|
|
|

40.09
300.00
47.75
-50.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

2,955 |
33,229 |
1,432 |

67.35 |
88.37 |
32.64 |

2,222 |
21,674 |
894 |

32.98
53.31
60.17

|
|
|

# NEW RECS WITH VALID SICS (EXCLUDING 9999)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# NEW RECS WITH SIC 9999

307 |
6,137 |
4,080 |

6.99 |
16.32 |
93.00 |

299 |
8,083 |
2,817 |

2.67
-24.07
44.83

|
|
|

COUNTY CODE
----------**
# NEW RECS WITH VALID COUNTY CODES (EXCL 995 - 999)
**
# NEW RECS WITH COUNTY CODE 995, 996 OR 998
**
# NEW RECS WITH COUNTY CODE 999

3,611 |
15 |
761 |

82.31 |
0.34 |
17.34 |

2,297 |
15 |
804 |

57.20
0.00
-5.34

|
|
|

EI ACCOUNT NUMBER
----------------# NEW RECS WITH USABLE EIN
*
# NEW PRIVATE RECS WITH USABLE EIN
*
# NEW PRIVATE RECS WITH UNKNOWN EIN
*
# NEW PRIVATE RECS WITH UNUSABLE EIN

4,325
4,322
78
0

98.22
0.00
0.00
0.00

3,068
3,040
52
0

40.97
42.17
50.00

|
|
|
|

SIC
--**
**
**

---------------* PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON TOTAL NEW PRIVATE RECORDS (OWN = 5)
** COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MASTER RECORDS (MEEI = 2)
**** PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON ALL ACTIVE CURRENT QUARTER RECORDS
OTHER PERCENTAGES IN SECTION 6 BASED ON NEW RECS

|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|

|
|
|
|

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-57

EXHIBIT 13F (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EQUI DATA COUNTS - TABLE 3
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

27

CURRENT | % OF CURR | PREV.QTR |
|
QTR TOT | TOTAL RECS |
TOTAL
|
% CHG
|
-----------------------------------------------------SECTION 8 - GEOCODING COUNTS
LOCATION CODE
------------# PRIVATE RECS WITH 100 OR MORE EMP, TOTAL
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

2,135 |
576,013 |

2.09 |
41.20 |

2,175 |
590,293 |

-1.83
-2.41

|
|

**
**
**
**

# PRIVATE RECS WITH 100 OR MORE EMP, LOC CODE = A OR Z
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# PRIVATE RECS WITH 100 OR MORE EMP, LOC CODE NOT A OR Z
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1,936
535,634
199
40,379

|
|
|
|

90.67
92.98
9.32
7.01

|
|
|
|

2,017
551,064
158
39,229

|
|
|
|

-4.01
-2.80
25.94
2.93

|
|
|
|

**
**
**
**

# PRIVATE RECS WITH 100 OR MORE EMP, LOC CODE = A
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# PRIVATE RECS WITH 100 OR MORE EMP, LOC CODE = Z
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1,601
431,995
335
103,639

|
|
|
|

74.98
74.99
15.69
17.99

|
|
|
|

1,658
445,392
359
105,672

|
|
|
|

-3.43
-3.00
-6.68
-1.92

|
|
|
|

# PRIVATE (OWN=5) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A (ROOFTOP)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# PRIVATE (OWN=5) RECS WITH LOC CODE = Z (ZIP CENTROID)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# PRIVATE (OWN=5) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A99 (STATE-DERIVED)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

65,731
1,016,460
9,062
192,293
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

64.52
72.71
8.89
13.75
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

64,566
1,026,295
8,935
194,438
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

1.80
-0.95
1.42
-1.10
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

# FEDERAL (OWN=1) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A (ROOFTOP)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# FEDERAL (OWN=1) RECS WITH LOC CODE = Z (ZIP CENTROID)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# FEDERAL (OWN=1) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A99 (STATE-DERIVED)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

82
4,461
40
358
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

12.59
15.73
6.14
1.26
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

83
4,536
38
349
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

-1.20
-1.65
5.26
2.57
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

# STATE GOVT (OWN=2) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A (ROOFTOP)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# STATE GOVT (OWN=2) RECS WITH LOC CODE = Z (ZIP CENTROID)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# STATE GOVT (OWN=2) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A99 (STATE-DERIVED)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

389
53,398
66
19,339
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

45.81
59.77
7.77
21.64
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

370
50,196
65
18,477
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

5.13
6.37
1.53
4.66
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

# LOCAL GOVT (OWN=3) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A (ROOFTOP)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# LOCAL GOVT (OWN=3) RECS WITH LOC CODE = Z (ZIP CENTROID)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
# LOCAL GOVT (OWN=3) RECS WITH LOC CODE = A99 (STATE-DERIVED)
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT

1,064
144,762
373
31,745
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

60.01
71.87
21.03
15.76
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

1,074
148,301
372
30,886
0
0

|
|
|
|
|
|

-0.93
-2.38
0.26
2.78
0.00
0.00

|
|
|
|
|
|

--------------COUNTS AND PERCENTAGES EXCLUDE MEEI = 2,4,5 AND COUNTY = 995,996,998,999
PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON RESPECTIVE OWNERSHIPS
**
PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON TOTAL PRIVATE RECS WITH 100 OR MORE EMP

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-58

EXHIBIT 13G
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN: YYYY/Q

06:06:00 AM

(STATE)
EIN MATRIX MAP - - TABLE 4A
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

1

FIELD POSITION
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

___________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHARACTER = 0 |
5,380 |
4,537 | 45,536 | 17,745 | 15,642 | 15,231 | 15,844 | 15,270 | 17,165 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
1,306 | 10,009 | 59,843 | 16,073 | 11,937 | 11,280 | 11,179 | 11,514 | 11,227 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
1,359 |
2,586 |
3,779 | 22,880 | 10,282 | 10,958 | 10,945 | 10,803 | 10,739 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
3,376 | 85,164 |
2,852 | 10,341 | 10,359 | 11,150 | 11,131 | 11,898 | 11,221 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
1,758 |
4,449 |
1,050 |
4,569 | 10,549 | 11,874 | 10,949 | 11,101 | 11,011 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
2,237 |
2,810 |
116 |
6,844 | 10,545 | 11,011 | 10,863 | 10,758 | 10,927 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
878 |
2,198 |
1,552 |
7,939 | 11,234 | 10,824 | 11,088 | 11,497 | 10,696 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
2,328 |
1,454 |
318 | 10,172 | 11,166 | 11,152 | 10,867 | 10,786 | 10,773 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
2,664 |
1,747 |
83 |
9,756 | 11,398 | 10,780 | 11,683 | 10,975 | 10,901 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 | 94,237 |
569 |
394 |
9,204 | 12,411 | 11,263 | 10,974 | 10,921 | 10,863 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALPHABETIC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BLANK |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OTHER |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |

TOTAL NUMBER OF
TOTAL NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF

***

END OF EIN MATRIX LISTING

***

RECORDS ON THE MICRO FILE
INACTIVE RECORDS
RECORDS WITH VALID EIN NUMBERS (EXCLUDING ZERO-FILLED)
RECORDS WITH ZERO-FILLED EIN NUMBERS
RECORDS WITH INVALID EIN NUMBERS (NON-NUMRIC OR NINE-FILLED)

190,577
75,054
111,830
3,691
2

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-59

EXHIBIT 13H
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN: YYYY/Q

06:06:00 AM

(STATE)
UI NUMBER MATRIX MAP - - TABLE 4B
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

1

FIELD POSITION
1

CHARACTER = 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
ALPHABETIC
BLANK
OTHER

2

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 115,523 | 115,523 | 115,523 | 81,039 | 23,688 | 17,548 | 12,894 | 12,368 | 12,197 | 12,072 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 | 34,484 | 18,203 | 17,386 | 12,501 | 11,811 | 11,586 | 12,124 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8,186 | 13,498 | 12,485 | 11,501 | 12,195 | 11,605 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | 13,007 |
6,990 | 11,706 | 11,191 | 11,449 | 11,045 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4,916 |
5,634 | 12,343 | 11,465 | 11,277 | 11,049 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4,954 |
9,102 | 13,144 | 11,404 | 11,727 | 11,431 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | 14,362 |
9,716 | 10,523 | 11,270 | 11,274 | 11,565 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
662 | 13,082 |
9,939 | 12,104 | 11,007 | 11,581 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | 15,857 | 11,288 |
9,408 | 11,082 | 11,536 | 11,633 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | 11,688 | 11,279 | 10,580 | 11,327 | 11,275 | 11,418 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |

TOTAL NUMBER OF
TOTAL NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF
NUMBER OF

***

3

END OF UI NUMBER MATRIX LISTING

RECORDS ON THE MICRO FILE
INACTIVE RECORDS
RECORDS WITH VALID UI NUMBERS (EXCLUDING ZERO-FILLED)
RECORDS WITH ZERO-FILLED UI NUMBERS
RECORDS WITH INVALID UI NUMBERS (NON-NUMERIC OR NINE-FILLED)

****

190,577
75,054
115,523
0
0

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-60

EXHIBIT 13I
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN: YYYY/Q

06:06:00 AM

(STATE)
RUN MATRIX MAP - - TABLE 4C
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

FIELD POSITION
1

2

3

4

5

__________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHARACTER = 0 | 115,523 | 115,468 | 114,087 | 107,621 | 101,120 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
0 |
55 |
823 |
2,987 |
2,242 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
327 |
1,642 |
2,110 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
107 |
965 |
1,903 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
60 |
627 |
1,700 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
493 |
1,533 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
399 |
1,420 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
328 |
1,282 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
0 |
0 |
22 |
244 |
1,152 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
217 |
1,061 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALPHABETIC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
BLANK |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
OTHER |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |

TOTAL NUMBER OF RECORDS ON THE MICRO FILE
TOTAL NUMBER OF INACTIVE RECORDS
NUMBER OF RECORDS WITH VALID RUN NUMBERS (EXCLUDING ZERO-FILLED)
NUMBER OF RECORDS WITH ZERO-FILLED RUN NUMBERS
NUMBER OF RECORDS WITH INVALID RUN NUMBERS (NON-NUMERIC OR NINE-FILLED)

***

END OF RUN NUMBER MATRIX LISTING

****

190,577
75,054
15,458
100,065
0

1

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13J
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN: YYYY/Q

06:06:00 AM
(STATE)
PAGE
1
THIRD MONTH EMPLOYMENT BY OWNERSHIP BY NAICS - TABLE 5A
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| INDUSTRY |
OWNERSHIP
|
|
CODE
|
GOVERNMENT
PRIVATE
INVALID
|
| 2-DIGIT
|___________________________________________________________________________________________________|
|
NAICS
|
FEDERAL
|
STATE
|
LOCAL
|
|
|
|
|
(10)
|
(20)
|
(30)
|
(50)
|
|
|
____________________________________________________________________________________________________|
|
| 3RD MONTH |
| 3RD MONTH |
| 3RD MONTH |
| 3RD MONTH |
| 3RD MONTH |
|
|
|
EMPL
| UNITS |
EMPL
| UNITS |
EMPL
| UNITS |
EMPL
| UNITS |
EMPL
| UNITS |
|________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
|
11
|
5,587|
78|
301|
5|
2|
1|
50,511| 3,524|
0|
0|
|
21
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
1,914|
150|
0|
0|
|
22
|
1,479|
20|
0|
0|
2,372|
153|
5,095|
234|
0|
0|
|
23
|
0|
0|
4,599|
36|
73|
8|
82,431| 13,914|
0|
0|
|
31-33 |
0|
0|
126|
1|
167|
2|
215,809| 6,156|
0|
0|
|
42
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
74,936| 8,884|
0|
0|
|
44-45 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
17|
2|
188,750| 13,158|
0|
0|
|
48-49 |
9,072|
305|
0|
0|
4,175|
15|
49,762| 3,093|
0|
0|
|
51
|
0|
0|
47|
1|
251|
24|
38,463| 2,252|
0|
0|
|
52
|
98|
12|
203|
4|
913|
10|
56,956| 5,567|
0|
0|
|
53
|
0|
0|
85|
4|
1,261|
23|
29,103| 4,936|
0|
0|
|
54
|
1,666|
22|
0|
1|
48|
3|
64,809| 10,736|
0|
0|
|
55
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
26,437|
748|
0|
0|
|
56
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
122|
15|
86,519| 5,513|
0|
0|
|
61
|
129|
1|
12,877|
13|
94,540|
222|
18,871| 1,125|
0|
0|
|
62
|
3,438|
3|
4,569|
98|
3,773|
35|
155,044| 9,162|
0|
0|
|
71
|
221|
15|
606|
25|
6,757|
53|
20,281| 1,485|
0|
0|
|
72
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
290|
3|
134,877| 8,265|
0|
0|
|
81
|
42|
1|
0|
1|
138|
51|
58,576| 11,539|
0|
0|
|
92
|
9,594|
380|
25,902|
525|
56,385|
548|
0|
0|
0|
0|
|
99
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
1,087|
841|
0|
0|
|
INVALID |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
|
TOTAL
|
31,326|
837|
49,315|
714|
171,284| 1,168| 1,360,231|111,282|
0|
0|

NUMBER OF RECORDS WITH INVALID EMPLOYMENT MONTH3 =
MULTI MASTER UNITS ARE NOT COUNTED IN THIS TABLE.
END OF THIRD MONTH EMPLOYMENT BY OWNERSHIP BY NAICS LISTING.

0

Page 13-61

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13K
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN: YYYY/Q

06:06:00 AM

(STATE)
PAGE
1
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES BY OWNERSHIP BY NAICS – TABLE 5B
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| INDUSTRY |
OWNERSHIP
|
|
GOVERNMENT
PRIVATE
INVALID
|
|
CODE
| 2-DIGIT
|___________________________________________________________________________________________________|
|
NAICS
|
FEDERAL
|
STATE
|
LOCAL
|
|
|
|
|
(10)
|
(20)
|
(30)
|
(50)
|
|
|
____________________________________________________________________________________________________|
|
|
|AVERAGE|
|AVERAGE|
|AVERAGE|
|AVERAGE|
|AVERAGE|
|
|AVERAGE
|WEEKLY |AVERAGE
|WEEKLY |AVERAGE
|WEEKLY |AVERAGE
|WEEKLY |AVERAGE
|WEEKLY |
|
|
EMPL
|WAGE
|EMPL
| WAGE |EMPL
|WAGE
|EMPL
|WAGE
|EMPL
|WAGE
|
|________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
|
11
|
5,776|
801|
294|
772|
2|
75|
57,471|
390|
0|
0|
|
21
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
1,925|
716|
0|
0|
|
22
|
1,501| 1,222|
0|
0|
2,387|
826|
5,149| 1,101|
0|
0|
|
23
|
0|
0|
4,724|
765|
74| 1,056|
83,292|
744|
0|
0|
|
31-33
|
0|
0|
131|
490|
172|
866|
218,576|
815|
0|
0|
|
42
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
75,202|
890|
0|
0|
|
44-45
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
17|
215|
189,195|
428|
0|
0|
|
48-49
|
9,100|
867|
0|
0|
4,175|
904|
49,298|
633|
0|
0|
|
51
|
0|
0|
49|
686|
260|
387|
38,960|
903|
0|
0|
|
52
|
97|
999|
203|
761|
915|
616|
57,132|
850|
0|
0|
|
53
|
0|
0|
85|
750|
1,180|
568|
29,148|
485|
0|
0|
|
54
|
1,679|
879|
0|
0|
48| 1,018|
65,469|
859|
0|
0|
|
55
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
26,440| 1,041|
0|
0|
|
56
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
122|
444|
86,695|
440|
0|
0|
|
61
|
66|
435|
12,532|
713|
74,935|
562|
17,357|
480|
0|
0|
|
62
|
3,426|
859|
4,574|
702|
3,791|
600|
154,569|
626|
0|
0|
|
71
|
217|
626|
785|
415|
7,100|
416|
20,986|
380|
0|
0|
|
72
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
324|
439|
135,740|
245|
0|
0|
|
81
|
42|
654|
0|
0|
139|
430|
58,461|
428|
0|
0|
|
92
|
9,545|
917|
25,913|
748|
56,642|
694|
0|
0|
0|
0|
|
99
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
1,038|
807|
0|
0|
|
INVALID |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
|
TOTAL
|
31,450|
884|
49,289|
731|
152,282|
619| 1,372,103|
613|
0|
0|

NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMBER

OF
OF
OF
OF

RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS
RECORDS

WITH
WITH
WITH
WITH

INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID

EMPLOYMENT MONTH1
EMPLOYMENT MONTH2
EMPLOYMENT MONTH3
TOTAL WAGES

=
=
=
=

0
0
0
0

MULTI MASTER WAGES ARE NOT COUNTED IN THIS TABLE.
END OF THE AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES BY OWNERSHIP BY NAICS LISTING.

Page 13-62

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-63

EXHIBIT 13L
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME: 06:06:00 AM
(STATE)
INITIAL RUN: YYYY/Q
TAXABLE WAGES AND CONTRIBUTIONS BY OWNERSHIP AND TYPE OF COVERAGE – TABLE 5C
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
1
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

IND
SEC

INDUSTRY
NAME

TYPE
COV

YEAR/
QTR

REP.
UNITS

MONTH 1
EMPL.

MONTH 2
EMPL.

MONTH 3
EMPL.

TOTAL
WAGES

TAXABLE
WAGES

39
5,497
5,429
16
16
918
892
207
207
8,298
8,178
864
863
1,448
1,428
37
37
8,248
8,150
17
17
10,361
10,284
1,178
1,174
838
717
3
3
108,832
107,485
2,450
2,444
111,282
109,929

2,363
84,705
83,019
1,379
1,347
6,848
7,488
9,843
12,276
84,650
84,744
69,065
68,060
20,302
18,692
914
943
135,069
128,267
298
144
47,810
48,261
10,610
10,743
1,013
804
1
2
1,283,237
1,236,193
97,082
98,302
1,380,319
1,334,495

2,387
86,096
84,058
1,387
1,364
6,683
7,569
9,827
12,173
85,616
85,165
69,331
68,158
20,483
18,870
978
1,057
136,691
131,141
284
160
47,878
48,529
10,509
10,781
1,012
885
1
2
1,278,391
1,244,266
97,368
98,502
1,375,759
1,342,768

2,417
85,151
85,870
1,368
1,387
7,115
7,563
11,756
11,336
85,951
85,249
69,093
68,864
19,199
19,473
1,082
902
134,676
134,095
201
226
47,935
48,753
10,641
10,752
1,086
906
1
2
1,260,989
1,273,456
99,242
98,357
1,360,231
1,371,813

21,128,710
485,778,781
491,323,126
9,779,950
10,345,982
38,039,278
39,939,517
70,342,938
77,306,849
675,544,836
656,148,807
581,510,862
534,536,608
98,900,312
96,626,453
4,642,308
4,197,113
431,040,527
405,271,850
766,644
541,469
279,836,565
282,420,418
45,465,603
44,902,662
10,889,262
7,366,223
5,190
8,080
10,170,841,359
10,084,654,454
756,005,324
715,331,111
10,926,846,683
10,799,985,565

0
353,644,449
413,717,266
0
0
26,103,630
35,041,903
0
0
346,976,891
413,687,351
0
0
58,878,712
65,133,718
0
0
390,696,290
389,149,032
0
0
180,528,435
236,752,402
0
0
5,041,793
4,793,450
0
0
5,169,063,910
7,134,120,219
0
0
5,169,063,910
7,134,120,219

CONTRIBUTIONS

PRIVATE SECTOR.
55
56
56
56
56
61
61
61
61
62
62
62
62
71
71
71
71
72
72
72
72
81
81
81
81
99
99
99
99

MGMT CO & ENTRS
ADMIN WASTE SERVS
ADMIN WASTE SERVS
ADMIN WASTE SERVS
ADMIN WASTE SERVS
EDUCATIONAL SERVS
EDUCATIONAL SERVS
EDUCATIONAL SERVS
EDUCATIONAL SERVS
HLTH CARE SOC AST
HLTH CARE SOC AST
HLTH CARE SOC AST
HLTH CARE SOC AST
ARTS ENTER & REC
ARTS ENTER & REC
ARTS ENTER & REC
ARTS ENTER & REC
ACCOM & FOOD SRVS
ACCOM & FOOD SRVS
ACCOM & FOOD SRVS
ACCOM & FOOD SRVS
OTHER SRVS EXC PA
OTHER SRVS EXC PA
OTHER SRVS EXC PA
OTHER SRVS EXC PA
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
TOTAL BY
TOTAL BY
TOTAL BY
TOTAL BY
TOTAL
TOTAL

1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1

2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4
2005/1
2004/4

MULTI MASTER RECORDS ARE NOT COUNTED IN THIS TABLE.
END OF THE TAXABLE WAGES AND CONTRIBUTIONS BY OWNERSHIP AND TYPE OF COVERAGE LISTING.

0
6,747,964
7,724,108
0
0
379,010
504,590
0
0
5,490,360
6,458,905
0
0
1,120,951
1,248,259
0
0
6,436,047
6,303,448
0
0
2,809,471
3,669,049
0
0
115,863
102,637
0
0
91,549,539
124,429,228
0
0
91,549,539
124,429,228

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-64

EXHIBIT 13M
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN: YYYY/Q

06:06:00 AM

(STATE)
RECORD COUNTS BY VALID COUNTY/TOWNSHIP CODES – TABLE 6
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

1

COUNTY CODE
TOWNSHIP CODE
COUNTY NAME
TOWNSHIP NAME
NUMBER OF RECORDS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------001
000
BAKER
699
003
000
BENTON
579
005
000
CLACKAMAS
1,096
007
000
CLATSOP
3,183
009
000
COLUMBIA
986
011
000
COOS
334
013
000
CROOK
151
015
000
CURRY
780
017
000
DESCHUTES
362
019
000
DOUGLAS
609
021
000
GILLIAM
482
023
000
GRANT
586
025
000
HARNEY
123
027
000
HOOD RIVER
736
029
000
JACKSON
444
031
000
JEFFERSON
2,399
033
000
JOSEPHINE
1,011
035
000
KLAMATH
1,171
037
000
LAKE
451
039
000
LANE
304
041
000
LINCOLN
464
043
000
LINN
509
045
000
MALHEUR
1,623
047
000
MARION
320
049
000
MORROW
204
051
000
MULTNOMAH
2,688
053
000
POLK
289
055
000
SHERMAN
802
057
000
TILLAMOOK
525
059
000
UMATILLA
593
061
000
UNION
369
063
000
WALLOWA
872
065
000
WASCO
260
067
000
WASHINGTON
562
069
000
WHEELER
1,842
071
000
YAMHILL
432
900
000
MASTER RECORD
182
995
000
STATEWIDE,LOCS IN MORE THAN 1 CNTY
466
998
000
OUT OF STATE
228
999
000
UNKNOWN LOCATIONS
202
STATE TOTAL
29,918

***

END OF VALID COUNTY/TOWNSHIPS CODES

***

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-65

EXHIBIT 13N
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

EDIT
CODE

EDIT CHECKS

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT PARAMETER AND TOLERANCE LISTING - TABLE 7
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PARAMETER/TOLERANCE NAME

EXPO
PK#

WIN
PK#

PAGE

1

PROD
STATE
BLS
PARAMETER PARAMETER PARAMETER
VALUES
VALUES
VALUES
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
045
EIN EDIT
AME FOR EIN EDIT
070
000250
000005
000005
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
047
TAX RATE RANGE
MAXIMUM TAX RATE
001
001
015000
015000
015000
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
047
TAX RATE RANGE
MINIMUM TAX RATE
002
002
000000
000000
000000
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
048
COMMENT ERROR
COMMENT ERROR AME
056
063
000010
000000
000010
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
063
CONTRIBUTIONS > TAXABLE WAGES
EMPLOYEE TAX RATE
051
003
000000
000000
003000
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
066
PREDECESSOR ACCOUNT FORMAT
PREDECESSOR AND SUCCESSOR AME CUTOFF
006
004
000000
000000
000000
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
067
SUCCESSOR ACCOUNT FORMAT
PREDECESSOR AND SUCCESSOR AME CUTOFF
006
004
0000000000
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
070
ADDRESS EDIT
ADDRESS AME ADDRESS EDIT CUTOFF
--000005
000005
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
088
PLA ADDRESS EDIT
PLA ADDRESS PARM
000100
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
072
TRADE AND LEGAL NAME EDIT
CUTOFF PARM FOR TRADE/LEGAL NAME
--000003
000003
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT CHANGE
SPLIT LEVEL FOR EMPLOYMENT DIFFERENCE
010
005
20
20
20
(MICRO/MACRO)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT CHANGE
LOW EMPLOYMENT MAX EMPLOYMENT DIFFERENCE
011
006
10
10
15
(MICRO/MACRO)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT CHANGE
HIGH EMPLOYMENT MAX EMPLOYMENT DIFFERENCE
012
007
30
30
40
(MICRO/MACRO)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT CHANGE
HIGH REPORTING PERCENT CHANGE
013
008
10
10
15
(MICRO/MACRO)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT CHANGE
REPORTING PERCENT CHANGE
014
009
30
30
30
(MICRO/MACRO)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT CHANGE
EMPLOYMENT CHECK MULTILPIER
053
010
10
10
10
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 SMALL RECORD BYPASS
SMALL RECORD BYPASS
000015
000025
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 SMALL MACRO RECORD BYPASS
SMALL MACRO RECORD BYPASS
000000040
000000100
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 ESTABLISHMENT LIMIT
NUMER OF ESTABLISHMENTS LIMIT
000100
000100
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
091/126 NON ZERO EMPLOYMENT CUTOFF
NON ZERO EMPLOYMENT CUTOFF
000050
000050
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-66

EXHIBIT 13O
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
INITIAL RUN YYYY/Q

TIME:

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT CODE SUMMARY - TABLE 8
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

1

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

TOTAL MICRO RECORDS READ
ACTIVE MICRO RECORDS READ

:
:

152,712
117,401

115,857

554,159

NUMBER OF MACRO CELLS
MACRO CELLS WITH NO MACRO FLAGS
MACRO CELLS WITH MACRO FLAGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF MACRO FLAGS

:
:
:
:

19,243
19,134
109
116

19,173
70
73

95,765
450
464

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

MICRO RECORDS WITH NO MICRO FLAGS
(001-164)
MICRO RECORDS WITH MICRO FLAGS (001-164)
TOTAL NUMBER OF MICRO FLAGS (001-164)

:
:
:

150,147
2,565
2,938

152,026
686
698

760,500
3,060
3,086

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

RECORDS WITH MICRO I ERRORS (001-080)
TOTAL NUMBER OF MICRO I ERRORS (001-080)

:
:

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

RECORDS WITH MICRO W FLAGS (088-164)
TOTAL NUMBER OF MICRO W FLAGS (088-164)

:
:

2,565
2,938

686
698

3,060
3,086

0
0

0
0

0
0

NUMBER OF ACTIVE MULTI ACCOUNTS
MULTI ACCOUNTS WITH NO FLAGS (171-185)
MULTI ACCOUNTS WITH FLAGS (171-185)
NUMBER OF MULTI FLAGS COUNTED BY UI
ACCOUNT (171-185)
TOTAL NUMBER OF WORKSITES IN ACCOUNTS
WITH MULTI FLAGS (171-185)

:
:
:

1,333
1,332
1

1,336
1,336
0

6,644
6,643
1

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

:

2

0

1

0

0

0

:

2

0

0

0

0

0

**

MACRO CELLS WITH A-LIST FLAGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF MACRO A-LIST FLAGS

:
:

109
116

70
73

450
464

0
0

0
0

0
0

MICRO RECORDS WITH A-LIST FLAGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF MICRO A-LIST FLAGS

:
:

726
753

686
698

3,058
3,084

0
0

0
0

0
0

MULTI ACCOUNTS WITH A-LIST FLAGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF MULTI ACCOUNT A-LIST FLAGS

:
:

1
2

0
0

1
1

0
0

0
0

0
0

MICRO RECORDS WITH B-LIST FLAGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF MICRO B-LIST FLAGS

:
:

38
38

0
0

1
1

0
0

0
0

0
0

MICRO RECORDS WITH C-LIST FLAGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF MICRO C-LIST FLAGS

:
:

1,822
2,147

0
0

1
1

0
0

0
0

0
0

**

A-LIST: MICRO EDIT CODES: 002-006,010,012,013,016,025,031-036,039,040,045,056-060,062-065,070,072,080,091-097,116,126,127,
130-133,139,140,160,161
MACRO EDIT CODES: 091-094,126,127,130,131,134,135; MULTI ACCOUNT EDIT CODES: 171-174,178-185
B-LIST: MICRO EDIT CODES: 041,043,044,046,066,067,074-076,078,088,120,121,123,142,146,156,157,159,162,164
C-LIST: MICRO EDIT CODES: 001,021-024,048-052,101-112,114,118,119,124,125,128,129

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-67

EXHIBIT 13O (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
INITIAL RUN YYYY/Q

**

TIME:

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT CODE SUMMARY - TABLE 8
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

2

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

CURRENT
QUARTER

RECORDS WITH PUBLICATION EDIT FLAGS

0

0

0

0

0

0

TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLICATION EDIT FLAGS

0

0

0

0

0

0

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

------------------EMPLOYMENT-------------------

MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT FOR RECORDS WITH PUBLICATION EDIT FLAGS

0

0

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

0
-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

116

73

464

0

0

0

091

9

6

62

0

0

0

092

36

23

87

0

0

0

093

0

0

0

0

0

0

094
126

0
29

0
18

0
182

0
0

0
0

0
0

127

17

13

26

0

0

0

130

0

0

0

0

0

0

131
134
135

0
23
2

0
13
0

0
107
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

EDIT
CODE

EMPLOYMENT CHANGE GREATLY EXCEEDS
TEST PARAMATERS
AQW CHANGE IS SIGNIFIANTLY > $PARM AND
EXCEEDS TWICE THE QUARTILE AQW RANGE
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT IS SIGNIFICANTLY > $PARM,
BUT TOTAL WAGES = $0
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT = 0, BUT TOTAL WAGES
IS SIGNIFICANTLY > $PARM
EMPLOYMENT CHANGE EXCEEDS TEST PARAMETERS
AQW CHANGE > $PARM AND EXCEEDS TWICE THE
QUARTILE AQW RANGE
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT > $PARM, BUT TOTAL
TOTAL WAGES = $0
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT = 0, BUT TOTAL
WAGES > $PARM
NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS OUT OF RANGE
NEW OR DISCONTINUED MACRO RECORD

PRIOR
QUARTER

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

EDIT MESSAGES

MACRO EDIT FLAGS (CODES 091-135)

:

CURRENT
QUARTER

TOTAL

** PUBLICATION EDITS: MICRO EDIT CODES: 010,012,013,016,025,031-036,039,040,056-060,062,063
ANY RECORDS CARRYING THESE ERRORS WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM BLS DATA EXTRACTS FOR NONDISCLOSURE PROCESSING.

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-68

EXHIBIT 13O (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
INITIAL RUN YYYY/Q

TIME:

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT CODE SUMMARY - TABLE 8
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

EDIT MESSAGES

PRE-EDIT-FLAGS (LEVEL ONE, CODES 001-006)

INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID

TRANSACTION CODE
UI ACCOUNT NUMBER
REPORTING UNIT NUMBER
REFERENCE YEAR
REFERENCE QUARTER
STATE CODE

-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

TOTAL

2,938

698

3,086

0

0

0

TOTAL

0

0

0

0

0

0

001
002
003
004
005
006

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0

0

010
012
013
016

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

TOTAL

0

0

0

0

0

0

021
022
023

0
0
0

024
025

0
0

0

0

0
0

0

0

TOTAL

0

0

0

0

0

0

031
032
033
034
035
036

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

KEY FIELD EDIT FLAGS (LEVEL TWO, CODES 010-016) TOTAL

INVALID NAICS CODE
INVALID OWNERSHIP CODE
INVALID COUNTY CODE
NAICS AND OWNERSHIP INCONSISTENT

DATES AND STATUS CODE CHECKS
(LEVEL THREE, CODES 021-025)
INVALID LIABILITY DATE FORMAT
INVALID EOL DATE FORMAT
INVALID SETUP DATE FORMAT
REACTIVATION DATE FORMAT INVALID
OR EARLIER THAN LIABILITY DATE
INVALID STATUS CODE
REMAINING INVALID ERRORS
(LEVEL FOUR FOUR CODES, 031-080)

INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID

FIRST MONTH EMPLOYMENT
SECOND MONTH EMPLOYMENT
THIRD MONTH EMPLOYMENT
TOTAL WAGES
TAXABLE WAGES
CONTRIBUTIONS

3

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

EDIT
CODE

MICRO EDIT FLAGS (LEVELS 1-7, CODES 001-164)

PAGE

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

0
0
0

PRE-EDIT FLAG TOTALS ARE NOT CURRENTLY INCLUDED. THEY WILL BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE VERSIONS.
PRIOR QUARTER AND OTHER BACK QUARTER TOTALS MAY INCLUDE EDITS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED.

SEE TABLE 1B FOR PRE-EDIT FLAGS.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-69

EXHIBIT 13O (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
INITIAL RUN YYYY/Q

TIME:

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT CODE SUMMARY - TABLE 8
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

EDIT MESSAGES

INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID
INVALID

TYPE OF COVERAGE
MEEI CODE
AUXILARY CODE
PREDECESSOR SESA ID
SUCCESSOR SESA ID
FEDERAL EI NUMBER

INVALID ARS RESPONSE CODE/YEAR
INVALID COMMENT CODE
INVALID FIRST MONTH EMPLOYMENT INDICATOR
INVALID SECOND MONTH EMPLOYMENT INDICATOR
INVALID THIRD MONTH EMPLOYMENT INDICATOR
INVALID TOTAL WAGES INDICATOR
INCONSISTENT OWNERSHIP/TYPE OF COVERAGE
TAXABLE WAGES ON FEDERAL RECORD
CONTRIBUTIONS ON FEDERAL RECORD
TAXABLE WAGES > 0 FOR NONEXPERIENCE-RATED
RECORD
CONTRIBUTIONS > 0 FOR NONEXPERIENCE
RATED RECORD
TAXABLE WAGES > TOTAL WAGES
CONTRIBUTIONS > TAXABLE WAGES
MEEI/REPORTING UNIT # INCONSISTENT
INCONSISTENT COUNTY/TOWNSHIP COMBINATION
INVALID FORMAT IN PREDECESSOR ACCOUNT
INVALID FORMAT IN SUCCESSOR ACCOUNT
NO USABLE ADDRESS
BOTH TRADE AND LEGAL NAME ARE BLANK
INVALID OLD OWNERSHIP
INVALID OLD COUNTY
INVALID OLD COUNTY/TOWNSHIP COMBINATION
INVALID OLD NAICS CODE
INDIAN TRIBAL INDICATOR INCONSISTENT
WITH NAICS OR OWN

PAGE

4

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

EDIT
CODE

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

039
040
041
043
044
045

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

046
048
049
050
051
052
056
057
058

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

059

0

0

0

0

0

0

060
062
063
064
065
066
067
070
072
074
075
076
078

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

080

0

0

0

0

0

0

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-70

EXHIBIT 13O (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
INITIAL RUN YYYY/Q

TIME:

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT CODE SUMMARY - TABLE 8
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

EDIT MESSAGES

EDIT
CODE

SIGNIFICANT EMPLOYMENT AND WAGE FLAGS
(LEVEL FIVE, CODES 091-097)

TOTAL

EMPLOYMENT CHANGE GREATLY EXCEEDS TEST
PARAMETERS
AQW CHANGE IS SIGNIFICANTLY > $PARM AND
EXCEEDS TWICE THE QUARTILE AQW RANGE
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT IS SIGNIFICANTLY > $PARM,
BUT TOTAL WAGES = $0
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT = 0, BUT TOTAL WAGES
IS SIGNIFICANTLY > $PARM
TOTAL WAGES = SUM OF EMPLOYMENT +/- $PARM
IF AME IS LARGE
UNUSUALLY LARGE NEW RECORD ON FILE
UNUSUALLY LARGE DISCONTINUED RECORD
INACTIVATED

** WARNING EDIT FLAGS (LEVEL SIX, CODES 088 AND
101-146)

5

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

195

189

672

0

0

0

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

091

43

37

220

0

0

0

092

146

152

450

0

0

0

093

0

0

0

0

0

0

094

0

0

1

0

0

0

095
096

0
2

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

097

4

0

1

0

0

0

2,738

509

2,414

0

0

0

TOTAL

LARGE RECORD WITHOUT USABLE PLA
UNUSABLE MOA ADDRESS TYPE CODE
BLANK PHYSICAL LOCATION CITY, OTHER PLA
FIELDS PRESENT
UNUSABLE PHYSICAL LOCATION STATE ABBREVIATION
UNUSABLE PHYSICAL LOCATION ZIP CODE FORMAT
UNUSABLE TELEPHONE FORMAT
BLANK UI CITY, OTHER UI ADDRESS FIELDS PRESENT
UNUSABLE UI STATE ABBREVIATION
UNUSABLE UI ZIP CODE FORMAT
BLANK MAILING/OTHER CITY, OTHER M/O ADDRESS
FIELDS PRESENT
UNUSABLE MAILING/OTHER STATE ABBREVIATION
UNUSABLE MAILING/OTHER ZIP CODE FORMAT
QUESTIONABLE FAX NUMBER FORMAT
PHYSICAL ADDRESS ERROR--P O BOX, BLANK STREET
OR OUT-OF-STATE IN PHYSICAL ADDRESS BLOCK
EIN MISSING FOR MORE THAN $PARM MONTHS
COMPUTED TAX RATE > $TOL% FROM REPORTED, AND
COMPUTED TAX > $TOL FROM REPORTED

PAGE

088
101

32
1,624

0
0

102
103
104
105
106
107
108

93
114
58
0
5
14
14

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

109
110
111
112

20
32
9
0

0
0
0
0

114
116

163
1

0
0

118

0

0

0

0

** ADDRESS FLAGS 101-114 WILL NOT APPEAR ON TABLE 9B UNLESS THE RECORDS FAILS EDIT CODE 70 (NO USEABLE ADDRESS).

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-71

EXHIBIT 13O (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
INITIAL RUN YYYY/Q

TIME:

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT CODE SUMMARY - TABLE 8
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

EDIT MESSAGES

FIRST QUARTER TAXABLE WAGES MISSING FOR AN
EXPERIENCE-RATED ACCOUNT
POSSIBLE NONECONOMIC CODE CHANGE
CODE CHANGE BACK TO A RECENT CODE
EXPECTED CODE CHANGE NOT MADE
INACTIVE RECORD WITH REPORTED
EMPLOYMENT/WAGE DATA
DATA REPORTED PRIOR TO LIABILITY DATA
EMPLOYMENT CHANGE EXCEEDS TEST
PARAMETERS
AQW CHANGE > $PARM AND EXCEEDS TWICE THE
QUARTILE AQW RANGE
IDENTICAL MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT > $PARM
TAXABLE/TOTAL WAGE RATIO EXCEEDS PRIOR YEAR
RATIO BY $PARM%
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT > $PARM, BUT TOTAL
WAGES = $0
AVERAGE EMPLOYMENT = 0, BUT TOTAL
WAGES > $PARM
TOTAL WAGES = SUM OF EMPLOYMENT +/- $PARM
UNCLASSIFIED INDUSTRY, EMPLOYMENT > PARM
NEW RECORD?
DISCONTINUED RECORD?
INCONSISTENT AUXILIARY/NAICS COMBINATION
OLD CODES ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH 4TH QTR
CODES
PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR EDIT FLAGS
(LEVEL 7, CODES 151-164)
PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR ACCOUNT DISCREPANCY
PREDECESSOR END OF LIABILITY DATE ERROR
SUCCESSOR REPORTED PRIOR TO LIABILITY DATE
SUCCESSOR REPORTED LATER THAN LIABILITY DATE
DATA REPORTED FOR RECORD CODED
OUT-OF-BUSINESS
PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR COUNTY CODE
CHANGE CONFLICT
PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR OWNERSHIP CODE CHANGE
CONFLICT

PAGE

6

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

EDIT
CODE

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

CURRENT
QUARTER

PRIOR
QUARTER

119
120
121
123

0
1
1
4

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

124
125

1
0

126

418

297

2,052

0

0

0

127
128

108
0

212
0

354
0

0
0

0
0

0
0

129

0

0

1

0

0

0

130

0

0

0

0

0

0

131

0

0

2

0

0

0

132
133
139
140
142

0
2
19
5
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
4
1

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

146

0

0

TOTAL

5

0

151
152
153
154

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

155

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

0
0

0

156

0

0

157

0

0

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-72

EXHIBIT 13O (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
INITIAL RUN YYYY/Q

TIME:

06:06:06 PM

(STATE)
EDIT CODE SUMMARY - TABLE 8
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

EDIT MESSAGES

PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR TOWNSHIP CODE CHANGE
CONFLICT
BOTH PREDECESSOR AND SUCCESSOR REPORTED
NEITHER PREDECESSOR NOR SUCCESSOR REPORTED
QUESTIONABLE INCONSISTENCIES RESULT
IN PRED/SUCC RELATIONSHIP
PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR NAICS CODE
CHANGE CONFLICT
MULTI FLAGS COUNTED BY UI ACCOUNT
(LEVEL 8, CODES 171-185)

PAGE

7

------------TOTAL FLAGGED------------

-------FLAGGED AND PRINTED------

EDIT
CODE

CURRENT
QUARTER

CURRENT
QUARTER

159
160
161

0
4
1

0
0
0

162

0

0

164

0

0

TOTAL

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

PRIOR
QUARTER

OTHER BACK
QUARTERS

2

0

1

0

0

0

MULTI OUT OF BALANCE FLAGS
COUNTED BY UI ACCOUNT (171-174)

0

0

0

0

0

0

WORKSITES IN ACCOUNTS WITH
OUT OF BALANCE FLAGS (171-174)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

2

0

1

0

0

0

FIRST MONTH EMPLOYMENT NOT IN BALANCE
SECOND MONTH EMPLOYMENT NOT IN BALANCE
THIRD MONTH EMPLOYMENT NOT IN BALANCE
TOTAL WAGES NOT IN BALANCE

171
172
173
174

OTHER MULTI FLAGS COUNTED BY UI
ACCOUNT (178-185)
WORKSITES IN ACCOUNTS WITH OTHER MULTI
FLAGS (178-185)
MASTER WITHOUT MULTIPLE WORKSITES
WORKSITE MISSING MASTER
SINGLE ACCOUNT/ACTIVE WORKSITES
WORKSITE OWNERSHIP CODE DIFFERS FROM MASTER
WORKSITE EIN DIFFERS FROM MASTER
INCONSISTENT INDIAN TRIBAL CODES
WITHIN THE MULTI ACCOUNT

2

0

0

0

0

0

178
179
180
181
182

0
1
1
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

1
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0

185

0

0

0

0

0

0

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13P
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
PAGE
1
INTEGRATED MACRO EDIT - TABLE 9A
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
NAICS:
561599 All other travel arrangement services
OTQ
OTY |
NO. |
|
PCT
PCT | ESTABL |
M1
M2
M3 |
TOTAL WAGES
|
|
|
-5
-30 |
1 |
473
491
631 |
2,322,630
-45
-19 |
1 |
394
393
397 |
1,815,463
57
84 |
1 |
458
446
429 |
3,708,337
-15
3 |
1 |
352
354
371 |
1,912,535
11
9 |
1 |
341
351
358 |
2,196,153
25
6 |
1 |
345
350
355 |
1,981,702
-12
-18 |
1 |
640
403
408 |
2,192,860
-11
-5 |
1 |
364
368
353 |
1,872,464

OWNERSHIP: 3
COUNTY: 018 DUCHMASTER
|
AME
OTQ
OTY |
AWW
YEAR/Q |
PCT
PCT |
|
|
2005/2 |
532
35
52 |
336
2005/1 |
395
-11
13 |
354
2004/4 |
444
24
-8 |
642
2004/3 |
359
3
-1 |
410
2004/2 |
350
0
-10 |
483
2004/1 |
350
-28
-2 |
436
2003/4 |
484
34
18 |
349
2003/3 |
362
-7
-22 |
398
2005/2 MACRO EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
126-W EMPLOYMENT CHANGE EXCEEDS TEST PARAMETERS
2004/4 MACRO EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
092-W AQW CHANGE IS SIGNIFICANTLY > PARM AND EXCEEDS TWICE THE QUARTILE AQW RANGE
************************************************************************************************************************************
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 0011223344 00000
TRADE: CITY OF USA
PRED: 0099887766 00000
SETUP: 1980/01/01 AVER
EIN: 987321654
LEGAL:
SUCC:
REACT:
/ /
521
LIAB: 1980/01/01
EOL:
/ /
S M O
|------AME------|
|------AWW------|
YEAR/Q T E W EDI NAICS CNT
LEV
OTQ
OTY
LEV
OTQ
OTY
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES CC CC CC
QVER
2005/2 1 3 3
561599 109
532
137
182
336
-18
-147
473R
491R
631R
2,322,630P 03 35
521
2005/1 1 3 3
561599 109
395
-49
45
354
-288
-82
394R
393R
397R
1,815,463R 04 35
521
2004/4 1 3 3
561599 109
444
85
-40
642
232
293
458R
446R
429R
3,708,337H 05 31
511
2004/3 1 3 3
561599 109
359
9
-3
410
-73
12
352P
354P
371P
1,912,535P
431
2004/2 1 3 3
561599 109
350
0
-39
483
47
38
341P
351P
358P
2,196,153P
421
2004/1 1 3 3
561599 109
350
-134
-7
436
87
24
345R
350R
355R
1,981,702R
411
2003/4 1 3 3
561599 109
484
122
73
349
-49
-79
640R
403R
408R
2,192,860R 05 06
411
ARS RESPONSE CODE: 41
ARS REFILE YEAR: 2003 OLD COUNTY: 109 OLD NAICS: 561599 OLD OWN: 3
OLD TOWN: 000
2005/2 EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
126-W EMPLOYMENT CHANGE EXCEEDS TEST PARAMETERS
1 OF
1 ASSOCIATED MICRO RECORDS WERE PRINTED FOR ESTBL <= PARM
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Page 13-73

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-74

EXHIBIT 13Q
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
MICRO EDITS ONLY - - TABLE 9B
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
CITY OF BUBBLE SPRINGS
LEGAL: CITY OF BUBBLE SPRINGS
/ /
SETUP: 2004/05/12 REACT:
/ /
RCI: 0
SPEC:
ECCI: 00

PAGE
1
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 4567890123 00044
TRADE:
EIN: 567890123
LIAB: 2005/01/01 EOL:
CES:
ORG:
PRED:
SUCC:
S M C O
A
AGENT EDI
YEAR/Q T E V W NAICS SIC X NSTA
CTY TWN
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES
AWW TAX. WAGES
CTB
CC CC CC CODE
2005/1 1 1 9 1 926110 9999 5
019 000
314
319
320
4,809,618
1163
0
0 99
2004/4 3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2004/3 3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2004/2 3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2004/1 9 1 0 5 926110 9999 5
019 000
220
222
225
3,281,636
1137
0
0
2003/4 3
0M
0M
0M
0M
0
0
0
CURRENT QTR NARRATIVE: First time reporting in over a year
ARS RESPONSE CODE:
REFILE YEAR:
OLD CODES:
CNTY:
OWN:
NAICS:
TOWN: 000
--------PHYSICAL LOCATION-------------------------UI ADDRESS--------------------------MAILING/OTHER------------STREET ADDRESS-1 | 20 MILKY WAY
|
|1234 MAIN ST
|
STREET ADDRESS-2 |
|
|ROOM 58
|
CITY
| BUBBLE SPRINGS
|
|ANYWHERE
|
STATE ZIP
| UA 23456|
|ST 23456|
|UI ADDRESS TYPE:
|MAILING/OTHER ADDRESS TYPE: 9
|
PHONE: 123-456-7890 EXT. 00000 FAX: 123-456-7891
RPRTG UNIT DESC:
2005/1 EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
096-W UNUSUALLY LARGE NEW RECORD ON FILE
**********************************************************************************************************************************
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13R
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
PAGE
1
MICRO DELETES ONLY - - TABLE 9D
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 0123456789 00044
TRADE: BACON AND EGGS
LEGAL:
EIN: 123456789
LIAB: 2005/01/01 EOL:
/ /
SETUP: 2005/05/31 REACT:
/ /
RCI:
CES:
ORG:
PRED:
SUCC:
SPEC:
S M C O
A DELETE
AGENT EDI
YEAR/Q T E V W NAICS SIC X FLAG
CTY TWN
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES
AWW TAX. WAGES
CTB
CC CC CC CODE
2005/2 2
D
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2005/1 2 3 0 5 424810 5181 5
D
001 000
147
146
151
1,677,529
872
1,465,626
20,518 91
2004/4 3
0M
0M
0M
0M
0
0
0
2004/3 3
0M
0M
0M
0M
0
0
0
2004/2 3
0M
0M
0M
0M
0
0
0
2004/1 3
0M
0M
0M
0M
0
0
0
CURRENT QTR NARRATIVE:
ARS RESPONSE CODE:
REFILE YEAR:
OLD CODES:
CNTY:
OWN:
NAICS:
TOWN: 000
--------PHYSICAL LOCATION-------------------------UI ADDRESS--------------------------MAILING/OTHER------------STREET ADDRESS-1 | 3 MAIN STREET
|789 BOARDWALK RD
|
|
STREET ADDRESS-2 |
|
|
|
CITY
| ANYWHERE
|ANYPLACE
|
|
STATE ZIP
| UA 12345|UA 98765-0000
|
|
ADDRESS TYPE:
PHONE:
123-456-7890
REPORTING UNIT DESCRIPTION:
**********************************************************************************************************************************
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.
***
END OF MICRO DELETES LISTING ****

Page 13-75

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13S
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
PAGE
1
UNUSABLE PHYSICAL LOCATION ADDRESSES - - TABLE 9G
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 1234567890 00044
TRADE:
LEGAL:LEGAL NAME
EIN: 012345678
LIAB: 1936/11/01 EOL:
/ /
REACT:
/ /
PRED: 0000012223 00010 SUCC: 0000388888 00007 SPEC:
AVER: 511
CONTACT:
WEB:
TITLE:
E-MAIL:
YEAR/Q ST MEEI OWN NAICS CTY TWN LOC GS MATCH
LATITUDE
LONGITUDE PLACE
CENSUS BLOCK
AS
AME AGENT EDI QVER
2005/1 1 3
5 221112 029 000
104
511
OLD ARS CODE: RESP: 41 REFILE YEAR: 2004 CNTY:
CMI: 00 | | FUTURE ARS CODES: RESP:
REFILE YEAR:
CNTY:
CMI:
--------PHYSICAL LOCATION-------------------------UI ADDRESS--------------------------MAILING/OTHER------------STREET ADDRESS-1 |
|092 PENGUINS R US ROAD
|
|
STREET ADDRESS-2 |
|
|
|
CITY
|
|ANYWHERE
|
|
STATE ZIP
|
|UA 12345|
|
PLA CHANGED DATE:
/ /
|UI ADDRESS TYPE: 9
|MAILING/OTHER ADDRESS TYPE:
|
PHONE:
00 EXT. 00000 FAX:
RPRTG UNIT DESC:
COLLETON COUNTY
2005/1 EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
088-W LARGE RECORD WITHOUT USABLE PLA
************************************************************************************************************************************
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 1234567890 00044
TRADE:
LEGAL:OFFICE INC.
EIN: 987654321
LIAB: 1966/06/01 EOL:
/ /
REACT:
/ /
PRED:
SUCC:
SPEC:
AVER: 511
CONTACT:
WEB:
TITLE:
E-MAIL:
YEAR/Q ST MEEI OWN NAICS CTY TWN LOC GS MATCH
LATITUDE
LONGITUDE PLACE
CENSUS BLOCK
AS
AME AGENT EDI QVER
2005/1 1 3
5 236220 045 000
201
511
OLD ARS CODE: RESP: 41 REFILE YEAR: 2003 CNTY:
CMI: 00 | | FUTURE ARS CODES: RESP:
REFILE YEAR:
CNTY:
CMI:
--------PHYSICAL LOCATION-------------------------UI ADDRESS--------------------------MAILING/OTHER------------STREET ADDRESS-1 |
|P O BOX 1
|
|
STREET ADDRESS-2 |
|
|
|
CITY
|
|ANYWHERE
|
|
STATE ZIP
|
|UA 12345|
|
PLA CHANGED DATE:
/ /
|UI ADDRESS TYPE: 9
|MAILING/OTHER ADDRESS TYPE:
|
PHONE:
00 EXT. 00000 FAX:
RPRTG UNIT DESC:
OFFICEVILLE
2005/1 EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
088-W LARGE RECORD WITHOUT USABLE PLA

Page 13-76

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-77

EXHIBIT 13T
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM
(STATE)
RECORDS FAILING NAICS PUBLICATION STANDARDS
- TABLE 9X
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
1
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

CURRENT
|
PRIOR
|
QTR 3
|
QTR 4
|
QTR 5
|
QTR TOT
|
QTR TOT
|
TOT
|
TOT
|
TOT
|
________________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL RECORDS FAILING SPECIAL CONDITIONS
63|
66|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
12,548|
13,559|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
97,878,412|
110,351,287|
0|
0|
0|
LARGE RECORDS WITH CNTY 999
63|
66|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
12,548|
13,559|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
97,878,412|
110,351,287|
0|
0|
0|
LARGE RECORDS WITH NAICS 999999
1|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
108|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
286,865|
0|
0|
0|
0|
LARGE RECORDS WITH CNTY 995
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECORDS IN DC WITH SECTOR 11
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECORDS IN DC WITH COUNTY 995/999
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
EDIT |
CURRENT
|
PRIOR
|
QTR 3
|
QTR 4
|
QTR 5
|
CODE |
QTR TOT
|
QTR TOT
|
TOT
|
TOT
|
TOT
|
______________________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL RECORDS FAILING NAICS PUBLICATION EDITS
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID NAICS CODE
010 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID OWNERSHIP CODE
012 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID COUNTY CODE
013 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ NAICS & OWNERSHIP INCONSISTENT
016 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID STATUS CODE
025 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID M1 EMPLOYMENT
031 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
**********************************************************************************************************************************
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-78

EXHIBIT 13T (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM
(STATE)
RECORDS FAILING NAICS PUBLICATION STANDARDS
- TABLE 9X
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
2
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

EDIT |
CURRENT
|
PRIOR
|
QTR 3
|
QTR 4
|
QTR 5
|
CODE |
QTR TOT
|
QTR TOT
|
TOT
|
TOT
|
TOT
|
______________________________________________________________________________________
RECS W/ INVALID M2 EMPLOYMENT
032 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID M3 EMPLOYMENT
033 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID TOTAL WAGES
034 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID TAXABLE WAGES
035 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID CONTRIBUTIONS
036 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID TYPE OF COVERAGE
039 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ INVALID MEEI
040 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/INCONSISTENT OWNERSHIP/TYPE OF COVERAGE 056 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ TAXABLE WAGES ON FEDERAL RECORD
057 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ CONTRIBUTIONS ON FEDERAL RECORD
058 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ CONTRIB>0 FOR NON-EXP RATED RECORD
060 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ TAXABLE WAGES > TOTAL WAGES
062 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
RECS W/ CONTRIBUTIONS > TAXABLE WAGES
063 |
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
MONTH 3 EMPLOYMENT
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
TOTAL WAGES
|
0|
0|
0|
0|
0|
**********************************************************************************************************************************
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-79

EXHIBIT 13T (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM
(STATE)
RECORDS FAILING NAICS PUBLICATION STANDARDS
- TABLE 9X
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
3
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 1234567890 00044
TRADE: TRAIN FOREST
LEGAL: TRAIN FOREST UNLIMITED
EIN: 123456789
LIAB: 2000/07/01 EOL:
/ /
SETUP: 2000/10/01 REACT:
/ /
ORG:
AVER: 511
PRED: 987654321 00000 SUCC:
S M C O
A
YEAR/Q T E V W NAICS X CTY TWN
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES
AWW TAX. WAGES
CTB
CC CC CC EDI QVER
2005/1 1 4 0 5 561320 5 999 000 1,447
1,500
1,476
5,744,647
300
5,666,466
228,925
511
2004/4 1 4 0 5 561320 5 999 000 1,837
1,703
1,546
6,755,537
307
4,684,745
156,470 05
441
2004/3 1 4 0 5 561320 5 999 000 1,415
1,515
1,593
6,750,921
344
4,973,060
166,100
431
2004/2 1 4 0 5 561320 5 999 000 1,316
1,344
1,469
5,524,118
309
4,786,614
159,873
421
2004/1 1 4 0 5 561320 5 999 000 1,186E 1,423E 1,565E
4,578,579
253
4,497,271
150,209
411
2003/4 1 4 0 5 561320 5 999 000 1,238
1,276
1,223
5,088,836
314
3,364,789
105,654
341
ARS RESPONSE CODE: 41 REFILE YEAR: 2004 OLD CODES:
CNTY:
OWN:
NAICS:
TOWN: 000
**********************************************************************************************************************************
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-80

EXHIBIT 13U
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

12:20:28 PM

STATE
LARGE MASTER RECORD EDIT - - TABLE 9M-EMP
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING

UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 0123456789 98765
TRADE: MEATBALL INC.
EIN:
830589112
LEGAL: SPAGHETTI NOODLES
NAICS: “Offices of physicians, except mental health”

YEAR/Q
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
2003/4
2003/3

S
T
1
1
1
1
2
2
2

M
E
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

O
W
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

2002/2

NAICS
621111
621111
621111
621111
621111
621111
621111

CTY
049
049
049
049
049
049
049

|-----AME(000s)-----|
LEVEL
OTQ
OTY
1.5
.2
1.5
1.3
0
1.3
1.3
0
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

|-----AWW(000S)-----|
LEVEL
OTQ
OTY
.5
0
.5
.5
0
.5
.5
0
.5
.5
.5
.5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

PRED:
SUCC:

UT
100
95
95
95
0
0
0

ET
100
95
95
95
0
0
0

PAGE
1
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

LIAB: 2001/06/15 AVER: 511
SETUP: 2001/06/15

M1
1,000
2,000
800
800
0
0
0

M2
1,500
1,000
1,000
1,000
0
0
0

M3
2,000
800
800
800
0
0
0

TOT W
(000,000S)
10.0
8.0
8.8
8.8
0
0
0

CC CC CC QVER
03 01
511
441
03
441
85
431
412
341
331

EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
091-W EMPLOYMENT CHANGE GREATLY EXCEEDS TEST PARAMETERS

****************************************************************************************************************************************
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 0123456789 98765
TRADE:
EIN:
814071669
LEGAL: NEW MARKETS CONSULTING
NAICS: “Offices of physicians, except mental health”

YEAR/Q
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
2003/4
2003/3

S
T
1
1
1
1
2
2
2

M
E
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

2002/2

O
W
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

NAICS
621111
621111
621111
621111
621111
621111
621111

CTY
049
049
049
049
049
049
049

|-----AME(000S)-----|
LEVEL
OTQ
OTY
1.5
.2
1.5
1.3
0
1.3
1.3
0
1.3
1.3
1.3
1.3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

|-----AWW(000S)-----|
LEVEL
OTQ
OTY
.5
0
.5
.5
0
.5
.5
0
.5
.5
.5
.5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

PRED:
SUCC:

UT
100
95
95
95
0
0
0

ET
100
95
95
95
0
0
0

LIAB: 2001/06/15 AVER: 511
SETUP: 2001/06/15

M1
1,000
2,000
800
800
0
0
0

M2
1,500
1,000
1,000
1,000
0
0
0

M3
2,000
800
800
800
0
0
0

TOT W
(000,000S)
10.0
8.0
8.8
8.8
0
0
0

CC CC CC QVER
03 01
511
511
03
431
85
431
411
341
331

EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
091-W EMPLOYMENT CHANGE GREATLY EXCEEDS TEST PARAMETERS

****************************************************************************************************************************************
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

EXHIBIT 13V
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
PAGE
1
PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR EDIT LISTING - TABLE 9P
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
PREDECESSOR
|
SUCCESSOR
UI/RUN:
1234567890/00044
| 0003456789/00045
EIN:
987654321
| 412412412
LEGAL NAME:
COMPANY CORPORATION
| ACE INCORPORATED
TRADE NAME:
THE COMPANY
| AZTEC MERCHANDISE
NAICS:
336330 Motor vehicle steering and suspension pa
| 336330 Motor vehicle steering and suspension pa
DATES:
LIAB: 1994/04/01
EOL:
/ /
REACT:
/ /
| LIAB: 2005/01/01
EOL:
/ /
REACT:
/ /
CURRENT CC:
92
| 92
CURRENT NAR:
|
PRIOR CC:
|
PRIOR NAR:
|
ARS:
RESPONSE CODE: 98
REFILE YEAR: 2005 AVER: 511
| RESPONSE CODE: 41
REFILE YEAR: 2005 AVER: 512
OLD CODES:
CTY:
OWN:
NAICS:
| CTY:
OWN:
NAICS:
|---------------------------2004/4----------------------------|---------------------------2005/1----------------------------|
| S M O
| S M O
|
| T E W NAICS CTY TWN
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES QVER | T E W NAICS CTY TWN
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES QVER |
PRED | 1 1 5 336330 083 000
501R
499R
499R
5,906,511R 511 | 1 1 5 336330 083 000
357R
361R
358R
3,728,152R 511 |
SUCC | 3
0M
0M
0M
0M 000 | 1 1 5 336330 083 000
141R
139R
142R
1,434,158R 512 |
2005/1 EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
160-W BOTH PREDECESSOR AND SUCCESSOR REPORTED
**********************************************************************************************************************************
** CONFIDENTIAL DATA ** FOR STATISTICAL USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. DESTROY ACCORDING TO RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.

Page 13-81

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-82

EXHIBIT 13W
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

UI ACCT: 0987654321

RUN

(STATE)
MULTI-ESTABLISHMENT EDIT LISTING - TABLE 10
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

HARBORS TROLLING INC

EIN: 737373737

OWN: 5

P/S:

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

SPEC:

AGENT:

EDI:

AVER: 512

|------------------------2004/4---------------------------|-------------------------2005/1-----------------------|
S M CTY NAICS
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES QVER | S M CTY NAICS
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES QVER

NAME

00000
00001
00002

06:33:21 PM

HARBORS
HARBORS

3
3
3

0
0
0

0M
0M
0M

0M
0M
0M

0M
0M
0M

|
|
0M 000 | 1 1 995 561320
0M 000 | 1 3 016 561320
0M 000 | 1 3 026 621610

0

0

0

0

0M
0C
0M

0M
95C
112C

0M
96C
111C

0M 512
437,571C 511
510,901C 511

0

207

207

948,472

NO MASTER RECORD
SUM OF WORKSITES
2005/1

***

TALLY:

0

EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:

179

WORKSITE MISSING MASTER

180

SINGLE ACCOUNT/ACTIVE WORKSITES

END OF MULTI ESTABLISHMENT EDIT LISTING

****

TALLY:

2

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-83

EXHIBIT 13X
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

CNTY: 015

OWN: 2

07:07:00 AM

(STATE)
MACRO REVISIONS
TABLE 13A
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

INDUSTRY CODE: 311330

2004/3
|
2004/4
NO. OF
EMPLOYMENT
|
NO. OF
EMPLOYMENT
DATA
ESTABL
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES|
ESTABL
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------OLD:
4
4752
4758
4766
48,368,553|
4
4723
4729
4737
48,078,342
NEW:
4
4752
4758
4766
48,368,553|
4
4454
4490
4746
46,980,716
NET
|
DIFF:
+0
+0
+0
+0
+0|
+0
-269
-239
+9
-1,097,626
____________________________________________________________________|________________________________________________________________
CNTY: 017

OWN: 5

INDUSTRY CODE: 334119

2004/3
|
2004/4
NO. OF
EMPLOYMENT
|
NO. OF
EMPLOYMENT
DATA
ESTABL
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES|
ESTABL
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------OLD:
26
77
78
79
696,890|
28
136
140
144
9,409,838
NEW:
26
77
78
79
696,890|
27
76
80
81
696,927
NET
|
DIFF:
+0
+0
+0
+0
+0|
-1
-60
-60
-63
-8,712,911
EDIT CODES - REMAINING MACRO CODES AND ERROR LEVEL STATUS:
| EDIT CODES - REMAINING MACRO CODES AND ERROR LEVEL STATUS:
____________________________________________________________________|_______________________________________________________________
CNTY: 019

OWN: 5

INDUSTRY CODE: 522210

2004/3
|
2004/4
NO. OF
EMPLOYMENT
|
NO. OF
EMPLOYMENT
DATA
ESTABL
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES|
ESTABL
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------OLD:
12
1397
1413
1407
15,424,274|
13
1548
1547
1546
15,717,833
NEW:
12
1397
1413
1407
15,424,274|
12
1407
1403
1406
13,883,917
NET
|
DIFF:
+0
+0
+0
+0
+0|
-1
-141
-144
-140
-1,833,916
EDIT CODES - REMAINING MACRO CODES AND ERROR LEVEL STATUS:
| EDIT CODES - REMAINING MACRO CODES AND ERROR LEVEL STATUS:
|
L6
____________________________________________________________________|________________________________________________________________

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-84

EXHIBIT 13Y
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

OWNERSHIP:
|
YEAR/Q |
|
2005/1 |
2004/4 |
2004/3 |
2004/2 |
2004/1 |
2003/4 |
2003/3 |
2003/2 |

5

COUNTY:
AME

777
899
902
944
875
932
1,784
1,605

08:08:08 AM

020

OTQ
PCT
-14
0
-4
8
-6
-48
11
34

(STATE NAME)
MACRO REVISIONS FAILING EDITS - TABLE 13B
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

ANCHORAGE
OTY |
PCT |
|
-11 |
-4 |
-49 |
-41 |
43 |
13 |
1 |
-17 |

NAICS: 611310

AWW

753
875
857
957
777
912
2,482
3,183

OTQ
PCT
-14
2
-10
23
-15
-63
-22
47

OTY |
NO.
PCT | ESTABL
|
-3 |
4
-4 |
4
-65 |
4
-70 |
5
-2 |
4
-2 |
4
13 |
8
4 |
8

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

Colleges and universities

M1

M2

888
910
966
978
916
918
1,762
1,589

887
709
958
955
883
932
1,779
1,605

|
M3 |
|
855 |
889 |
902 |
899 |
825 |
945 |
1,810 |
1,622 |

TOTAL WAGES
25,464,866
15,140,125
15,274,259
11,739,554
8,834,340
11,040,406
57,553,640
66,430,607

2005/1 MACRO EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
126-W EMPLOYMENT CHANGE EXCEEDS TEST PARAMETERS
2004/2 MACRO EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
126-W EMPLOYMENT CHANGE EXCEEDS TEST PARAMETERS
SUMMARY OF DIFFERENCES
DEC. EMPL.
CHANGE TO:
407
CHANGE FROM:
0
NET DIFFERENCE:
407

2004/4
TOTAL WAGES
5,822,537
0
5,822,537

NO. ESTAB.
1
0
1

2005/1
JAN EMPL.
FEB EMPL.
288
326
0
0
288
326

MAR EMPL.
339
0
339

TOTAL WAGES
6,900,763
0
6,900,763

************************************************************************************************************************************
QVER: 511
DIFFERENCE
2004/1

NO. OF
EMPLOYMENT
ESTABL
M1
M2
M3
TOTAL WAGES|
---------------------------------------------------------------+0
-116
-127
-36
-3,447,234

************************************************************************************************************************************
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 5567890123 00044

YEAR/Q
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1

S
T
1
1
1
1
1

M
E
3
3
3
3
3

O
W EDI NAICS CTY
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020

TRADE: HELIOBACTOR PILORI
|------AME------|
LEV
OTQ
OTY
8
3
2
5
1
-1
4
-1
-1
5
-1
5
6
0
6

|------AWW------|
LEV
OTQ
OTY
460
-70
-194
530
90
146
440
-19
102
459
-195
459
654
270
654

PRED:

M1
7R
3R
5R
5D
6E

SUCC:

M2
9R
5R
4R
5D
6E

M3
9R
6R
3R
5D
6E

TOTAL WAGES
49,805R
32,168R
22,871R
29,853R
51,008R

CC CC CC

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-85

EXHIBIT 13Y (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

08:08:08 AM

(STATE NAME)
MACRO REVISIONS FAILING EDITS - TABLE 13B
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
2
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

************************************************************************************************************************************
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 4567890123 00044

YEAR/Q
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1

S
T
1
1
1
1
1

M
E
3
3
3
3
3

O
W EDI NAICS CTY
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020

TRADE:

PRED:

|------AME------|
LEV
OTQ
OTY
877
5
5
836
-11
-7
942
4
82
909
8
-484
839
-6
-446

|------AWW------|
LEV
OTQ
OTY
2,234
60
186
1,393
12
-55
1,247
29
39
966
24 -4304
782
-15 -2585

M1
888
910E
966
943
880

M2
887
709E
958
920
845

SUCC: 1970/01/06

M3
855
889E
902
863
791

TOTAL WAGES
25,464,866
15,140,125E
15,274,259
11,407,193
8,521,631

CC CC CC
31

05 31

2005/1 EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
092-W AQW CHANGE IS SIGNIFICANTLY > PARM AND EXCEEDS TWICE THE QUARTILE AQW RANGE
************************************************************************************************************************************
UI ACCOUNT/RUN: 0123456789 00022

YEAR/Q
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1

S
T
1
1
1
1
1

M
E
3
3
3
3
3

O
W EDI NAICS CTY
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020
5
611310 020

TRADE:

PRED:

|------AME------|
LEV
OTQ
OTY
877
5
5
836
-11
-7
942
4
82
909
8
-484
839
-6
-446

|------AWW------|
LEV
OTQ
OTY
2,234
60
186
1,393
12
-55
1,247
29
39
966
24 -4304
782
-15 -2585

M1
888
910E
966
943
880

M2
887
709E
958
920
845

SUCC: 1970/01/06

M3
855
889E
902
863
791

TOTAL WAGES
25,464,866
15,140,125E
15,274,259
11,407,193
8,521,631

2005/1 EDIT CODES/MESSAGES:
092-W AQW CHANGE IS SIGNIFICANTLY > PARM AND EXCEEDS TWICE THE QUARTILE AQW RANGE
******** END OF MACRO REVISIONS FAILING EDITS REPORT **************

CC CC CC
31

05 31

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-86

EXHIBIT 13Z
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q
COUNT

CODE

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
COMMENT CODES AND NARRATIVE COMMENTS - TABLE 15
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

1

DESCRIPTION.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
0
00
MULTIPLE WORKSITES TO SINGLE (QCEW).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1,899
01-19 EMPLOYMENT SHIFTS.
22
01
SEASONAL INCREASE.
65
02
SEASONAL DECREASE.
236
03
MORE BUSINESS (EXPANSION).
231
04
LESS BUSINESS (CONTRACTION).
45
05
SHORT-TERM/SPECIFIC BUSINESS PROJECT STARTING OR CONTINUING.
30
06
SHORT-TERM/SPECIFIC BUSINESS PROJECT COMPLETED OR APPROACHING COMPLETION.
6
07
LAYOFF, NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED.
29
09
TEMPORARY SHUTDOWN
3
10
CONVERSION OR REMODEL OF FACILITIES, RETOOLING, OR REPAIR & MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT RESULTING IN EMPL. DECREASE.
1
11
CONVERSION OR REMODEL OF FACILITIES, RETOOLING, OR REPAIR & MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT RESULTING IN EMPL. INCREASE.
48
12
INTERNAL REORGANIZATION, DOWNSIZING OR BANKRUPTCY RESULTING IN AN EMPLOYMENT DECREASE.
12
13
INTERNAL REORGANIZATION, DOWNSIZING OR BANKRUPTCY RESULTING IN AN EMPLOYMENT INCREASE.
1
14
NONSTANDARD WORK SCHEDULE.
43
15
INTRA-ACCOUNT (FIRM) TRANSFERS.
1,100
18
ACTIVE EMPLOYER REPORTING ZERO EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES.
27
19
EMPLOYMENT RETURNS OR RETURNING TO NORMAL OR A NEWNORMAL AFTER CODED 07-18.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
919
20-36 PAY SHIFTS.
13
20
WAGE RATE DECREASE.
8
21
WAGE RATE INCREASE (INCLUDING COLAS).
97
22
INCREASE IN PERCENTAGE OF LOWER-PAID EMPLOYEES.
24
23
INCREASE IN PERCENTAGE OF HIGHER-PAID EMPLOYEES.
2
24
LOWER HOURLY EARNINGS OR WAGES BECAUSE OF PIECEWORK OR LOWER INCENTIVE PAY.
13
29
SEVERENCE PAY DISTRIBUTED.
5
30
WAGES PAID TO EMPLOYEES WORKING IN PAY PERIODS NOT INCLUDING THE 12 OF THE MONTH AND NOT SHOWN IN EMPLOYMENT.
370
31
BONUSES, EXECUTIVE PAY, PROFITS DISTRIBUTED LUMP-SUM PAYMENTS.
1
32
CHANGE IN COMMISSIONS.
1
34
CHANGE IN HOURLY EARNINGS OR PAY DUE TO CHANGE IN AMOUNT OF SHIFT WORK WITH PAY DIFFERENTIAL.
4
35
CHANGES IN HOURS, EARNINGS, OR WAGES DUE TO LEGISLATION/ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS.
381
36
PAY RETURNS OR RETURNING TO NORMAL OR A NEW NORMAL AFTER CODED 29-35.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1
39
LABOR SHORTAGE.
1
39
DECREASE IN EMPLOYMENT RESULTING FROM A LABOR SORTAGE.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5
40-47, 49 HOURS, TIME AND VACATION.
1
40
SHORTER SCHEDULED WORKWEEK; FEWER HOURS WORKED; NUMBER OF PAY PERIODS LESS THAN USUAL.
4
43
INCREASE IN PART-TIME WORKERS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3
48
IMPROVED REPORTING (QCEW).
3
48
IMPROVED REPORTING (QCEW).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-87

EXHIBIT 13Z (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q
COUNT

CODE

06:07:08 PM

(STATE)
COMMENT CODES AND NARRATIVE COMMENTS - TABLE 15
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE

2

DESCRIPTION.

0
50-55 EXTERNAL FACTORS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
0
58
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
0
59-60 DEFENSE-RELATED CODES.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
0
61-64 TEMPORARY USE CODES (CES/QCEW).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
0
65-74 STATE-SPECIFIC CODES (CES USE ONLY).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
0
75-79 TAX OR COVERAGE CHANGES (QCEW USE ONLY).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
484
80-82 CODING AND CLASSIFICATION CHANGES.
478
81
NONECONOMIC CODE CHANGE.
6
82
ECONOMIC CODE CHANGE.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2,978
83-93 REPORTING ISSUES.
185
83
EMPLOYEE LEASING REPORTING CHANGE.
588
85
NEW ESTABLISHMENT OR WORKSITE.
297
86
ESTABLISHMENT PERMANENTLY OUT OF BUSINESS.
46
87
REACTIVATED UI ACCOUNT OR WORKSITE (QCEW).
1
88
ESTABLISHMENT DISSOLUTION.
9
89
ESTABLISHMENT MERGER.
737
90
CHANGED BASIS OF, REPORTING WITH MORE DETAIL.
19
91
CHANGED BASIS OF REPORTING WITH LESS DETAIL.
90
92
PARTIAL PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR TRANSACTION (QCEW) /CES CANCELLATION (CES).
1,006
93
FULL PREDECESSOR/SUCCESSOR TRANSFER (QCEW).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
76
94-99 VERIFICATION.
4
98
DATA VERIFIED BY EDIC(QCEW)./DATA VERIFIED BY REGIONAL OFFICE(CES).
72
99
DATA VERIFIED--SEE NARRATIVE.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
96
-NARRATIVE COMMENTS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-88

EXHIBIT 13Z (continued)
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q
COUNT

PERCENT*

06:49:22 PM

(STATE)
COMMENT CODES AND NARRATIVE COMMENTS - TABLE 15
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING
RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.

PAGE

3

6,365
6.76%
TOTAL COMMENTS, IN ALL RECORDS.
5,049
5.36%
TOTAL RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
4,005
4.25%
RECORDS WITH EXACTLY ONE COMMENT CODE.
772
0.82%
RECORDS WITH EXACTLY TWO COMMENT CODES.
272
0.28%
RECORDS WITH EXACTLY THREE COMMENT CODES.
96
0.10%
RECORDS WITH NARRATIVE COMMENT AND AT LEAST ONE COMMENT CODE.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COUNT PERCENT**
COMMENTS WITHIN EACH OWNERSHIP.
39
0.77%
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
18
0.35%
STATE
GOVERNMENT RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
159
3.14%
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
4,833
95.72%
PRIVATE SECTOR
RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COUNT PERCENT**
RECORDS WITH COMMENTS AND EDIT FLAGS.
371
7.34%
RECORDS WITH LEVELS 5-8 EDIT FLAGS WITH COMMENTS.
79
1.56%
RECORDS WITH LEVEL 5
EDIT FLAGS WITH COMMENTS.
280
5.54%
RECORDS WITH LEVEL 6
EDIT FLAGS WITH COMMENTS.
0
0.00%
RECORDS WITH LEVEL 7
EDIT FLAGS WITH COMMENTS.
18
0.35%
RECORDS WITH LEVEL 8
EDIT FLAGS WITH COMMENTS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COUNT PERCENT**
COMMENTS WITHIN EACH MEEI CODE.
2,487
49.25%
MEEI = 1 RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
2,527
50.04%
MEEI = 3 RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
29
0.57%
MEEI = 4 RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
2
0.03%
MEEI = 5 RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
4
0.07%
MEEI = 6 RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COUNT PERCENT**
COMMENTS WITHIN EACH DATA SOURCE.
249
4.93%
EDI RECORDS WITH COMMENTS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ACTIVE RECORDS (EXCLUDING MASTERS).
** PERCENTAGES ARE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE RECORDS WITH AT LEAST ONE COMMENT CODE (EXCLUDING MASTERS).
THE END OF THE COMMENT CODES AND NARRATIVE COMMENTS LISTING.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

April 2006

Page 13-89

EXHIBIT 13AA
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
TIME:
INITIAL RUN
YYYY/Q

07:07:00 AM

(STATE)
EQUI SAMPLE RECORDS – TABLE 16
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - EQUI PROCESSING

PAGE
1
**CONFIDENTIAL DATA**

************************************************************************************************************************************
YEAR/Q ST
UI ACCOUNT
RUN
EI NO.
STAT MEEI COV EDI CES SP AGENT RCI OWN ORG CNTY TOWN NAICS AUX SIC
NSTA
2005/1 66
4567890123 00044 567890123
1
1
0
C
0
5
C
009
000
424450 5 5145
REFILING YEAR:
2001 RESP CODE: 41
OLD CODE:5
009
000
422450
5145
M1 EMPL: 00000325R M2 EMPL: 00000327R M3 EMPL: 00000324R TW: 000000000172411R TAXW:00000000122411 CONTR: 00000000979
COMMENTS:
NARRATIVE:
TRADE NAME
CITY OF BUBBLE SPRINGS
LEGAL NAME
PHONE NUMBER
444-555-3333
---------- PHYSICAL ------------------------------------ UI ------------------------------- MAILING/OTHER -------------ADDRESS
| 20 MILKY WAY
|
20 MILKY WAY
|
|
ADDRESS2
|
|
|
|
CITY
| BUBBLE SPRINGS
|
BUBBLE SPRINGS
|
|
STATE ZIP
| UA
23456|
UA 23456-0000
|
|
RU DESCR
ADDRESS TYPE
PREDECESSOR UI#/RUN:
INITIAL LIABILITY DATE: 1950/04/01
REACT DATE:
/ /
SUCCESSOR UI#/RUN:
SETUP DATE:
1950/04/01
END OF LIAB DATE:
/ /
REC#
29
************************************************************************************************************************************
YEAR/Q ST
UI ACCOUNT
RUN
EI NO.
STAT MEEI COV EDI CES SP AGENT RCI OWN ORG CNTY TOWN NAICS AUX SIC
NSTA
2005/1 66
1234567890 00005 345678901
1
1
0
C
0
5
C
011
000
323110 5 2752
REFILING YEAR:
1999 RESP CODE: 46
OLD CODE:5
011
000
2759
M1 EMPL: 00000036R M2 EMPL: 00000046R M3 EMPL: 00000055R TW: 000000000048120R TAXW:00000000033120 CONTR: 00000000861
COMMENTS:
NARRATIVE:
TRADE NAME
OLD HOUSE REALTY CORP
LEGAL NAME
OLD HOUSE REALTY CORP
PHONE NUMBER
987-654-3210
---------- PHYSICAL ------------------------------------ UI ------------------------------- MAILING/OTHER -------------ADDRESS
| 721 W. QUENSTON HIGHWAY
|
P O BOX 582
|
|
ADDRESS2
|
|
|
|
CITY
| GOULD
|
GOULD
|
|
STATE ZIP
| UA
77333
|
UA
77333 0000
|
|
RU DESCR
ADDRESS TYPE
PREDECESSOR UI#/RUN:
INITIAL LIABILITY DATE: 1953/10/01
REACT DATE:
/ /
SUCCESSOR UI#/RUN:
SETUP DATE:
1953/10/01
END OF LIAB DATE:
/ /
REC#
58
************************************************************************************************************************************
YEAR/Q ST
UI ACCOUNT
RUN
EI NO.
STAT MEEI COV EDI CES SP AGENT RCI OWN ORG CNTY TOWN NAICS AUX SIC
NSTA
2005/1 66
7890123456 00018 123456789
1
1
0
0
5
C
011
000
425120 5 5192
REFILING YEAR:
2001 RESP CODE: 41
OLD CODE:5
011
000
422920
5192
M1 EMPL: 00000011R M2 EMPL: 00000011R M3 EMPL: 00000011R TW: 000000000038451R TAXW:00000000010096 CONTR: 00000000071
COMMENTS:
NARRATIVE:
TRADE NAME
PAYMORE FOR LESS INC
LEGAL NAME
PAYMORE FOR LESS INC
PHONE NUMBER
123-456-7890
---------- PHYSICAL ------------------------------------ UI ------------------------------- MAILING/OTHER -------------ADDRESS
|
|
1776 BROADWAY
|
|
ADDRESS2
|
|
|
|
CITY
|
|
EL WACKO
|
|
STATE ZIP
|
|
UA
12345
|
|
RU DESCR
ADDRESS TYPE
PREDECESSOR UI#/RUN:
INITIAL LIABILITY DATE: 1955/01/01
REACT DATE:
/ /
SUCCESSOR UI#/RUN:
SETUP DATE:
1955/01/01
END OF LIAB DATE:
/ /
REC#
87

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-90

13.3 BLS Review and State Correction Procedures
BLS-Washington works with State and regional office staff to review, verify, and publish local
economic data. Quality input data are essential for the timely publication of accurate
employment and wages.
BLS conducts a review and correction procedure prior to the release of QCEW publications.
This process includes researching possible large errors in employment and wages that may affect
the quality of the reported data. Possible large errors are researched immediately in BLSWashington and submitted to the region for clarification and correction. Large over-the-year
changes appearing in the news release are verified through the use of publication questions.
Potential errors that are submitted from BLS-Washington to the regional offices take the form of
National Office Questions (NOQs). The regional offices receive the NOQs and send them to the
respective State, in addition to any Regional Office Questions (ROQs) they may have from their
own review of the file. The State responds to the NOQs and ROQs via the regional office. If a
NOQ or ROQ results in a correction, the State includes the correction in a subset file and submits
the file for BLS processing. States may also include corrections that they feel to be significant,
even if they were not requested by BLS. BLS-Washington processes the subset and generates
edit output and review tables. BLS-Washington then reviews, researches, and validates the
revised data. Additional questions may be developed as part of this review.
Working within the processing schedule, BLS-Washington will accept the changes to the file and
sign off on the economic validity of the open quarters. BLS-Washington will also sign off on the
quality of microdata by declaring the State to be “clean.” Occasionally, BLS-Washington will
make manual corrections to establishment records to meet deadline and quality constraints.
Processing deadlines, procedures, and criteria referenced in this section are subject to change.
Please refer to the current quarterly EQUI File Processing memo (circulated via Email) for the
latest information.

13.3.1 BLS Review Activity
The review of QCEW data in BLS-Washington is conducted by several different groups. The
Current Data Analysis Branch (CDA) reviews employment and wage totals each quarter in
support of QCEW publication activities. The Longitudinal Database micro review group (LDB
group) conducts a quarterly establishment-level review. The Code Change Supplement group
(CCS group) conducts a review during the first and second quarter of each year to ensure correct
code changes. BEA also submits questions to CDA during the review.
CDA Review
CDA conducts a review of employment and wages prior to the QCEW data release by BLS.
This review results in NOQs that are transmitted via the regional office. CDA's questions for the
States are submitted at the level of the basic county-ownership-industry macro cell. These
NOQs are developed when employment and/or total wages differ substantially from the expected

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-91

level or do not follow historical employment and wage trends. (These questions may also be
called “publication questions” because they affect the data that is released or published.)
Regional offices immediately share NOQs with the appropriate State.
CDA sends out NOQs for over-the-year changes in employment and wages using criteria which
vary by State size. See the “CDA Review Criteria” table below for details. Each quarter's initial
round of NOQs is sent to the regional office within ten working days after receiving the edit
output. Subset NOQs are sent within two working days of receiving the subset edit output.
CDA staff works with selected BLS edit listings. They also use the Interim Macro Access
(IMA), ES-202 Database (EDB), Pub-Files, and special publication review tools.
The IMA is a tool used by CDA that includes several years of employment and wage history. It
helps analysts examine counties and industries with questionable economic behavior. CDA
analysts then use the EDB to identify the establishments that are creating the questionable
behavior.
BLS edit listings used heavily in CDA review consist of Table 9A (the Integrated Macro Edit),
Table 9X (Records Failing NAICS Publication Edits), Table 13A (NAICS Macro Data Changes),
Table 13B (Macro Revisions Failing Edits), Table 2B (NAICS County Summary), and Table 10
(the Multi-Establishment Edit Listing). A NOQ may be developed by CDA when changes
displayed on these listings exceed the criteria mentioned in the table below. Changes within
these ranges that fit prevailing patterns or that match known special economic events (such as
strikes) usually do not result in NOQs.
Table 9X failures (Records Failing NAICS Publication Edits) need to be corrected so they can be
included in publication totals. Table 10 (the Multi-establishment Edit Listing) errors and
significant imbalances must also be corrected.
Table 13A shows changes (at the macro level) to previous quarters that were open at the
beginning of the quarter and to any quarter from correction files. Significant unexpected
changes may lead to NOQs. CDA staff considers the size of the cell, the industry, cell history,
and seasonal trends when determining if a change shown on Table 13A will result in a question.
A change meeting the large/small State criteria may be seen on 13A but not result in a NOQ. If
the change appears to be in keeping with historical reporting, the CDA analyst may deem it to be
acceptable.
Publication files are generated in the CDA Branch for researching publication counties with
unusual over-the-year change(s) in employment and/or wages. The publication files serve many
different functions in the review process. The publication review supplements the traditional
review of listings by checking for large counties with large over-the-year changes in employment
or wages. This review also results in NOQs, some of which come after the conclusion of the
regular quarterly review.

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QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-92

BEA, an established user of QCEW data, sends questions to CDA throughout each processing
quarter. While most BEA questions can be explained by researching the data in Washington,
some cannot. These questions are also referred to the State via the regional offices.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Page 13-93

CDA Review Criteria Table

Employment
Review Criteria

Small
State Pub
County1

All States
Non Pub
County

Over-The-Quarter (OTQ)
Change2

Large
State
Pub
County1
≥ 500
emp.

≥ 300
emp.

Over-The-Year (OTY)
Change2

≥ 500
emp.

≥ 300
emp.

Wages
Small
State Pub
County1

All States
Non Pub
County

≥ 1,000
emp.

Large
State
Pub
County1
≥ $5
million

≥ $3
million

≥ $10
million

≥ 1,000
emp.

≥ $5
million

≥ $3
million

≥ $10
million

Type of Review
EQUI Edit Output
Table 9A
Publication County

Integrated Macro Edit Report :
Records that meet the small State\large State criteria

Table 9A
Non Publication County

Integrated Macro Edit Report:
Records with OTQ or OTY changes > 1000 emp or > $10 million

Table 9M

Large Master Record Edit:
Records with month-to-month emp. changes > 1000 emp within a quarter

Table 9X

Records Failing NAICS Publication Standards:
Records that fit the small State\large State criteria.

Table 10

Multi-Establishment Edit Listing:
Records that fit the small State\large State criteria.

Table 13 A & B
Publication County

Macro Revisions:
Records that meet the small State\large State criteria

Table 13 A & B
Non-Publication County

Macro Revisions:
with OTQ or OTY changes > 1000 emp or > $10 million

Publication Research for News Release
Publication Counties with
Employment >100,000

Large or Small State:
Records with OTY changes > 500 emp or > $5 million

Publication Counties with
Employment <100,000

Large or Small State:
Records with OTY changes > 300 emp or > $3 million

1

Large States are: CA, FL, GA, IL, MA, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TX, VA. The additional 38 States, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands are considered small States.
2

All OTQ and OTY changes are in absolute values.

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QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-94

LDB Review
The LDB micro group conducts a quarterly micro-level review. Using LDB files (which are
based on the EQUI), the LDB staff examines micro level records that fail the following edit
flags: 91/126, 96/97, 139/140, and 160/161. This is done for records outside the large
publication counties covered in detail by CDA. The LDB review also looks at over-the-quarter
changes to third month employment greater than or equal to 100. This review also checks that
“comeback” records, which are records that are on the LDB in the current quarter, were absent in
the prior quarter, but were present six months previously.
DCB Review
The Data Collection branch (DCB) conducts a Code Change Supplement (CCS) review as part of
first and second quarter BLS processing. The CCS is a file of reporting units with a noneconomic change to one or more of the essential classification codes: industry, ownership, and
county/township. Eight tables are used to review CCS changes: CCS Tables 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 3, 5, 6
and Table 8. Tables 1A and 1B are the main tables reviewed by the DCB. These two listings are
used to verify code changes with employment above a parameter. The DCB may follow up with
specific questions concerning records listed on these reports.
RO Review
Regional office staff works with BLS-Washington and State staff to resolve NOQs. They also
develop ROQs based on their independent review of BLS edit listings. ROQs are shared with
BLS-Washington, as are the States' responses. Regional office staff works with the States to
ensure that I-errors and W-flags appearing on Table 9B (the Micro Edits Only Listing) are
corrected or explained, based on edit priority.
The regional offices work closely with the States in a variety of ways to monitor data quality in
the States, both before the submission of the quarterly deliverable and during the cleanup period.
Regional offices work with State-supplied macro data at several points in the quarterly
processing cycle to generate and review the macro roll-up spreadsheets and to follow up where
necessary. Regional offices receive and review the listings described in the previous sections,
working with the States to identify problems and focus cleanup efforts. Regional offices also
monitor State procedures to verify their effectiveness and efficiency.

13.3.2 State Correction Activity
Since all corrections must be made by States, State cleanup efforts are essential to the data
quality of the QCEW program. Each State sends an EQUI to BLS that contains current quarter
data as well as corrections to BLS-open quarters. (Some States may have open quarters that
differ from BLS practice.) During the review period, each State responds to the NOQs and
ROQs. The State responds with explanations and/or corrections. Corrections resulting from
NOQs and ROQs are sent via the subset file. Late or minor corrections are usually held for
transmission with next quarter’s EQUI.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-95

States should submit responses to NOQs within five working days after the questions are received
by the regional office. States should submit responses to subset questions within two working
days after the questions are sent out. States should work with their RO to provide timely and
complete responses to the NOQs using the standardized form. Responses to NOQs should be sent
to 202_STF, LDB_Micro, and to the CCS group when applicable.
If requested by BLS-Washington, States should submit a subset file containing the largest
corrections within seven working days of the EQUI due date. This file is rarely requested, but is
sometimes needed to provide BEA and CES with data corrected for very large errors.
All priority A or B warning (W) flags printed on the BLS listings should be reviewed and the
necessary corrections made. For W-flags, a correction consists of either a change to the data that
removes the flag or (where the data are verified as accurate) an update with an appropriate
comment code. If the data are unusual or large, or if the data change substantially, a narrative
comment is very helpful for reviewers and data users and should be included.

13.3.3 Edit Priorities
BLS has established three levels of edit priority for data review and cleanup:
Priority A (first priority)
This group of edit flags primarily affects aggregated economic data. They affect key current
QCEW data products for customers, and in particular, users such as the Current Employment
Statistics (CES), BEA, and others listed in Section 13.4.1 who need the data soon after the initial
quarterly deliverable EQUI is due. This group of edit flags also includes errors that affect the
ability of the system to provide a company name and at least one usable address to BLS survey
users.
The priority A edits include all the macro edits:
Level 5 – Significant Employment and Wage Macro Edits
091-W Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
092-W AQW Change is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW
Range
093-W Average Employment is Significantly > Parm, but Total Wages = 0
094-W Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages is Significantly > Parm
Level 6 – Warning Macro Edits
126-W Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
127-W AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
130-W Average Employment > Parm, but Total Wages = 0
131-W Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages > Parm
134-W Number of Establishments out of Range
135-W New or Discontinued Macro Record

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QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Priority A also includes the following micro edits:
Level 1 – Pre-edits
002-I
Invalid UI Account Number
003-I
Invalid Reporting Unit Number
004-I
Invalid Reference Year
005-I
Invalid Reference Quarter
006-I
Invalid State Code
Level 2 – Key Field edits
010-I
Invalid NAICS Code
012-I
Invalid Ownership Code
013-I
Invalid County Code
016-I
NAICS & Ownership Inconsistent
Level 3 – Date and Status Code Edits
025-I
Invalid Status Code
Level 4 – Remaining Invalid Error Edits
031-I Invalid First Month Employment
032-I Invalid Second Month Employment
033-I Invalid Third Month Employment
034-I Invalid Total Wages
035-I Invalid Taxable Wages
036-I Invalid Contributions
039-I Invalid Type of Coverage
040-I Invalid MEEI Code
045-I
Invalid Federal EI Number
056-I Inconsistent Ownership/Type of Coverage
057-I Taxable Wages on Federal Record
058-I Contributions on Federal Record
059-I Taxable Wages > 0 for Non-experience-rated Record
060-I Contributions > 0 for Non-experience-rated Record
062-I Taxable Wages > Total Wages
063-I Contributions > Taxable Wages
064-I MEEI/RUN Inconsistent
065-I Inconsistent County/Township Combination
070-I No Usable Address
072-I Both Trade Name and Legal Name are Blank
080-I Indian Tribal Indicator Inconsistent with NAICS or OWN

Page 13-96

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BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-97

Level 5 – Significant Employment and Wage Micro Edits
085-W Potential Predecessor (UI #) found based on Wage Records
086-W Potential Successor (UI #) found based on Wage Records
089-W WIN-202 Only: Month 1 Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
090-W WIN-202 Only: Month 2 Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
091-W EXPO and BLS: Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
WIN-202: Month 3 Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
092-W AQW Change is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW
Range
093-W Average Employment is Significantly > Parm, but Total Wages = 0
094-W Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages is Significantly > Parm
095-W Total Wages = Sum of Empl +/- Parm if AME is Large
096-W Unusually Large New Record on File
097-W Unusually Large Discontinued Record Inactivated
099-W Questionable Large Imputation
Level 6 – Warning Micro Edits
116-W EIN missing for More Than Parm Months
126-W EXPO and BLS Only: Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
(edits 136, 137, and 138 in WIN-202)
127-W AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
130-W Average Employment > Parm, but Total Wages = 0
131-W Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages > Parm
132-W Total Wages = Sum of Empl +/- Parm
133-W Unclassified Industry Empl > Parm
136-W WIN-202 Only: Month 1 Employment Change Exceeds Test (edit 126 in EXPO
and BLS)
137-W WIN-202 Only: Month 2 Employment Change Exceeds Test (edit 126 in EXPO
and BLS)
138-W WIN-202 Only: Month 3 Employment Change Exceeds Test (edit 126 in EXPO
and BLS)
139-W New Record?
140-W Discontinued Record?
Level 8 – Multi-establishment Edits
171-W First Month Empl Not in Balance
172-W Second Month Empl Not in Balance
173-W Third Month Empl Not in Balance
174-W Total Wages Not in Balance
175-W Taxable Wages Not in Balance
176-W Contributions Not in Balance
178-I Master Without Multiple Worksites

June 2007

179-I
180-I
181-I
182-I
185-I

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Page 13-98

Worksite Missing Master
Single Account/Active Worksites
Worksite Ownership Code Differs from Master
Worksite EIN Differs from Master
Inconsistent Indian Tribal Codes within the Multi Account

Priority B (second priority)
This group includes micro edit flags with smaller economic impact as well as flags for ARS data,
and longitudinal (predecessor/successor) information:
Level 4 – Remaining Invalid Error Edits
043-I Invalid Predecessor SESA ID
044-I Invalid Successor SESA ID
046-I Invalid ARS Response Code/Year
066-I Invalid Format in Predecessor Account
067-I Invalid Format in Successor Account
074-I Invalid Old Ownership
075-I Invalid Old County
076-I Invalid Old County/Old Township Combination
078-I Invalid Old NAICS Code
Level 6 – Warning Edits
088-W Large Record without Usable PLA
120-W Possible Non-Economic Code Change
121-W Code Change Back to a Recent Code
123-W Expected Code Change Not Made
146-W Old Codes Are Inconsistent with 4th Quarter Codes
Level 7 – Predecessor/Successor Edits
156-W Predecessor/Successor County Code Change Conflict
157-W Predecessor/Successor Ownership Change Conflict
159-W Predecessor/Successor Township Code Change Conflict
160-W Both Predecessor and Successor Reported
161-W Neither Predecessor nor Successor Reported
164-W Predecessor.Successor NAICS Code Change Conflict
Priority C (third priority)
The remaining edit flags are concerned with miscellaneous address and administrative
information. After the first two priorities are addressed, States should attend to the remainder of
the edit flags.

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BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-99

Level 1 – Pre-edits
001-I
Invalid Transaction Code
Level 3 – Date and Status Code Edits
021-I
Invalid Initial Liability Date Format
022-I
Invalid EOL Date Format
023-I
Invalid Setup Date Format
024-I
Reactivation Date Invalid or Earlier than Liability Date
Level 4 – Remaining Invalid Error Edits
047-I
Invalid Tax Rate - Beyond Minimum/Maximum Range
048-I
Invalid Comment Code
049-I
Invalid First Month Employment Indicator
050-I
Invalid Second Month Employment Indicator
051-I
Invalid Third Month Employment Indicator
052-I
Invalid Total Wages Indicator
053-I
Invalid Taxable Wages Indicator
054-I
Invalid Contributions Due Indicator
Level 6 –Warning Edits
101-W Unusable Address Type Code
102-W Blank Physical Location City; Other PLA Fields Present
103-W Unusable Physical Location State Abbreviation
104-W Unusable Physical Location Zip Code Format
105-W Unusable Telephone Format
106-W Blank UI City; Other UI Address Fields Present
107-W Unusable UI State Abbreviation
108-W Unusable UI Zip Code Format
109-W Blank Mailing/Other City, Other M/O Address Fields Present
110-W Unusable Mailing/Other State Abbreviation
111-W Unusable Mailing/Other Zip Code Format
112-W Questionable Fax Number Format
114-W P.O. Box, Blank Street. Or Out-of-State in PLA Block
118-W Computed Tax Rate> TOL % from Reported, and Computed Tax TOL from
Reported
119-W First QTR Taxable Wages Missing for Experience-Rated Account
124-W Inactive Record with Reported Employment/Wage Data
125-W Data Reported Prior to Liability Date
128-W Identical Monthly Employment >Parm
129-W Taxable/Total Wage Ratio > Prior Year Ratio by Parm %
Level 9 –Warning Edits
191-W Questionable Wage Record Count
192-W Questionable Wage Record Wages

June 2007

193-W
194-W
195-W
196-W
197-W
198-W

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Page 13-100

First Month Empl > Wage Record Count
Second Month Empl > Wage Record Count
Third Month Empl > Wage Record Count
All Months Employment = Wage Record Count
Total Wages Vary from Wage Records
Divergent Employment Trends

13.3.4 Four Week Correction File (Subset)
The EQUI files are due once a quarter on the dates given in Appendix D. The correction
deadline falls approximately four weeks after the EQUI files are due; these dates also appear in
Appendix D.
The correction file should include corrections resulting from the national office and regional
office questions. It should not be generated before the State has processed the NOQs and ROQs.
State data submittals, other than the EQUI or the routine four-week correction file, must be
approved by CDA before they are generated. This includes any files the State may want to
submit after the four-week deadline has passed.
States should strive to send in an EQUI file that does not require a correction file. If the
condition of the State’s EQUI file warrants a correction file, that correction file must be
transmitted to BLS in time to meet the correction deadline. Regional offices work with their
States to ensure that the data are edited and reviewed prior to submission of the subset to BLS.
State processing schedules may need to be adjusted to allow for this editing and review. States
and regional offices also need to allow time for the corrections to be received and processed by
BLS.
The edit output tables from the correction file processing are produced in BLS-Washington
within two working days after the correction file due date. BLS-Washington then has two
working days to get questions out to the regional offices. The regional offices also have two
working days to confer with the States on getting responses back to BLS-Washington. This
allows the regional offices to certify the files clean by the deadline. If errors are found during
the review of the State's correction file, the regional offices and the BLS-Washington office
consult to determine the best course of action. Depending on the scope of the problems,
corrections may be held for submission with the next quarter's EQUI deliverable or submitted as
an additional subset file. If there is not enough time and the error is large, a manual correction
will be made at BLS-Washington.

13.3.5 Clean Declaration/Quarterly Signoff
For a State’s QCEW data to be considered clean, the State must do the following:
• Correct all invalid errors listed in the Priority A and Priority B groups and printed in Table
9B.

June 2007

•
•

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BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-101

Answer all NOQs and correct the data if needed.
Resolve all ROQs and correct the data if needed. (This includes noted unresolved questions
for all open quarters, not just the current quarter.)

In addition, all invalid errors should be corrected, and all warnings in those groups that are
printed on the BLS-Washington listings should be reviewed and the necessary corrections made.
If no further corrections to a file are necessary, the State notifies the regional office that the data
file is clean and can be used in producing tabulations. If the regional office agrees, they will
notify BLS-Washington of the clean status. Regional offices work with their States to correct the
files by the specified deadline. Regional offices then send Email to the address
"EQUI_Submittals" in BLS-Washington when the files have been certified clean. As an
alternative to the Email, regional offices may provide notification through the periodic Office of
Field Operations (OFO) status reports. National office branches will also sign off on the quality
of the corrected file.
If a State's data do not meet the standard clean definition, even after updates, BLS-Washington
will consult with the regional office to determine the best course of action.

June 2007

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BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-102

13.4 BLS Estimates for Late Files
State agencies must make every effort to submit timely, high quality EQUI files to BLS. If a
deliverable file will be late, BLS produces estimates so that complete national data are available
for BEA, the CES program, and other users of the preliminary data. The BLS-generated
estimates are sent to the regional office and State for review. The regional offices and States
should review the estimates for validity.
On rare occasions, obstacles may occur that delay BLS’s receipt of State EQUI files. These
include changes in computer hardware or software, staff turnover, facility damage, implementing
new procedures, changes in State UI files, or other changes in processing. In the past, these
delays have lasted anywhere from a few days to several quarters.
Approximately one to two weeks before the due date for the EQUI, the regional offices notify
BLS-Washington whether any of their States are expected to be more than seven calendar days
late, or have difficulties that may cause a delay in transmitting the file. BLS-Washington then
generates the estimates and prints the listings in the regional office. See Section 13.4.4 for more
details on estimate listings.
The estimated data may be inaccurate due to changes in coverage provisions, strikes, layoffs,
plant reopenings, or other significant occurrences, or if the economy is heading into or coming
out of a recession. The current estimating methodology uses a year-to-year trend relationship of
employment and wages to compute the estimates for the current quarter. In relatively stable
times, this procedure will produce good estimates, but its usefulness diminishes when the
economy is changing directions (upward or downward movement). At present,
BLS-Washington does not have the capability to correct or update the estimates through normal
processing. Reviews of the estimated data by BLS-Washington, the regional office, and the
State help identify their limitations. Ultimately, the accuracy of the data depends on replacing
the estimates with live EQUI data as soon as the State can provide them.
An approximate time schedule for generating estimates is given in Section 13.4.6.

13.4.1 BLS-Related Users and Uses
The first users of national QCEW data are the CES program, BEA, the Employment and
Training Administration (ETA), and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program.
They use State and/or national data within a few weeks of the file due date. Any late files are
estimated and those estimates are aggregated into the national totals along with other States’
reported or imputed data. Estimated macro data are clearly identified. The importance of the
level of quality associated with the estimated data is dependent on the user and the frequency in
which the user replaces those estimates with actual data.

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BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-103

For ETA (see Section 1.2), once a file is estimated, the data are incorporated into the 12-Month
Moving Average for the most recent time period. These data are never updated for the 12-Month
Moving Average. These are the same totals provided to LAUS (see Section 1.2).
Ownership totals by type of coverage are also provided to ETA. Estimated data are replaced
with actual data but only when the next quarter’s set of files are provided to ETA. Therefore,
ETA would not replace a State’s estimated data for a given quarter until they received the next
quarter’s files, typically 3-4 months later. [Note: This assumes that reported data were available
to replace the estimates.]
CES (see Section 1.2) also receives macro data each quarter. The first set of data are provided
within a few weeks of receipt and the second set of data are provided when the files have been
processed and corrected. The second set of data, which would be available 6-8 weeks after
receipt, would typically include reported data in lieu of the estimated State files. CES uses each
set of files to monitor the possible extent that employment and earnings statistics have been
revised by States and BLS-Washington, to evaluate bias adjustments, and to review benchmark
levels. A comparison of State QCEW data and CES data is impossible if the State’s file is late.
If one State’s file is late, the impact on national data may be marginal. If multiple States are
late, the impact increases.
CES also uses EQUI micro data to reconcile reporting problems, to compare against CES
crosswalk files, for sampling, and for various studies.
BEA (see Section 1.2) is provided copies of the State macro files within two days of receipt.
These data are used as a major component of personal income estimates generated by BEA. If a
State file is delinquent or unusable, BEA receives copies of estimated macro data. Estimates for
BEA are replaced when a usable State file is received and processed.

13.4.2 Level of BLS Estimation
BLS generates estimates at the 6-digit industry code, statewide, ownership levels. This level is
sufficient for existing short term BEA, CES, LAUS, and ETA needs. Eventually, BLS may need
to generate micro level estimates.
Since estimates are based primarily on the prior quarter, any prior quarter errors remaining on the
State micro file may impact current quarter estimates. For instance, if a prior quarter micro
record has an invalid industry code, a prior macro cell will be aggregated for that industry code
and an estimate will be generated for that invalid cell. It is important that prior quarter errors in
the following fields be corrected before current quarter estimates are generated:
• Industry code
• Ownership
• Type of Coverage
• Monthly Employment

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

•
•
•

Page 13-104

Total Wages
Taxable Wages
Contributions

13.4.3 Methodology
The BLS system generates estimates for all macro level cells that existed in the prior quarter.
These cells are aggregates of data in the same:
• ownership
• industry code
• type of coverage
• State - regardless of county (The estimate file County Code field is set to “999.”)
The system breaks out cells by type of coverage codes. Because the system breaks out cells by
type of coverage code, data generated for ETA includes type of coverage, taxable wages, and
contributions due. Each quarter, ETA receives statewide data by ownership and type of
coverage.
The following terms and acronyms are used:
Term

Data estimated for missing macro level data

I

Current occurrence of the data field being estimated

i-1

Prior occurrence of the data field being estimated

i-12

Current month year-ago occurrence of the employment data field being
estimated

i-13

Prior month year-ago occurrence of the employment data field being
estimated

i-4

Current year-ago occurrence of the Average Monthly Employment (AME),
total wage, taxable wage, or contributions data field being estimated

i-5

Prior year-ago occurrence of the AME, total wage, taxable wage, or
contributions data field being estimated

UNITS

Total Number of Establishments in the cell being estimated

M

Total employment for the month in the cell

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Term

Data estimated for missing macro level data

AME

Average Monthly Employment for a quarter; computed as
(M1 + M2 +M3) ÷ 3 = AME

TW

Total Wages for the cell

TAXW

Total Taxable Wages for the cell

CTB

Total Contributions Due for the cell

Page 13-105

When aggregating prior quarters of micro data for use in the estimation formula, the BLS system
uses the following criteria:
•
•
•
•

It includes quarterly data for a record during the quarters that it is active. For example,
if a record was active through 2003/1 but inactive in 2003/2, it adds that record’s data
to the macro totals through 2003/1 but excludes it from 2003/2.
It excludes records with MEEI 2.
It excludes records coded as inactive or pending for the entire time period.
It excludes records with Type of Coverage code of 8 (non-covered).

For each ownership/industry code/type of coverage cell, the system uses the following formulae:
Data Element

Formulae

Units

UNITS(i) = UNITS(i-1).

Employment

M(i) = M(i-1) × (M(i-12)/M(i-13)).
If M(i-13) > 0 and ((M(i-12)/M(i-13)) > 2 or < .5) or
(M(i-12) and/or M(i-13) = 0) then
replace (M(i-12)/M(i-13) with AME(i-4)/AME (i-5) in the formula.
If the AME ratio is used in the formulae and either AME(i-4) and/or
AME(i-5) = 0,
then
M(i) = M(i-1).

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Data Element

Formulae

Total Wages

TW(i) = TW(i-1) × (TW(i-4)/TW(i-5)).

Page 13-106

If (TW(i-5) > 0 and (TW(i-4)/TW(i-5)) > 2 or < .5) or
(TW(i-4) and/or TW(i-5) = 0) then
TW(i) = TW(i-1).
Taxable Wages

TAXW(i) = TAXW(i-4) × (TW(i)/TW(i-4)).
If TW(i-4) = 0, then
TAXW(i) = TAXW(i-4) = 0.

Contributions

CTB(i) = CTB(i-4)

× TAXW(i)/TAXW(i-4).

If TAXW(i-4) = 0, then
CTB(i) = 0.
An example where estimates for 2002/4 are generated for an experience-rated cell follows:
Existing Data:
Year/Q Units
2002/3
6
2002/2
6
2002/1
5
2001/4
5
2001/3
4

Data Element
Units

M1
619
624
583
585
597

M2
612
626
614
576
592

M3 AME
605
617
628
626
636
611
556
572
581
590

Formulae
UNITS(i) = UNITS(i-1).
UNITS(i) = UNITS(i-1) = 6

TW
3,559,451
3,926,377
3,256,249
3,374,069
3,587,658

TAXW
526,462
1,295,111
2,948,837
529,069
643,828

CTB
7,634
18,779
42,758
7,672
9,336

June 2007

Data Element
Employment

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Formulae
M(i) = M(i-1) × (M(i-12)/M(i-13)).
For M1:
M(i-1) = 605
M(i-12) = 585
M(i-13) = 581
M(1) = 605 × (585/581) = 609
For M2:
M(i-1) = 609 (estimated above)
M(i-12) = 576
M(i-13) = 585
M(2) = 609 × (576/585) = 600

Total Wages

For M3:
M(i-1) = 600
M(i-12) = 556
M(i-13) = 576
M(3) = 600 × (556/576) = 579
TW(i) = TW(i-1) × (TW(i-4)/TW(i-5)).

Taxable Wages

For TW:
TW(i-1) = 3,559,451
TW(i-4) = 3,374,069
TW(i-5) = 3,587,658
TW(i) = 3,559,451 × (3,374,069/3,587,658) = 3,347,541
TAXW(i) = TAXW(i-4) × (TW(i)/TW(i-4)).

Contributions

For TAXW:
TW(i) = 3,347,541
TW(i-4) = 3,374,069
TAXW(i-4) = 529,069
TAXW(i) = 529,069 × (3,347,541/3,374,069) = 524,909
CTB(i) = CTB(i-4) × TAXW(i)/TAXW(i-4).
For CTB:
CTB(i-4) = 7,672
TAXW(i) = 524,909
TAXW(i-4) = 529,069
CTB(i) = 7,672 × (524,909/529,069) = 7,611

Page 13-107

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Estimated Data:
Year/Q Units
2002/4
6

M1
609

M2
619

M3 AME
598
609

TW
3,347,541

Page 13-108

TAXW
524,909

CTB
7,611

13.4.4 Estimate Output Listings
The following estimation output is generated only when the State cannot meet their initial EQUI
file deliverable due date for the current year/quarter.
• NAICS Industry Sector Level Macro Estimates Report
See Exhibit 13AB for a sample page of the report.
• NAICS Industry Subsector Level Macro Estimates Report
See Exhibit 13AC for a sample page of the report.
• NAICS Six-Digit Level Macro Estimates Report
See Exhibit 13AD for a sample page of the report.
• State Totals (Table 2A) identified as estimated
This includes State totals for all ownership codes and State totals for each ownership
level.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Page 13-109

EXHIBIT 13AB
DATE:

MM/DD/YYYY

TIME:

08:00:00 AM

PAGE

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING
2005/2 ESTIMATED DATA AND PRIOR QUARTER DATA BY NAICS INDUSTRY FOR (STATE NAME)
OWN NAICS
IND
SEC

INDUSTRY
NAME

1

31-33 MANUFACTURING

1

44-45 RETAIL TRADE

1

48-49 TRANSP WAREHOUSIN

1

51

INFORMATION

1

52

FINANCE & INSUR

1

54

PROF SCITECH SRVS

1

56

ADMIN WASTE SERVS

1

61

EDUCATIONAL SERVS

EST.
DATA

YEAR/
QTR

E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1

1

** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

REP.
UNITS

MONTH 1
EMPL.

MONTH 2
EMPL.

MONTH 3
EMPL.

TOTAL
WAGES

TAXABLE
WAGES

14,639
14,639
14,652
14,653
14,808
14,695
137
137
138
135
135
134
38
38
38
36
37
39
0
1
3,201
3,201
3,222
3,068
3,227
3,236
704
704
703
701
73
73
74
81
83
81
4,639
4,639
4,652
4,653
4,808
4,695
639
639
652
653
808
695

126,337
123,149
114,092
125,310
125,430
121,277
2,922
2,728
2,681
2,671
2,836
2,651
3,065
3,004
3,440
3,476
3,572
3,503
0
0
290,873
372,249
367,665
354,653
257,065
365,890
12,950
6,563
3,301
8,434
498
500
490
551
505
519
26,337
23,149
14,092
25,310
25,430
21,277
6,337
3,149
4,092
5,310
5,430
1,277

126,079
125,011
114,097
121,358
125,119
123,755
2,923
2,700
2,698
2,662
2,837
2,665
3,036
2,991
3,440
3,463
3,538
3,511
0
0
275,565
372,138
370,413
359,862
245,645
368,739
12,108
7,977
3,468
6,039
506
508
481
556
507
532
26,079
25,011
14,097
21,358
25,119
23,755
6,079
5,011
4,097
1,358
5,119
3,755

125,124
125,575
117,761
119,117
124,317
124,722
2,802
2,747
2,679
2,671
2,719
2,668
3,010
3,082
3,447
3,400
3,507
3,590
0
0
226,455
375,783
373,930
360,626
354,386
372,900
12,776
10,762
4,600
4,550
506
518
481
557
511
528
25,124
25,575
17,761
19,117
24,317
24,722
5,124
5,575
7,761
9,117
4,317
4,722

243,363,457
235,612,941
181,421,377
232,608,516
239,208,106
224,184,128
22,057,531
21,748,970
20,773,966
21,559,955
20,591,171
20,319,368
44,880,515
49,673,743
43,462,365
49,728,564
43,455,607
43,100,345
0
0
3,809,213,443
3,842,344,380
3,676,846,668
3,703,533,183
2,516,150,120
3,656,544,730
49,373,191
40,974,565
18,933,788
39,368,994
2,735,986
2,716,522
2,475,374
2,725,959
2,658,273
2,681,215
143,363,457
135,612,941
81,421,377
132,608,516
139,208,106
124,184,128
43,363,457
35,612,941
11,421,377
32,608,516
39,208,106
24,184,128

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

CONTRIBUTIONS

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Page 13-110

EXHIBIT 13AC
DATE:

MM/DD/YYYY

TIME:

08:00:00 AM

PAGE

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING
2005/2 ESTIMATED DATA AND PRIOR QUARTER DATA BY NAICS INDUSTRY FOR (STATE NAME)
OWN NAICS
IND
SEC

INDUSTRY
NAME

1

323

Printing and rela

1

336

Transportation eq

1

445

Food and beverage

1

447

Gasoline stations

1

451

Sporting goods, h

1

452

General merchandi

1

453

Miscellaneous sto

1

488

Support activitie

1

** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **

EST. YEAR/
DATA QTR

REP
UNITS

MONTH 1
EMPL.

MONTH 2
EMPL.

MONTH 3
EMPL.

TOTAL
WAGES

TAXABLE
WAGES

E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
E 2005/2
2005/1
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1

137
137
138
135
135
134
38
38
38
36
37
39
0
1
3,201
3,201
3,222
3,068
3,227
3,236
704
704
703
701
73
73
74
81
83
81
4,639
4,639
4,652
4,653
4,808
4,695
639
639
652
653
808
695
14,639
14,639
14,652
14,653
14,808
14,695

2,922
2,728
2,681
2,671
2,836
2,651
3,065
3,004
3,440
3,476
3,572
3,503
0
0
290,873
372,249
367,665
354,653
257,065
365,890
12,950
6,563
3,301
8,434
498
500
490
551
505
519
26,337
23,149
14,092
25,310
25,430
21,277
6,337
3,149
4,092
5,310
5,430
1,277
126,337
123,149
114,092
125,310
125,430
121,277

2,923
2,700
2,698
2,662
2,837
2,665
3,036
2,991
3,440
3,463
3,538
3,511
0
0
275,565
372,138
370,413
359,862
245,645
368,739
12,108
7,977
3,468
6,039
506
508
481
556
507
532
26,079
25,011
14,097
21,358
25,119
23,755
6,079
5,011
4,097
1,358
5,119
3,755
126,079
125,011
114,097
121,358
125,119
123,755

2,802
2,747
2,679
2,671
2,719
2,668
3,010
3,082
3,447
3,400
3,507
3,590
0
0
226,455
375,783
373,930
360,626
354,386
372,900
12,776
10,762
4,600
4,550
506
518
481
557
511
528
25,124
25,575
17,761
19,117
24,317
24,722
5,124
5,575
7,761
9,117
4,317
4,722
125,124
125,575
117,761
119,117
124,317
124,722

22,057,531
21,748,970
20,773,966
21,559,955
20,591,171
20,319,368
44,880,515
49,673,743
43,462,365
49,728,564
43,455,607
43,100,345
0
0
3,809,213,443
3,842,344,380
3,676,846,668
3,703,533,183
2,516,150,120
3,656,544,730
49,373,191
40,974,565
18,933,788
39,368,994
2,735,986
2,716,522
2,475,374
2,725,959
2,658,273
2,681,215
143,363,457
135,612,941
81,421,377
132,608,516
139,208,106
124,184,128
43,363,457
35,612,941
11,421,377
32,608,516
39,208,106
24,184,128
243,363,457
235,612,941
181,421,377
232,608,516
239,208,106
224,184,128

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

CONTRIBUTIONS

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Page 13-111

EXHIBIT 13AD
DATE:

MM/DD/YYYY

TIME:

08:00:00 AM

PAGE

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS – EQUI PROCESSING
2005/2 SIX-DIGIT ESTIMATED NAICS MACRO DATA FOR (STATE NAME)
OWNERSHIP NAICS
CODE
CODE

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

445110
452990
453998
488111
491110
519120
522292
522298
524128
541219
541330
541850
541940
541990
562111
611699
621420
622110
624110
624190
624410
712190
713910
713940
713950
713990
721310
722110
722211
813410
921130
921190
922110
922120
922130
922140
922190
923110
923120
923130
923140
924120
925110
926110
926120
926140
926150
928110

TYPE OF
COVERAGE
CODE
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9

REP.
UNITS

137
137
138
135
135
134
38
38
38
36
37
39
0
1
3,201
3,201
3,222
3,068
3,227
3,236
704
704
703
701
73
73
74
81
83
81
4,639
4,639
4,652
4,653
4,808
4,695
639
639
652
653
808
695
14,639
14,639
14,652
14,653
14,808
14,695

MONTH 1
EMPL.

2,922
2,728
2,681
2,671
2,836
2,651
3,065
3,004
3,440
3,476
3,572
3,503
0
0
290,873
372,249
367,665
354,653
257,065
365,890
12,950
6,563
3,301
8,434
498
500
490
551
505
519
26,337
23,149
14,092
25,310
25,430
21,277
6,337
3,149
4,092
5,310
5,430
1,277
126,337
123,149
114,092
125,310
125,430
121,277

MONTH 2
EMPL.

2,923
2,700
2,698
2,662
2,837
2,665
3,036
2,991
3,440
3,463
3,538
3,511
0
0
275,565
372,138
370,413
359,862
245,645
368,739
12,108
7,977
3,468
6,039
506
508
481
556
507
532
26,079
25,011
14,097
21,358
25,119
23,755
6,079
5,011
4,097
1,358
5,119
3,755
126,079
125,011
114,097
121,358
125,119
123,755

MONTH 3
EMPL.

2,802
2,747
2,679
2,671
2,719
2,668
3,010
3,082
3,447
3,400
3,507
3,590
0
0
226,455
375,783
373,930
360,626
354,386
372,900
12,776
10,762
4,600
4,550
506
518
481
557
511
528
25,124
25,575
17,761
19,117
24,317
24,722
5,124
5,575
7,761
9,117
4,317
4,722
125,124
125,575
117,761
119,117
124,317
124,722

TOTAL
WAGES

22,057,531
21,748,970
20,773,966
21,559,955
20,591,171
20,319,368
44,880,515
49,673,743
43,462,365
49,728,564
43,455,607
43,100,345
0
0
3,809,213,443
3,842,344,380
3,676,846,668
3,703,533,183
2,516,150,120
3,656,544,730
49,373,191
40,974,565
18,933,788
39,368,994
2,735,986
2,716,522
2,475,374
2,725,959
2,658,273
2,681,215
143,363,457
135,612,941
81,421,377
132,608,516
139,208,106
124,184,128
43,363,457
35,612,941
11,421,377
32,608,516
39,208,106
24,184,128
243,363,457
235,612,941
181,421,377
232,608,516
239,208,106
224,184,128

1

** CONFIDENTIAL DATA **
TAXABLE
WAGES

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

CONTRIBUTIONS

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

Page 13-112

13.4.5 Review of BLS-Generated Estimates
Approximately one to two weeks prior to the due date for the EQUI, the regional offices notify
BLS-Washington whether any State's file will be late, or may be late. Within a few days, BLSWashington generates estimates and reviews them. Copies of the estimates may be sent to the
regional office for review. If significant occurrences such as major strikes are missing from the
estimates, the value of the estimated data is especially limited. Even though estimates are
generated, States must submit a useable EQUI as soon as possible.
BLS-Washington and the regional offices will review the output and identify significant
fluctuations caused by:
• combination of historical data and the estimation formulas
• comparisons to CES employment and average weekly earnings series, or
• changes in coverage provisions, strikes, layoffs, plant reopenings, or other significant
occurrences
The estimates should reflect current economic conditions, especially if the economy is in flux.
The estimating methodology described above uses a year-to-year trend relationship of
employment and wages to compute the estimates for the current quarter. In relatively stable
times, this procedure produces reliable estimates, but its usefulness diminishes when the
economy is at a turning point. BLS-Washington will then identify questionable data on the file,
contacting the regional office for supplemental information where needed.

13.4.6 Time Schedule for BLS-Generated Estimates
Approximately one to two weeks prior to the due date for the EQUI, the regional offices notify
BLS-Washington whether any State's file will be late, or may be late. Within a few days, BLSWashington generates estimates and performs a top-level review. Copies of the estimates may
be sent to the regional office for review. Even though estimates are generated, States must
submit a useable EQUI as soon as possible.

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Processing of the EQUI Data

June 2007

Page 13-113

An approximate schedule for the preparation of estimates by BLS is given below. The final
schedule for each quarter will be transmitted to the regional offices on a quarterly basis.
Activity

Number of Days
Before (-)
or After (+)
EQUI Due Date

1.

Regional office contacts States to determine possible
delinquencies

-15

2.

Regional office informs BLS-Washington of possible
delinquencies

-10 to -7

3.

BLS-Washington generates estimates for national and regional
offices

-5 to -1

4.

BLS-Washington reviews estimates

-5 to -1

5.

BLS-Washington identifies questionable data and contacts the
regional office for additional information

-5 to -1

6.

BLS-Washington includes files of estimated data with
deliverables to key users

-1 to +5

This is the optimum schedule. If an unexpected event causes a State to be delinquent, the State
contacts the BLS regional office immediately so estimates can be run.

13.4.7 Replacing Estimates with Live Data
All estimated files must be replaced with actual State EQUI files. Regional offices work closely
with late States to submit actual data as quickly as possible. Additionally, the State and regional
office should work together to identify the cause of the delinquency and implement changes to
ensure that these problems do not continue in subsequent quarters. Regional offices notify
BLS-Washington with a summary of these actions.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Coordinating with BLS to Validate State Reporting

Page 14-1

Chapter 14 – Coordinating with BLS to Validate
State Reporting
This chapter will be provided in a future revision to this manual.

QCEW Operating Manual
Recurring Coverage and Reporting Problems

July 2003

Page 15-1

Chapter 15 – Recurring Coverage and Reporting
Problems
The sections in this chapter outline general procedures for identifying and resolving questionable
employment counts or total wages reflected in the State QCEW micro file database and the
EQUI. These guidelines should be followed when a State does not have a relevant UI law.
The following definitions give the basic guidelines for reporting employment and wage data in
the QCEW program. This chapter covers reporting practices and special situations that challenge
these guidelines; however, they should still be applied to the extent possible.
Monthly employment is the total count of all covered full- and part-time employees who
worked during, or received pay for, the pay period that includes the 12th day of the month. The
count should be unduplicated, so that for the reference period in any month, an employee should
be counted only once. Covered employees are those workers who are subject to State
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws or the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employee
(UCFE) program.
For employers providing Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) data, the employee should be
counted at only one worksite during each referenced payroll period. Employees that work at
more than one site during a referenced payroll period should be reported where they worked the
most during that payroll period. Since some payroll systems do not store employment counts for
each pay period during the quarter, State QCEW staff should use their judgment as to where the
employee may be reported working at the end of the quarter. This assumes that the employee is
still working in that State and under the same Unemployment Insurance Account Number.
Total Quarterly Wages (sometimes called “gross wages” or simply “wages”) are the amount of
wages paid or payable (depending on the State law) to covered workers for services performed,
on all the payrolls of whatever type, during the quarter. Bonuses paid are included in the payroll
figures. Also included, when furnished with the job, is the cash value of such items as meals,
lodging, tips, and other gratuities, to the extent that State laws and regulations provide. Total
wages include both taxable wages and nontaxable wages and are reported by both taxable and
reimbursing subject employers.

------------------------- Contents of Chapter 15 ------------------------15.1 Common Employment Reporting Errors
15.2 Atypical Payments to Employees
15.3 Problem Industries

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Recurring Coverage and Reporting Problems

Page 15-2

15.1 Common Employment Reporting Errors
End-of Quarter Count
Some employers may mistakenly provide a count of employment as of the time the Quarterly
Contribution Report (QCR) is received – possibly the payroll period at the end of the third month
of the quarter or the beginning of the following month. This is not generally the proper reference
period and, as a result, the employment level reported for that month is somewhat inaccurate.
Even more serious, employment for the first two months may be reported as the same figure or
even "guesstimated." Thus, data for the first two months of the quarter may be even more
inaccurate. This reporting situation may be the most difficult to identify. Identical monthly
employment counts and knowledge of the industry by State staff may be the best means of
determining that a problem exists.
While identical monthly employment may be accurate for establishments with a small
workforce, it is suspect when employment is large. Edit 128-W assigns a warning flag to records
with identical monthly employment when the employment exceeds a parameter.

Wage Record Count
The wage record count may be a more common problem, probably because this count is also
required by many States to be reported on the Quarterly Contribution Report. In what are called
"wage reporting" States, employers are required to report "wage items" or "wage records." This
report is a listing by Social Security Number of all persons receiving pay during the quarter
along with their total wages. Typically, the data are reported along with a count of the number of
records (persons). Some employers mistakenly believe that this wage record count is also the
employment count requested for the payroll period including the twelfth. They then report that
same value for each month on the Quarterly Contribution Report.
Only in an extreme case where the employment level is absolutely constant for the entire quarter
is the wage record count equal to the employment count for each of the three reference periods.
If there is any turnover or change in staffing, the wage record count will overstate the true
employment level for each reference period. The greater the degree of turnover or staffing
changes, the larger the overstatement. Again, knowledge of the industry by State staff may be
the best means of determining whether a problem exists.

Count of Checks (Payments) Issued
Some employers measure and report employment by counting the number of checks written
within the payroll system for a particular period. This approach provides an accurate
employment count only if the payroll system limits a person to one check per payroll period for

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Recurring Coverage and Reporting Problems

Page 15-3

all types of wage payments combined. Otherwise, the employment count is overstated to the
degree that employees receive more than one check during the reference period. Possible types
of additional payments include bonuses, commissions, overtime pay, vacation pay, sick pay,
holiday pay, moving expenses, severance pay, and contributions to an employee savings plan
(e.g., 401(k)). Ensuring that a Social Security Number is counted no more than one time for the
appropriate reference period may facilitate generating a proper count.
It should also be noted that using the check date does not guarantee reporting for the proper
reference period. The reference payroll period is the payroll period for which – not in which –
the employee is being paid. If an employer pays with a time lag, a check for work in the
reference period will typically be dated in a later payroll period.

Cumulative Employment Counts
Some employers mistakenly provide cumulative counts of everyone who has worked for them
since the beginning of some time period. That period might be a calendar quarter, calendar year,
tax year, fiscal year, or another time frame. The resulting pattern of data reported shows
employment for each month at or above the level of the preceding month. When the employer's
file is purged, as it is periodically, a precipitous decline in reported employment results. Thus,
employment is overstated by an amount that grows each month until the overstatement becomes
substantial (again, the degree depends on worker turnover). Then a sizable drop in reported
employment appears, but it is due to an administrative practice, rather than any economic
phenomenon.
One practice that causes this type of overstatement of employment to occur is when an employer
reports the number of "active employees" each month. Again, if the employer's active file is not
updated every pay period to reflect turnover, an overstatement of monthly employment will
result until the file is subsequently purged.

Count of Available Employees
This count is provided typically by employers who maintain a file or list of employees who may
be called upon to work. The count reported is the number of people on that list, rather than those
who actually worked. Employment is overstated because the count adds those who were
potentially available but did not actually work during the relevant period to those who did work.
This situation is most likely to occur in industries such as education, retail sales, and temporary
help. In these industries, employers frequently maintain lists of certified substitute teachers,
contingent sales staff, and available temporaries.

Non-covered Employment
Workers not covered under State UI and UCFE laws should not be counted in QCEW monthly
employment or total wage figures. The employment counts and wages reported on the States'

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Recurring Coverage and Reporting Problems

Page 15-4

Quarterly Contribution Reports should include only those employees who are covered by
Unemployment Insurance (UI) and UCFE. With relatively few exceptions, which may vary
from State to State, UI coverage is comprehensive throughout the United States. For more
detailed information regarding each State's UI coverage, refer to Comparison of State
Unemployment Insurance Laws, published by the Employment and Training Administration
(ETA).
The following are notable limitations and exclusions of UI and UCFE coverage:
• Railroad workers covered by the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act
• State and local government elected officials
• College and university students, spouses of students, student nurses, and interns who work
for the institution that they, or their spouse, attend
• Nonprofit organizations with fewer than 4 employees
• Insurance and real estate agents compensated only by commissions

Handling Reporting Errors
If the State staff determine that the employer is providing incorrect employment counts ( e.g.
those described earlier in this section or some other problem not mentioned), the State staff
should ask the employer for additional information under certain conditions. If the incorrect
employment level provided by the employer was greater than 50 (note that this is the level
reported, not the magnitude of the error), then the State staff should follow the procedures listed
below.
1) Ask the employer if they use the services of a payroll service bureau, Certified Pubic
Accountant (CPA), bookkeeper, or some other agent, to prepare their QCR. If no, skip to
step 2 below. If yes, please obtain the name of the firm, address, phone number, and the
name of a contact at that firm from the employer. Also obtain from the employer, the
specific year and quarter that the firm started providing this service. The next step would be
to contact the firm providing the QCR preparation service and ask how the employment
counts are developed. Next, skip to step 4 for more instructions.
2) Ask the employer if the employment counts from the QCR are derived from reports prepared
by their own staff using payroll/tax filing software that was developed by their own staff
(a.k.a. as an in-house payroll/tax system). If no, skip to line 3 below. If yes, ask the
employer when (year and quarter) the system was first used and then determine how the
employment counts are developed. Then skip to step 4 for more instructions.
3) Ask the employer if their software was purchased from a software vendor for use on a
personal computer, mainframe computer, client server, or some other computer system.
Assuming that the answer to the question is yes, please obtain the name of the firm, address,
phone number, and the name of a contact at that firm from the employer. Also determine
when (year and quarter) the employer began using that software and how the employment

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Recurring Coverage and Reporting Problems

Page 15-5

counts are derived. If the employer answered no to this question, please repeat the questions
in steps 1 and 2 again as one of these three situations should be applicable.
4) With the information that was collected in either steps1, 2, or 3, the State staff needs to assess
the impact of this problem on data for this employer and possibly other employers and States
as well. If the employer is large and the difference between the reported values and the
correct values are significant; extend over more than two quarters, and/or if the software that
was used to produce the employment counts was also used by other employers (either from a
service bureau or similar type agent or was purchased from a vendor), please contact the
appropriate regional office for assistance in resolving this issue. If none of the factors just
cited were applicable, then correct the current quarter’s employment counts. When in doubt,
the State staff should consult the appropriate regional office for assistance.
When dealing with this type of problem, it is important to remember that the implementation of a
change in the method to compute the employment counts needs to be fully documented. The
differences in the method of reporting need to be distinguished from real changes in
employment. In the event that a service bureau or software vendor needs to change their method
to compute the employment counts, BLS-Washington would request that the employment counts
be prepared for a minimum of one quarter (preferably two quarters) under both methods to
quantify the differences in the counts. In addition, the new methodology would not be
introduced in the first or second quarters of the year as these changes would adversely impact the
development of the annual employment benchmarks for the Current Employment Statistics
program.

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15.2 Atypical Payments to Employees
These guidelines should be followed when a State does not have a relevant UI law to address the
situation.

Back Wages
Occasionally a firm will pay employees or former employees’ back wages, usually as a result of
litigation requires employer to compensate an employee or group of employees. The back wages
awarded may sometimes be for pay periods many years in the past.
Back wage payments should be included in the total wages reported for the reference quarter in
which the back wage payment was made. Recipients of the back wages should be included in
the employment figures only if they were actively employed during the reference pay periods of
the quarter. If they receive both regular and back pay they should still be counted only one time.
For example, several former employees win a lawsuit in the 4th quarter stipulating that their
employer pay them back wages for services rendered during the 1st quarter. During the 4th
quarter (the quarter in which the back wages are paid), the former employees would not be
counted as employed (performed no work during the 4th quarter) but the wages would be
included in the total wages figure for the 4th quarter.
Although back wages are included in the total wage figure, any additional payments unrelated to
the previous employment (e.g. punitive damages) should not be included in total wages.

Early Retirement Payments
Often, large corporations offer their employees an “early retirement incentive” or “early buyout”
to leave their positions before the standard retirement age. In many cases, employees will have a
choice of taking a lump sum payment or receiving a salary continuation for a fixed period of
time after they stop working.
If an individual receives a lump sum early retirement payment, the payment should be included
in the total wages in the quarter it was paid. The individual should not be counted as employed
in any 12th of the month reference pay period of the quarter following the individuals’ departure.
In the event that the individual is receiving a salary continuation, the regular payment should be
included in total wages for each quarter in which the payments were made. The employee
should be included in the monthly employment counts for each month payment was made.

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Severance Pay
When a firm permanently lays off members of its workforce, the former employees will often be
compensated in the form of severance payments. Severance payments are typically made in
lump sum, but some employers may choose to distribute the payment in installments.
If a lump sum severance payment is made, the employer should report the payment in total
wages during the quarter that the payment was made. An individual receiving a lump sum
severance payment should not be counted as employed during payroll periods including the 12th
of the month following the departure. A layoff with lump sum severance payments typically
results in a lower employment count relative to the total wages figure (that is, higher average
wages).
If the permanently laid-off employee is receiving severance pay in installments, the person is
considered to be on paid administrative leave. Because a regular check is being received, the
individual should be included in the monthly employment counts during which payments are
received, and the severance payments should be included with total quarterly wages. This
scenario is distinct from employees that, after having been laid off, are receiving both UI benefits
and supplemental pay from their former employer. (See “Supplemental Pay During Layoff
Status” later in this section.)

Sick or Disability Payments by Third Party Insurance Companies
Many employees on extended sick or disability leave continue to receive pay from their
employers. In some cases, the employer has taken out insurance to cover these situations and a
third party insurance company instead of the employer makes sick or disability payments. Third
party insurance company payments deserve special attention because of the way they are treated
under State UI laws and the potential for the employer to report these employees and payments
inaccurately.
Sick or disability pay, paid by either the employer or a third party insurance company, but not
paid under Worker’s Compensation, is taxed as wages for the first six months under UI laws in
all States. Individuals receiving such pay should be counted as employed and the pay should be
included in total wages. Workman’s Compensation payments are never taxed as wages for UI or
included in total wages. Persons receiving Worker’s Compensation should not be counted as
employed.
If sick or disability pay from the employer and/or third party insurance company continues after
six months, it is taxed as wages for UI and included in total wages only in the following States:
Arkansas
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire

New Mexico
North Carolina
Puerto Rico
South Dakota

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When third party sick and disability payments are taxed for UI, associated employees should not
be counted as employed twice in the event that the employer pays part of the salary during the
illness and the third party insurance company makes up the difference. That is, if the associated
employee is given two separate checks, the employee must only be counted as employed once.
It is also important that the employment and wages be reported for the correct reference period.
Insurance companies do not have to report to the employer the sick or disability payments they
make until the 15th of the following month. This time lag may cause an employer to report
employment and pay in the wrong month or quarter. Employment and wages should be included
in the State QCEW micro file and the EQUI for the reference period in which the payment was
actually made by the insurance company.
To ensure that the data are reported correctly, State QCEW staff should evaluate each case
individually and question the employer about the following factors:
1. The employer’s policy with an insurance company.
2. Whether the employer also makes payment to the employee along with the insurance
company.
3. How the employer’s payroll system is programmed to pick up these payments for UI/QCEW
purposes (does it check for duplicate payments, ignore the payments, or report the employees
and payments for the wrong reference period).
4. If the employer uses a payroll service bureau, how the payroll service bureau’s tax system is
programmed to pick up these payments.
5. How long a time period the payments have been made to determine whether they are still
taxable under the State’s UI law and should be reported.

Stock Options
Many professionals and executives receive company stock options from their employers as part
of their compensation, often as a form of bonus or incentive pay. Both federal and State
unemployment insurance laws have defined covered wages to include remuneration other than
cash. Therefore, unless stock options are specifically excluded from the definition of wages by a
State’s unemployment insurance laws, they should be reported as wages for QCEW purposes. If
State QCEW staff has any concerns about stock options reported by employers, they should
contact their UI tax unit for a ruling on their State’s law.

Supplemental Pay During Layoff Status
If an employee of a firm is placed on a temporary or permanent layoff, an employer may choose
to supplement, with a regular check, the unemployment insurance benefits being received by the
former employer. Often, the supplement pay will make up the difference between the
employee’s unemployment insurance check and regular pay, or some percentage of that
difference. Employees who receive UI payments that are supplemented by company checks,

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even if they are distributed regularly through payroll, should not be counted as employed. The
supplemental pay should not be included in total wages.
Note that a firm may have different procedures for handling temporary or permanent layoffs
depending on the specific company contract. The special procedures can potentially impact
whether employment, wages, or both are included in the State QCEW micro file and the EQUI.
Questions should be directed to the appropriate regional office.

Vacation Funds
Establishments that manage vacation funds for employee groups are classified in NAICS
525120, "Health and Welfare Funds." These types of establishments invest employeecontributed funds on their behalf and then distribute the moneys to the participants once a year.
When vacation moneys are distributed, these establishments may incorrectly report a count of the
checks issued to participants as employment. While the moneys paid out to participants should
be reported as wages during the reference period in which the payments are made, the recipients
should not be counted in employment. Only those persons employed in managing the funds
should be counted in employment. Large once-a-year increases in employment in NAICS
525120 should be investigated even if the increases are reflected in historical data.

Workers Paid During a Strike
If employees are on strike but are still collecting pay from their employer for personal leave
(annual or sick), the individuals should continue to be counted as employed, and their pay
included in total wages.

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15.3 Problem Industries
Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs)
NAICS 561330, “Professional Employer Organizations," includes employee-leasing companies,
which lease employees to client firms on a contractual basis. Many businesses, small businesses
in particular, have found it financially advantageous to transfer their workers to employee leasing
companies because the arrangement relieves the businesses of human resource and
administrative work. It also allows more time to be devoted to the actual business and offers
their workers access to potentially better benefits that otherwise would not be affordable. The
advantages gained by using a leasing company have led many employers to enter into this
arrangement. A key aspect of the leasing firm/client relationship is that the employees of the
client that are subsequently leased from the leasing firm are now considered to be employees of
the leasing firm. This leads to the erroneous reporting of leased employees in NAICS 561330,
when in reality they are working in other industries.
To obtain accurate data from employee leasing companies and their clients, the State should treat
establishments taken over by a leasing firm as sub-units of the leasing firm. Employment and
wage data for a sub-unit should be classified using the industry code that correctly identifies the
primary industrial activity of the sub-unit and in the geographic location (State and county) in
which the sub-unit is physically located, not the State and county of the leasing firm. Only the
staff in the leasing company’s administrative offices should be coded in NAICS 561330 and the
geographical code of the leasing company. To obtain this information, States will need to
request that all leasing companies file a Multiple Worksite Report listing all of their clients’
worksites.
In most cases, only a small portion (executives & managers) or none of the client’s staff will
remain on the payroll of the original firm. The workers normally are transferred to the leasing
company. If the executives and management staff do not move to the leasing company, the
client firm’s account would remain active in the UI system and the State QCEW micro file. The
remaining employees would still be reported under the old UI account. QCEW staff should ask
the appropriate UI staff in their State for assistance to determine exactly how leasing firms are
administered in their State.
When a leasing firm initially breaks out their clients by worksite, they should provide the clients’
trade names, former UI account numbers (predecessors), physical location addresses, and a
description of their client’s economic activities. If their client’s industry code is unknown, the
State staff should collect this information as well. Predecessor UI numbers and successor UI
numbers need to be assigned to each worksite. They allow for longitudinal tracking of an
establishment. See Section 5.1 for more information on assigning predecessor/successor
UI/RUNs. With the UI account number, States have the ability to locate a client’s previous
record on their micro file. From this previous record, industry and geographic codes can be
determined and applied to the new record reported by the leasing company. The address and

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industry description information reported by the leasing company for the client should be used to
ensure that the present industry and geographic codes are correct. If the existing codes do not
compare with the information reported by the leasing company, the State should call the leasing
company to ensure that the correct codes are assigned. If a client is found to have incorrect
industry and/or geographic codes, the correct codes should be assigned both to the client's record
reported by the leasing company and to the client's original record. These changes, however,
should be held until the following first quarter, as described below.
States should include on the Code Change Supplement any shifts in employment and wages from
the NAICS code and geographic area of leasing companies to the NAICS code and area of
clients and vice versa. The procedures for doing so appear in Chapter 11. When an employee
leasing company that previously did not break out their clients' worksites begins reporting by
worksite, the clients' employment and wages that were being reported in NAICS 561330 and in
the geographic area of the leasing company need to be placed into their proper industries and
areas, as described above. This action is considered to be a non-economic code change and
should be made effective as of the beginning of the calendar year.
For example, a leasing company using the MWR for the first time in the second quarter reports a
restaurant with 50 employees. In this case, a code change has to be made to show 50 employees
moving from NAICS 561330 to NAICS 722110 and from the geographic area of the leasing
company to the area of the restaurant, if necessary, as of the subsequent first quarter. The MWR
for the second, third, and fourth quarter will still be collected, but the employment and wages of
the client will remain in NAICS 561330 and the geographic code of the leasing company until
the following first quarter. The same process would be followed if the restaurant had previously
been miscoded in NAICS 722410. The restaurant's original record would remain coded in
722410 until the following first quarter when it would be changed to 722110. The restaurant's
record reported by the leasing company will have NAICS 722410 until 2000/1, when it also will
change to 722110.
When an employee-leasing firm completes the MWR on a regular basis and reports a client for
the first time, the State should immediately assign the previous industry and geographic code of
the client to the new record. This assumes the client is a single location employer. The State
should obtain the client's UI account number from the leasing company and use it to locate the
client's previous record. Once it is located and verified, use it to assign the client record’s
Predecessor UI and Reporting Unit Numbers.
If the client operates multiple worksites, the State should check that the client also filed an
MWR. If the client did provide an MWR, then the industry and geographic codes of the
worksites should be assigned to the corresponding worksites reported by the leasing company. If
the client did not provide an MWR, then all of the client's worksites should be assigned the
present industry and geographic code of the client. These code changes should once again be
held until the following first quarter. The State should also compare the client's worksites as
reported by the leasing company to the worksites reported by the client to ensure that duplicate
reporting does not occur or that a month or more of reporting is not mistakenly skipped. If the
State encounters any problems during this process, they should contact their regional offices for
assistance.

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States should investigate large, sudden growth in employment in NAICS 561330 to ensure that it
is not due to inaccurate reporting by leasing companies. If multi-State employee leasing
companies are found to be reporting incorrectly, States should refer these to their regional office
for forwarding to the BLS-Washington for further follow-up and evaluation.

Education Industry
Some employees in the education industry may be paid less frequently than once a month. For
example, adjunct professors may receive remuneration once or twice while teaching during an
entire semester (which typically lasts four months). Some school bus drivers may be paid every
six weeks. This would erroneously reduce the employment count whenever a non-payment
month occurred. The State should advise the employer to include these individuals in the
employment counts each month. To accomplish this goal may entail manual adjustment of each
month’s employment count by a fixed amount.
Also in the education industry, many college professors are paid to teach a fixed number of
courses. If they teach more than that number, they may receive additional compensation in the
form of more than one check. In this case, the individual should only be included in the
employment count once. See Count of Checks (Payments) Issued.

University/Teaching Hospitals
Many State universities and larger private universities operate hospitals from which medical
schools are based. Others have affiliations with a public or private hospital from which they
conduct their medical school programs. The university units and hospital units should be
reported separately in NAICS 611310 and NAICS 622110, respectively. However, there may be
a tendency by some institutions to count workers in both the university and hospital reporting
units. Employment may also shift back and forth between the units. Data inconsistencies should
be checked with the employer to ensure that there is no double count.

Television and Film Industry
Payroll practices in the Television and Film Industry often cause confusion. There are two
distinct situations that occur in the industry, one of which is reported, the other excluded.
An actor under contract for a television series typically shoots a season’s worth of episodes in a
two-to-three month period. The actor is not actually working on the series during the rest of the
year, but is paid throughout the season contract period. Since such actors are under contract,
they are still considered as employed and are ineligible for UI benefits during that period.
Therefore, their employment and wages should be reported on the State QCEW micro file and
the EQUI throughout the contract period even though they are not technically at work.

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An actor, no longer under contract for specific advertising commercial or television series work,
receives “residual” payments for that work when it is re-broadcast. Residual payments are often
made many years after the actual work is performed. These actors should not be counted as
employed nor should the residual payments be included in total wages. Furthermore,
unemployed actors receiving residual payments are eligible for UI benefits, albeit reduced. It
would be contradictory to count a person eligible for or receiving UI benefits as employed on the
State QCEW micro file and the EQUI.

QCEW Operating Manual
Commissioner's Order on Confidentiality

June 2007

Page A-1

Appendix A – Commissioner's Order on
Confidentiality
Date: September 21, 2006
Commissioner's Order No. 1-06
Subject: Confidential Nature of BLS Statistical Data

1. Purpose. The purpose of this Order is to state the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) policy
concerning the confidential nature of BLS statistical data.
2. Reference Office. Office of Administration, Division of Management Systems.
3. Authority. Secretary's Order 39-72, "Control of Data and Information Collected by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics," assigns the Commissioner of Labor Statistics responsibility for
confidentiality policy and procedures related to the protection of BLS data and for deciding
on all requests for public disclosure of data collected by the BLS. The Confidential
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), Title 5 of Public
Law 107-347, establishes statutory provisions protecting the confidentiality of data collected
by Federal Executive Branch agencies for exclusively statistical purposes under a pledge of
confidentiality. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Public Law 105-220, section
309(a)(2), establishes statutory provisions protecting the confidentiality of data collected
through the Federal/State Labor Market Information programs. The Federal Statistical
Confidentiality Order issued by the Office of Management and Budget, 62 Federal Register
35043 (June 27, 1997), establishes a consistent government policy protecting the
confidentiality interests of respondents who provide information for Federal statistical
programs.
4. Directives Affected. Commissioner's Order 3-04, "Confidential Nature of BLS Records," is
replaced by this Order. In all cases where Commissioner's Order 3-04 is cited as the BLS
policy, this Order is henceforth the applicable document.
5. References. Administrative Procedure 2-05, “Responsibility for Safeguarding Confidential
Information,” Administrative Procedure 2-06, “Informed Consent Procedures,”
Commissioner’s Order 3-00, "Contracts and Agreements Involving BLS Confidential Data or
Privacy Act Data,” Commissioner’s Order 4-00, “Advance Release of Embargoed News and
Data Releases,” Commissioner’s Order 1-05, “Authorizing Advance Access to or Publication
of Non-Embargoed News and Data Releases,” and Administrative Procedure 2-99, “Requests
for Records Under the Freedom of Information Act” provide additional information on the
BLS confidentiality policy.

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6. Definitions. For purposes of this Order:
a. Confidential information includes:
i. Respondent identifiable information. Any representation of information that permits
the identity of the respondent to whom the information applies to be reasonably
inferred by either direct or indirect means.
ii. Pre-release economic data. Statistics and analyses that have not yet officially been
released to the public, whether or not there is a set date and time of release before
which they must not be divulged.
a. Embargoed data. Pre-release economic data for the Principal Federal Economic
Indicators produced by the BLS. Currently, the following BLS data series have
been designated by OMB as Principal Federal Economic Indicators: the
Consumer Price Index, Employment Situation, Employment Cost Index, Producer
Price Indexes, Productivity and Costs, Real Earnings, and U.S. Import and Export
Price Indexes.
b. Non-embargoed data. Non-embargoed data include all economic data produced
by the BLS that are not designated as Principal Federal Economic Indicators.
This includes statistics and analyses that have not yet officially been released to
the public, whether or not there is a set date and time of release before which they
must not be divulged.
b. Respondent. A person who, or organization that, is requested or required to supply
information to the BLS, is the subject of information requested or required to be supplied
to the BLS, or provides that information to the BLS. A person or organization is not
required to actually have provided information to BLS, or have had information provided
to BLS from another source, to be considered a respondent.
c. Statistical purposes. The description, estimation, or analysis of the characteristics of
groups without identifying the individuals or organizations that comprise such groups,
and the development, implementation, or maintenance of methods, procedures, or
information resources that support such purposes. This definition does not include any
use of respondent identifiable information for administrative, regulatory, law
enforcement, adjudicatory, disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, or other
similar purposes that affect the rights, privileges, or benefits of a particular respondent.
d. Statistical activities. The collection, compilation, processing, or analysis of data for the
purpose of describing or making estimates or tabulations concerning the whole, or
relevant groups or components within the economy, society, or the natural environment.
Statistical activities include the development of methods or resources that support those
activities, such as measurement methods, models, statistical classifications, or sampling
frames.

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e. Authorized persons. Officers, employees, and agents of the BLS who are responsible for
collecting, processing, or using confidential information in furtherance of statistical
purposes or for the other stated purposes for which the data were collected. Authorized
persons are authorized access to only confidential information that are integral to the
program or project on which they work, and only to the extent required to perform their
duties.
f. Agents. Individuals who meet the definition of agent as set forth by CIPSEA and who
have been designated by the BLS to perform exclusively statistical activities through an
Agent Agreement.
g. Disclose or Disclosure. The release of confidential information to anyone other than
authorized persons or the respondent who provided or is the subject of the data.
h. Advance Release. Providing a BLS news or data release (or any part or derivative of a
release) to a person or organization outside the BLS prior to its official date and time of
public release.
7. Policy. In conformance with existing law and Departmental regulations, it is the policy of
the BLS that:
a. Respondent identifiable information collected or maintained by, or under the auspices of,
the BLS for exclusively statistical purposes and under a pledge of confidentiality shall be
treated in a manner that will ensure that the information will be used only for statistical
purposes and will be accessible only to authorized persons.
b. Pre-release economic data, including embargoed data, prepared for release to the public
will not be disclosed or used in an unauthorized manner before they officially have been
released, and will be accessible only to authorized persons.
8. Designation of Authorized Persons. The following categories of individuals are authorized
persons:
a. BLS officers and employees who take the oath of office and who sign the BLS Employee
Acknowledgment Letter when they enter on duty.
b. Individuals designated as agents who fall within one of the following categories:
(1) State agency employees who are directly involved in the BLS/State cooperative
programs, who are subject to the provisions of the BLS/State cooperative agreement,
and who have signed a BLS Agent Agreement.
(2) BLS contract employees whose contract under which they are working contains
provisions that includes the BLS confidentiality policy and who have signed a BLS
Agent Agreement.

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(3) Individuals working under the authority of a separate government entity with which
the BLS has entered into a contract or other agreement that includes the BLS
confidentiality policy and who have signed a BLS Agent Agreement.
(4) Researchers who are affiliated with an organization with which the BLS has entered
into a contract or other agreement that includes the BLS confidentiality policy, who
are working on a temporary basis on a statistical project of interest to the BLS, and
who have signed a BLS Agent Agreement.
(5) Any other individuals who are affiliated with an organization with which the BLS has
entered into a contract or other agreement that includes the BLS confidentiality
policy. Such individuals must meet the definition of an agent under CIPSEA, and
must sign a BLS Agent Agreement.
9. Delegation of Authority for Designating Agents.
a. The authority for designating agents for access to the confidential National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth Geocode Files for statistical research is hereby delegated to the Senior
Research Economist for Employment Research and Program Development.
b. The authority for designating agents for access to the confidential Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries Research File for statistical research is hereby delegated to the
Assistant Commissioner for Safety, Health, and Working Conditions.
c. The authority for designating agents for access to all other BLS confidential information
is delegated to the Associate Commissioner for the office in which the confidential
information is maintained.
d. The authority for designating agents for administrative statistical activities that involve
access to confidential information is delegated to the Associate Commissioner for
Administration.
e. The authority for designating agents for the provision of contracted services to the BLS
that involve access to confidential information is delegated to the Contracting Officer and
the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representatives assigned to oversee work on
individual contracts.
f. The authority for designating agents for the purposes of carrying out statistical activities
with State agencies with which the BLS has written agreements is delegated to the
Associate Commissioner for Field Operations and the Regional Commissioners.
g. The authority for designating agents for access to BLS confidential information for
authorized fellowship programs is delegated to the Associate Commissioner for Survey
Methods Research.

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10. Implementation. In the execution of this general policy concerning confidential BLS
records, the following requirements shall be in effect:
a. Data collected in cooperation with another Federal or State agency for exclusively
statistical purposes under a pledge of confidentiality are covered by the policy of this
Order and by applicable Federal laws governing the handling of confidential information.
b. Files maintained by another Federal or State agency that are commingled with
confidential information collected by BLS for exclusively statistical purposes under a
pledge of confidentiality are covered by the policy of this Order and by applicable
Federal laws governing the handling of confidential information. Further, any data,
including publicly available data,that are commingled with confidential information
covered by this Order are to be treated as confidential and handled in accordance with
this policy.
c. Universe lists derived from data provided to the BLS for exclusively statistical purposes
under a pledge of confidentiality shall be kept confidential.
d. The survey sample composition, lists of reporters, names of respondents, and brand
names shall be kept confidential, regardless of the source of such lists or names.
e. Publications shall be prepared in such a way that they will not reveal the identity of any
specific respondent and, to the knowledge of the preparer, will not allow information
concerning the respondent to be reasonably inferred by either direct or indirect means.
f. Frequency count data of establishments tabulated by the Quarterly Census of
Employment and Wages (QCEW) are not considered confidential since general
information about an establishment, particularly information on the establishment
location and line of business (or industry) that would be used in a frequency count table,
is publicly available. All other information maintained by BLS in the QCEW file,
including the employment and wages of establishments, is considered confidential and
must be handled in accordance with this policy and applicable Federal law.
g. Graphical representations of data, including maps, may be disclosed to the public only if
the table underlying the graphical representation meets BLS disclosure criteria.
h. All individuals or organizations, government or private, who enter into a contract or other
agreement with the BLS for the collection, processing, maintenance, or storage of data
shall conform to CIPSEA and other applicable Federal laws, to the BLS confidentiality
policy, to Commissioner's Order 3-00, "Contracts and Agreements Involving BLS
Confidential Data or Privacy Act Data,” and to all specific procedures published pursuant
to this Order.
i. Each BLS/State cooperative agreement shall designate a State official to serve as a State
Cooperating Representative. The State Cooperating Representative shall act as the BLS

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representative for ensuring that all provisions of the BLS confidentiality policy are
understood and complied with in the cooperating State agency. The State Cooperating
Representative and all other State agency personnel who receive access to BLS
confidential information must be designated agents of the BLS in accordance with
Section 8, “Designation of Authorized Persons.”
j. Any restrictions placed by international sources upon the use of data obtained from those
sources shall be observed. Also, any limitations placed by the Department of State or
other agency upon the use, dissemination, or handling of data obtained through Foreign
Service channels shall be observed wherever applicable.
k. BLS officers, employees, and agents who are responsible for collecting data shall not
sign any confidentiality agreements required by respondents. Such agreements may be
forwarded to the Division of Management Systems for consideration. Signing of
building entrance logs, which sometimes may contain confidentiality language, is
allowed.
l. Programs are responsible for complying with Disclosure Review Board (DRB) policies
established under BLS Statistical Policy Directives. In addition, when specific disclosure
limitation issues arise, programs are responsible for consulting with the DRB prior to
disseminating potentially confidential information.
m. In order for data obtained solely from a publicly available source to be covered under this
Order, a pledge of confidentiality must be provided to the person or organization that is
the subject of the information.
n. Programs may provide data to other BLS programs, with management approval, for the
statistical purposes of data reconciliation.
o. Under limited circumstances, advance release of pre-release economic data is permitted
with the authorization of the Commissioner. Advance release of embargoed data is
permitted only under the conditions set out in Commissioner’s Order 4-00, “Advance
Release of Embargoed News and Data Releases.” Advance release of non-embargoed
data is permitted only under the conditions set out in Commissioner’s Order 1-05,
“Authorizing Advance Access to or Publication of Non-Embargoed News and Data
Releases.”
11. Exceptions Under Conditions of Informed Consent. Exceptions to the general policy
relating to the disclosure of confidential information set forth in Section 7, "Policy," or to
the provisions listed in Section 10, "Implementation," shall be granted only under the
conditions of informed consent. Proposed informed consent arrangements shall be
developed in consultation with the Division of Management Systems and must be authorized
by the Commissioner prior to implementation in accordance with Administrative Procedure
2-06, “Informed Consent Procedures.”

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Commissioner's Order on Confidentiality

Page A-7

12. Assignment of Responsibility.
a. The Commissioner of Labor Statistics approves all confidentiality policies and
procedures related to the protection of BLS confidential information and decides all
requests for public disclosure of data collected by the BLS.
b. The Associate Commissioner for Administration is assigned responsibility for the
following:
(1) Developing and overseeing all BLS-wide policies and procedures for the safe
handling of BLS confidential information.
(2) Ensuring BLS-wide compliance with confidentiality laws, policies, and procedures.
(3) Overseeing the development and implementation of regular confidentiality training
for all BLS employees and agents.
(4) Serving as a BLS Disclosure Officer deciding on requests for public disclosure of
BLS confidential information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and for
establishing BLS-wide procedures for the handling of requests for records under
FOIA.
c. All Associate Commissioners are responsible for ensuring full compliance with all
confidentiality laws, policies, and procedures within their organization.
13. Disciplinary Actions. It is the policy of the BLS to enforce the provisions of this Order to
the full extent of its authority. Any unauthorized disclosure or use of confidential
information by a BLS officer or employee may constitute cause for the BLS to take
disciplinary action against that officer or employee including, but not limited to, reprimand,
suspension, demotion, or removal. Any unauthorized disclosure or use of confidential
information by a BLS contractor or other agent may constitute cause for removal from
further work under the contract or other agreement through which access to confidential
information is authorized or termination of the contract or other agreement. Furthermore, a
knowing and willful disclosure by a BLS officer, employee, or agent of respondent
identifiable information collected for exclusively statistical purposes under a pledge of
confidentiality would be a violation of CIPSEA and potentially other applicable Federal laws
that carry criminal fines and penalties.
14. Effective Date. This Order is effective immediately.

PHILIP L. RONES
Acting Commissioner of Labor Statistics

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Element Definitions

June 2007

Page B-1

Appendix B – Data Element Definitions
The following are data elements used in the QCEW program. Nearly all of these elements are
included on the QCEW micro file database or in supplemental files in the State and BLSWashington systems, while most are also on the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance
(EQUI) file (shown in Appendix K). The following descriptive information is provided for some
or all of the data elements:
Descriptive Information

Explanation

Requirement level

Shows whether the data element is required, optional,
required when available, and so on.

EQUI:

Identifies if the data field is included, if available, on the
EQUI record or supplemental EQUI predecessor/successor
(P/S) record
“Include, P/S Record” identifies that the field is included on
the supplemental EQUI with additional predecessor/
successor information.

Positions:

Positions where the field is found on the regular EQUI
record or on the supplemental separate EQUI
predecessor/successor record, if applicable

Frequency:

Non-quarterly (most administrative and address data
appearing on the micro file once) or quarterly (most
economic and code data appearing on the micro file for each
quarter)

Field Length:

Number of positions allowed for the data element on each
record

Type:

Description of the field as numeric or alphanumeric

Default Value:

Known default values (e.g., if unknown, zero-fill)

Alternate Name:

Frequently used abbreviation or alternate names used for the
field (e.g., OWN for ownership code)

Format:

Description of special formatting required (e.g., date fields
are: four positions for year, two for month, and two for day
or YYYYMMDD)

Source:

Data source for States to obtain this information (e.g., State
Unemployment Insurance (UI) system, system-assigned,
assigned by QCEW staff)

Definition:

Precise definition of the data element

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-2

Descriptive Information
Valid Values:

Explanation
Valid values associated with the field if valid values must be
used (e.g., Multi-establishment Employer Indicator (MEEI)
codes must equal 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6). In some cases, the
appropriate appendix reference is cited instead of repeating a
long list.

System Action or Notes:

Special notes related to a particular data element

Example

Examples used to clarify the proper definition or to
demonstrate specific cases or scenarios

Caution

Special instructions and warnings related to the proper use of
the data element

Rounding Criteria:

Procedures for rounding certain numeric fields such as Total
and Taxable Wages

Data elements are typically listed in alphabetic order. In some cases, (e.g., monthly
employment) data are clustered together.

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-A-1

A
Action Code (Predecessor/Successor)
(Required)
Include, P/S record
Positions:
20
EQUI:
Frequency:
Transaction
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
PS-Action
Source:
System-assigned
Definition: Identifies the situation on the EQUI where the predecessor/successor transaction
should be added or deleted from BLS files. The UI account/Reporting Unit Number (RUN),
format type, and predecessor or successor UI account/RUN combine to identify a unique linkage.
Changes to other fields on the supplemental EQUI P/S record such as source codes and comment
information update the existing linkage information.
Valid Values:
D = Delete the transaction information
Blank = Add/update the transaction information
Address/Contact Source
(Optional)
EQUI:
Include
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Position:
798
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Address Source, Contact
Source, PL-SO, addr-source
State UI system (if available), Web collection, outside sources such as
Source:
InfoUSA or Dunn and Bradstreet
Definition: Identifies if the physical location address was obtained through a traditional QCEW
source or a more non-traditional source.
Valid Values:
R = Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) refiling
A = Current Employment Statistics (CES) Program
E = Employer Contact
F = Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Federal/State Program
W = Web
S = Status Determination Form
I = InfoUSA
T = UI Tax system
O = Other
Agent Code
(Required if available and maintained by UI and/or obtained from agent submittal tapes)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
577-580
Quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:

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Data Element Definitions

June 2007

Default Value:

Blank

Page B-A-2

Third Party Agent, PPF,
AGENT, agent_cd
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric, left justified if alphanumeric
Source:
State UI system; Payroll provider or tax filer code if obtained and maintained
directly from agent reported files listing each client for the reference quarter.
Definition: Identifies the source of the reported data. This code should be used only if it is
updated on a regular basis by UI or the agent and readily available. The Agent Code will be used
to identify companies, such as payroll providing firms and tax filing firms, who file UI reports
for other establishments. This identifier information will be very useful in conducting research
on reporting procedures.
Special Criteria: A master list of each State’s codes (if used) must be submitted to BLSWashington. The list would normally include national payroll providers and national tax filers.
An updated list must be provided each year by those States using/providing this information.
Special Processing: A mechanism is required to ensure that this field is properly maintained. If
an employer ceases to use the services of a particular agent, the agent code should not be used
after the quarter for which the agent reported data.
Caution: Do not use this field if it is not readily available and maintained by UI or information
provided by the agent. Although this field will not be edited, it will be used for research
purposes. Standardized codes for commonly used agents may be established in the future.
ARS Response Code
(Required if ever refiled)
EQUI:
Include
Non-Quarterly
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank

Alternate Names:

Positions:
546-547
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Refile Code, ARS Code, RC,
response-cd
Source:
ARS Control File (system transferred, as discussed below for ARS Response
Year); QCEW staff (user updates to the micro file); Touch Tone Response
system (TRS); Centralized Annual Refiling Survey (CARS) system.
Definition: On the ARS Refiling Control File, this code gives the processing status of a record
included in the refiling survey. On the State and BLS-Washington micro files, this code shows
the status of a record when it was last refiled or when it was subsequently updated for purposes
of generating the CCS, as described in Chapter 11. This information is maintained until the next
refiling or noneconomic change to the NAICS, county, township (New England and New Jersey)
or ownership codes. For example, if the record was refiled in 2007, the ARS Response Code for
that refiling record would be retained through the 2009/4 data on the EQUI submittal. It would
change if refiled in 2010/1 or if one of the codes were changed earlier.
Valid Values: The valid ARS Response Code values and definitions are provided in Appendix
Q.
Caution: These data are not available from UI tax files. This information is loaded to the control
file from batch updates, TRS, CARS, scanning, or manually. The control file is used to update
the micro files in EXPO. The micro file can also be updated manually on a limited basis or for
late ARS updates made after the control file was loaded for the last time to the control file. In
the WIN system, the NAICS, ownership, and area codes are maintained in the micro file while
the control file information maintains the ARS Refile Year and ARS Response Code.

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Data Element Definitions

June 2007

Page B-A-3

ARS Refile Year
(Required if refiled)
EQUI:
Include
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
548-551
Field Length: 4
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
ARS Year, Response Year,
REFYR, refile-yr
Format:
YYYY (four-digit year, e.g., "2007")
Source:
ARS Control File (system transferred as discussed below); QCEW staff (user
updates to the micro file).
Definition: Fiscal year in which the record was last included in the ARS, or was last included on
the CCS, or the reference year that reflected the noneconomic code change.
Valid Values: Year greater than 1996
Sources of ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year:
The standard State QCEW systems transfer several data elements from their ARS refiling
systems to their QCEW Micro file database, preferably during first quarter processing. Data
elements that are transferred include ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year. These two
fields are used to generate the Code Change Supplement (CCS) file, and to show when the
reporting unit was last surveyed and what response was recorded or when the reporting unit had
its latest noneconomic code change.
Example: A State begins its refiling activity in autumn 2006 and concludes in summer of 2007,
so the ARS Refile Year is 2007 (both the fiscal year of the ARS and the reference year when the
ARS codes would be made effective). The ARS Refile Year as well as the ARS Response Code
would be passed from the refiling system to the micro file for first quarter 2007 processing. If
the survey identified a noneconomic code change, that change would be implemented in the
2007 first quarter. The ARS Refile Year and ARS Response Code on the micro file work
together in the State and BLS-Washington systems to place the reporting unit on the 2007 CCS
file.
Note: Some noneconomic code changes are identified from sources other than the ARS,
including multi-unit breakouts and consolidations; in addition, some code changes are identified
too late to be entered through the refiling system. Therefore, QCEW staff may need to update
ARS Refile Year, ARS Response Code, and other fields directly on the micro file.
Caution: This information is not extracted from the UI tax file. Reference EXPO or WIN
documentation for system-specific details.

ARS Verification Year
(Required, if available)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank
Format:
Source:

Positions:
556-559
Field Length: 4
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
ARS Year, ARS Verification
Year, Verify Year, VFYYR
YYYY (four-digit year, e.g., "2007")
System assigned. This field will be system generated in the State systems.

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-A-4

Definition: Fiscal year in which the reporting unit last received a usable ARS response. When
the ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year are copied from the ARS system to the Micro file,
the system copies the ARS Refile Year to this field if the ARS Response Code is one of the
following:
41
Reviewed, no refiling changes (no NAICS, county, township (New England or New Jersey
only) or ownership change) on a single or subunit record. Response Code 41 is also assigned to
a reviewed master record (MEEI =2) with or without any code changes. This code is also used
for refiling records that changed from unclassified to classified area where the NAICS is
unchanged. It is also used for those records originally included in split industries that remain in
the same six-digit code.
42
Employer misunderstood industry description but codes are correct. NAICS 2007 code either
not assigned or remains in the same six-digit code as the 2002-based NAICS code.
46
Clean record with CCS updates from the ARS refilling. Noneconomic code change made to
NAICS, county, township (New England and New Jersey only) or ownership. Change did not
result in a NAICS 2007 code assignment or the NAICS code remains in the same six-digit code
as the 2002-based NAICS code.
50
Code changes from non-refiling sources. Noneconomic code change made to NAICS, county,
township (New England and New Jersey only) or ownership but not from the ARS refiling.
NAICS 2007 code not assigned or the NAICS code remains in the same six-digit code as the
2002-based NAICS code.
57
Code changes from non-refiling sources. Noneconomic code change made to the 2002 NAICS
resulting in a 2007 NAICS code as well.
76
Code change to industry code, county, township (New England and New Jersey only) or
ownership also results in a NAICS 2007 code assignment.
77
2007 NAICS code assigned during refiling but with no correction to the 2002-based NAICS
code. (Employer may or may not have misunderstood the industry description but the 2002based NAICS code was correct.) There were no changes to the county, township (New
England and New Jersey only) or ownership codes. Response code 77 will also be systemassigned to those industries that directly map from a specific 2002-based code to one 2007based code where no other noneconomic code change is made.
This data element will allow users in the State and in BLS to tell how recently the existing
industry code and other codes were assigned or verified. It is system-assigned based on the ARS
Response Code and ARS Refile Year.
Valid Values: Year later than 1996
Note: Codes 57, 76, and 77 are added for processing and monitoring the 2007 NAICS revision.
Caution: This field is derived from the ARS Refile Year and ARS Response Code.

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-B-1

B
Business Transfer Company
(Optional for State systems, not reported on the EQUI)
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 50 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
None
Source:
MWRweb collection system
Definition: Name of the other company involved in the business transfer event based on
information from the respondent and not from the successor account. This information is sent to
the State on the MWRweb Collected Data File and is accompanied by a Business Transfer Event
Type.
Valid Values for Business Transfer Event Types:
1 = Acquired another company
2 = Been sold to another company
3 = Been in a merger
4 = Reorganized
5 = Opened a new UI account

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-B-2

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-C-1

C
Census ID
(Required, if available
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
779-793
Field Length: 15 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
census-id, BLOCK, BL-ST,
BLCTY, BLBLK, BLTRA
Source:
BLS-supplied from GeoStan software, may be provided as part of web-based
Global Innovative Systems software
Definition: Census ID is a 15 digit field that is actually comprised of
• 2 digit State fips code
• 3 digit county code assigned by the geocoding software
• 6 digit tract code
• 1 digit block code
• 3 digit detailed block classification (this may or may not be assigned to a record based on the
Physical Location Address (PLA))
Caution: Portions of this field may be blank. The county code generated by the geocoding
software may differ from the quarterly county code. When reconciling these differences between
the geocoded county and the one on the file, any change to the quarterly county code would be
treated as a noneconomic code change and should be processed appropriately. Also note that if
the physical location address changes or the latitude and longitude change, the census ID may
also change.
Check Digit
(Optional for State systems)
Exclude
Position:
N/A
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Zero or blank
Alternate Names:
Ck Digit; chkdig, CKD
Source:
System generated
Definition: The UI Account Number check digit. It may or may not be used in a State. It is
optional, for use only on State files. Check digits are used in some State tax systems and QCEW
systems to ensure that new data and data changes are applied to the proper record and not
accidentally to the wrong record.
Valid Values: 0 through 9, if this element is used.
Example: Some States copy UI tax file check digits to the micro file when the check digit is
needed in conjunction with the UI Account number to access information from the tax file.
Note: Some States include the check digit of the account number in EXPO or WIN as part of the
ten digit UI account number, typically appended to the right of the UI account number.

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-C-2

Class Code
(Required, if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
777-778
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Class, City Class , city-id,
Format:
First position is a letter and the second position is either blank or a number
BLS-assigned and forwarded to States in conjunction with place codes.
Source:
Definition: Class code identifier that explains the Place/City code field. If no place/city code is
assigned, then no class code will be assigned either.
Valid Values:
Class C1-C9: Incorporated Places
Class U1-U9: Populated (Community) Places (Except Those Associated with Facilities)
Class D1-D9: American Indian Areas
Class E1-E7: Alaska Native Areas
Class H1-H6: Counties and County Equivalents
Class T1-T5: Active Minor Civil Divisions
Class Z1-Z8: Inactive or Nonfunctioning Primary County Divisions
Class G:
Nongovernment Facilities
Class M1-M9: Federal Facilities
Class N1-N9: State, Local, and International Government Facilities
Class A1-A5: Airports
Class B:
Post Offices Not Corresponding to Other Locational Entities
Class S:
Surface Transportation Facilities
Class X1-X6: Obsolete or Incorrect Names or Entities
Note: For more detailed information, use the following website:
http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/55new/class76.htm
Special Handling: If the place/city code is blank, blank out class codes as well. If the place/city
code is assigned, also include the class code. If deleting an incorrect place/city code, also
remove the class code.
Collection Mode Indicator (CMI)
(Required)
Include
Positions:
725-726
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
CMI
Source:
ARS control file, TRS, or system-assigned in some cases by the State systems,
CARS
Definition: Defined in the TRS specifications and is used to identify records that are TRSeligible and identify their refiling status. This code identifies records involved in mailing and
central review of 2007 NAICS refiling forms.
Valid Values:
Refiling CMI’s
00 = Not eligible for TRS and not in revision
01 = TRS-eligible, no response

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-C-3

02 = Successful TRS response
07 = TRS-ineligible but attempted to respond via TRS
08 = TRS-eligible, responded via TRS and mail
09 = TRS-eligible, but responded via mail
Revision CMI’s
05 = 2007 NAICS Revision, NVS
15 = 2007 NAICS Revision, NVM
25 = 2007 NAICS Revision, central review
The above are the valid codes, and are also listed in Appendix Q.
Collection Status ID
(Provided from web collection systems)
Exclude
Position:
N/A
EQUI:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
None
Source:
Web collection systems
Definition: Information from the web collection systems regarding the collection status of the
Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) information sent to the States on the MWRweb Collected
Data File.
Valid Values:
1 = No action required
2 = Change mail indicator to Y and resume sending MWR forms to the respondent
3 = Employer is now a single worksite account. State action is required. This
information will be printed out in EXPO and WIN so that the State QCEW analyst
knows that an action is needed.
4 = UI account is no longer active. This information will be printed out in EXPO and
WIN so that the State QCEW analyst knows that a potential action is needed.
5 = No action required
6 = No action required
Comment Code
(Required if available)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
662-663, 664-665, 666-667
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
CC, CMNT, CMT1, CMT2,
CMT3, com_1, com_2, com_3
Source:
QCEW Staff; Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Center (for worksites of
centrally collected employers), MWR, MWRweb collection system
Definition: Code used to explain fluctuations or changes in the data, especially changes which
cause current records to be flagged as questionable. Only standard CES/QCEW comment codes
may be used. These are defined in Appendix I. Additional information on using comment codes
can be found in Section 9.6 of the manual.
Note: Three comment code fields, each with a field length of 2, are available in State systems
and on the EQUI. When only one comment code is assigned to a record, place it in the first

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Data Element Definitions

Page B-C-4

comment code field. When two codes are assigned, place them in the first and second comment
code fields.
Valid Values: Comment codes 37, 38, 65-74, and 94 are invalid for the QCEW program.
Comment code 99 should only be used if a narrative comment is also provided. Comment codes
30, 92, 93, 95, 97, and 98 have different CES and QCEW definitions.
(QCEW) Contact Name (Attention Line)
(Required if available for multi master records, optional for singles, not required for subunits)
Include
Positions:
850-884
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Contact Name, Attention Line,
Name, contact, CO-NM
Format:
Left justified
State UI system (if available); ARS or MWR forms (optional entry), CARS,
Source:
MWRweb collection systems.
Definition: Name of a specific person or department (e.g. Payroll Office) to whom the LMI
forms or questions are directed. According to U.S. Post Office standards, the contact name or
attention line is an optional line for additional address information to facilitate delivery. For
those records and information collected via the web, this is the web respondent.
Note: State staffs are not required to manually enter this field.
Caution: If both a UI contact and a MWR contact exist and are different, then enter the MWR
contact. Other contact information (e.g., contact title) should match with the contact name.
(QCEW) Contact Title
(Required if available for multi master records, optional for singles, not required for subunits)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
885-919
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Contact Title, Title, contactDefault Value: Blank
title, CO-TI
Format:
Left justified
Source:
State UI system (if available); ARS or MWR forms (optional entry), CARS,
MWRweb collection systems.
Definition: The title of the contact name provided on the ARS or MWR forms or through the
Web collection systems. For example, titles may include: vice president, CEO, accountant, etc.
Note: State staffs are not required to manually enter this field.
Caution: If both a UI contact and a MWR contact exist and are different, then enter the MWR
contact title. Other contact information (e.g., contact name) should match with the contact title.
Contributions (Due)
(Required)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly

Positions:
Field Length:

650-658
9
Type:

Numeric

QCEW Operating Manual
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June 2007

Default Value:

None

Page B-C-5

Alternate Names:

Contributions, CTB, Insurance
Taxes, Taxes, Subject Taxes,
contrib, CTRB

Format:
Source:

Right justified with leading zeros
State UI system; system imputations (worksites); QCEW staff (corrections,
other); system-calculated
Definition: Amount of money due to the State for the Unemployment Insurance benefit program
for the reference quarter, on all the payrolls during the reference quarter. Currently these data
are submitted several ways:
• Reported contributions extracted from State UI system
• Contributions due extracted from State UI system
• Contributions due calculated based on the tax rate
• Contributions due prorated for non-reimbursable worksites
• Contributions due prorated for reimbursable worksites (Pennsylvania and Alaska)
• Total of employer and employee contributions due (Pennsylvania and Alaska)
• Contributions paid (California)
Exclusions: Not included in the definition of employer contributions are:
• Any tax, surcharge, etc. that is used to pay off the interest on a loan from the federal
government to the State trust fund and is required by federal law to be deposited outside the
unemployment trust fund
• Any temporary excise tax or permanent surcharge tax
• The administrative financing excise tax paid to the federal government by all employers of
one or more workers in 20 weeks time during a calendar year in covered industries
• Payments in lieu of contributions by certain nonprofit organizations and State and local
government instrumentalities which finance benefit costs on a reimbursing basis
• Voluntary contributions (paid by employers in some States to be credited to their experiencerating accounts to obtain more favorable rates for future periods)
Employee contributions: Employee contributions are the unemployment insurance taxes
required by some State unemployment compensation laws to be deducted from an employee’s
pay by the employer and included with the employer’s contribution to the State agency.
Note: Total contributions, therefore, are a composite of the employer’s contribution and, where
applicable, the employee’s contributions. States collecting employee contributions use special
Type of Coverage Codes.
Special: All federal accounts must be zero-filled.
Rounding Criteria: To the nearest whole dollar amount. For example, if contributions are
$2,465.49, then 000002465 and not 000246549 appear in this field. If contributions are
$2,465.50, then the data are rounded up so that 000002466 appears in this field.
Contributions (Due) Indicator Flag
(Required in State systems)
EQUI:
Exclude
Frequency:
Quarterly

Position:
Field Length:

N/A
1
Type:

Alphanumeric

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June 2007

Default Value:

M

Page B-C-6

Alternate Names:

Contributions Due Imputation
Flag, Contributions Flag,
Contrib-Ind, Contrib_Ind,
CTRBI
1) System generated for all data entered via extract or batch.
Source:
2) Assigned when data imputed or prorated.
3) QCEW staff (manual override).
Definition: Indicator showing the source of the Contributions Due.
Valid Values:
Blank or R = reported data
C = changed (re-reported)
E = imputed
H = hand-imputed (not system generated)
K = special system-generated imputation to reflect data impacted by a catastrophe
L = late reported (overrides prior imputation)
M = missing data
N = zero-filled pending resolution of long-term delinquent reporter
P = imputed from prorated taxable wages
X = non-numeric contributions zero-filled pending further action
Caution: Data imputed (estimated) by UI are not to be copied from the tax files to QCEW files.
These UI estimates frequently overstate total and taxable wages to inflate estimated contributions
due.
County Code
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
599-601
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: 999 if MEEI = 1, 3-6; Alternate Names:
Cnty, Cty, FIPS, Location
900 if MEEI = 2.
Code, Area, county_cd,
State UI system; QCEW staff (staff research); copied from previous quarter if
Source:
unchanged on State micro file; system-transferred from the ARS Control File
in first quarter; EDI Center (for birth records of centrally collected employers),
new units collected via the MWR web system, geocoding software based on
physical location address information; based on township code/code code
crosswalk in New England States and New Jersey
Definition: Three-digit numeric Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code used to
identify each reporting unit’s location or place of business. Use the code for the county where
the reporting unit is located or for the county that has the greatest percentage of total
employment for the reporting unit. For mobile and physically dispersed businesses, refer to the
county coding standards in Section 2.1.2. If the physical location(s) is located in more than one
county, overseas, out-of State, unknown, or if the employer refuses to provide it, use whichever
of the following QCEW equivalent codes is appropriate: 995, 996, 998, or 999. Use of 900 on
master records is optional and is not required. For access to complete and current FIPS county
codes for all States and territories, visit the web site http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip6-4.htm
which also provides a link to the FIPS home page.

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Valid Values: Valid FIPS County codes for the State plus the county equivalent codes. (For a
full description of the county equivalent codes, see Section 2.1.2.)
900 = Master record
995 = Statewide, locations in more than one county, or no primary county
996 = Foreign locations
998 = Out-of-state locations
999 = Unknown locations. Assign to a unit with an unknown or undefined location.
Note: The county equivalent codes 900 and 995 first became valid with third quarter 1997 data,
and should be implemented over time as the information becomes available (typically through
the ARS). County code 994 was only valid from 1997 through 2000.
Current Employment Statistics Indicator
(Required, if available)
Include
Position:
545
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
CES Ind, ces-ind, CES
Source:
System generated by loading CES registry information to QCEW micro files
Definition: A CES Indicator Code is assigned to a record to identify that a record also exists on
the State CES registry and that the firm also participates in the CES program. This code is
normally system assigned by the CES/QCEW crosswalk program or other system-specific tools
to indicate if a CES/QCEW match occurs. This code is used to assist in data review. It allows
the editor to check CES files for selected employment data for establishments in the CES survey.
This information will also be useful to CES staffs to identify non-sample records, and to assist in
reconciling reporting differences.
C = CES reporter
Valid Values:
blank = not found on the CES file
Caution: This information is updated periodically. The CES indicator is not related to the
reference date of the QCEW data. Also note, this information is not extracted from UI tax files
but from CES files.

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D
Data Source
(Required, if available)
Include
Position:
575
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Source, EDI indicator, DATSO
Source:
QCEW staff; EDI Center (for worksites of centrally collected employers); tax
Web collection; MWR Web collection system
Definition: Code used to provide information on the source of the data. Until recently this code
was only used to identify multi-unit UI accounts whose MWR data are provided by the EDI
Center and are not provided directly to the State by employers (or their agents).
Valid Values:
E = EDI record collected by EDIC
C = EDI sent and loaded from EDIC
S = State-collected magnetic media
Q = Quarterly Contribution Report (QCR) web collected
W = MWRweb collected
X = Future use
blank (default value) = All other sources
Note: Masters and subunits may have different codes; for example, the master’s data are
reported on UI (with Source of Data = blank) while the worksite information is received from the
EDI Center (with Source of Data = C).
Date PLA Changed (YYYYMMDD)
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Non-quarterly
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
730-737
Field Length: 8
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
PLA Changed Date, place-dte,
PL-DT

YYYYMMDD
Format:
Source:
State system assigned
Definition: Indicates when the physical location address was last changed (YYYYMMDD).
This field would be system assigned when either of the two street address lines, city, State, or 5digit ZIP.
Note: A change from a blank zip extension to a zero-filled extension or vice versa does not
constitute a change.
Delete Identifier
(This or a comparable mechanism in State systems, delete identifier on BLS-Washington system)
EQUI:
Include
Position:
1
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alpha
Frequency:

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Default Value: None
Alternate Names:
1st County Result
Source:
State QCEW staff
Definition: A designation in the system to identify that the State analyst believes that the record
should be removed from the file but which will suppress the data where it can be retained and
reactivated for the entire period of time or a portion of time it existed as needed.
Caution: Records that were active for a period of time should never be deleted. Only those
records that were truly set up in error or which were set up and duplicate an existing record
should ever be deleted.
Valid Values: The designation in the state systems can be determined by the developers. BLS
uses a “D” in the Transaction File on the EQUI file to identify a record that should be deleted
from its files based on State-supplied information.

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E
Economic Code Change Indicator (ECCI)
(Required if applicable)
Include
Positions:
727-728
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: 00
Alternate Names:
ECCI, ecci_cd
Source:
QCEW staff; system generated by summing for combination changes using 01,
02, 04, and 08 for single changes
Definition: Code assigned to a micro level data record to indicate an economic change in
NAICS, County or Township area, or Ownership codes.
Valid Values: 00 through 15
00 = No change
01 = Economic Township code change
02 = Economic NAICS change
03 = Economic Township and NAICS code changes
04 = Economic Ownership change
05 = Economic Township and Ownership code changes
06 = Economic NAICS and Ownership code changes
07 = Economic Township, NAICS, and Ownership code changes
08 = Economic County code change
09 = Economic Township and County code changes
10 = Economic NAICS and County code changes
11 = Economic Township, NAICS, and County code changes
12 = Economic Ownership and County code changes
13 = Economic Township, Ownership, and County code changes
14 = Economic NAICS, Ownership, and County code changes
15 = Economic Township, NAICS, Ownership, and County code changes
Summations of these values indicate more than one type of change. For example, an economic
change to NAICS (02) plus an economic change to Ownership (04) is indicated by 06 (02 + 04 =
06), a summation of the values. Whereas an economic change to Township (01), NAICS (02),
Ownership (04), and County (08) is indicated by a summation of 15 (01 + 02 + 04 + 08 = 15).
(QCEW Contact) Email Address
(Include if available)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Format:
Source:

Positions:
920-979
Field Length: 60 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
URL, electronic mail,
computer address, email,
EMAIL
Left justified; include all fields including prefixes and suffixes
ARS and MWRweb collection, State UI system (if available), State QCEW
Staff

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Definition: The employer or respondent’s e-mail address where the respondent can be contacted
directly via email over the internet. This should not be confused with a generic company web
site.
Note: Ideally this information will be obtained from other sources and States may opt to
manually enter this information if they have it easily available and choose to do so.
Caution: Great care must be taken when using e-mail addresses. Confidential data must not be
sent via email to the respondent at any time. The respondent may provide e-mail information to
the State if the respondent is informed of the potential risks to confidentiality that may exist.
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
24-32
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 9
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
EIN, EI Number, Federal
Default Value: Zero-filled
Number, IRS Number, Federal
Tax Number
Source:
State UI system; QCEW staff (for federal reports); EDI Center (for worksites
of centrally collected employers)
Definition: A nine-digit Federal Identification number devised by the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) to identify legal entities. The IRS assigns it to corporations or other firms (partnerships or
proprietorships). The EIN field should not be used to report the Social Security Number of the
individual who owns the firm. QCEW staff tries to obtain the EI Number if it is not available.
In virtually all cases, the master and its subunits should share the same EIN and ownership code.
Valid Values: Cannot start with 07, 08, 09, 17, 18, 19, 28, 29, 49, 78, 79, or 89. Cannot be all
ones (111111111), all twos, all threes, all fours, all fives, all sixes, all sevens, all eights, or all
nines.
Notes: The EI Number is critical in developing firm linkages on the BLS-Washington
Longitudinal Database (LDB) to identify corporate ownership and relationships within an
enterprise. In addition, EI Numbers will be important in potential projects that involve data
sharing with other Federal statistical agencies, as the EI Numbers are the common identifier on
different agencies’ files.
System Action: When the EIN is assigned to a master record in a multi-unit account, the State
system copies the EIN from the master record to the subunit records in the same UI account.
Caution: Some State UI tax files may include Social Security Numbers for EINs. These are
edited on a limited basis by checking the first two digits for valid values. Also, note that units
with several quarters of zero-filled EINs will be flagged.
End of Liability Date
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Non-quarterly
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
528-535
Field Length: 8
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
EOL Date, EOL,
end_liab_date

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Format:

YYYYMMDD – four positions for year, two for month, and two for day (e.g.,
"20080331" for March 31, 2008)
Source:
State UI system; assigned by QCEW staff for federal reports; system or
QCEW staff assigned for worksites (see definition below for a detailed
description of how to select the appropriate date). This date would be obtained
by extracting the appropriate date from the UI system in most cases. The
appropriate date to extract will be determined individually for each State and
will depend on the available UI dates. The dates assigned for the MWR
reporting units are assigned as of the date the RUN is no longer reported on the
MWR, imputed, prorated, or is no longer broken out.
Definition: The date that the business ceases operations or no longer has employees or pays
wages. The date applies to singles and master records and is assigned by UI. The date for
worksites reported on the MWR reflects the date the establishment actually closed or the closest
approximation to that date. Once assigned, this date would not be changed. When a business
(UI account) ceases operations and no longer has employees and pays wages, the State UI
section assigns a date to the account that represents the date that the unit closed its doors and is
no longer required to file quarterly Contribution Reports. In the case of UI accounts, the date
assigned would be the UI section assigned date.
In the case of establishments reported on an MWR, if the establishment is closed, the date
assigned would be the date the establishment was actually closed or the closest approximation to
that date. This date should not be confused by situations where businesses still owe back taxes
but are no longer operating and accumulating UI taxes. The date required is the date at which a
business no longer has employees and pays no wages. The business may or may not owe taxes
for wages paid during an earlier period of time. This information may be used by the State
systems to impute delinquent data for the unit's last quarter of activity. For instance, if an
employer's End of Liability date is February 27th, but no data were reported for first quarter,
March employment would be imputed as zero and the wages would be cut by approximately a
third. This date will be used to track units on the LDB.
Caution: Some States have several dates and status codes that identify different types of “no
operations” in the State. These may include when the employer ceases to employ workers or pay
wages, when the employer pays off all debts to the employment security agency, when the
employer temporarily ceases operations during non-peak (non-seasonal times), etc. This field
includes the date when the employer ceases to have employees or wages and does not anticipate
reopening within the year. Do not use the later date of “inactive dates” or “end of liability
dates.” Use the date that identifies when the unit ceased to be active.
Note: If the unit's End of Liability date occurred during or after the reference quarter, the status
code for the quarter would be active; if the End of Liability date were prior to the reference
period, the status code would be inactive.

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F
Fact of Discrepancy Information
(Required)
Fact of Discrepancy information are provided from BLS to the States identifying where there are
discrepancies between comparable data fields of a record from what is on the State/BLS files and
the information available from Census or other sources. The resulting information identifies how
the State reviewed the problem and the outcome.
Fact of Discrepancy Year
(Required if any Fact of Discrepancies on the record is reported)
Include
Positions:
1113-1116
EQUI:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
FoD Year
Source:
BLS or State QCEW staff
Definition: Reference year in which BLS notified the State to resolve a Fact of Discrepancy or
the year that the State made their determination about the record.
Note: If no action requested, the field is left blank.
Fact of Discrepancy Month
(Required if any Fact of Discrepancies on the record is reported)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1117-1118
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
FoD Month
Source:
BLS or State QCEW staff
Definition: Reference month in which BLS notified the State to resolve a Fact of Discrepancy or
the month that the State made their determination about the record.
Note: If no action requested, the field is left blank.
Fact of Discrepancy Control/Action Code
(Required if any Fact of Discrepancies on the record is reported)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1119-1120
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
FoD Action
Default Value: Blank
BLS or QCEW State staff
Source:
Definition: Control code from BLS explaining the type of discrepancy or the action code taken
by the State to decide what the correct code was and if a change was or was not needed.
Note: If no action requested, the field is left blank.
Valid Values: TBD

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Fact of Discrepancy NAICS
(Required if any Fact of Discrepancies on the record is reported)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1121-1126
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
FoD NAICS
Source:
QCEW State staff
Definition: If a Fact of Discrepancy regarding the NAICS code existed between the State and
alternate source, this field would include the NAICS code that the State determined was correct.
Note: If no action requested, the field is left blank.
Fact of Discrepancy County
(Required if any Fact of Discrepancies on the record is reported)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1127-1129
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
FoD County
Source:
State QCEW staff
Definition: If a Fact of Discrepancy regarding the county code existed between the State and
alternate source, this field would include the county code that the State determined was correct.
Note: If no action requested, the field is left blank.
Fact of Discrepancy Explanation
(Required if any Fact of Discrepancies on the record is reported)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1130-1186
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 57 Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
FoD Comment
Source:
State QCEW staff
Definition: Narrative comment or explanation from the State clarifying their decision and
actions regarding the discrepancy.
Note: If no action requested, the field is left blank.
(QCEW Contact) Fax Number
(Required if available)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
980-989
Field Length: 10 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Fax_area_cd, fax_phone, FXAR, FAX
Format:
Ten digits comprised of 3-digit area code, 3-digit prefix, and 4-digit suffix
State UI system; QCEW staff (entered from MWR or ARS forms or from staff
Source:
research), EDI, MWRweb, CARS, TRS
Definition: The fax telephone number for the employer. Preferably this is the fax number of the
actual employer (not an agent), and it corresponds to the physical location of the establishment.
The master record fax phone number should not be copied to subunits. Do not enter a 3-digit

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area code only, without the corresponding 7-digit number. Do not enter directory assistance
number, (xxx) 555-1212. If the physical location fax telephone number is not available, a fax
telephone number for another location or section of that employer would be preferable, e.g. the
number of the corporate headquarters or central office, as opposed to the number for an outside
payroll preparer or accounting firm.
Note: States are not required to enter this information.
Field Lock Position
(Optional in State systems)
EQUI:
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Field Lock
Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: Locking option to be used on the Micro file to lock out updates/corrections to
selected fields.
Valid Entries:
00 = No fields locked to update
01 = Physical Location Address locked
02 = Mailing/Other Address locked
04 = Legal Name locked
08 = Trade Name/DBA locked
16 = Telephone number locked
32 = Attention name locked
“01” and “02” will lock all fields of the physical location and mailing/other addresses.
Summations of these values indicate more than one type of change. For example, 03 means that
both the Physical Location Address and Mailing Address are locked.
Caution: Note that while the Physical Location and Mailing/Other address fields can be locked,
the UI address cannot be locked. All changes to the UI address are reported each quarter,
preferably via an extract. If, however, the UI address is incorrect, the corrections are made to the
UI tax file or source file and then sent to the micro file via an extract. If the UI address cannot
be corrected via the tax file and it represents a more current and accurate address than the record
has in its Mailing/Other address block, then the UI address is manually copied to the
Mailing/Other address and corrected there. Alternatively, update the existing Mailing/Other
address if the Mailing/Other address is not locked and if the mailing/other type code is 9
(unknown or other).
Example: If the UI address is extracted with no city, and if the UI tax file cannot be updated to
add the city (e.g., Chicago), and the Mailing/Other address fields are blank, then enter the UI
address with the correct city (Chicago) to the Mailing/Other address block. Determine if the UI
address is a mailing address, corporate headquarters, or physical location and assign the
appropriate Mailing/Other Address Type code. If the Address Type in unknown, code as “9.”
Format Type (Predecessor/Successor)
(Required)
EQUI:
Include, PS record
Position:

19

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Frequency:
Transaction
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
PS-Format
Source:
System-assigned, QCEW State staff
Definition: Identifies if the UI Account/Reporting Unit Number is linked to a predecessor or a
successor.
Valid Values:
P = Predecessor
S = Successor
Future ARS Refile Year
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
808-811
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Next First Quarter ARS Year
Default Value: Blank
Source:
ARS Control File
Definition: Refile year of the next refiling cycle if included in the current cycle. For instance, a
record last refiled in 2006 may also be refiled in 2009. This field is blank on the EQUI if the
record is not being refiled during the current fiscal year. The future ARS Refile Year does not
exist in the EXPO or WIN micro files. This information is only on the control file in the state
systems.
Future ARS Response Code
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
812-813
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Next First Quarter ARS
Response Code

ARS Control File
Source:
Definition: The information contained in this field is the ARS Response Code for the next first
quarter EQUI file submittal if that record is included in the current refiling survey. For instance,
a record is selected for inclusion in the FY 2009 ARS, and, based upon employer responses, is
assigned an ARS Response Code of 41. If this same record was included three years earlier in
the FY 2006 ARS and was assigned an ARS Response Code of 46 at that time, the “regular”
ARS Response Code would be 46 (the response code from three years ago) through the 2005/4
EQUI file while the Future ARS Refile Year would be 2009 and the Future ARS Response Code
would be 41. The ARS Response Code that would be used for this record during 2006/1 EQUI
processing in BLS-Washington would be 41 received as a result of the FY 2004 ARS. Response
code 41 would now be the regular ARS Response Code on the record from the 2006/1 EQUI file
through the 2008/4 file (assuming no changes occur).
Note: This field is blank on the EQUI if the record is not being refiled during the current fiscal
year. The future ARS Refile Year does not exist in the EXPO or WIN micro files. This
information is only on the control file in the state systems.

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Future ARS NAICS Code
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
814-819
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Next First Quarter NAICS
Source:
ARS Control File or the next first quarter micro file
Definition: Updated NAICS code expected for the next first quarter resulting from the current
refiling survey. If the ARS Response Code is less than 41, leave the code blank. If the ARS
Response Code is 41, 42, or 77 set the Future ARS NAICS to the current quarter’s NAICS code.
If the ARS Response Code is 46, 50, 57, or 76, include the Future ARS NAICS code of the
pending code change that would be reflected in the first quarter data.
Note: This field is blank on the EQUI if the record is not being refiled during the current fiscal
year. The Future ARS NAICS Code does not exist in the EXPO or WIN micro files. This
information is only on the control file in the state systems.
Note: For the 2007 revision, additional response codes are used for 2007/1 data. These can be
found in appendix Q.
Future ARS County Code
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
820-822
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Next First Quarter County
Source:
ARS Control File or the next first quarter micro file
Definition: Updated county code expected for the next first quarter resulting from the current
refiling survey. If the ARS Response Code is less than 41, leave the code blank. If the ARS
Response Code is 41 or 42, set the Future ARS County Code to the current quarter’s county
code. If the ARS Response Code is 46 or 50, include the Future ARS County Code of the
pending code change that would be reflected in the first quarter data.
Note: This field is blank on the EQUI if the record is not being refiled during the current fiscal
year. The Future ARS Coutny Code does not exist in the EXPO or WIN micro files. This
information is only on the control file in the state systems.
Note: For the 2007 revision, additional response codes are used for 2007/1 data. These can be
found in appendix Q.
Future ARS Township Code
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
823-825
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Next First Quarter Town
Source:
ARS Control File or the next first quarter micro file
Definition: Updated township code expected for the next first quarter resulting from the current
refiling survey. If the ARS Response Code is less than 41, leave the code blank. If the ARS
Response Code is 41 or 42, set the Future ARS Township Code to the current quarter’s township

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code. If the ARS Response Code is 46 or 50, include the Future ARS Township Code of the
pending code change that would be reflected in the first quarter data.
Note: Town or township codes are assigned in New England states and New Jersey.
Note: This field is blank on the EQUI if the record is not being refiled during the current fiscal
year. The Future ARS Township Code does not exist in the EXPO or WIN micro files. This
information is only on the control file in the state systems.
Note: For the 2007 revision, additional response codes are used for 2007/1 data. These can be
found in appendix Q.
Future ARS CMI Code
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
826-827
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Next First Quarter CMI
Default Value: Blank
Source:
ARS Control File or the next first quarter micro file
Definition: The information contained in this field is the ARS CMI Code for the next first
quarter EQUI file submittal if that record is included in the current refiling survey.
Note: This field is blank on the EQUI if the record is not being refiled during the current fiscal
year. The Future ARS CMI Code does not exist in the EXPO or WIN micro files. This
information is only on the control file in the state systems.
Note: For the 2007 revision, additional CMI codes are used for 2007/1 data. These can be found
in appendix Q.
Future Use
(leave blank at this time)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1187-11490
Frequency:
Not Determined
Field Length: 4
Type: Alphanumeric/Numeric
Alternate Names:
None
Default Value: Blank
Source:
N/A
Definition: Fields for future use. No other information is currently available.

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G
Geocoding Software
(Required)
Include
Position:
738
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Geosoftware, SOFT,
Source:
State staff
Definition: Single character designation of the software used to assign latitude and longitude.
This field will be tied to the most recent location code and match code.
Valid Values:
G = GeoStan, the BLS used software
I = Web-based geocoding software from Global Innovative Systems
S = Other State-used software
Blank = if no latitude and longitude assigned
Geocode Source
(Required)
Include
Position:
739
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Geosource, geosource-cd, SRC
Source:
State staff
Definition: Indicates where the latitude and longitude were originally assigned. Potential
sources include: State QCEW unit, BLS-Washington, or outside vendors. A default of blank is
used when no latitude and longitude are assigned.
Valid Values: B = BLS assigned
S = State assigned
W = Web-based assignment (Global Innovative Systems)
Blank = if no latitude and longitude assigned or other source

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No Current Entries.

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I
Initial Date of Liability
(Required)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
520-527
Field Length: 8
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Liability Date, Liab Date,
init_liab_date, LIAB
Format:
YYYYMMDD – four positions for year, two for month, and two for day (e.g.,
"20080401" for April 1, 2008
State UI system (for records with MEEI 1, 2, 4, or 6); system or QCEW staff
Source:
assigned (for new worksite records – MEEI 3 or 5); QCEW staff (for federal
reports), EDI, MWRweb system
Definition: This is the date that a new business became subject to UI reporting requirements.
The date applies to single and master accounts and is assigned by UI. The date for worksites
reported on the MWR or through the EDI Center is the date the subunit was first reported on the
MWR or EDI transmission. When a new business begins operations for the first time and files
an initial status determination form with the State (or becomes known to them by some other
method), the employer is assigned an initial date of liability by the UI section. This date is
available for single and master records (MEEI 1, 2, 4, or 6). For worksite records (MEEI 3 or 5),
this preferably is the date of the first employment and wages that appear on the micro file. As in
the case of coding for the Set-up Date, it may not be possible to assign an accurate date to
employers who have been active for an extended period; however, it is possible to assign
reasonable dates to all new records. Once assigned, this date would not change for a continuous
UI account or for a continuous establishment being reported via a MWR. This date is necessary
to determine when the business (UI account) or establishment actually became liable under the
UI laws and is typically (but not always) when the business began operations. This date will be
used to track units on the LDB.
Note: If the unit is liable for even a single day, it is liable for the whole quarter.

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No Current Entries.

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No Current Entries.

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L
Latitude
(Required)
EQUI:
Frequency:

Include
Twice (old and new)

Positions:
Field Length:

747-755
9
Type:

Alphanumeric with
decimal place

Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Lat
Format:
xx.xxxxxx
Generated from the geocoding software
Source:
Definition: xx.xxxxxx format of the latitude (with two positions before the decimal place and six
places after the decimal for accuracy). Include the decimal place in the format for the EQUI,
listings, and screens.
Note: When a new latitude is assigned based on a change in the PLA date, shift the old latitude
to the the old latitude field and write the new latitude to the current latitude field.
Legal Name
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
63-97
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Legal/Corporate Name,
legal_n, LGLNM

Left justified
State UI system; QCEW staff (for worksites); EDI Center (for worksites of
centrally collected employers)
Definition: Name of the reporting unit for legal purposes, both for single and multi-unit
employers. Referred to as the Corporate Name in many systems. This element is usually
extracted from the UI file thus using the definition of Legal Name as found in each State’s tax
system.
Special Criteria: Either the Legal Name or Trade Name must be present for each record. If both
are available, both must be present.
Examples: The following examples show proper Trade and Legal Name configurations for both
single unit and multi-unit employers.
Format:
Source:

•

For a single unit (MEEI=1, 4, or 6) with the Trade Name of Jim's Restaurant where the Legal
Name is the same as the Trade Name, "Jim's Restaurant" appears in both name fields on the
micro file and the EQUI.
Trade Name: JIM'S RESTAURANT
Legal Name: JIM'S RESTAURANT

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Data Element Definitions

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If a single unit (MEEI=1, 4, or 6) has a Trade Name of Jack's Towing Service and a Legal
Name of Jack Smith Enterprises, then "Jack's Towing Service" should appear in the Trade
Name field, and "Jack Smith Enterprises" should appear in the Legal Name field.
Trade Name: JACK'S TOWING SERVICE
Legal Name: JACK SMITH ENTERPRISES

•

Suppose two multi subunits (MEEI=3 or 5) have unique Trade Names of Mike's Bar and
Grill and Mike's Gas Station and they are both part of a multi-establishment employer whose
Legal name is Mike Gray's Enterprises. Suppose further that this employer is not divided
into divisions or subsidiaries. Each subunit record contains the unique Trade name for the
subunit in the Trade Name field and "Mike Gray's Enterprises" in the Legal Name field.
(subunit 1)
Trade Name: MIKE'S BAR AND GRILL
Legal Name: MIKE GRAY'S ENTERPRISES
(subunit 2)
Trade Name: MIKE'S GAS STATION
Legal Name: MIKE GRAY'S ENTERPRISES

•

For multi subunits (MEEI=3 or 5), assume that the American Computer Corporation (Legal
Name) is not organized into divisions or subsidiaries and has three subunits all with the
Trade Name of Orange Computers. The subunit records on the micro and EQUI files all
contain the Trade Name of "Orange Computers" and the Legal Name of "American
Computer Corporation." Unique worksite identification, such as a store number, is reported
in the Reporting Unit Description field, not in the Trade or Legal Name field.
(subunit 1)
Trade Name
: ORANGE COMPUTERS
Legal Name
: AMERICAN COMPUTER CORPORATION
R.U. Description: STORE NO. 1
(subunit 2)
Trade Name
: ORANGE COMPUTERS
Legal Name
: AMERICAN COMPUTER CORPORATION
R.U. Description: STORE NO. 2
(subunit 3)
Trade Name
: ORANGE COMPUTERS
Legal Name
: AMERICAN COMPUTER CORPORATION
R.U. Description: STORE NO. 3

•

For multi subunits (MEEI=3 or 5) that are not part of a subsidiary or separate division and
where the Trade Name is the same as the Legal Name, both the Legal and Trade name fields

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on the EQUI and micro files contain that name. For example, if a multi-establishment
employer with a Legal Name of Smith Accounting Services has two subunits, all having the
Trade Name of Smith Accounting Services, both the Trade Name field and the Legal Name
field should contain "Smith Accounting Services." Again, unique worksite identification is
reported in the Reporting Description field.
(subunit 1)
Trade Name
: SMITH ACCOUNTING SERVICES
Legal Name:
: SMITH ACCOUNTING SERVICES
R.U. Description: BUSINESS AUDIT DIVISION
(subunit 2)
Trade Name
: SMITH ACCOUNTING SERVICES
Legal Name:
: SMITH ACCOUNTING SERVICES
R.U. Description: CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION
•

Multi subunits (MEEI=3 or 5) that are part of a corporation organized into divisions or
subsidiaries are reported with the Legal or Corporate Name of the multi-establishment
employer in the Legal Name field and both the division subsidiary name and the trade name
in the Trade Name field. For example, Francis Marlow Corporation has three divisions – the
Restaurant division, the Hotel division, and the Condominium/Timeshare division. Chez
Michele, Le Bistro, and Jacque's are three establishments in the Restaurant division. The
record for Chez Michele should have "Francis Marlow Corporation" reported in the Legal
Name field and "Restaurant Div. - Chez Michele" in the Trade Name field. Necessary
abbreviations due to space restrictions are acceptable but every effort should be made to
ensure that they are understandable.
(subunit 1)
Trade Name: RESTAURANT DIV. - CHEZ MICHELE
Legal Name: FRANCIS MARLOW CORPORATION
(subunit 2)
Trade Name: RESTAURANT DIV. - LE BISTRO
Legal Name: FRANCIS MARLOW CORPORATION
(subunit 3)
Trade Name: RESTAURANT DIV. - JACQUE'S
Legal Name: FRANCIS MARLOW CORPORATION

Location Code
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
744-746
Twice (old and new)
Field Length: 3
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
LocCode, LOC, location-cd
Geocoding software; BLS Geoload file
Source:

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Definition: Explains the level of detail used to assign the geocode information as well as the
qualities of the match—used to measure accuracy and reliability. According to the GeoStan
documentation, “Address location codes detail the known qualities about the geocode.” An
address location code has three characters. The first character is always an “A,” indicating an
address location or “Z” indicating a zip-centroid location. The second character is either an “S,”
indicating a location on a street range, or an “X,” indicating a location on an intersection of two
streets, or a “C” indicating . The third character is a digit, indicating other qualities about the
location.
Longitude
(Required)
EQUI:
Frequency:

Include
Twice (old and new)

Positions:
Field Length:

756-766
11 Type: Alphanumeric with
sign and decimal place
Alternate Names:
Long

Default Value: Blank
Format:
+/-xxx.xxxxxx
Source:
Generated from the geocoding software
Definition: +/-xxx.xxxxxx format of the longitude where the first position is the direction, when
positive no sign applied (blank instead of + sign), up to three positions can be used before the
decimal place and six after. Include the decimal place in the format for the EQUI, listings, and
screens.
Note: When a new longitude is assigned based on a change in the PLA date, shift the old
longitude to the old longitude field and write the new longitude to the current longitude field.

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Data Element Definitions

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Page B-M-1

M
Mailing/Other (M/O) Address Block
(Required if available)
The Mailing/Other address consists of a block of seven fields, and includes the Mailing/Other
Address Type. These fields are described below. This address, if available, should be used for
mailing ARS and MWR forms to employers (or their agents), as well as missing data notices,
and other correspondence. This address can be locked (as discussed for the Field Lock Position).
Note: At least one complete address (either Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other
Address), including all appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on
each record.
Caution: Few States have an address field on the UI tax file or related supplemental files that
include specific mailing addresses. Mailing/Other address fields are not to be extracted from the
UI tax file unless they are maintained and updated by UI on a regular basis. States use the
Mailing/Other address fields to correct UI addresses. The Mailing/Other address fields can be
locked.
Mailing/Other Address Line 1
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
355-389
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
Mailing Address Line 1, MOfields in the
A1, mail_st1
Mailing/Other address
block are blank
Format:
Left justified
Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: First line of the mailing address for the reporting unit.
Note: If there is no space to include a room, suite, or apartment number in the same Address
Line as the street address, this information should be placed in Address Line 1 while the street
address should be placed in Address Line 2. The street address appears immediately above the
City-State-Zip code line when the address is printed for mailing.
System Action: If the Mailing/Other Address Line 1 is blank, but information is included on
Mailing/Other Address Line 2, the State system moves it to Mailing/Other Address Line 1.
Mailing/Other Address Line 2
(Required if available)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank
Format:

Left justified

Positions:
390-424
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Mailing Address Line 2, MOA2, mail_st2

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Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: Second line of the mailing address for the reporting unit.
Note: If there is no space to include a room, suite, or apartment number in the same Address
Line as the street address, this information should be placed in Address Line 1 while the street
address should be placed in Address Line 2. The street address appears immediately above the
City-State-Zip code line when the address is printed for mailing.
System Action: If the Mailing/Other Address Line 1 is blank, but information is included on
Mailing/Other Address Line 2, the State system moves it to Mailing/Other Address Line 1.
Mailing/Other Address City
(Required, if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
425-454
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 30 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Mailing Address City, MO-C1,
Default Value: Blank, if all other
fields in the
mail_cty
Mailing/Other address
block are blank
Format:
Left justified
QCEW staff
Source:
Definition: City or town of the mailing address for the reporting unit.
Mailing/Other Address State
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
455-456
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Alphabetic
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
Mailing Address – State, MOfields in the
ST, mailst
Mailing/Other address
block are blank
Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: Post Office State abbreviation of the mailing address for the reporting unit. For
Canadian addresses place either “CN” or “ZZ” in this field. For other non-military foreign
addresses place “ZZ” in this field. For military post offices, enter either AE, AA, or AP in this
field as applicable).
Valid Values: The standard Post Office abbreviations for States appear in Appendix C. Other
valid values are as follows:
Destination
American Samoa
Guam
Military Post Offices in Central and South America (APO Miami)
Military Post Offices in Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
(APO New York)

Abbreviation
AS
GU
AA
AE

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Data Element Definitions

Destination
Military Post Offices in Pacific and some areas of Alaska (APO San
Francisco)
Canada
All other foreign countries

Page B-M-3

Abbreviation
AP
CN
ZZ

Mailing/Other Address ZIP Code
(Required. if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
457-461
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
Mailing Address – ZIP, MOfields in the
Z5, mail_zip
Mailing/Other address
block are blank
Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: ZIP Code of the mailing address for the reporting unit.
Mailing/Other Address ZIP Code Extension
(Required, if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
462-465
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Mailing Address - ZIP
Default Value: Blank
Extension, Mailing/Other
ZIP+4, MO-Z4, mail_ext
Format:
Left justified. Place position 6 of a Canadian ZIP Code in the first position of
this field, followed by three blanks.
QCEW staff
Source:
Definition: ZIP Code Extension of the mailing address for the reporting unit. However, ZIP
Code Extension is not essential; if all other mailing/other address fields exist but ZIP extension is
missing, the address still passes the edits.
Mailing/Other Address Type
(Required if the Mailing/Other Address block contains an address)
EQUI:
Include
Position:
466
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Address Type, AT, Mailing
Default Value: 9 if M/O Address is
included, blank if M/O
Address Type, MO-AT,
Address is blank
mo_addr_ind
Source:
QCEW staff (MWR, ARS, research), or system assigned default
Definition: Code that defines the type of address in the Mailing/Other Address block.
Valid Values:
1 = Physical address (physical and mailing address are the same)

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2 = Mailing address (where the mail goes directly to the unit and may include the P.O. Box
or RFD addresses)
3 = Corporate central office mail address
9 = Unknown blank – Mailing/Other address fields are blank
Users should only assign an Address Type of 1 if this physical location address conforms to
postal regulations as a mailable address.
System Action: If 1 is assigned in this field, the State system includes a copy of the Physical
Location Address to the Mailing/Other Address.
Match Code
(Required on records with latitude and longitude)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
740-743
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
MATCH, Address process
Default Value: Blank
code, match-cd, old-match-cd
Definition: Match codes are status information generated from the GeoStan software that
identifies the extent to which the software was able to match the address information to a latitude
and longitude or if it was unable to make any kind of match. Information on the first position is
listed below.
Valid Values (first position):
S
Indicates a match found in USPS data—this is considered the best address match because
it was matched directly against the USPS list of addresses.
A
Same as above but indicates that a match was to an alias name record or alternate record
D
Match is a small town with a P.O. Box and/or General Delivery only
E
Error; no match found
T
Indicates a match to a street segment record.
X
Match found was for an intersection of two streets
Y
Same as X but indicates that an alias name record for one or both streets
Z
No address given but the ZIP Code was verified as valid.
Maximum Reporting Unit Number
(Derived in State systems)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
563-567
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Highest Worksite Number;
Highest RUN, Highest
Reporting Unit Number,
max_run, MAXRU
Right justified, with unused positions zero-filled
Format:
Source:
System generated
Definition: The largest Reporting Unit Number ever used or assigned to the unit’s UI Account
Number. If the account is a single establishment and was never a multi-establishment, the
Maximum Reporting Unit Number is “00000.” If a master unit converts to a single
establishment (collapsed multi), this field would include the Maximum Reporting Unit Number

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of a worksite that is either no longer on the State micro file or inactive on the State micro file.
The Maximum Reporting Unit Number may be higher than any active existing Reporting Unit
Number due to active, inactive, sold or out of business reporting units.
Valid Values: Numbers less than 99999. RUN 99999 should not be assigned since it is reserved
for use in predecessor/successor fields to indicate that the predecessor or successor is non-unique
within a single UI.
Example: A group of multi-establishments has six units with “00006” as the highest reporting
unit number assigned. If unit “00006” is closed, the Maximum Reporting Unit Number remains
at “00006”. If a new unit is established, that new unit would be assigned “00007” and the
maximum reporting unit number would also be changed to “00007”.
Caution: This field is included in the systems to help ensure that reporting unit numbers are not
reused. See Reporting Unit Number for additional details.
Monthly Employment and Monthly Employment Indicators
(Required)
There are three monthly employment fields, one for each month of the quarter. Each
employment field is associated with an employment indicator flag that identifies the source of
the data.
First Month Employment
(Required)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: None

Positions:
606-611
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Month One Employment, M1,
Emp1, (January, April, July,
October), m1emp, MON1
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros
State UI system (for single and master records); QCEW staff (for worksites,
Source:
federal records); EDI Center (for worksites of centrally collected employers);
or system generated (for imputed data); MWR Web collection systems
Definition: The monthly employment data, which may be reported on the Quarterly
Contribution Report, Multiple Worksite Report, the Report of Federal Employment and Wages
(RFEW), or electronically. This is a count of all full-time and part-time workers who worked
during or received pay (subject to Unemployment Insurance wages) for the pay period which
includes the 12th day of the first month of the reference quarter. If there is no first month
employment, zero-fill the entire field. The count is unduplicated, so an employee is counted only
once in any month by a given employer.
Rounding Criteria: To the nearest whole number.
System Action: The State system imputes the employment when it is not reported, as
appropriate (see First Month Employment Indicator Flag).

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Data Element Definitions

June 2007

First Month Employment Indicator Flag
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Position:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length:

612
1
Type:

Alphanumeric

Imputed Employment Flag,
Estimated Employment Flag,
Month 1 Indicator,
m1emp_ind, MON1I
Source:
System generated (blank, K, M, N, P, R, E, X, and S) for all data entered via
extract or batch or from an estimation routine. QCEW staff (other values).
Definition: Indicator showing how the employment data were obtained. Data must be imputed,
prorated or aggregated if: 1) the Quarterly Contribution Report is delinquent; or 2) the
Quarterly Contribution Report has been submitted with wage data but without employment data,
and follow-up to obtain the missing data is unsuccessful; or 3) the Quarterly Contribution
Report is submitted for a multi-establishment employer but the MWR is not; or 4) the MWR is
submitted but the Quarterly Contribution Report is not.
Valid Values:
Blank or R = reported data
A = estimated from CES report
C = changed (re-reported)
D = reported from missing data notice
E = imputed single unit employment or imputed worksite employment prorated from
imputed parent record
H = hand-imputed (not system generated)
K = special system-generated imputation to reflect data impacted by a catastrophe
L = late reported (overrides prior imputation)
M = missing data
N = zero-filled pending resolution of long-term delinquent reporter
P = prorated from reported master to worksite
S = aggregated master from reported MWR or EDI data
W = estimated from wage record employment
X = non-numeric employment zero-filled pending further action
Note: The State needs to resolve all “X” records before submission on the EQUI.
Caution: Imputed data on the UI tax file should not be copied or extracted to QCEW micro files.
Default Value:

M

Page B-M-6

Second Month Employment
(Required)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: None

Alternate Names:

Positions:
613-618
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Month Two Employment, M2,
Emp2, (February, May,
August, November), m2emp,
MON2

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Format:
Source:

Right justified with leading zeros
State UI system (for single and master records); QCEW staff (for worksites,
federal records); EDI Center (for worksites of centrally collected employers);
or system generated (for imputed data), MWR Web collection systems
Definition: The monthly employment data, which may be reported on the Quarterly
Contribution Report, Multiple Worksite Report, the Report of Federal Employment and Wages
(RFEW), or electronically. This is a count of all full-time and part-time workers who worked
during or received pay (subject to Unemployment Insurance wages) for the pay period which
includes the 12th day of the second month of the reference quarter. If there is no second month
employment, zero-fill the entire field. The count is unduplicated, so an employee is counted only
once in any month by a given employer.
System Action: The State system imputes the employment when it is not reported, as
appropriate (see Second Month Employment Indicator Flag).
Second Month Employment Indicator Flag
(Required)
EQUI:
Position:
619
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Imputed Employment Flag,
Default Value: M
Estimated Employment Flag,
Month 2 Indicator,
m2emp_ind, MON2I
Source:
System generated (blank, K, M, N, P, R, E, X, and S) for all data entered via
extract or batch or from an estimation routine. QCEW staff (other values).
Definition: Indicator showing how the employment data were obtained. Data must be imputed,
prorated or aggregated if: 1) the Quarterly Contribution Report is delinquent; or 2) the
Quarterly Contribution Report has been submitted with wage data but without employment data,
and follow-up to obtain the missing data is unsuccessful; or 3) the Quarterly Contribution
Report is submitted for a multi-establishment employer but the MWR is not; or 4) the MWR is
submitted but the Quarterly Contribution Report is not.
Valid Values:
Blank or R = reported data
A = estimated from CES report
C = changed (re-reported)
D = reported from missing data notice
E = imputed single unit employment or imputed worksite employment prorated from
imputed parent record
H = hand-imputed (not system generated)
K = special system-generated imputation to reflect data impacted by a catastrophe
L = late reported (overrides prior imputation)
M = missing data
N = zero-filled pending resolution of long-term delinquent reporter
P = prorated from reported master to worksite
S = aggregated master from reported MWR or EDI data
W = estimated from wage record employment

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X = non-numeric employment zero-filled pending further action
Note: The State needs to resolve all “X” records before submission on the EQUI.
Caution: Imputed data on the UI tax file should not be copied or extracted to QCEW micro files.
Third Month Employment
(Required)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: None

Positions:
620-625
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Month Three Employment,
M3, Emp3, (March, June,
September, December),
m3emp, MON3
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros
State UI system (for single and master records); QCEW staff (for worksites,
Source:
federal records); EDI Center (for worksites of centrally collected employers);
or system generated (for imputed data), MWR Web collection systems
Definition: The monthly employment data, which may be reported on the Quarterly
Contribution Report, Multiple Worksite Report, the RFEW, or electronically. This is a count of
all full-time and part-time workers who worked during or received pay (subject to
Unemployment Insurance wages) for the pay period which includes the 12th day of the third
month of the reference quarter. If there is no third month employment, zero-fill the entire field.
The count is unduplicated, so an employee is counted only once in any month by a given
employer.
System Action: The State system needs to impute the employment when it is not reported, as
appropriate (see Third Month Employment Indicator Flag).

Third Month Employment Indicator Flag
(Required)
EQUI:
Position:
626
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: M
Alternate Names:
Imputed Employment Flag,
Estimated Employment Flag,
Month 3 Indicator,
m3emp_ind, MON3I
Source:
System generated (blank, K, M, N, P, R, E, X, and S) for all data entered via
extract or batch or from an estimation routine. QCEW staff (other values).
Definition: Indicator showing how the employment data were obtained. Data must be imputed,
prorated or aggregated if: 1) the Quarterly Contribution Report is delinquent; or 2) the
Quarterly Contribution Report has been submitted with wage data but without employment data,
and follow-up to obtain the missing data is unsuccessful; or 3) the Quarterly Contribution
Report is submitted for a multi-establishment employer but the MWR is not; or 4) the MWR is
submitted but the Quarterly Contribution Report is not.
Valid Values:
Blank or R = reported data

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A = estimated from CES report
C = changed (re-reported)
D = reported from missing data notice
E = imputed single unit employment or imputed worksite employment prorated from
imputed parent record
H = hand-imputed (not system generated)
K = special system-generated imputation to reflect data impacted by a catastrophe
L = late reported (overrides prior imputation)
M = missing data
N = zero-filled pending resolution of long-term delinquent reporter
P = prorated from reported master to worksite
S = aggregated master from reported MWR or EDI data
W = estimated from wage record employment
X = non-numeric employment zero-filled pending further action
Note: The State needs to resolve all “X” records before submission on the EQUI.
Caution: Imputed data on the UI tax file should not be copied or extracted to QCEW micro files.
Multi Establishment Employer Indicator
(Required)
Include
Position:
660
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: None
Alternate Names:
MEEI, MEEI Code, meei_cd
Source:
QCEW staff ; copied from previous quarter if unchanged on State micro file
Definition: Code that distinguishes between records for single units, multi-unit master records,
and subunits of a multi-establishment employer.
Valid Values: 1 = Single establishment unit
2 = Multi-unit master record
3 = Subunit establishment level record for a multi-unit employer
4 = Multi-establishment employer reporting as a single unit due to unavailability
of data, including refusals
5 = A subunit record that actually represents a combination
of establishments; finer level breakouts are not yet available
6 = Known multi establishment employer reporting as a single unit and not
solicited for disaggregation because of small employment (< 10) in all
secondary establishments combined
For every multi-unit employer, the State's Micro file and EQUI file contain at least three records
(the master and at least two subunits). The master unit represents the administrative (UI
accounting) aggregation of all subunits under that UI Account Number and should not be
confused with the primary establishment, which is evaluated along with secondary
establishment(s) to determine multi-unit status. At least two active subunits (representing at least
two establishments) must be associated the master record UI account number. If there is only
one active subunit, then the account has been misidentified and is reclassified as a single unit. If
a multi-establishment employer becomes a single establishment employer, the record for the outof-business or sold subunit is inactivated, the record for the remaining establishment is also
inactivated, and the MEEI code of the master record should be changed from "2" to "1." That

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record (the record with RUN 00000) is used to report the data for the one remaining
establishment. See Sections 5.5 and 5.6 for additional information on multi-unit breakouts and
collapses.
Also note the difference between MEEI code "4" and "6." As stated earlier, an MEEI of "6"
indicates that the establishments in question do not meet the employment size criterion for
disaggregating a multi-unit employer. On the other hand, the MEEI of "4" indicates that the
employer does meet the employment criterion, but is unable or unwilling to provide employment
and wage data at the establishment level. Employers with MEEI codes of "4" are solicited
periodically to see if employment and wage data can be reported at the establishment level.
Employers reporting MEEI code "6" may be solicited as resources permit.
MWR Mail Indicator
(Required is available)
Include
Position:
568
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
MA-CD, mwr-mail-ind
Source:
QCEW staff, EDI load, MWRweb load
Definition: Identifies whether or not a MWR form should be mailed to the respondent.
Valid Values: EXPO and WIN specific
Caution: Both EXPO and WIN default the value to “mailing MWR” even on single accounts.
The field is used in conjunction with the MEEI code. Only forms with MEEI 2 and this value
are actually sent a form.

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N
NAICS Code
(Required if available)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: 999999

Positions:
591-596
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Organization NAICS, Link
NAICS, naics-cd
Source:
System transferred from ARS Control File in first quarter; copied from
previous quarter if unchanged in State micro file, EDI for new units and
successor records, MWR Web collection for comparable new units, QCEW
staff (for worksites, economic changes); State UI system (new records)
Definition: NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are uniform
industrial codes used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to identify the primary activity
of an establishment. The NAICS code uses the NAICS Manual definitions for the handling of
auxiliary establishments, in which each establishment is classified based on its own activities.
Valid Values: Six-digit NAICS codes, as defined by the 2002 or 2007 NAICS code, based on
the the timing of the industry revision.
Caution: This field should not be extracted from the UI tax file except for new records.
NAICS02 ― (Previously called NSTA)
(Blank for all records unless notified otherwise)
Include as blank
Positions:
585-590
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank on all records
Alternate Names:
NAICS Code – SIC Treatment
through 2006, default
of Auxiliaries, aux-naics
– set equal to the
2007-based NAICS
code in the NIACS
field
Copied from previous quarter if unchanged on State micro file; QCEW staff
Source:
(for worksites, economic changes); State UI files (new records)
Definition: A detailed description of the old definition of the NAICS02 (formerly NSTA field)
is provided below. The current definition for the field is provided in the third paragraph.
The NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are uniform industrial codes
used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to identify the primary economic activity of an
establishment. Each establishment carries space for both a NAICS and a NSTA code. The two
codes differ only in their handling of auxiliary (support) establishments. The NSTA code uses
the 1997 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) manual concept for the handling of auxiliary
establishments, in which the establishment is classified based on the activity of the enterprise
it serves. This field is currently blank-filled through 2006 but may be reactivated in the future.

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Current definition of this field: This quarterly field is being used to hold the 2002-based NAICS
code for all dual-coded records beginning with 2007/1 quarterly data. The NAICS field will hold
the 2007-based code that crosswalks to the 2002-based code in this field. If the 2002-based code
equals the 2007-based code, both fields will be populated with the same value.
Valid Values: 2002-based NAICS code
Caution: This field should not be extracted from the UI tax file except for new records.
Narrative Comment
(Required if applicable)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
668-724
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 57 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
com_narr
Format:
Left justified
QCEW staff; EDI Center (for worksites of centrally collected employers);
Source:
MWR Web collection system, MWR form
Definition: A field used to provide an explanation for any unique changes in an establishment
that cannot be accounted for through the standard QCEW comment codes. State staff are
encouraged to include more details in the narrative comment field if the record is very large or
the change was really significant.
Special Criteria: If narrative comment field is included, the comment code 99 or at least one
valid comment code must appear on the micro file record.
Note: This field is 57 positions. State staff should attempt to use reasonable abbreviations to
ensure that they include the useful information without it being truncated.
Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Code
(Optional use in State)
Include
Position:
799
EQUI:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Informed Consent Code,
ICCD, consent-cd
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros
Assigned by the State based on receipt of an informed consent form from the
Source:
employer or the end of an informed consent period previously approved by the
employer.
Definition: The Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Code identifies if the State and the employer
have established a written understanding and agreement that selected data information may be
released either as micro data from the respondent or with selected macro aggregations including
data from the respondent even though data users may be able to identify confidential information
about the employer and its business.
Valid Values: To be determined at a later date.

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Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year Agreed
(Optional use in State)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
800-803
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Consent initial year, consentinit-yr, Informed Consent Start
Year, ICST
Format:
YYYY
Source:
Assigned by the State based on receipt of an informed consent form from the
employer or the end of an informed consent period previously approved by the
employer.
Definition: The Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year is the beginning reference year that the
State has been provided with permission to potentially release either selected micro data from the
respondent or selected macro aggregations including data from the respondent even though data
users may be able to identify confidential information about the employer and its business. This
is not the date of the agreement but the year of the reference data that may be released.
Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year Ended
(Optional use in State)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
804-807
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Consent end year, consentend-yr, Informed Consent End
Year, ICEND
Format:
YYYY
Source:
Assigned by the State based on receipt of an informed consent form from the
employer or the end of an informed consent period previously approved by the
employer.
Definition: The Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year is the ending reference year that the State
has been provided with permission to potentially release either selected micro data from the
respondent or selected macro aggregations including data from the respondent even though data
users may be able to identify confidential information about the employer and its business.

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O
Old County
(Required for a county change when a noneconomic code change is present)
Include
Positions:
552-554
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
OCTY
Source:
ARS Control File (system transferred), or QCEW staff when applying code
changes directly to the micro file, derived in WIN
Definition: A data element used to identify a noneconomic code change to the County code. If
the County code for the first quarter reference period (e.g., first quarter 2008 for the FY 2008
refiling) is different than the County code used to report that establishment's data in the
preceding fourth quarter (e.g., fourth quarter 2007) then the micro file should include an Old
County code – provided the change is noneconomic. The Old County code normally equals the
record's county code when the ARS Control File was created during the preceding first quarter
(e.g., first quarter 2007). In special circumstances (e.g., a new multi-establishment breakout),
certain predecessor/successor situations, the Old County is set equal to the fourth quarter County
code of a different record.
System Action: The State system is used to transfer certain information from the Control File to
the micro file during first quarter processing. For each record on the Control File, the State
systems transfer the Old fields from the Control File to the Old fields in the non-quarterly
occurrence portion of the matching micro file record. Meanwhile the system assigns the Control
File's New field, if valid and different from the Old, to the equivalent first quarter classification
code of the micro file record. The ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year will also be passed
from the Control File to the micro file at the same time. If the Old field differs from the
equivalent code in fourth quarter, and if the fourth quarter code is valid, and if the fourth quarter
was active, then the State system sets the Old field on the micro file equal to the fourth quarter
code.
Valid Values: Valid FIPS County codes for the State plus the following county equivalent
codes:
995 = Statewide, locations in more than one county, or no primary county
996 = foreign locations
998 = Out-of state locations
999 = unknown locations
Caution: Old fields are copied from the ARS Control File, not from the UI tax file. If Old fields
are not retained on the Control File, the Old fields should equal the corresponding fourth quarter
codes on the micro file.
Old NAICS
(Required for a NAICS change when a noneconomic code change is present)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
569-574
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric

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Default Value:
Source:

Blank
Alternate Names:
ONAICS
ARS Control File (system transferred), or QCEW staff when applying code
changes directly to the micro file, derived in WIN
Definition: A data element used to identify a noneconomic code change to the NAICS code. If
the NAICS code for the first quarter reference period (e.g., first quarter 2008 for the FY2008
refiling) is different than the NAICS code used to report that establishment’s data in the
preceding fourth quarter (e.g., fourth quarter 2007) then the micro file should include an Old
NAICS – provided the change is noneconomic. The Old NAICS code normally equals the
record's NAICS code when the ARS Control File was created during the preceding first quarter
(e.g., first quarter 2007). In special circumstances (e.g., a new multi-establishment breakout), the
Old NAICS may be set equal to the fourth quarter NAICS code of a different record.
System Action: The State system is used to transfer certain information from the Control File to
the micro file during first quarter processing. For each record on the Control File, the State
systems transfer the Old fields from the Control File to the Old fields in the non-quarterly
occurrence portion of the matching micro file record. Meanwhile the system assigns the Control
File's New field, if valid and different from the Old, to the equivalent first quarter classification
code of the micro file record. The ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year will also be passed
from the Control File to the micro file at the same time. If the Old field differs from the
equivalent code in fourth quarter, and if the fourth quarter code is valid, and if the fourth quarter
was active, then the State system sets the Old field on the micro file equal to the fourth quarter
code.
Valid Values: Six-digit NAICS codes, as defined in the North American Industry Classification
System manual. The old NAICS code field may contain 2002-based NAICS codes through
2006/4 as part of the FY 2007 refiling. Beginning with the 2008 refiling, old NAICS code fields
may include 2007-based NAICS codes.
Caution: Old fields are copied from the ARS Control File, not from the UI tax file. If Old fields
are not retained on the Control File, the Old fields should equal the corresponding fourth quarter
codes on the micro file.
Old Ownership
(Required for an ownership change when a noneconomic code change is present)
Include
Position:
555
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Old Own, OOWN
Source:
ARS Control File (system transferred), or QCEW staff when applying code
changes directly to the micro file, derived in WIN
Definition: A data element used to identify a noneconomic code change to the Ownership code.
If the Ownership code for the first quarter reference period (e.g., first quarter 2008 for the FY
2008 refiling) is different than the Ownership code used to report that establishment's data in the
preceding fourth quarter (e.g., fourth quarter 2007) then the micro file should include an Old
Ownership code – provided the change is noneconomic. The Old Ownership code normally
equals the record's Ownership code when the ARS Control File was created during the preceding
first quarter (e.g., first quarter 2007). In special circumstances (e.g., certain

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predecessor/successor situations), the Old Ownership is set equal to the fourth quarter Ownership
code of a different record.
System Action: The State system is used to transfer certain information from the Control File to
the micro file during first quarter processing. For each record on the Control File, the State
systems transfer the Old fields from the Control File to the Old fields in the non-quarterly
occurrence portion of the matching micro file record. Meanwhile the system assigns the Control
File's New field, if valid and different from the Old, to the equivalent first quarter classification
code of the micro file record. The ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year will also passed
from the Control File to the micro file at the same time. If the Old field differs from the
equivalent code in fourth quarter, and if the fourth quarter code is valid, and if the fourth quarter
was active, then the State system sets the Old field on the micro file equal to the fourth quarter
code.
1 = Federal government
Valid Values:
2 = State government
3 = Local government
5 = Private sector
Caution: Old fields are copied from the refiling Control File, not from the UI tax file. If Old
fields are not retained on the Control File, the Old fields should equal the corresponding fourth
quarter codes on the micro file.
Old Township
(For New England States and New Jersey, required for a geographic (County/Township) change
when a noneconomic code change is present.)
Include
Positions:
560-562
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Old Town, OTOWN
Source:
ARS Control File (system transferred), or QCEW staff when applying code
changes directly to the micro file, derived in WIN
Definition: For certain States, a data element used to identify a noneconomic code change to the
Township code. If the Township code for the first quarter reference period (e.g., first quarter
2008 for the FY 2008 refiling) is different than the Township code used to report that
establishment's data in the preceding fourth quarter (e.g., fourth quarter 2007) then the micro file
should include an Old Township code – provided the change is noneconomic. The Old
Township code normally equals the record's Township code when the ARS Control File was
created during the preceding first quarter (e.g., first quarter 2007). In special circumstances (e.g.,
a new multi-establishment breakout, certain predecessor/successor situations), the Old Township
is set equal to the fourth quarter Township code of a different record.
System Action: The State system is used to transfer certain information from the Control File to
the micro file during first quarter processing. For each record on the Control File, the State
systems transfer the Old fields from the Control File to the Old fields in the non-quarterly
occurrence portion of the matching micro file record. Meanwhile the system assigns the Control
File's New field, if valid and different from the Old, to the equivalent first quarter classification
code of the micro file record. The ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year will also be passed
from the Control File to the micro file at the same time. If the Old field differs from the

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equivalent code in fourth quarter, and if the fourth quarter code is valid, and if the fourth quarter
was active, then the State system sets the Old field on the micro file equal to the fourth quarter
code.
Valid Values: Valid FIPS Township codes for the State plus the following Township equivalent
codes:
995 = Statewide, locations in more than one township, or no primary township
996 = foreign locations
998 = Out-of state locations
999 = unknown locations
Caution: Old fields are copied from the refiling Control File, not from the UI tax file. If Old
fields are not retained on the Control File, the Old fields should equal the corresponding fourth
quarter codes on the micro file.
Note: This data element is only used for States required to report Township codes: the New
England States and New Jersey. These States enter Old Township in combination with Old
County. If Old fields are not retained on the Control File, the Old fields should equal the
corresponding fourth quarter codes on the micro file.
Organization Type Indicator
(Required, if available)
Include
Position:
598
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Org Type, ORG, org_typ_cd
Source:
State UI system; QCEW staff
Definition: The legal form of the organization used for tax purposes by the establishment. It is
valid for the private sector (Ownership code 5) only. This code is used on Initial Status
Determination Forms to solicit information from private sector establishments concerning their
organizational structure.
Valid Vales: I = Individual
P = Partnership
C = Corporation
O = Other
System Action: When this indicator is assigned to a master record in a multi-unit account, the
State system copies the indicator from the master record to the subunit records in the same UI
account.
Caution: Several State tax systems collect a limited number of organization types from the
Status Determination Forms. These should be reviewed and converted to the standardized codes
listed above. Blank-fill for Ownership Codes of 1, 2, and 3. In States where Organization Codes
are not used, leave the field blank.
Ownership Code
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Quarterly
Frequency:

Position:
Field Length:

597
1
Type:

Numeric

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Default Value:
Source:

None
Alternate Names:
Own, own_cd, OWN1
State UI system; QCEW staff (including Federal accounts); copied from
previous quarter if unchanged on State micro file; system-transferred from the
ARS Control File in first quarter; EDI Center (for birth records of centrally
collected employers), MWR Web collection for births
Definition: A one-position field showing the legal proprietorship of the enterprise and
describing the economic ownership of the enterprise.
Valid Values:
1 = Federal government
2 = State government
3 = Local government
5 = Private sector (includes both domestic and foreign-owned units)
System Action: When this code is assigned to a master record in a multi-unit account, the State
system copies the code from the master record to the subunit records in the same UI account.
Ownership Extension
(Optional for State systems)
EQUI:
Exclude
Position:
N/A
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
None
Default Value: Zero
Source:
Derived from UI tax file status codes; QCEW Staff; system assigned
Definition: A one-position field for use as an optional extension to the Ownership code. Some
States have State-specific codes for subdivisions of the private sector and may place them in this
field.
Example: In a few States, the second digit of the two-digit ownership code includes information
on different types of partnerships (e.g., limited partnerships or limited liability partnerships) or
corporations (e.g., non-profit corporation, in-state corporation, or out-of-state corporations), or
other information on estates, associations, cooperatives, etc.
Caution: States are encouraged to report this information in the Organization Type Indicator.

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P
PEO Client Information from EDI or other sources
The following information is collected via the EDI centers or other central collection on
Professional Employer Organizations (PEO), formerly referred to as Employee Leasing
Companies.
PEO Client UI Account Number
(Provided by EDI for PEO units)
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 10 Type:
Numeric
Default Value: blank
Alternate Names:
None
Provided by EDI system for PEO units (record type 3 of the EDI format)
Source:
Definition: The ten-digit value of the original client account. This information is transferred
from the EDI load file to the predecessor UI number field of the record. This information should
be written to the unit’s predecessor UI Account Number. Zero-fill the predecessor reporting unit
number in these cases.
Note: See Appendix N – MWR File Layouts for the EDI format.
PEO Client Employer Identification (EI) Number
(Provided by EDI for PEO units)
EQUI:
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
Quarterly
Field Length: 9
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
peo-ein
Source:
Provided by EDI for PEO units (record type 3 of the EDI format)
Definition: A nine-position field from the EDI center that identifies that EIN of the client. This
information may be used by the State to identify links between the PEO and the client account to
ensure that duplicate or dropped reporting does not exist. This may be particularly useful if a
client ceases to use a PEO and attempts are made to track who is reporting the data.
Note: See Appendix N – MWR File Layouts for the EDI format.
PEO Client Telephone Number
(Provided by EDI for PEO units)
EQUI:
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 10 Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Default Value: blank
Alternate Names:
None
Source:
Provided by EDI for PEO units (record type 3 of the EDI format)
Definition: A ten-position field for use from EDI to provide the client telephone number. The
load program will move this field to the units telephone number field. This information would
also be useful to contact the employer if the data are no longer reported by the PEO.
Note: See Appendix N – MWR File Layouts for the EDI format.

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PEO Client Month and Year Became a Client
(Provided by EDI for PEO units)
EQUI:
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: blank
Alternate Names:
None
Provided by EDI for PEO units (record type 3 of the EDI format)
Source:
Definition: A six-position field for use to identify when the unit started as a reporting unit of the
PEO. This can be used as the initial liability date of the new reporter under the PEO’s account.
Note that the client account may still be operating if some of the employees continue to be
reported directly by the client account. This information will be useful to determine if duplicate
reporting is occurring for a particular time period and to explain why the client ceased to report
the data under the client’s account.
Note: See Appendix N – MWR File Layouts for the EDI format.
PEO Client Month and Year Ceased to be a Client
(Provided by EDI for PEO units)
EQUI:
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Default Value: blank
Alternate Names:
None
Source:
Provided by EDI for PEO units (record type 3 of the EDI format)
Definition: A six-position field for use to identify when the unit ceased as a reporting unit of the
particular PEO. This field would explain when the unit ceased to be reported by the PEO. This
may be used to enter an end of liability date for the record. Note that this record should be
researched to determine if the unit is out of business or being reported by the client or a different
PEO.
Note: See Appendix N – MWR File Layouts for the EDI format.
PEO Client Worksite Economic Activity Description
(Provided by EDI for PEO units)
EQUI:
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 33 Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Alternate Names:
None
Default Value: blank
Source:
Provided by EDI for PEO units (record type 3 of the EDI format)
Definition: A short description from the respondent identifying what the economic activity is for
the client record. This is useful to help identify NAICS codes.
Note: See Appendix N – MWR File Layouts for the EDI format.
Physical Location Address Block
(Required if available)

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The Physical Location address consists of a block of six fields, which are described below. This
address can be locked (as discussed for the Field Lock Position).
Note: If there is no room to include a room, suite, or apartment number in the same Address
Line as the street address, this information is placed in Address Line 1 while the street address is
placed in Address Line 2. The street address appears immediately above the City-State-Zip code
line when the address is printed for mailing. At least one complete address (either Physical
Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other Address), including all appropriate address lines, city,
state, and zip information must appear on each record. All physical location addresses should be
geocodeable, at least to a zip-centroid latitude and longitude.
In some cases it is possible to identify that the UI address or the Mailing/Other address is
actually the physical location address. The appropriate address type field should be marked and
the address copied to the physical location address fields. At least one complete address (either
Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other Address), including all appropriate address
lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on each record. All large non-master records
must have a physical location address.
Caution: Few States have an address field on the UI tax file or related supplemental files that
include specific physical location addresses. Physical location address fields can be locked.
Physical Location Address Line 1
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
244-278
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
Physical address 1, Physical
fields in the PL
location 1, PL address 1, PLAaddress block are
line 1, PL-A1, phys_str
blank
Format:
Left justified
Source:
Copied by the system from the ARS refiling (control) file; extracted from UI
files; entered by State QCEW staff (from various sources); system copied
(from Mailing/Other Address if MOA Address Type = 1); system copied (from
UI Address if UI Address Type = 1); EDI Center (for worksites of centrally
collected employers); CARS, MWR Web collection system
Definition: First line of the address where the unit is physically located.
System Action: If the Physical Location Address Line 1 is blank, but information is included on
Physical Location Address Line 2, the State system moves it to Physical Location Address Line
1.
Note: Efforts should be made to ensure that the street address is geocodable and if the physical
location address is the only address on the record, then it must also be mailable. At least one
complete address (either Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other Address), including all
appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on each record. All large
non-master records must have a physical location address that is geocodeable to at least the zip
centroid latitude and longitude.

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Physical Location Address Line 2
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Page B-P-4

Positions:
279-313
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Physical address 2, Physical
location 2, PL address 2, PLAline 2, PL-A2, phys_str2

Format:
Source:

Left justified
Copied by the system from the ARS refiling (control) file; CARS; extracted
from UI files; entered by State QCEW staff (from various sources); system
copied (from Mailing/Other Address if MOA Address Type = 1); system
copied (from UI Address if UI Address Type = 1)
Definition: Second line of the address where the unit is physically located.
System Actions: If the Physical Location Address Line 1 is blank, but information is included in
Physical Location Address Line 2, the State system moves it to Physical Location Address Line
1.
Note: Efforts should be made to ensure that the street address is geocodable and if the physical
location address is the only address on the record, then it must also be mailable. At least one
complete address (either Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other Address), including all
appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on each record. All large
non-master records must have a physical location address that is geocodeable to at least the zip
centroid latitude and longitude.
Physical Location Address City
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
314-343
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 30 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
Physical city, PL city, PLA
fields in the PL
city, PL-C1, phys_cty
address block are
blank.
Left justified
Format:
Copied by the system from the ARS refiling (control) file; CARS; extracted
Source:
from UI files; entered by State QCEW staff (from various sources; system
copied (from Mailing/Other Address if MOA Address Type = 1); system
copied (from UI Address if UI Address Type = 1); EDI Center (for worksites
of centrally collected employers); MWR Web collection
Definition: City or town where the unit is physically located.
Note: At least one complete address (either Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other
Address), including all appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on
each record. All large non-master records must have a physical location address that is
geocodeable to at least the zip centroid latitude and longitude.

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Physical Location Address State
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
344-345
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Alphabetic
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
Physical State, PL State, PLAfields in the PL
State, PL-ST, physst
address block are
blank
Source:
Copied by the system from the ARS refiling (control) file; CARS; extracted
from UI files; entered by State QCEW staff (from various sources); system
copied (from Mailing/Other Address if MOA Address Type = 1); system
copied (from UI Address if UI Address Type = 1); EDI Center (for worksites
of centrally collected employers) ; MWR Web collection
Definition: Post Office abbreviation of the State where the unit is physically located.
Valid Values: The standard Post Office abbreviations for States appear in Appendix C. Other
valid values are as follows:
Destination
Abbreviation
American Samoa
AS
Guam
GU
Military Post Offices in Central and South America (APO Miami)
AA
Military Post Offices in Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
AE
(APO New York)
Military Post Offices in Pacific and some areas of Alaska (APO San
AP
Francisco)
Canada
CN
All other foreign countries
ZZ
Note: This abbreviation must match the State FIPS code for the State reporting the data, except
in the rare circumstance where County code 996 (foreign locations) or 998 (out of State) is
appropriate and is assigned. At least one complete address (either Physical Location, UI
Address, or Mailing/Other Address), including all appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip
information must appear on each record. All large non-master records must have a physical
location address that is geocodeable to at least the zip centroid latitude and longitude.
Physical Location Address ZIP Code
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
346-350
EQUI:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
Physical ZIP, PL ZIP, PLA
fields in the PL
ZIP, PL-Z5, phys_zip
address block are
blank

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Source:

Copied by the system from the ARS refiling (control) file; CARS; extracted
from UI files; entered by State QCEW staff (from various sources); system
copied (from Mailing/Other Address if MOA Address Type = 1); system
copied (from UI Address if UI Address Type = 1); EDI Center (for worksites
of centrally collected employers) ; MWR Web collection
Definition: ZIP Code of the address where the unit is physically located.
Note: At least one complete address (either Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other
Address), including all appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on
each record. All large non-master records must have a physical location address that is
geocodeable to at least the zip centroid latitude and longitude.
Physical Location Address ZIP Code Extension
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
351-354
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Physical location - ZIP Ext.,
Physical ZIP expansion, PL
ZIP Ext., PLA ZIPX, PL-Z4,
phys_ext
Format:
Left justified
Source:
Copied by the system from the ARS refiling (control) file; CARS; extracted
from UI files; entered by State QCEW staff (from various sources); system
copied (from Mailing/Other Address if MOA Address Type = 1); system
copied (from UI Address if UI Address Type = 1); EDI Center (for worksites
of centrally collected employers) ; MWR Web collection
Definition: ZIP Code Extension of the address where the unit is physically located.
Note: At least one complete address (either Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other
Address), including all appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on
each record. All large non-master records must have a physical location address that is
geocodeable to at least the zip centroid latitude and longitude. However, ZIP Code Extension is
not essential; if all other physical location address fields exist but ZIP extension is missing, the
address still passes the edits.
Caution: Changes between zero-filled and blank ZIP code extensions are not considered changes
to the physical location addresses.
Place (City) Code
(Required)
Include
Positions:
772-776
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
City, Place, city-cd
BLS-supplied
Source:
Definition: Five-digit code assigned based on Census supplied boundary tables and latitude and
longitude.

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Note: Not all records that are assigned latitude and longitude values will also be assigned place
codes. Place codes will only be assigned for selected class codes, as defined at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) website. For more details on the place codes,
refer to the following website:
http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/55new/nav-top-fr.htm
PLA Type Code
(Required)
Include
Position:
661
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
PLA Bypass
Source:
BLS-supplied
Definition: Unlike the Mailing/Other and UI Address Type code, the PLA type code does not
compare the physical location address to any other address. The purpose of the PLA type code is
to override or bypass specific data requirements, counts, geocoding, and editing criteria for a
selected record when its physical location address is either incomplete or missing. Examples of
where this may be appropriate are home health care worksites that are actual residences,
domestics that are also operating in an actual residence, sales agents working out of their own
homes, and some government facilities.
Valid Values:
C = PLA and county confirmed
P = PLA provided and not geocodable
R = PLA blank—worksite is a residence or private home
S = PLA blank—sales agents working out of their own home
G = government facility only providing city, State, and ZIP code but no street address
B = BLS-approved bypass for missing PLA
Blank = PLA is provided or missing but no bypass/override exists
Note: An edit will probably be built into the systems to identify when a bypass is being used that
is not approved or unexpected.
Predecessor SESA ID
(Required if available)
The Predecessor SESA ID is a block of two fields that identifies or points to a predecessor
record. It allows continuous establishments that change key fields (UI Account Number or
RUN) to be linked. It consists of the Predecessor UI Account Number and Predecessor
Reporting Unit Number. If either one of these data elements is present, both must be present.
Predecessor UI Account Number
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include, P/S Record
Transaction
Frequency:

Positions:
Field Length:

21-30
10 Type:

Numeric

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Default Value:

Blank

Page B-P-8

Alternate Names:

Predecessor UI Account
Number, Pred UI#
Format:
Right justified, with unused positions zero-filled
Source:
State UI system; QCEW staff (for federal reports and worksites); EDI
Definition: The UI Account Number under which the unit was previously reported if it has been
reported under a different UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration. This is
explained in greater detail under Predecessor Reporting Unit Number and in Chapter 5. If the
new account has incorporated establishments from more than one predecessor UI account, the
Predecessor UI Account Number is nine-filled on a system-generated record. Two transaction
records are created for each full or partial transaction, each showing one of the two directions of
the transfer. For example, if a business (Joe’s Manufacturing) buys three businesses (Jane
Makes, Makes Them Right, and Tim’s Technology), the following records would be created:
• Jane Makes is a predecessor of Joe’s Manufacturing
• Joe’s Manufacturing is a successor of Jane Makes
• Makes Them Right is a predecessor of Joe’s Manufacturing
• Joe’s Manufacturing is a successor of Makes Them Right
• Tim’s Technology is a predecessor of Joe’s Manufacturing
• Joe’s Manufacturing is a successor of Tim’s Technology
• Joe’s Manufacturing had multiple predecessors
Predecessor Reporting Unit Number
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include, P/S Record
Positions:
31-35
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank if Predecessor
Alternate Names:
Predecessor RUN, Pred RUN,
UI is blank
Pred RU#
Right justified, with unused positions zero-filled
Format:
Source:
QCEW staff; EDI
Definition: The Reporting Unit Number under which the unit was previously reported if it has
been changed to a different UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration. This is
explained further below and in Section 5.1.
1. When there is more than one reporting unit to point to as the predecessor of this reporting
unit, each specific Predecessor RUN should be assigned. Additionally, BLS will generate a
record with “99999” assigned as the Predecessor RUN to indicate that more than one
reporting unit must be identified as a predecessor reporting unit. The “99999” record would
be used by the LDB system.
2. When there is more than one UI Account Number to point to as the predecessor of this
reporting unit, each specific Predecessor UI Account Number assigned. Additionally, BLS
will generate a record with “9999999999” assigned to indicate that more than one UI
Account must be identified as the as a predecessor UI account. The “9999999999” record
would be used by the LDB system.
3. The situations in 1 and 2 above can be fully identified in the LDB by reporting the Successor
UI/Successor RUN in each of the multiple predecessor reporting units’ (in one or more UI
accounts) Successor UI Account Number and Successor RUN fields.

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An establishment previously being reported under a different UI Account Number (or different
RUN within the same UI account) that now begins reporting with a newly assigned UI Account
Number (or newly assigned RUN within the same UI account) should identify its predecessor.
Its Predecessor UI and Predecessor RUN fields should be assigned the UI Account Number and
RUN under which the establishment was previously reported. If more than one predecessor
existed, then each predecessor should be identified on the predecessor/successor transaction file.
See Chapter 5 for more details.
The purpose of Predecessor and Successor UI/RUN assignment is to identify establishments as
continuous, especially when they change ownership or UI number. This assignment is used
whether or not the case satisfies the State UI definitions for legal predecessors and successors.
For QCEW program purposes, a predecessor/successor relationship is one where the successor
(the new owner of an establishment) performs similar operations to the predecessor (the previous
owner of an establishment) using some or all of the predecessor’s employees. These operations
are frequently, but not necessarily, performed at the same location as the predecessor.
(1) In the case of single accounts which are acquired by a new owner with a new (or different)
UI Account Number, the previous UI Account Number and RUN (usually 00000) for the single
account should be reported in the Predecessor UI and Predecessor RUN fields.
(2) An individual establishment formerly reported via an MWR (containing several
establishments) may be acquired by another multi-establishment reporter. In this case, the
appropriate Predecessor UI and Predecessor RUN assigned to the newly acquired establishment
would be the previous UI number and RUN of that establishment.
(3) For cases involving the merger of several UI accounts either in whole or in part, it is usually
possible to assign unique Predecessor UI/RUNs to each of the establishments being reported on
the MWR of the re-formed multi establishment reporter.
Changes Within the Same UI Account: UI accounts that change reporting configuration (by
breaking out or consolidating reporting units) should also be assigned a Predecessor UI/RUN.
When data for a multi-unit employer are broken out for the first time, each newly disaggregated
subunit should repeat the UI Account Number and RUN of the previously aggregated unit in the
Predecessor UI Number and Predecessor RUN fields of the transaction records. When a multiunit employer is collapsed (e.g., because the employer refuses to report on the MWR), the new
combined record should include the UI Account Number of the previous multi-unit account in its
Predecessor UI Number field. In this case, each individual worksite reporting unit number being
collapsed would be written as separate transaction records in the transaction file.
In many cases it is not possible to accurately assign predecessor and successor UI/RUNs because
of reporting discrepancies. In the textbook case where there is a change of ownership and all
multi-establishment reporters are reporting their establishments on a MWR, it is possible to
report predecessor and successor UI/RUNs accurately to the individual establishments. In these
cases, it is important to report predecessor and successor UI/RUNs with the individual UI

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Page B-P-10

Account Number and/or RUN if individual UI Accounts/reporting units can be pointed to as the
predecessor or successor.
This information may not be available in time to report it for the year and quarter when the
change occurred. However, the Predecessor/Successor SESA ID fields should still be assigned
as soon as the information becomes available.
Cautions:
(1) The Predecessor UI Number should not be assigned unless the Predecessor RUN is also
assigned. The Predecessor RUN should not be assigned unless the Predecessor UI Number is
also assigned. If either field is present, both must be present.
(2) Most State UI tax files do not include a reporting unit number field, as defined by BLS. In
these cases, the Predecessor Reporting Unit Number should be zero filled when extracting
Predecessor UI Account Numbers from the UI tax files. QCEW staff should then correct the
Predecessor RUN as needed.
Predecessor/Successor Source Code
(Required)
Include, PS record
Positions:
36-37
EQUI:
Frequency:
Transaction
Field Length: 2
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
PS-Action
Source:
QCEW staff, UI extract, UI information, MWRweb, ARS, EDI, SUTA
Dumping Detection Software, others
Definition: The purpose of the predecessor/successor source code is to clearly identify if UI has
made a legal determination of a predecessor/successor relationship or if the QCEW staff have
obtained this information from other sources. It will also be useful when explaining why some
information such as transfer dates may change from when QCEW staff believe it occurred to
when UI actually makes the change to when QCEW staff actually reflect the change in their data.
Valid Values: This is a two digit field. An interim one digit version existed in the systems for a
short period of time. Both sets of values are provided below.

ED

Definition
UI extract load
UI, not loaded through the extract
Information from the employer
Wage record SUTA dumping
detection system
EDI data load

WR

Other wage record tool

RL

State record linkage/scoring

AR

ARS

Source Code
EX
UI
ER
SD

Assignment
System-assigned
User-assigned
User-assigned
System-assigned or
may be user-assigned
System-assigned or
may be user-assigned
System-assigned or
may be user-assigned
System-assigned or
may be user-assigned
User-assigned

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FS
BL
MD
HS

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Data Element Definitions

MWR
Other federal/sate programs
BLS weighted match system
News Media
Historical information –
initialization of P/S table/files
OT
Other/Unidentified source
blank
Unknown
Note: See Chapter 5 for more details.

Page B-P-11

User-assigned
User-assigned
User-assigned
User-assigned
System-assigned
User-assigned

Predecessor/Successor Posting Date
(Required)
Include, PS record
Positions:
46-53
EQUI:
Transaction
Field Length: 8
Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Source:
System-assigned
Definition: The date that the transaction was posted to the State QCEW database. This date
helps track when the information was available to the State. It will also be used to determine if
the record should be submitted on the EQUI file since the record does not include a reference
year and quarter. In many States, the QCEW are notified of predecessor/successor transactions
that are several quarters or years old. Without the date information, these data may conflict with
the quarterly employment and wage information provided for the predecessor and successor
records. Although the dates may not line up exactly, it is important that no reporting gaps or
overlaps occur between the two (or more) records.
Predecessor/Successor Narrative Comment
(Required)
Include, PS record
Positions:
54-198
EQUI:
Frequency:
Transaction
Field Length: 145 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Source:
QCEW staff assigned
Definition: The Predecessor/Successor Narrative Comment is additional space to explain in
more detail any relevant information about the predecessor/successor transaction that would not
fit in other existing fields.
Predecessor/Successor Transfer Date
(Required if available)
Include, P/S Record
Positions:
38-45
EQUI:
Frequency:
Transaction
Field Length: 8
Type:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
YYYYMMDD
Format:
Source:
UI, QCEW State staff

Numeric

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Definition: The P/S Transfer Date is the actual date of the predecessor/successor transaction. If
the transaction is a full transfer, then this date is typically the same as the end of liability date of
the predecessor. If the transaction is a partial transfer to a new account, then the transfer date
would be the same as the successor’s initial liability date. Records with large employment
(typically one hundred or greater) should have a transfer date.

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Q
Quarter
(Required)
EQUI:
Frequency:
Default Value:

Include
Quarterly
None

Position:
8
Field Length: 1
Alternate Names:

Type:
Numeric
Reporting Quarter, Reference
Quarter, qtr
Source:
Input micro transaction records, or system assigned
Definition: The calendar quarter for which the data are being reported.
Valid Values: 1 = January, February, March
2 = April, May, June
3 = July, August, September
4 = October, November, December

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R
Reactivation Date
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
536-543
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 8
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
react_dte, REACT
Format:
YYYYMMDD – four positions for year, two for month, and two for day (e.g.,
"20080401" for April 1, 2008)
State UI system; QCEW staff (for federal reports and worksites)
Source:
Definition: The date that an inactive unit or out-of-business unit (on the state UI system) is
reactivated. If the reactivated unit is still present on the Micro file, the Reactivation Date should
be assigned while all other dates are maintained without change. If the reactivated unit is no
longer in the QCEW system (having been inactive for more than six quarters) but is still on UI
files, the record should be added to the Micro file and should include appropriate dates extracted
from the UI files: Input Date, Initial Date of Liability, and End of Liability. If the reactivated
unit has not been submitted on the EQUI file (because it was inactivated on State system), the
entire record should be submitted including the Input Date, Initial Date of Liability, and End of
Liability Date. The End of Liability Date should not change when the reactivation date is
assigned. If a reactivated unit again ceases operations and is assigned an End of Liability Date,
the old End of Liability Date should be overwritten.
Once an establishment receives an “end of liability” date, meaning that the unit has ceased
operations, it has no employees and pays no wages. In those cases where the State allows these
businesses to begin operations again with the same UI Account Number, the inactive unit (in the
QCEW system) should be assigned a reactivation date (while maintaining all other dates without
change). The time period between the End of Liability Date and the Reactivation Date will
indicate the period of time the unit was not operating as a business. This date will be used to
track units on the LDB. This date may not exist or be available in all States. Some States may
have a substantial number of these cases, including seasonal businesses.
Caution: Some States do not permit reactivations, while others do not track the reactivation date
separately. If a previously inactivated unit is reactivated in the UI tax file by replacing the old
liability date with a new date, the new date should be moved to the Reactivation Date. Some
States refer to this as the reinstall date.
Reporting Unit Description
(Required if available for multi subunits (MEEI 3 and 5); optional for all other MEEI codes)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
467-501
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
RUD, Worksite Description,
Default Value: Blank
run_descr
Format:
Left justified
QCEW staff; EDI Center (for worksites of centrally collected employers);
Source:
MWR Web collection system

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Definition: Unique description of the reporting unit, in terms meaningful to the reporter. When
possible, use the employer's terminology. The vehicle for collection and verification of the
Reporting Unit Description (RUD) is the Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and the availability
of this data element is dependent on the reporter. (For MWR data collected by the EDI Center,
the RUD is also provided by the employer.) The RUD should be consistent over time and across
files. The RUD for each subunit should be provided back to the respondent on a quarterly basis
via the MWR for verification and updating. Examples of the RUD include store numbers, plant
numbers, and plant names, which apply to the subunit. If the reporter uses any system such as a
store number or accounting code to identify the subunit, that information should be reported in
the RUD field (for example, "STORE #2986" or "CODE #52"). If such a system is used by the
reporter, wording (STORE, CODE) should be used along with the number to explain the
meaning of the number. The RUD should be unique nationwide for users of the BLSWashington Longitudinal Data Base. BLS surveys will frequently send a data collection form to
a corporate headquarters and refer to each worksite solely by the Reporting Unit Description
(without reference to State).
Reporting Unit Descriptions should generally be provided for subunit records but may be
omitted in certain situations. Specifically, RUDs are not required if all these conditions are met:
(a) the employer has multiple establishments in only one State,
(b) each establishment is uniquely identified by name and address,
(c) the multi-establishment employer has relatively few subunits (five or less), and
(d) the employer uses no other means to identify the establishment.
For a reporting unit which represents more than one establishment of a multi-establishment
employer (e.g., MEEI = 4, 5, or 6), the RUD should describe the aggregation of establishments
that the record represents. For example, if a record has an MEEI of 5, the RUD might contain
"DALLAS PLANT AND FORT WORTH WAREHOUSE" as an adequate description.
Cautions: (1) Industry descriptions or Short Titles should not be used in this field.
(2) This information is not usually available on UI tax files.
Reporting Unit Number
(Required)
Include, regular EQUI Positions:
19-23
EQUI:
record and P/S record
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: None
Alternate Names:
RUN, RU #, rnum
Right justified, with unused positions zero-filled
Format:
Source:
For new worksite units: State QCEW staff (or the EDI Center for centrally
collected employers); MWR Web collection system
For single and master records: system assigned zeros.
Definition: A five-digit number used to uniquely distinguish worksites of a multi-unit account.
This field should be consistent from quarter to quarter to allow identification of the same unit
over time. The RUN is a five digit extension of the UI Account Number. Its purpose is to
uniquely distinguish worksites of a multi-unit account. When more than one unit has the same

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State assigned UI Account Number, the RUN will distinguish each particular unit of a multiestablishment account from any other unit. Each subunit record within a UI account should be
assigned a unique RUN. RUNs for subunits of the same UI Number should be assigned
sequentially, and should not be re-used for a different reporting unit under the same UI Account
Number. In the case of inactive reporting units, however, a reactivated unit may have the same
RUN as before. When RUNs are assigned to newly broken out multi subunits, the first subunit
must have a RUN of 00001, and the number for each additional subunit must increase by 1. For
example, a UI account with three subunits will have RUNs numbered 00001, 00002, and 00003.
Gaps in the numbering system may occur over time as a result of units going out of business or
being sold. This systematic pattern will:
• Make it easier for States to keep track of which RUNs have been used
• Make apparent the next number available for use
• Allow employers to keep State assigned RUNs in their payroll system – whether to provide
data in a file or to generate a facsimile of the Multiple Worksite Report
• Enable State staff, the EDI Collection Center, or employers to assign the proper RUN to a
new unit when first setting it up
Valid Values: For single and master units, 00000. For subunits, values greater than 00000 and
less than 99999. The Reporting Unit Number of each record should be consistent with the
MEEI. Records with MEEI of 1 (single), 2 (master), 4, (multi reporting as single), or 6 (multi
not solicited) should have a Reporting Unit Number = 00000. Records with MEEI of 3 (subunit)
or 5 (combined subunit) should have a Reporting Unit Number greater than 00000.
Special Notes: (1) UI Account Number and Reporting Unit Number are the identifying fields
(key fields) for records on the BLS-Washington and State micro file databases.
(2) Reporting Unit Number 99999 should not be assigned since it is reserved for use in the
Predecessor RUN and Successor RUN fields to indicate that the predecessor or successor is not
unique. This information will be generated by EXPO and WIN systems and included on the
transaction files when more than one predecessor or successor transaction record is created for
the record between submittals to BLS. BLS will continue to use this information in the LDB
system.
Caution: States that maintain worksite information on tax files are required to follow these
guidelines on State and BLS-Washington QCEW files. States that allow “orphans” or cases
where a multi-establishment family terminates all units but one (leaving a single, surviving
worksite) must convert its Reporting Unit Number to “00000” during the extract process and
ensure the correct MEEI code is assigned. Most State UI tax files do not include a Reporting
Unit Number field, as defined by BLS. In these cases, the Reporting Unit Number should be
zero filled when extracting single and master accounts from UI tax files.

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S
Setup Date
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
512-519
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 8
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Input Date, input_dte, SETUP
Format:
YYYYMMDD – four positions for year, two for month, and two for day (e.g.,
"20080501" for May 1, 2008)
State UI system (for records with MEEI 1, 2, 4, or 6); system assigned (for
Source:
new records with MEEI 3 or 5); QCEW staff (federal reports). For States
unable to extract a Setup Date (MEEI 1, 2, 4, or 6), the system assigns the date
that the record was first extracted from the tax file.
Definition: This is the date that the information for the UI account is put into the State UI
system. For a subunit (worksite) record, this is the date the record was assigned an active status
code. Once assigned, this date would not change for a continuous UI account or for a continuous
subunit. For an ownership change, the successor account would have a new setup date that
would match the date the new record was input onto the State UI system. This date is necessary
for determining when units were added to the State UI system. Potential uses are:
1. To distinguish between new units and units which were part of a previous sample frame used
for selecting a sample at a specific point in time. (Sampling for births.) This date is
important in simplifying the task of sampling for births.
2. For use in analyzing LDB data. Some businesses actually enter the State UI system some
period of time after the business’ initial date of liability (when the business actually pays
wages to employees). Sometimes the first employment does not appear on QCEW files until
the setup date even though the initial date of liability indicates that employees were present
earlier.
Note: This date may not be accurate in some States for UI accounts that were already active
before this became a required QCEW data element (before third quarter 1997).
Shared Secret/Temporary Password
(Used for security in the MWR Web systems)
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
EQUI:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 8
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Alternate Names:
Shared Secret
Default Value: Blank
Format:
Left justified if alphanumeric
Source:
Provided by BLS for MWRweb solicitation
Definition: Field provided by BLS to States for collection of information via the Web. This
information would be printed on the MWR form and used by the employer for the respondent’s
initial registration and use of the MWRweb system. This information can be found on the
MWRweb Solicitiation Request File in Appendix N – MWR File Formats.
Note: the name that the respondent will see for this value is the “Temporary Account Number.”

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June 2007

SIC Code
(Required)
EQUI:
Frequency:
Default Value:

Page B-S-2

Include
Quarterly
9999

Positions:
581-584
Field Length: 4
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Standard Industrial
Classification code, SIC, siccd-chr
Source:
System-transferred from ARS Control File in first quarter; QCEW staff (for
worksites, economic changes); State UI files (new records); copied from
previous quarter if unchanged on State micro file; EDI Center (for birth
records of centrally collected employers)
Definition: Standard Industrial Classification code to identify the primary economic activity of
the reporting unit. The primary activity is the primary product or group of products produced or
distributed (or services rendered) by the establishment (reporting unit). The primary activity of
the enterprise is the primary activity of the establishments within a State.
Caution: This code was replaced with the NAICS code as the primary industry code of record.
SICs are no longer coded or maintained.
Valid Values: valid four-digit codes as shown in the 1987 SIC Manual, plus 0740, 0780, and
5810.
Note: All new records should now be SIC coded 9999.
Solicitation ID/Temporary ID
(Provided by BLS to States from the Respondent for MWR Web collection)
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 12 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Format:
Source:
BLS MWRweb system
Definition: SolicitationID that the respondent will use when he registers to use the MWRweb
system. Note that this is the 12-character version of the SolicitationID, where the first three
characters specify the IDCF survey. This information can be found on the MWRweb
Solicitation Request File in Appendix N – MWR File Formats.
The name that the respondent will see for this value is the “Temporary Account Number.”
Special Indicator
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Position:
576
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
SPCL, spec_ind
Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: Code used to identify records that may require special handling or provide special
information.
Valid Values:

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T = Indian Tribal Council
L = Staff in establishment leased to a PEO
blank (default value) = All other records
Note: Other codes may be developed later.
Special Criteria: Professional employer (staff leasing) firm (master) would be coded to default
(blank); subunit with leased employment would be coded with L .
State Code
(Optional in State systems; required on the EQUI and the BLS-Washington micro file)
EQUI:
Include, regular EQUI Positions:
2-3
record and P/S record
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Default Value: None
Alternate Names:
State FIPS code
System
Source:
Definition: The two-digit numeric FIPS designator for the State that handles the UI Account,
inclusive of the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Valid Values: The valid values for each State appear in Appendix C. Invalid codes include 00,
03, 07, 14, 43, 52, 57-71, 73-77, and numbers greater than 78.
Caution: This field will be system-assigned by EXPO and WIN.
State Use Field
(Optional; not reported on the EQUI)
EQUI:
Positions:
N/A
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
state_use, STUSE
Format:
Left justified
Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: A field available for use by the State for their own purposes.
Caution: This is for internal use only.
Status Code
(Required)
EQUI:
Frequency:
Default Value:
Source:

Include
Quarterly
None

Position:
544
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Status; Status Code, SC, STA,
status_cd
Derived from UI tax file status codes, QCEW staff, or system assigned. May
be system assigned based on Initial Liability Date, End of Liability Date,
and/or Reactivation Date. May be provided for new multi-establishment units
sent through EDI or the Web collection. Also assigned when a record is
“deleted” from the file

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Definition: A code showing whether or not the record is active for QCEW purposes. This does
not refer to the UI status of the record. If a record is active for any part of the quarter, it is active
for the entire quarter.
Valid Values: 1 = active (also includes reactivated units, active for a portion of the time, and
active for the entire quarter)
2 = inactive (also includes terminated, closed, sold, etc.)
3 = inactive; filler for non-submitted quarters of a record (in the BLS-Washington
system only)
9 = pending (e.g., a new unit is set up as pending for a multi-establishment in a
quarter to begin the breakout reporting as active in a later quarter)
Note: For records that have been imputed for one or two quarters and have been delinquent for
an additional five quarters, a 2 (inactive) will be assigned unless there is reason to believe the
unit is still active. The standard QCEW systems include a systems option to inactivate these
records.
Caution: Several State tax systems distinguish between inactive and terminated accounts. Other
systems include information on delinquent accounts, seasonal accounts, and other special
characteristics. States need to match specialty codes in their UI tax systems to the QCEW
standardized codes of 1, 2, and 9 to ensure that all records that should be included are extracted.
Successor SESA ID
(Required if available)
The Successor SESA ID is a block of two fields that identifies or points to a successor record. It
allows continuous establishments that change key fields (UI Account Number or RUN) to be
linked. It consists of the Successor UI Account Number and Successor Reporting Unit Number.
If either one of these data elements is present, both must be present.
Successor UI Account Number
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include, P/S Record
Frequency:
Transaction
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
21-30
Field Length: 10 Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Successor UI Account
Number, Successor UI#
Right justified, with unused positions zero-filled.
Format:
Source:
State UI system; QCEW staff (for federal reports and worksites)
Definition: The UI Account Number under which the unit will be reported, (or is now reporting)
if its UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration will change (or has already
changed.) This is explained in greater detail under Successor Reporting Unit Number and in
Chapter 5. A nine-filled Successor UI Account Number should be used to show that the old
account is split among more than one successor UI account on a system-generated record. Two
transaction records are created for each full or partial transaction, each showing one of the two
directions of the transfer. For example, if a business (Joe’s Manufacturing) buys three
businesses (Jane Makes, Makes Them Right, and Tim’s Technology), the following records
would be created:

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June 2007

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Page B-S-5

Jane Makes is a predecessor of Joe’s Manufacturing
Joe’s Manufacturing is a successor of Jane Makes
Makes Them Right is a predecessor of Joe’s Manufacturing
Joe’s Manufacturing is a successor of Makes Them Right
Tim’s Technology is a predecessor of Joe’s Manufacturing
Joe’s Manufacturing is a successor of Tim’s Technology
Joe’s Manufacturing had multiple predecessors

Successor Reporting Unit Number
(Required if available)
Include, P/S Record
Positions:
31-35
EQUI:
Frequency:
Transaction
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank if Successor UI Alternate Names:
Successor RUN, Succ RUN,
Number is blank
Succ RU#
Right justified, with unused positions zero-filled
Format:
Source:
QCEW staff
Definition: The Reporting Unit Number under which the unit will be reported (or is now
reporting), if its UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration will change (or has
already changed). This is explained further below, and in Section 5.1.
1. When there is more than one reporting unit to point to as the successor of a predecessor unit,
each specific Successor RUN should be assigned. Additionally, BLS will generate a record
with “99999” as the Successor RUN to indicate that more than one reporting unit must be
identified as a successor reporting unit. The “99999” record would be used by the LDB
system.
2. When there is more than one UI Account Number to point to as the successor of a predecessor
unit, each specific Successor UI Account Number should be assigned. Additionally, BLS
will generate a record with “9999999999” as the Successor UI Account Number to indicate
that more than one UI Account must be identified as a successor UI Account. The
“9999999999” record would be used by the LDB system.
3. The situations in 1 and 2 above can be fully identified in the LDB by reporting the
Predecessor UI/Predecessor RUN in each of the multiple successor reporting units’ (in one or
more UI accounts) Predecessor's UI Account Number and Predecessor's Reporting Unit
Number fields.
An establishment that ceases reporting under one UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number
and begins reporting with a newly assigned UI/RUN should have a Successor UI Number and
Successor RUN identified for the record that will no longer be reported. The Successor UI
Number and Successor RUN should reflect the newly assigned and currently reporting UI
number/Reporting Unit Number.
The purpose of Predecessor and Successor UI/RUN assignment is to identify establishments as
continuous, especially when they change ownership or UI number. This assignment should be
used whether or not the case satisfies the State UI definitions for legal predecessors and
successors. For QCEW program purposes, a predecessor/successor relationship is one where the

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successor (the new owner of an establishment) performs similar operations to the predecessor
(the previous owner of an establishment) using some or all of the predecessor’s employees.
These operations are frequently, but not necessarily, performed at the same location as the
predecessor.
This information may not be available in time to report it for the year and quarter when the
change occurred. However, the Predecessor/Successor SESA ID fields should still be assigned
as soon as the information becomes available.
Cautions:
(1) The Successor UI Number should not be assigned unless the Successor RUN is also
assigned. The Successor RUN should not be assigned unless the Successor UI Number is also
assigned. If either field is present, both must be present.
(2) Most State UI tax files do not include a reporting unit number field, as defined by BLS. In
these cases, the Successor Reporting Unit Number should be zero filled when extracting
Successor UI Numbers from the UI tax files. QCEW staff should then correct the Successor
RUN as needed.

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T
Tax Rate
(Required; not reported on the EQUI)
Exclude
Positions:
N/A
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: None for contributory Alternate Names:
Rate, Employer Tax Rate,
employers. Zero for
tax_rate, TAXRT
reimbursable, non-UIcovered or UCFE
covered
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros; a decimal place is implied after the first
position from the left. For example, the value of 00325 is a tax rate of 0.0325,
or 3.25% (i.e. divide by 100 to obtain the tax rate percentage).
State UI system
Source:
Definition: Tax rate used during the reference quarter to tax contributory employer's taxable
wages to meet the employer's obligation to the UI fund. Tax rates should be assigned, typically
by the UI tax unit, to all active, tax-rated or experience-rated accounts.
Rounding Criteria: To the nearest thousandths place.
Note: Tax rates for master records are copied to all the subunits of the UI account.
Special Criteria: System must associate the appropriate tax rate with any given micro data
record. System must be able to maintain this association on exported files.
Taxable Wages
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: None

Positions:
639-649
Field Length: 11 Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Tax Wages, Subject Wages,
TAXW, tax_wg
Right justified with leading zeros
Format:
1) State UI system (masters and singles)
Source:
2) System assigned (imputed for worksites).
Definition: Wages of the employer (reported) that are subject to UI tax. Contributory accounts
only. Even if an employer has a zero tax rate, taxable wages should be reported for subject
wages up to the State wage limit.
Rounding Criteria: All wage fields are rounded to the nearest whole dollar amounts. For
example, if taxable wages are $122,465.49, then 00000122465 and not 00012246549 should
appear in this field. If taxable wages are $122,465.50, then the data should be rounded up so that
00000122466 appears in this field.
Taxable Wages Indicator Flag
(Required)

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June 2007

EQUI:
Frequency:
Default Value:

Page B-T-2

Exclude
Quarterly
M

Position:
N/A
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Taxable Wages Indicator;
TaxW-Ind., tax_wg_ind,
1) System generated for all data entered via extract or batch.
Source:
2) Assigned when data imputed or prorated.
3) QCEW staff (manual override).
Definition: Indicator showing the source of the taxable wages.
Valid Values: Blank or R = reported data
B = BLS-initialized quarter. The BLS-Washington system assigns this taxable
wage indicator when no EQUI record was received from the State for this
quarter
C = changed (re-reported)
E = imputed single unit taxable wages or imputed worksite taxable wages
prorated from imputed master taxable wages
H = hand-imputed (not system generated)
K = special system-generated imputation to reflect data impacted by a catastrophe
L = late reported (overrides prior imputation)
M = missing data
N = zero-filled pending resolution of long-term delinquent reporter
P = prorated from reported master to worksites
X = non-numeric taxable wages zero-filled pending further action
Caution: Imputed data on the UI tax file should not be copied or extracted.
Telephone Number
(Required if available)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: Blank

Positions:
502-511
Field Length: 10 Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Phone, PH-AR, PHN7,
area_cd,
Ten digits comprised of 3-digit area code, 3-digit prefix, and 4-digit suffix
Format:
Source:
State UI system; QCEW staff (entered from MWR or ARS forms or from staff
research), EDI, MWRweb, CARS.
Definition: The telephone number for the employer. Preferably this is the number of the actual
employer (not an agent), and it corresponds to the physical location of the establishment. The
master record phone number should not be copied to subunits. Do not enter a 3-digit area code
only, without the corresponding 7-digit number. Do not enter directory assistance number, (xxx)
555-1212. If the physical location telephone number is not available, a telephone number for
another location or section of that employer would be preferable, e.g. the number of the
corporate headquarters or central office, as opposed to the number for an outside payroll preparer
or accounting firm.
Note: Some States do retain the phone number of payroll providers to ask the preparer
questions, however; this is not the preferred telephone number if an employer number is
available.

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Page B-T-3

Telephone Extension
(Required, if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
845-849
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Phone Extension
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros
State UI system (if available), QCEW staff, MWRweb, EDI, CARS
Source:
Definition: This field includes any telephone extension number that would be used to point to a
specific contact within the respondent organization.
Total Wages
(Required)
EQUI:
Frequency:
Default Value:

Include
Quarterly
None

Positions:
627-637
Field Length: 11 Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Total Quarterly Wages, Gross
Wages, Wages, TOTW, TW,
tot_wg
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros
1) State UI system
Source:
2) System generated (imputed data)
3) EDI Center (for worksites of centrally collected employers)
4) QCEW staff (other)
5) Web collection
Definition: Total amount of wages paid or payable quarterly to covered workers for services
performed during the reference quarter and on all the payrolls during the entire reference quarter.
Includes taxable and nontaxable (excess) wages, and bonuses. Total Wages may include the
cash value of meals, lodging, bonuses, stock options, tips and other gratuities depending on State
laws and if these items are furnished with the job.
Rounding Criteria: All wage fields are rounded to the nearest whole dollar amounts. For
example, if total wages are $122,465.49, then 00000122465 and not 00012246549 should appear
in this field. If total wages are $122,465.50, then the data should be rounded up so that
00000122466 appears in this field.
Total Wages Indicator Flag
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: M

Source:

Position:
638
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Alternate Names:
Wage Flag, Quarterly Wage
Imputation Flag, TOTWI,
tot_wg_ind, TW-ind
1) System generated (blank, K, M, N, P, R, E, X, and S) for all data entered via
extract or batch or from an estimation routine.
2) QCEW staff (manual override).

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Definition: Indicator showing the source of the wage data.
Valid Values: Blank or "R" = reported data
C = changed (re-reported)
E = imputed single unit or prorated worksite wages from an imputed master
record
H = hand-imputed (not system generated)
K = special system-generated imputation to reflect data impacted by a catastrophe
L = late reported (overrides prior imputation)
M = missing data
N = zero-filled pending resolution of long-term delinquent reporter
P = prorated from master to worksite
S = aggregated master from reported MWR or EDI data
W = estimated from wage record wages
X = non-numeric wages zero-filled pending further action
Note: State should resolve all “X” records before submission on the EQUI.
Special: State System assigns R for all blanks when generating the EQUI file.
Caution: Imputed data on the UI tax file should not be copied or extracted.
Township Code
(Required for New England States and New Jersey, optional for all other States)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
602-604
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: 999 for New England
Alternate Names:
TWN, Town, res_cd, residence
States and New Jersey,
code
zero-filled for all other
States
Source:
State UI system; copied from previous quarter if unchanged on State micro
file; QCEW staff (staff research); ARS Control File (system transferred);
CARS; EDI Center (for birth records of centrally collected employers); MWR;
MWRweb
Definition: Three-digit numeric code required for New England States and New Jersey, used to
identify the township of the location or place of business. FIPS codes are not required for the
township code. New England States as well as New Jersey must notify BLS-Washington
through their regional office of any changes to their township code list before submitting the
affected deliverable EQUI file. The notification should include all affected combinations of
county and township codes and include a narrative description that identifies the
county/township name of each combination. Use of 900 on master records is optional and is not
required.
Valid Values: Valid township codes for the State plus the following township equivalent codes:
(For a full description of the township equivalent codes, see Section 2.1.3.)
900 = Master record
995 = Statewide, locations in more than one TWN, or no primary TWN
996 = Foreign locations
998 = Out-of state locations
999 = Unknown locations

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Note: Township equivalent codes other than 999 first became valid with third quarter 1997 data,
and should be implemented over time as the information becomes available (typically through
the ARS).
Township Extension
(Optional; for State use only.)
Exclude
Position:
N/A
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: None
Alternate Names:
None
Definition: A one-position field for filler. For States other than New Jersey and the New
England States, this may be used as an optional extension to township code, creating a fourposition zone field. Typically this information is collected and maintained at a more detailed
level than county level.
Example: “Traffic zone” information for the Highway department.
Caution: New England States and New Jersey are required to collect, maintain, and submit
three-digit township information.
Trade Name
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
98-132
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
DBA Name, TRDNM, dba
Format:
Left justified
State UI system; QCEW staff (for worksites); EDI Center (for worksites of
Source:
centrally collected employers)
Definition: Name of the reporting unit as it is known to the public.
Special Criteria: Either the Legal Name or Trade Name must be present for each record. If both
are available, both must be present. (See the examples for Legal Name.)
Transaction Code
(Required)
Include, regular EQUI Position:
1
EQUI:
record and P/S record
Frequency:
State and BLS
Field Length: 1
generated
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Source:
State system
Definition: Identifies if the record submitted on the EQUI is a
T = Trailer record
H = Header record
D = Delete record
F = Full record

Type:
INA

Alphanumeric

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P = Predecessor/Successor record
U = a selected number of records are submitted by BLS staff to resolve significant
problems that must be corrected quickly for critical BLS users.
Blank = used for limited update directly by BLS
Type of Coverage
(Required)
Include
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Default Value: None

Position:
659
Field Length: 1
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Coverage code, COV,
Reimbursable code, REIM
code, REM code, typcov_cd,
TOC

State UI system
Source:
Definition: Each employer covered under the State’s Unemployment Insurance or
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) is assigned a type of coverage
using a State-specific coding scheme. These codes identify whether the employer is determined
to be experience rated, covered under a standard contributions rate, or is an employer who is not
required to pay contributions but must reimburse when a claim is filed against the account.
Three States have a provision for the possible use of employee contributions. Several States also
collect data from non-UI/UCFE covered employers.
Valid Values: 0 = Experience rated (contributory) (employer funded). Accounts coded as “0”
should be experience-rated, assigned a standard contributions rate, or similar
or special tax rate as specified in the State UI laws. Employees in these
accounts do not contribute to the UI trust fund.
1 = Reimbursable. Certain nonprofit organizations, State or local government
entities, and political subdivisions which elect or are required to reimburse
State UI trust fund when a claim is filed against the employer in lieu of
contributions as provided in the State UI laws.
2 = Taxable (employer and employee funded). Employers deduct employee
contributions from the employees’ pay and include them with the required
employer contributions.
3 = Reimbursable (employer reimburses upon demand but the employee
contributes on a periodic basis).
8 = Non-subject accounts. (These will not be submitted on the EQUI.) These are
accounts that do not meet the UI or UCFE coverage requirements but provide
data to the State for other purposes (e.g., statistical research).
9 = Federal accounts covered under UCFE.
Known Valid Code Combinations within a State: 0, 1, 8, 9
0, 1, 9
1, 2, 9
2, 3, 9
1, 2, 8, 9
Example: Valid codes for a State with employee contributions would be 2, 3, and 9.

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System Action: When this code is assigned to a master record in a multi-unit account, the State
system copies the code from the master record to the subunit records in the same UI account.
Caution: State-specific codes must be properly mapped to the six valid codes allowed in the
QCEW standardized systems.

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U
UI Account Number
(Required)
Include, regular EQUI
EQUI:
record and P/S record
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Default Value: None

Positions:

9-18

Field Length: 10
Alternate Names:

Type:
Numeric
UI Tax Number, UI#, unum,
ACCT
Right justified, with unused positions zero-filled
Format:
Source:
State UI system; QCEW staff (for federal reports)
Definition: The identification number assigned by the State UI unit to identify employers
covered by the State UI laws, or the identification number assigned by the State UI unit or the
QCEW unit to identify Federal government installations covered by UCFE provisions, or the
identification number assigned by the QCEW unit to identify non-UI and non-UCFE covered
employers maintained in the QCEW files. This field should be consistent from quarter to quarter
to allow identification of the same unit over time. Any suffix or prefix that is used to identify
individual units of a multi-unit employer should be reported in the Reporting Unit Number field
and not as part of the UI Account Number.
Valid Values: Cannot be all zeros or all nines. Must be numeric in all positions.
Special Notes: (1) UI Account Number 9999999999 should not be assigned since it is reserved
for use in the Predecessor UI Number and Successor UI Number fields to indicate that the
predecessor or successor is not unique.
(2) UI Account Number and Reporting Unit Number are the identifying fields (key fields) for
records on the BLS-Washington and State micro file databases.
(3) If the State plans to change the structure of the UI Account Number, the State must
coordinate implementing these changes with the Regional Office and BLS-Washington before
submitting the EQUI file. Notification is necessary since any change to the structure would
affect the processing of the file. In addition, the changes should be described in the Remarks
section of the QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form.
UI Address Block
The UI address consists of a block of six fields, which are described below. The UI address
should be extracted from UI tax files, but should not be updated. If it needs correction and the
record does not have a usable Mailing/Other address, copy the UI address to the Mailing/Other
address block and make corrections there. Unlike the Mailing/Other address and the Physical
Location address, the UI address cannot be locked.
Caution: Some States will use the Mailing/Other address fields to correct UI addresses.
Mailing/Other address fields can be locked.
Note: At least one complete address (either Physical Location, UI Address, or Mailing/Other
Address), including all appropriate address lines, city, state, and zip information must appear on
each record.

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UI Address Line 1
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
133-167
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
UI-A1, tax_str
Format:
Left justified
State UI system
Source:
Definition: First line of the street address on the UI Tax file.
System Action: If the UI Address Line 1 is blank, but information is included on UI Address
Line 2, the State system moves it to UI Address Line 1. If the UI address for a subunit
(worksite) is blank, and if the worksite has no other address, then the State system copies the
master UI address to the worksite.
UI Address Line 2
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
168-202
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 35 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
UI-A2, tax_str2
Left justified
Format:
Source:
State UI system
Definition: Second line of the street address on the UI Tax file.
System Action: If the UI Address Line 1 is blank, but information is included on UI Address
Line 2, the State system moves it to UI Address Line 1. If the UI address for a subunit
(worksite) is blank, and if the worksite has no other address, then the State system copies the
master UI address to the worksite.
UI Address City
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
203-232
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 30 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
UI-C1, tax_cty
fields in the UI address
block are blank
Left justified
Format:
Source:
State UI system
Definition: City or town of the address on the UI Tax file. For foreign addresses, the city,
province or state and country should preferably be included in this field.
System Action: If the UI address for a subunit (worksite) is blank, and if the worksite has no
other address, then the State system copies the master UI address to the worksite.

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UI Address State
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
233-234
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 2
Type:
Alphabetic
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
UI-ST, taxst
fields in the UI address
block are blank.
Source:
State UI system
Definition: Post Office State abbreviation of the address on the UI Tax file. For Canadian
addresses place either “CN” or “ZZ” in this field. For other non-military foreign addresses place
“ZZ” in this field. For military post offices, place either AE, AA, or AP in this field as
applicable.
System Action: If the UI address for a subunit (worksite) is blank, and if the worksite has no
other address, then the State system copies the master UI address to the worksite.
Valid Values: The standard Post Office abbreviations for States appear in Appendix C. Other
valid values are as follows:
Destination
American Samoa
Guam
Military Post Offices in Central and South America (APO Miami)
Military Post Offices in Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
(APO New York)
Military Post Offices in Pacific and some areas of Alaska (APO San
Francisco)
Canada
All other foreign countries

Abbreviation
AS
GU
AA
AE
AP
CN
ZZ

UI Address ZIP Code
(Required if available)
Include
Positions:
235-239
EQUI:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 5
Type:
Alphanumeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank, if all other
Alternate Names:
UI-Z5, tax_zip
fields in the UI address
block are blank
Source:
State UI system
Definition: ZIP Code of the address on the UI Tax file. (For foreign addresses, the foreign
country’s postal code should be left justified in the ZIP code field, with any trailing unused
portions being left blank. For example, the first five positions of a six position Canadian ZIP
code should be placed in this field).
System Action: If the UI address for a subunit (worksite) is blank, and if the worksite has no
other address, then the State system copies the master UI address to the worksite.

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UI Address ZIP Code Extension
(Required if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
240-243
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 4
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
UI-Z4, tax-ext
Format:
Left justified. Place position 6 of a Canadian ZIP Code in the first position of
this field, followed by three blanks.
Source:
State UI system
Definition: ZIP Code Extension of the address on the UI Tax file.
System Action: If the UI address for a subunit (worksite) is blank, and if the worksite has no
other address, then the State system copies the master UI address to the worksite.
UI Address Type Code
(Optional use in States)
Include
Position:
729
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 1
Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
UI Type, ui_addr_ind, UI-AT
Source:
State UI system (if available)
Definition: Identifies when the UI address is also the PLA.
Valid Values: 1 = Physical address (physical and UI address are the same)
2 = Address (where the mail goes directly to the unit and may include the P.O.
Box or RFD addresses)
3 = Corporate central office mail address
9 = UI Address or unknown

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V
Version Fields
Version fields are two fields maintained on the National Office micro database (Administrative
Version and Quarterly Version) that indicate the submittal version of a State's files to BLS.
These fields indicate when data items were submitted to BLS. These version fields will allow
processes and analysis to better focus on records updated during the quarter. Updates to these
fields will occur each time a specific record's data are submitted for the processing quarter.
Administrative Version
(Provided on National Office micro files only)
N/A
Positions:
N/A
EQUI:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Aver
Format:
Right justified
Source:
System generated by BLS
Definition: Contains a value for each quarter that indicates when that quarter's data were
updated. This includes both the latest change to a quarterly field or a change to administrative
data. Each of these fields contains three positions. The first position represents the submittal
year. The second position represents the submittal quarter. The third position represents the
version of the quarterly submittal (e.g., "1" indicates the initial file, "2" indicates the update file,
"3" indicates the third submittal of the quarterly data).
Note: If the record was not submitted for the current procession quarter, the Aver value will be
all zeroes.
Example: When the 2003/3 initial EQUI files are processed, all submitted records will be given
an Aver value of "331." If this same record is supplied on the update file with only a third
quarter correction, the Aver value will be "332." If this record is submitted on the 2003/4 initial
EQUI file with no back quarter updates, the Aver value will be "341."
Quarterly Version
(Provided on National Office micro files only)
N/A
Positions:
N/A
EQUI:
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 3
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
Qver
Default Value: Blank
Right justified
Format:
Source:
System generated by BLS
Definition: Contains a value for each quarter that indicates when the record was last submitted
for the processing quarter. Each of these fields contains three positions. The first position
represents the submittal year. The second position represents the submittal quarter. The third
position represents the version of the quarterly submittal (e.g., "1" indicates the initial file, "2"
indicates the update file, "3" indicates the third submittal of the quarterly data).

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Example: When the 2003/3 initial EQUI files are processed and the first and second quarter
updates are provided along with current quarter data for a particular record, the Qver values for
each of these three quarters will be set to "331." If this same record is supplied on the update file
with only a third quarter correction, the 2003/3 Qver value will be "332." The 2003/2 and
2003/1 Qver values will both still be "331." If this record is submitted on the 2003/4 initial
EQUI file with no back quarter updates, the 2003/4 Qver value will be "341." The 2003/3 Qver
value will remain "332." The 2003/2 and 2003/1 Qver values will both still be "331."

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W
Wage Record Count of Unique Social Security Numbers (SSNs)
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
Include
Positions:
828-833
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
WRC
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
State UI system (if available)
Source:
Definition: This is the count of the number of unique social security numbers reported to the UI,
of the employees that worked at any time during the reference quarter, on the wage record report
for the account
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: For each UI account, tally the number of social security numbers appearing on the
current quarter wage record report, counting each unique social security number only once.
Example: If a wage record report has 20 separate “lines of information for a social security
record” but 3 social security numbers are repeated, each receiving possibly regular wages and the
other record for each possibly for bonus checks. The wage record count for this field would be
17.
Wage Record Count Migrating to Largest Wage Record Recipient (Possible or
Actual Successor)
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
Include
Positions:
1061-1066
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
LWRR
Default Value: Blank
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
State UI system (if available)
Source:
Definition: This is the count of the largest number of unique social security numbers reported on
wage records that went from the prior UI account to a different, current UI account number. For
instance, a UI account reported 500 wage records in the prior quarter and 300 of these are now
reported under other UI accounts. Using wage record information, if 50 are reported by one UI
account and 250 by another UI account, then 250 would be reported in this count.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Compare the wage records for the account for the current quarter and the prior
quarter. For those wage records reported to the account in the prior quarter that are now reported
to different accounts and not reported to this account, tally the unique social security number
wage records for each of the receiving accounts. Report the highest tally in this field.
Example: Account 1234567890 had 300 people reported on wage records in the prior quarter;
200 of these social security numbers are not reported on account 1234567890’s current quarter
wage record report. In the current quarter, account 2345678901 has 150 of these social security

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numbers and account 3456789012 has 50 of them on their wage record reports. 150 would be
reported in this field.
Wage Record – Largest Wage Record Recipient – Possible or Actual Successor
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
Include
Positions:
1051-1060
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 10 Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
LWRR UI
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
Source:
State UI system (if available)
Definition: This is the account number of the business that received the wage records reported in
the Wage Record Count Migrating to the Largest or Dominant Wage Record Recipient.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Compare the wage records for the account for the current quarter and the prior
quarter. For those wage records reported to the account in the prior quarter that are now reported
to different accounts and not reported to this account, tally the unique social security number
wage records for each of the receiving accounts. There are three possible types of situations
occurring: 1) the wage record movement described above occurred and the recipient of the wage
records is known to be a successor (possibly because UI had already made the determination or
from some other source), 2) the wage record movement described above occurred and the
recipient is known NOT to be a successor (the analyst should have some ability in State to make
this determination and mark it in the EXPO and WIN systems), and 3) the wage record
movement described above occurred and it is unknown if the recipient is a successor or not.
Report the UI account number with the highest tally in this field where the relationship is
unknown (exclude known successors and accounts known not to be linked) .
Note: Exclude the reference account as its own possible predecessor or successor.
Example: Account 1234567890 had 300 people reported on wage records in the prior quarter;
200 of these social security numbers are not reported on account 1234567890’s current quarter
wage record report. In the current quarter, account 2345678901 has 150 of these social security
numbers and account 3456789012 has 50 of them on their wage record reports. The State did
not yet make a determination of the possible relationship between accounts 12345675690 and
2345678901. Account number 2345678901 would be reported in this field.
Wage Record Count from Largest Wage Record Contributor (Possible or Actual
Predecessor)
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
Include
Positions:
1077-1082
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
LWRC
Default Value: Blank
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
State UI system (if available)
Source:

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Definition: This is the count of the largest number of unique social security numbers reported on
wage records that came to this account from a different UI account number. For instance, a UI
account reported 100 wage records in the prior quarter and 300 additional wage records in the
current quarter, for a total of 400 wage records. Using wage record information, if 50 of those
new wage records were reported in one UI account in the prior quarter and 250 of those new
wage records were reported by another UI account in the prior quarter, the 250 would be
reported in this count.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Compare the wage records for the account for the current quarter and the prior
quarter. For those wage records reported to the account in the current quarter that were reported
to different accounts and not reported to this account, tally the unique social security number
wage records for each of these contributing accounts. Report the highest tally in this field.
Example: Account 4567890123 had 600 people reported on wage records in the current quarter;
400 of these social security numbers were not reported on account 4567890123’s prior quarter
wage record report. In the prior quarter, account 5678901234 had 300 of these social security
numbers and account 6789012345 had 100 of them on their wage record reports. 300 would be
reported in this field.
Wage Record – Largest Wage Record Contributor – Possible or Actual
Predecessor
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1067-1077
Quarterly
Field Length: 10 Type:
Numeric
Frequency:
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
LWRC UI
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
Source:
State UI system (if available)
Definition: This is the account number of the business that previously reported the wage records
counted in the Wage Record Count from the Largest or Dominant Wage Record Contributor.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Compare the wage records for the account for the current quarter and the prior
quarter. For those wage records reported to the account in the current quarter that were reported
to different accounts and not reported to this account, tally the unique social security number
wage records for each of these contributing accounts. Report the UI account number with the
highest tally in this field.
Note: Exclude the reference account as its own possible predecessor or successor.
Example: Account 4567890123 had 600 people reported on wage records in the current quarter;
400 of these social security numbers were not reported on account 4567890123’s prior quarter
wage record report. In the prior quarter, account 5678901234 had 300 of these social security
numbers and account 6789012345 had 100 of them on their wage record reports. Account
number 5678901234 would be reported in this field.

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Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce “New Entrants”
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1095-1100
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
WREN
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
Format:
Source:
State UI system (if available)
Definition: This is the count of wage records included in the current quarter for the employer
that were not reported to any one reporting wage records in the prior quarter. These records
appear for the first time on the wage records for the two consecutive quarters.
Note: This count may be effected by missing wage records, delinquent or sporadic reporters, as
well as those employers not required to submit wage records, such as federal government. This
is a count of “New Entrants to the State’s Workforce”, and may be one source of an employers’
new hire or rehire.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Compare the wage records for the account for the current quarter and the prior
quarter. For those wage records reported to the account in the current quarter that were not
reported to this account or any other account in the prior quarter, tally the unique social security
number wage records. Report this tally in this field.
Example: Account 7890123456 had 200 people reported on wage records in the current quarter;
50 unique social security numbers were not reported on account 7890123456’s prior quarter
wage record report nor were they reported under any other UI account in the prior quarter. 50
would be reported in this field.
Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce – Hires
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1083-1088
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Alternate Names:
N/A
Default Value: Blank
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
State UI system (if available)
Source:
Definition: This is the count of wage records included in the current quarter for the employer
that were not reported to the employer on the account’s reporting wage records in the prior
quarter. The count is always of unique social security numbers, not a count of lines on the report
or checks.
Note: This count may be effected by missing wage records, and delinquent or sporadic reporters.
This is different from the count of “New Entrants to the State’s Workforce”. The hires count
will include the count of employees reporting to a different employer in the prior quarter and
now reporting this employer as well as employees who are still reporting to the other employer
as well as now to this employer.

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Caution: Leave blank if not available. If the employer did not provide any wage records last
quarter even though it was active and had positive employment but does report wage records this
quarter, do not count the difference as hires.
Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce “Exits”
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1101-1106
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
WREX
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
Source:
State UI system (if available)
Definition: This is the count of wage records reported in the prior quarter for an employer that
are not reported by any employer in the current quarter. These records appeared for the last time
on the wage records the last quarter of the two consecutive quarters.
Note: This count may be effected by missing wage records, delinquent or sporadic reporters, as
well as those employers not required to submit wage records, such as federal government, and
those on extended leave, e.g., maternity or paternity leave. This is a count of “Left the State’s
Workforce, and may be one source of an employers’ separations.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Compare the wage records for the account for the current quarter and the prior
quarter. For those wage records reported to the account in the prior quarter that are not reported
to this account or any other account in the current quarter, tally the unique social security number
wage records. Report this tally in this field.
Example: Account 8901234567 had 250 people reported on wage records in the prior quarter;
70 unique social security numbers found on the prior quarter report are not reported on account
7890123456’s current quarter wage record report nor are they reported under any other UI
account in the current quarter. 70 would be reported in this field.
Wage Record Count of Covered Workforce – Separations
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
Include
Positions:
1089-1094
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
N/A
Format:
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
Source:
State UI system (if available)
Definition: This is the count of wage records reported in the prior quarter for an employer that
are not reported to the employer on the account’s reporting wage records in the current quarter.
These records appeared for the last time on the wage records the last quarter of the two
consecutive quarters for a specific account. This count is different from the count of exits since
it includes those wage records that are still found on the State UI wage record system reporting
to other employers. The count is always of unique social security numbers, not a count of lines
on the report or checks.

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Note: This count may be effected by missing wage records, and delinquent or sporadic reporters.
It will also include those still on the employers payroll but on extended leave, e.g., maternity or
paternity leave.
Caution: Leave blank if not available. If the employer did not provide any wage records this
quarter even though it was active and had positive employment but did report wage records last
quarter, do not count the difference as separations.
Wage Record Count of “Continuous Records”
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
1107-1112
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 6
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
WRCR
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
Format:
Source:
State UI system (if available)
Definition: This is the count of wage records included in both the current and prior quarters
wage records for the employer. The individuals represented in this count may also be reported
by other employers when the individual is a multiple job holder.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Compare the wage records for the account for the current quarter and the prior
quarter. For those wage records reported to the account in both the current and prior quarter,
tally the unique social security number wage records. Report this tally in this field.
Example: Account 9012345678 had 40 people reported on wage records in both the current and
prior quarter. 40 would be reported in this field.
Wage Record Wages
(Required, if available on MEEI records coded 1, 2, 4, or 6; Optional on MEEI records coded 3
or 5)
Include
Positions:
834-844
EQUI:
Frequency:
Quarterly
Field Length: 11 Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
WRW
Right justified with leading zeros if numeric
Format:
State UI system (if available)
Source:
Definition: This is the total amount of wages reported on the wage record report for wages
earned during any time in the quarter.
Caution: Leave blank if not available.
Derivation: Total all wage records reported on the wage records regardless of the number of
times that a given social security number may be reported separately.
Example: 15 wage records are reported to account 1122334455 in the current quarter, there are a
total of $7,456,635.68 in wages reported. Round to a whole dollar amount and report 7456636 in
this field.

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Website Address
(Required, if available)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
990-1049
Frequency:
Non-quarterly
Field Length: 60 Type:
Alphanumeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
web
Format:
left justified if alphanumeric
Web collection systems, QCEW State staff
Source:
Definition: This is the Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or website, of the business for which
the respondent is reporting employment and wage data.

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X
No Current Entries.

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Y
Year
(Required)
EQUI:
Frequency:
Default Value:

Include
Quarterly
None

Positions:
4-7
Field Length: 4
Alternate Names:

Type:
Numeric
Reporting Year, Reference
Year, Yr

Format:
YYYY (four-digit year, e.g., "2008")
Input micro transaction records, or system assigned
Source:
Definition: Four-digit reporting or reference year of the data.
Caution: The year should be within the time period maintained on the file. For example, if the
quarters available on the State micro file are
future quarter:
2008/2
current quarter:
2008/1
prior quarter:
2007/4
2nd historical quarter: 2007/3
3rd historical quarter: 2007/2
4th historical quarter: 2007/1
5th historical quarter: 2006/4
The Year would be 2006, 2007, or 2008.
Year and Quarter of New Latitude and Longitude
(Required)
EQUI:
Include
Positions:
767-771
Frequency:
Twice (old and new)
Field Length: 5
Type:
Numeric
Default Value: Blank
Alternate Names:
Lat/Long Date, GYRQ, ll-chgqtr, ll-chg-yr
Format:
YYYYQ
State System Assigned
Source:
Definition: Year Quarter that new geocode information would be available for publication, etc.
Used to keep the latitude and longitude in sync with quarter area codes such as county, town,
city, etc.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Element Definitions

Page B-Y-2

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Element Definitions

Z
No Current Entries.

Page B-Z-1

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Element Definitions

Page B-Z-2

QCEW Operating Manual
State Codes

July 2003

Page C-1

Appendix C – State Codes
The table below lists State FIPS Codes and standard State abbreviations, and identifies the BLS
regional office that serves each State. A second table at the end identifies valid abbreviations
that may be used for non-State destinations.

FIPS
Code

State

State
Abbreviation

Region

01
02
04
05
06
08
09
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota

AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
DC
FL
GA
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO
MT
NE
NV
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND

Atlanta
San Francisco
San Francisco
Dallas/Kansas City
San Francisco
Dallas/Kansas City
Boston/New York
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Atlanta
San Francisco
San Francisco
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago
Dallas/Kansas City
Atlanta
Dallas/Kansas City
Boston/New York
Philadelphia
Boston/New York
Chicago
Chicago
Atlanta
Dallas/Kansas City
Dallas/Kansas City
Chicago
San Francisco
Boston/New York
Philadelphia
Dallas/Kansas City
Boston/New York
Atlanta
Chicago

QCEW Operating Manual
State Codes

July 2003

Page C-2

FIPS
Code

State

State
Abbreviation

Region

39
40
41
42
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
72
78

Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands

OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY
PR
VI

Chicago
Dallas/Kansas City
San Francisco
Philadelphia
Boston/New York
Atlanta
Chicago
Atlanta
Dallas/Kansas City
Dallas/Kansas City
Boston/New York
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Philadelphia
Chicago
Dallas/Kansas City
Boston/New York
Boston/New York

Destination

Abbreviation

American Samoa
Guam
Military Post Offices in Central and South
America (APO Miami)
Military Post Offices in Canada, Europe, Africa,
and the Middle East (APO New York)
Military Post Offices in Pacific and some areas
of Alaska (APO San Francisco)
Canada
All other foreign countries

AS
GU
AA
AE
AP
CN
ZZ

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Due Dates and Cleanup Deadlines

Page D-1

Appendix D – Due Dates and Cleanup Deadlines
The Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) deliverable is due in BLSWashington as shown under EQUI Due Date. The final correction file for the quarter should be
provided in time for the data to be certified clean by the State EQUI Cleanup Deadline.
Reference
Year/Quarter
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2
2007/3
2007/4
2008/1
2008/2
2008/3

EQUI Due Date*
April 26, 2007
July 26, 2007
October 25, 2007
January 24, 2008
April 24, 2008
July 24, 2008
October 23, 2008
January 22, 2009

State EQUI Cleanup
Deadline*
May 24, 2007
August 23, 2007
November 26, 2007
February 22, 2008
May 22, 2008
August 21, 2008
November 24, 2008
February 20, 2009

RO Quarterly
Publication Signoff*
June 13, 2007
September 6, 2007
December 7, 2007
March 6, 2008
June 11, 2008
September 4, 2008
December 5, 2008
March 5, 2009

*Dates are preliminary and subject to change. Please see the quarterly EQUI file processing
message for any adjustments.
The due dates are especially important for the second and fourth quarter files because the Bureau
of Economic Analysis uses these data to estimate national personal income.
The State may meet the EQUI deliverable requirements in one of the following ways:
1. A Service Center State, which creates its EQUI files at SunGard Computer Services, must
create the file no later than the due date.
2. Other States may send their files by Federal Express courier or other overnight service
before the due date. Cartridges should be sent to SunGard and CDs should be sent to BLSWashington.
3. The State may use any other mailing method or procedure; however, if an overnight delivery
service is not used, the file must arrive at SunGard or in Washington no later than the due
date regardless of the date on which it is mailed.
4. States may transmit their file via EUSWeb no later than the due date, provided that it meets
the current size restrictions.
5. States may transmit their files using the file transfer protocol (FTP) no later than the due
date.
In addition, the State must send the corresponding QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form so
that it arrives in BLS-Washington no later than the due date. Detailed instructions for the
transmittal of EQUI files appear in Chapter 12 (Preparing and Transmitting the EQUI).
If a State will not send the EQUI quarterly deliverable file in time to meet the due date
requirements, it must notify the regional office so BLS can generate estimates. Section 13.4

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Due Dates and Cleanup Deadlines

Page D-2

(BLS Estimates for Late Files) describes the procedures used by BLS-Washington for generating
estimates.
Regional offices should work with their States to ensure that updated data are edited prior to
submission of the correction files to BLS. State processing schedules should be adjusted to
allow for this. States and regional offices should also allow time for the updates to be received
and processed by BLS so that the regional offices can certify the files clean by the cleanup
deadline.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

Page E-1

Appendix E – State Processing Schedule
Two tables below outline the suggested schedule for State processing, although actual schedules
may vary in each State due to State-specific circumstances.
The first table gives a view of the quarterly processing cycle, detailing a suggested weekly
schedule for generating each quarter's Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI)
deliverable. Note that due dates and deadlines are preliminary and are subject to change. While
deadlines must be met, the steps needed to reach those deadlines do not have hard and fast
deadlines. The schedule listed below should be treated as a guideline, rather than a firm schedule
States are required to follow.
The second table gives a view of the annual processing cycle, showing the major steps for
conducting the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) and for generating quarterly EQUI files
throughout the year. From beginning to end, each quarter's data requires more than five months
to process; therefore, the State must work with more than one quarter's data at a time. The
second table reflects this overlap.
Quarterly Processing Cycle
The following table is a proposed weekly activity schedule for processing State data in a single
quarter. Sample time frames are given for each activity, based on particular quarterly processing
cycles. Where available, EXPO Jobs and WIN Routines that correspond with the proposed
activities are included.
STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Prior to and Including Week 1
Week 2
End of Reference Quarter
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Sep 1 – Sep 30
Dec 1 – Dec 30
Mar 1 – Mar 31
Jun 1 – Jun 30

Oct 3 – Oct 7
Jan 2 – Jan 6
Apr 3 – Apr 7
Jul 3 – Jul 7

Mail Quarterly Contribution Reports
From Weeks 2 to 6:
(QCRs), Multiple Worksite Reports
Receive completed QCRs, MWRs,
(MWRs), and Reports of Federal
and RFEWs.
Employment and Wages (RFEWs) to
Enter data from QCRs to UI tax file,
employers.
screen reports, and generate missing
Roll quarters, archiving oldest data and
data notices.
moving newer quarter to file.
Process MWRs and RFEWs, and enter
MWRweb States must wait for the BLS data to micro file.
National Office to load Historical files.
Prior to the start of the first quarter:
Load non-economic code changes and other information to micro file from the
refiling system.
Sometime between Weeks 1 and 6:
Review and update State edit parameters.

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 3
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Oct 10 – Oct 14
Jan 9 – Jan 13
Apr 10 – Apr 14
Jul 10 – Jul 14

Page E-2

Week 4

Week 5
(Previous Qtr EQUI due)

Oct 17 – Oct 21
Jan 16 – Jan 20
Apr 17 – Apr 21
Jul 17 – Jul 21

Oct 24 – Oct 28
Jan 23 – Jan 27
Apr 24 – Apr 28
Jul 24 – Jul 28

Sometime between Weeks 1 and 6:
Review and update State edit parameters, if necessary.
From Weeks 2 to 6:
Receive completed QCRs, MWRs, and RFEWs.
Enter data from QCRs to UI tax file, screen reports, and generate missing data
notices.
Process MWRs and RFEWs, and enter data to micro file.
Note that during this time, States are still processing previous quarter data and
are preparing to submit the previous quarter EQUI.

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 6
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Oct 31 – Nov 4
Jan 30 – Feb 3
May 1 – May 5
Jul 31 – Aug 4

Page E-3

Week 7

Week 8

Nov 7 – Nov 11
Feb 6 – Feb 10
May 8 – May 12
Aug 7 – Aug 11

Nov 14 – Nov 18
Feb 13 – Feb 17
May 15 – May 19
Aug 14 – Aug 18

Sometime between Weeks 1
and 6:
Review and update State
edit parameters.
From Weeks 2 to 6:
Receive completed QCRs,
MWRs, and RFEWs.
Enter data from QCRs to UI
tax file, screen reports, and
generate missing data
notices.
Process MWRs and
RFEWs, and enter data to
micro file.

From Weeks 8 to 10:
Contact delinquent
reporters not submitting
MWRs or RFEWs with
significant employment.
Run first UI extract.

During Weeks 6 to 7:
Mail out notices for delinquent QCRs.(If not done by
UI)
Mail out first follow-ups for missing MWRs and
RFEWs. Begin contacting delinquent reporters.
From Weeks 6 to the submittal of the EQUI file:
Enter missing data (provided by employers in response to missing data notices) to
micro file.
Refer wage corrections to UI tax section.
WIN
Routines

Enter MWR data on flow basis using MWR DataEntry Screen.

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 9
(Previous Qtr
cleanup file due)
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Nov 21 – Nov 25
Feb 20 – Feb 24
May 22 – May 26
Aug 21 – Aug 25

Page E-4

Week 10

Week 11

Nov 28 – Dec 2
Feb 27 – Mar 3
May 29 – Jun 2
Aug 28 – Sep 1

Dec 5 – Dec 9
Mar 6 – Mar 10
Jun 5 – Jun 9
Sep 4 – Sep 8

From Weeks 6 to the submittal of the EQUI file.
Enter missing data (provided by employers in response to missing data notices) to
micro file.
Refer wage corrections to UI tax section.
From Weeks 6 to 10:
Contact delinquent reporters not submitting
MWRs or RFEWs with significant
employment.

From Weeks 11 to 14:
Impute missing data for all
incomplete QCRs on hand. You
may wait until after the second
UI extract to do this.
Perform initial UI extract with
Possible Future Qtr Editing on reference
edit and estimation if not done
quarter while finishing up previous quarter.
already.
Review edit listings.
Weeks 11 to 14:
Document unusual fluctuations
Perform focused editing of micro data.
Do multi-balance edit for current and previous in the data, and assign micro
level comment codes as needed.
quarters.
Enter corrections and comments
from edit review to micro file.
EXPO Jobs
WIN
Routines

01X (Extract Only)
02F (Edit & Est Future Qtr)
Quarterly Screen
• Load Quarterly Data from Tax
• Load Admin Data from Tax
• Partial Edit Micro Only
Reported Records Only
Reports Screen
• Scored Micro Errors Report

Use Summary for Online editing.
Use Scored Listing for Gross err.

01Q (Roll qtr, Ext, Edit & Est)
Admin Screen
• Maintenance Tab
• Move Qtrs Create New
Button
Quarterly Screen
• Load Quarterly Data
• Load Admin Data
• Estimate
• Full Integrated Edit
Reports Screen
• Scored Micro Errors Report
Review Summary and Scored.
Review failed estimates listing.

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 12
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Dec 12 – Dec 16
Mar 13 – Mar 17
Jun 12 – Jun 16
Sep 11 – Sep 15

Page E-5

Week 13

Week 14

Dec 19 – Dec 23
Mar 20 – Mar 24
Jun 19 – Jun 23
Sep 18 – Sep 22

Dec 26 – Dec 30
Mar 27 – Mar 31
Jun 26 – Jun 30
Sep 25 – Sep 29

From Weeks 11 to 14:
Impute missing data for all incomplete QCRs on hand, either now or after second
UI Extract.
From Weeks 6 to submittal of EQUI file:
Enter missing data (provided by employers in
response to missing data notices) to micro file.
Refer wage corrections to UI tax section.
Weeks 12 to 14:
Perform
predecessor/successor
edit.
Do multi-balance edit for
the current quarter.

Weeks 11 to 14:
Perform focused
editing of micro
data.
Do multi-balance
edit for current and
previous quarters.

Perform second UI extract
with edit and estimation.

EXPO Jobs

15D (Pred/Succ Edit)
03D (Multi-Balance Edit)

01D (Extract, Edit &
Estimation)

WIN
Routines

Continue Editing Online using:
• Summary Listing
• Scored Listing
• Multi Balance Listing

Quarterly Screen
• Load Admin Data from
Tax
• Load Quarterly Data from
Tax
• Full Integrated Edit
Reports Screen
• Scored Micro Errors
Report
• Multi Balance Listing
Re-estimates
Use summary and listings to
continue online editing.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 15
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Jan 2 – Jan 6
Apr 3 – Apr 7
Jul 3 – Jul 7
Oct 2 – Oct 6

Weeks 15 to 16:
Contact large imputed employers.
EXPO Jobs

08D
(FESTER)
03D/03S (Multi-balance any qtr)

WIN
Routines

Use summary and listings to continue
online editing.

Page E-6

Week 16
Jan 9 – Jan 13
Apr 10 – Apr 14
Jul 10 – Jul 14
Oct 9 – Oct 13

On Thursday, perform UI extract only.
On Friday, run integrated edit (over the
weekend).
01X (Extract Only)
42D (Integrated Edit)
Quarterly Screen
• Load Admin data from Tax
• Load Quarterly Data from Tax
Use “do not overwrite reported
data” option
• Full Integrated Edit
Reports Screen
• Scored Micro Errors Report
• Multi Balance Listing
Use summary and listings to continue
online editing.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 17
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Page E-7

Week 18

Jan 16 – Jan 20
Apr 17 – Apr 21
Jul 17 – Jul 21
Oct 16 – Oct 20

Jan 23 – Jan 27
Apr 24 – Apr 28
Jul 24 – Jul 28
Oct 23 – Oct 27

Do the following:
• Multi-balance edit for the current
and previous quarters
• Predecessor/successor edit (if
needed)
• Streamlined focused edit
• Produce gross error listing
Thursday:
Macro deliverable due

Do the following:
• Multi-balance edit for the current
and previous quarters
• Focused editing
• EQUI-Based Scoring edit, just
prior to submittal

EXPO Jobs

03D/03S (Multi-balance any qtr)
15D
(Pred/Succ Edit)
08S
(Streamlined FESTER)
18D
(A-list Error List)
49D & 29D
(Macro Deliverable)

03D/03S
08D
31D
11D
46F

WIN
Routines

Reports
• Macro Error Listing
• 46F

Continue Macro Review
Quarterly Processing Screen
• Full Integrated Edit
Reports Screen
• Scored Micro Errors Report
• Multi Balance Listing
• Macro Edit Listing
• 46F
Final Review of Listings
Quarterly Processing Screen
• EQUI Deliverable

Use Macro Screen to review macro
error listing and graphs.
Import 46F Data into Spreadsheet and
review.
Use summary and listings to continue
online editing.

Thursday:
EQUI File due
(Multi-balance any qtr)
(FESTER)
(EQUI-Based Score)
(EQUI)
(Macro file)

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 19
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Jan 30 – Feb 3
May 1 – May 5
Jul 31 – Aug 4
Oct 30 – Nov 3

Page E-8

Week 20

Week 21

Feb 6 – Feb 10
May 8 – May 12
Aug 7 – Aug 11
Nov 6 – Nov 10

Feb 13 – Feb 17
May 15 – May 19
Aug 14 – Aug 18
Nov 13 – Nov 17

BLS edits EQUI data.
BLS questions/listings forwarded to States for additional corrections or
comments.
States update micro files with corrections and comments based on their own
review, BLS review, or other sources.
Roll to following quarter.
Admin Screen
• Maintenance Tab
• Move Qtrs Create
New Button
Quarterly Screen
• Load Quarterly Data
from Tax
• Load Admin Data
from Tax
• Partial Edit Micro
Only
Reported Records
Only

WIN
Routines

STATE PROCESSING ACTIVITIES
Week 22
Based on:
2006/3
2006/4
2007/1
2007/2

Feb 20 – Feb 24
May 22 – May 26
Aug 21 – Aug 25
Nov 20 – Nov 24

Thursday:
Cleanup File due

Week 23

Week 24

Feb 27 – Mar 3
May 29 – Jun 2
Aug 28 – Sep 1
Nov 27 – Dec 1

Mar 6 – Mar 10
Jun 5 – Jun 9
Sep 4 – Sep 8
Dec 4 – Dec 8

Tuesday:
Clean certifications due

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

Page E-9

Annual Processing Cycle
The following table is a recommended schedule for the major processing activities, including
both the ARS and the quarterly EQUI deliverables. As shown on this schedule, at most times
during the year the State is working with two quarters of data as well as the ARS.
This table begins in September, since this is when the ARS processing cycle begins.

Project

Activity

Time Frame

SEPTEMBER
ARS

Establish timetables for data processing activities.
Create the Control File; generate, review, and
correct Control File errors; receive regional office
approval that correct sample selection was used.
Complete initial Touchtone Response System
(TRS) preparations, and prepare first mailout.
(This is the beginning of the survey’s annual
cycle.)

September

EQUI (First Quarter)

Complete EQUI cleanup, including resolution of
all Code Change Supplement (CCS) related
problems or questions. (This may be also be
started in August.)

Early
September

EQUI (Second Quarter) Perform initial extract of the micro data from the
UI tax file.
Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.

Early
September

EQUI (Third Quarter)

September 30

Mail QCRs, MWRs, and RFEWs to employers.
(This is the beginning of this file’s quarterly
cycle.)

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

Project

Activity

Page E-10

Time Frame

OCTOBER
ARS

Send first mailing.

EQUI (Second Quarter) Extract micro data from UI tax file a second time,
adding data received since the first extract to the
micro file.
Impute missing and delinquent data.

October or
November
First week of
October

Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.

Mid-October

Generate macro data summary, review, and
submit to BLS regional office. Review Current
Employment Statistics (CES)/QCEW
spreadsheet.

Late October

Generate EQUI deliverable and submit to BLS.
EQUI (Third Quarter)

Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Late October to
mid-November

NOVEMBER
EQUI (Third Quarter)

Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Late October to
mid-November

ARS

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses before each mailout, run
edits, enter corrections resulting from edits.
Prepare and send second mailing (4 – 6 weeks
after first mailing).

November to
January (Can be
done as late as
March)

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

June 2007

Project

Activity

Page E-11

Time Frame

DECEMBER
ARS

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses before each mailout, run
edits, enter corrections resulting from edits.
Prepare and send second mailing (4 – 6 weeks
after first mailing).

November to
January

EQUI (Second Quarter) Complete EQUI cleanup, including resolution of
all CCS-related problems or questions.

Early December

EQUI (Third Quarter)

Perform initial extract of the micro data from the
UI tax file.
Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.

Early December

EQUI (Fourth Quarter)

Mail QCRs, MWRs, and RFEWs to employers.
(This is the beginning of this file’s quarterly
cycle.)

December 31

JANUARY
ARS

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses.

January and
February

EQUI (Third Quarter)

Extract micro data from UI tax file a second time,
adding data received since the first extract to the
micro file.
Impute missing and delinquent data.
Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.
Generate macro data summary, review, and
submit to BLS regional office. Review
CES/QCEW spreadsheet.
Generate EQUI deliverable and submit to BLS.

First week of
January

EQUI (Fourth Quarter)

Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Mid-January

Late January

Late January to
mid-February

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

July 2003

Project

Activity

Page E-12

Time Frame

FEBRUARY
EQUI (Fourth Quarter)

Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Late January to
mid-February

ARS

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses, run edits, enter
corrections resulting from edits.

February to July

MARCH
ARS

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses, run edits, enter
corrections resulting from edits.

February to July

EQUI (Third Quarter)

Complete EQUI cleanup.

Early March

EQUI (Fourth Quarter)

Perform initial extract of the micro data from the
UI tax file.
Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.

Early March

EQUI (First Quarter)

Mail QCRs, MWRs, and RFEWs to employers.
(This is the beginning of this file’s quarterly
cycle.)

March 31

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

July 2003

Project

Activity

Page E-13

Time Frame

APRIL
ARS

EQUI (Fourth Quarter)

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses, run edits, enter
corrections resulting from edits.

February to July

Initiate procedures for delinquent employers.

April

Extract micro data from UI tax file a second time,
adding data received since the first extract to the
micro file.
Impute missing and delinquent data.

First week of
April

Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.

Mid-April

Generate macro data summary, review, and
submit to BLS regional office. Review
CES/QCEW spreadsheet.

Late April

Generate EQUI deliverable and submit to BLS.
EQUI (First Quarter)

Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Late April to
mid-May

MAY
ARS

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses, run edits, enter
corrections resulting from edits.

February to July

EQUI (First Quarter)

Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Late April to
mid-May

QCEW Operating Manual
State Processing Schedule

July 2003

Project

Activity

Page E-14

Time Frame

JUNE
ARS

Review and code forms, update Control File with
TRS and mail responses, run edits, enter
corrections resulting from edits.
EQUI (Fourth Quarter) Complete EQUI cleanup.
EQUI (First Quarter)
Perform initial extract of the micro data from the
UI tax file.
Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.
EQUI (Second Quarter) Mail QCRs, MWRs, and RFEWs to employers.
(This is the beginning of this file’s quarterly
cycle.)

February to July

Early June
Early June

June 30

JULY
EQUI (First Quarter)

Extract micro data from UI tax file a second time,
adding data received since the first extract to the
micro file.
Impute missing and delinquent data.
Edit all data and review edit listings. Enter
corrections to the micro file.
Document unusual fluctuations in the data, and
assign micro level comment codes as needed.

First week of
July

Mid-July

ARS

Cut off the updating of refiling responses and
other code changes to the ARS control file.
Apply refiling information to State micro file.
Generate a Code Change Supplement (CCS) file
for State use.

Mid- or late
July

EQUI (First Quarter)

Generate macro data summary, review, and
submit to BLS regional office. Review
CES/QCEW spreadsheet.
Generate EQUI deliverable and submit to BLS.

Late July

EQUI (Second Quarter) Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Late July to
mid-August

AUGUST
EQUI (Second Quarter) Process MWRs and RFEWs. Enter data to the
micro file.

Late July to
mid-August

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Appendix F – Edit Conditions and Formulas
This appendix provides the edit specifications for all the required edits used in the standard State
QCEW processing systems and in the BLS system. The edits are presented in edit code order,
grouped by edit level. Frequently used formulas, symbols, and abbreviations appear first,
followed by edit descriptions. The following information is provided for the edits:
Descriptive Information

Explanation

General Description:

Identifies the data element or elements being edited, and gives
the basic purpose of the edit.

Location:

Tells whether the edit is performed in State systems, the BLS
system, or both.

Level:

Micro (the Unemployment Insurance/Reporting Unit Number
(UI/RUN) record is edited), macro (the county-ownershipindustry cell is edited), or both.

Edit Level:

Every edit is included in an edit level, based on its purpose and
on the severity of the error or flag. The characteristics of each
edit level are explained in the body of the appendix, just before
the edit descriptions for that level. There are nine edit levels:
1 Pre-edits (edits 001-006)
2 Key field (industry, county, ownership) invalid errors (010017)
3 Date and status code invalid errors (021-025)
4 Remaining invalid errors (031-080)
5 Large record employment and wage edits (089-099)
6 Warning and other summed level edits (088, 101-146)
7 Predecessor/Successor edits (156-164)
8 Multi-establishment edits (171-185)
9 Wage record edits (193-198)

Edit Type:

Distinguishes between invalid (I) errors and warning (W) flags.

Priority:

A, B, or C. Priorities for correcting or explaining flagged data
are discussed in Section 13.3.2.

BLS Edit Publ. Criteria:

Identifies whether a record is included in BLS publication
aggregations if one of these edit flags exists. Include = ignore
the flag and use the data. Exclude = do not use the record.
Records with no edit flags are typically included in publication
totals depending on their status code, coverage code, and
possibly other factors.

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September 2006

Page F-2

Descriptive Information

Explanation

Edit Message:

The message typically displayed when the edit flag is assigned.
Appendix G gives a complete list of edit messages arranged in
order by edit code and grouped by edit level.

Edit Conditions:

The data conditions that cause the system to assign the flag.
This section sometimes begins with bypasses: data conditions
that cause the system to skip the edit and pass the record. The
edit conditions are written in the form of system requirements,
that is, as instructions to the computer.

Editing
Parameters/Tolerances:

Parameters or tolerances (if any) used by the edit. These are
displayed with italicized small capital letters. Appendix H
provides a consolidated list of the parameters and tolerances for
all the edits.

System Action:

Actions taken by State or BLS systems, if they take any action
apart from flagging the record. For example, the system may
replace invalid values with blanks.

Appendix B (Data Element Definitions) gives the purposes and uses of the data elements being
edited, and describes the valid values and default values (where applicable).

Frequently Used Formulas
Average Monthly Employment (AME) is the sum of the three monthly employment fields
divided by three:
AME = M1 + M2 + M3
3
Average Quarterly Wages (AQW) equals Total Wages (TW) divided by Average Monthly
Employment:
AQW = TW
AME
(When AME = 0, then AQW = 0.)
Average Weekly Wages (AWW) equals Average Quarterly Wages divided by 13:
AWW = AQW
13

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Page F-3

Frequently Used Symbols
Σ

sum of (for example, ΣM1 subi = M1sub1 + M1sub2 + ... + M1sub-last)

| |

absolute value (for example, |a - b| or if a = 3 and b = 5, then |3 - 5| = | -2| = 2

>

greater than or equal

<

less than or equal

≠

not equal

±

plus or minus

÷

divided by (for example AQW = TW ÷ AME)

√

may also be used to identify when taking a square root of a number or portion of a
formulae (for example, √9 = 3)

n½

square root of n (for example, 9 ½ = square root of 9 = 3)

Subscripts (letters with a lowered position) show which quarter's data are used:
• Subscripts of "c" represent the current quarter. For example, TWc = Total Wages for the
current quarter.
• Subscripts of "p" represent the prior quarter. For example, AQWp = Average Quarterly
Wages for the prior quarter.
• Subscripts of "cy" represent the quarter one year ago from the current quarter. For example,
AMEcy = Average Monthly Employment from the quarter one year ago from the current
quarter.
• Subscripts of “py” represents the quarter one year ago from the prior quarter. For example,
M1py = First Month Employment from the quarter one year ago from the first month of the
prior quarter.

Frequently Used Data Field Abbreviations:
AME
AQW
ARS
AUX
AWW
CNTY
CTB
EOL

Average Monthly Employment
Average Quarterly Wages
Annual Refiling Survey
Auxiliary Code
Average Weekly Wages
County Code
Contributions Due
End of Liability Date

June 2007

LIAB
LWRC
LWRR
M1
M2
M3
MEEI
MOA
MWRC
OWN
PLA
PRED
QTR
REACT
RUN
SETUP
STATUS
SUCC
TAXW
TOWN
TW
UI#
UIA
YEAR

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Initial Liability Date
Wage Record Count from Largest Wage Record Contributor (excluding self)
Wage Record Count from Largest Wage Record Recipient (excluding self)
First Month Employment
Second Month Employment
Third Month Employment
Multi-establishment Employer Indicator
Mailing Other Address
Matched Wage Record Count
Ownership Code
Physical Location Address
Predecessor
Reference Quarter
Reactivation Date
Reporting Unit Number
Set-up Date
Status Code
Successor
Taxable Wages
Township Code
Total Wages
UI Account Number
UI Address
Reference Year

QTR refers to the quarter whose data are being edited. Processing quarter refers to the current
quarter, i.e., the quarter treated as current by the processing system.

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Page F-1-1

Level 1 Edit Descriptions – Pre-edits
Pre-Edits ensure that each record’s identifying information is properly formatted as numeric or
alpha-numeric, has the expected values, and can be loaded to the BLS system. These errors
rarely if ever occur in State systems since the data elements are usually system-controlled. These
edits are important in the BLS system to ensure that the correct State’s data are loaded to the
database for the correct year and quarter and are processed as instructed by the State.
001 — Transaction Code Check
General Description: All micro records submitted to BLS on the Enhanced Quarterly
Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) deliverable must have a valid Transaction Code. The
Transaction Code identifies the type of record being submitted from the State to BLS. These
codes are assigned by State systems when generating an EQUI file. The transaction codes are
used by BLS to determine how to process the record. Valid codes are:
D - delete record
F - data record. "F" stands for full record, since all data records provide full data in
every field, even if they only modify (update) selected fields on the BLS Micro
file database.
P - predecessor/successor record
H - header record
T - trailer record
U - a selected number of records are submitted by BLS staff to resolve significant
problems that must be corrected quickly for critical BLS users.
Blank - partial record (no longer used)
Location: BLS only
Edit Level: 1
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: N/A

Edit Message: Invalid Transaction Code
Edit Conditions:
Flag if
• Transaction Code ≠ “D”, “F”, “P”, “H”, “T”, “U”, or blank.
002 — UI Account Number (UI#) Check
General Description: The UI Account Number edit checks for valid numeric values. The UI
Account Number field must be numeric in all ten positions, and must not be zero-filled, ninefilled, or blank. The field should be right justified with unused positions zero-filled. If the
structure of the UI Account Number is in any way different from the structure on the previous

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Page F-1-2

quarter’s file, the State should provide a description of the changes and coordinate with the BLS
prior to submitting the file.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 1
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: N/A

Edit Message: Invalid UI Account Number
Edit Conditions:
Flag if
• UI # = all zeroes, all nines, all blanks, or contains a non-numeric value in any position
System Action: State systems will right justify and zero-fill any unused positions. State systems
create files or printouts of those records, such as those with non-numeric UI account numbers,
which can not be loaded to their State micro file.
003 — Reporting Unit Number (RUN) Check
General Description: The Reporting Unit Number is a 5-digit field that must be numeric in every
position. The field must be right justified with unused positions zero-filled. It can never be
blank. It cannot be nine-filled, since “99999” is reserved for selected cases of the Predecessor
RUN and Successor RUN fields.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 1
Priority: A
Edit Message: Invalid Reporting Unit Number

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: N/A

Edit Conditions:
Flag if either condition occurs
• RUN ≠ numeric in any position or
• RUN = 99999.
System Action: State systems will right-justify and zero-fill any unused positions. State systems
create files or printouts of those records, such as those with non-numeric Reporting Unit
Numbers, that can not be loaded to their State micro file.
004 — Reference Year (YEAR) Check
General Description: The Reference Year is a four digit numeric field. This field helps ensure
that only data for the reference period are entered into the correct year/quarter positions of the
database.

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Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 1
Priority: A

Page F-1-3

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: N/A

Edit Message: Invalid Reference Year
Edit Conditions:
Flag if either condition occurs:
• YEAR ≠ numeric in any positions or
• First two digits of YEAR ≠ 19 or 20.
System Action: If the reference year/reference quarter combination is valid but does not
correspond to the range of unlocked quarters, the BLS system will not load and process the
record.
005 — Reference Quarter (QTR) Check
General Description: This edit checks the Reference Quarter field to verify that it is 1, 2, 3, or 4.
This field helps ensure that only data for the reference period are entered into the correct
quarterly portion of the database.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 1
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: N/A

Edit Message: Invalid Reference Quarter
Edit Conditions:
Flag if
• QTR ≠ 1, 2, 3, or 4.
System Action: If the reference year/reference quarter combination is valid but does not
correspond to the range of unlocked quarters, the BLS system will not load and process the
record.
006 — State Code Check
General Description: This edit checks for a valid State Federal Information Processing
Standards (FIPS) Code in the BLS system. The State FIPS code is present on EQUI data records
and the BLS Micro file database, but is not required on State Micro files. The State Code must
match a parameter (STATE-FIPS-CODE), to verify that the EQUI file is being processed for the
correct State.

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June 2007

Location: BLS only
Edit Level: 1
Priority: A

Page F-1-4

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: N/A

Edit Message: Invalid State Code
Edit Conditions:
Flag if
• STATE ≠ STATE-FIPS-CODE.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
STATE-FIPS-CODE

Parameter Name
State FIPS Code

Length
2

EXPO
PK #
N/A

WIN
PK #
N/A

State
Default
Valid FIPS
code of
State being
processed

BLS Default
Valid FIPS
code of
State being
processed

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Level 2 Edit Descriptions – Key Field Edits
Key fields, typically industry, ownership, and county, are essential classification fields which are
most used for aggregation, sampling, and other data uses. Errors in these fields render a record
fundamentally unusable.
010 — NAICS Code Check
General Description: The NAICS code check ensures that only valid codes under the North
American Industry Classification System are used in the NAICS field on QCEW data files.
Normally the NAICS Code is not edited for inactive records; however, it is edited when an
inactive record in first quarter has a Response Code that may include it on the Code Change
Supplement (CCS) for the same reference/refiling year.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 2
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid NAICS Code
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 3 or 9.
Bypass if STATUS = 2 and MEEI = 2.
Flag if both of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9 and
• NAICS ≠ valid 6-digit NAICS.
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• QTR = 1 and
• STATUS = 2 and
• ARS REFILE YEAR = Current Refiling Year and
• (RESPONSE CODE = 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the State Systems) or (RESPONSE CODE
= 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the BLS System) and
• NAICS ≠ valid 6-digit NAICS.
System Action: If data for 2006/4 or earlier, use 2002-based list of valid NAICS codes. If data
for 2007/1 or later, use 2007-based list of valid NAICS codes. Note: Do not edit locked quarters
or quarters beyond the maximum length of the correction policy.

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011 — SIC Code Check
General Description: The SIC Code edit flags in the BLS system if the SIC Code is not a valid
4-digit code or 3-digit exception. The EXPO and WIN systems should be forcing these to
“9999” regardless of the liability date if the code is invalid, blank, or missing.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 2
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: N/A
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
In State systems, set SIC = 9999 if either of these conditions occur:
• SIC = blank or missing or
• (SIC ≠ valid 4-digit SIC) or (SIC ≠ 0740, 0780, or 5810).
In the BLS system, set SIC = 9999 if SIC is blank, zero-filled, or contains nonnumerics.
State System Action: If SIC is invalid, blank, or missing, enter “9999” to the SIC field for
reference quarter.
012 — Ownership (OWN) Code Check

General Description: This edit flags the Ownership if it is not one of the following valid codes:
1 Federal Government
2 State Government
3 Local Government
5 Private Sector
Normally the Ownership Code is not edited for inactive records; however, it is edited when an
inactive record in first quarter has a Response Code that may include it on the CCS for the same
reference/refiling year.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 2
Priority: A
Edit Message: Invalid Ownership Code

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

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Page F-2-3

Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 3 or 9.
Bypass if STATUS = 2 and MEEI = 2.
Flag if both of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9 and
• OWN ≠ 1, 2, 3, or 5.
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• QTR = 1 and
• STATUS = 2 and
• ARS REFILE YEAR = Current Refiling Year and
• (RESPONSE CODE = 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the State Systems) or (RESPONSE CODE
= 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the BLS System) and
• OWN ≠ 1, 2, 3, or 5.
Note: Do not edit locked quarters or quarters beyond the maximum length of the correction
policy.
013 — County (CNTY) Code Check
General Description: The County Code must be a valid FIPS county code for the State, or one of
the valid county equivalent codes: 995, 996, 998, or 999. Master records may carry code 900.
Normally the County Code is not edited for inactive records; however, it is edited when an
inactive record in first quarter has a Response Code that may include it on the CCS for the same
reference/refiling year.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 2
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid County Code
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 3 or 9.
Bypass if STATUS = 2 and MEEI = 2.
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9 and
• MEEI = 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and
• (CNTY ≠ valid county FIPS code) or (CNTY ≠ 995, 996, 998, or 999).
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:

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•
•
•

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Page F-2-4

STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9 and
MEEI = 2 and
(CNTY ≠ valid county FIPS code) or (CNTY ≠ 900, 995, 996, 998, or 999).

Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• QTR = 1 and
• STATUS = 2 and
• ARS REFILE YEAR = Current Refiling Year and
• (RESPONSE CODE = 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the State Systems) or (RESPONSE CODE
= 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the BLS System) and
• MEEI = 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and
• (CNTY ≠ valid county FIPS code) or (CNTY ≠ 995, 996, 998, or 999).
Note: Do not edit locked quarters or quarters beyond the maximum length of the correction
policy.
016 — Ownership/NAICS Conflict
General Description: The Ownership/NAICS Conflict edit looks for situations in which the
ownership and NAICS are incompatible. Normally NAICS and Ownership Codes (and their
combinations) are not edited for inactive records; however, they are edited when an inactive
record in first quarter has a Response Code that may include it on the CCS for the same
reference/refiling year.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 2
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: NAICS & Ownership Inconsistent
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 3 or 9.
Bypass if STATUS = 2 and MEEI = 2.
Flag if (STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9) and any of the following conditions occur:
• (NAICS = 814110 and OWN ≠ 5) or
• ((NAICS = 921110 ⎯ 921140) and OWN = 5) or
• ((NAICS = 921190 ⎯ 928120) and OWN = 5) or
• (NAICS = 921150 and OWN ≠ 5 and Year < 2000) or
• (NAICS = 921150 and OWN ≠ 3 and Year > 2001) or
• (NAICS = 521110 and OWN = 2 or 3) or
• (NAICS = 551111 ⎯ 551114 and OWN = 1, 2, or 3) or
• (NAICS = 491110 and OWN = 2 or 3).

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Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• QTR = 1 and
• STATUS = 2 and
• ARS REFILE YEAR = Current Refiling Year and
• (RESPONSE CODE = 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the State Systems) or (RESPONSE CODE
= 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 in the BLS System) and
•

Any of the following conditions occur:
° (NAICS = 814110 and OWN ≠ 5) or
° ((NAICS = 921110 ⎯ 921140) and OWN = 5) or
° ((NAICS = 921190 ⎯ 928120) and OWN = 5) or
° (NAICS = 921150 and OWN ≠ 5 and Year < 2000) or
° (NAICS = 921150 and OWN ≠ 3 and Year > 2001) or
° (NAICS = 521110 and OWN = 2 or 3) or
° (NAICS = 551111 ⎯ 551114 and OWN = 1, 2, or 3) or
° (NAICS = 491110 and OWN = 2 or 3).
Note: Do not edit locked quarters or quarters beyond the maximum length of the correction
policy.
017 —NAICS Revision Check
General Description: During the 2007 NAICS revision, the NAICS02 (formerly the old NSTA
field) will be used to hold the correct/final 2002-based version of the NAICS code. The 2007based NAICS code will be in the NAICS field beginning with 2007/1. The 2002-based code
may be equal to the 2007-based code, be a direct, or a split. There should be a match or
crosswalk from the 2002 code.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 1
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid 2002 to 2007 NAICS Code Relationship
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions occur:
• YEAR/QTR ≠ 2007/1
• STATUS = 3 or 9.
• STATUS = 2
• 2002-based version of NAICS in the NAICS02 field = 2007-based version of NAICS
field. (Note: The record will flag for edit 010 if the 2007 NAICS code is invalid.)
Flag if any of the following conditions occur:
• NAICS02 ≠ valid 6-digit 2002-based NAICS code.

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OR
Either the NAICS02 (formerly NSTA) or NAICS code fields are blank
OR
• Either the NAICS02 (formerly NSTA) or NAICS code field is equal to 999999 but the
other is not
OR
• NAICS code is not matched in the crosswalk to the NAICS02 code on the record.
Note: Do not edit locked quarters or quarters beyond 2007/2.
•

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Level 3 Edit Descriptions – Date and Status Code Edits
The Date and Status Code edits are used to ensure that the record has adequate information to
properly determine its status. These fields are used to determine whether or not the record
should be edited, refiled, aggregated, and provided to various State and BLS users.
The year portion of the Liability Date, End of Liability Date, Set Up Date, and Reactivation Date
is a four-digit numeric field. Note that State extract programs can use 1935 as the lowest valid
value for any year starting with 19.
021 — Liability Date Format Check
General Description: For single and master records, this is the date that an employer became
subject to UI reporting requirements; it is assigned by UI. For worksites, this is the date they
were first reported on the Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) or alternate MWR data collection
modes. The edit checks that the field, if provided, is numeric in every position and is properly
formatted as a date.
Both the EXPO and WIN systems use Liability, Reactivation, and End of Liability dates to
override some Status Code procedures and or settings. Liability dates and End of Liability dates
are also used to determine if a particular month of employment should be imputed or if the
wages should be adjusted for a shorter quarterly work period.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 3
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Initial Liability Date Format
Edit Conditions:
Format = YYYYMMDD (where YYYY = year, MM = month, and DD = day).
Bypass if LIAB blank.
Bypass if OWN = 1.
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if any of the following conditions are met:
• MM = 0 or > 12, or
• DD = 00, or
• First two digits of the year ≠ “19” or “20,” or
• YYYYMMDD is non-numeric in any positions but not all blank
System Action: If the values are non-numeric (other than blank) or all zeros, the systems (both
State and BLS) will change the values to blanks. If the day positions (DD) are blank but the rest
of the field (YYYYMM) is not blank, the EXPO and WIN systems will change DD to 01. If

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MM = 02 and DD > 29, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 28. If MM = 04, 06, 09 or
11 and DD > 30, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 30. If MM = 01, 03, 05, 07, 08, 10,
or 12 and DD > 31, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 31. If an invalid date is entered
online the State system will require that it be corrected.
022 — End of Liability Date Format Check
General Description: The End of Liability Date (sometimes called the Termination Date) is
assigned by UI for single and master records showing when an employer no longer has
employment or wages, ceases to be active, or is no longer operating. For worksites, it is the
closest date available showing when the establishment closed. The edit checks that the field, if
provided, is numeric in every position and is properly formatted as a date.
Both the EXPO and WIN systems use Liability, Reactivation, and End of Liability dates to
override some Status Code procedures and or settings. Liability dates and End of Liability dates
are also used to determine if a particular month of employment should be imputed or if the
wages should be adjusted for a shorter quarterly work period.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 3
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid EOL Date Format
Edit Conditions:
Format = YYYYMMDD (where YYYY = year, MM = month, and DD = day).
Bypass if EOL blank.
Bypass if STATUS = 3 or 9.
Bypass if OWN = 1.
Flag if any of the following conditions are met:
• MM = 0 or > 12, or
• DD = 00, or
• First two digits of the year ≠ “19” or “20,” or
• YYYYMMDD is non-numeric in any positions but not all blank
System Action: If the values are non-numeric (other than blank) or all zeros, the systems (both
State and BLS) will change the values to blanks. If the day positions (DD) are blank but the rest
of the field (YYYYMM) is not blank, the EXPO and WIN systems will change DD to 28. If
MM = 02 and DD > 29, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 28. If MM = 04, 06, 09 or
11 and DD > 30, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 30. If MM = 01, 03, 05, 07, 08, 10,
or 12 and DD > 31, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 31. If an invalid date is entered
online the State system will require that it be corrected.

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023 — Setup Date Format Check
General Description: The Setup Date shows when the reporting unit entered the State UI system.
Typically it should not be missing (blank) for singles or masters, but may be missing for
subunits. The edit checks that the field, if provided, is numeric in every position and is properly
formatted as a date.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 3
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Set-Up Date Format
Edit Conditions:
Format = YYYYMMDD (where YYYY = year, MM = month, and DD = day).
Bypass if SETUP is blank.
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Bypass if OWN = 1.
Flag if any of the following conditions are met:
• MM = 0 or > 12, or
• DD = 00, or
• First two digits of the year ≠ “19” or “20,” or
• YYYYMMDD is non-numeric in any positions but not all blank
System Action: If the values are non-numeric (other than blank) or all zeros, the systems (both
State and BLS) will change the values to blanks. If the day positions (DD) are blank but the rest
of the field (YYYYMM) is not blank, the EXPO and WIN systems will change DD to 01. If
MM = 02 and DD > 29, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 28. If MM = 04, 06, 09 or
11 and DD > 30, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 30. If MM = 01, 03, 05, 07, 08, 10,
or 12 and DD > 31, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 31. If an invalid date is entered
online the State system will require that it be corrected.

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024 — Reactivation Date Format Check
General Description: The Reactivation Date shows when an inactive unit in the UI system is
reactivated. The interval between the End of Liability Date and the Reactivation Date will
indicate the period of time the unit was not operating as a business. If a reactivated unit again
ceases operations, its End of Liability Date should be updated. The edit checks that the field, if
provided, is numeric in every position and is properly formatted as a date.
Both the EXPO and WIN systems use Liability, Reactivation, and End of Liability dates to
override some Status Code procedures and or settings.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 3
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Reactivation Date Invalid or Earlier than Initial Liability Date
Edit Conditions:
Format = YYYYMMDD (where YYYY = year, MM = month, and DD = day).
Bypass if REACT is blank.
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Bypass if OWN = 1.
Flag if any of the following conditions are met:
• MM = 0 or > 12, or
• DD = 00, or
• First two digits of the year ≠ “19” or “20,” or
• YYYYMMDD is non-numeric in any positions but not all blank
Flag if REACT < LIAB
System Action: If the values are non-numeric (other than blank) or all zeros, the systems (both
State and BLS) will change the values to blanks. If the day positions (DD) are blank but the rest
of the field (YYYYMM) is not blank, the EXPO and WIN systems will change DD to 01. If
MM = 02 and DD > 29, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 28. If MM = 04, 06, 09 or
11 and DD > 30, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 30. If MM = 01, 03, 05, 07, 08, 10,
or 12 and DD > 31, the EXPO and WIN systems will set DD = 31. If an invalid date is entered
online the State system will require that it be corrected.

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025 — Status Code Check
General Description: The Status Code edit check is used to ensure that the entries in the Status
Code are valid:
1 = Active
2 = Inactive
3 = Not submitted on the EQUI for the reference quarter (used in the BLS system only)
9 = Pending
The Status Code is used as a quarterly data element in both State and BLS systems and is
included on the EQUI file. This data element is critical for identifying active reporting units,
because their economic data belong on the macro file and other data aggregations. Most other
edits use the Status code, typically for bypassing inactive or pending records.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 3
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Status Code
Edit Conditions:
Flag if STATUS ≠ 1, 2, or 9 in State systems.
Flag if STATUS ≠ 1, 2, 3, or 9 in BLS systems.
State System Action:
If the Liability Date and the End of Liability Date are the same valid date, but not blank, the
State systems consider the record inactive and set the Status Code = 2.
If the record has a valid, non-blank Reactivation Date which is equal to the valid, non-blank End
of Liability Date, the State systems consider the record active and set the Status Code = 1.
If the Liability Date, End of Liability Date, and Reactivation Date are valid, non-blank, and
equal, the State systems consider the record active and set the Status Code = 1.
If the Reactivation Date is blank or earlier or equal to the End of Liability Date, and if the End of
Liability Date is the first day of the quarter and the employment and wages fields have zeroes
and “M” indicators, the State systems consider the record inactive and set the Status Code to 2.
BLS and State Systems Action:
If the delete indicator is set to D, then change the Status Code to 2 on all unlocked quarters
regardless of the End of Liability Date. Note: Unlocking older quarters will trigger this Status
Code reset.
If the delete indicator is changed to blank in the State systems, the Status Code is changed to
active in all unlocked quarters except those where a State analyst sets the Status Code to

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something other than 1 or the End of Liability Date is entered, triggering resetting of the Status
Codes on unlocked quarters. These updates will mark EQUI updates for those quarters covered
under the BLS correction policy.
BLS will update its files based on updated EQUI records submitted by the States.

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Level 4 Edit Descriptions – Remaining Invalid Error Edits
Edits in this level review the data elements for:
• Valid numeric or alpha conditions
• Valid responses from a limited set of expected values
• Valid relationships between two or three data elements
In almost all cases, these edit flags must be corrected. There are a few situations where the State
systems will override an invalid response with a blank, or will zero fill.
031 — First Month Employment (M1) Check
General Description: The monthly employment fields are numeric on both the State and BLS
Micro file databases, and only numeric values may be entered.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid First Month Employment
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if M1 is not numeric.
In the BLS system, also flag if the M1-IND = X.
System Action: The State system right-justifies and zero-fills leading blanks. If non-numeric
characters occur during initial entry to the system, the State system puts an “X” in the first month
employment indicator field to signify a non-numeric entry, lists the non-numeric values, and
zero-fills first month employment.
032 — Second Month Employment (M2) Check
General Description: The monthly employment fields are numeric on both the State and BLS
Micro file databases, and only numeric values may be entered.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Second Month Employment

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Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if M2 is not numeric.
In the BLS system, also flag if the M2-IND = X.
System Action: The State system right-justifies and zero-fills leading blanks. If non-numeric
characters occur during initial entry to the system, the State system puts an “X” in the second
month employment indicator field to signify a non-numeric entry, lists the non-numeric values,
and zero-fills second month employment.
033 — Third Month Employment (M3) Check
General Description: The monthly employment fields are numeric on both the State and BLS
Micro file databases, and only numeric values may be entered.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Third Month Employment
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if M3 is not numeric.
In the BLS system, also flag if the M3-IND = X.
System Action: The State system right-justifies and zero-fills leading blanks. If non-numeric
characters occur during initial entry to the system, the State system puts an “X” in the third
month employment indicator field to signify a non-numeric entry, lists the non-numeric values,
and zero-fills third month employment.
034 — Total Wages (TW) Check
General Description: The Total Wages field is numeric on both the State and BLS Micro file
databases, and only numeric values may be entered. The Total Wages edit checks for numeric
values and no decimal places. The Total Wages field should contain whole dollar amounts only
– round to next higher dollar if residual cents are greater than or equal to 50 cents.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A
Edit Message: Invalid Total Wages

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

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Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if TW not numeric.
In the BLS system, also flag if the TW-IND = X.
System Action: The State system right-justifies and zero-fills leading blanks. If non-numeric
characters occur during initial entry to the system, the State system puts an “X” in the Total
Wages Indicator field to signify a non-numeric entry, lists the non-numeric values, and zero-fills
Total Wages.
035 — Taxable Wages (TAXW) Check
General Description: The Taxable Wages field is numeric on both the State and BLS Micro file
databases, and only numeric values may be entered. This edit checks for numeric values and no
decimal places. The Taxable Wages field should contain whole dollar amounts only – round to
next higher dollar if residual cents are greater than or equal to 50 cents.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Taxable Wages
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if TAXW not numeric.
System Action: The systems take no action if Status Code is 2, 3, or 9. The State system rightjustifies and zero-fills leading blanks. If non-numeric characters occur during initial entry to the
system, the State system puts an “X” in the Total Wages Indicator field to signify a non-numeric
entry, lists the non-numeric values, and zero-fills Total Wages.
036 — Contributions (CTB) Check
General Description: Contributions are not valid for Federal, reimbursable, or non-covered
accounts. The Contributions field is numeric on both the State and BLS Micro file databases,
and only numeric values may be entered. This edit checks for non-numeric values, including
decimal places, as well as for non-zero Contributions on records with certain Type of Coverage
or Ownership codes. This is because Contributions should not be present on reimbursable, noncovered, or Federal records. The Contributions field should contain whole dollar amounts only –
round to next higher dollar if residual cents are greater than or equal to 50 cents.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid

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BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Contributions
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if any of the following occur:
• CTB not numeric or
• OWN = 1 and CTB > 0 or
• COVERAGE = 1, 8, or 9, and CTB > 0
System Action: The State system right-justifies and zero-fills leading blanks. If non-numeric
characters occur during initial entry to the system, the State system puts an “X” in the
Contributions Indicator field to signify a non-numeric entry, lists the non-numeric values, and
zero-fills Contributions.
039 — Type of Coverage Check
General Description: This edit flags the Type of Coverage Code (sometimes called the
Reimbursable Code) if it is not valid. A few States also collect employee contributions. In these
cases, special Type of Coverage Codes were created to allow for additional contributions beyond
the amount of Taxable Wages times the Employer Tax Rate.
Type of Coverage Code 8 (non-subject accounts) is valid in State systems, but not in BLS.
Records with this code are excluded from the EQUI.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Type of Coverage
Edit Conditions:
In State systems, flag if both conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• COVERAGE ≠ 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, or 9.
In the BLS system, flag if both conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• (COVERAGE ≠ 0, 1, 2, 3, or 9) or (COVERAGE not valid for the State being edited).

040 — MEEI Code Check

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General Description: This edit checks for valid values for the Multi Establishment Employer
Indicator.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid MEEI Code
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• MEEI ≠ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.
043 — Predecessor UI Account Number or Predecessor Reporting Unit Number
Check
General Description: The Predecessor UI Account Number edit checks for valid numeric values.
The Predecessor UI Account Number must be numeric in all ten positions. It cannot be all zeros.
The Predecessor UI Account Number is used to track a change of ownership between accounts
and to link successor accounts to predecessor accounts. If the predecessor was actually a
combination of more than one UI Account Number, then ten 9’s should be derived by BLS to
denote that the current record could not be linked directly to one predecessor.
The Predecessor Reporting Unit Number, if provided, must be numeric in all five positions. If
the predecessor was actually a combination of more than one worksite, then five 9’s should be
derived for the EQUI submittal to denote that the current record could not be linked directly to
one predecessor unit.
Edit code 043 is used for both parts of the Predecessor SESA ID: the Predecessor UI Account
Number and the Predecessor Reporting Unit Number.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Predecessor SESA ID
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if PRED UI# is blank.
Bypass if PRED RUN is blank.
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Flag if PRED UI# includes nonnumeric values.

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Flag if PRED RUN includes nonnumeric values.
System Action: If the Predecessor UI Account Number is reported, the State system will rightjustify it and zero-fill unused positions.
If the Predecessor Reporting Unit Number is provided, the State system will right-justify it and
zero-fill unused positions. If the Predecessor UI Account Number is blank, and the Predecessor
Reporting Unit Number is all blank, the system will leave them as blank.
If all fifteen positions of the UI account and Reporting Unit Number are zeroes, the system will
change it to all blanks in the BLS System. States systems should check that
predecessor/successor transaction records do not have zero or blank predecessors or successors.
044 — Successor UI Account Number Check or Successor Reporting Unit
Number Check
General Description: The Successor UI Account Number edit checks for valid numeric values.
The Successor UI Account Number must be numeric in all ten positions. It cannot be all zeroes.
The Successor UI Account Number is used to track a change of ownership between accounts and
to link successor accounts to predecessor accounts. If the successor is actually a combination of
more than one UI Account Number, then ten 9’s should be derived by BLS to denote that the
previous record could not be linked directly to one successor.
The Successor Reporting Unit Number, if provided, must be numeric in all five positions. If the
successor is actually a combination of more than one worksite, then five 9’s should be derived
for the EQUI submittal to denote that the previous record could not be linked directly to one
successor unit.
Edit code 044 is used for both parts of the Successor SESA ID: the Successor UI Account
Number and the Successor Reporting Unit Number.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Successor SESA ID
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if SUCC UI# is blank.
Bypass if SUCC RUN is blank.
Bypass if STATUS = 3 or 9.
Flag if SUCC UI# includes nonnumeric values.
Flag if SUCC RUN includes nonnumeric values.

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System Action: If the Successor UI Account Number is reported, the State system will rightjustify it and zero-fill unused positions.
If the Successor Reporting Unit Number is provided, the State system will right-justify it and
zero-fill unused positions. If the Successor UI Account Number is blank, and the Successor
Reporting Unit Number is all blank, the system will leave them as blank.
If all fifteen positions of the UI account and Reporting Unit Number are zeroes, the system will
change it to all blanks in the BLS System. States systems should check that
predecessor/successor transaction records do not have zero or blank predecessors or successors.
045 — Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) Check
General Description: This edit checks the EIN for invalid values including non-numerics,
invalid prefixes, and values between 000000001 and 009999999. The EIN is assigned to each
employer by the IRS and is used by BLS to link units of the same enterprise. Multiestablishment sub-units should have the same EIN as their master record. EINs are sometimes
unavailable or unreliable for government units and private households. The list of valid prefixes
will be periodically reviewed and updated as IRS updates their list of valid prefixes.
EINs are used extensively for sampling, multi-state matching and corporate linking, research,
nondisclosure processing, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) processing, etc. It is important that
usable EINs be properly maintained.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Federal EI Number
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Bypass if NAICS = 814110.
Bypass if COVERAGE = 8 or 9.
If EIN blank, change to zeroes and do edit 116 instead.
[In State Systems only, if
• EIN has the first 2 digits of 70,
• Set EIN = 000000000.]
Flag if EIN is any of these values:
• One-filled (111111111) or
• Two-filled (222222222) or

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•
•
•
•
•
•

Page F-4-8

Three-filled (333333333) or
Four-filled (444444444) or
Five-filled (555555555) or
Six-filled (666666666) or
Seven-filled (777777777) or
Eight-filled (888888888) or
Nine-filled (999999999).

Flag if all of these conditions are met:
• AME > EIN-ERROR-AME and
• OWN = 5 and
• EIN is in the range of 000000001 - 009999999, inclusive.
Flag if all of these conditions are met:
• AME > EIN-ERROR-AME and
• OWN = 5 and
• EIN has the first 2 digits of: 07, 08, 09, 17, 18, 19, 28, 29, 49, 78, 79, or 89
In BLS edit system, flag if all of these conditions are met:
• AME > EIN-ERROR-AME and
• OWN = 5 and
• EIN has the first 2 digits of 70.
In BLS edit system, flag if EIN is nonnumeric in any position.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
EIN-ERROR-AME

Parameter Name
Small Record EIN Parm

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
066

WIN
PK #
070

State
Default
5

BLS
Default
5

System Action: If EIN is all blank, the State systems zero fill the field. If EIN is all zeroes, the
BLS and State systems bypass this check and perform the Missing Federal Employer
Identification Number Check, code 116.
Adjust the edit output, scoring formulae input, and other edit tools to reflect the modified priority
and importance of this data field.
046 — ARS Response Code/Year Check
General Description: This edit ensures that the ARS Response Code and ARS Refile Year, if
provided, are valid. These two data elements, in combination, show what refiling response the
record last received and when it received that response. Their use is discussed in detail in
Chapter 11; definitions for the ARS Response Code appear in Appendix Q. If either ARS
Response Code or ARS Refile Year is present, both must be present. This edit is performed for

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inactive reporting units (with Status Code = 2) because they can be included on the CCS and
therefore need accurate Response Code/ARS Refile Year combinations.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid ARS Response Code/Year
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 3 or 9.
Bypass if RESPONSE CODE and ARS REFILE YEAR are both blank.
Flag if
STATUS = 2 and (QTR = 1) and (in BLS system, the quarter is unlocked for CCS
processing), and any of the following conditions occur:
• RESPONSE CODE is not blank nor a valid code (00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 11, 12, 30, 31, 32,
33, 34, 35, 41, 42, 43, 46, 50, 57, 63, 64, 65, 76, 77, 78, 79, 86, 98, 99) or
• ARS REFILE YEAR is not numeric and not blank, or ARS REFILE YEAR is later than
FISCAL-YEAR (the current refiling year) or
• (RESPONSE CODE is numeric but not 50 or 57) and the ARS REFILE YEAR is blank,
or
• ARS REFILE YEAR is numeric but the ARS RESPONSE CODE is blank.
Flag if
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and any of the following conditions occur:
• RESPONSE CODE not blank nor valid code (00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 11, 12, 30, 31, 32, 33,
34, 35, 41, 42, 43, 46, 50, 57, 63, 64, 65, 76, 77, 78, 79, 86, 98, 99) or
• (ARS REFILE YEAR is not numeric and not blank) or (ARS REFILE YEAR is later
than FISCAL-YEAR) or
• (RESPONSE CODE is numeric but not 50 or 57) and the ARS REFILE YEAR is blank,
or
• ARS REFILE YEAR is numeric but the RESPONSE CODE is blank.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Length
Name
Fiscal Year
4
FISCAL-YEAR

EXPO
PK #
—

WIN
PK #
—

State Default

BLS Default

Processing or
fiscal year for
current
refiling

Current
processing year,
or fiscal year for
the refiling just
completed

System Action: If the ARS Response Code = 50 or 57 and the ARS Refile Year is blank, the
State systems will change the ARS Refile Year to the current fiscal year. The BLS system

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assigns Response Codes 33, 34, and 35 when the State-assigned Response Code is not
appropriate given the code change information provided.
047 — Tax Rate Range Check
General Description: The Employer Tax Rate is a 5-position numeric field on State files. This
edit checks the field values against the minimum and maximum tax rate parameters for nonFederal, non-reimbursing accounts. A valid Tax Rate is required to edit the non-reimbursable
account Contributions. It is also used to impute any missing contributory Contributions.
Location: State only
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: N/A

Edit Message: Invalid Tax Rate - Beyond Minimum/Maximum Range
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2 or 9, and
• COVERAGE = 0 or 2 and
• OWN > 1 and
• (RATE > MAX-TAX-RATE) or (RATE < MIN-TAX-RATE).
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name

Length

MAX-TAX-RATE

Maximum Tax Rate

6

EXPO
PK #
001

MIN-TAX-RATE

Minimum Tax Rate

6

002

WIN
PK #
001

002

State Default
15% (expressed
as 015000 in
EXPO, 15.00 in
WIN)
0

BLS
Default
N/A

N/A

048 — Comment Code Check
General Description: Three comment code fields of two positions each are available to provide
clarifications relating to the data or to explain unusual data fluctuations. This edit checks all
three fields. Unused comment code fields should be left blank. Current Employment Statistics
(CES)-only comment codes are invalid for this edit. Comment code 99 may be used if a
Narrative Comment is present on the record.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

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Edit Message: Invalid Comment Code
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if COMMENT is all blank.
Flag if both conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3 or 9, and
• Any COMMENT = 37-38, 65-74, 84, or 94; or contains nonnumerics.
049 — First Month Employment Indicator Check
General Description: This edit checks that the one-position alpha-numeric First Month
Employment Indicator field contains a valid entry. This data element describes whether the
employment data were reported or imputed. If imputed, the indicator describes the type of
imputation performed on the employment field.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid First Month Employment Indicator
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• M1-IND ≠ R, A, C, D, E, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, W, X, or blank.
050 — Second Month Employment Indicator Check
General Description: This edit checks that the one-position alpha-numeric Second Month
Employment Indicator field contains a valid entry. This data element describes whether the
employment data were reported or imputed. If imputed, the indicator describes the type of
imputation performed on the employment field.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Second Month Employment Indicator
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and

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M2-IND ≠ R, A, C, D, E, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, W, X, or blank.

051 — Third Month Employment Indicator Check
General Description: This edit checks that the one-position alpha-numeric Third Month
Employment Indicator field contains a valid entry. This data element describes whether the
employment data were reported or imputed. If imputed, the indicator describes the type of
imputation performed on the employment field.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Third Month Employment Indicator
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• M3-IND ≠ R, A, C, D, E, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, W, X, or blank.
052 — Total Wages Indicator Check
General Description: This edit checks that the one-position alpha-numeric Total Wage Indicator
field contains a valid entry. This data element describes whether the Total Wages data were
reported or imputed. If imputed, the indicator describes the type of imputation performed on the
Total Wages field.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Total Wages Indicator
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• TW-IND ≠ R, C, E, H, K, L, M, N, P, S, W, X, or blank.

053 — Taxable Wages Indicator Check

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General Description: This edit checks that the one-position alpha-numeric Taxable Wages
Indicator field contains a valid entry. This data element describes whether the Taxable Wages
data were reported or imputed. If imputed, the indicator describes the type of imputation
performed on the Taxable Wages field.
Location: State only
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Taxable Wages Indicator
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2 or 9, and
• TAXW-IND ≠ R, C, E, H, K, L, M, N, P, X, or blank.
054 — Contribution Due Indicator Check
General Description: This edit checks that the one-position alpha-numeric Contributions
Indicator field contains a valid entry. This data element describes whether the Contributions data
were reported or imputed. If imputed, the indicator describes the type of imputation performed
on the Contributions field.
Location: State only
Edit Level: 4
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Contributions Due Indicator
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2 or 9, and
• CTB-IND ≠ R, C, E, H, K, L, M, N, P, X, or blank.
056 — Federal/Type of Coverage Check
General Description: This edit verifies that all Federal government installations (Ownership
Code 1) are coded with the appropriate Type of Coverage Code (code 9, Federal accounts
covered under Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)). These types of
error conditions are rare but usually occur when new UCFE units are set up with the wrong Type
of Coverage Code.
Location: Both BLS & State systems Level: Micro

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Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Page F-4-14

Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Inconsistent Ownership/Type of Coverage
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN = 1 and
• COVERAGE ≠ 9
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• COVERAGE = 9, and
• OWN > 1
057 — Federal/Taxable Wage Check
General Description: This edit verifies that Taxable Wages are not included on Federal
government records. These problems are rare but sometimes occur because:
• Federal government data have projected Taxable Wages and Contributions from the UI Tax
File or supplemental files
• Contributory accounts are incorrectly assigned the wrong ownership
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Taxable Wages on Federal Record
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN = 1 or COVERAGE = 9, and
• TAXW > 0

058 — Federal/Contributions Check
General Description: This edit verifies that Contributions are not included on Federal
government records. These problems are rare but sometimes occur because:
• Federal government data have projected Taxable Wages and Contributions from the UI Tax
File or supplemental files

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•

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-4-15

Contributory accounts are incorrectly assigned the wrong ownership

Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Contributions on Federal Record
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN = 1 or COVERAGE = 9, and
• CTB > 0
059 — Coverage/Taxable Wage Check
General Description: This edit checks for inconsistencies between the Type of Coverage Code
and the Taxable Wages field. The UI-covered Type of Coverage Code should be 0, 1, 2, 3, or 9
on the EQUI, and may be 8 (non-subject) on State files. The record is flagged if Taxable Wages
are included on a reimbursable record, a reimbursable/employee-funded record, a federal
government record, or on a non-covered record.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Taxable Wages > 0 for Non-Experience-Rated Record
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• COVERAGE = 1, 3, 8, or 9 and
• TAXW > 0
060 — Coverage/Contributions Check
General Description: This edit checks for inconsistencies between the Type of Coverage Code
and the Contributions field. Contributions should be zero on reimbursing records without
employee funding, federal government records, or on non-covered records. Contributions must
not be included on an employer-funded reimbursing record or non-covered record.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Priority: A

Page F-4-16

BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Contributions > 0 for Non-Experience-Rated Record
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• COVERAGE = 1, 8, or 9, and
• CTB > 0
062 — Taxable > Total Wage Check
General Description: This edit ensures that the Taxable Wages are not greater than the Total
Wages. This problem may infrequently occur during the imputation or proration processes or on
the UI extract if there are rounding problems. Significant differences frequently occur when the
employer incorrectly completes the Quarterly Contribution Report (QCR) or if there are possible
scanning problems when reading the QCR.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

Edit Message: Taxable Wages > Total Wages
Edit Conditions:
Flag if both conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• TW < TAXW
063 — Contributions > Taxable Wages Check
General Description: This edit ensures that the Contributions are not greater than the Taxable
Wages. The edit treats Pennsylvania differently to allow for its handling of employee
contributions.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A
Edit Message: Contributions > Taxable Wages
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Exclude, if flagged

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•
•
•

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STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
STATE FIPS ≠ 42 and
COVERAGE = 0 and
TAXW < CTB

Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATE FIPS = 42 and
• COVERAGE = 2 or 3 and
• TAXW < CTB - (TW × EMPLOYEE-TAX-RATE)
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
EMPLOYEE-TAX-RATE

Parameter Name
Employee Tax Rate

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
051

WIN
PK #
003

State
Default
0

BLS
Default
3%
(expressed
as 003000)

064 — Inconsistent MEEI and Reporting Unit Number Check
General Description: This edit checks for consistency between the Reporting Unit Number and
MEEI code. This check ensures that a master record or a single account (MEEI 1, 2, 4 or 6) has
a Reporting Unit Number = 00000 and a sub-unit (MEEI 3 or 5) has a Reporting Unit Number
greater than 00000.
This problem may occur as a single unit is converted to a multi-establishment reporter and the
single unit’s MEEI code is changed to 3 or 5. In these cases, the single unit should typically be
changed to the master record, and separate records should be set up for each worksite as
appropriate. The new worksites should have MEEI codes of 3 or 5 and Reporting Unit Numbers
greater than 00000.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Level: Micro
Edit Level: 4
Edit Type: Invalid
Priority: A
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged
Edit Message: MEEI/RUN Inconsistent
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• MEEI = 1, 2, 4, or 6, and
• RUN > 00000
Flag if all of the conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• MEEI = 3 or 5, and

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Page F-4-18

RUN = 00000

065 — Inconsistent County and Township Codes Check
General Description: This edit checks for valid County code /Township code configurations for
New England States (including, for this purpose, New Jersey). For these States,
County/Township consistency editing verifies that the Township code on each record is valid for
the specified county. Township codes can be used by any State on their own Micro files;
however, Township codes from Non-New England States are zero-filled on EQUI submittals.
This edit is only performed for New England States (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont), or New Jersey.
Location: Both State & BLS systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Inconsistent County/Township Combination
Edit Condition (only for Township States):
• Bypass if STATUS is 3 or 9.
• Bypass if STATE ≠ 09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50.
Flag if both of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• TOWN ≠ valid for the associated STATE.
Flag if both of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• CNTY and TOWN are inconsistent based on lookup tables.

MEEI
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6
1-6

These are valid combinations for county and township equivalent codes:
County/Township
MEEI County/Township
valid county/valid town
1-6
999/999
combination
valid county code/999
1-6
996/999
valid county code/995
1-6
995/995
996/996
1-6
995/999
999/valid township or 995, 996,
2
900/900
or 998
998/999
2
valid county code including 900,
995, 996, 998, and 999/900

Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2 and

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Page F-4-19

QTR = 1 and
MEEI ≠ 2 and
ARS REFILE YEAR = current Refiling year and
RESPONSE CODE = 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 and
TOWN ≠ valid for the associated STATE.

Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2 and
• QTR = 1 and
• MEEI ≠ 2 and
• ARS REFILE YEAR = current Refiling year and
• RESPONSE CODE = 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 and
• CNTY and TOWN are inconsistent based on lookup tables.

MEEI
1, 3-6
1, 3-6
1, 3-6
1, 3-6
1, 3-6

These are valid combinations for county and township equivalent codes:
County/Township
MEEI
County/Township
valid county/valid town combination
1, 3-6
999/999
valid county code/999
1, 3-6
996/999
valid county code/995
1, 3-6
995/995
996/996
1, 3-6
995/999
998/999
1, 3-6
999/valid township or 995, 996, or
998

066 — Predecessor Account Format Check
General Description: This edit ensures that both the Predecessor Reporting Unit Number and the
Predecessor UI Account Number are present, if one or the other is present. If the Predecessor UI
Account Number is not blank, then the Predecessor Reporting Unit Number cannot be blank.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Format in Predecessor Account
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• PRED UI# ≠ blank and
• PRED RUN is blank and
• AMEc > PRED-SUCC-AME.
Flag if all conditions are met:

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June 2007

•
•
•

Page F-4-20

STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
PRED RUN ≠ blank and
PRED UI# is blank.

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
PRED-SUCC-AME

Parameter Name
Predecessor and
Successor AME Cutoff

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
006

WIN
PK #
004

State
Default
0

BLS
Default
0

067 — Successor Account Format Check
General Description: This edit ensures that both the Successor Reporting Unit Number and the
Successor UI Account Number are present, if one or the other is present. If the Successor UI
Account Number is not blank, then the Successor Reporting Unit Number cannot be blank. This
edit checks inactive records (Status Code = 2) because their Successor SESA IDs are often
needed to link predecessors to successors.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Format in Successor Account
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 3 or 9, and
• SUCC UI# ≠ blank and
• SUCC RUN is blank and
• AMEc > PRED-SUCC-AME.
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 3 or 9, and
• SUCC RUN ≠ blank and
• SUCC UI# is blank.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
PRED-SUCC-AME

Parameter Name
Predecessor And
Successor AME Cutoff

Length
6

EXPO WIN
PK # PK #
006
004

State
Default
0

BLS
Default
0

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-4-21

070 — Address Edits
General Description: record has as many as three possible addresses (physical location,
Mailing/Other, and UI address). These addresses are field specific on the State and BLS Micro
files and on the EQUI files. To pass this edit, records must contain one full, mailable address
that meets postal regulations. To test for usability and mailable in at least one address, the system
examines each address field separately, then blocks the fields together as an individual address,
and then compares the blocked addresses to determine if any block meets all editing
requirements.
An Address block is defined as having
• Street Line - 1
• Street Line - 2
• City
• State
• Zip Code
• Zip Extension.
If at least one address block passes the edits, then all flags are counted but only a limited number
of fields (where appropriate) will be listed for review. If none of the address blocks pass the
edits, the system will list all three addresses so that the reviewer will have all information readily
available to resolve the address problems for that record. At least one full block must be
corrected before the address data are acceptable. UI Addresses can not be updated in State
systems.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: No Useable Address
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Bypass if OWN = 1. (Continue if OWN > 1.)
1. Edit each field of all the addresses separately (the specifications are listed with each data field
below for edits 102-114).
2. If all fields in the address block pass the individual edits, then the address block also passes.
3. If any field in the address block fails an edit, then the address block also fails:
• the Physical Location address block fails if edits 102-104, or 114 are flagged or PLA is
missing.
• the Mailing/Other address block fails if edits 109-111 are flagged or Mailing/Other
address is missing.
• the UI address block fails if edits 106-108 are flagged or UI address is missing.

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-4-22

4. If all three address blocks are blank and if the record has an MEEI code of 3 or 5, then copy a
clean, usable address from the master record, if possible, as described in the system actions
below. Otherwise, flag the record with code 070.
5. If all 3 address blocks pass the edits, continue editing other fields or records, as appropriate.
6. Identify the address blocks that have flags. Pass or flag edit 070 based on the following
table:
PLA address block UIA address block MOA address block Flag edit 070?
(edits 102-104,114) (edits 106-108)
(edits 109-111)
Pass
Pass or flag or
Pass or flag or
Pass
missing
missing
Pass or flag or
Pass
Pass or flag or
Pass
missing
missing
Pass or flag or
Pass or flag or
Pass
Pass
missing
missing
Flag or missing
Flag or missing
Flag or missing
Pass if AME <
ADDRESS-AME
Flag or missing
Flag or missing
Flag or missing
Flag if AME >
ADDRESS-AME
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
ADDRESS-AME

Parameter Name
Length
Address Edit Cutoff
6

EXPO WIN
PK # PK #
069
095

State
Default
5

BLS
Default
5

State System Actions:
1. If any address contains all zeroes in one of the following fields, the system will blank out the
field: Street Address Line 1, Street Address Line 2, City, or State Abbreviation. (This system
action occurs before editing.)
2. For any address, if Address Line 1 is blank but Address Line 2 is not, the State systems move
the contents of Line 2 to Line 1. When the State systems print addresses onto forms, the
system will not print a blank street address line.
3. When the State Abbreviation = ZZ or CN, the State systems do not print the ZZ or CN onto
forms. (The country or province name/abbreviation required by the Post Office should be
present at the end of the City field.)
4. For multis, if a master’s Mailing/Other Address is present and passes all address edits, but any
subunit has no useable address, then the State systems copy the Mailing/Other Address from
the master to the subunit. Note that if a subunit had earlier been flagged for having no clean
address, this system action should remove the flag.
5. For multis, if a master’s Mailing/Other Address is unavailable, and its UI Address is present
and passes all address edits, and any subunit has no useable address, then the State systems
copy the UI Address from the master to the subunit's UI Address. Note that if a subunit had
earlier been flagged for having no clean address, this system action should remove the flag.

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-4-23

072 — Blank Name Check
General Description: This edit ensures that either a Trade Name (DBA) or a Legal Name is
present on each record. An employment parameter is used. This allows some leeway
particularly for new accounts where complete information may not be immediately available.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Both Trade Name and Legal Name are Blank
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• AME > NAME-AME and
• TRADE NAME blank and
• LEGAL NAME blank.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
NAME-AME

Parameter Name
Name AME

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
070

WIN
PK #
096

State
Default
3

BLS
Default
3

State System Action:
When printing forms, if Trade Name and Legal Name are the same, the system only prints one
name.
074 — Old Ownership Code Check
General Description: This edit verifies that the non-quarterly Old Ownership field, if present,
contains a valid code. Where the record has a valid Ownership code in the most recent fourth
quarter and fourth quarter is active, the system uses this code to update the Old Ownership. The
Old Ownership is essential for generating the CCS file. This edit is only performed when the
Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and MEEI code qualify the record for the CCS. MEEI 2
records are not included on the CCS.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B
Edit Message: Invalid Old Ownership
Edit Conditions:

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-4-24

Bypass if QTR = 1 and STATUS = 3.
Bypass if ARS REFILE YEAR ≠ FISCAL-YEAR.
Bypass if RESPONSE CODE ≠ 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77.
Bypass if MEEI of the most recent first quarter = 2 or if the MEEI of the most recent fourth
quarter = 2.
[In BLS system only: Bypass if OLD OWN is blank.]
Flag if OLD OWN ≠ 1, 2, 3, or 5.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter Parameter Name Length
Fiscal Year
4
FISCAL-YEAR

EXPO WIN
PK # PK # State Default
—
— Processing or
fiscal year for
current refiling

BLS Default
Current processing year,
or fiscal year for the
refiling just completed

System Action: If Old Ownership is invalid or not equal to the valid fourth quarter Ownership,
the State systems replace the Old Ownership with the valid, active fourth quarter Ownership
code in the year prior to the refile year. If CCS is locked, the system will not run this edit.
075 — Old County Code Check
General Description: This edit verifies that the non-quarterly Old County field, if present,
contains a valid code. Where the record has a valid County code in the most recent fourth
quarter and fourth quarter is active, the system uses this code to update the Old County. The Old
County is essential for generating the CCS file. This edit is only performed when the Response
Code, ARS Refile Year, and MEEI code qualify the record for the CCS. MEEI 2 records are not
included on the CCS.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Old County
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if QTR = 1 and STATUS = 3.
Bypass if ARS REFILE YEAR ≠ FISCAL-YEAR.
Bypass if RESPONSE CODE ≠ 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77.
Bypass if MEEI of the most recent first quarter = 2 or if the MEEI of the most recent fourth
quarter = 2.
[In BLS system only: Bypass if OLD COUNTY is blank.]
Flag if OLD CNTY ≠ valid County code nor 995, 996, 998, nor 999.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Length
Name
4
FISCAL-YEAR Fiscal Year

EXPO
PK #
—

WIN State Default
PK #
— Processing or
fiscal year
for current
refiling

Page F-4-25

BLS Default
Current processing
year, or fiscal year for
the refiling just
completed

System Action: If Old County is invalid or not equal to the valid fourth quarter County, the State
systems replace the Old County with the valid, active fourth quarter County code in the year
prior to the refile year. If the CCS is locked, the system will not run this edit.
076 — Old County/Township Code Check
General Description: This edit verifies that the non-quarterly Old Township field, if present, is
valid and consistent with the Old County code. This edit is only used for New England States
(including, for this purpose, New Jersey). Where the record has a valid Township code in the
most recent fourth quarter and fourth quarter is active, the system uses this code to update the
Old Township. The Old Township is used for generating the CCS file in New England States
and New Jersey. This edit is only performed when the Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and
MEEI code qualify the record for the CCS. MEEI 2 records are not included on the CCS.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Old County/Old Township Combination
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if QTR = 1 and STATUS = 3.
Bypass if ARS REFILE YEAR ≠ FISCAL-YEAR (the current refiling year).
Bypass if RESPONSE CODE ≠ 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77.
Bypass if the State is not Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Vermont, or New Jersey (if STATE ≠ 09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50).
Bypass if MEEI of the most recent first quarter = 2 or if the MEEI of the most recent fourth
quarter = 2.
In BLS system only: Bypass if OLD CNTY and OLD TOWN are blank.
Flag if the OLD CNTY/OLD TOWN combination is not a valid county/township
combination for the State or is not an acceptable combination of county/township equivalent
codes.

June 2007

MEEI
1, 3-6
1, 3-6
1, 3-6
1, 3-6
1, 3-6

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-4-26

These are valid combinations for county and township equivalent codes:
County/Township
MEEI
County/Township
valid county/valid town combination
1, 3-6
999/999
valid county code/999
1, 3-6
996/999
valid county code/995
1, 3-6
995/995
996/996
1, 3-6
995/999
998/999
1, 3-6
999/valid township or 995, 996, or 998

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Length
Name
Fiscal
4
FISCAL-YEAR
Year

EXPO
PK #
—

WIN
PK #
—

State Default

BLS Default

Processing or
Current processing
fiscal year for year, or fiscal year for
current refiling
the refiling just
completed

System Action: If Old Township is invalid or not equal to the valid fourth quarter Township, the
State systems replace the Old Township with the valid, active fourth quarter Township code in
the year prior to the refile year. If the CCS is locked, the system will not run this edit.
078 — Old NAICS Code Check
General Description: This edit verifies that the non-quarterly Old NAICS field, if present,
contains a valid code. Where the record has a valid NAICS code in the most recent fourth
quarter and fourth quarter is active, the system uses this code to update the Old NAICS field.
The Old NAICS is used for generating the CCS file. This edit is only performed when the
Response Code, ARS Refile Year, and MEEI code qualify the record for the CCS. MEEI 2
records are not included on the CCS.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Invalid Old NAICS Code
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if QTR = 1 and STATUS = 3.
Bypass if ARS REFILE YEAR ≠ FISCAL-YEAR.
Bypass if RESPONSE CODE ≠ 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77.
Bypass if MEEI of the most recent first quarter = 2 or if the MEEI of the most recent fourth
quarter = 2.
[In BLS system only: Bypass if OLD NAICS is blank.]
Flag if OLD NAICS ≠ valid 6-digit 2002-based NAICS code in 2007/1 processing.

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-4-27

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
FISCALYEAR

Parameter Length
Name
Fiscal
4
Year

EXPO
PK #

WIN
PK #

—

—

State Default

BLS Default

Processing or
fiscal year for
current
refiling

Current processing
year, or fiscal year for
the refiling just
completed

System Action: If Old NAICS is invalid or not equal to the valid fourth quarter NAICS, the
State systems replace the Old NAICS with the valid, active fourth quarter NAICS code in the
year prior to the refile year. If the CCS is locked, the system will not run this edit.
080 — Indian Tribal Indicator Ownership/NAICS Conflict Check
General Description: The Indian Tribal Ownership/NAICS Conflict edit looks for situations in
which the ownership and/or NAICS is/are incompatible with the Indian Tribal Indicator. When
the T indicator is used, the ownership code should always be 3. When the NAICS code is
921150, the indicator should also be a T. Note that it is possible for records in ownership 3 with
many other NAICS codes to be valid with an indicator of T as well. For instance, a federally
recognized tribe running a gambling casino would be coded in 713210 and ownership 3 with a
special indicator of T. Note also that edit 016 checks the NAICS and ownership combination for
industry 921150.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 4
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Pub Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Indian Tribal Indicator Inconsistent with NAICS or OWN
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9 and
• SPECIAL INDICATOR = T and
• OWN ≠ 3.
Flag if all conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9 and
• NAICS = 921150 and
• SPECIAL INDICATOR ≠ T

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Page F-4-28

085 — Potential Predecessor Check
General Description: An existing or new account receives a significant number of its employees
from one primary contributing account based on information from matching wage records. A
check of wage record shows that many of the wage records were previously reported to a
different account. That previous wage record reporter may be a potential predecessor to the
account being edited.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Potential Predecessor (UI #) found based on Wage Records
EXPO and WIN Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are true:
• OWNc = 5
• STATUSc ≠ 2, 3, or 9
• MEEIc ≠ 3 or 5
• COVERAGEc = 0
• Each of the 6 earlier quarters has either
M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND = R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank
OR
STATUS = 2, 3, or 9 (In other words, the earlier quarters may be a combination
of = R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank employment indicators or STATUS 2, 3, or
9)
• AMEc > POTENTIAL-PS-EMP
• No positively identified predecessor information (ignore possible predecesssors) is found
for the current time period in the predecessor/successor or other files.
• LWRCC (reported to account in current quarter but reported to someone else in the prior
quarter) > AMEc × PPS-EMP%
If flagged, bypass edits 096 and 139.
BLS Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are true:
• OWNc = 5
• STATUSc ≠ 2, 3, or 9
• MEEIc ≠ 3 or 5
• COVERAGEc = 0
• Each of the 6 earlier quarters has either
M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND = R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank
OR

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June 2007

•
•
•

Page F-4-29

STATUS = 2, 3, or 9 (In other words, the earlier quarters may be a combination
of = R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank employment indicators or STATUS 2, 3, or
9)
AMEc > POTENTIAL-PS-EMP
No supplemental predecessor/successor records in current quarter that identify one or
more predecessors
LWRCC > AMEc × PPS-EMP%

If flagged, bypass edits 096 and 139.
System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible predecessor LWRC UI either in the
error message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. (2) Allow States to run these
edits separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon
access to wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (3) Exclude the
reference account from being its own predecessor.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
POTENTIAL-PS-EMP
PPS-EMP%

Potential Predecessor/
Successor Employment
Potential Predecessor/
Successor Employment
Percentage

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
?

WIN
PK #
?

State
Default
100

BLS
Default
100

6

?

?

75

75

086 — Potential Successor Check
General Description: An existing account is delinquent or possibly inactive. A comparison of
wage records reported to the account in a prior quarter are now reported by one primary
receiving account in the current quarter. The recipient of those wage records may be a potential
successor.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Potential Successor (UI #) found based on Wage Records
EXPO and WIN Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are true:
• OWNp = 5

June 2007

•
•
•
•

•
•
•

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Page F-4-30

STATUSp ≠ 2, 3, or 9
MEEIp ≠ 3 or 5
COVERAGEp = 0
The current quarter has either
M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND = R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank
OR
STATUS = 2, 3, or 9 (In other words, the current quarter may be a combination of
= R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank employment indicators or STATUS 2, 3, or 9)
AMEp > POTENTIAL-PS-EMP
No positively identified successor information (ignore possible sucessors) is found for the
current time period in the predecessor/successor or other files.
LWRRC (reported to account in prior quarter but reported to someone else in the current
quarter) > AMEp × PPS-EMP%

If flagged, bypass edits 097 and 140.
BLS Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are true:
• OWNp = 5
• STATUSp ≠ 2, 3, or 9
• MEEIp ≠ 3 or 5
• COVERAGEp = 0
• The current quarter has either
M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND = = R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank
OR
STATUS = 2, 3, or 9 (In other words, the current quarter may be a combination of
= R, C, E, H, K, M, N, X, or blank employment indicators or STATUS 2, 3, or 9)
• AMEp > POTENTIAL-PS-EMP
• No supplemental predecessor/successor records in current quarter that identify one or
more successors
• LWRRC > AMEp × PPS-EMP%
If flagged, bypass edits 097 and 140.
System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible successor either in the error
message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. (2) Allow States to run these edits
separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon access to
wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (3) Exclude the reference
account from being its own successor.

June 2007

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
POTENTIAL-PS-EMP
PPS-EMP%

Length

Potential Predecessor/
Successor Employment
Potential Predecessor/
Successor Employment
Percentage

Page F-4-31

6

EXPO
PK #
?

WIN
PK #
?

State
Default
100

BLS
Default
100

6

?

?

75

75

088 — Large Record without Usable PLA Check
General Description: Each record has as many as three possible addresses (physical location,
Mailing/Other, and UI address). These addresses are field specific on the State and BLS Micro
files and on the EQUI files. To pass this edit, records must contain a full Physical Location
address that can be geocoded. To test for usability and the ability to geocode the Physical
Location Address, the system examines each address field separately, then blocks the fields
together as an individual address, and then compares the blocked address to determine if it meets
all editing requirements.
A Physical Location Address block is defined as having
• PLA Street Line - 1
• PLA Street Line - 2
• PLA City
• PLA State
• PLA Zip Code
• PLA Zip Extension.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Level: Micro
Edit Level: 6
Edit Type: Warning
Priority: B
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged
Edit Message: Large Record Without Usable PLA
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Bypass if OWN = 1-3. (Continue if OWN = 5.)
Bypass if MEEI = 2, 4 or 5.
Bypass if CNTY = 995, 996, 998, or 999
Bypass if AME < LARGE-PLA-ADDRESS-AME-CUTOFF
Flag if either condition is met:
• All of the PL address fields are blank or missing, or
• The record's PL address is flagged for any other PLA edit (for edit 102, 103, 104, or 114).

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-4-32

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
LARGE-PLA-ADDRESS-AME

Parameter Name Length
Large PLA
6
Address Cutoff

EXPO WIN
PK # PK #
080
099

State
Default
100

BLS
Default
100

State System Actions:
If the PLA contains all zeroes in one of the following fields, the system will blank out the field:
Street Address Line 1, Street Address Line 2, City, or State Abbreviation. (This system
action occurs before editing.)

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-5-1

Level 5 Edit Descriptions – Large Record Employment and
Wage Edits
Several of the employment and wage edits are divided into significant changes (Level 5) and
important but not as large changes (Level 6). This was done to help reviewers focus first on
those changes that have the greatest impact on the data. Most of these edits are performed at
both the micro and macro level.
These edits identify
• Fluctuations over time in employment or wages,
• Significantly large new or discontinued records,
• Records with high wages but no employment, or
• Records with high employment but no wages.
Most of these records warrant further review, possible corrections, and usually some explanation
if not corrected. Problems can be researched
• Using wage records,
• Using UI correspondences or supplemental information,
• Using similar units of a multi-establishment employer, similar employers in the cell, or
• By contacting the employer.
089 — Large Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 1 (WIN-202)
General Description: Edits 089 and 136 look for unusual employment fluctuations in month 1
employment. Larger fluctuations flag with code 089, while smaller (but still questionable)
fluctuations flag with code 136. These two edits are only used in the WIN-202 System (EXPO
and BLS use 091 and 126 instead).
See edit 091 for a full description.
Location: WIN-202 System only
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Month 1 Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
Edit Conditions: See Edit 091 in this section for details and parameter values
090 — Large Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 2 (WIN-202)
General Description: Edits 090 and 137 look for unusual employment fluctuations in month 2
employment. Larger fluctuations flag with code 090, while smaller (but still questionable)

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Page F-5-2

fluctuations flag with code 137. These two edits are only used in the WIN-202 System (EXPO
and BLS use 091 and 126 instead).
See edit 091 for a full description.
Location: WIN-202 System only
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Month 2 Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
Edit Conditions: See Edit 091 in this section for details and parameter values.
091 — Large Monthly Employment Change Check
General Description: Edit 091 looks for unusual employment fluctuations. The edit works
differently in the WIN-202 System, so the general description is broken out below by system.
EXPO and BLS System: Edits 091 and 126 look for unusual employment fluctuations in all
three months of employment. The largest fluctuations flag with edit code 091, while smaller (but
still questionable) fluctuations flag with code 126. The edit is performed three times for any
given record, once for each month of employment in the quarter. The monthly employment edit
consists of six different tests. If all steps that can be performed fail for any one of those months,
the edit is flagged with either 91 or 126. This edit is performed at both the micro and macro
levels. The edit description for 091 is quite lengthy, and includes an example to illustrate the
process. This edit is attempted three times for any given record, once for each month of
employment in the current quarter. If all steps that can be performed fail for any one of those
months, the edit is flagged with either 091 or 126.
WIN-202 System: Edits 091 and 138 look for unusual employment fluctuations in month 3
employment. Larger fluctuations flag with code 091, while smaller (but still questionable)
fluctuations flag with code 138. This edit consists of six different tests. If all steps that can be
performed fail for month 3 employment, the edit is flagged with either 091 or 138. This edit is
performed at both the micro and macro levels. (Fluctuations in month 1 employment are covered
by edit 089 and 136, and fluctuations in month 2 are covered by edits 090 and 137.)
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message:
EXPO and BLS: Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
WIN-202: Month 3 Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
Definitions:

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Page F-5-3

AME = (month 1 employment + month 2 employment + month 3 employment)/3
AMEy = AME from the quarter one year ago from the current quarter
MC = employment of the current quarter month that is being tested (month 1, month 2,
or month 3)
MCy = employment of the month one year ago from MC (if MC = month 1 employment, MCy =
month 1 employment one year ago; if MC = month 2 employment, MCy = month 2
employment one year ago; and if MC = month 3 employment, MCy = month 3
employment one year ago)
MP = month preceding MC (if MC = month 1 employment, MP = month 3 employment of the
prior quarter; if MC = month 2 employment, MP = month 1 employment of the current
quarter; and if MC = month 3 employment, MP = month 2 of the current quarter)
Subscripts of c refer to the current quarter
Subscripts of y refer to the quarter one year ago from the current quarter (e.g., MCy = current
month, one year ago)
Subscripts of p refer to the prior quarter
Micro Edit Conditions

Edit Conditions:
Bypass the edit if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9 in the current quarter.
A. SMALL RECORD BYPASS
Condition:
• Max(M1p, M2p, M3p, M1c, M2c, M3c) < SMALL-REC-BYPASS
If the condition is true, bypass the edit. (stop - do not fail this edit for any of the three months of
employment.)
If the condition is false, go to B. (Continue to 'NO HISTORY BYPASS.')
B. NO HISTORY BYPASS
Condition:
• All 4 prior quarters have either of the following occur:
- M1-IND and M2-IND and M3-IND = M, N, or X
OR
- STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
If the condition is true, bypass the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for any of the three months of
employment. This record may receive 096 or 139. See edit 096 for details.)

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Page F-5-4

If the condition is false, continue with the C, PRELIMINARY STEP.’
EXPO and BLS: Steps C through J are performed on all three months of employment
WIN-202: Steps C through J are performed only on month 3 employment .
C. PRELIMINARY STEP
(i) Conditions:
• Employment indicator code for current month one year ago (MCy-IND) = M, N, or X
•

and MCy = 0
Employment indicator code for preceding month (MP-IND) = M, N, or X and MP = 0

If both conditions are true, continue with step (ii) of 'preliminary step'
If either of the conditions is false, go to D (continue with 'step 1')
(ii) Conditions:
• |MC – MP| ≥ EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME × EMPL-CHECK-MULTIPLIER (regardless of MP-IND)
• LOW-EMPL-MAX-DIFF < |MC-MP| < EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME × EMPL-CHECK-MULTIPLIER
If the 1st condition is true, flag with edit code 091 for that month.
If the 2nd condition is true, flag with edit code 126 in EXPO and BLS or 138 in WIN-202 for that
month.
If both conditions are false, bypass the rest of the edit for that month (stop - does not fail this edit
for month being tested).
D. STEP 1 – Current Month to preceding month -- absolute change
(i) Condition:
• Employment indicator code for preceding month (MP-IND) = M, N, or X
If the condition is true, go to G (bypass steps 1, 2, and 3 and continue with 'step 4')
If the condition is false, continue with step (ii) of 'step 1'
(ii) Conditions:
1)
• AMEp < EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME
• ⎜MC – MP⎜ > LOW-EMPL-MAX-DIFF
OR
2)
•
•

AMEp ≥ EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME
⎜MC – MP ⎜ > HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF

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June 2007

Page F-5-5

If either pair of conditions is true, go to E (continue with 'step 2').
If both pairs of conditions are false, bypass the rest of the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for
month being tested).
E. STEP 2 – Current month to preceding month -- percent change
Conditions:
1)
If both of the following occur:
• Number of months where M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND ≠ M, N, or X and
STATUS = 1 from the four prior quarters ≥ 6, and
• ⎜( MC – MP)⎜ > HIGH-REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MP
OR
2)

If both of the following occur:
• Number of months where M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND ≠ M, N, or X and
STATUS = 1 from the four prior quarters < 6
• ⎜( MC – MP )⎜ > REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MP

If 1st condition is true, go to F (continue with 'step 3').
If 2nd condition is true, go to G (bypass 'step 3' and continue with 'step 4').
If both pairs of conditions are false, bypass the rest of the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for
month being tested).
F. STEP 3 – T-test
Identify the largest employment value and smallest employment value in the four prior quarters.
Exclude months with an employment indicator code MX-IND of M, N, or X or STATUS ≠ 1.
Let RANGE = Largest Employment Value in four prior quarters – Smallest Employment Value
in four prior quarters.
Determine T-Value from table where n = total number of available months in four prior quarters
(include only months with employment indicator code MX-IND ≠ M, N, or X and STATUS =
1).
n
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

T-Value
2.571
2.447
2.365
2.306
2.262
2.228
2.201

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Page F-5-6

Let M_TOL = T-Value × √2 × (RANGE/6)
Condition:
• ⎜ MC – MP ⎜ > M_TOL
If condition is true, go to G (continue with 'step 4').
If condition is false, bypass the rest of the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for month being
tested).
G. STEP 4 – Current month to year-ago month -- absolute change
(i) Condition:
• Employment indicator code for current month one year ago (MCy-IND) = M, N, or X
If the condition is true, go to J (bypass steps 4, 5, and 6 and continue to 'determining edit level')
If the condition is false, continue with step (ii) of 'step 4'
(ii) Conditions:
(1)
• AMEy < EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME
• ⎜MC – MCy⎜ > LOW-EMPL-MAX-DIFF
OR
(2)
•
•

AMEy ≥ EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME
⎜MC – MCy⎜ > HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF

If either pair of conditions is true, go to H (continue with 'step 5')
If both pairs of conditions are false, bypass the rest of the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for
month being tested)
H. STEP 5 – Current month to year ago month -- percent change
Conditions:
(1)
• Number of available months employment in previous four quarters ≥ 6 (include only
months with M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND ≠ M, N, or X and STATUS = 1)
• ⎜(MC – MCy)⎜ > HIGH-REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MCy
OR

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Page F-5-7

(2)
•
•

Number of available months’ employment in previous four quarters < 6 (include only
months with employment indicator code MX-IND ≠ M, N, or X and STATUS = 1)
⎜(MC – MCy)⎜ > REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MCy

If condition (1) is true, go to I (continue with 'step 6')
If condition (2) is true, go to J (continue to 'determining edit level')
If both pairs of conditions are false, bypass the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for month being
tested)
I. STEP 6 – Current month to year-ago month -- t-test
Condition:
•
⎜MC – MCy⎜ > M_TOL (M_TOL is defined in 'step 3')
If condition is true, go to J (continue to 'determining edit level')
If condition is false, continue with the following comparison between the First Month of the
Current Quarter and the Last Month of the Prior Quarter:
Conditions:
•
|M1c – M3p| > BETWEEN-QUARTERS-ABS-DIFF
•
|M1c – M3p| > BETWEEN-QUARTERS-PERCENT-DIFF × M3p
Defaults for the parms are BETWEEN-QUARTERS-ABS-DIFF = 500 and BETWEEN-QUARTERS-PERCENTDIFF = 0.10
If both conditions are true, go to J (continue to 'determining edit level')
If either of the conditions is false, bypass the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for month being
tested).
J. DETERMINING EDIT LEVEL
Condition:
• ⎜MC – MP⎜ > EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME × EMPL-CHECK-MULTIPLIER
If condition is true, flag with edit 091.
If condition is false, flag with edit 126 in EXPO and BLS and 138 in WIN-202.
EXPO and BLS: If one of the three months receives a 091 or a 126, the record receives that edit
code. If one month receives a 091 and another receives a 126, the record receives a 091.
WIN-202: Edits 089/136 and 090/137 follow these same rules. Anything receiving what would
have been a 091/138 edit had it been month 3 employment would receive a 089/136 in month 1
or a 090/137 in month 2.

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June 2007

Page F-5-8

EDITING UPDATES TO PREVIOUS QUARTERS
States extract or update data up to four quarters earlier than the current processing quarter.
Updates include corrections to reported data and the replacement of estimates with reported data.
However, there are limited quarters of historical data available on the database. Since all updates
should be edited, even it they are from four quarters back, the normal micro edits described
earlier do not have enough historical data available to perform all the tests. If fewer tests were
performed, a record would have fewer opportunities to pass the edits. This would cause updates
to the earliest quarters to be more likely to flag. Therefore, the data that are used to edit back
quarters will not be restricted to data from prior to the quarter being edited, but may also include
quarters that are more recent than the quarter being reviewed.
A. Quarters to Use for T-Test (Steps 3 and 6)
For the t-test, the editing of updates to previous quarters may involve using data from any of the
historical quarters on the file. Twelve months of data must be used to perform the test. The
following table shows which quarters to use when performing the t-test.
For example, if the current quarter was 2003/1 and an update was made to 2002/3, the T-Test
would use data from 2003/1, 2002/4, 2002/2, and 2002/1 to edit the updated record.

Quarters to
Use
Current
Current – 1
Current – 2
Current – 3
Current – 4
Current – 5

Current – 1

Quarter Being Updated
Current – 2 Current – 3 Current – 4
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

Current – 5

X
X
X
X

B. Quarter to Use for Seasonality Test (Steps 4 and 5)
For the seasonality test portion of the employment edit, the updated employment data must be
compared to data from the same month from the quarter either four quarters before or four
quarters after the quarter being edited. Thus, for updates to the two oldest quarters on the file,
the comparison will be to the quarter that is four quarters after the updated quarter. For the
quarter that immediately precedes the current quarter, the comparison will be to the quarter that
is four quarters before the updated quarter. The following table illustrates the appropriate
quarters that are used. Note that the seasonality test cannot be performed for updates to the
quarters that precede the current quarter by two or three quarters.

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June 2007

Quarters to
Use
Current
Current – 1
Current – 2
Current – 3
Current – 4
Current – 5

Current – 1

Page F-5-9

Quarter Being Updated
Current – 2 Current – 3 Current – 4

Current – 5

X
X

X

Micro Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter

Parameter Name
Small Record Bypass
Employment Check
EMPL-CHECKMultiplier
MULTIPLIER
EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME Split Level For
Employment Difference
Low Employment
LOW-EMPL-MAXMaximum Employment
DIFF
Difference
High Employment
HIGH-EMPL-MAXMaximum Employment
DIFF
Difference
Employment Percent
HIGH-REPORTINGChange Limit For > 6
PCT-CHG
Reported Months
REPORTING-PCT-CHG Employment Percent
Change Limit For < 6
Reported Months
Between quarters
BETWEENQUARTERS-ABS-DIFF absolute difference
Between quarters percent
BETWEENQUARTERS-PERCENT- difference
SMALL-REC-BYPASS

Length
2
2

EXPO
PK #
071
053

WIN
PK #
085
010

State
Default
25
10

BLS
Default
100
10

2

010

005

20

20

2

011

006

10

15

2

012

007

30

40

2

013

008

10

10

2

014

009

30

30

6

?

?

500

500

2

?

?

0.10

0.10

DIFF

Macro Edit Conditions
A. SMALL RECORD BYPASS
(i) Condition:
• Max(M1c, M2c, M3c, M1p, M2p, M3p) < SMALL-MACRO-REC-BYPASS
If the condition is true, bypass the edit (stop - does not fail this edit for any of the 3 months)

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Page F-5-10

If the condition is false, continue to step (ii) of the pre-edit
(ii) Let NumEstabc = number of establishments in the current quarter with non-zero total wages
or at least one non-zero month of employment
Let NumEstabp =
number of establishments in the prior quarter with non-zero total wages or
at least one non-zero month of employment
Let NumEstablMultiplier = 0.5 × MIN(NumEstabc, NumEstabp)
If NumEstablMultiplier < 1, let NumEstablMultiplier = 1
Else let NumEstabMultiplier = Round(NumEstablMultiplier)
{rounding is done to the nearest whole number}
If NumEstablMultiplier > NUM-ESTABL-LIMIT, let NumEstablMultiplier = NUM-ESTABL-LIMIT
Go to B (continue with 'pre-edit').
EXPO AND BLS: Steps B through I are performed on all three months of employment!
WIN-202: Steps B through I are performed on month 3 only!
B. PRE-EDIT
Conditions:
(1)
• Each of the four prior quarters has Number of Establishment = 0
OR
(2)
•
•
•

Each of the two prior quarters has Number of Establishments = 0
Mc = First Non-Zero Emp
Mc < NONZERO-EMPL-CUTOFF

•
•

Each of the two prior quarters has Number of Establishments = 0
Mc = 0

OR
(3)

If (1) OR (2) OR (3) is true, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail this edit for month being
tested.)
If both conditions are false, go to C. (Continue with 'step 1.')
EXPO and BLS: If the first nonzero month of employment is month 1 and the number of
establishments in the two prior quarters is zero, continue to edit month 2 and month 3 through

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Page F-5-11

edits 091/126. If the first nonzero month of employment is month 2, continue to edit month 3
through edits 091/126.
C. STEP 1 - Minor Fluctuation Test—Absolute Difference:
Conditions:
(1)
• AMEp < (NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME)
• | MC – MP | > (NumEstablMultiplier × LOW-EMPL-MAX-DIFF)
OR
(2)
• AMEp > (NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME)
• | MC – MP | > (NumEstablMultiplier × HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF)
If either pair of conditions is true go to D. (Continue with 'step 2.')
If both pairs of conditions are false, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail this edit for month
being tested.)
D. STEP 2 - Minor Fluctuation Test—Percent Change:
Conditions:
(1)
• Number of available months (including month1, month 2, and month 3) of available
employment (in quarters where the number of establishments > 0) from the four prior
quarters > 6
•

| MC – MP | > (HIGH-REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MP)

•

Number of available months (including month 1, month 2, and month 3) of available
employment (in quarters where the number of establishments > 0) from the four prior
quarters < 6
| MC – MP | > (REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MP)

OR
(2)

•

If (1) is true, go to E. (Continue with 'step 3.')
If (2) is true, go to F. (Continue with 'step 4.')
If both (1) and (2) are false, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail this edit for month being
tested.)
E. STEP 3 - t-test:

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June 2007

Page F-5-12

•

Identify the largest monthly employment value and smallest monthly employment value
in the 12 months in the four prior quarters. Exclude months in quarters with Number of
Establishments = 0.

•

Let RANGE = largest employment value in four prior quarters– smallest employment
value in four prior quarters

Determine t-Value from table where n = total number of available months in four prior quarters
(excluding months in quarters with Number of Establishments = 0)
n
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
•

T-Value
2.571
2.447
2.365
2.306
2.262
2.228
2.201

Let M_TOL = t-Value × √2 × (RANGE/6)

Condition:
• | MC – MP | > M_TOL
If the condition is true, go to F. (Continue with 'step 4.')
If the condition is false, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail this edit for month being tested.)
F. STEP 4 - Seasonality Fluctuation Test—Absolute Difference:
Conditions:
(1)
•
•

AMEy < (NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME)
|MC - MCy| > (NumEstablMultiplier × LOW-EMPL-MAX-DIFF)

•
•

AMEy > (NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME)
|MC - MCy| > (NumEstablMultiplier × HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF)

OR
(2)

If either pair of conditions is true, go to G. (Continue with 'step 5.')
If both pairs of conditions are false, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail this edit for month
being tested.)

June 2007

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Page F-5-13

G. STEP 5 - Seasonality Fluctuation Test—Percent Change:
Conditions:
(1)
• Number of available months employment (number of establishments in the quarter ≠zero)
>6
• |MC - MCy | > HIGH-REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MCy
(2)
• Number of available months employment (including month 1, month 2, and month 3) of
available employment (in quarters where the number of establishments > 0) from the 4
prior quarters < 6
• |MC - MCy | > REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MCy
If 1st condition is true, go to H. (Continue with 'step 6.')
If 2nd condition is true, go to I. (Skip 'step 6' and continue with 'edit level.')
If both pairs of conditions are false, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail this edit for month
being tested.)
H. STEP 6 - Seasonality t-test:
Condition:
• |MC - MCy| > M_TOL where (M_TOL is defined in 'step 3')
If condition is true, go to I. (Continue to 'determining edit level.')
If condition is false, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail this edit for month being tested.)
I. DETERMINING EDIT LEVEL
Condition:
• | MC – MP | > (NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME × EMPL-CHECK-MULTIPLIER)
If the condition is true, flag with edit 091.
If the condition is false, flag with edit 126 in EXPO and BLS or 138 in WIN.
EXPO and BLS: If one of the three months receives a 091 or a 126, the record receives that edit
code. If one month receives a 091 and another receives a 126, the record receives a 091.
WIN: Edits 089/136 and 090/137 follow these same rules. Anything receiving what would have
been a 091/138 edit had it been month 3 employment would receive a 089/136 in month 1 or a
090/137 in month 2.

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-5-14

CODE CHANGE INTEGRATION
Editing macro data across years may be impacted by noneconomic code changes. For example,
a large micro record that changed its industry in first quarter due to a noneconomic code change
could cause a large and apparently unexplained change in a macro cell; the micro record would
be in a different macro cell, and the macro cell it came from could have a precipitous drop in
employment. To adjust for cases like this, the first quarter data are temporarily adjusted to
eliminate the effect of the code changes only when the first quarter is the processing quarter (the
quarter being edited). This adjustment is based on the net change for the cell from the Summary
of Differences file, described in Chapter 11. (The only exception to this occurs when there are
two first quarters on the file and the update is to the older first quarter. Whenever this occurs,
there is no CCS or Summary of Differences file for that quarter, so the data cannot be adjusted.)
Non-adjusted data are maintained on the files. If the second quarter of the current year is the
processing quarter, both the first and second quarter data for the current year are left unadjusted
and edited as described in the earlier tables.

EDITING UPDATES TO PREVIOUS QUARTERS
States extract or update data up to four quarters earlier than the current processing quarter.
Updates include corrections to reported data and the replacement of estimates with reported data.
However, there are limited quarters of historical data available on the database. Since all updates
should be edited, even it they are from four quarters back, the normal macro edits described
earlier do not have enough historical data available to perform all the tests. If fewer tests were
performed, a record would have fewer opportunities to pass the edits. This would cause updates
to the earliest quarters to be more likely to flag. Therefore, the data that are used to edit back
quarters will not be restricted to data from prior to the quarter being edited, but may also include
quarters that are more recent than the quarter being reviewed.
A. Quarters to Use for T-Test (Steps 3 and 6)
For the t-test, the editing of updates to previous quarters may involve using data from any of the
historical quarters on the file. Twelve months of data must be used to perform the test. The
following table shows which quarters to use when performing the t-test.
For example, if the current quarter was 2003/1 and an update was made to 2002/3, the t-test
would use data from 2003/1, 2002/4, 2002/2, and 2002/1 to edit the updated record.

Quarters to
Use
Current
Current – 1
Current – 2
Current – 3

Current – 1

Quarter Being Updated
Current – 2 Current – 3 Current – 4
X
X

X
X

X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X

Current – 5

X
X
X

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June 2007

Current – 1

Quarters to
Use
Current – 4
Current – 5

X
X

Page F-5-15

Quarter Being Updated
Current – 2 Current – 3 Current – 4
X

X

Current – 5
X

B. Quarter to Use for Seasonality Test (Steps 4 and 5)
For the seasonality test portion of the employment edit, the updated employment data must be
compared to data from the same month from the quarter either four quarters before or four
quarters after the quarter being edited. Thus, for updates to the two oldest quarters on the file,
the comparison will be to the quarter that is four quarters after the updated quarter. For the
quarter that immediately precedes the current quarter, the comparison will be to the quarter that
is four quarters before the updated quarter. The following table illustrates the appropriate
quarters that are used. Note that the seasonality test cannot be performed for updates to the
quarters that precede the current quarter by two or three quarters.
Current – 1

Quarters to
Use
Current
Current – 1
Current – 2
Current – 3
Current – 4
Current – 5

Quarter Being Updated
Current – 2 Current – 3 Current – 4

Current – 5

X
X

X

Example of Macro 091/126 using State Default Parameters:
Macro data
Number of
M1
M2
M3
Quarter
Establishments
4
3
2
1
Current

4
4
4
3
2

135
82
63
100
180

Current Quarter Micro data:
UI/RUN
M1 Emp
0000000001/00000
0000000002/00000
0000000003/00000
0000000004/00000

100
80
0
0

136
59
63
105
190

101
60
63
110
190

M2 Emp

M3 Emp

100
90
0
0

100
90
0
0

Total Wages
100,000
60,000
0
0

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June 2007

Prior Quarter Micro data:
UI/RUN
M1 Emp
0000000001/00000
0000000002/00000
0000000003/00000
0000000004/00000

90
10
0
0

M2 Emp

M3 Emp

95
10
0
0

90
20
0
0

Page F-5-16

Total Wages
100,000
60,000
10,000
0

A. Example Small Record Bypass:
(i)

Max (135, 136, 101, 82, 59, 60) = 136
Since 136 > 40 (SMALL-MACRO-REC-BYPASS), go to step (ii).

(ii)

NumEstabc = 2
NumEstabp = 3

1

NumEstablMultiplier = 0.5 × Min(NumEstabc, NumEstabp) = 0.5 × Min(2, 3) = 0.5 * 2 =
Go to B (Pre-edit for Month 1).

B. Example Pre-edit (MONTH 1):
Number of Establishments ≠ 0 for all four prior quarters
Go to C (Step 1).
TEST MONTH 1
C. Example Step 1: Minor Fluctuation Test--Absolute Difference (MONTH 1):
MC = Month 1 = 180
MP = Prior Quarter Month 3 = 110
AMEp = (100 + 105 + 110)/3 = 105 ≥ NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME = 1 × 20
=20
| MC – MP | = |180 - 110| = 70 > NumEstablMultiplier × HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF = 1 × 30 = 30
The conditions in (2) are true, so go to D (Step 2).
D. Example Step 2: Minor Fluctuation Test--Percent Change (MONTH 1):
Number of available months in four prior quarters = 12
| MC – MP | = |180 - 110| = 70 > HIGH-REPORTING-PCT-CHG × MP = 0.1 × 110 = 11
The conditions in (1) are true, so go to E (Step 3).

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Page F-5-17

E. Example Step 3: t-test (MONTH 1):
Max(employment in four prior quarters) = Max(100, 105, 110, 63, 63, 63, 82, 59, 60, 135,
136, 101) =136
Min(employment in four prior quarters) = Min(100, 105, 110, 63, 63, 63, 82, 59, 60, 135,
136, 101) = 59
RANGE = maximum employment - minimum employment = 136 - 59 = 77
n - 1 = total number of months available - 1 = 12 -1 =11
t-value = 2.201 when n-1 = 11
M_TOL = t-value × √2 × (RANGE / 6) = 2.201 × √2 × (77/6) = 39.946
| MC – MP | = |180 - 110| = 70 > M_TOL = 39.946
The condition is true, so go to F (Step 4).
F. Example Step 4: Seasonality Fluctuation Test--Absolute Difference (MONTH 1):
AMEy = (135+ 136 + 101)/3 > (NumEstablMultiplier × HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF) = 1 × 20
124 > 20
|MC - MCy| = |180 - 135| > (NumEstablMultiplier × HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF) = 1 × 30
45 > 30
The conditions in (2) are true, so go to G (Step 5).
G. Example Step 5: Seasonality Fluctuation Test--Percent Change (MONTH 1):
Number of available months employment = 12
|MC - MCy | = |180 - 135| > HIGH-REPORTING-PCT-CHG × Mcy = (0.10) × (135)
45 >13.5
The conditions in (2) are true, so go to H (Step 6).
H. Example Step 6: Seasonality t-test (MONTH 1):
|MC - MCy| = |180 - 135| > M_TOL (M_TOL was defined in Step 3)
45 > 39.946
The condition is true, so go to I ‘determining edit level.’)

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-5-18

I. Example Determining Edit Level (MONTH 1):
| Mc – Mp | < (NumEstablMultiplier ×
|180 - 110| < (1) × (20) × (10)
70 < 200

EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME × EMPL-CHECK-MULTIPLIER)

The condition is false, so month 1 receives edit 126 in EXPO and BLS or edit 136 in WIN.
Go to J to test Month 2.
TEST MONTH 2
J. Example Pre-edit (MONTH 1):
Number of Establishments ≠ 0 for all 4 prior quarters.
Go to K (Step 1).
K. Example Step 1: Minor Fluctuation Test--Absolute Difference (MONTH 2):
MC = Month 2 = 190
MP = Month 1 = 180
AMEp = (100 + 105 + 110)/3 = 105 ≥ NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME = 1 × 20
=20
|MC - MP| = |190 - 110| = 10 < NumEstablMultiplier × HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF = 1 × 30 = 30
The 2nd condition in (2) is false, so bypass the rest of the edit for Month 2.
Go to L to test Month 3.
TEST MONTH 3
L. Example Pre-edit (MONTH 1):
Number of Establishments ≠ 0 for all four prior quarters
Go to M (Step 1)
M. Example Step 1: Minor Fluctuation Test--Absolute Difference (MONTH 3):
MC = Month 3 = 190
MP = Month 2 = 190
AMEp = (100 + 105 + 110)/3 = 105 ≥ NumEstablMultiplier × EMPL-DIFF-SPL-AME = 1 × 20
=20
| MC – MP | = |190 - 190| = 0 < NumEstablMultiplier × HIGH-EMPL-MAX-DIFF = 1 × 30 = 30
The 2nd condition in (2) is false, so bypass the rest of the edit for Month 3.

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June 2007

Page F-5-19

EXPO and BLS: Since Month 1 received edit 126, the record receives edit 126.
WIN-202: Record receives edit 136.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
EMPL-CHECKMULTIPLIER

EXPO
PK #
053

WIN
PK #
010

2

010

005

20

20

2

011

006

10

15

2

012

007

30

40

2

013

008

10

10

2

014

009

30

30

2 (3 in
BLS)
6

073

086

40

100

076

087

100

100

6

N/A

088

50

50

Parameter Name
Length
Employment Check Multiplier
2

Split Level For Employment
Difference
Low Employment Maximum
LOW-EMPLEmployment Difference
MAX-DIFF
High Employment Maximum
HIGH-EMPLEmployment Difference
MAX-DIFF
Employment Percent Change
HIGHLimit For > 6 Reported
REPORTINGMonths
PCT-CHG
Employment Percent Change
REPORTINGLimit For < 6 Reported
PCT-CHG
Months
SMALL-MACRO- Macro Small Record Bypass
REC-BYPASS
Macro Number of
NUM-ESTABLEstablishments Limit
LIMIT
Macro Non-zero Employment
NONZEROEMPL-CUTOFF Cutoff
EMPL-DIFFSPL-AME

State
BLS
Default Default
10
10

092 — Large Wage Change Check
General Description: Edits 092 and 127 look for unusual fluctuations in Average Quarterly
Wages. The largest fluctuations flag with code 092, while smaller (but still questionable)
fluctuations flag with code 127. This edit is performed at both the micro and macro levels and
consists of two stages: (1) the current quarter AQW is compared to the prior quarter AQW, and
(2) a statistical test is used to compare the current AQW to the four prior AQWs. There are some
additional tests, but these two parts comprise the core of the edit.
The record fails the edit in the following situations:
• Fails stage one, and
• Does not have sufficient data for stage two
OR

June 2007

•
•

Fails stage one, and
Fails stage two

•
•
•

Fails stage one, and
Passes stage two, and
Fails the supplement edit

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Page F-5-20

OR

Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: AQW Change Is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW
Range
Definitions
M1 = Month 1 Employment
M2 = Month 2 Employment
M3 = Month 3 Employment
TW = Total Wages
AME = (Month 1 Employment + Month 2 Employment + Month 3 Employment)/3
AQW = Total Wages ÷ AME , if AME ≠ 0
Total Wages, if AME = 0
TW-IND = Total Wage Indicator
Subscripts of c refer to the current quarter
Subscripts of cy refer to the quarter one year ago from the current quarter
Subscripts of p refer to the prior quarter

Micro Edit Conditions
Edit Conditions:
Edit if:
• MEEIc ≠ 2
• STATUSc ≠ 2, 3, or 9

A. PRE-EDIT
(i) Conditions:
• AMEc > NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL
• TWc = 0

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Page F-5-21

If one or both of these conditions is false, continue to step (ii) of the 'pre-edit'.
If both conditions are true, bypass the rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127. It will fail
093 or 130. See edit 093 for details.).
(ii) Conditions:
• M1c = M2c = M3c = 0
• TQWc > NO-EMP-MAX-WAGE
If one or both of these conditions is false, go to B. (Continue to ‘small record bypass.’)
If both conditions are true, bypass the rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127. It will fail
094 or 131. See edit 094 for details.)
B. SMALL RECORD BYPASS
Conditions:
1)
• AMEp < AME-WAGE-CUTOFF
• AMEc < AME-WAGE-CUTOFF
• TWp < TW-WAGE-CUTOFF
• TWc < TW-WAGE-CUTOFF
OR
2)
•

|TWc - TWp| < TW-CHANGE-SMALL-RECORD-BYPASS

If all four of the conditions in (1) are true or the condition in (2) is true, bypass the edit (stop does not fail 092 or 127).
Otherwise, go to C. (Continue to ‘checking for newly reported records.’).
C. CHECKING FOR NEWLY REPORTED RECORDS
(i) Condition:
• TW-INDc = M, N, or X
If the condition is true, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127.)
If the condition is false, continue with step (ii).
(ii) Conditions:
• Each of the 4 prior quarters has
- TW-IND = M, N, or X

June 2007

•

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Page F-5-22

OR
- STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
AQWc ≥ WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF × EMPL-CHECK-MULTIPLIER

If both conditions are true, flag with 092 and bypass the rest of the edit.
If 1st condition is true but not the 2nd, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127.)
If 1st condition is false, go to D. (Continue with 'large record flag.')
D. LARGE RECORD FLAG
Conditions:
• STATUSc = 1
• STATUSp = 1
• |TWc – TWp| > 2,000,000
• |AQWc – AQWp| ≤ WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
• |AQWc – AQWp|/AQWp ≥ 0.25 (only do this condition when AQWp ≠ 0)
If all of the conditions are true, then flag with 092 and stop. (Bypass the rest of the edit.)
If at least one of the conditions is false, go to E. (Continue with 'stage 1.')
E. STAGE 1
Condition:
• ⎪AQWc – AQWp⎪ > WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
If the condition is true, go to F. (Continue with 'stage 2.')
If the condition is not true, bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127.)
F. STAGE 2
(i) Condition:
• At least one of the current or four prior quarters has
- TW-IND = M, N, or X
OR
- STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
If the condition in (i) is true, go to H. (Bypass the rest of stage 2 and the supplemental edit and
continue to ‘edit level check.’)
If the condition is false, continue to (ii) of 'stage 2.'
(ii) Let

FU = 2nd highest AQW of all AQWs of the current and four prior quarters
FL = 2nd lowest AQW of all AQWs of the current and four prior quarters

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Page F-5-23

This is done by eliminating the highest and lowest AQW and finding the maximum and
minimum of the remaining three. It is possible to have FU equal to the highest value and
FL equal to the lowest value.
Let
WAGE RANGE = 2 × (FU – FL)
If WAGE RANGE < WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF , then let WAGE RANGE = WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
Conditions:
• AQWc > FU + WAGE RANGE
• AQWc < FL – WAGE RANGE
If one of the conditions in (ii) is true, go to H. (Bypass the supplemental edit and continue to
‘edit level check.’)
If both conditions in (ii) are false, go to G. (Continue to ‘supplemental edit.’)
G. SUPPLEMENTAL EDIT
Conditions:
• AQWc is less than the AQWs of all four prior quarters
• (FL – WAGE RANGE) < 0
• ⎪AQWc - AQWp⎪ > SUPPL-WAGE-DIFF
• AMEc > SUPPL-AME or AMEp > SUPPL-AME
If all four of these conditions are true, go to H. (Continue to the 'edit level check.')
If at least one of these conditions is false, bypass the rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or
127.)
H. EDIT LEVEL CHECK
•

⎪AQWc – AQWp⎪ > WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF × WAGE-CHECK-MULTIPLIER

If this condition is true, flag with edit 092.
If this condition is false, flag with edit 127.
EDITING UPDATES TO PREVIOUS QUARTERS
States extract or update data up to four quarters earlier than the current processing quarter.
Updates include corrections to reported data and the replacement of estimates with reported data.
However, there are limited quarters of historical data available on the database. Since all updates
should be edited, even if they are four quarters back, the normal micro edits described earlier do
not have enough historical data available to perform all the tests. If fewer tests were performed,
a record would have fewer opportunities to pass the edits. This would cause updates to the
earliest quarters to be more likely to flag. Therefore, the data that are used to edit back quarters

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June 2007

Page F-5-24

are not restricted to data from quarters prior to the quarter being edited, but may also include
quarters that are more recent than the quarter being reviewed.
Quarters to Use for Stage 2 and Supplemental Edit
For the Stage 2 test and the supplemental edit, the editing of updates to previous quarters
involves using data from historical quarters. Current and four additional quarters worth of data
must be used to perform the test. The following table shows which quarters to use when
performing the Stage 2 test and the Supplemental edit.
For example, if the current quarter was 2003/1 and an update was made to total wages for
2002/3, the Stage 2 test and Supplemental Edit would use 2003/1, 2002/4, 2002/3, 2002/2, and
2002/1 to edit the updated record.

Quarters to
Use
Current
Current – 1
Current – 2
Current – 3
Current – 4
Current – 5

Current – 1

Quarter Being Updated
Current – 2 Current – 3 Current – 4
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

Current – 5

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
AME-WAGE-CUTOFF
TW-WAGE-CUTOFF
TW-CHANGE-SMALLRECORD-BYPASS
EMPL-CHECKMULTIPLIER
NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL
NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE
WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
WAGE-CHECKMULTIPLIER
SUPPL-AME
SUPPL-WAGE-DIFF

Parameter Name
Length
AME Wage Cutoff
6
TW Cutoff
6
TW Change Small
6
Record Bypass
Employment Check
2
Multiplier
No Total Wages With
2
AME Cutoff
No Employment
6
With TW Cutoff
Total Wage Change
6
Parm
Total Wage Check
2
Multiplier
Supplemental Edit
6
AME
Supplemental Edit
6
AQW Difference

EXPO
PK #
071
072
077

WIN
State
BLS
PK # Default Default
091
25
25
092 100,000 100,000
N/A 50,000 50,000

053

010

10

10

008

011

10

15

007

015

25,000

100,000

019

012

10,000

15,000

059

013

3

10

057

071

25

75

058

072

3,000

10,000

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Page F-5-25

Macro Edit Conditions
Edit Conditions:
A. PRE-EDIT
(i) Conditions:
• Each of the four prior quarters has Number of Establishments = 0
• Each of the two prior quarters has Number of Establishments = 0 and TWc < NONZEROWAGE-CUTOFF
If either condition is true, then bypass the rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127.)
If both conditions are false, continue with step (ii) of 'pre-edit.'
(ii) Conditions:
• AMEc > NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL
• TWc = 0
If one or both of these conditions is false, continue with step (iii) of the Pre-edit.
If both conditions are true, bypass rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127. It should fail
093 or 130. See Edit 093 for details.)
(iii) Conditions:
• M1c = M2c = M3c = 0
• TWc > NO-EMP-MAX-WAGE
If one or both of these conditions is false, go to B. (Continue to ‘small record bypass.’)
If both conditions are true, bypass the rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127. It should
fail 094 or 131. See Edit 094 for details.)
B. SMALL RECORD BYPASS
Conditions:
• AMEp < MACRO-AME-WAGE-CUTOFF
• AMEc < MACRO-AME-WAGE-CUTOFF
• TWp < MACRO-TW-WAGE-CUTOFF
• TWc < MACRO-TW-WAGE-CUTOFF
If all four of the conditions are true, the system will bypass the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or
127.)
If at least one of the four conditions are false, go to C. (Continue with ‘large record flag.’)

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-5-26

C. LARGE RECORD FLAG
Conditions:
(1)
• AMEc > 1000
• |AQWc - AQWp| > 5000
OR
(2)
•
•

AMEc > 10000
|AQWc - AQWp| > 1000

•
•
•

|AQWc – AQWp| ≤ WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
|TWc – TWp| > 1,000,000
|AQWc – AQWp| ÷ MAX(AQWc, AQWp) > 0.25 (if MAX(AQWc, AQWp) = 0 then do
not use this condition)
|TWc – TWy| > 1,000,000
|AQWc – AQWy| ÷ MAX(AQWc, AQWy) > 0.25 (if MAX(AQWc, AQWy) = 0 then do
not use this condition)

OR
(3)

•
•

If all the conditions in (1) are true or all conditions in (2) are true or all conditions that can be
performed in (3) are true, then flag with 092 and bypass the rest of the edit.
Otherwise, if all three sets of conditions contain at least one false statement, go to D. (Continue
with 'stage1.')
D. STAGE 1
Condition:
• ⎪AQWc – AQWp⎪ > WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
If the condition is true, go to E. (Continue with 'stage 2.')
If the condition is false, bypass the rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or 127.)
E. STAGE 2
(i) Condition:
• At least one of the current or four prior quarters has Number of Establishments = 0
If the condition is true, go to F. (Bypass rest of 'stage 2' and 'supplemental edit' and go to 'edit
level check.')

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-5-27

If the condition is false, continue with step (ii) of 'stage 2.'
(ii) Let

FU = 2nd highest AQW of all AQWS of the current and four prior quarters
FL = 2nd lowest AQW of all AQWS of the current and four prior quarters
The system does this by eliminating the highest and lowest AQW and finding the
maximum and minimum of the remaining three. It is possible to have FU equal to the
highest value and FL equal to the lowest value.

Let
WAGE RANGE = 2 × (FU – FL)
If WAGE RANGE < WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF, then let WAGE RANGE = WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
Conditions:
• AQWc > FU + WAGE RANGE
• AQWc < FL – WAGE RANGE
If one of the conditions is true, go to G. (Bypass the 'supplemental edit' and continue to the 'edit
level check.')
If both conditions are false, go to F. (Continue to the ‘supplemental edit.’)

F. SUPPLEMENTAL EDIT
Conditions:
• AQWC IS LESS THAN THE AQWS OF THE 4 PRIOR QUARTERS
• (FL – WAGE RANGE) < 0
• ⎪AQWC - AQWP⎪ > SUPPL-WAGE-DIFF
• AMEC > SUPPL-AME OR AMEP > SUPPL-AME
If all four of the conditions are true, go to G. (Continue to the 'edit level check.')
If at least one of the conditions is false, bypass the rest of the edit. (Stop - does not fail 092 or
127.)

G. EDIT LEVEL CHECK
Condition:
• ⎪AQWC – AQWP⎪ > WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF × WAGE-CHECK-MULTIPLIER
If this condition is true, flag with edit 092.
If this condition is false, flag with edit 127.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-5-28

CODE CHANGE INTEGRATION
Macro editing of updates to historical data becomes complicated due to the Code Change
Integration in the first quarter of each calendar year. Therefore, whenever the updated quarter is
the first quarter, the data are temporarily adjusted to eliminate the effect of the code changes.
This adjustment is based on the net change for the cell from the Summary of Differences file,
described in Section 11.6. (The only exception to this occurs when there are two first quarters on
the file and the update is to the older first quarter. Whenever this occurs, there is no CCS or
Summary of Differences file for that quarter, so the data cannot be adjusted.) Non-adjusted data
are maintained on the files.
EDITING UPDATES TO PREVIOUS QUARTERS
States extract or update data up to four quarters earlier than the current processing quarter.
Updates include corrections to reported data and the replacement of estimates with reported data.
However, there are limited quarters of historical data available on the database. Since all updates
should be edited, even if they are four quarters back, the normal macro edits described earlier do
not have enough historical data available to perform all the tests. If fewer tests were performed,
a record would have fewer opportunities to pass the edits. This would cause updates to the
earliest quarters to be more likely to flag. Therefore, the data that are used to edit back quarters
are not restricted to data from quarters prior to the quarter being edited, but may also include
quarters that are more recent than the quarter being reviewed.
Quarters to Use for Stage 2 test and Supplemental Edit
For the Stage 2 test and the supplemental edit, the editing of updates to previous quarters
involves using data from historical quarters. Current and four additional quarters worth of data
must be used to perform the test. The following table shows which quarters to use when
performing the Stage 2 test and the Supplemental edit.
For example, if the current quarter was 2003/1 and an update was made to total wages for
2002/3, the Stage 2 test and Supplemental Edit would use 2003/1, 2002/4, 2002/3, 2002/2, and
2002/1 to edit the updated record.

Quarters to
Use
Current
Current – 1
Current – 2
Current – 3
Current – 4
Current – 5

Current – 1

X
X
X
X
X

Quarter Being Updated
Current – 2 Current – 3 Current – 4
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

Current – 5

X
X
X
X
X

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-5-29

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
EMPL-CHECKMULTIPLIER
NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL
NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE
WAGE-CHG-CUTOFF
WAGE-CHECKMULTIPLIER
SUPPL-AME
SUPPL-WAGE-DIFF
MACRO-AME-WAGECUTOFF
TW-WAGE-CUTOFF
NONZERO-WAGECUTOFF

Parameter Name
Employment Check
Multiplier
No Total Wages
With AME Cutoff
No Employment
With TW Cutoff
Total Wage Change
Parm
Total Wage Check
Multiplier
Supplemental Edit
AME
Supplemental Edit
AQW Difference
Macro AME Wage
Cutoff
Macro TW Wage
Cutoff
Macro Nonzero
Wage Cutoff

Length
2

EXPO
PK #
053

WIN
PK #
010

State
Default
10

BLS
Default
10

2

008

011

10

15

6

007

015

25,000

100,000

6

019

012

10,000

15,000

2

059

013

3

10

6

057

071

25

75

6

058

072

3,000

10,000

6

073

093

40

100

6

074

089

250,000

500,000

6 (9 at
BLS)

N/A

090

100,000

2,000,000

093 — Employment Without Wages Check
General Description: Edits 093 and 130 look for situations in which employment is significant
but there are no wages. These edits help ensure that wage data are either reported or imputed.
When a record flagged for these edit conditions has large employment (larger than a parameter),
edit code 093 is assigned. Smaller (but still significant) levels of employment receive edit code
130.
This edit flags when partial imputations are made (where the system was able to generate
employment imputations but not the wage imputation) or when a predecessor/successor situation
occurs and the employment is transferred to only one owner while the employment is reported by
each employer.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Average Employment Is Significantly > parm, but Total Wages = $0

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-5-30

Edit Conditions:
MICRO
Flag if the following conditions are true:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3 or 9
• AME > NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL
• TW = 0
Determining Edit Level:
When flagged, code as 093 if AME > NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL × NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL-MULTIPLIER
Else code as 130.
MACRO
Flag if the following conditions are true:
• AME > NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL
• TW = 0
Determining Edit Level:
When flagged, code as 093 if AME > NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL × NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL-MULTIPLIER
Else code as 130.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPL
NO-WAGE-MAX-EMPLMULTIPLIER

Parameter Name
No Total Wages
With AME Cutoff
No Wages But AME
Multiplier

Length
2

EXPO
PK #
008

WIN
PK #
011

State
Default
10

BLS
Default
15

2

053

014

10

10

094 — Wages Without Employment Check
General Description: Edits 094 and 131 look for situations in which employment is zero but
wages are significant. These edits help ensure that employment data are either reported or
imputed. When a record flagged for these edit conditions has large wages, edit code 094 is
assigned. When a flagged record has a lower wage level (that is still significant), the edit code
131 is assigned.
This situation occurs more often than employment without wages (edits 093 and 130). There are
more situations where wages are either reported or successfully imputed without reported or
imputed employment than where wages are missing and employment is present. Additionally,
since wages represent those wages earned during the entire quarter and employment represents
the employment reported or imputed for the reporting periods which include the 12th of each
month, it is possible that wages are only paid for a period of time for which the employment
were not reported.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Page F-5-31

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages Is Significantly > parm
Edit Conditions:
MICRO
Flag if the following conditions are true:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9
• M1 = M2 = M3 = 0
• TW > NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE
Determining Edit Level:
When flagged, code as 094 if TW > NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE × NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE-MULTIPLIER
Else code as 131.
MACRO
Flag if the following conditions are true:
• M1 = M2 = M3 = 0
• TW > NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE
Determining Edit Level:
When flagged, code as 094 if TW > NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE × NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE-MULTIPLIER
Else code as 131.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
NO-EMPL-MAX-WAGE
NO-EMPL-MAXWAGE-MULTIPLIER

Parameter Name
No Employment With
TQW Cutoff
No Employment with
TQW Cutoff Multiplier

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
007

WIN
PK #
015

State
Default
25,000

BLS
Default
100,000

2

059

016

3

10

095 — Wages/Employment Sum Check
General Description: Edits 095 and 132 check for entries in total wages that are equal to the sum
of the three months employment. This edit identifies situations where monthly wages appear to
have been reported in lieu of monthly employment. If the edit conditions apply and employment
is large, edit code 095 is assigned. If the flagged record has smaller employment (but is still
significant), edit 132 is assigned.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Page F-5-32

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Total Wages = Sum of Employment +/- parm If AME Is Large
Edit Conditions:
Flag if the following conditions are true:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9
• AME > EMPL-EQ-WAGE-AME
• |TW- (M1 + M2 + M3)| < EMPL-EQ-WAGE-TOL
Determining Edit Level:
When flagged, code as 095 if AME > EMPL-EQ-WAGE-AME × EMPL-EQ-WAGE-MULTIPLIER
Else code as 132
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
EMPL-EQ-WAGETOL
EMPL-EQ-WAGEAME
EMPL-EQ-WAGEMULTIPLIER

Parameter Name
Employment Equals Total
Wages Tolerance
Employment Equals Total
Wages AME Cutoff
Employment Equals Total
Wages Multiplier

Length
2

EXPO
PK #
041

WIN
PK #
017

State
Default
5

BLS
Default
5

6

042

018

50

100

2

053

019

10

10

096 — Large New Record Check
General Description: Edits 096 and 139 are designed to find new employers with unusually high
initial employment. Such a condition generally suggests that a predecessor/successor
relationship should be reported since most new employers do not start off with a large number of
employees the first month. If a predecessor account is identified for the new establishment, these
edits are bypassed. New establishments that do not have the high employment level of the Large
New Employment parameter can still fail the less severe edit 139 exception, if the lower
threshold of the New Employment parameter is reached. Again, those accounts with an assigned
predecessor will not be flagged here, because the high employment is assumed to have been
brought across from the previous account.
If this edit flag is assigned, check wage records to determine if a large number of the employees
of this new record were previously reported by the same terminated or downsized account. This
may help identify the record's predecessor.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-5-33

If the flagged large record is the result of a multi collapse, work with the employer to resume the
multi breakouts, arrange for periodic breakout reporting, or notify the EDI Center if the record is
part of a large multi-state reporter.
If no other sources are available, contact the employer or its representative to obtain additional
information about such a large new account.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusually Large New Record on File
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are true:
• STATUSc ≠ 2, 3, or 9
• Each of the 6 earlier quarters has either
M1-IND, M2-IND, and M3-IND = M, N, or X
OR
STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
(In other words, the earlier quarters may be a combination of M, N, or X employment
indicators, or STATUS = 2, 3 or 9)
• PRED UI# is blank
• PRED RUN is blank
• The first month of non-zero employment in the current quarter ≥ NEW-EMPL
Determining Edit Level:
When flagged, if first month of nonzero employment in current quarter ≥ LARGE-NEW-EMPL, then
code as 096.
Else if NEW-EMPL ≤ first month of nonzero employment in current quarter ≤ LARGE-NEW-EMPL,
then code as 139.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
NEW-EMPL
LARGE-NEW-

Parameter Name
New Employer
Large New Employer

Length
6
6

EMPL

System Action: Edit bypassed if flagged for 085.

EXPO
PK #
061
060

WIN
PK #
075
073

State
Default
50
250

BLS
Default
50
250

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-5-34

097 — Large Discontinued Record Check
General Description: Edit 097 is essentially the reverse of edit 096. Instead of looking for a new
high-employment unit, this edit flags employers that have gone out of business with a high final
employment. This combination most often carries a successor relationship, so that the large
number of employees can be carried over to the new employer. Because of this, records with a
successor account are exempt from this edit. An unusual aspect of this edit is that it requires the
account to be currently inactive, the opposite of most other edits. A smaller scale version of this
edit is edit 140, described later in this appendix. Edit 140 uses a lower-limit cutoff value (the
Discontinued Employment parameter) for accounts that terminate without a successor and with
substantial employment, though not quite up to the scale of the parm used in edit 097.
It is rare that accounts or units terminate with such large employment levels without transferring
their employees to a successor. If this record does not have a successor, check wage records or
contact the employer to find out if the data should truly drop off in this manner. A large unit
may also be terminated if the data from the unit is distributed among other units as the result of a
multi breakout.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusually Large Discontinued Record Inactivated
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are true:
• STATUS p = 1
•
•
•
•

STATUS c = 2 or 3
SUCC UI# is blank
SUCC RUN is blank
M3p ≥ DISC-EMPL

Determining Edit Level:
When flagged, if M3p ≥ LARGE-DISC-EMPL, then code as 097
Else if DISC-EMPL ≤ M3p ≤ LARGE-DISC-EMPL, then code as 140
Edit Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
DISC-EMPL
LARGE-DISCEMPL

Parameter Name
Discontinued Employer
Large Discontinued
Employer

Length
6
6

EXPO WIN
PK # PK #
061
076
060
074

State
Default
50
250

BLS
Default
50
250

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-5-35

System Action: Edit bypassed if flagged for 086.
099 — Large Imputation Check
General Description: When attempting to generate imputations for delinquent accounts, the
State processing systems either successfully impute (where the system was able to derive a value
for the employment and/or wage field) or fail to impute (where the record had already been
imputed for two or more quarters or there were not sufficient historical data or information to
derive an imputation). It is important to review large records that are imputed to ensure that it is
still in business, was not sold, and was imputed at a level similar to what should have been
reported.
Most States review larger failed imputations and either contact the employer for actual data,
make a hand imputation, or determine if the business has been sold or is now inactive. Many
States do not review successful imputations but rely on the edits to fail questionable data. Since
a typical imputation is based on the record’s history and most of the edits compare the record to
its history, successful imputations rarely fail employment and wage micro edits. In some cases,
if the record is large and was sold and was reported with a unit that was coded in the same
industry/area/ownership cell, the macro data may fail.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 5
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Questionable Large Imputation
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all conditions are true:
• OWN = 5
• STATUSc ≠ 2, 3, or 9
•

MEEIc ≠ 2

•

[(M1c > LARGE-IMP-EMP and M1-INDc = E, K, M, or N)
OR
(M2c > LARGE-IMP-EMP and M2-INDc = E, K, M, or N)
OR
(M3c > LARGE-IMP-EMP and M3-INDc = E, K, M, or N)]

•

[(TW-INDc ≠ blank, R, C, L)] OR [(TWc < LARGE-IMP-WAGE)]

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:

June 2007

Parameter
LARGE-IMP-EMP
LARGE-IMP-WAGE

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Parameter Name

Length

Large Imputation Employment
Large Imputation Wages

6
6

Page F-5-36

EXPO
PK #
084
085

WIN
PK #
?
?

State
Default
100
10,000

BLS
Default
100
10,000

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-6-1

Level 6 Edit Descriptions – Warning Edits
Edits in this level identify fluctuations in the economic data (on both micro and macro records)
that are smaller than at Level 5, but still significant. Level 6 also includes most other W
(Warning) edits that flag questionable data. While the flagged data may sometimes be accurate,
they are sufficiently unusual that data users would look for an explanation. Records flagged by
these edits should be reviewed and corrected (where necessary) or explained with an appropriate
comment code.
101 — (Mailing/Other) Address Type (MOA TYPE) Code Check
General Description: The Address Type is used to characterize the type of address in the
Mailing/Other (M/O) address block: physical location address, mailing address of the reporting
unit, a central office, or type unknown. If the M/O address block is blank, the Address Type
should also be blank. If the M/O address block is present (indicated by the presence of a M/O
State abbreviation), then the Address Type cannot be blank and must contain a valid code.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusable Address Type Code
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• MOA STATE is not blank, and
• MOA TYPE is blank or MOA TYPE ≠ 1, 2, 3, or 9.
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
System Action:
In the Sate Systems, if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• MOA STATE is blank, and
• MOA TYPE is not blank.
Then, set MOA TYPE to blank.
In the BLS system, if the M/O address fields are blank but the MOA Address Type is not, the
system bypasses the edit.

June 2007

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-6-2

102 — Blank Physical Location City Check
General Description: The Blank Physical Location City edit checks for a blank City field in the
PLA block. The City field should not be blank unless the entire address block is blank. If the
Physical Location City is not blank, edit the other physical location address fields to ensure it is a
usable address block.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Blank Physical Location City; Other PLA Fields Present
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• PLA CITY is blank and
• At least one other PLA field is not blank.
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
103 — Physical Location State Abbreviation Check
General Description: A standard two-letter postal State abbreviation should be used in this field.
The PLA State Abbreviation edit ensures that the PLA address, if present, contains a valid State
abbreviation. For military post offices, the field may contain “AE”, “AA,” or “AP,” while
Canadian addresses may use either “CN” or “ZZ.” Foreign addresses outside Canada may use
"ZZ."
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusable Physical Location State Abbreviation
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• PLA STATE ABBREVIATION is blank and
• At least one other PLA field is not blank.

June 2007

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-6-3

Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• PLA STATE ABBREVIATION ≠ AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI,
ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ,
NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI, WA,
WV, WI, WY, AS, GU, AE, AA, AP, CN, or ZZ.
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
104 — Physical Location ZIP Code Format Check and Physical Location ZIP Code
Extension Format Check
General Description: The PLA ZIP Code Format edit ensures that a proper ZIP Code is used in
the Physical Location address. The ZIP Code is a 5-digit alphanumeric field. For U.S.
addresses, this is the numeric code used by the Post Office for the specified address. For
Canadian addresses, this field should contain the first five digits of the six-digit alphanumeric
Canadian ZIP Code, while the Physical/Location ZIP Code Extension field should contain the
sixth digit followed by three blanks. The field is not edited for foreign addresses (designated by
State abbreviation "ZZ").
This edit also ensures that the ZIP Code ZIP Extension field is properly used in the Physical
Location address. The ZIP Code Extension is a four-digit alphanumeric field. For U.S.
addresses that have a ZIP Code Extension, the field should be strictly numeric. For Canadian
addresses, the ZIP Code Extension begins with the last digit of the six-position alphanumeric
Canadian ZIP Code; this position is numeric and is followed by three blanks. The field is not
edited for foreign addresses (designated by State abbreviation "ZZ").
Edit code 104 is used for both the Physical/Location ZIP Code Format Check and the
Physical/Location ZIP Code Extension Format Check. The same edit message is also used for
both parts of the edit.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusable Physical Location ZIP Code Format
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, or
• OWN = 1 or
• CNTY = 996 or 998, or

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

•
•

Page F-6-4

PLA STATE ABBREVIATION = AA, AE, AP, or ZZ, or
PLA ZIP is blank and all other P/L address fields are blank.

Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• (PLA STATE ABBREVIATION = AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA,
HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH,
NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI,
WA, WV, WI, WY, AS, or GU), and
• (PLA ZIP nonnumeric , 00000 or 99999) or (PLA ZIP EXTENSION is nonnumeric but
not blank or 9999), and
• AMEc > ZIP-CODE-AME.
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• PLA STATE ABBREVIATION = CN, and
• (PLA ZIP is numeric or blank) or (PLA ZIP EXTENSION ≠ a numeric followed by 3
blanks and), and
• AMEc > ZIP-CODE-AME.
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
System Action: If the ZIP Code Extension is all zeros, the system will blank fill.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
ZIP-CODE-AME

Parameter Name
ZIP Code AME Cutoff

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
005

WIN
PK #
020

State
Default
99

BLS
Default
250

105 — Telephone Number Check
General Description: This edit checks for a usable telephone number for the UI account. The
telephone number is used to contact the employer regarding reporting problems or for sampling
purposes. The edit is not performed for multi subunits, since the employer should be contacted
using the phone number on the master record.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusable Telephone Format
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9, or

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•
•

Page F-6-5

OWN = 1 or
MEEI = 3 or 5, or
TELEPHONE NUMBER is blank.

Flag if AMEc > PHONE-AME and any of the following conditions occur:
• TELEPHONE NUMBER = (any area code) + 555-1212, or
• TELEPHONE NUMBER = “000” in positions 4-6, or
• TELEPHONE NUMBER positions 1-3 or 7-10 are non-numeric but not blank.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
PHONE-AME

Parameter Name
Telephone AME Cutoff

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
005

WIN
PK #
021

State
Default
99; max.
of 250

BLS
Default
999,999

Since address and telephone information is used by numerous data users, States are encouraged
to leave the default parameter at an amount no higher than 99. If the State has significant
address problems, then they should temporarily increase it to an amount no higher than 250.
State System Action: The State system will blank fill the field if
• The Telephone number field is all zeros or
• The last 7 digits of the field are zero or
• AMEc > PHONE-AME and Telephone = (any area code)+555-1212 or
• AMEc > PHONE-AME and Telephone = "000" in positions 4-6 or
• AMEc > PHONE-AME and Telephone is non numeric (but not blank) in positions 1-3 or
positions 7-10.
106 — UI Address City Check
General Description: This edit checks for a non-blank City field in the UI address block. The
City field should not be blank unless the entire address block is blank. If the UI Address City is
not blank, edit the other UI address fields to ensure it is a usable address block.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Blank UI City; Other UI Address Fields Present
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• UI ADDRESS CITY is blank and

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Page F-6-6

At least one other UI ADDRESS field is not blank.

Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
107 — UI State Abbreviation Check
General Description: This edit ensures that a valid State abbreviation is in the UI Address, if a
UI Address is present. The standard two-letter Post Office State abbreviation is used in this
field. For military post offices, the field may contain “AE”, “AA,” or “AP,” while Canadian
addresses may use either “CN” or “ZZ.” Foreign addresses outside Canada should use "ZZ."
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusable UI State Abbreviation
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• UI STATE ABBREVIATION is blank and
• At least one other UI ADDRESS field is not blank.
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• UI ADDRESS STATE ABBREVIATION ≠ AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC,
FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE,
NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT,
VA, VI, WA, WV, WI, WY, AS, GU, AE, AA, AP, CN, or ZZ.
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
108 — UI Address ZIP Code Format Check and UI Address ZIP Code Extension
Format Check
General Description: This edit helps ensure the proper use of the ZIP Code in the UI address.
The ZIP Code is a five-digit alphanumeric field. United States (US) ZIP Codes are always
numeric. For Canadian addresses, this field is used for the first five positions of a Canadian ZIP
Code, while the UI ZIP Extension field should contain the final position of the Canadian ZIP

June 2007

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Page F-6-7

Code. The system edits Canadian ZIP codes for proper alphanumeric format when the UI State
Abbreviation field contains "CN" (for Canada). Other Foreign ZIP codes are not edited when the
UI State Abbreviation is "ZZ." Guam, American Samoa, APO, and FPO ZIP codes are five-digit
numeric.
This edit also ensures that the ZIP Code Extension field is properly used in the UI address. The
ZIP Code Extension is a four-digit alphanumeric field. For U.S. addresses that have a ZIP Code
Extension, the field should be strictly numeric. For Canadian addresses, the ZIP Code Extension
begins with the last digit of the six-position alphanumeric Canadian ZIP Code; this position is
numeric and is followed by three blanks. The field is not edited for foreign addresses
(designated by State abbreviation "ZZ").
Edit code 108 is used for both the UI ZIP Code Format Check and the UI ZIP Code Extension
Format Check.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusable UI Zip Code Format
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9, or
• OWN = 1 or
• CNTY = 996 or 998, or
• UI ADDRESS STATE ABBREVIATION = AA, AE, AP, or ZZ, or
• UI ADDRESS ZIP CODE is blank and all other UI address fields are blank.
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• UI ADDRESS STATE ABBREVIATION = AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC,
FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE,
NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT,
VA, VI, WA, WV, WI, WY, AS, or GU, and
• (UI ADDRESS ZIP CODE is nonnumeric, 00000 or 99999) or (UI ZIP EXTENSION is
nonnumeric or 9999), and
• AMEc > ZIP-CODE-AME.
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• UI STATE ABBREVIATION = CN and
• (UI ADDRESS ZIP CODE) is numeric or blank, or (UI ZIP EXTENSION ≠ a numeric
followed by 3 blanks), and
• AMEc > ZIP-CODE-AME.

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June 2007

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Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
ZIP-CODE-AME

Parameter Name
ZIP Code AME Cutoff

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
005

WIN
PK #
020

State
Default
99

BLS
Default
250

Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
System Action: If the ZIP Code Extension is all zeros, the system will blank fill the field.
109 — Blank Mailing/Other City Check
General Description: This edit checks for a non-blank City field in the M/O address block. The
City field should not be blank unless the entire address block is blank. If the Mailing/Other City
is not blank, edit the other mailing/other address fields to ensure it is a usable address block.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Blank Mailing/Other City; Other M/O Address Fields Present
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• MOA CITY is blank and
• At least one other MOA field (other than MOA ADDRESS TYPE) is not blank.
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
110 — Mailing/Other State Abbreviation Check
General Description: This edit ensures that a valid State abbreviation is in the Mailing/Other
address block. The standard two-letter Post Office State abbreviation is used in this field. For
military post offices, the field may contain “AE”, “AA,” or “AP,” while Canadian addresses may
use either “CN” or “ZZ.” Foreign addresses outside Canada should use "ZZ."
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

June 2007

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-6-9

Edit Message: Unusable Mailing/Other State Abbreviation
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• MOA STATE ABBREVIATION is blank and
• At least one other MOA field is not blank. (A non-blank MOA ADDRESS TYPE should
not be considered as part of the MAILING/OTHER address for this edit condition.)
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• OWN > 1 and
• MOA STATE ABBREVIATION ≠ AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA,
HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH,
NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI,
WA, WV, WI, WY, AS, GU, AE, AA, AP, CN, or ZZ.
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
111 — Mailing/Other Zip Code Format Check and Mailing/Other Zip Code
Extension Format Check
General Description: The Physical/Location ZIP Code Format edit ensures that a proper ZIP
Code is used in the Mailing/Other address block. The ZIP Code is a five-digit alphanumeric
field. For U.S. addresses, this is the numeric code used by the Post Office for the specified
address. For Canadian addresses, this field should contain the first five digits of the six-digit
alphanumeric Canadian ZIP Code, while the Mailing/Other ZIP Code Extension field should
contain the sixth digit followed by three blanks. The field is not edited for foreign addresses
(designated by State abbreviation "ZZ").
This edit also ensures that the ZIP Code Extension field is properly used in the Mailing/Other
address. The ZIP Code Extension is a four-digit alphanumeric field. For U.S. addresses that
have a ZIP Code Extension, the field should be strictly numeric. For Canadian addresses, the
ZIP Code Extension begins with the last digit of the six-position alphanumeric Canadian ZIP
Code; this position is numeric and is followed by three blanks. The field is not edited for foreign
addresses (designated by State abbreviation "ZZ").
Edit code 111 is used for both the Mailing/Other ZIP Code Format Check and the Mailing/Other
ZIP Code Extension Format Check.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning

June 2007

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Priority: C

Page F-6-10

BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unusable Mailing/Other ZIP Code Format
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9, or
• OWN = 1 or
• CNTY = 996 or 998, or
• MOA STATE ABBREVIATION = AA, AE, AP, or ZZ, or
• MOA ZIP blank and all other mailing/other address fields blank. (A non-blank MOA
ADDRESS TYPE should not be considered as part of the MOA address for this edit
condition.)
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• MOA STATE ABBREVIATION = AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA,
HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH,
NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI,
WA, WV, WI, WY, AS, or GU, and
• (MOA ZIP nonnumeric, 00000, or 99999) or (MOA ZIP EXTENSION is nonnumeric or
9999), and
• AMEc > ZIP-CODE-AME.
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• MOA STATE ABBREVIATION = CN and
• (MOA ZIP numeric or blank) or (MOA ZIP EXTENSION ≠ a numeric followed by 3
blanks), and
• AMEc > ZIP-CODE-AME.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
EXPO WIN
State
BLS
Parameter
Parameter Name
Length
PK #
PK # Default Default
ZIP Code AME Cutoff
6
005
020
99
250
ZIP-CODE-AME
Note: The system will not list the record for this flagged condition if there is at least one usable
address.
System Action: If the ZIP Code Extension is all zeros, the system will blank fill the field.
112 — Fax Number Check
General Description: The Fax Number edit checks for usable fax numbers for the account.
Location: Both State and BLS systems
Edit Level: 6

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning

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June 2007

Priority: C

Page F-6-11

BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Questionable Fax Number Format
State System Actions and Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• OWN = 1
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• FAX is all blank
Blank fill the FAX number if any of the following conditions occur: [Note that the AME
parameter was removed. Fix all of these regardless of employment]
• FAX is all zeros, all ones, all twos, all threes, all fours, all fives, all sixes, all sevens, all
eights, or all nines
• FAX = (any area code) + 555-1212
• FAX = “000” in positions 4-6
• FAX is not numeric in any of positions 4-10
Flag if AMEc > FAX-AME and both of the following conditions occur:
• FAX = “000” in positions 1-3 or nonnumeric (including blank) in any position of 1-3 and
FAX positions 4-10 are all numeric but not all zero
BLS Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• OWN = 1
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• FAX is all blank
Flag if AMEc > FAX-AME and any of the following conditions occur:
• FAX is all zeros, all ones, all twos, all threes, all fours, all fives, all sixes, all sevens, all
eights, or all nines
• FAX = (any area code) + 555-1212
• FAX = “000” in positions 4-6
• FAX is not numeric in any of positions 4-10
• FAX = “000” in positions 1-3 or nonnumeric (including blank) in any position of 1-3 and
FAX positions 4-10 are all numeric but not all zeroes
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
FAX-AME

Parameter Name
FAX AME

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
005

WIN
PK #
021

State
Default
99

BLS
Default
99

June 2007

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Page F-6-12

114 — Physical Address Format Check
General Description: Physical Location addresses, if provided, are required to use the State
abbreviation of the reference State, to have a corresponding Zip Code, and to have at least one
street address line. This edit also flags Post Office boxes in the PL address, since they do not
identify a physical location. The edit flags records with a blank PL address if employment is
high.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: P.O. Box, Blank Street, or Out-of-State in PLA Block
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions occur:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9, or
• OWN = 1, or
• MEEI = 2, or
• AMEc ≤ PHYS-ADDR-AME.
Flag if both conditions occur:
• CNTY ≠ 996 or 998, and
• PLA STATE ABBREVIATION ≠ STATE ABBREVIATION of the reference/reporting
State (not in-State).
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• PLA STREET ADDRESS - LINE 1 blank and
• PLA STREET ADDRESS - LINE 2 blank and
• PLA CITY not blank
Flag if either condition occurs:
• PLA STREET ADDRESS - LINE 1 includes P.O. Box or RR, or
• PLA STREET ADDRESS - LINE 2 includes P.O. Box or RR.
(I.e., checks for variations of P.O. Box and rural route addresses.)
Flag if both conditions occur:
• CNTY ≠ 996 or 998, and
• PLA ZIP is not in the range of valid Zip codes for the reference State.
Flag if both conditions occur:
• CNTY ≠ 996 or 998, and
• PLA ZIP is zero-filled, nine-filled, or contains any nonnumeric values.
Flag if both conditions occur:

QCEW Operating Manual
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•

Page F-6-13

At least one other PL address field is not blank, and
PLA ZIP is blank.

Flag if PLA CITY is equal to “Unknown” or “Statewide”.
Flag if both conditions occur:
• AMEc > LARGE-PHYS-ADDR-AME, and
• All PL address fields are blank.
Note: For records with AMEc ≤ LARGE-PHYS-ADDR-AME, the system will not list the record for
this edit flag if there is at least one usable address.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
PHYS-ADDR-AME

Parameter Name
Physical Location
Address AME

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
006

WIN
PK #
022

State
Default
0

BLS
Default
5

116 — Missing Federal Employer Identification Number Check
General Description: The Missing Federal Employer Identification Number edit checks the EIN
for questionable values and to determine if it has been missing for several quarters. The EIN is
assigned to each employer by the IRS. Subunits should have the same EIN as their master
record. The edit compares the month and year of the Setup Date against the earliest month of the
reference quarter to see if the reporting unit has been in existence for more than a number of
months based on a parm. If so, and if employment is large, then the reporting unit should have a
specific (non-zero) EIN. If the Setup Date is blank, the edit uses the Liability Date.
Missing EINs are useless in any kind of research, sampling, and other critical uses of the field.
Efforts should be made to attempt to contact the employer and obtain missing EINs for large
employers.
Example:
Liability Date YYYYMM:
Setup Date YYYYMM:
First Month of Current Quarter:

200301 (January 2003)
200308 (August 2003)
200407 (July 2004)

In this example, the current quarter is the 2004 third quarter. If the parm is set at 6 months,
200308 < 200407 – "parm" months (the August 2003 Setup Date is earlier than the July 2004
beginning of the current quarter minus 6 months). Therefore, the reporting unit would flag if its
EIN is still zero-filled. In other words, more than 6 months elapsed between the Setup Date
(August 2003) and the first month of the current quarter (July 2004), so the edit expects to find a
specific, valid EIN.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Page F-6-14

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: EIN Missing for More Than Parm Months
Edit Conditions:
Format = YYYYMMDD (where YYYY = year, MM = month, and DD = day).
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• MEEI = 3 or 5, or
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9, or
• OWN = 1, 2, or 3, or
• NAICS 814110, or
• COVERAGE = 8 or 9.
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• EIN = all zeros and
• AMEc > EIN-AME and
• YYYYMM of the SETUP < YYYYMM of the first month of the current quarter – EINMONTH months. (If the SETUP is blank, then use the LIAB.)
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
EIN-AME
EIN-MONTH

Parameter Name
EIN AME Parm
EIN Months Missing

Length
6
2

EXPO
PK #
062
052

WIN
PK #
023
024

State
Default
50
6

BLS
Default
50
6

Note: This edit is required and must be run at least once each quarter.
System Action: The State systems have options to do the following:
• Suppress this edit from appearing on the online edit screens with the rest of the edits
• Suppress this edit from appearing on the same listings as the rest of the edits
• Allow this edit to be listed separately from the rest of the edit output
• Modify edit output and scoring formulae input to reflect the new priorities.
118 — Tax Rate Consistency Check
General Description: This check applies to only non-reimbursing, non-Federal ownership units –
units with Type of Coverage Code 0 and Ownership Code greater than 1. Three States have
employee contributions and are handled using an adjustment. Each reporting unit’s
Contributions must equal its Taxable Wages multiplied by its Tax Rate. California does not
collect Taxable Wage information. Taxable Wages are derived by dividing Contributions Due
by the Tax Rate after the annual reconciliation.

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Location: State systems only
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Page F-6-15

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Computed Tax Rate > TOL % from Reported, and Computed Tax TOL from
Reported
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions occur:
• OWN = 1
• STATUS = 2, 3, 9
• State-FIPS = 06, and CALIF-RATE-EDIT-BYPASS = 1
Flag if all of the following conditions occur:
• COVERAGE = 0 and
• |CTB - (TAXW × TAX RATE)| > MAX-CONTRIB-DEV and
• |TAX RATE - (CTB ÷ TAXW)| > MAX-TAX-RATE-DEV.
Flag if all of the following conditions are met:
• COVERAGE = 2 or 3, and
• |CTB - (TAXW × TAX RATE) - ADJUSTMENT| > MAX-CONTRIB-DEV and
• |TAX RATE - (CTB ÷ TAXW)| - ADJUSTMENT) > MAX-TAX-RATE-DEV.
If State 42, ADJUSTMENT = TW × EMPLOYEE TAX RATE.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
MAX-TAXRATE-DEV

Parameter Name
Maximum Tax
Rate Deviation

Maximum
Contributions Due
Deviation
EMPLOYEE- Employee Tax
Rate
TAX-RATE
Bypass Switch For
CALIFRATE-EDIT- California Rate
MAXCONTRIBDEV

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
027

WIN
PK #
025

6

028

026

6

051

003

State Default
0.33% (expressed
as 330 in EXPO
and 0.33 in WIN)
2.50 (expressed as
000250 in EXPO
and 2.5 in WIN)
0

1

N/A

027

0

BYPASS

119 — Missing Taxable Wage Check

BLS
Default
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-6-16

General Description: This edit checks for high Total Wages when no Taxable Wages are
reported. The edit is only performed in first quarter. All Contributory accounts are required to
meet their Taxable Wage obligations beginning with each first quarter even if their tax rate may
be zero and they pay no Contributions.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: First Quarter Taxable Wages Missing for Experienced-Rated Account
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if OWN = 1.
Bypass if QTR ≠ 1.
Bypass if State-FIPS = 06 and CALIF-NO-TAXW-BYPASS = 1.
Flag if
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• TW > MAX-TOTW-NO-TAXW,
• COVERAGE = 0 or 2, and
• TAXW = 0.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
MAX-TOTW-NOTAXW
CALIF-NO-TAXWBYPASS

Parameter Name
Maximum Total Wages
With No Taxable Wages
Bypass Switch For
California Taxable Wages

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
020

WIN
PK #
028

State
Default
25,000

BLS
Default
999,999

1

N/A

029

0

0

120 — Non-Economic Code Change Check
General Description: Changes to the classification codes (Ownership, NAICS, County, and – for
some States – Township) are normally handled as either economic or noneconomic.
Noneconomic code changes, which are more frequent, must be held until first quarter and must
carry an ARS Response Code and Refile Year that will place the record onto the CCS.
Economic code changes should be identified using the Economic Code Change Indicator (ECCI)
or a comment code (code 82); these changes may be made in any quarter. Exceptions to these
rules are made for master records as well as records with code changes only from an "unknown"
industry or geographic code. This edit flags code changes on records with significant
employment that are not properly coded as noneconomic or economic. The edit does not flag
records with changes only from an "unknown" code; however, it flags code changes from a
specific industry or geographic code to an "unknown" code in any quarter, since such changes

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-6-17

are inappropriate. If the existing, specific code is wrong, identify the correct code and handle the
change as a noneconomic code change.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Possible Non-Economic Code Change
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if MEEIc = 2.
Bypass if STATUSc or STATUSp ≠ 1. (Edit only if the record is active in both the current
and prior quarter.)
Bypass if both M3p and M1c < NECC-PARM
Bypass if both M3p and M1c < ECCI-LRG-EMP-PARM and COMMENT CODEc = 82.
Bypass the township portions of the edit if not New Jersey or a New England State (if
STATE ≠ 09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50).
The edit consists of two parts. Perform Part 1 if the processing quarter = 2, 3, or 4. (Edit
only when the current quarter on the Micro file is a second, third, or fourth quarter.)
Perform Part 2 if the processing quarter = 1 (Edit only when the current quarter is a first
quarter). Part 2 includes its own bypass conditions – conditions that only apply if the
processing quarter = 1. Both the first and second parts of the edit are performed in different
ways, depending on employment. Where employment is significant but not large (greater
than 25 but less than a 100), the edit does not flag a code change when the Employment
Code Change Indicator carries the appropriate value.
Part 1
Flag if
• Processing quarter = (2, 3, or 4), and
• Both M3p and M1c < ECCI-LRG-EMP-PARM, and
• At least one of the following code changes occurs in the current quarter compared with
the prior quarter, and the change is not explained by the ECCI:
OWNp ≠ OWNc and (ECCI ≠ 04, 05, 06, 07, 12, 13, 14, or 15),
OR
NAICSp ≠ NAICSc and NAICSp ≠ 999999 and (ECCI ≠ 02, 03, 06, 07, 10, 11,
14, or 15),
OR
CNTYp ≠ CNTYc and CNTYp ≠ 900-999 and (ECCI ≠ 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, or 15),
OR

June 2007

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-6-18

TOWNp ≠ TOWNc and (TOWNp ≠ 900, 995, 996, 998, or 999) and (STATE =
09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50) and (ECCI ≠ 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, or 15).
(In other words, current ownership is not equal to prior ownership or current NAICS is
not equal to prior NAICS or current county is not equal to prior county or (for certain
States) current township is not equal to prior township, and in each case the prior quarter
is not the fourth quarter. Disregard any NAICS, ownership, county, and township
changes from the “unknown” codes. Disregard any code changes identified by an
appropriate ECCI value.)
Flag if
• Processing quarter = (2, 3, or 4), and
• Either M3p or M1c > ECCI-LRG-EMP-PARM, and
• At least one of the following code changes occurs in the current quarter compared with
the prior quarter, regardless of the ECCI:
OWNp ≠ OWNc, or
NAICSp ≠ NAICSc and NAICSp ≠ 999999, or
CNTYp ≠ CNTYc and CNTYp ≠ 900-999, or
TOWNp ≠ TOWNc and (TOWNp ≠ 900, 995, 996, 998, or 999) and (STATE = 09,
23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50).
(In other words, current ownership is not equal to prior ownership or current NAICS is
not equal to prior NAICS or current county is not equal to prior county or (for certain
States) current township is not equal to prior township, and in each case the prior quarter
is not the fourth quarter. Disregard any NAICS, ownership, county, and township
changes from the “unknown” codes.)
Flag if either of the following occur
• NAICSc = 999999 and NAICSp < 999999, or
• COUNTYc = 999 and COUNTYp < 900.
Part 2
Bypass if ARS REFILE YEAR = current Refiling Year and RESPONSE CODE = 46, 50, 57,
76 or 77 (in the BLS System: RESPONSE CODE = 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77).
Flag if
• Processing quarter = 1, and
• Both M3p and M1c < ECCI-LRG-EMP-PARM, and
• At least one of the following code changes occurs in the current quarter, compared with
the prior quarter, and the change is not explained by the ECCI:
OWNp ≠ OWNc and (ECCI ≠ 04, 05, 06, 07, 12,13, 14, or 15),
OR
NAICSp ≠ NAICSc and NAICSp ≠ 999999 and (ECCI ≠ 02, 03, 06, 07, 10, 11, 14, or
15),
OR

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CNTYp ≠ CNTYc and CNTYp ≠ 900-999 and (ECCI ≠ 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or
15),
OR
TOWNp ≠ TOWNc and (TOWNp ≠ 900, 995, 996, 998, or 999) and (STATE = 09,
23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50) and (ECCI ≠ 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, or 15).
(In other words, current ownership is not equal to prior ownership or current NAICS is
not equal to prior NAICS or current county is not equal to prior county or (for certain
States) current township is not equal to prior township, and in each case the current
quarter is the first quarter. Disregard any NAICS, ownership, county, and township
changes from the “unknown” codes. Disregard any code changes identified by an
appropriate ECCI value.)
Flag if
• Processing quarter = 1, and
• Either M3p or M1c > ECCI-LRG-EMP-PARM, and
• At least one of the following code changes occurs in the current quarter, compared with
the prior quarter, regardless of the ECCI:
OWNp ≠ OWNc, or
NAICSp ≠ NAICSc and NAICSp ≠ 999999, or
CNTYp ≠ CNTYc and CNTYp ≠ 900-999, or
TOWNp ≠ TOWNc and (TOWNp ≠ 900, 995, 996, 998, or 999) and (STATE = 09,
23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50).
(In other words, current ownership is not equal to prior ownership or current NAICS is
not equal to prior NAICS or current county is not equal to prior county or (for certain
States) current township is not equal to prior township, and in each case the current
quarter is the first quarter. Disregard any NAICS, ownership, county, and township
changes from the “unknown” codes.)
Flag if either of the following occur
• NAICSc = 999999 and NAICSp < 999999, or
• COUNTYc = 999 and COUNTYp < 900.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
Length
Noneconomic Code Change
2
NECCMonthly Employment Parm
PARM
Economic Code Change Large
6
ECCILRG-EMP- Employment Parm
PARM

EXPO
PK #
009

WIN
PK #
030

State
Default
5

BLS
Default
25

?

?

50

100

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121 — Reversed Code Change Check
General Description: This edit captures very mobile units that keep reversing code changes.
This edit is a supplement to edit 120.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Code Change Back to a Recent Code
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if MEEI = 2.
Bypass if STATUSc or STATUSp ≠ 1. (Edit only if active in both the current and prior
quarter.)
Bypass the township portions of the edit if not New Jersey or a New England State (CT, ME,
MA, NH, RI, and VT).
Flag if AMEc > REVS-CCS and any of the following occur:
• NAICSc ≠ NAICSp and NAICSc = NAICS in any of the three previous quarters, or
• TOWNc ≠ TOWNp and TOWNc = TOWN in any of the three previous quarters, or
• CNTYc ≠ CNTYp and CNTYc = CNTY in any of the three previous quarters, or
• OWNc ≠ OWNp and OWNc = OWN in any of the three previous quarters.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
REVS-CCS

Parameter Name
Rev CCS AME

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
009

WIN PK
#
094

State
Default
10

BLS
Default
100

123 — CCS Edit Checks
General Description: This edit checks for a missing noneconomic code change. When the
Response Code and ARS Refile Year indicate that a noneconomic code change is present on the
record, the edit compares the Old Fields to the first quarter classification codes to verify the code
change. (Changes only from unknown industry or county codes are not considered
noneconomic, and are not sufficient to pass the edit.)
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: B
Edit Message: Expected Code Change Not Made

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

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Edit Conditions:
Bypass if MEEI of the most recent 1st quarter = 2 or MEEI of the most recent 4th quarter = 2.
(For example, for 2003/1 processing, bypass if MEEI =2 in either 2003/1 or in 2002/4.)
Bypass if STATUSc or STATUSp ≠ 1. (Edit only if active in both the current and prior
quarter.)
Flag if all of the following occur:
• QTR = 1 and
• ARS RESPONSE CODE = (50, 57, 46, 76, or 77), and [In the BLS system, ARS
RESPONSE CODE = 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77] and
• ARS REFILE YEAR = processing year and
• OLD NAICS = (NAICSc or blank or 999999) and
• OLD CNTY = (CNTYc or blank or 900-999) and
• OLD TOWN = (TOWNc or blank or 900-999) and
• OLD OWN = (OWNc or blank) and
The BLS system only performs this edit when the processing quarter is first quarter.
124 — Active Account Check
General Description: The Active Account edit checks to determine if a QCR or MWR has
reported employment and wage data for the quarter, when the unit was coded out-of-business or
inactive. This edit is used to ensure that there are no records with reported or imputed
employment or wages, with an End Of Liability date or Status Code that indicates that it is outof-business or inactive. The records that should be most closely examined are those with sizable
employment that are coded as inactive or out-of-business to ensure that the record should truly
be considered inactive. Data for inactive records are not used for any application or aggregation.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Inactive Record with Reported Employment/Wage Data
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if EOL is blank.
Flag if
the economic data exceeds either of these thresholds:
• Any monthly EMPLOYMENT for the current quarter (Mc) > ACTIV-AME or
• TWc > ACTIV-WAGE
and

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Page F-6-22

if either the date fields or the Status Code show that the unit is closed:
• EOL < reference period where the EOL date is > non blank REACT or
• Where STATUS = 2.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
ACTIV-AME
ACTIV-WAGE

Length

Active Account AME
Active Account Total
Wages

EXPO
PK #
009
019

2
6

WIN
PK #
032
033

State
Default
99
150,000

BLS
Default
99
500,000

125 — Liability Check
General Description: The Liability edit checks to determine if a QCR or MWR was received
with reported employment and wage data prior to the unit's Liability Date. This edit is used to
ensure that there are no new records on the file that have a liability date that is after the reference
quarter.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Data Reported Prior to Liability Date
Edit Conditions:
The system determines the earlier of Setup Date and Liability Date and uses the earlier date
in the edit. If only one of the dates is available, the system will use it.
Bypass if neither SETUP nor LIAB is present.
Flag if all of the following occur:
• STATUSc = 1 and
• AME > LIAB-AME or TW > LIAB-WAGE and
• (SETUP or LIAB > the last day of the QTR) or (EOL DATE < first day of the QTR and
REACT > the last day of the QTR).
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
LIAB-AME
LIAB-WAGE

Liability Check Employment
Liability Check Wages

Length
2
6

EXPO
PK #
009
055

WIN
PK #
034
035

State
Default
99
150,000

BLS
Default
99
500,000

June 2007

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Page F-6-23

126 — Monthly Employment Change Check
General Description: This is the same edit as 091, but with a smaller threshold for the difference
between current and prior employment. If the difference between the current and prior average
monthly employment is greater than a parameter times a multiplier, the system will code as edit
091. If not, the system will code as edit 126.
Note: This edit does not appear in the WIN-202 System. The WIN-202 System uses edit codes
136, 137, and 138 instead.
See edit 091 for a full description.
Location: Both BLS & EXPO
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
Edit Conditions: See Edit 091 for details and parameter values.
127 — Wage Change Check
General Description: This is the same as edit 092, but with a smaller threshold for the difference
between current and previous Average Quarterly Wage. If the difference is greater than a
parameter times a multiplier, then the system will code as edit 092. If not, the system will code
as edit 127.
See edit 092 for a full description.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
Edit Conditions: See Edit 092 for details and parameter values.
128 — Identical Monthly Employment Check
General Description: The Identical Monthly Employment edit looks for situations in which all
three months show the same level of employment within the quarter, while current and prior
quarter employment both exceed a parameter and none of the months is imputed. This helps

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ensure valid reporting of employment for each month. Identical monthly reporting frequently
occurs when the employer reports
• The end of the quarter count in all three months each quarter
• A current employee count at the time the report is completed
• The last month’s data in all three months
The employer should be contacted and advised on proper reporting procedures.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Identical Monthly Employment > Parm
Edit Conditions:
Flag if all of the following occur:
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• MEEI = 1, 2, 4 or 6, and
• AMEc > MAX-IDENT-EMPL and
• AMEp > MAX-IDENT-EMPL and
• M1c = M2c = M3c and
• M1p = M2p = M3p and
• M1c-IND nor M2c-IND nor M3c-IND = E, H, or K and
• M1p-IND nor M2p-IND nor M3p-IND = E, H, or K
Note: This edit is required and must be run at least once each quarter.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
MAX-IDENT-EMPL

Parameter Name
Maximum Identical
Employment AME

EXPO
Length PK #
6
021

WIN
PK #
036

State
Default
50

BLS
Default
1,000

System Action: The State systems have options to do the following:
• Suppress this edit from appearing on the online edit screens with the rest of the edits
• Suppress this edit from appearing on the same listings as the rest of the edits
• Allow this edit to be listed separately from the rest of the edit output
129 — Taxable/Total Wage Change Check
General Description: The Taxable/Total Wage Change edit checks the ratio of taxable wages to
total wages. A record is questionable if the ratio is outside the acceptable range based on the
taxable wage-to-total wage ratio from current quarter a year ago plus or minus the tolerance.

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June 2007

Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: C

Page F-6-25

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Taxable/Total Wage Ratio > Prior Year Ratio by Parm %
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if STATUS = 2, 3, or 9.
Bypass if TWc or TWcy = 0.
Flag if
• AMEc > TAXW-TOTW-CHG-AME and
• |(TAXWc ÷ TWc) - (TAXWcy ÷ TWcy)| > TAXW-TOTW-CHG-PCT.
Editing Parameters and Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
TAXW-TOTWCHG-PCT
TAXW-TOTWCHG-AME

Length

Taxable Wages To Total
Wages Percent Tolerance
Taxable Wages To Total
Wages AME

2

EXPO
PK #
043

WIN
PK #
037

State
Default
20

BLS
Default
99

6

044

038

99

500

130 — Employment Without Wages Check
General Description: This edit is the same as edit 093 but with a smaller threshold.
See edit 093 for a full description.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Average Employment > Parm, but Total Wages = 0
Edit Conditions: See Edit 093 for details and parameter values.
131 — Wages Without Employment
General Description: This edit is the same as edit 094 but with a smaller threshold.
See edit 094 for a full description.

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Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Page F-6-26

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages > Parm
Edit Conditions: See Edit 094 for details and parameter values.
132 — Wages/Employment Sum Check
General Description: This edit is the same as 095 but with a smaller threshold.
See edit 095 for a full description.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Total Wages = Sum of Empl +/- Parm
Edit Conditions: See Edit 095 for details and parameter values.
133 — Unclassified Industry Check
General Description: The unclassified industry check looks for situations in which the average
monthly employment of the current period is greater than a parm, and NAICS is 999999 for two
quarters. This edit encourages States to assign valid, specific NAICS to records with high
employment. Unclassified records can not be properly aggregated to their correct industry and
have more limited use in data analysis and publications.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Unclassified Industry, Empl > Parm
Edit Conditions:
Flag if
• STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9, and
• NAICSc = 999999 and
• NAICSp = 999999 and
• AMEc > UNCLASS-MAX-AME
Editing Parameters and Tolerances:

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June 2007

Parameter
UNCLASSMAX-AME

Parameter Name
Unclassified Industry
AME

Length
2

EXPO
PK #
018

Page F-6-27

WIN
PK #
039

State
Default
25 but not
to exceed
50

BLS
Default
50

134 — Number of Establishments Change Check
General Description: The Number of Establishments Change edit looks for large fluctuations in
the number of reporting units in the macro cell in the current quarter, as compared to the
previous quarter. During first quarter processing, this edit is not done until after the data are
temporarily adjusted based on the net change of the Summary of Differences data for the cell (if
any); this is part of the process called Code Change Integration.
A significant change in the number of establishments could represent growth in the industry and
county, may result from a large employer breakout into multi-establishment reporting, or may
result from an unexpected mid-year reporting problem or unusual predecessor/successor
reporting situation.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Level: Macro
Edit Level: 6
Edit Type: Summed Level/Warning
Priority: A
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged
Edit Message: Number of Establishments Out Of Range
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are true:
• AMEc < 25 or
• AMEp < 25 or
• NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSp = 0 or
• NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSc = 0 or
Flag if either or both pairs of conditions are true:
(1)
• 0 < NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSp ≤ 32 and
• |NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSc - NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSp| > 8
OR
(2)
• NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSp > 32 and
• |NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSc - NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSp| >
NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSp × 0.25

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135 — New and Discontinued Macro Record Checks
General Description: The New and Discontinued Macro Record edit checks for whole macro
cells that never existed before or cease to exist. Macro cells with small employment are not
flagged. (Note: New and discontinued micro conditions can be found in edits 096, 097, 139,
and 140.)
Micro level predecessor/successor situations should not normally explain new and discontinued
problems at the macro level. In most cases, the predecessor and successor should be reported in
the same macro cells unless the change is included on the Code Change Supplement.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Macro
Edit Type: Summed Level/Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: New or Discontinued Macro Record
Edit Conditions:
Flag if the following conditions are true:
• AMEp > MACRO-DISCONTINUED-AME
• NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSc = 0
OR
Flag if the following conditions are true:
• AMEc > MACRO-NEW-AME
• NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTSp = 0
Editing Parameters and Tolerances:
Parameter

Parameter Name

Length

EXPO
PK #

MACRO-DISCONTINUEDAME

New and Discontinued
Macro Record
Macro New Record
AME

6

054

WIN State
BLS
PK # Defaul Default
t
040
50
100

6

054

041

MACRO-NEW-AME

50

100

136 — Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 1 (WIN-202)
General Description: This is the same edit as 091, but with a smaller threshold for the difference
between current and prior employment. If the difference between the current and prior average
monthly employment is greater than the parameter times a multiplier, the system will code as
edit 089. If not, the system will code as edit 136.
Note: This edit does not appear in either EXPO or the BLS System. These systems use edit 126
instead.

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See edit 091 for a full description.
Location: WIN-202 Only
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Month 1 Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
Edit Conditions: See Edit 091 for details and parameter values.
137 — Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 2 (WIN-202)
General Description: This is the same edit as 091, but with a smaller threshold for the difference
between current and prior employment. If the difference between the current and prior average
monthly employment is greater than the parameter times a multiplier, the system will code as
edit 090. If not, the system will code as edit 137.
Note: This edit does not appear in either EXPO or the BLS System. These systems use edit 126
instead.
See edit 091 for a full description.
Location: WIN-202 Only
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Month 2 Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
Edit Conditions: See Edit 091 for details and parameter values.
138 — Monthly Employment Change Check - Month 3 (WIN-202)
General Description: This is the same edit as 091, but with a smaller threshold for the difference
between current and prior employment. If the difference between the current and prior average
monthly employment is greater than the parameter times a multiplier, the system will code as
edit 091. If not, the system will code as edit 138.
Note: This edit does not appear in either EXPO or the BLS System. These systems use edit 126
instead.
See edit 091 for a full description.
Location: WIN-202 Only
Edit Level: 6

Level: Micro & Macro
Edit Type: Warning

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Priority: A

Page F-6-30

BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Month 3 Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
Edit Conditions: See Edit 091 for details and parameter values.
139 — New Record Check
General Description: This is a small employment version of edit 096 described earlier in this
appendix. It uses a smaller (but still significant) employment cutoff.
See edit 096 for a full description.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: New Record?
Conditions: See Edit 096 for details and parameter values.
140 — Discontinued Record Check
General Description: This is a small employment version of edit 097. The Discontinued Record
edit flags accounts that have just gone inactive, show no successor account, and had a sizable
employment when they terminated. This is the counterpart of edit 139, but is not as
sophisticated. This is one of the few edits that applies only to currently inactive employers.
See edit 097 for a full description.
Location: Both State & BLS systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Discontinued Record?
Edit Conditions: See Edit 097 for details and parameter values.
146 — Inconsistent Old Code Check
General Description: This edit checks the non-quarterly Old fields to verify that they match the
fourth quarter classification codes. This edit is only performed when the Response Code and

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ARS Refile Year qualify the record to be included on the CCS, and only when the fourth quarter
is active.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 6
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Old Codes Are Inconsistent with 4th Quarter Codes
Edit Conditions:
IN THE BLS SYSTEM:
Bypass if any of the following occur:
• QTR = 1 and STATUS = 3 or
• MEEI of the most recent first quarter = 2 or if the MEEI of the most recent fourth quarter
= 2 or
• The fourth quarter prior year STATUS ≠ 1 or
• ARS REFILE YEAR ≠ FISCAL-YEAR or
• RESPONSE CODE ≠ 30, 33, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77, or
• OLD OWN, OLD NAICS, and OLD CNTY are all blank, or
• Edit Flags for 074, 075, 076, or 078 have been assigned, or
• AMEc < OLD-CODE-CUTOFF.
Flag if any of the following occur:
• Non-blank OLD OWN ≠ OWN of the active 4th quarter of the prior year or
• Non-blank OLD NAICS ≠ NAICS of the active 4th quarter of the prior year or
• Non-blank OLD CNTY ≠ CNTY of the active 4th quarter of the prior year or
• If STATE = 09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50, non-blank OLD TOWN ≠ TOWN of the active
4th quarter of the prior year.
IN STATE SYSTEMS:
No flag or edit message is used.
System Action:
In State systems, if any Old field is different from the valid code of the active fourth quarter of
the prior year, then the system replaces it with the valid code of the active fourth quarter of the
prior year. (Note: if fourth quarter of the prior year was not active, then Old fields are not
replaced.) These are the Old fields that should be replaced:
• OLD CNTY
• OLD TOWN
• OLD OWN
• OLD NAICS
If the CCS is locked, the system will not run this edit.

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Edit Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
FISCAL-YEAR

OLD-CODECUTOFF

Parameter
Name
Fiscal
Year

Length

EXPO
PK #

4

—

Old Code
Cutoff

6

N/A

WIN
PK #

State Default

BLS Default

—

Processing or
fiscal year for
current refiling

N/A

N/A

Current processing
year, or fiscal year
for the refiling just
completed
50

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Page F-7-1

Level 7 Edit Descriptions – Predecessor/Successor Edits
Predecessor/Successor edits are designed to identify potential relationship problems between
predecessor and successor units. In these cases, either the predecessor of a new or merged unit is
identified and/or the successor of a partially or completely discontinued unit is identified.
Level 7 edits identify two general types of errors, code discrepancies and suspect economic data.
First, a comparison of the predecessor’s and successor's data fields may show unexpected
differences in one of the following codes:
•
•
•
•

Ownership
County
Township (for certain States)
NAICS

Usually, the codes of the predecessor and successor are the same unless the successor had an
immediate economic code change at the time of the ownership transfer. If there was a noneconomic code change (e.g., the predecessor was incorrectly coded and the successor is assigned
the correct code), the change should be held until first quarter unless the employment level is less
than 25. The parameters used in these edits should exclude these smaller units. If the code
change should be held, follow instructions in Chapter 5 of this manual.
The second type of error is an overlap or gap in reporting economic data. When both the
predecessor and successor – or neither the predecessor nor the successor – reported during the
reference period, there is either an overlap or a gap in reporting.
When the predecessor and successor both have employment and wages, one of the following has
generally occurred:
• One of the units was imputed and the imputed record should have been inactivated, or
• Both the predecessor and successor reported, and only one should have. To correct this,
¾ The predecessor should have had the employment and wages changed to zero, or
¾ the predecessor should be inactivated for the reference period, or
¾ the successor should have its employment and wages changed to zero and the record
coded as pending until the appropriate quarter when it would be activated.
• The ownership transfer occurred in the middle of the reference period and the information
should be either
¾ merged under one unit, or
¾ properly explained using numeric or narrative comments.
• A partial transfer of some of the assets of the business was sold to another business resulting
in both reporting part of the employment and wages. When this occurs,
¾ the sum of each month of employment and the sum of the wages should be comparable to
the amount of employment and wages the business had prior to the transfer.

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If neither the predecessor nor the successor reported during the reference period, it should be
determined
• If the business’ employees continued to work during this time period, and if so,
• Who paid their wages.
The appropriate record’s data should be either reported or imputed based on the data of the
predecessor’s last report.
Because the procedures for the predecessor/successor edits are very similar, the edit conditions
for all the edits are combined. The record would receive the appropriate edit message for each
edit flagged.
156 — Predecessor/Successor County Code Change Conflict Edit
General Description: The Predecessor/Successor County Code Change Conflict edit checks to
see that predecessors and successors have the same county codes. Like ownership codes,
township codes, and NAICS codes, the County Code is generally expected to remain the same. It
is generally assumed that a one-to-one predecessor-to-successor transfer should not require a
change in county code. Noneconomic code changes are allowed in first quarter only, so County
Code differences will not be flagged in first quarter if the record is on the ARS and has a
response code indicating a code change. Also, County Code changes will not be flagged if the
Economic Code Change Indicator shows that there has been an economic code change.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 7
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Predecessor/Successor County Code Change Conflict
Edit Conditions: See Predecessor/Successor edit conditions on page F-7-5.
157 — Predecessor/Successor Ownership Code Change Conflict Edit
General Description: The Predecessor/Successor Ownership Code Change Conflict edit checks
to see that predecessors and successors have the same ownership codes. Like county codes,
township codes, and NAICS codes, the Ownership Code is generally expected to remain the
same. This condition is the code change least likely to occur, since government-controlled
agencies generally remain under government control through a transition, and privately owned
businesses usually stay privately owned. A possible exception occurs when a government
transfers its reporting responsibilities to a professional employee leasing company. In these
cases, even if the employees continue to perform their activities for the government installation,
the employees are paid by the leasing company and are coded with a private sector ownership
code. Noneconomic code changes are allowed in first quarter only, so Ownership Code
differences will not be flagged in first quarter if the record is on the ARS and has a response

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Page F-7-3

code indicating a code change. Also, Ownership Code changes will not be flagged if the
Economic Code Change Indicator shows that there has been an economic code change.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 7
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Predecessor/Successor Ownership Change Conflict
Edit Conditions: See Predecessor/Successor edit conditions on page F-7-5.
159 — Predecessor/Successor Township Code Change Conflict Edit
General Description: The Predecessor/Successor Township Code Change Conflict edit checks to
see that predecessors and successors have the same township codes. Like county codes,
ownership codes, and NAICS codes, the Township Code (required for New England States and
New Jersey) is generally expected to remain the same. This edit is only performed for New
England States (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and
Vermont) and New Jersey. Noneconomic code changes are allowed in first quarter only, so
Township Code differences will not be flagged in first quarter if the record is on the ARS and
has a response code indicating a code change. Also, Township Code changes will not be flagged
if the Economic Code Change Indicator shows that there has been an economic code change.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 7
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Predecessor/Successor Township Code Change Conflict
Edit Conditions: See Predecessor/Successor edit conditions on page F-7-5.
160 — Predecessor/Successor Overlap Edit
General Description: The Predecessor/Successor Employment Overlap edit checks to see if both
the predecessor and the successor have reported or estimated employment for the same month of
the reference period. The edit examines three months of employment in the current and month 3
of the prior quarter to find overlapping data (namely, non-zero employment for the same month
in both the predecessor and successor). Whenever there is more than one predecessor and/or
more than one successor, the sum of the employment across all predecessors and successors
should be used.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 7
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

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Edit Message: Both Predecessor and Successor Reported
Edit Conditions: See Predecessor/Successor edit conditions on page F-7-5.
161 — Predecessor/Successor Employment Gap Edit
General Description: The Predecessor/Successor Employment Gap edit checks to see if neither
the predecessor nor the successor reported or estimated employment for a period of time. As the
flip side of the overlap check, the edit looks for a gap in employment between the predecessor
and successor. This means that one month shows non-zero data in the predecessor, the following
months thereafter show zero data in both accounts, and one of the next couple of months
thereafter shows non-zero data in the successor account. Therefore, for a period of one month,
neither the predecessor nor the successor shows any employees present. (Note: Whenever there
is more than one predecessor and/or more than one successor, all predecessors and successors
should be examined to determine whether there is a gap in employment.)
There are only four months of data used, the third month of the prior quarter and the three
months of the processed quarter. Four possible combinations can exist to produce this edit
exception. The first case would be the combination of non-zero employment for the predecessor
in the third month of the prior quarter, zero data in the first month of the processed quarter for
both accounts, and non-zero employment in the second month of the quarter for the successor
account. The second case would be the combination of non-zero employment for the predecessor
in the third month of the prior quarter, zero data in the first and second month of the processed
quarter for both accounts, and non-zero employment in the third quarter for the successor
account. Similarly, the third case, dealing strictly with the processed quarter, would show nonzero data for the predecessor in the first month, zero data for both accounts in the second month,
and non-zero employment for the successor in the third month of the quarter. Finally, this edit
flags large records that have predecessor or successor information but do not match to another
record on the micro file.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 7
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Neither Predecessor nor Successor Reported
Edit Conditions: See Predecessor/Successor edit conditions on page F-7-5.
164 — Predecessor/Successor NAICS Code Change Conflict Edit
General Description: The Predecessor/Successor NAICS Code Change Conflict edit checks to
see that predecessors and successors have the same NAICS codes. Like county codes, township
codes, and ownership codes, the NAICS Code is generally expected to remain the same.

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Noneconomic code changes are allowed in first quarter only, so NAICS code differences will not
be flagged in first quarter if the record is on the ARS and has a response code indicating a code
change. Also, NAICS Code changes will not be flagged if the Economic Code Change Indicator
shows that there has been an economic code change.
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 7
Priority: B

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Predecessor/Successor NAICS Code Change Conflict
Edit Conditions: See Predecessor/Successor edit conditions below.

Predecessor/Successor Edits
Edit Conditions:
Definitions:
Y - current record
X – record(s) linked to Y using Y's predecessor UI# and RUN
Z – record(s) linked to Y using Y's successor UI# and RUN
ARS - ARS Refile Year
RC - ARS Response Code
ECCI - Economic Code Change Indicator
Note that there are the following 4 possible predecessor/successor scenarios:
1. One predecessor and one successor
2. One predecessor and many successors
3. Many predecessors and one successor
4. Many predecessors and many successors
Whenever there is more than one predecessor and/or successor, create an “aggregated” record
that is the sum of the multiple predecessors or successors. These aggregated records will be used
in the predecessor and successor checks.
Also, when a condition is checked in the edit such as “STATUSYc = 1”, if Yc is an aggregate
record, then the condition only needs to be met by at least one of the records that were
aggregated. The aggregate record should then be modified so that it only includes records that
meet the specified conditions. The employment for the aggregate record should be the sum of
employment for all of the records that were aggregated.
For example, in the Predecessor Check below, if an aggregate record needs to be created, do not
include any records that do not meet all of the four conditions listed below.

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Page F-7-6

A. Predecessor Check
Check:
• STATUSYc = 1
• STATUSYp ≠ 1
• Y's Predecessor UI# ≠ blank
• Y's Predecessor RUN ≠ blank
If one or more the conditions is false, bypass the rest of the edit
If all four conditions are true, do the following steps in the predecessor check:
1. Calculate FirstY and FirstempY:
FirstY = 1st active month in which there is non-zero employment in record Y
(emp>0, STATUS=1, only consider M1, M2, or M3 of the current quarter)
FirstempY = employment in that FirstY month
If Record Y's first active month in which
non-zero employment occurs is:
M1c
M2c
M3c
M1c = M2c = M3c = 0

Set
FirstY =
2
3
4
5

Set
FirstempY=
M1c
M2c
M3c
0

2. The system will try to match Y's predecessor UI#/RUN to the record in the microfile
with that UI#/RUN (X)
3. If there is no match between X and Y then do:
If FirstempY > PS-UPPER-PARM then flag edit 161
4. If there is a match then calculate LastX and LastempX:
LastX = last active month in which there is non-zero employment in record X
(emp>0, STATUS=1, only consider M1, M2, and M3 of current quarter and M3
of prior quarter)
LastempX = employment in that Last month
If Record X's last active month in which
non-zero employment occurs is:
M3p

Set
LastX =
1

Set
LastempX =
M3p

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June 2007

M1c
M2c
M3c
(M1c = M2c = M3c = 0 or STATUSc ≠ 1)
AND (M3p = 0 or STATUSp ≠ 1)

Page F-7-7

2
3
4
0

M1c
M2c
M3c
0

5. Check the following conditions:
• UI#Y ≠ UI#X or MEEIYc ≠ (3 or 5) or MEEIXc ≠ 2
• FirstY ≤ LastX
• FirstY ≠ 5
• Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS-UPPER-PARM
• Min(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS-LOWER-PARM
If all the conditions in 5 are true, then flag edit 160
6. Check:
• UI#Y ≠ UI#X or MEEIYc ≠ (3 or 5) or MEEIXc ≠ 2
• FirstY > (LastX + 1) or (LastX = 0 and FirstY ≠ 0) or (FirstY = 5 and LastX ≠
0)
• Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS-UPPER-PARM
If all the conditions in 6 are true, then flag edit 161
7. Check:
• ECCIYc > 0
• Min(FirstempY, LastempX) ≤ PS-LOWER-PARM
If either of the above conditions is true, then bypass the rest of the edit
If both of the above conditions are false, then check the following
If QTR ≠ 1, then check (a) and (b)
If QTR =1, check the following conditions:
• ARSY = Current Year and RCY = (46, 50, 57, 76, or 77)
• ARSX = Current Year and RCX = (46, 50, 57, 76, or 77)
If either of the above conditions is true, then bypass the rest of the edit
If both of the above conditions are false, check (a) and (b)
(a) Check:
• STATUSXc = 1 and OWNXc ≠ OWNYc
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and OWNXp ≠ OWNYc

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June 2007

Page F-7-8

If either condition is true and Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS-UPPER-PARM, then
flag edit 157
(b) Check:
• MEEIYc ≠ 2
• MEEIYp ≠ 2
• MEEIXc ≠ 2
• MEEIXp ≠ 2
If all of the above conditions in (b) are true, then do (i) through (iii):
(i)

Check:
• STATUSXc = 1 and CNTYXc ≠ CNTYYc and CNTYXc ≠ (995, 996,
998, or 999)
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and CNTYXp ≠ CNTYYc and
CNTYXp ≠ (995, 996, 998, or 999)
If either condition in (i) is true and Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PSUPPER-PARM, then flag edit 156

(ii)

Check:
• STATUSXc = 1 and TOWNYc ≠ TOWNXc and TOWNXc ≠ (995, 996,
998, or 999) and STATE = (09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50)
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and TOWNYc ≠ TOWNXp and
TOWNXp ≠ (995, 996, 998, or 999) and STATE = (09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44,
or 50)
If either condition in (ii) is true and Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS, then flag edit 159

UPPER-PARM

(iii)

Check:
• STATUSXc = 1 and NAICSYc ≠ NAICSXc and NAICSXc ≠ 999999
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and NAICSYc ≠ NAICSXp and
NAICSXp ≠ 999999
If either condition in (iii) is true and Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PSthen flag edit 164

UPPER-PARM,

B. Successor Check
Check:

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Page F-7-9

• STATUSYp =1
• Y's Successor UI# ≠ blank
• Y's Successor RUN ≠ blank
If at least one of the above conditions is false, bypass the rest of the edit
If all the above conditions are true, then do the following steps in the successor check:
1. Calculate LastY and LastempY
LastY = last active month in which there is non-zero employment in record Y
(emp>0, STATUS=1, only consider M1, M2, or M3 of the current quarter or M3
of the prior quarter)
LastempY = employment in that LastY month
If Record Y's last active month in which
non-zero employment occurs is:
M3p
M1c
M2c
M3c
(M1c = M2c = M3c = 0 or STATUSc ≠ 1)
AND (M3p = 0 or STATUSp ≠ 1)

Set
LastY =
1
2
3
4
0

Set
LastempY =
M3p
M1c
M2c
M3c
0

2. The system will try to match Y's successor UI#/RUN to the record in the microfile
with that UI#/RUN (Z)
3. If there is no match between Y and Z then do:
If STATUSYc ≠ 1 and LastempY > PS-UPPER-PARM then flag edit 161
4. If there is a match then check:
• STATUSZc = 1
• STATUSZp ≠ 1
If the above conditions in (4) are both true, go to 5
Otherwise, bypass the rest of the edit
5. Calculate FirstZ and FirstempZ
FirstZ = first active month in which there is non-zero employment in record Z
(emp>0, STATUS=1, only consider M1, M2, and M3 of the current quarter)
FirstempZ = employment in that First month

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June 2007

If Record Z's first active month in which
non-zero employment occurs is:
M1c
M2c
M3c
M1c = M2c = M3c = 0 or STATUSc ≠ 1

Page F-7-10

Set
FirstZ =
2
3
4
5

Set
FirstempZ =
M1c
M2c
M3c
0

6. Check the following conditions:
• UI#Y ≠ UI#Z or MEEIYc ≠ 2 or MEEIZc ≠ (3 or 5)
• FirstZ ≤ LastY
• FirstZ ≠ 5
• Max(FirstempZ, LastempY) > PS-UPPER-PARM
• Min(FirstempZ, LastempY) > PS-LOWER-PARM
If the conditions are true, then flag edit 160
7. Check
• UI#Y ≠ UI#Z or MEEIYc ≠ 2 or MEEIZc ≠ (3 or 5)
• FirstZ > (LastY + 1) or (LastY = 0 and FirstZ ≠ 0) or (FirstZ = 5 and LastY ≠ 0)
• Max(FirstempZ, LastempY) > PS-UPPER-PARM
If the conditions in (7) are true, then flag edit 161
8. Check
• ECCIZc > 0
• Min(FirstempZ, LastempY) ≤ 25
If either of the above conditions is true, then bypass the rest of the edit
If both of the above conditions are false, then check the following:
If QTR ≠ 1, then check (a) and (b)
If QTR =1, check the following conditions:
• ARSY = Current Year and RCY = (46, 50, 57, 76, or 77)
• ARSZ = Current Year and RCZ = (46, 50, 57, 76, or 77)
If either of the above conditions is true, then bypass the rest of the edit
If both of the above conditions are false, check (a) and (b)
(a) Check
• STATUSYc = 1 and OWNYc ≠ OWNZc
• STATUSYc ≠ 1 and STATUSYp = 1 and OWNZc ≠ OWNYp
If either condition in (a) is true and Max(FirstempZ, LastempY) > PS-UPPERPARM then flag edit 157
(b) Check:

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Page F-7-11

• MEEIYc ≠ 2
• MEEIYp ≠ 2
• MEEIZc ≠ 2
• MEEIZp ≠ 2
If all of the above conditions in (b) are true, then do (i) through (iii)
If at least one of the conditions in (b) are false, bypass the rest of the edit
(i) Check:
• STATUSYc = 1 and CNTYYc ≠ CNTYZc and CNTYYc ≠ (995, 996,
998, or 999)
• STATUSYc ≠ 1 and STATUSYp = 1 and CNTYZc ≠ CNTYYp and
CNTYYp ≠ (995, 996, 998, or 999)
If either condition in (i) is true and Max(FirstempZ, LastempY) > PSthen flag edit 156

UPPER-PARM

(ii) Check:
• STATUSYc = 1 and TOWNYc ≠ TOWNZc and TOWNYc ≠ (995, 996,
998, or 999) and STATE = (09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50)
• STATUSYc ≠ 1 and STATUSYp = 1 and TOWNZc ≠ TOWNYp and
TOWNYp ≠ (995, 996, 998, or 999) and STATE = (09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44,
or 50)
If either condition in (ii) is true and Max(FirstempZ, LastempY) > PSUPPER-PARM, then flag edit 159
(iii) Check:
• STATUSYc = 1 and NAICSYc ≠ NAICSZc and NAICSYc ≠ 999999
• STATUSYc ≠ 1 and STATUSYp = 1 and NAICSYp ≠ NAICSZc and
NAICSYp ≠ 999999
If either condition in (iii) is true and Max(FirstempZ, LastempY) > PSthen flag edit 164

UPPER-PARM,

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
PS-UPPER-PARM Pred/Succ Upper Parm
PS-LOWER-PARM Pred/Succ Lower Parm

Length
6
6

EXPO
PK #
015
016

WIN
PK #
042
043

State
Default
250
25

BLS
Default
250
25

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Page F-7-12

Example:
This is an example with many predecessors (Xi) and one successor (Y). The same principles
apply when there are many successors.
Record Y has predecessor information, and there is more than one
predecessor. Other fields are as follows:
Prior Quarter
Pred. Record

STATUS in
Curr.
Qtr.

M1

M2

M3

X1
X2
X3

2
2
2

300
0
100

311
0
100

211
125
125

Current Quarter, Record Y
ST
AT
US

ME
EI

OWN

NAICS

CNTY

TOWN

M1

M2

M3

1

1

5

561114

013

011

411

412

421

A. Predecessor Check
Check:
• STATUSYc =1
• STATUSYp ≠ 1 for one or more predecessors (Xi)
• Y's Predecessor UI# ≠ blank
• Y's Predecessor RUN ≠ blank
All four conditions are true, so go to 1:
1. Calculate FirstY and FirstempY:
FirstY = 2
FirstempY = 411
2. The system will try to match Y's predecessor UI#/RUN to
the record(s) in the microfile with that UI#/RUN (Xi).

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Page F-7-13

There are matches between Xi and Y and the resulting
data are as follows:

1

1

5

561114

Y

2

M3

X
3

M2

561114

M1

5

TOWN

1

2
1
1
1
2
5
1
2
5

CNTY

1

0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1

NAICS

X
2

0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2

OWN

561114

MEEI

5

STATUS

NAICS

1

M3

OWN

1

TOWN

MEEI

X
1

Current Quarter
CNTY

STATUS

Prior Quarter

1

1

5

561114

0
2
2

0
1
1

3
0

3
0

0

1

1

5

561114

5

0

1

5

561114

0
1
1
0
1
1

1
5

1

0
2
2
0
1
3

4
1
1

4
1
2

4
2
1

2

4. There is a match, so calculate LastX and LastempX:
LastX = 3
LastempX = 30 + 5 = 35
5. Check the following conditions:
• UI#Y ≠ UI#X or MEEIYc ≠ (3 or 5) or MEEIXc ≠ 2
• FirstY ≤ LastX: 2 ≤ 3:
• FirstY ≠ 5: 2 ≠ 5
• Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS-UPPER-PARM: 461 > 250
• Min(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS-LOWER-PARM: 35 > 25
All of the conditions are false, so record fails edit
160.
6. Check:
• UI#Y ≠ UI#X or MEEIYc ≠ (3 or 5) or MEEIXc ≠ 2
• FirstY > (LastX + 1) or (LastX = 0 and FirstY ≠ 0) or
(FirstY = 5 and LastX ≠ 0)
• Max(FirstempY, LastempX) > PS-UPPER-PARM
Not all of the conditions are true, so record does not
flag edit 161.

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June 2007

Page F-7-14

7. Check:
• ECCIYc > 0
• Min(FirstempY, LastempX)= 35 < 25
Neither of these conditions is true, so check the
following:
If QTR ≠ 1, then check (a) and (b)
If QTR =1, check the following conditions:
• ARSY = Current Year and RCY = (46, 50, 57, or 76)
• ARSX = Current Year and RCX = (46, 50, 57, 76 or 77)
These conditions are not true so check (c)
(a)
Check:
• STATUSXc = 1 and OWNXc ≠ OWNYc
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and OWNXp ≠ OWNYc
Neither condition is true -- record does not flag edit
157
(b)
Check:
• MEEIYc ≠ 2
• MEEIYp ≠ 2
• MEEIXc ≠ 2
• MEEIXp ≠ 2
None of the above conditions are true, so do (i)
through (iii):
(i)

Check:
• STATUSXc = 1 and CNTYXc ≠ CNTYYc and CNTYXc ≠
(995, 996, 998, or 999)
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and CNTYXp ≠
CNTYYc and CNTYXp ≠ (995, 996, 998, or 999)
The first condition in (i) is true and
Max(FirstempY, LastempX) = 411 > PS-UPPER-PARM, so
flag edit 156

(ii) Check:

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• STATUSXc = 1 and TOWNYc ≠ TOWNXc and TOWNXc ≠
(995, 996, 998, or 999) and STATE = (09, 23, 25,
33, 34, 44, or 50)
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and TOWNYc ≠
TOWNXp and TOWNXp ≠ (995, 996, 998, or 999) and
STATE = (09, 23, 25, 33, 34, 44, or 50)
Neither condition in (ii) is true, so record does
not flag edit 159
(iii)

Check:
• STATUSXc = 1 and NAICSYc ≠ NAICSXc and NAICSXc ≠
999999
• STATUSXc ≠ 1 and STATUSXp = 1 and NAICSYc ≠
NAICSXp and NAICSXp ≠ 999999
Neither condition in (iii) is true, so record
does not flag edit 164

Record fails edit 156

In this example, record X or Y flags for edit 156—PredecessorSuccessor County Code Change Conflict and edit 160—Both
Predecessor and Successor Reported.

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Page F-7-16

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Page F-8-1

Level 8 Edit Descriptions – Multi-establishment Edits
Multi-establishment edits review the relationships of each unit or the total of the worksites
against the master or parent record. The purposes of these edits are to ensure that:
• The sum of the economic data from sub-units is relatively close to the amount reported
for the master record. Edits 171-176, the additivity balance edits, cover this.
• Each multi-establishment family or group has a master record and at least two worksites.
• All members of the family have the same ownership code and EIN.
Additivity/Balance Edits (171-176)
This group of Level 8 edits is used to ensure that the data received electronically or on the
Multiple Worksite Report for multi establishment accounts add to the exact amount (or
reasonably close to the amount reported) on the Quarterly Contributions Report. Federal
government data are bypassed since they do not report QCRs.
Differences may occur when different respondent representatives such as accountants, payroll
providers, etc. complete the MWR or EDI data that are being compared to the QCR. If the data
do not add, then the analyst should examine them for the following potential problems:
• Data entry errors
• Inclusion of out-of-state data on the QCR
• Exclusion of new worksites from the MWR
• Mergers or other acquisitions that may be included in one report but not in the other
• Transfers or partial sales that may be reflected in one report but not in the other
• Reporting differences resulting from different people completing the reports
Definitions:
M1
M2
M3
TW
TAXW
CTB
Mas
Wks

Σx(wks)
Lowx
absDx
absPx

Month One Employment
Month Two Employment
Month Three Employment
Total Wages
Taxable Wages
Contributions Due
Master Record
Worksite Records
Sum of worksite data where x = M1, M2, M3, TW, TAXW, or
CTB
Lower value between the master record and the sum of the
worksites for x where x = M1, M2, M3, TW, TAXW, or CTB
Absolute difference for data element x where x = M1, M2, M3,
TW, TAXW, or CTB between the master record and the sum of the
worksite
Absolute percent difference for data element x where x = M1, M2,
M3, TW, TAXW, or CTB between the master record and the sum
of the worksite

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-8-2

171 — First Month Employment Additivity/Balance Check
General Description: This Additivity/Balance Check compares data reported in the QCR to data
received on either an MWR or via the EDI Center. Minimal differences are allowed. This edit is
used for all multi-units except for Federal Government. Federal Government is not edited in this
manner, since there are no QCRs to compare against the data on the Report of Federal
Employment and Wages (RFEW).
Location: Both BLS & State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: First Month Empl Not in Balance
Edit Conditions:
Perform this edit when
• The reference quarter equals the current quarter
OR
• The reference quarter equals the prior quarter and the data element changed for either the
master record or for at least one of the worksites
Identify all records with an individual multi UI #.
Exclude each individual record if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• OWN = 1
• RUN = 00000 record if its MEEI ≠ 2.
• Worksite unit (RUN > 00000) record if its MEEI ≠ 3 or 5.
For the multi UI#, sum M1 for all remaining (not bypassed) worksites (MEEI = 3 or 5).
ΣM1(wks) = sum of all not excluded M1.
Set

LowM1 = Min(M1(mas),ΣM1(wks)).
absDM1 = |M1(MAS) – ΣM1(WKS)|.

Determine the Edit Level:
Limit = LowM1 x MED-EMPL-BAL-PCT
If Limit < LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 1.
If LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL < Limit < HIGH -EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 2.
If Limit > HIGH -EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 3.
Level 1:
If absDM1 > LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.

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June 2007

Page F-8-3

Level 2:
Compute absPM1 = (absDM1 ÷ ΣM1(wks)) × 100
If absPM1 > MED-EMPL-BAL-PCT, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 3:
If absDM1 > HIGH-EMPL-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Example:
RUN
00001
00002
00003
00004
00005
00006

Status Code
1
1
1
2
1
1

Master—00000
Sum of Worksites
LOW-EMP
Net Difference
Absolute Value
Percent Difference
Limit
Employment Level
Used:
Tolerance Used:
Flag the Record:

First Month Employment
50
300
100
0
20
66
440
536
440
-96
96
17.9

M1(MAS)
ΣM1(WKS)
LowM1

AbsDM1
absPM1
440 x .10 = 44
Middle range: Level is greater than LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL
but less than HIGH-EMPL-BAL-TOL
MED-EMPL-BAL-PCT
Since the percent difference of 17.9 is greater than the
default tolerance of 10, flag the record

State Parameters and Tolerances:
Parameter
LOW-EMPL-BALTOL
MED-EMPL-BALPCT
HIGH-EMPL-BALTOL

Parameter Name
Small Employment
Balance Tolerance
Mid-Sized Employment
Balance Tolerance
Large Employment
Balance Tolerance

Length
2

EXPO
PK #
032

WIN
PK #
051

State
Default
5

BLS
Default
10

2

033

052

10

50

6

034

054

100

100

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June 2007

Page F-8-4

172 — Second Month Employment Additivity/Balance Check
General Description: This Additivity/Balance Check compares data reported in the QCR to data
received on either an MWR or via the EDI Center. Minimal differences are allowed. This edit is
used for all multi-units, except for Federal Government. Federal Government is not edited in
this manner, since there are no QCRs to compare against the data on the RFEW.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Second Month Empl Not in Balance
Edit Conditions:
Perform this edit when
• The reference quarter equals the current quarter
OR
• The reference quarter equals the prior quarter and the data element changed for either the
master record or for at least one of the worksites
Identify all records with an individual multi UI#.
Exclude each individual record if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• OWN = 1
• RUN = 00000 record if its MEEI ≠ 2.
• Worksite unit (RUN > 00000) record if its MEEI ≠ 3 or 5.
For the multi account number, sum M2 for all remaining (not bypassed) worksites (MEEI
= 3 or 5).
ΣM2(wks) = sum of all not excluded M2.
Set

LowM2 = Min(M2(mas),ΣM2(wks)).
absDM2 = |M2(MAS) – ΣM2(WKS)|.

Determine the Edit Level:
Limit = LowM2 x MED-EMPL-BAL-PCT
If Limit < LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 1.
If LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL < Limit < HIGH -EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 2.
If Limit > HIGH -EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 3.
Level 1:

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-8-5

If absDM2 > LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 2:
Compute absPM2 = (absDM2÷ ΣM2(wks)) × 100
If absPM2 > MED-EMPL-BAL-PCT, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 3:
If absDM2 > HIGH-EMPL-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
LOW-EMPL-BAL- Small Employment Balance
Tolerance
TOL
MED-EMPL-BAL- Mid-Sized Employment
Balance Tolerance
PCT
Large Employment Balance
HIGH-EMPLTolerance
BAL-TOL

Length
2

EXPO
PK #
032

WIN
PK #
051

State
Default
5

BLS
Default
10

2

033

052

10

50

6

034

054

100

100

173 — Third Month Employment Additivity/Balance Check
General Description: This Additivity/Balance Check compares data reported in the QCR to data
received on either an MWR or via the EDI Center. Minimal differences are allowed. This edit is
used for all multi-units, except for Federal Government. Federal Government is not edited in
this manner, since there are no QCRs to compare against the data on the RFEW.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Third Month Empl Not in Balance
Edit Conditions:
Perform this edit when
• The reference quarter equals the current quarter
OR
• The reference quarter equals the prior quarter and the data element changed for either the
master record or for at least one of the worksites
Identify all records with an individual multi UI account number.

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-8-6

Exclude each individual record if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• OWN = 1
• RUN = 00000 record if its MEEI ≠ 2.
• Worksite unit (RUN > 00000) record if its MEEI ≠ 3 or 5.
For the multi UI#, sum M3 for all remaining (not bypassed) worksites (MEEI = 3 or 5).
ΣM3(wks) = sum of all not excluded M3.
Set
LowM3 = Min(M3(mas),ΣM3(wks)).
absDM3 = |M3(MAS) – ΣM3(WKS)|.
Determine the Edit Level:
Limit = LowM3 x MED-EMPL-BAL-PCT
If Limit < LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 1.
If LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL < Limit < HIGH -EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 2.
If Limit > HIGH -EMPL-BAL-TOL, go to Level 3.
Level 1:
If absDM3 > LOW-EMPL-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 2:
Compute absPM3 = (absDM3 ÷ ΣM3(wks)) × 100
If absPM3 > MED-EMPL-BAL-PCT, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 3:
If absDM3 > HIGH-EMPL-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter

Parameter Name

Small Employment Balance
Tolerance
MED-EMPL-BAL- Mid-Sized Employment
Balance Tolerance
PCT
Large Employment Balance
HIGH-EMPLTolerance
BAL-TOL
LOW-EMPL-BALTOL

Length

EXPO
PK #

WIN
PK #

State
Default

2

032

051

5

BLS
Defau
lt
10

2

033

052

10

50

6

034

054

100

100

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-8-7

174 — Total Wages Additivity/Balance Check
General Description: This Additivity/Balance Check compares data reported in the QCR to data
received on either an MWR or via the EDI Center. Minimal differences are allowed. This edit is
used for all multi-units, except for Federal Government. Federal Government is not edited in
this manner, since there are no QCRs to compare against the data on the RFEW.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Total Wages Not in Balance
Edit Conditions:
Perform this edit when
• The reference quarter equals the current quarter
OR
• The reference quarter equals the prior quarter and the data element changed for either the
master record or for at least one of the worksites
Identify all records with an individual multi UI#.
Exclude each individual record if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• OWN = 1
• RUN = 00000 record if its MEEI ≠ 2.
• Worksite unit (RUN > 00000) record if its MEEI ≠ 3 or 5.
For the multi UI#, sum TQW for all remaining (not bypassed) worksites (MEEI = 3 or 5).
ΣTQW(wks) = sum of all not excluded TW.
Set

LowTW = Min(TW(mas),ΣTW(wks)).
AbsDTW = |TW(MAS) – ΣTW(WKS)|.

Determine the Edit Level:
Limit = LowTW x MED-WAGE-BAL-MIL
If Limit < LOW-WAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 1.
If Limit ≥ LOW-WAGE-BAL-TOL but Limit ≤ HIGH-WAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 2.
If Limit > HIGH-WAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 3.
Level 1:

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-8-8

If AbsDTW > LOW-WAGE-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 2:
Compute absPTW = (AbsDTW ÷ ΣTQW(wks)) × 100
If absPTW > MED-WAGE-BAL-MIL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 3:
If absDTW > HIGH-WAGE-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Example:
RUN
00001
00002
00003
00004
00005
00006

Status Code
1
1
1
2
1
1

Master—00000
Sum of Worksites
LOW-WAGE
Net Difference
Absolute Value
Percent Difference
Limit
Wage Level Used:
Tolerance Used:
Flag the Record:

Total Wages
10,000
30,000
7,500
0
22,000
5,500
65,000
75,000
65,000
-10,000
10,000
13.3

TW(mas)
ΣTW(WKS)
LowTW

absDTW
absPTW
65,000 x 1% = 650
middle range greater than LOW-WAGE-BAL-TOL but less than HIGHWAGE-BAL-TOL –(650 is between 500 and 10,000)
MED-WAGE-BAL-MIL
Since the percent difference of 13.3 is greater than the default
tolerance of 1, flag the record

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
LOW-WAGEBAL-TOL
MED-WAGEBAL-MIL

Parameter Name
Small Wage
Balance Tolerance
Medium Wage Mill
Balance Tolerance

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
037

WIN
PK #
056

State
Default
500

2

038

057

1%
(expressed
as 10 in
EXPO & 1
in WIN)

BLS Default
5,000
10%
(expressed as
10)

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

HIGH-WAGETOL

Large Wage
Balance Tolerance

6

039

059

Page F-8-9

10,000

100,000

175 — Taxable Wages Additivity/Balance Check
General Description: This Additivity/Balance Check compares data reported on the master
record to data reported on multi worksites. Minimal differences are allowed. This edit is used
for all multi-units, except for Federal Government. Federal Government records should never
report Taxable Wages or Contributions.
Location: State only
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning, if used
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Not Applicable

Edit Message: Taxable Wages Not in Balance
Edit Conditions:
Perform this edit when
• The reference quarter equals the current quarter
OR
• The reference quarter equals the prior quarter and the data element changed for either
the master record or for at least one of the worksites
Identify all records with an individual multi UI#.
Exclude each individual record if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• OWN = 1
• RUN = 00000 record if its MEEI ≠ 2.
• Worksite unit (RUN > 00000) record if its MEEI ≠ 3 or 5.
For multi UI#, sum TAXW for all remaining (not bypassed) worksites (MEEI = 3 or 5).
ΣTAXW(wks) = sum of all not excluded TAXW.
Set

LowTAXW = Min(TAXW(mas),ΣTAXW(wks)).
absDTAXW = |TAXW(MAS) – ΣTAXW(WKS)|.

Determine the Edit Level:
Limit = LowTAXW x MED-TAXWAGE-BAL-MIL
If Limit < LOW-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 1.
If Limit ≥ LOW-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL but Limit ≤ HIGH-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 2.
If Limit > HIGH-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 3.

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-8-10

Level 1:
If AbsDTW > LOW-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family
with STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 2:
Compute absPTW = (AbsDTW ÷ ΣTQW(wks)) × 100
If absPTW > MED-TAXWAGE-BAL-MIL, flag all units of the multi establishment family with
STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 3:
If absDTW > HIGH-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, flag all units of the multi establishment family
with STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
LOW-TAXWAGEBAL-TOL
MED-TAXWAGEBAL-MIL
HIGH-TAXWAGETOL

Parameter Name Length
Low Wage Balance
6
Tolerance
Medium Wage
2
Mill Balance
Tolerance
Large Wage
6
Balance Tolerance

EXPO
PK #
037

WIN
PK #
056

038

057

039

059

State Default
500
1% (expressed
as 10 in EXPO
and 1 in WIN)
10,000

BLS
Default
N/A
N/A
N/A

176 — Contributions Additivity/Balance Check
General Description: This Additivity/Balance Check compares data reported on the master
record to data reported on multi worksites. Minimal differences are allowed. This edit is used
for all multi-units, except for Federal Government. Federal Government records should never
report Taxable Wages or Contributions.
Location: State only
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning, if used
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Not Applicable

Edit Message: Contributions Not in Balance
Edit Conditions:
Perform this edit when either condition is true
• The reference quarter equals the current quarter
OR
• The reference quarter equals the prior quarter and the data element changed for either
the master record or for at least one of the worksites

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-8-11

Identify all records with an individual multi UI#.
Exclude each individual record if any of the following conditions are met:
• Status = 2, 3, or 9
• Own = 1
• RUN = 00000 record if its MEEI ≠ 2.
• Worksite unit (RUN > 00000) record if its MEEI ≠ 3 or 5.
For multi UI#, sum CTB for all remaining (not bypassed) worksites (MEEI = 3 or 5).
• ΣCTB(wks) = sum of all not excluded CTB.
• Set LowCTB = Min(CTB(mas),ΣCTB(wks)).
• absDCTB = |CTB(mas) – ΣCTB(wks)|.
Determine the Edit Level:
Limit = LowCTB x MED-TAXWAGE-BAL-MIL
If Limit < LOW-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 1.
If Limit ≥ LOW-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL but Limit ≤ HIGH-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 2.
If Limit > HIGH-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL, go to Level 3.
Level 1:
If AbsDCTB > LOW-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL X CONTRIB-BAL-PCT, flag all units of the multi
establishment family with STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 2:
Compute absPCTB = (AbsDCTB ÷ ΣCTB(wks)) × 100
If absPCTB > MED-TAXWAGE-BAL-MIL X CONTRIB-BAL-PCT, flag all units of the multi
establishment family with STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Level 3:
If absDCTB > HIGH-TAXWAGE-BAL-TOL X CONTRIB-BAL-PCT, flag all units of the multi
establishment family with STATUS ≠ 2, 3, or 9. Else pass the edit.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Length
6

MED-TAXWAGEBAL-MIL

Parameter Name
Low Wage Balance
Tolerance
Medium Wage Mill
Balance Tolerance

EXPO
PK #
037

2

038

057

HIGH-TAXWAGETOL

Large Wage Balance
Tolerance

6

039

059

Parameter
LOW-TAXWAGEBAL-TOL

WIN
PK #
056

State Default
500
1% (expressed
as 10 in EXPO
and 1 in WIN)
10,000

BLS
Default
N/A
N/A
N/A

June 2007

CONTRIB-BALPCT

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Contributions
Percentage Applied
To Balance

2

040

Page F-8-12

067

10

N/A

178 — Master Without Multiple Worksites Check
General Description: The Master Without Multiple Worksites edit checks for worksites when a
master record exists. If an active unit is determined to be a master record with an MEEI code of
2, then there must be at least 2 corresponding active worksite records for the same UI Account
Number in the same year and quarter. This error may occur when
• An employer account is being set up as a multi-establishment reporter and the RUN =
00000 record's MEEI code is not changed to 2, or the worksites are not set up, or the
worksites have STATUS = 9.
• When a multi-establishment reporter is reduced to only a single worksite. In these cases,
the master should be converted to a single unit (MEEI = 1, 4, or 6) comprised of the data
for the worksite. The remaining worksite is inactivated.
Location: Both BLS and State Systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Master Without Multiple Worksites
Edit Conditions:
Examine all active records (STATUS = 1) that have the same UI#.
Flag if both conditions are met
• A unit has RUN = 00000 and MEEI = 2, and
• Less than two units have active RUN > 00000 with MEEI codes = 3 or 5.
179 — Worksites Without Master Account Check
General Description: The Worksites Without Master Account edit checks for a master record
when worksites exist. If a worksite record is active, then the unit must have a corresponding
active master record. This situation frequently occurs
• When a single establishment is broken out into multiple establishments and the single is
dropped from the file or inactivated, or
• When a multi account is sold to another account. The data for the master record is moved
to the new account but the worksites are not inactivated or properly transferred.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-8-13

Edit Message: Worksite Missing Master
Edit Conditions:
Examine all active records (STATUS = 1) that have the same UI#.
Flag if both conditions are met
• None of the units have a RUN = 00000 with an MEEI = 2, and
• At least one unit has a RUN > 00000 or is coded MEEI = 3 or 5.
180 — Single Has Active Worksites Check
General Description: The Single Has Active Worksites edit checks for single units with
worksites that exist for the same UI Account Number. This error frequently occurs
• When an employer account is being set up as a multi-establishment reporter and the RUN
= 00000 record’s MEEI code is not changed to 2, or
• When a multi-establishment report is being collapsed and the RUN = 00000 record is
given an MEEI code of 1, 4, or 6 but the worksites are not inactivated.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Single Account/Active Worksites
Edit Conditions:
Examine all active records (STATUS = 1) that have the same UI#.
Flag if both conditions are met
• At least one unit has a RUN = 00000 and is coded MEEI = 1, 4, or 6, and
• At least one other unit is coded as a sub-unit (MEEI = 3 or 5 or RUN > 00000)
181 — Master/Worksite Owner Code Check
General Description: The Master/Worksite Ownership Code edit checks for ownership
discrepancies between master and worksites. A multi-establishment master record and its
worksites should all have the same Ownership Code. A professional employee organization
(PEO) or employee leasing firm may report data on a MWR for units in multiple ownerships
(e.g., a local government hospital and a private sector factory). If they are all reported using the
PEO's UI Account Number, they should all be reported as private sector (ownership 5) units
since the PEO is in the private sector.
Location: Both BLS and State systems

Level: Micro

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Page F-8-14

Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Worksite Ownership Code Differs from Master
Edit Conditions:
Compare all active records (STATUS = 1) that have the same UI#.
Flag if not all records have the same OWN.
182 — Master/Worksite EIN Check
General Description: The Master/Worksite EIN edit checks for EIN discrepancies between
master and sub-units. A multi-establishment master record and its worksites should not have
more than one EIN. EIN must be the same for master and worksites with the same UI Account
Number. In some cases where partial or complete mergers occur, the predecessor’s EIN may be
inadvertently retained on some of the worksites and will cause this edit to flag the account.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

Edit Message: Worksite EIN Differs From Master
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if OWN = 1
Compare all active records (STATUS = 1) that have the same UI#.
Flag if not all records have the same EIN.
System Action: If the EIN of the worksite is missing or zero-filled and the master record EIN is
a valid non-zero value, then the State systems will copy the master record EIN to the worksite.
185 — Master/Worksite Indian Tribal Check
General Description: The Master/Worksite Indian Tribal Code edit checks for special indicator
code T discrepancies between master and worksites. A multi-establishment master record and its
worksites should all have the T indicator if truly Indian Tribal Council records.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 8
Priority: A

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Invalid
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if flagged

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Edit Message: Inconsistent Indian Tribal Codes within the Multi Account
Edit Conditions:
Compare all active records (STATUS = 1) that have the same UI#.
Flag if not all records have the same SPECIAL INDICATOR = T.

Page F-8-15

June 2007

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Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-8-16

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-9-1

Level 9 Edit Descriptions – Wage Record Edits
Wage record edits are a tool which can be used in conjunction with the employment and wage
edits to help determine if the employment or wage change is supported by data changes in wage
record data. These edits should only be run if the State can obtain and load automated files of
wage record data.
Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar field length
for the total wage amount.

193 — First Month Employment/Wage Record Comparison
General Description: The Wage Record Count is a 6-digit numeric, unduplicated tally of all
employees’ wage record listed on the QCR. The month-to-month employment found in the
Micro extract file should be less than or equal to wage record count. The validation of this
relationship is conducted using a percentage tolerance (tol).
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 9
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if
flagged

Edit Message: First Month Empl > Wage Record Count
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2 or 9
• WAGE RECORD WAGE is not numeric
• WAGE RECORD WAGE = 0
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• Wage records not reported or not available
• COVERAGE = 1, 3, 8, or 9
• OWN = 1
• AMEc < WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME.
Flag if both conditions are met
• AMEc > WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME and
• M1c - WAGE RECORD COUNT > (M1c x EMPL-GT-WRC-PCT)/100.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-9-2

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME

EMPL-GT-WRC-PCT

Parameter Name
Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass
Limit For Employment >
Wage Record Count
(Percent)

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
046

WIN
PK #
062

2

047

063

State
BLS
Default Default
50
100
10

10

Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar length for the
total wage amount. Ideally, the system only flags this condition if the record was flagged
because of questionable employment (edit conditions 031, 091, 093, 094, 095, 096, 097, 126,
130, 131, 132, 139, 140, 171).
System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible predecessor either in the error
message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. Allow States to run these edits
separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon access to
wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (2) If wage records are
not available, then the edit is bypassed.
194 — Second Month Employment/Wage Record Comparison
General Description: The Wage Record Count is a 6-digit numeric, unduplicated tally of all
employees’ wage record listed on the QCR. The month-to-month employment found in the
Micro extract file should be less than or equal to the wage record count. The validation of this
relationship is conducted using a percentage tolerance.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 9
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if
flagged

Edit Message: Second Month Empl > Wage Record Count
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2 or 9
• WAGE RECORD WAGE is not numeric
• WAGE RECORD WAGE = 0
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• Wage records not reported or not available
• COVERAGE = 1, 3, 8, or 9

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

•
•

Page F-9-3

OWN = 1
AMEc < WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME.

Flag if both conditions are met
• AMEc > WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME and
• M2c - WAGE RECORD COUNT > (M2c x EMPL-GT-WRC-PCT)/100.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME

EMPL-GT-WRC-PCT

Parameter Name
Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass
Limit For Employment >
Wage Record Count
(Percent)

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
046

WIN
PK #
062

2

047

063

State
BLS
Default Default
50
100
10

10

Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar length for the
total wage amount. Ideally, the system only flags this condition if the record was flagged
because of questionable employment (edit conditions 032, 092, 093, 094, 095, 096, 097, 126,
130, 131, 132, 139, 140, 172)
System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible predecessor either in the error
message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. Allow States to run these edits
separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon access to
wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (2) If wage records are
not available, then the edit is bypassed.
195 — Third Month Employment/Wage Record Comparison
General Description: The Wage Record Count is a 6-digit numeric, unduplicated tally of all
employees’ wage record listed on the QCR. The month-to-month employment found in the
Micro extract file should be less than or equal to the wage record count. The validation of this
relationship is conducted using a percentage tolerance.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 9
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if
flagged

Edit Message: Third Month Empl > Wage Record Count
Edit Conditions:

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-9-4

Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2 or 9
• WAGE RECORD WAGE is not numeric
• WAGE RECORD WAGE = 0
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• Wage records not reported or not available
• COVERAGE = 1, 3, 8, or 9
• OWN = 1
• AMEc < WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME.
Flag if both conditions are met
• AMEc > WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME and
• M3c - WAGE RECORD COUNT > (M3c x EMPL-GT-WRC-PCT)/100.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
Parameter Name
WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass
Limit For Employment >
EMPL-GT-WRC-PCT
Wage Record Count
(Percent)

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
046

WIN
PK #
062

State
Default
50

BLS
Default
100

2

047

063

10

10

Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar length for the
total wage amount. Ideally, the system only flags this condition if the record was flagged
because of questionable employment (edit conditions 033, 091, 093, 094, 095, 096, 097, 126,
130, 131, 132, 139, 140, 173).
System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible predecessor either in the error
message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. Allow States to run these edits
separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon access to
wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (2) If wage records are
not available, then the edit is bypassed.
196 — Wage Record Check
General Description: This edit ensures that employment does not equal the number of wage
records. Wage record edits are to be run in the State if the data are accessible. They should be
run either with the other edits or on a lagged basis (when most of the information would be
available), or periodically to capture potential reporting problems. These edits help to identify
reporting problems that are frequently missed in the other systems because the data normally do

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-9-5

not fluctuate from month to month or over time. Where appropriate, letters should be generated
to send to the employer to resolve long standing reporting problems.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 9
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if
flagged

Edit Message: All Months Empl = Wage Record Count
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2 or 9
• WAGE RECORD WAGE is not numeric
• WAGE RECORD WAGE = 0
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• Wage records not reported or not available
• COVERAGE = 1, 3, 8, or 9
• OWN = 1
• AMEc < WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME.
Flag if all conditions are met
• AMEc > WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME and
• M1c = M2c = M3c = WAGE RECORD COUNT, where M1-INDc nor M2-INDc nor
M3-INDc = “E” or “H”.
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME

Parameter Name
Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
046

WIN
PK #
062

State
BLS
Default Default
50
100

Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar length for the
total wage amount. Ideally, the system only flags this condition if the record was flagged
because of questionable employment (edit conditions 033, 091, 093, 094, 095, 096, 097, 126,
130, 131, 132, 139, 140, 173).
System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible predecessor either in the error
message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. Allow States to run these edits
separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon access to
wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (2) If wage records are
not available, then the edit is bypassed.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-9-6

197 — Total Wages/Wage Record Wages Comparison Check
General Description: Wage record edits are to be run in the State if the data are accessible. They
should be run either with the other edits, or on a lagged basis (when most of the information
would be available), or periodically to capture potential reporting problems. These edits help to
identify reporting problems that are frequently missed in the other systems because the data
normally do not fluctuate from month to month or over time. Where appropriate, letters should
be generated to send to the employer to resolve long standing reporting problems.
Location: Both BLS and State systems
Edit Level: 9
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if
flagged

Edit Message: Total Wages Vary from Wage Records
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2 or 9
• WAGE RECORD WAGE is not numeric
• WAGE RECORD WAGE = 0
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• Wage records not reported or not available
• COVERAGE = 1, 3, 8, or 9
• OWN = 1
• AME c < WAGE-REC-WAGE-AME.
Flag if both conditions are met
• AMEc > WAGE-REC-WAGE-AME and
• |TWc - WAGE RECORD WAGES| > (WAGE-GT-WRW-PCT x TWc).
Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
WAGE-REC-WAGE-AME

WAGE-GT-WRW-PCT

Parameter Name
Length
Maximum AME For
6
Wage Record Wage
Edits Bypass
Limit For Total Wages >
2
Wage Record Wages %

EXPO
PK #
049
050

WIN
State
BLS
PK # Default Default
065
100
100
066

20

20

Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar length for the
total wage amount. Ideally, the system only flags this condition if the record was flagged
because of questionable total wages (edit conditions 034, 062, 092, 093, 094, 095, 096, 097, 127,
130, 131, 132, 139, 140, 174).

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

Page F-9-7

System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible predecessor either in the error
message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. Allow States to run these edits
separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon access to
wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (2) If wage records are
not available, then the edit is bypassed.
198 — Divergent Employment Trend Check
General Description: This edit compares the employment movement between the current and
prior quarter against the wage record count movement between the same time periods. It would
be reasonable to assume that both should be moving in the same direction.
Location: State only
Edit Level: 9
Priority: C

Level: Micro
Edit Type: Warning
BLS Edit Publ. Criteria: Include, if
flagged

Edit Message: Divergent Employment Trends (empl vs wage records)
Edit Conditions:
Bypass if any of the following conditions are met:
• STATUS = 2, 3, or 9
• WAGE RECORD WAGE is not numeric
• MEEI = 3 or 5
• Wage records not reported or not available
• COVERAGE = 1, 3, 8, or 9
• OWN = 1
• AMEc < WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME.
Flag if all conditions are met
• STATUSc ≠ 2, 3, or 9
• RUN = 00000 (MEEI = 1, 2, 4, or 6)
• AMEc > WAGE-REC-EDIT-AME
• WAGE RECORD COUNTc > 0
• WAGE RECORD COUNTp > 0
• |(AMEc – AMEp) – (WAGE RECORD COUNTc – WAGE RECORD COUNTp)| >
AMEc x PPS-EMP%

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Conditions and Formulas

June 2007

Page F-9-8

Editing Parameters/Tolerances:
Parameter
WAGE-REC-EDITAME
PPS-EMP%

Parameter Name
Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass
Potential Predecessor
/Successor Employment
Percentage

Length
6

EXPO
PK #
046

WIN
PK #
062

State
Default
50

BLS
Default
100

?

?

?

75

75

Note: States using these editing tools should ensure that data for their wage records include all
UI-covered employees and that wage data on wage records include adequate dollar length for the
total wage amount. Ideally, the system only flags this condition if the record was flagged
because of questionable employment (edit conditions 033, 091, 093, 094, 095, 096, 097, 126,
130, 131, 132, 139, 140, 173).
System Actions: (1) Display the UI account of the possible predecessor either in the error
message, on the listing output, or on the on-line edit screen. Allow States to run these edits
separately or at a different time than the rest of the edits since they are dependent upon access to
wage record information which may be available later in the edit cycle. (2) If wage records are
not available, then the edit is bypassed.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Codes and Messages

June 2007

Page G-1

Appendix G – Edit Codes and Messages
The following table contains summary information on edits by edit code. Edit messages may
appear on some listings or screens in a slightly abbreviated or varied form. The edit codes are
listed in numerical order.
The table identifies whether edits are performed at the micro level, the macro level, or both.
Most of the edits listed below are performed at the micro level only. Edits 089, 090, 091, 092,
093, 094, 126, 127, 130, 131, 136, 137, and 138 are performed at both the micro and macro
levels, while edits 134 and 135 are macro level edits only. Edits 089, 090, 136, 137, and 138
only exist in the WIN system (the edits are performed in EXPO and the BLS-Washington
system, but they are coded as 091 or 126).
The table also identifies the priority of the edits according to the ABC list. The column Pub Ex
identifies edits that cause a record to be excluded from BLS publication.
Edit conditions and formulas are described in detail in Appendix F. The ABC list is described in
depth in Section 13.3.2.
Edit
Code

ABC

Pub Ex

Mic, Mac
or Both

Edit Message
Level 1 – Pre-edits

001-I
002-I
003-I
004-I
005-I
006-I

C
A
A
A
A
A

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

Invalid Transaction Code
Invalid Unemployment Insurance (UI) Account Number
Invalid Reporting Unit Number
Invalid Reference Year
Invalid Reference Quarter
Invalid State Code
Level 2 – Key Field edits

010-I
012-I
013-I
016-I
017-I

A
A
A
A
A

Y
Y
Y
Y

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

Invalid NAICS Code
Invalid Ownership Code
Invalid County Code
NAICS & Ownership Inconsistent
Invalid 2002 to 2007 NAICS Code Relationship (2007/1
only)

Level 3 – Date and Status Code Edits
021-I
022-I
023-I
024-I
025-I

C
C
C
C
A

Y

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

Invalid Initial Liability Date Format
Invalid End of Liability (EOL) Date Format
Invalid Setup Date Format
Reactivation Date Invalid or Earlier than Liability Date
Invalid Status Code

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Codes and Messages

June 2007

Page G-2

Level 4 – Remaining Invalid Error Edits
031-I
032-I
033-I
034-I
035-I
036-I
039-I
040-I

A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

043-I
044-I
045-I
046-I

B
B
A
B

mic
mic
mic
mic

047-I
048-I
049-I
050-I
051-I
052-I
053-I
054-I
056-I
057-I
058-I
059-I
060-I
062-I
063-I
064-I
065-I
066-I
067-I
070-I
072-I
074-I
075-I
076-I
078-I
080-I

C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
B
B
A

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

Invalid First Month Employment
Invalid Second Month Employment
Invalid Third Month Employment
Invalid Total Wages
Invalid Taxable Wages
Invalid Contributions
Invalid Type of Coverage
Invalid Multi-establishment Employer Indicator (MEEI)
Code
Invalid Predecessor SESA ID
Invalid Successor SESA ID
Invalid Federal EI Number
Invalid Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) Response
Code/Year
Invalid Tax Rate - Beyond Minimum/Maximum Range
Invalid Comment Code
Invalid First Month Employment Indicator
Invalid Second Month Employment Indicator
Invalid Third Month Employment Indicator
Invalid Total Wages Indicator
Invalid Taxable Wages Indicator
Invalid Contributions Due Indicator
Inconsistent Ownership/Type of Coverage
Taxable Wages on Federal Record
Contributions on Federal Record
Taxable Wages > 0 for Non-Experience Rated Record
Contributions > 0 for Non-Experience Rated Record
Taxable Wages > Total Wages
Contributions > Taxable Wages
MEEI/Reporting Unit Number (RUN) Inconsistent
Inconsistent County/Township Combination
Invalid Format in Predecessor Account
Invalid Format in Successor Account
No Usable Address
Both Trade Name and Legal Name are Blank
Invalid Old Ownership
Invalid Old County
Invalid Old County/Old Township Combination
Invalid Old NAICS Code
Indian Tribal Indicator Inconsistent with NAICS or OWN
Level 6 – Warning Edits

085-W

A

mic

Potential Predecessor (UI #) found based on Wage Records

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Codes and Messages

June 2007

086-W
088-W

A
B

mic
mic

Page G-3

Potential Successor (UI #) found based on Wage Records
Large Record without Usable Physical Location Address
(PLA)

Level 5 – Significant Employment and Wage Edits
089-W

A

090-W

A

091-W

A

WIN
mic/mac
WIN
mic/mac
mic/mac

092-W

A

mic/mac

093-W

A

mic/mac

094-W

A

mic/mac

095-W
096-W
097-W
099-W

A
A
A
A

mic
mic
mic
mic

WIN-202 Only: Month 1 Employment Change Greatly
Exceeds Test Parameters
WIN-202 Only: Month 2 Employment Change Greatly
Exceeds Test Parameters
EXPO and BLS: Employment Change Greatly Exceeds
Test Parameters
WIN-202: Month 3 Employment Change Greatly Exceeds
Test Parameters
AQW Change is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice
the Quartile AQW Range
Average Employment is Significantly > PARM, but Total
Wages = 0
Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages is Significantly
> PARM
Total Wages = Sum of Empl +/- PARM if AME is Large
Unusually Large New Record on File
Unusually Large Discontinued Record Inactivated
Questionable Large Imputation

Level 6 – Warning Edits
101-W
102-W
103-W
104-W
105-W
106-W
107-W
108-W
109-W

C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

110-W
111-W
112-W
114-W
116-W
118-W

C
C
C
C
A
C

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

119-W

C

mic

120-W

B

mic

Unusable Address Type Code
Blank Physical Location City; Other PLA Fields Present
Unusable Physical Location State Abbreviation
Unusable Physical Location Zip Code Format
Unusable Telephone Format
Blank UI City; Other UI Address Fields Present
Unusable UI State Abbreviation
Unusable UI Zip Code Format
Blank Mailing/Other (M/O) City, Other M/O Address
Fields Present
Unusable Mailing/Other State Abbreviation
Unusable Mailing/Other Zip Code Format
Questionable Fax Number Format
P.O. Box, Blank Street, or Out-of-State in PLA Block
EIN missing for More Than PARM Months
Computed Tax Rate > TOL % from Reported, and
Computed Tax TOL from Reported
First QTR Taxable Wages Missing for Experience-Rated
Account
Possible Non-Economic Code Change

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Codes and Messages

June 2007

121-W
123-W
124-W

B
B
C

mic
mic
mic

Page G-4

Code Change Back to a Recent Code
Expected Code Change Not Made
Inactive Record with Reported Employment/Wage Data

Level 6 – Warning Edits (continued)
125-W
126-W

C
A

127-W

A

128-W
129-W
130-W
131-W
132-W
133-W
134-W
135-W
136-W

C
C
A
A
A
A
A
A
A

137-W

A

138-W

A

139-W
140-W
146-W

A
A
B

mic
EXPO &
BLS
mic/mac
mic/mac
mic
mic
mic/mac
mic/mac
mic
mic
mac
mac
WIN
mic/mac
WIN
mic/mac
WIN
mic/mac
mic
mic
mic

Data Reported Prior to Liability Date
EXPO and BLS Only: Employment Change Exceeds Test
Parameters
(edits 136, 137, and 138 in WIN-202)
AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile
AQW Range
Identical Monthly Employment > PARM
Taxable/Total Wage Ratio > Prior Year Ratio by PARM %
Average Employment > PARM, but Total Wages = 0
Average Employment = 0, but Total Wages > PARM
Total Wages = Sum of Empl +/- PARM
Unclassified Industry Empl > PARM
Number of Establishments out of Range
New or Discontinued Macro Record
WIN-202 Only: Month 1 Employment Change Exceeds
Test Parameters (edit 126 in EXPO and BLS)
WIN-202 Only: Month 2 Employment Change Exceeds
Test Parameters (edit 126 in EXPO and BLS)
WIN-202 Only: Month 3 Employment Change Exceeds
Test Parameters (edit 126 in EXPO and BLS)
New Record?
Discontinued Record?
Old Codes Are Inconsistent with 4th Quarter Codes

Level 7 – Predecessor/Successor Edits
156-W
157-W
159-W
160-W
161-W
164-W

B
B
B
B
B
B

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

Predecessor/Successor County Code Change Conflict
Predecessor/Successor Ownership Change Conflict
Predecessor/Successor Township Code Change Conflict
Both Predecessor and Successor Reported
Neither Predecessor nor Successor Reported
Predecessor/Successor NAICS Code Change Conflict

Level 8 – Multi-establishment Edits
171-W
172-W
173-W
174-W
175-W
176-W
178-I
179-I

A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

First Month Empl Not in Balance
Second Month Empl Not in Balance
Third Month Empl Not in Balance
Total Wages Not in Balance
Taxable Wages Not in Balance
Contributions Not in Balance
Master Without Multiple Worksites
Worksite Missing Master

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Codes and Messages

June 2007

180-I
181-I
182-I

A
A
A

mic
mic
mic

Page G-5

Single Account/Active Worksites
Worksite Ownership Code Differs from Master
Worksite Employer Identification Number (EIN) Differs
from Master

Level 8 – Multi-establishment Edits (continued)
185-I

A

mic

Inconsistent Indian Tribal Codes within the Multi Account

Level 9 – Wage Record Edits
193-W
194-W
195-W
196-W
197-W
198-W

C
C
C
C
C
C

mic
mic
mic
mic
mic
mic

First Month Empl > Wage Record Count
Second Month Empl > Wage Record Count
Third Month Empl > Wage Record Count
All Months Empl = Wage Record Count
Total Wages Vary from Wage Records
Divergent Employment Trends

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

Page H-1

Appendix H – Edit Parameters
Parameters and tolerances are used to control the edit workload and focus edit exceptions to
records that have a greater impact on the data. The following table provides a summary of State
and BLS edit parameters and tolerances, in edit code order. Parameters that are used in more
than one edit are listed with the lowest applicable edit code. The parameters are used in micro
level editing, except where shown otherwise.
Most of these parameters are used in both the standard State QCEW systems and the BLSWashington system. The table below includes the Program Constant (PK) numbers assigned to
the parameters in the standard State systems, EXPO and WIN. The edits are described in detail
in Appendix F.
Included on the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) header record are two
parameters used to generate Code Change Supplement Tables 1A and 1B. The two tables are
described in Section 11.7.2. The defaults for the two parameters differ for each State and are
shown in Exhibit 11B.

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

December 2004

Edit
Code

Edit Name

045

Federal Employer
Identification Number
ARS Response Code/
Year

046

Also Used
in Edits *

074 - 076,
078, 146

Parameter Name

Page H-2

Length EXPO
PK #

Small Record EIN
Parm
Fiscal Year

6

066

WIN202 PK
#
070

State
Default
Value
5

BLS
Default
Value
5

4

—

—

Processing
or fiscal year
for current
refiling

Current
processing
year, or
fiscal year
for the
refiling just
completed
15%
(expressed
as 015000)

047

Tax Rate Range

Maximum Tax Rate

6

001

001

047
063

Tax Rate Range
Contributions > Taxable 118
Wages

Minimum Tax Rate
Employee Tax Rate

6
6

002
051

002
003

15%
(expressed
as 015000 in
EXPO,
15.00 in
WIN)
0
0

Predecessor And
Successor AME
Cutoff

6

006

004

0

0
3%
(expressed
as 003000)
0

Address Edit Cutoff
Name AME

6
6

069
070

095
096

5
3

5
3

066-067 Predecessor Account
Format
Successor Account
Format
070
Address Edit
072
Blank Name

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Edit
Code

Edit Name

074-076 Old Code Checks
078

085/086

085/086

088
089/136
090/137
091/126

Potential Predecessor
Check
Potential Successor
Check
Potential Predecessor
Check
Potential Successor
Check
Large Record With No
Usable PLA
WIN-202 only - See
091/126
WIN-202 only - See
091/126
Monthly Employment
Change
(micro)

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change
(micro and macro)

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change
(micro and macro)

Also Used
in Edits *
046, 146

198

089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202),
92/127
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)

Parameter Name

Page H-3

Fiscal Year

4

—

WIN202 PK
#
—

Potential
Predecessor/
Successor
Employment
Potential
Predecessor/
Successor
Employment
Percentage
Large PLA Address
Cutoff

6

?

?

100

BLS
Default
Value
Current
processing
year, or
fiscal year
for the
refiling just
completed
100

6

?

?

75

75

6

080

099

100

100

2 (6 at
BLS)

071

085

25

100

Employment Check
Multiplier

2

053

010

10

10

Split Level For
Employment
Difference

2

010

005

20

20

Small Record
Bypass

Length EXPO
PK #

State
Default
Value
Processing
or fiscal year
for current
refiling

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Page H-4

Edit
Code

Edit Name

Also Used
in Edits *

Parameter Name

Length EXPO
PK #
011

WIN202 PK
#
006

State
Default
Value
10

BLS
Default
Value
15

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change
(micro and macro)
Monthly Employment
Change
(micro and macro)

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change
(micro and macro)

Low Employment
Maximum
Employment
Difference
High Employment
Maximum
Employment
Difference
Employment Percent
Change Limit For >
6 Reported Months

2

091/126

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change
(micro and macro)

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change (micro)

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change (micro)

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change (macro)

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change (macro)

089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)

2

012

007

30

40

2

013

008

10

15

Employment Percent
Change Limit For <
6 Reported Months

2

014

009

30

30

Between Quarters
Absolute Difference

6

INA

INA

500

500

Between Quarters
Percent Difference

2

INA

INA

0.10

0.10

Macro Small Record
Bypass

2 (3 at
BLS)

073

086

40

100

Macro Number of
Establishments Limit

6

076

087

100

100

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Page H-5

Edit
Code

Edit Name

Also Used
in Edits *

Parameter Name

091/126

Monthly Employment
Change (macro)

089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)

Macro Non-zero
Employment Cutoff

6

092/127

Wage Change
(micro)
Wage Change
(micro)
Wage Change
(micro)
Wage Change
(micro and macro)

AME Wage Cutoff

092/127
092/127
092/127

092/127

Wage Change
(micro and macro)

092/127

Wage Change
(micro and macro)
Wage Change
(micro and macro)
Wage Change
(micro and macro)
Wage Change
(micro and macro)
Wage Change
(micro and macro)
Wage Change
(macro)
Wage Change
(macro)

092/127
092/127
092/127
092/127
092/127
092/127

091/126,
089/136,
090/137,
138 (WIN202)
093/130

094/131

Length EXPO
PK #
N/A

WIN202 PK
#
088

State
Default
Value
50

BLS
Default
Value
50

6

071

091

25

25

TW Cutoff

6

072

092

100,000

100,000

TW Change Small
Record Bypass
Employment Check
Multiplier

6

077

N/A

50,000

50,000

2

053

010

10

10

No Total Wages
With AME Cutoff

2

008

011

10

15

No Employment
With TW Cutoff
Total Wage Change
Parm
Total Wage Check
Multiplier
Supplemental Edit
AME
Supplemental Edit
AQW Difference
Macro AME Wage
Cutoff
Macro TW Wage
Cutoff

6

007

015

25,000

100,000

6

019

012

10,000

15,000

2

059

013

3

10

6

057

071

25

75

6

058

072

3,000

10,000

6

073

093

40

100

6

074

089

250,000

500,000

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Edit
Code

Edit Name

092/127

Wage Change
(macro)

093/130

Employment Without
Wages
(micro and macro)
Employment Without
Wages
(micro and macro)
Wages Without
Employment
(micro and macro)
Wages Without
Employment
(micro and macro)
Wages/ Employment
Sum

093/130
094/131
094/131

095/132

095/132

Wages/ Employment
Sum

095/132

Wages/ Employment
Sum

096/139
096/139

Large New Record
Large New Record

097/140

Large Discontinued
Record
Large Discontinued
Record
Large Imputation Check

097/139
099

Also Used
in Edits *

Parameter Name

6
(9 at
BLS)
2

N/A

WIN202 PK
#
090

008

011

10

15

No Wages But AME
Multiplier

2

053

014

10

10

No Employment
With TW Cutoff

6

007

015

25,000

100,000

No Employment
with TW Cutoff
Multiplier
Employment Equals
Total Wages
Tolerance
Employment Equals
Total Wages AME
Cutoff
Employment Equals
Total Wages
Multiplier
New Employer
Large New
Employer
Discontinued
Employer
Large Discontinued
Employer
Large Imputation
Employment

2

059

016

3

10

2

041

017

5

5

6

042

018

50

100

2

053

019

10

10

6
6

061
060

075
073

50
250

50
250

6

061

076

50

50

6

060

074

250

250

6

084

?

100

100

Macro Nonzero
Wage Cutoff
092/127

092/127

Page H-6

No Total Wages
With AME Cutoff

Length EXPO
PK #

State
Default
Value
100,000

BLS
Default
Value
2,000,000

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Edit
Code

Edit Name

Large Imputation
Wages
Zip Code AME
Cutoff
Telephone AME
Cutoff
Zip Code AME
Cutoff

6

084

WIN202 PK
#
?

099

Large Imputation Check

104

Physical Location (P/L)
Zip Code
Telephone Number

108, 111

6

005

020

6

005

021

99, max of
250
99

104

118

UI Address Zip Code
Mailing Other Address
Zip Code
Fax Number
Physical Address
Format
Missing Federal
Employer
Identification Number
Missing Federal
Employer
Identification Number
Tax Rate Consistency

6

005

020

99

250

FAX AME
Physical Location
Address AME
EIN AME Parm

6
6

005
006

021
022

99
0

99
5

6

062

023

50

50

EIN Months Missing

2

052

024

6

6

Maximum Tax Rate
Deviation

6

027

025

N/A

Tax Rate Consistency

Maximum
Contributions Due
Deviation

6

028

026

118

Tax Rate Consistency

1

N/A

027

N/A

118

Tax Rate Consistency

Bypass Switch For
California Rate
Employee Tax Rate

0.33%
(expressed
as 330 in
EXPO and
0.33 in
WIN)
2.50
(expressed
as 000250 in
EXPO and
2.5 in WIN)
0

118

6

051

003

0

N/A

105
108
111
112
114
116

116

Also Used
in Edits *

063

Parameter Name

Page H-7

Length EXPO
PK #

State
Default
Value
10,000

BLS
Default
Value
10,000
250
999,999

N/A

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Edit
Code

Edit Name

119

Missing Taxable Wage

119

Missing Taxable Wage

120

Non-Economic Code
Change

120

Non-Economic Code
Change

121

Reversed Code Change

124

Active Account

124

Active Account

125

Liability

125

Liability

126
127
128

See 091/126
See 092/127
Identical Monthly
Employment
Taxable/ Total Wage
Change

129

129
130

Taxable/ Total Wage
Change
See 093/130

Also Used
in Edits *

Parameter Name

Page H-8

Length EXPO
PK #

Maximum Total
Wages With No
Taxable Wages
Bypass Switch For
California Taxable
Wages
Noneconomic Code
Change Monthly
Employment Parm
Economic Code
Change Large
Employment Parm
Rev CCS AME
(Reverse Code
Change Parm)
Active Account
AME
Active Account
Total Wages
Liability Check
Employment
Liability Check
Wages

6

020

WIN202 PK
#
028

State
Default
Value
25,000

BLS
Default
Value
999,999

1

N/A

029

0

0

2

009

030

5

25

6

?

?

50

100

6

009

094

10

100

2

009

032

99

99

6

019

033

150,000

500,000

2

009

034

99

99

6

055

035

150,000

500,000

Maximum Identical
Employment AME
Taxable Wages To
Total Wages Percent
Tolerance
Taxable Wages To
Total Wages AME

6

021

036

50

1,000

2

043

037

20

99

6

044

038

99

500

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Edit
Code

Edit Name

131
132
133

See 094/131
See 095/132
Unclassified Industry

135

New and Discontinued
Macro Record
New and Discontinued
Macro Record
See 091/126
See 091/126
See 091/126
See 096/139
See 097/140
Inconsistent Old Code

135
136
137
138
139
140
146

146
Inconsistent Old Code
156-157 Predecessor/Successor
159-161
Edits
164
160
Predecessor/Successor
Overlap Edit
171-173 Employment Additivity/
Balance
171-173 Employment Additivity/
Balance
171-173 Employment Additivity/
Balance

Also Used
in Edits *

046,
074 – 076,
078

Parameter Name

Page H-9

Length EXPO
PK #

WIN202 PK
#

State
Default
Value

BLS
Default
Value

Unclassified
Industry AME
Macro Discontinued
Record AME
Macro New Record
AME

2

018

039

25

50

6

054

040

50

100

6

054

041

50

100

Fiscal Year

4

—

—

Processing
or fiscal year
for current
refiling

Old Code Cutoff
Pred/Succ Upper
Parm

6
6

N/A
015

N/A
042

N/A
250

Current
processing
year, or
fiscal year
for the
refiling just
completed
50
250

Pred/Succ Lower
Parm
Small Employment
Balance Tolerance
Mid-Sized
Employment
Balance Tolerance
Large Employment
Balance Tolerance

6

016

043

25

25

2

032

051

5

10

2

033

052

10

50

6

034

054

100

100

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Edit
Code

Edit Name

174

Total Wages Additivity/
Balance
Total Wages Additivity/
Balance

Small Wage Balance
Tolerance
Medium Wage Mill
Balance Tolerance

6

Total Wages Additivity/
Balance
175-176 Taxable
Wages/Contributions
Additivity Balance
175-176 Taxable
Wages/Contributions
Additivity Balance

175-176 Taxable
Wages/Contributions
Additivity Balance
176
Contributions
Additivity/Balance

174

Also Used
in Edits *

174

193-195 Employment/Wage
Record Comparison

196, 198

193-195 Employment/Wage
Record Comparison

196

Wage Record

193-195,
198

Parameter Name

Page H-10

Length EXPO
PK #
037

WIN202 PK
#
056

State
Default
Value
500

BLS
Default
Value
5,000

2

038

057

10%
(expressed
as 10)

Large Wage Balance
Tolerance
Low Wage Balance
Tolerance

6

039

059

1%
(expressed
as 10 in
EXPO and 1
in WIN)
10,000

6

037

056

500

N/A

Medium Wage Mill
Balance Tolerance

2

038

057

N/A

Large Wage Balance
Tolerance

6

039

059

1%
(expressed
as 10 in
EXPO and 1
in WIN)
10,000

N/A

Contributions
Percentage Applied
To Balance
Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass
Limit For
Employment > Wage
Record Count
(Percent)
Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass

2

040

067

10

N/A

6

046

062

50

100

2

047

063

10

10

6

046

062

50

100

100,000

QCEW Operating Manual
Edit Parameters

June 2007

Edit
Code

Edit Name

197

Wage Record Wages

197

Total Wages/Wage
Record Wages
Comparison
Divergent Employment
Trend Check

198

198

Divergent Employment
Trend Check

(* WIN specific edit codes)

Also Used
in Edits *

193-195,
196
085, 086

Parameter Name

Maximum AME For
Wage Record Wage
Edits Bypass
Limit For Total
Wages > Wage
Record Wages %
Maximum AME For
Wage Record Edits
Bypass
Potential
Predecessor/
Successor
Employment
Percentage

Page H-11

Length EXPO
PK #
6

049

WIN202 PK
#
065

State
Default
Value
100

BLS
Default
Value
100

2

050

066

20

20

6

046

062

50

100

6

?

?

75

75

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-1

Appendix I – Comment Codes
Valid QCEW and CES comment codes are listed below. Section I.1 gives an abridged version
with associated short titles, and Section I.2 gives the full version. Traditionally, comment codes
are assigned by State staff to explain economic data fluctuations or other unusual circumstances.
In recent years, more and more comment codes are being assigned directly by the respondent, on
collection forms (e.g., CES and MWR forms), web sites, or through automated touchtone
response systems. In addition, many reports are collected via EDI or CATI centers. These
centers use standard edit/screening systems to flag unusual data movements and re-contact
employers when necessary for clarification. This often results in entry of a comment code.
However, comment codes should not be used as validation of incorrectly reported data.
Consider the collection source when reviewing data and the reliability of the associated comment
code.
On the abridged list, the codes are given in numerical order. On the full list, codes are typically
grouped together based on the associated data elements. (Some codes may not follow this
grouping since they are also being used to address new economic or reporting issues.) Use the
comment code that best explains the data fluctuation, regardless of its grouping. On the full list,
the "Direction" column shows whether employment or wages would typically increase (+),
decrease (–), not move in a consistent direction (+/–), or not be affected (N/A). The "E/N"
column indicates whether the data fluctuation or change is economic (E) or noneconomic (N).
For those comment codes where a check mark appears under the “Same” column, the QCEW
and CES comment code descriptions are identical.
Three comment code fields, as well as a 57-position Narrative Comment field, are available on
State and BLS micro files. The standard State systems include these fields on the Enhanced
Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file. State staff should use the first comment code
field to report the most relevant code, but may use one or two additional codes or the Narrative
Comment field to explain the data further. Section 9.6 describes the use of comment codes in
some detail.
I.1 – Comment Codes Short Titles
I.2 – Comment Codes Full Detail

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

I.1 – Comment Codes Short Titles
Code
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

Short Title
Multiple worksites to single (QCEW)
Seasonal increase
Seasonal decrease
More business (expansion)
Less business (contraction)
Short-term/specific business project starting or continuing
Short-term/specific business project completed or approaching
completion
Layoff, not elsewhere classified
Strike, lockout, or other labor dispute
Temporary shutdown
Conversion or remodeling of facilities, retooling, or repair and
maintenance of equipment resulting in employment decrease
Conversion or remodeling of facilities, retooling, or repair and
maintenance of equipment resulting in employment increase
Internal reorganization, downsizing or bankruptcy resulting in an
employment decrease
Internal reorganization resulting in an employment increase
Nonstandard work schedule
Intra-account (firm) transfers
Establishment moved out of State
Establishment moved into State
Active employer reporting zero employment and wages
Employment returns or returning to normal or a new normal after
coded 07-18
Wage rate decrease
Wage rate increase (including COLAs)
Increase in percentage of lower-paid employees
Increase in percentage of higher-paid employees
Lower hourly earnings or wages because of piecework or lower
incentive pay
Higher hourly earnings or wages because of piecework or higher
incentive pay
Less overtime worked at premium pay or less overtime worked
Overtime worked at premium pay or more overtime pay
Stock options exercised and distributed
Severance pay distributed
Wages paid to employees working in pay periods not including the
12th of the month and not shown in employment (QCEW)/Changes in
number of pay periods (CES)

Page I-2

April 2006

Code
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

Short Title
Bonuses, executive pay, profits distributed, or unidentified lump-sum
payments
Change in commissions
Faculty paid over a 9-month period. Lump-sum payments made at end
of school term (QCEW)
Change in hourly earnings or pay due to change in amount of shift
work with pay differential
Changes in hours, earnings, or wages due to legislation/administrative
regulations
Pay returns or returning to normal or a new normal after coded 29-35
Other reasons for employment change (CES respondent)
Other reasons for payroll or hours change (CES respondent)
Decrease in employment (or change in hourly earnings or pay)
resulting from a labor shortage
Shorter scheduled workweek; fewer hours worked; number of pay
periods less than usual
Longer scheduled workweek; more hours worked; number of pay
periods greater than usual
Decrease in part-time workers
Increase in part-time workers
Return to normal after end of paid vacation or receiving vacation pay
or other paid leave
Paid vacation or receiving vacation pay or other paid leave
Unpaid vacation or unpaid leave
Return to normal after end of unpaid vacation or unpaid leave
Improved reporting (QCEW)
Working and receiving vacation pay
Adverse weather conditions
Fire disruption
Natural disaster disruption
Nonnatural disaster disruption
Energy shortage
Data returns or returning to normal or new normal after coded 50-54,
56 or 57
Secondary-effects decrease
Secondary-effects increase
Environmental legislation
Defense-related buildups
Defense-related cutbacks
Temporary Use Code (CES/QCEW)
Temporary Use Code (CES/QCEW)
Temporary Use Code (CES/QCEW)
Temporary Use Code (CES/QCEW)

Page I-3

April 2006

Code
65-74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

Short Title
State-Specific Codes (CES)
Change in tax rate (QCEW)
Change in reimbursing/non-reimbursing status (QCEW)
Change in UI coverage (QCEW)
Change in taxable wage base (QCEW)
Change in taxable wages and/or contributions (QCEW)
Change in unclassified to classified
Noneconomic code change
Economic code change
Employee leasing reporting change to or from a PEO
Adjusted for summer-month education (CES)
New establishment or worksite
Establishment permanently out of business
Reactivated UI account or worksite (QCEW)/New CES reporter (CES)
Establishment dissolution
Establishment merger
Changed basis of reporting with more detail (QCEW)/Changed basis
of reporting for AE (CES)
Changed basis of reporting with less detail (QCEW)/Changed basis of
reporting for WW, PW, PR, HRS (CES)
Partial Predecessor/Successor transaction (QCEW)/CES cancellation
(CES)
Full Predecessor/Successor transfer (QCEW)/Quarterly or annual
commissions paid (CES)
Problem reporter--do not contact (CES)
Data verified using CES (QCEW)/Other reason for shift in Gross
Monthly Earnings (CES)
Data used pending verification
Data verified using wage records (QCEW)/Data verified by
respondent (CES)
Data verified by EDIC (QCEW)/Data verified by Regional Office
(CES)
Data verified--see narrative (QCEW)/Exclude from estimates pending
possible verification (State CES)

Page I-4

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-5

I.2 – Comment Codes Full Detail
General Business Conditions (01-49)
Employment Shifts (01-19)
Code

Title

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

00

Multiple worksites
to single

—

N

All but one worksite of a multiestablishment account sold or
closed, remaining single worksite
becomes a single account. (Show
predecessor/successor link.)

DO NOT USE.

01

Seasonal increase

+

E

Seasonal increase; seasonal
reopening; hiring of school
personnel at the beginning of the
school term.

Seasonal increase; seasonal
reopening; hiring of school
personnel at the beginning of the
school term.

9

02

Seasonal decrease

—

E

Seasonal decrease; seasonal
closing; layoff of school personnel
at the end of the school term.

Seasonal decrease; seasonal
closing; layoff of school personnel
at the end of the school term.

9

03

More business
(expansion)

+

E

More business (other than
seasonal); new orders; new
long-term contracts; expansion.
Example: New department store
increases employment during
several reference periods.

More business (other than
seasonal); new orders; new
long-term contracts; expansion.
Example: New department store
increases employment during
several reference periods.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-6

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

04

Less business
(contraction)

—

E

Less business (other than
seasonal); long-term contracts
completed, nearing completion, or
canceled; lack of orders;
contraction. These conditions may
result in layoffs.

Less business (other than
seasonal); long-term contracts
completed, nearing completion, or
canceled; lack of orders;
contraction. These conditions may
result in layoffs.

9

05

Short-term/
specific business
project starting or
continuing

+

E

Short-term business project began,
in progress, or for full duration
during the reference period or
short-term specific job or
occurrences. Examples:
construction, mining, or drilling
project; television or movie
production.

Short-term business project began,
in progress, or for full duration
during the reference period or
short-term specific job or
occurrences. Examples:
construction, mining, or drilling
project; television or movie
production.

9

06

Short-term/
specific business
project completed
or approaching
completion

—

E

Short-term business project or
specific job or occurrence
completed or approaching
completion since the last reference
period.

Short-term business project or
specific job or occurrence
completed or approaching
completion since the last reference
period.

9

07

Layoff, not
elsewhere
classified

—

E

Layoff of some or all employees
began, in progress, or for full
duration; these layoffs could not
be attributed to any other reason.
Also includes furloughs.
(Establishments permanently out
of business are coded 86, not 07.)

Layoff of some or all employees
began, in progress, or for full
duration; these layoffs could not
be attributed to any other reason.
Also includes furloughs.
(Establishments permanently out
of business are coded 86, not 07.)

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

July 2003

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-7

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

08

Strike, lockout, or
other labor
dispute

—

E

Strike, lockout, or other labor
dispute began, in progress, or for
full duration.

Strike, lockout, or other labor
dispute began, in progress, or for
full duration.

9

09

Temporary
shutdown

—

E

Temporary shutdowns that are not
due to business conditions.
Examples: inventory, plant
cleaning, opening of hunting
season, plant-wide vacations,
failure of health or safety
inspections. (Permanent
shutdowns – plant closings – are
coded 86. Unplanned shutdowns
due to external factors such as fire,
flood, etc., are coded 50-55.
Temporary shutdowns directly
caused by strikes or labor disputes
are coded 08.)

Temporary shutdowns that are not
due to business conditions.
Examples: inventory, plant
cleaning, opening of hunting
season, plant-wide vacations,
failure of health or safety
inspections. (Permanent
shutdowns – plant closings – are
coded 86. Unplanned shutdowns
due to external factors such as fire,
flood, etc., are coded 50-55.
Temporary shutdowns directly
caused by strikes or labor disputes
are coded 08.)

9

10

Conversion or
remodeling of
facilities,
retooling, or
repair and
maintenance of
equipment
resulting in an
employment
decrease

—

E

Conversion or remodeling of
facilities, model changeover,
retooling, automation,
modernization, repair and/or
maintenance of equipment
resulting in a permanent or
temporary employment decrease.

Conversion or remodeling of
facilities, model changeover,
retooling, automation,
modernization, repair and/or
maintenance of equipment
resulting in a permanent or
temporary employment decrease.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-8

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

11

Conversion or
remodeling of
facilities,
retooling, or
repair and
maintenance of
equipment
resulting in an
employment
increase

+

E

Conversion or remodeling of
facilities, model changeover,
retooling, automation,
modernization, repair and/or
maintenance of equipment
resulting in a permanent or
temporary employment increase.

Conversion or remodeling of
facilities, model changeover,
retooling, automation,
modernization, repair and/or
maintenance of equipment
resulting in a permanent or
temporary employment increase.

9

12

Internal
reorganization,
downsizing, or
bankruptcy
resulting in
employment
decrease

—

E

Internal reorganization,
downsizing, elimination or phase
out of department(s), or
bankruptcy resulting in a
permanent or temporary
employment decrease within the
same account/worksite.
(Predecessor/Successor link does
not exist.) Example: Restructuring
of branches or divisions may
eliminate mid-level management
positions. Use code 86 if
firm/location is out of business.

Internal reorganization,
downsizing, elimination or phase
out of department(s), or
bankruptcy resulting in a
permanent or temporary
employment decrease within the
same report. Example:
Restructuring of branches or
divisions may eliminate mid-level
management positions. Use code
86 if firm/location is out of
business.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

+

Page I-9

QCEW Description

CES Description

E

Internal reorganization resulting in
a permanent or temporary
employment increase within the
same account/worksite.
(Predecessor/Successor link does
not exist.) Example: Restructuring
junior or mid-level management
may create new divisions or
branches with additional
workload.

Internal reorganization resulting in
a permanent or temporary
employment increase within the
same report. Example:
Restructuring junior or mid-level
management may create new
divisions or branches with
additional workload.

Same
9

13

Internal
reorganization
resulting in
employment
increase

14

Nonstandard work
schedule

+/–

E

Nonstandard work patterns such as Nonstandard work patterns such as
working alternating work weeks.
working alternating work weeks,
or selected weeks in a quarter.

15

Intra-account
(firm) transfers

+/–

E

Intra-account (firm) transfers
result is a change or shift in
employment. Show
predecessor/successor link(s).

Intra-firm (account) transfers
result in changes or shifts in
employment.

9

16

Establishment
moved out of State

—

E

Establishment ceased operations
within the State and relocated to a
different State.

Establishment ceased operations
within the State and relocated to a
different State.

9

17

Establishment
moved into State

+

E

Establishment relocated from
Establishment relocated from
another State and began operations another State and began operations
within the State.
within the State.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-10

QCEW Description

CES Description

18

Active employer
reporting zero
employment and
wages

+/–

E

Active employer submits report
with zero employment and wages
(e.g., on the QCR or MWR report
or through EDI or MWRWeb,
etc.).

Active CES reporter submits
report with zero employment and
wages (e.g., on the BLS-790
reports, through TDE, CATI, or
the web, etc.).

19

Employment
returns or
returning to
normal or a new
normal

+/–

E

Employment returns or returning
to normal or a new normal after
events coded 07-18. (Do not use if
formerly coded 00-06.)

Employment returns or returning
to normal or a new normal after
events coded 07-18. (Do not use if
formerly coded 01-06.)

Same

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-11

Pay Shifts (20-27, 29-39)
Code

Title

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

20

Wage rate
decrease

—

E

Wage rate (hourly earnings,
weekly or monthly pay, or annual
salary) decreases.
Example: re-negotiation of union
contract resulting in a wage rate
decrease.

Wage rate (hourly earnings,
weekly or monthly pay, or annual
salary) decreases.
Example: Re-negotiation of union
contract resulting in a wage rate
decrease.

9

21

Wage rate
increase (including
cost-of-living
adjustments)

+

E

Wage rate (hourly earnings,
weekly or monthly pay, or annual
salary) increases as a result of
annual pay increases, cost-ofliving adjustments, across the
board pay increases, etc. (Use
code 35 for an increase in the
national minimum wage.)

Wage rate (hourly earnings,
weekly or monthly pay, or annual
salary) increases as a result of
annual pay increases, cost-ofliving adjustments, across the
board pay increases, etc. (Use
code 35 for an increase in the
national minimum wage.).

9

22

Increase in
percentage of
lower-paid
employees

—

E

Increase in the percentage of
lower-paid employees or a
decrease in the percentage of
higher-paid employees will cause
the average pay of the unit or
industry to decrease.
Example: Higher-paid employees
on strike are replaced with new,
lower-paid employees.

Increase in the percentage of
lower-paid employees or a
decrease in the percentage of
higher-paid employees will cause
the average pay of the unit or
industry to decrease.
Example: Higher-paid employees
on strike are replaced with new,
lower-paid employees.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-12

QCEW Description

CES Description

23

Increase in
percentage of
higher-paid
employees

+

E

Increase in the percentage of
higher-paid employees or a
decrease in the percentage of
lower-paid employees will cause
the average pay of the unit or
industry to increase. Example:
company decreases the number of
lower-paid laborers.

Increase in the percentage of
higher-paid employees or a
decrease in the percentage of
lower-paid employees will cause
the average pay of the unit or
industry to increase. Example:
company decreases the number of
lower-paid laborers.

24

Lower hourly
earnings or wages
because of
piecework or
lower incentive
pay

—

E

Lower hourly earnings or wages
caused by less piecework activity
or due to end of work on rated job
or a reduction in incentive pay.

Lower hourly earnings or wages
caused by less piecework activity
or a reduction in incentive pay.

25

Higher hourly
earnings or wages
because of
piecework or
higher incentive
pay

+

E

Higher hourly earnings or wages
caused by more piecework activity
or due to work on rated job or an
increase in incentive pay.

Higher hourly earnings or wages
caused by more piecework activity
or an increase in incentive pay.

26

Less overtime
worked at
premium pay or
less overtime
worked

—

E

Less overtime worked at premium
pay or less overtime worked.

Less overtime worked at premium
pay or less overtime worked.

Same
9

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-13

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

27

Overtime worked
at premium pay or
more overtime pay

+

E

Overtime worked at premium pay
including daily and weekend work
or more overtime pay.

Overtime worked at premium pay
including daily and weekend work
or more overtime pay.

9

28

Stock options
exercised and
distributed

+

E

Stock options exercised and
distributed.

Stock options exercised and
distributed.

9

29

Severance pay
distributed

+

E

Employer distributes severance
pay to laid-off employees.

Employer distributes severance
pay to laid-off employees.

9

30

Wages paid to
employees
working in pay
periods not
including the
twelfth of the
month and not
shown in
employment (for
QCEW use only)

—

N

Employer was in business during
the reference period and paid
wages in the quarter; however,
most or all employees worked in
pay periods other than the pay
period including the twelfth of any
month of the reference period.

DO NOT USE.

31

Bonuses, executive
pay, profits
distributed, or
unidentified
lump-sum
payments

+

E

Bonuses, executive pay (an
employer pays self), profit
distribution, or lump-sum
payments paid to employees other
than faculty.

Bonuses, executive pay (an
employer pays self), profit
distribution, or lump-sum
payments paid to employees other
than faculty.

9

32

Change in
commissions

+/–

E

Increase/decrease in commissions
paid.

Increase/decrease in commissions
paid.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Page I-14

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

33

Faculty paid over
a nine-month
period. Lumpsum payments
made at end of
school term (for
QCEW use only)

+

E/N

Faculty are typically paid over a
nine-month period or during the
school term. At the end of the
school term, a lump-sum payment
is made for the remainder of the
year.

DO NOT USE.

34

Change in hourly
earnings or pay
because of change
in amount of shift
work with pay
differential

+/–

E

Change in wages because of a
change in the amount of shift work
with a pay differential.

Change in hourly earnings or
payroll because of a change in the
amount of shift work with a pay
differential.

35

Change in hours,
earnings, or wages
due to legislation
or administrative
regulations

+/–

E

Change in wages due to legislation
or administrative regulations.
Example: change in the minimum
wage.

Change in hours, earnings, or
payroll due to legislation or
administrative regulations.
Example: change in the minimum
wage.

36

Pay returns or
returning to
normal or a new
normal

+/–

E/N

Wages return or returning to
normal or a new normal after
events coded 29-35.

Pay returns or returning to normal
or a new normal after events coded
32, 34, or 35.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Page I-15

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

37

Other reasons for
employment
change (for CES
respondent use
only)

+/-

E/N

DO NOT USE.

Respondent provides a comment
indicating that there is a reason for
the employment change but does
not provide any details.

38

Other reasons for
payroll and hours
change (for CES
respondent use
only)

+/-

E/N

DO NOT USE.

Respondent provides a comment
indicating that there is a reason for
the payroll or hours change but
does not provide any details.

39

Decrease in
employment or a
change in hourly
earnings or pay
resulting from a
labor shortage.

+/-

E

Employment decreases due to
labor shortage (i.e., cannot find
qualified workers to replace
workers that have left).

Employment decreases due to
labor shortage (i.e., cannot find
qualified workers to replace
workers that have left).

Change in wages because of a
labor shortage.

Change in hourly earnings or
payroll because of a labor
shortage.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-16

Hours (Time & Vacation) (40-47, 49)
Code
40

41

42

Title

Direction

E/N

Shorter scheduled
workweek or
fewer hours
worked. Number
of pay periods less
than usual

—

Longer scheduled
workweek or more
hours worked.
Number of pay
periods greater
than usual

Decrease in parttime workers

QCEW Description

CES Description

E

Shorter scheduled workweek or
fewer hours worked.

Shorter scheduled workweek or
fewer hours worked.

—

N

Number of pay periods is less than
usual or is lower when the number
of pay periods fluctuate between
six and seven pay periods in the
quarter.

NOT APPLICABLE.

+

E

Longer scheduled workweek or
more hours worked.

Longer scheduled workweek or
more hours worked.

+

N

Number of pay periods is greater
than usual or is higher when the
number of pay periods fluctuate
between six and seven pay periods
in the quarter.
Example: a quarter with seven pay
periods for biweekly payroll
establishments.

NOT APPLICABLE.

+/–

E

Decrease in part-time workers,
part-time workers become fulltime or given increased hours,
or a decrease in job-sharing
resulting in a change in total or
average wages.

Decrease in part-time workers
resulting in higher average weekly
hours or lower average hourly
earnings.

Same
9

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-17

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

43

Increase in parttime workers

+/–

E

Increase in part-time staff,
working shorter workweeks,
earning less pay, or working for a
short duration, or an increase in
job-sharing resulting in a change
in total or average wages.

Increase in part-time workers
resulting in lower average weekly
hours or higher average hourly
earnings.

44

Return to normal
after end of paid
vacation or
receiving vacation
pay or other paid
leave

+/–

E

Return to normal after the end of
PAID leave, vacation, or vacation
pay.

Return to normal after the end of
PAID leave, vacation, or vacation
pay.

9

45

Employees on paid
vacation or
receiving vacation
pay or other paid
leave

+/–

E

Employees on PAID leave or
vacation.

Employees on PAID leave or
vacation.

9

46

Employees on
unpaid vacation or
unpaid leave

+/–

E

Employees on UNPAID leave or
vacation.

Employees on UNPAID leave or
vacation.

9

47

Return to normal
after end of
unpaid vacation or
unpaid leave

+/–

E

Return to normal after the end of
UNPAID leave or vacation.

Return to normal after the end of
UNPAID leave or vacation.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-18

QCEW Description

CES Description

48

Improved
reporting (for
QCEW use only)

+/–

N

Employer reports correctly after a
long period of prorated, imputed
or inaccurate data. Data now
unrelated to previous data.

DO NOT USE.

49

Employees
working and
receiving vacation
pay

+/–

E

Employees are working and
receiving vacation pay.

Employees are working and
receiving vacation pay.

Same

9

Special Conditions (50-60)
External Factors (50-55)
Use these codes when the reason for a change is due to external factors.
Code

Title

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

50

Adverse weather
conditions

+/–

E

Data change because of adverse
weather conditions. Examples:
blizzards, hurricanes, and
tornadoes.

Data change because of adverse
weather conditions. Examples:
blizzards, hurricanes, and
tornadoes.

9

51

Fire disruption

+/–

E

Data change because of a fire.

Data change because of a fire.

9

52

Natural disaster
disruption

+/–

E

Data change because of natural
disasters. Examples: earthquakes,
floods, rock slides, insect
infestations.

Data change because of natural
disasters. Examples: earthquakes,
floods, rock slides, insect
infestations.

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-19

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

53

Nonnatural
disaster disruption

+/–

E

Data change because of nonnatural
disasters. Examples: explosions,
flooding caused by sprinkler
systems.

Data change because of nonnatural
disasters. Examples: explosions,
flooding caused by sprinkler
systems.

9

54

Energy shortage

—

E

Activities curtailed or reduced
because of shortage in the supply
of natural gas, oil, coal, electricity,
etc.

Activities curtailed or reduced
because of shortage in the supply
of natural gas, oil, coal, electricity,
etc.

9

55

Data return or
returning to
normal or a new
normal

+/–

E

Data return or returning to normal Data return or returning to normal
or a new normal after events coded or a new normal after events coded
50-54, 56, or 57.
50-54, 56, or 57.

9

Secondary Effects (55-57)
Use these codes when the reason for a change in employment or other data is due to secondary effects from situations other than those due to
defense-related changes.
Code
55

Title
Data return or
returning to
normal or a new
normal

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

+/–

E/N

Data return or returning to normal
or stabilizing after events coded
50-54, 56, or 57.

Data return or returning to normal
or stabilizing after events coded
50-54, 56, or 57.

Same
9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Page I-20

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

Same

56

Secondary-effects
decrease (nondefense related)

—

E/N

Data decrease or activities cease or
decrease in non-defense-related
industries because of the
secondary effects of adverse
weather conditions, fires, floods,
natural disasters, nonnatural
disasters, energy shortages, strikes,
materials shortages, or service
disruptions. Example: a
manufacturer or supplier of auto
parts lays off employees because
the demand for the product has
declined due to a strike in the auto
industry. (Secondary effects of
defense-related cutbacks are coded
60.)

Data decrease or activities cease or
decrease in non-defense-related
industries because of the
secondary effects of adverse
weather conditions, fires, floods,
natural disasters, nonnatural
disasters, energy shortages, strikes,
materials shortages, or service
disruptions. Example: a
manufacturer or supplier of auto
parts lays off employees because
the demand for the product has
declined due to a strike in the auto
industry. (Secondary effects of
defense-related cutbacks are coded
60.)

9

57

Secondary-effects
increase (nondefense related)

+

E/N

Data increase or activities resume
or increase in non-defense-related
industries because of the
secondary effects of adverse
weather conditions, fires, floods,
natural disasters, nonnatural
disasters, energy shortages, strikes,
materials shortages, or service
disruptions. Example:
Construction activity increases due
to rebuilding because of a fire or
flood. (Secondary effects of
defense-related buildups are coded
59.)

Data increase or activities resume
or increase in non-defense-related
industries because of the
secondary effects of adverse
weather conditions, fires, floods,
natural disasters, nonnatural
disasters, energy shortages, strikes,
materials shortages, or service
disruptions. Example:
Construction activity increases due
to rebuilding because of a fire or
flood. (Secondary effects of
defense-related buildups are coded
59.)

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-21

Environmental Legislation (58)
Use this code when the reason for a change is due to environmental issues.
Code
58

Title
Environmental
legislation

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

+/–

E/N

Data affected by environmental
legislation.

Data affected by environmental
legislation.

Same
9

Defense-Related (59-60)
Use these codes when the reason for a change is due to defense-related changes.
Code
59

Title
Increase in
employment due
to defense-related
buildups

Direction

E/N

+

E

QCEW Description

CES Description

Increased funding or activities
result in higher employment in
defense-related industries or
businesses dependent on them.
Examples: A firm receives a large
defense contract or subcontract, or
stores and restaurants near a
defense supplier experience an
increase in business. Note:
Secondary effects (increases)
specific to defense-related
industries are coded 59, not 57.

Increased funding or activities
result in higher employment in
defense-related industries or
businesses dependent on them.
Examples: A firm receives a large
defense contract or subcontract, or
stores and restaurants near a
defense supplier experience an
increase in business. Note:
Secondary effects (increases)
specific to defense-related
industries are coded 59, not 57.

Same
9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code
60

Title
Decrease in
employment due
to defense-related
cutbacks

Direction

E/N

—

E

Page I-22

QCEW Description

CES Description

Decreased funding or activities
result in lower employment in
defense-related industries or
businesses dependent on them.
Example: A firm completes a large
defense contract or subcontract;
restaurant near a military base
loses employment due to a
reduction in force at the base.
Note: Secondary effects
(decreases) specific to defenserelated industries are coded 60, not
56.

Decreased funding or activities
result in lower employment in
defense-related industries or
businesses dependent on them.
Example: A firm completes a large
defense contract or subcontract;
restaurant near a military base
loses employment due to a
reduction in force at the base.
Note: Secondary effects
(decreases) specific to defenserelated industries are coded 60, not
56.

Note: The following industries have been identified as most directly affected by defense-related changes:
Ordnance and accessories, except vehicles and guided missiles
NAICS 332992: Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing
NAICS 332993: Ammunition (except Small Arms) Manufacturing
NAICS 332994: Small Arms Manufacturing
NAICS 332995: Other Ordnance and Accessories Manufacturing
Aircraft and parts
NAICS 336411:
NAICS 336412:
NAICS 332912:
NAICS 336413:
NAICS 541710:

Aircraft Manufacturing
Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing
Fluid Power Valve and Hose Fitting Manufacturing
Other Aircraft Part and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences

Same
9

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

Ship building and repairing
NAICS 336611: Ship Building and Repairing
NAICS 488390: Other Support Activities for Water Transportation
Guided missiles and space vehicles and parts
NAICS 336414: Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing
NAICS 336415: Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts
NAICS 336419: Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing
NAICS 541710: Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
Tanks and tank components
NAICS 336992: Military Armored Vehicle, Tank, and Tank Component Manufacturing
Search and navigation equipment
NAICS 334511: Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing

Temporary Codes (61-64)
States and/or regional offices may request the establishment of a temporary code. Temporary codes are set up and removed by BLSWashington and new codes are made available to the States and regional offices.
Temporary codes are to be used when it has been determined that a situation…
• May not fit any of the existing comment codes
• Applies to an entire area, region, or industry, and
• Typically will last for a short duration, but is not a permanent change.

Page I-23

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-24

State-Specific Codes (65-74)
(for CES use only)
Ten codes have been reserved exclusively for State-specific CES use. The State-specific codes are to be used when it has been
determined that a situation has occurred which may not fit any of the existing comment codes. All State-specific codes must be
provided to BLS-Washington and regional offices.

Tax or Coverage Changes (75-79)
(for QCEW use only)
Information on tax rate changes, taxable wage base changes, coverage changes, etc., should be provided to the regional office in a timely
manner as well as be included in the remarks section of the EQUI Transmittal Form.
Code

Title

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

75

Change in tax rate

+/–

E

Change in the employer's tax rate
or in the industry's overall tax rate
causes a notable change in the
contributions due or in the
contributions-to-taxable-wages
ratio.

DO NOT USE.

76

Change in
reimbursing/
nonreimbursing
status

+/–

E

Change in the status from
reimbursing to nonreimbursing
status or from nonreimbursing to
reimbursing status.

DO NOT USE.

77

Change in UI
coverage

+/–

E

Change from non-UI-covered
status to UI-covered status or from
UI-covered status to non-UIcovered status.

DO NOT USE.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-25

QCEW Description

CES Description

78

Change in taxable
wage base

+/–

E

Change in the taxable wage base
results in a change in taxable
wages and contributions from
expected levels.

DO NOT USE.

79

Change in taxable
wages and/or
contributions

+/–

E

Change in taxable wages and/or
contributions. Examples: an
increase may result from hiring
new employees after typical
taxable wage obligations are met
(excluding first quarter) causing an
unusual increase in taxable wages
and contributions. A decrease
may result from an unusual layoff
of employees causing an
unexpected drop in taxable wages
and contributions. Also included
in this code would be cases where
the taxable-wage-to-total-wage
ratio is atypical. Example: a
significant number of higher-paid
employees would have total wages
higher than the taxable wage base.

DO NOT USE.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-26

Coding and Classification Changes (80-82)
Coding and classification changes are divided into three types, defined in Section 2.3.1.
• Unclassified to classified
• Noneconomic changes
• Economic changes
Comment codes are not required for noneconomic code changes that are reported using an appropriate ARS Response Code. (The ARS
Response Codes and related data elements are described in Section 11.2.)
Code
80

81

Title

Direction

E/N

Change in
unclassified
(NAICS 999999 or
county 9xx) to
classified
NAICS(s) or
county (or
counties)

+/–

N

Noneconomic code
change

+/–

N

QCEW Description

CES Description

Unclassified or unknown NAICS
or county changed to classified
NAICS code (from NAICS
999999 to another NAICS) or to a
classified county (from county
995-999 to a specific county
code).

Unclassified or unknown county
(from county 995-999) to a
specific county code.

Change in NAICS, county,
township (New England and New
Jersey), and/or ownership code as
a result of a noneconomic code
change.

NAICS: DO NOT USE FOR NAICS
CHANGES.

Micro: Change in NAICS, county,
township (New England and New
Jersey), and/or ownership code as
a result of a noneconomic code
change.
Macro: Use when noneconomic
code change(s) cause changes in
estimates.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code
82

Title
Economic code
change

Direction

E/N

+/–

E

Page I-27

QCEW Description

CES Description

Change in NAICS, county,
township (New England and New
Jersey), and/or ownership code as
a result of an economic code
change. Economic and
noneconomic code changes are
defined in Section 2.3.1.

Micro: Change in NAICS, county,
township (New England and New
Jersey), and/or ownership code as
a result of an economic code
change.

Same

Macro: Use when economic code
change(s) cause changes in
estimates.

Reporting Issues (83-93)
Use these codes when reporting practices change but the employer did not alter operations, or when the content or scope of the report
changed.
Code
83

Title
Data previously
reported by the
firm are reported
now by a
Professional
Employer
Organization
(PEO); data
previously
reported by a PEO
are reported now
by the firm

Direction

E/N

+/–

N

QCEW Description

CES Description

Data previously reported by the
firm are reported now by a
PEO/Leasing Firm or data
previously reported by a
PEO/Leasing Firm are now
reported by the firm. Special
procedures for handling data from
PEOs appear in Section 15.3.

Data previously reported by the
firm are reported now by a
PEO/Leasing Firm or data
previously reported by a
PEO/Leasing Firm are now
reported by the firm.

Where possible, include
predecessor/successor links.

Same
9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-28

QCEW Description

CES Description

84

Data are adjusted
for summermonth education
(for CES use only)

+/–

N

DO NOT USE.

Data are adjusted for summer
month education.

85

New establishment
or worksite

+

E

New establishment or worksite. If
an employer had multiple
worksites and started to report
each separately (e.g., on the
Multiple Worksite Report), those
new breakouts would be coded 90.
If the same employer opened a
brand new worksite, that new unit
would be coded 85.

New establishment, or worksite

86

Establishment
permanently out
of business

—

E

Establishment is permanently
inactivated or out of business.
(Use codes 02, 04, or 06-10 for
temporary business disruptions.)

Establishment is permanently
inactivated or out of business. (A
cancellation of a CES reporter
which remains in business but is
removed from the CES sample is
coded 92)

87

Reactivated UI
account or
worksite

—

E

Account or worksite report
reactivated after being coded
inactive or out-of-business.

NOT APPLICABLE.

87

New CES reporter

—

N

NOT APPLICABLE.

Active firm new to sample and the
first month of reporting under a
new CES report number.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

88

Establishment
dissolution

89

Establishment
merger/acquisition

Page I-29

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

—

E/N

Some worksites or portions of the
UI account are sold or reorganized
into more than one new
establishment with new UI
account numbers. When this
occurs, the worksite(s) or portions
of the original UI account are in
the process of closing. There is
typically a continual decrease in
employment. (Use comment code
86 when the UI account/worksite
is inactive or finally has zero
employment and wage.) (Do not
use for new units or breakout of
new QCEW worksites.) If an
industry, geographic, or ownership
code is changed as a result of a
dissolution or merger, follow the
procedures in Section 5.3.

Some units or portions of the
establishment are sold or
reorganized into more than one
new establishment with new CES
report identifications.

N/A

E/N

Existing establishment buys or
acquires all or some worksites or
portions of another UI account(s).
If any industry, geographic, or
ownership code is changed as a
result of a dissolution or merger,
follow the procedures in Section
5.3. (Show a
predecessor/successor link with
comment code 92 or 93 to identify
partial or full transaction.)

Existing establishment buys or
acquires all or some units or
portions of other establishment(s).

Same

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code
90

Title
Reporter changes
basis of reporting
— greater detail
(for QCEW use
only)

Direction

E/N

N/A

N

Page I-30

QCEW Description

CES Description

UI account has made a change in
its basis of reporting resulting in a
report with more detail, providing
new or improved multiestablishment breakout either by
providing a new account breakout
or breakout of an existing worksite
for the first time. If an industry,
county, township (New England or
New Jersey), or ownership code is
changed as a result of a breakout,
follow the procedures in Section
5.5. Show Predecessor/Successor
links.

NOT APPLICABLE.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-31

QCEW Description

CES Description

90

Reporter changes
basis of reporting
for AE (for CES
use only)

N/A

N

NOT APPLICABLE.

All employee data are not strictly
comparable to prior months.
Change in data not sufficient for
report number change (AE only).

91

Reporter changes
basis of reporting
— less detail (for
QCEW use only)

N/A

N

UI account has made a change in
its basis of reporting resulting in a
report with less detail, either
collapsing the entire account or
some combination of worksites. If
an industry, county, township
(New England or New Jersey), or
ownership code is changed as a
result of a collapse, follow the
procedures in Section 5.6. Show
Predecessor/Successor links.

NOT APPLICABLE.

91

Reporter changes
basis of reporting
for WW, PW, PR,
HRS data (for
CES use only)

N/A

N

NOT APPLICABLE.

Data on women workers,
production workers, payroll, or
hours data are not strictly
comparable to prior months.
Change in data not sufficient for
report number change.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code
92

Title
Partial
Predecessor/
Successor
transactions (for
QCEW use only)

Page I-32

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

N/A

E/N

New or existing UI
account/worksite(s) that represents
a partial predecessor/successor
relationship. Such relationships
occur when:
• A predecessor’s employees
and/or business are acquired
by more than one UI
account/worksite. The
successor may or may not have
previously existed.

NOT APPLICABLE.

OR

•

The predecessor continues to
exist, but some of the
employees or portions of the
business are acquired by one or
more UI accounts/worksites.

•

A portion of the predecessor’s
employees are acquired by one
or more UI accounts/
worksites, and the balance of
employment can be explained
by an economic event such as
a layoff or closing.

OR

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

92
(cont.)

Partial
Predecessor/
Successor
transactions (for
QCEW use only)

92

CES cancellations
(for CES use only)

Page I-33

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

N/A

E/N

Use of this code does not preclude
the proper coding of Predecessor/
Successor UI and Reporting Unit
Numbers. If an industry, county,
township (New England and New
Jersey), or ownership code is
changed as a result of a partial
predecessor/successor transaction,
follow the procedures in Section
5.3. Show Predecessor/Successor
link(s).

NOT APPLICABLE.

—

N

NOT APPLICABLE.

Reporter cancelled from the CES
registry. If the reporter is still in
business but moves to another
State, use code 16; out of business,
use code 86.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code
93

Title
Full Predecessor/
Successor transfer
(for QCEW use
only)

Page I-34

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

N/A

E/N

New or existing UI
account(s)/worksite(s) that
represent a full successor
relationship. The old UI
account(s)/worksite(s) is/are either
inactive or has zero employment.

DO NOT USE.

Use of this code does not preclude
the proper coding of Predecessor/
Successor UI and Reporting Unit
Numbers. If an industry, county,
township (New England and New
Jersey), or ownership code is
changed as a result of a full
predecessor/successor transaction,
follow the procedures in Section
5.3.
Show predecessor/successor
link(s).
93

Quarterly or
annual
commissions paid
(for CES use only)

+

E

DO NOT USE.

An increase in gross monthly
earnings resulted from payment of
quarterly or annual commissions.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Page I-35

Verification (94-99)
Use these codes when data are being verified or have been verified.
Code

Title

Direction

E/N

QCEW Description

CES Description

94

Problem
reporter—do not
contact (for CES
use only)

+/–

N

DO NOT USE.

Reporter refuses to verify or
clarify data, or reporter should not
be contacted.

95

Data verified using
CES (for QCEW
use only)

+/–

N

Employment data verified by
comparing Current Employment
Statistics (CES) sample data with
quarterly reports for the same
reporting unit or UI account.

DO NOT USE.

95

Other reason for
change in Gross
Monthly Earnings
(for CES use only)

+/–

E

DO NOT USE.

Respondent provides a comment
indicating that there is a reason for
the gross monthly earning change
but does not provide any details.

96

Data used pending
verification

N/A

N

Data used as reported until an
explanation and/or correction are
received.

Data used as reported until an
explanation and/or correction are
received.

Same

9

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-36

QCEW Description

CES Description

97

Data verified using
Wage Records (for
QCEW use only)

+/–

N

QCEW data accepted by the State
based on a comparison with data
aggregated from wage records.
Wage record employment totals
cover the entire month and not just
specific reference periods.
Therefore, wage record totals may
be somewhat larger than QCEW
employment, although total wages
should be in close agreement. A
review of individual wage records
may also identify unusual wage
payments or may explain
significant changes in average
wages.

NOT APPLICABLE.

97

Data verified by
respondent (for
CES use only)

+/–

N

NOT APPLICABLE.

Employer or representative was
contacted regarding irregularities
in the data. Data were verified.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Comment Codes

April 2006

Code

Title

Direction

E/N

Page I-37

QCEW Description

CES Description

98

Data
verified/accepted
by EDIC (for
QCEW use only)

+/–

N

The EDI Center (EDIC) will
assign this code to worksite
records they export to the States if
they are satisfied that the data are
accurate, and that none of the other
codes is more appropriate. States
should not assign or change this
code, since it distinguishes EDICverified data from State-verified
data.

NOT APPLICABLE.

98

Data verified by
EDIC or Regional
Offices (for CES
use only)

+/–

N

NOT APPLICABLE.

Data were verified by the EDI
Center or a Regional Office
representative. Use only if no
other applicable code is available.

99

Data verified (for
QCEW use only)

N/A

E/N

Data verified, but cannot be
explained by a standardized
comment code. A Narrative
Comment must be provided.

DO NOT USE.

99

Data excluded
from estimates
pending possible
verification (for
State CES use
only)

N/A

E/N

DO NOT USE.

Assigned to withhold the report
from State and area estimates
while the data are reviewed for
possible verification. This
comment code is bypassed and the
data used for national estimates.

Same

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-1

Appendix J – Imputation Formulas
The standard State systems, EXPO-202 and WIN-202, include the capability to impute (estimate)
economic data that the State has not received in time to complete quarterly processing.
Imputation is discussed in general terms in Chapter 8 – Imputation of Missing and Delinquent
Data. Chapter 8 focuses on State analysts' responsibilities for reviewing imputed data and
related edit results, and for making changes where appropriate. This appendix provides detailed
information about the imputation processing performed by the State systems.
Selection for Imputation
The standard State systems generate micro level imputations for the following situations:
• A delinquent account that last reported within a parameter-controlled number of quarters
(typically no more than the last two) or
• A delinquent Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and the account’s master record was
reported or
• A delinquent MWR and the account’s master record was reported within the last two quarters
or
• A delinquent master record if the current quarter MWR was reported or
• A current quarter missing employment field data if the current quarter total wages were
reported or
• Current quarter missing taxable wages or contributions if the current quarter total wages were
reported or
• An MWR or master account Quarterly Contributions Report (QCR) is already imputed but
new data were received which adjusts the missing data
The systems will not impute in the following cases:
• The account is inactive or
• The account did not report for a parameter-controlled number of quarters (typically the last
two) or
• Missing data for worksites if at least one worksite reported on the MWR or
• Imputations are not allowed by the program parameters or
• The account has been previously imputed or is fully reported or
• The worksite does not have a matching master record
For each record selected for imputation, the State system examines the initial liability and end of
liability dates to determine if the record was only partially active during the quarter. If the end of
liability date is within the processed quarter, the month and day are used to determine if the
record was active for the entire quarter or only for one or two months. If the record was active
for all three months an indicator is set to “3” but would be reduced by one for each month that
the record was inactive based on the end of liability date. If the end of liability date is within the
quarter, then the indicator would also be adjusted for the number of months in the quarter for
which the account was not active.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-2

If the indicator is less than three, a proration factor, Prorate, is computed as the fraction of the
quarter for which the account is liable. The default for the Prorate is a factor of 1.0000000. An
account active for two months would be prorated by a factor of 0.6666667; an account active for
only one month would be prorated by a factor of 0.3333333. Those with no full months of
activity show a zero proration factor. This factor will be utilized throughout the Total Wage and
Employment imputation processes.
Nomenclature
In the pages that follow, several abbreviations and subscripts are used. Although these will
generally be described with each specific method or formula, the list below provides a general
reference. Key field names include:
Mon1
Mon2
Mon3
MonX
TOTW
TAXW
CTRB

First month’s employment
Second month’s employment
Third month’s employment
Any month’s employment (indiscriminate)
Total wages
Taxable wages
Contributions due

Subscripts are used for identifying quarters, as well as master, worksite, and macro record
values. The subscript values include:
c
cs

p
ps

cy
py
Mast
Wkst
Mac
IncMax

DecMax

Current quarter data
Current quarter summed worksite data, using only the units
active in both current and prior quarter, less any worksites
already used for current quarter prorations
Prior quarter data
Prior quarter summed worksite data, using only the units active
in both current and prior quarter, less any worksites already used
for current quarter prorations
Same quarter for prior year
Prior quarter for previous year
Master record value
Worksite value
Macro record value
Increase between quarters exceeds a parameter (e.g., 25% – State
specific – applies only to nonseasonal accounts).
INCMax = 1 + (parm value/100).
Decrease between quarters exceeds a parameter (e.g., 20% –
State specific – applies only to nonseasonal accounts).
DECMax = 1 – (parm value/100).

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

Page J-3

Indicator Flags and Code Settings
For each employment, total wage, taxable wage, and contributions due imputation, the State
system assigns two codes. A 4-digit code explains if the imputation worked or failed and why it
worked or failed. This code is not normally stored in the system but appears on output to help
users review the results. The complete set of successful imputation codes and imputation failure
codes are listed and identified near the end of this appendix.
The second type of code is an indicator flag for each economic data field (monthly employment,
total wages, taxable wages, and contributions). These indicator flags are stored on the State
Micro file and are submitted to BLS-Washington on the EQUI file. Indicator flags are defined at
the end of this appendix.
One indicator flag – M (for "missing") – has special significance. Before any economic data for
the quarter are extracted, entered by State staff, or imputed, the State Micro file contains zeros
for the data field and "M" for the corresponding indicator. These are the initial values. If no
reported data are extracted or entered, and if imputation fails, the initial values (zero data and
indicator M) will be included on the EQUI file.

Imputation Methodology
The imputation formulae are described by data element. Each method also includes the
imputation code used in the State system imputation reports.
Total Wages are described first since their imputations are frequently used to impute other wage
and employment fields.
Total Wage Imputation
Two situations determine if the Total Wages are missing. The first is simple: if the Total Wage
Indicator flag is set to ‘M’, it is missing. The other condition is substantially more involved. If
the Total Wages are imputed (with an ‘E’ indicator flag), and if it is a worksite (MEEI = 3 or 5)
that is part of a multi whose Total Wages for all worksites are missing, and if the account’s
master record was modified, then Total Wages for the worksite are missing.
If Total Wages are not missing, an indicator of ‘R’ or blank is retained and the record is tested
for Taxable Wages. An account that requires a Total Wage imputation is processed differently
depending on its MEEI code. Master, single, and worksite records are each dealt with
separately.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-4

Master Account Total Wage Imputation (TOT1)
If some of the worksites of the UI account have reported Total Wages, the master record’s Total
Wages are imputed as the sum of the worksites’ Total Wages. An ‘S’ Total Wage Indicator code
and an imputation code TOT1 are assigned, and the following formula is used.
TotWc = ∑TotW Wkst

Equation J-1

Example:
Worksite
RUN
00001
00002
00004
00005

Total Wages
$40,030
20,045
25,090
32,115

TotWc = ∑TotW Wkst = $40,030 + $20,045 + $25,090 + $32,115 = $117,280
If the worksite Total Wages are delinquent, this processing approach is unusable. Since this is
the only Total Wages imputation formula specifically for master records, masters not using this
method will pass on to the single account imputation methods below.

Single Account Total Wage Imputation
If a single or master record (MEEI = 1, 2, 4, or 6) has any reported employment or wage data, the
missing data fields are imputed regardless of how frequently the data fields were already
imputed. A parameter is used in each of the State systems to determine the number of quarters
for which imputations can be continuously generated for a delinquent account.
If the delinquent account was already imputed for the number of consecutive quarters allowed
(typically for two consecutive quarters), it would not be imputed again. An ‘N’ Total Wage
Indicator and an Imputation Report Code of TOTA are assigned. The Total Wage data field will
retain the zeroes it was originally assigned when the quarter was first initialized.
If an account has a seasonal industry code, the State systems will skip to the Seasonal Account
Total Wage Imputation formula following the standard methodology. Seasonal industry codes
are State-specific.

Total Wage Ratio Imputation (TOT2)
The prior-year same-quarter (e.g., 2003/4), and prior-year prior-quarter (e.g., 2003/3), Total
Wages (i.e., four and five quarters before the processed quarter (e.g., 2004/4)) are checked for

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-5

non-zero values. If they are greater than zero, and the quarter immediately before the one
processed (e.g., 2004/3) shows either reported or non-zero Total Wages, the TOT2 edit is
employed. A Total Wage Indicator code of ‘E’ is assigned to the record. This edit uses the
following formula:
TotW cy
TotW py
If Ratio > IncMax or < DecMax
Set Ratio to Limit
TotWc = Ratio × TotW p × Prorate
Ratio =

Equation J-2

Where

Inc Max = 1 + PK

x
100
Equation J-3

DecMax = 1 - PK

y
100

Example: Record was active throughout the entire quarter.
Year/Q
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
2003/4
2003/3

Q
c
p

Total Wages
Missing TotW
$123,400
127,900
134,230
168,500
125,120

cy
py

INCMax = 1 + (25/100) = 1.25
DECMax = 1 – (20/100) = .80
Ratio = TotWcy
TotWpy

= 168,500
125,120

=

1.3467

Ratio > INCMax
Ratio = Limit = 1.25
TotW = Ratio x TotWp × Prorate (equal to 1 in this example)
TotW = 1.25 × 123,400 × 1.0000000
TotW = 154,250

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-6

If this TOT2 formula is used, processing continues on to the Taxable Wage Imputation.
Otherwise, processing transfers to the Other Total Wage Imputation for Singles section, which
follows the Seasonal Account Wage Imputation section below.

Seasonal Account Total Wage Imputation (TOT3)
Seasonal accounts (i.e., those that possess a NAICS code that was identified as seasonal for the
particular State) are not subject to the maximum increase and maximum decrease restrictions
used in the TOT2 approach. Each State must identify those industries that they choose to treat as
seasonal accounts. If a record is treated as seasonal, ratio imputations (TOT2) are bypassed and
the record is imputed using the method below.
Seasonal accounts require historical data from one year ago to make imputations for the
processed quarter.
The seasonal account’s Total Wage and First Month Employment Indicators from the year-ago
quarter are checked for imputed or missing data. If either is reported, the TOT3 imputation
method is used:
TotW = TotW cy × Prorate

Equation J-4

Example: Record was active throughout the entire quarter and is in a seasonal industry.
Year/Q
2004/4
2004/3
2004/2
2004/1
2003/4
2003/3

Q
c
p

cy
py

Total Wages
Missing TotW
$123,400
127,900
134,230
168,500
125,120

TotW = TotWcy × Prorate
TotW = 168,500 x 1.0000000 = 168,500.

If the TOT3 formula is used, a Total Wage Indicator of ‘E’ is assigned, and processing then
continues with the Taxable Wage Imputation section. Otherwise, continue to the other single
unit Total Wage Imputation formulas.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-7

Macro File Total Wages (TOT8)
The remaining seasonal accounts will be processed using this Macro Total Wages imputation
formula. Prior quarter and prior year’s same quarter macro cell data are utilized.
The TOT8 imputation method using the following formula:
TotW =

TotW p × TotW Maccy
TotW Mac p

× Prorate

Equation J-5

Here, the Mac subscripts indicate the Macro File data, p indicates prior quarter data, and cy
indicates a prior-year, same-quarter value. The Prorate factor denotes the portion of the quarter
during which the account is active. A Total Wage Indicator code of ‘E’ is assigned. Processing
then continues with the Taxable Wage Imputation section.
Example:
The macro cell has prior quarter and prior year data. Record was active throughout the entire
quarter and is in a seasonal industry.
Year/Q
TotWc
TotWp
TotWMaccy
TotWMacp
Prorate
TotW = TotWp × TotWMaccy

Total Wages
Missing TotW
$123,400
927,900
934,230
1.0000000
×

Prorate

TotWMacp
TotW = ((123,400 x 927,900) / 934,230) × 1.0000000 = 122,564.
If the Macro File records are not found, or if the prior quarter macro Total Wages are zero, or if
the prior year's same quarter Total Wages is zero, the imputation fails and the imputation failure
code of TOTB is assigned. Subsequent imputation attempts are bypassed unless the account’s
data are modified, clearing the edit flag. After the TOTB code is assigned, the State system will
not impute Taxable Wages and Contributions but does attempt to impute employment.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-8

Other Total Wage Imputation for Singles or Masters
Prior Quarter Total Wages (TOT4)
This imputation method for non-seasonal single accounts uses the account’s prior quarter total
wages. If prior quarter Total Wages are zero, and they are either imputed or missing, then the
State system will attempt to use current quarter employment to predict the current Total Wages.
If the employment is missing or imputed as well, a TOTA failure code (indicating that
insufficient data exist to impute the Total Wages) is assigned. Taxable Wages and Contributions
are also unimputable, and the programs will skip to the Employment Imputation section.
For an account with non-zero or reported data in the prior quarter Total Wages, the following
TOT4 imputation method is used:
TotW = TotW p × Prorate

Equation J-6

Note that the p subscript denotes prior quarter data and Prorate notes the proration factor, or the
fraction of the quarter for which the account is active. A Total Wage Indicator code of ‘E’ is
assigned if the Total Wages can be imputed using the TOT4 method, and processing moves to
the Taxable Wage Imputation section.
Example:
Record was active throughout the entire prior quarter and is in a seasonal industry.
Year/Q
TotWc
TotWp
Prorate

Total Wages
Missing TotW
$123,400
1.0000000

TotWc = TotWp × Prorate
TotWc = 123,400 × 1.0000000 = 123,400.

Total Wage Imputations Using Employment (TOT9)
The remaining class of accounts includes those with zero, non-reported data for the prior quarter
Total Wages and with reported employment in the current quarter. To attempt to make a Total
Wage Imputation for this type of account, auxiliary macro information is needed.
If the Macro File record for the same industry, county, and ownership exists for the same quarter
of the previous year and the employment and wage data are greater than zero, the TOT9 formula
is used. If one or both of these values is zero, the imputation fails with a failure code of TOTE.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-9

When the macro data do exist and have both employment and wage data for the prior year’s
same quarter, a total wage imputation can be generated, identified by the TOT9 code (imputed
from macro data). A Total Wage Indicator of ‘E’ is assigned. This is computed from the
equation:
TotW =

(Mon1 + Mon2 + Mon3) × Prorate × TotW Maccy
(Mon 1Maccy + Mon 2Maccy + Mon 3Maccy )

Equation J-7

in which Mac identifies macro data fields, cy represents the prior year’s same quarter data, and
Prorate is the proration factor, denoting the fraction of the quarter during which the account is
active. The program then moves to the Taxable Wage Imputation section.
Example: The macro cell has prior year data. The micro record was active throughout the entire
quarter and has employment data.

Year/Q
Current
Current, year ago
Micro Emp, current
Macro Emp, year ago

TotWc
TotWcy
Moncy
MonMacp
Prorate

Micro Total
Macro Total
Wages
Wages
Missing TotW
$123,400
1,567,000

Mon1 Mon2 Mon3

5
50

6
55

6
55

1.0000000

TotWc = ((Mon1 + Mon2 + Mon3) × Prorate × TotWMaccy ) ÷
(Mon1Maccy + Mon2Maccy + Mon3Maccy)
TotWc = ((17 × 1.0000000 × 1,567,000) ÷ (160)
= 26,639,000 ÷ 160 = 166,493.75 ≅ 166,494

Worksite Total Wage Imputation (TOT5/TOT6)
Worksite Total Wage imputation uses the data from the master record and the other worksites to
generate data for each worksite. If any data are reported for any of the worksites, then data for
missing worksites will not be imputed. The missing worksites are assigned zero Total Wages
and an imputation code of TOT6.
If all worksites are missing (for example, the MWR is not received), then the State system will
attempt to impute the worksite data. If the current quarter’s master record could not be imputed,
an imputation failure code of TOTD is assigned. If the prior quarter master record Total Wages
are not available, then an imputation failure code of TOTC is assigned (indicating summed
worksite Total Wages for the prior quarter do not exist).
If the master’s prior quarter Total Wages are zero, the worksite’s Total Wages are forced to zero,
but no failure code results.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

Page J-10

When this occurs, no imputation is made for Taxable Wages and Contributions for the missing
worksites, and the program passes to the Employment Imputation section.
If none of the three previous conditions exist, the State system will impute the missing Total
Wages for each worksite in the account with each receiving a successful imputation code of
TOT5. The following formula is used:
Ratio =

TotW cs
TotW ps

( Ratio = 0 if TotW ps = 0 )

Equation J-8

TotW = Ratio × TotW Wkst p

in which cs and ps represent specialized current quarter master and prior quarter worksite data,
respectively, and p identifies the prior quarter value for the individual worksite. Initially the cs
Total Wage value is just the master record’s current quarter Total Wages. The ps wage value is
initially the sum of worksite Total Wages from the prior quarter using only the units that remain
active through both the prior and the current quarter.
After a worksite has been imputed in this manner the cs and ps wage values are adjusted by
removing this worksite’s current and prior quarter Total Wages, respectively. This is done using
the following formulae
TotWcsadjusted = TotW cs - TotW

Equation J-9

TotWpsadjusted = TotW ps - TotW Wkst p

Equation J-10

in which the TotW value subtracted on the top line is the worksite’s current quarter Total Wage
value that was just imputed, and the value subtracted on the lower line is the same worksite’s
prior quarter Total Wages. This subtraction will produce a slightly different ratio for the next
worksite in the multi, which will counterbalance any rounding errors that would normally occur
by simply using a fixed ratio based upon the master account’s current and prior quarter Total
Wages. In addition, if some of the worksites had terminated at the end of the previous quarter,
they will be excluded, eliminating an out-of-balance condition found when the inactive unit’s
wages are included in the master records data.
Once the worksite Total Wages are imputed for all active worksites, the program moves to the
Taxable Wage Imputation section.

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Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-11

Example:
A multi-establishment account with ten reporting units had both the contribution report and the
MWR reported in the previous quarter. The account’s contribution report data were received and
entered for the current quarter, but the current quarter MWR form was not received. The prior
quarter total wages for the master were $235,166, with $247,804 reported for the current quarter.
The ten worksites (reporting units numbered 00001 through 00010) total wages are listed below.
Even though the account was out-of-balance by $5 in the prior quarter, no adjustment was made
to the reported data. The prorations of total wages for the current quarter are listed below.
Worksite
RUN

Previous Qtr
Total Wages

TotW-cs

TotW-ps

Ratio

Current Qtr
Total Wages

00001

45,326

247,804

235,161

1.053763

47,763

00002

18,095

200,041

189,835

1.053762

19,068

00003

5,712

180,973

171,740

1.053762

6,019

00004

30,479

174,954

166,028

1.053762

32,118

00005

9,401

142,836

135,549

1.053759

9,906

00006

4,366

132,930

126,148

1.053762

4,601

00007

14,825

128,329

121,782

1.053760

15,622

00008

7,290

112,707

106,957

1.053760

7,682

00009

40,258

105,025

99,667

1.053759

42,422

00010

59,409

62,603

59,409

1.053763

62,603

For the table above,
• The first column is the reporting unit number (RUN),
• The second column shows the worksite’s prior quarter Total Wages,
• The third column is the current quarter’s master Total Wages less any current quarter
worksite imputation already made,
• The fourth column denotes the prior quarter summed worksite Total Wages less any prior
quarter Total Wages already accounted for in prior lines,
• The fifth column is the ratio of current to prior quarter Total Wages, and
• The sixth column is the worksite’s estimated Total Wages for the new quarter.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-12

Note: The worksite totals used in the prior quarter values (the ps subscript) will exclude any of
the worksites that were active in the previous quarter but inactive in the imputed quarter. If this
were not used, imputations would be short by the Total Wages represented in the inactivated
worksites, which would cause an extensive amount of manual intervention to reconcile the outof-balance condition.
The first worksite uses the full master account Total Wages divided by the prior quarter’s
summed worksite Total Wages to produce the first ratio. This ratio is multiplied by the prior
quarter’s worksite Total Wages to produce the imputed current quarter Total Wages for the
worksite. Then the first reporting unit’s prior quarter Total Wages are subtracted from the
column 4 value to give the next line’s revised prior quarter Total Wage sum. The imputed
worksite’s Total Wage value for the current quarter is subtracted from the column 3 value to
produce the second line’s current quarter Total Wages sum. The same process is repeated
through the rest of the worksites. Rounding causes a particular unit’s Total Wages to vary
slightly from the original ratio, the adjusted current and prior quarter summed values produce a
revised ratio to adjust for the discrepancy.
Using a constant ratio for worksite distribution produces an average variance from exact
balancing that increases as the number of worksites increases. The imputed departure from an
exact balance in either wages or employment is found from the equation:

Out - of - Balance Avg =

RUN Ct
2

Equation J-11

where RUN Ct is a count of the number of RUNs for the account.
If the master record’s Total Wages were reported (indicator “R”), then the worksite Total Wages
that are generated are assigned a Total Wage Indicator code of ‘P’. If, however, the master
record was imputed, then the Total Wage Indicator code of ‘E’ would be assigned.
Taxable Wage Imputation
Selection Criteria
Five fields (Status Code, Type of Coverage, Total Wages, Total Wage Indicator Code, Taxable
Wage Indicator Code) are used to determine if a Taxable Wage imputation should be made. The
selection criteria for each field is:
• Status Code (impute unless inactive or impute if Status Code not equal to 2)
• Type of Coverage Code (must be experience-rated or Type of Coverage Code = 0 or 2)
• Taxable Wage Indicator Code (impute if M for missing as well as if E for imputed when the
master record data were changed).
• Total Wages and the Total Wage Indicator (if Total Wages are zero or the Total Wages are
missing (indicator M) and cannot be imputed, do not impute Taxable Wages)

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-13

Single and Master Taxable Wage Imputations (TAX1)
Total Wages greater than zero are required from the previous year’s same quarter to make a
direct imputation for the Taxable Wages of an account. This method uses the following
equation:

TaxWc =

TotW × TaxW cy
TotW cy

Equation J-12

where cy represents data from the previous year’s same quarter. Once the Taxable Wages are
computed, an imputation is made for Contributions Due. (See the Contributions Due section
after Worksite Taxable Wage Imputations.)
Example:

Year/Q
Current
Current, year ago

Total Wage
Formula
TotWc
TotWcy

Total Wages
765,000
744,000

Taxable Wages
Formula
TaxW
TaxWcy

Taxable Wages
Missing
456,000

TaxWc = (TotWc × TaxWcy) ÷ TotWcy
TaxWc = (765,000 × 456,000) ÷ 744,000 = (348,840,000,000 ÷ 744,000)
468,870.97 ≅ 468,871
If the record does not have Total Wages greater than zero, an imputation failure code of TAXA is
assigned. This also means that the State system then passes on to the Employment Imputation
Section since it is impossible to generate Contributions Due without Taxable Wages.
Worksite Taxable Wage Imputations (TAX3 and TAX4)
Worksite proration of Taxable Wages is made when the Taxable Wages and Total Wages were
reported for the master record. In these cases, the Total Wages would have already been
prorated from the master record’s Total Wages. If the master record data were imputed, then the
State system would attempt to impute the missing Taxable Wages based on the ratios of the
imputed Total Wages.
If an imputation failure occurred for the master's Total Wages, the worksite’s Taxable Wage
imputation also fails and is coded TAXC (not imputed due to master imputation failure). If no
Total Wage imputation failure occurred in the master account but the master record’s Total
Wages equal zero, the worksites are each assigned zero as their Taxable Wages and a successful

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-14

imputation code of TAX4 (zero Taxable Wages from master). In either case, it is impossible to
impute Contributions Due. The process moves to the Employment Imputation section.
The remaining cases use the following formula to compute Taxable Wages for each worksite and
are assigned the successful imputation code of TAX3. The formula is

TaxWc =

TotWc × TaxW Mast

Equation J-13

TotW Mast

in which Mast denotes the master account’s data. This successful imputation moves the record
to the Contribution Imputation section of the program, which is described below. As with Total
Wages, however, rounding errors will be adjusted through the use of diminishing sums (taxable
and total wages reduced by individual worksite values) as they are imputed.
Example:
A multi-establishment account has five reporting units for which the Taxable Wages need to be
prorated. The QCR Total Wages are $996,053 and its Taxable Wages are $747,804. The five
worksites (reporting units numbered 00001 through 00005) reported total wages on the MWR.
The prorations of Taxable Wages for the current quarter are listed below.

RUN

TotWc

Adjusted
TotWMast

Adjusted
TaxWMast

TaxWc

Ratio

Master
00000

$996,053

$996,053

$747,804

$747,804

0.750767

00001

118,095

996,053

747,804

88,662

0.750767

00002

95,712

877,958

659,142

71,857

0.750767

00003

230,479

782,246

587,285

173,036

0.750768

00004

129,401

551,767

414,249

97,150

0.750768

00005

422,366

422,366

317,099

317,099

0.750768

Contributions Due Imputation
It is impossible to have an imputation failure for Contributions. However, Taxable Wages must
be greater than zero to produce an imputation for Contributions. Otherwise, Contributions Due
is left as zero and the program passes to the Employment Imputation section.

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Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-15

Contributions Due is defined to be the Taxable Wage amount multiplied by the Tax Rate for the
account. The Tax Rate of the master record is used to compute worksite Contribution prorations.
The successful imputation code is CTB1.

Single and Master Contributions
The formula for single and master imputations is:

Ctrbc =

( TxRt Int × TaxWc )
100,000

Equation J-14

in which TxRtInt represents the tax rate (multiplied by 1000) of the account (or the master account
if the imputation is performed on a worksite).
Example:
A single unit with $87,549 in Taxable Wages and a Tax Rate of 2.17 has Contributions of:
Ctrbc = (TxRtInt × TaxWc) ÷ 100,000 = ((2.17 × 1000) × 87,549) ÷ 100,000
= 189,981,330 ÷ 100,000 = 1,899.81 = 1,900

Worksite Contributions
The formula for worksite is:
Ctrbc =

( Ctrbcs × TaxWc )
TaxWcs

Equation J-15

This method uses the counterbalancing method for rounding errors. The cs subscript denotes the
summed current quarter worksite expected values, which start out as the master account’s
Contribution and Taxable Wage values, but are decreased by each worksite’s associated values.
The adjustments are
CtrbcsAdjusted = Ctrbcs - Ctrb

Equation J-16

TaxW csAdjusted = TaxW cs - TaxW

Equation J-17

The Contributions-versus-Taxable-Wages ratio provides the worksite equivalent of Tax Rate for
worksite Contribution imputation. As the values are reduced, however, the effective Tax Rate

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-16

(summed Contributions divided by summed Taxable Wages) will vary slightly. This variation
counteracts any potential cumulative effects of possible rounding errors so that the account
remains in balance.
Example:
A multi-establishment account with five reporting units where the Taxable Wages have been
prorated. The QCR Contributions Due need to be imputed.
Adjusted
CtrbMast

Adjusted
TaxWMast

TaxW

Ctrb

Ratio

Master
00000

$17,053

$747,804

$747,804

$17,053

0.022804

00001

17,053

747,804

88,662

2,022

0.022804

00002

15,031

659,142

71,857

1,639

0.022804

00003

13,392

587,285

173,036

3,946

0.022803

00004

9,446

414,249

97,150

2,215

0.022803

00005

7,231

317,099

317,099

7,231

0.022804

RUN

The next step is the Employment Imputation procedure, described below.
Employment Imputation
Selection Criteria
If the employment indicator flags show ‘M’ for at least one month, then the State system will
attempt to impute the missing employment. Worksites may also be reimputed if the master
record is received or is reimputed. If at least one worksite is received or adjusted, the other
worksites will not be updated. If the worksite has no historical quarter employment data upon
which to base an imputation for the current quarter, the existing hand-generated imputation is left
intact.
Once the system has determined whether any of the three months of employment require an
imputation, the primary employment imputation process divides into two main processes, one for
singles and master records, and one for worksites.

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Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-17

Single/Master Employment Imputations
Sum of Worksites (EMP2)
If the record is the master of a multi (MEEI code of 2), and if the worksite employment data are
not fully delinquent (i.e., at least one of the worksites show reported data in the first month of
employment), any missing employment months for the master account are imputed by summing
the worksite data for the missing months using the EMP2 imputation equations:

Mon1 = ∑ Mon 1Wkst

Equation J-18

Mon2 = ∑ Mon 2Wkst

Equation J-19

Mon3 = ∑ Mon 3Wkst

Equation J-20

in which Wkst denotes the worksite data.
Example:
An account’s MWR was received but the QCR is still missing. The master record is imputed
using the sum of the worksite data.
RUN

Mon1

Mon2

Mon2

Master
00000

Missing

Missing

Missing

00001

53

47

48

00002

110

94

87

00003

392

358

370

00004

94

89

97

00005

31

31

31

Mon1 = ∑Mon1Wkst = 53 + 110 + 392 + 94 + 31 = 680
Mon2 = ∑Mon2Wkst = 47 + 94 + 358 + 89 + 31 = 619
Mon3 = ∑Mon3Wkst = 48 + 87 + 370 + 97 + 31 = 633
The remaining processing is for master accounts with delinquent worksite employment, as well
as all single accounts with missing employment fields. Here the processing splits between

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

Page J-18

seasonal single accounts and all other types. This processing is described in the Seasonal Single
Employment Imputations and Other Single/Master Employment Imputations sections that
follow.

Proration Factors
The initial setting of the Proration factor (the fraction of the quarter for which the account is in
active status - see Selection for Imputation for details) sets an initial liability and end of liability
month count value. For an account that is activated at the beginning of the second month of the
quarter, the liability month count is 2 (active for the last two months of the quarter). If the
account is terminated at the end of the first month of the quarter, the termination indicator is set
to 1 (active for the first month of the quarter). These indicators are used in each of the monthly
employment imputations, except for the worksite-to-master method just described (which is
based upon reported data in the worksites). For months with missing month fields, each of the
imputation methods to follow will be regulated by the following formula:

For Mon1 missing If MonCt Liab > 2 And MonCt Term > 0,
Then Mon1 = Imp Else Mon1 = 0

Equation J-21

For Mon2 missing If MonCt Liab > 1 And MonCt Term > 1
Then Mon2 = Imp Else Mon2 = 0

Equation J-22

For Mon3 missing -

Equation J-23

If MonCt Liab > 0 And MonCt Term > 2
Then Mon3 = Imp Else Mon3 = 0
in which MonCtLiab and MonCtTerm represent the liability and termination month counts,
respectively, as described above, and Imp denotes the employment imputation value for the
month. Therefore, the imputation is computed regardless of the month counts, but is only put in
place within the specific employment month if the initial liability and end-of-liability dates show
that the account is active during that month. Those months imputed as zero are still considered
successful imputation.

Seasonal Single Employment Imputations (EMP9)
For some States, an account that was delinquent in the prior quarter can receive no estimate at all
for the current quarter. For all other States, the imputations are prohibited if both of the previous
two quarters have been delinquent. This check is negated, however, if the account was inactive

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-19

during the prior quarter. If either the MWR or QCR is reported for the current quarter, then the
missing report is imputed even if historical data were previously imputed.
If the maximum number of consecutive delinquent quarters had been reached, the EMPB
imputation failure code is assigned. When the EMPB code is assigned, the imputation
processing has been completed.
For those remaining seasonal single accounts (with recently reported data in a prior quarter), a
failure can also occur if the Total Wages could not be imputed. If employment were imputed
without Total Wages, a partial record would result and is therefore not acceptable. This
imputation code is EMPF, which simply represents "employment imputation failure due to
failed wage imputation attempt."
Remaining seasonal accounts are checked for prior year, same quarter employment and Total
Wages. If either of the prior year’s fields (Total Wages or First Month Employment) is not
missing, a seasonal estimate can be generated. This EMP9 imputation method follows for each
month:

MonX =

TotW × MonX cy
TotW cy × Prorate

Equation J-24

in which MonX represents any of the three months that may be missing (Mon1, Mon2, or Mon3),
cy denotes prior year same quarter data, and Prorate indicates the proration factor, specifying the
portion of the quarter for which the account is active. Of course, this formula will not be applied
to any month not conforming to the liability and termination date range as specified in the
equations found in the Employment Imputation portion of this appendix. In addition, this
method requires the prior year total wages and the proration factor to be non-zero. If either is
zero, the imputed value is zero.
Example:
The record is in a seasonal industry and Total Wages were reported or have already been
imputed.

Year/Q

Mon1

Mon2

Mon3

TotW

Current

Missing

Missing

Missing

4,663,218

Current, year ago

161

194

187

4,338,764

Prorate

1.000000

1.000000

1.000000

Mon1c = (TotWc × Mon1cy) ÷ (TotWcy × Prorate)
= (4,663,218 × 161) ÷ (4,338,764 × 1.000000)
= (750,778,098) ÷ (4,338,764) = 173

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-20

Mon2c = (TotWc × Mon2cy) ÷ (TotWcy × Prorate)
= (4,663,218 × 194) ÷ (4,338,764 × 1.000000)
= (904,664,292) ÷ (4,338,764) = 209
Mon3c = (TotWc × Mon3cy) ÷ (TotWcy × Prorate)
= (4,663,218 × 187) ÷ (4,338,764 × 1.000000)
= (872,021,766) ÷ (4,338,764) = 201

Seasonal Single/Master Imputations Using Macro Data (EMP6)
The remaining seasonal accounts are those that have no employment or Total Wages from the
prior year. For these records, macro year-ago data reflecting the same cell (the same county,
ownership and NAICS code) are used. If macro data do not exist for the cell, the EMPC
imputation failure code is assigned (imputation not possible since macro record is non-existent).
If the record exists, the prior year employment and Total Wages are checked for zeroes. If either
are zero, an imputation is not made and the EMPD imputation failure code is assigned (not
estimated due to insufficient macro data).
If the macro cell employment and Total Wage values are greater than zero, the State system
successfully applies the following EMP6 imputation technique:
MonX c =

(Mon 1Maccy + Mon 2Maccy + Mon 3Maccy ) × TotWc
TotW Maccy × 3 × Prorate

Equation J-25

in which MonXc represents any of the three months that are missing, Mac identifies macro-level
data, cy specifies the prior year’s same quarter data, and Prorate denotes the quarter proration
factor (the fraction of the quarter for which the account is active).
Example:
The record is in a seasonal industry and Total Wages were reported or have already been
imputed. Macro data are used since the record’s own year ago data are not available. All three
months of employment are missing.

Year/Q

Mon1Maccy

Mon2Maccy

Mon3Maccy

TotWMaccy

TotW

Current

–

–

–

–

4,663,218

Current, year
ago

461

494

487

9,338,764

–

Prorate

1.000000

1.000000

1.000000

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

Page J-21

MonX = Mon1 = Mon2 = Mon3 =
((Mon1Maccy + Mon2Maccy + Mon3Maccy) × TotW) ÷ (TotWMaccy × 3 × Prorate)
= ((461+ 494 + 487) × 4,663,218) ÷ (9,338,764 × 3 × 1.000000)
= (1,442 × 4,663,218) ÷ (28,016,292)
= (6,724,360,356) ÷ (28,016,292)
= 240

Other Single/Master Employment Imputations
Non-seasonal accounts are also checked to see if the maximum allowable imputations have
already been reached. If so, the EMPB (insufficient data) failure code is assigned, and all
missing employment months remain missing.
Non-seasonal accounts also require previous quarter employment to generate a current quarter
imputation. If the previous quarter shows an inactive status, but the current quarter’s Total
Wages are greater than zero, a macro-based estimate is generated (the same as that described
above in the seasonal account imputation process. Failure codes (EMPC and EMPD) and the
success code (EMP6) are the same as those detailed above.

Employment Ratio Imputations (EMP3)
If the record was active in the prior quarter, the State system identifies how many months of
prior quarter employment are available. If all of the three prior year employment months are
positive, the standard EMP3 imputation method is used. This method can not be used for prior
quarter imputations because the prior year, prior quarter’s third month employment is not
available. Each missing month is treated separately. Month 1 Employment (January, April, July
or October) is estimated using the following equations:

Ratio =

Mon 1cy
Mon 3 py

Equation J-26

If Ratio > IncMax or Ratio < DecMax
Then Set Ratio to Limit
Mon1 = Mon 3 p × Ratio

Equation J-27

in which IncMax and DecMax are the greatest increase and decrease allowed. See Total Wage
Ratio Imputation (TOT2) for additional information on the ratios. The p subscript specifies the
prior quarter’s value, whereas the cy and py values represent the prior-year same-quarter and
prior-year prior-quarter values, respectively. These equations are used only when the first
month’s employment value is missing, and the record was active for that month.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-22

The equations for Month 2 Employment (February, May, August or November) of the quarter
are listed below:

Ratio =

Mon 2cy
Mon 1cy

Equation J-28

If Ratio > IncMax or Ratio < DecMax
Then Set Ratio to Limit
Mon2 = Mon1 × Ratio

Equation J-29

where IncMax and DecMax again specify the ratio range for employment change. See Total Wage
Ratio Imputation (TOT2) for additional information on the ratios. cy represents the prior-year
same-quarter value. This second month imputation is only conducted for accounts that are active
during the second employment month and are missing this field.
The Month 3 Employment (March, June, September or December) are imputed using the
following formulae:

Ratio =

Mon 3cy
Mon 2cy

Equation J-30

If Ratio > IncMax or Ratio < DecMax
Then Set Ratio to Limit
Mon3 = Mon2 × Ratio

Equation J-31

Once again the IncMax, DecMax, and cy values were previously defined.
Example:
The record is in a non-seasonal industry and year ago data and prior quarter data are available.

Year/Q

Mon1

Mon2

Mon3

Current Quarter

Missing

Missing

Missing

Prior Quarter,
same year

p

87

81

83

Current Quarter,
year ago

cy

72

75

98

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Year/Q
Prior Quarter,
year ago

py

Page J-23

Mon1

Mon2

Mon3

61

59

68

IncMax = 1 + (25/100) = 1.25
DecMax = 1 – (20/100) = .80
Mon1:
Ratio = (Mon1cy ÷ Mon3py)
= 72 ÷ 68 = 1.058823
Mon1 = Mon3p × Ratio
= 83 × 1.058823
= 88

Mon2:
Ratio = (Mon2cy ÷ Mon1cy)
= 75 ÷ 72 = 1.041667
Mon2 = Mon1 × Ratio
= 88 × 1.041667
= 92
Mon3:
Ratio = (Mon3cy ÷ Mon2cy)
= 98 ÷ 75 = 1.306667
Ratio = 1.306667 > 1.25; therefore Ratio = 1.25
Mon3 = Mon2 × Ratio
= 92 × 1.25
= 115

Prior Quarter Imputations (EMP4)
The remaining single records to impute were active in the prior quarter, but did not have
employment greater than zero in all three months in the previous year. If Third Month

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-24

Employment in the prior quarter is greater than zero, use the following EMP4 employment
imputation formulae:

MonX = Mon 3 p ×

TotW
TotW p × Prorate

If

TotW
< DecMax, MonX = Mon3p × DecMax
TotWp × Prorate

If

TotW
> IncMax, MonX = Mon3p × IncMax
TotWp × Prorate

Equation J-32

Equation J-33

If TotWp = 0, MonX = Mon3p

MonX denotes any month in the quarter with missing employment (if the record is active during
that month), p represents prior quarter data, DecMax and IncMax form the lower and upper limits
for the monthly employment change, and Prorate is a proration factor for the fraction of the
quarter during which the account is active.
Example:
The record is in a non-seasonal industry but year-ago data are not available. Third Month
Employment in the prior quarter is greater than zero. All three months of the current quarter are
missing.

Year/Q

Mon1

Mon2

Mon3

TotW

Current
Quarter

Missing

Missing

Missing

699,009

87

81

83

608,283

Prior Quarter,
same year

p

Prorate = 1.000000
IncMax = 1 + (25/100) = 1.25
DecMax = 1 – (20/100) = .80

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-25

MonX = Mon3p × (TotW ÷ (TotWp × Prorate))
(TotW ÷ (TotWp × Prorate)) = 699,009 ÷ (608,283 × 1.000000)
= 1.14915
1.14915 is greater than 0.80 and is less than 1.25
MonX = Mon3p × (TotW ÷ (TotWp × Prorate))
= 83 × 1.14915
= 95

Prior Quarter AME Imputations (EMP5)
The remaining single and master records are those that were active in the prior quarter but had
zero employment in the third month of that quarter. Year ago data are not available. This EMP5
method uses non-zero prior quarter’s AME (average monthly employment) where the formula
follows:
AME p =

Mon 1p + Mon 2 p + Mon 3 p
3

Equation J-34

TotW
TotW p × Prorate

Equation J-35

MonX = AME p ×

If

TotW
< DecMax, MonX = AMEp × DecMax
TotWp × Prorate

If

TotW
> IncMax, MonX = AMEp × IncMax
TotW p × Prorate
If TotWp = 0, MonX = AMEp

where MonX is any missing employment month, p represents prior quarter data, DecMax and
IncMax bound the change in employment from the prior quarter’s AME value to the processed
quarter’s employment, and Prorate identifies the proration factor (the fraction of the quarter for
which the account is active).
Example:
The record is in a non-seasonal industry but year-ago data are not available. Third Month
Employment in the prior quarter is greater than zero. All three months of the current quarter are
missing.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-26

Year/Q

Mon1

Mon2

Mon3

TotW

Current Quarter

Missing

Missing

Missing

699,009

87

81

0

608,283

Prior Quarter,
same year

p

Prorate = 1.000000
IncMax = 1 + (25/100) = 1.25
DecMax = 1 – (20/100) = .80
AMEp = (Mon1p + Mon2p + Mon3p) ÷ 3
= (87 + 81 + 0) ÷ 3
= 168 ÷ 3 = 56
MonX = AMEp × (TotW ÷ (TotWp × Prorate))
(TotW ÷ (TotWp × Prorate)) = 699,009 ÷ (608,283 × 1.000000)
= 1.14915
1.14915 is greater than 0.80 and is less than 1.25
MonX = AMEp × (TotW ÷ (TotWp × Prorate))
= 56 × 1.14915
= 64

Single/Master Imputation Using Macro Data (EMP6)
If the record’s prior quarter AME equals zero, the State system looks for macro data in the same
industry, county, and ownership. If the cell does not exist, then the EMPC imputation failure
code is assigned (imputation not possible since Macro record is non-existent). If the macro
record is found, but either the employment or Total Wages equal zero, then the EMPD
imputation failure code is assigned (not imputed due to insufficient macro data). If non-zero
macro data are available, then a successful imputation is generated using the following EMP6
imputation formula:
MonX =

(Mon 1Maccy + Mon 2Maccy + Mon 3Maccy ) × TotW
TotW Maccy × 3 × Prorate

Equation J-36

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

Page J-27

in which MonX represents any of the three months that are missing, Mac identifies macro-level
data, cy specifies the prior year’s same quarter data, and Prorate denotes the quarter proration
factor (the fraction of the quarter for which the account is active).
See Seasonal Single/Master Imputations Using Macro Data (EMP6) for an example of this
formula.
Worksite Employment Estimates (EMP7/EMP8)
If all units on the MWR in the multi are missing employment and the master record data are
available, either reported or imputed, then the worksite employment can be imputed.
If, however, some (but not all) of the worksites that compose the multi account have reported
employment data, the remaining worksites (with missing data) can not be prorated. Those
worksites which show missing data are treated like they were zero reporters and are assigned a
successful imputation code of EMP8.
If the master record was not reported and could not be imputed, the worksite can not be imputed
either and an imputation failure code of EMPE is assigned.
The other potential failure occurs when the master does not have prior quarter employment. If
the master’s prior quarter Third Month Employment equals zero, the prior quarter worksite-tomaster employment ratio is undefined. This causes the worksite employment distribution to fail
with a code of EMPG (could not impute employment due to absence of prior quarter data).
The successful worksite employment distribution occurs if none of the preceding conditions
occurred. This EMP7 imputation method using the following equations:

Mon 1cs × Mon 3 p
Mon3 ps

Equation J-37

Mon2 =

Mon 2cs × Mon1
Mon1cs

Equation J-38

Mon3 =

Mon 3cs × Mon2
Mon2cs

Mon1 =

Equation J-39

cs identifies master account data (reduced by applied worksite estimates), ps signifies the prior
quarter’s summed worksite data (decreased by processed worksite values) and p stands for
worksite’s prior quarter employment value.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-28

The initial liability and end of liability dates are checked. The record must be active throughout
the entire quarter. If it was not active during any month, then no month will be imputed. Either
all three months can be imputed for the worksites, or no employment can be imputed.
As imputations are generated, the cs and ps subscripted fields are adjusted, according to the
following equations:
Mon 3 psadjusted = Mon 3 ps - Mon 3 p

Equation J-40

Mon 1csadjusted = Mon 1cs - Mon1

Equation J-41

Mon 2csadjusted = Mon 2cs - Mon2

Equation J-42

Mon 3cs adjusted = Mon 3cs - Mon3

Equation J-43

in which the p-subscripted Mon3 is the worksite’s prior quarter third month employment, and the
Mon1, Mon2 and Mon3 values (subtracted from each of the ps-subscripted fields) are the
worksite’s just-imputed monthly employment for the current quarter. The remaining
employment provides a new month-to-month ratio for the next worksite employment imputation
that can vary to a minute degree from the original ratio.
Note: The summed third month’s employment value excludes all worksites that were inactivated during the previous quarter. If these inactivated worksites were left in the process, the
current quarter estimates would be low by the final employment in the terminated worksites,
resulting in an out-of-balance situation.
Employment Proration Example:
The following demonstrates the methods used in the imputation of employment for delinquent
worksites. The multi had reported employment, both for worksites and the master account, in the
prior quarter. There were eight worksites in the multi, but reporting unit #00007 was closed at
the end of the prior quarter. The current quarter master account employment has been reported,
but the worksites require imputation. The following table summarizes the known and unknown
data for the multi.
Reporting
Unit No.
00000
00001
00003
00004
00005

Month 3 p

Month1 c
72
7
3
14
5

Month 2 c
57
?
?
?
?

Month 3 c
58
?
?
?
?

63
?
?
?
?

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Reporting
Unit No.
00007
–
inactivated
00008
00011
00012
Worksite
Sum

Month 3 p

Month1 c

Page J-29

Month 2 c

Month 3 c

26

0

0

0

4
10
6
(75 w/ inactive
unit) 49

?
?
?
?

?
?
?
?

?
?
?
?

The master account’s third month prior quarter employment (72) disagrees with the worksite
sum for the same month (75 when the inactive worksite is included; it is even farther off when
the inactive worksite is removed (49 versus 72)). However, the worksite sum is used for the
prior quarter rather than the master account’s value. So the initial ratios for month-to-month
employment become 57/49 (Mon1c /Mon3p), 58/57 (Mon2/Mon1) and 63/58 (Mon3/Mon2).
These are applied to RUN #00001’s prior quarter third month employment (7) and rounded to
give the imputed First Month Employment, found from
Mon1RUN1 = Mon3p RUN1 × Mon1cs / Mon3ps
= 7 × 57 / 49 = 8.1429... → 8 (rounded)
from which the second and third employment months can be imputed. Mon2 is found by
multiplying the first month estimate (8) by the Mon2/Mon1 imputation ratio (58/57), for a
rounded value of 8 (from 8.140...); the third month is determined by using the estimated second
month (8) times the Mon3/Mon2 imputation ratio (63/58) which also rounds to 9 (from 8.6897).
Because of the rounding, the precise summed level ratio can not be maintained for all worksites,
unless cumulative rounding is used. Hence the need for realigning the ratio based on the
estimates computed thus far.
The three imputed monthly employment values (8, 8, and 9, respectively,) are subtracted from
what had been the master account’s monthly employment, leaving 49, 50 and 54, respectively.
The worksite’s prior quarter third month employment is deducted from the pqs sum to give a
new value of 42. The process is then repeated on each of the other worksites (excluding the
inactivated reporting unit #00007) using the revised employment sum values. The table below
demonstrates how this works.
RUN→

00001

00003

00004

00005

00007

00008

00011

00012

M3 ps

49

42

39

25

20

20

16

6

M1 cs

57

49

45

29

23

23

18

7

M2 cs

58

50

46

30

24

24

19

7

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-30

RUN→

00001

00003

00004

00005

00007

00008

00011

00012

M3 cs

63

54

50

33

26

26

21

8

Ratio 1

1.163

1.167

1.154

1.160

1.150

1.150

1.125

1.167

Ratio 2

1.018

1.020

1.022

1.034

1.043

1.043

1.056

1.000

Ratio 3

1.086

1.080

1.087

1.100

1.083

1.083

1.105

1.143

M3 p

7

3

14

5

26

4

10

6

Mon1

8

4

16

6

0

5

11

7

Mon2

8

4

16

6

0

5

12

7

Mon3

9

4

17

7

0

5

13

8

The above table shows the figures involved in preparing the imputations (the last three rows) for
each of the worksites. The first row under the Reporting Unit Numbers is the summed prior
quarter third month employment with any already-processed worksites’ inclusion in this sum
removed from the total (subtracting the “M3 p” value before the next “M3 ps” value is
displayed). The next three rows are initially the employment fields from the master account, but
these have any already-enacted imputations removed from the equivalent fields in the bottom
three rows. The three rows labeled “Ratio 1”, “Ratio 2”, and “Ratio 3” are the results of dividing
M1cs/M3ps, M2cs/ M1cs, and M3cs/M2cs, respectively. These form another version of the
equations already described, so that the ratios form two-part equations, namely:
Ratio1 = Mon1cs ÷ Mon3ps
Mon1 = Mon3p × Ratio1
Ratio2 = Mon2cs ÷ Mon1cs
Mon2 = Mon1 × Ratio2
Ratio3 = Mon3cs ÷ Mon2cs
Mon3 = Mon2 × Ratio3
Imputation Report Code Settings and Indicator Flags
The three lists that follow identify successful imputation codes, imputation failure codes, and the
indicator flags for employment, total wages, taxable wages, and contributions.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-31

Imputation Report Codes:
Successful Imputation Codes
Code

Description

TOT1

TotW(c) = SUMMATION OF WORKSITES' TotW(c)

TOT2

TotW(c) = TotW(p)*(TotW(cy)/TotW(py)

TOT3

TotW(c) = TotW(p) (Seasonal accounts only)

TOT4

TotW(c) = TotW(p)

TOT5

TotW(c) = MASTER TotW(c)* (WORKSITE TotW(p)/MASTER TotW(p)

TOT6

WORKSITE TotW NOT IMPUTED (LEFT MISSING)

TOT8

TotW(c) = TotW(p)* MACRO (TotW(cy)/TotW(py))

TOT9

TotW(c) = AME(c)*MACRO (TotW(cy)/AME(cy))

TAX1

TaxW(c) = TotW(c)* (TaxW(cy)/TotW(cy)

TAX2

TaxW(c) = TotW(c)* (TaxW/TotW RATIO FROM MACRO FILE)

TAX3

TaxW(c) = TotW(c) * (MASTER TaxW(c)/MASTER TotW(c))

TAX4

TaxW(c) = Ctrb(c) = 0, BECAUSE MASTER TotW(c) = 0

CTB1

Ctrb(c) = TAXABLE WAGES(c) * ACCOUNT'S TAX RATE

EMP2

EMPLOYMENT(c) = SUM OF WORKSITES' EMPLOYMENT(c)

EMP3

Mon1(c) = Mon3(p) * (Mon1(cy)/Mon3(py))
Mon2(c) = Mon1(c) * (Mon2(cy)/Mon(cy))
Mon3(c) = Mon2(c) * (Mon3(cy)/Mon2(cy))

EMP4

Mon1(c) = Mon2(c) = Mon3(c) = EMPLOYMENT(c) = Mon3(p) * TotW(c)/TotW(p)

EMP5

Mon1(c) = Mon2(c) = Mon3(c) = EMPLOYMENT(c) = AME(p)*TOTAL
WAGES(c)/TOTAL WAGES(p)

EMP6

Mon1(c) = Mon2(c) = Mon3(c) = EMPLOYMENT(c) = TOTAL WAGES(c)*
(EMPLOYMENT/TOTAL WAGES RATIO FROM MACRO FILE)/3

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-32

Imputation Report Codes:
Successful Imputation Codes
Code

Description

EMP7

Mon1(c) = Mon2(c) = Mon3(c) = EMPLOYMENT(c) = MASTER
EMPLOYMENT(c)* (WORKSITE MONTH3(p)/MASTER MONTH3(p)

EMP8

Mon1(c) = Mon2(c) = Mon3(c), WORKSITE EMPLOYMENT NOT ESTIMATED
(LEFT MISSING).

EMP9

Mon1(c) = Mon2(c) = Mon3(c) = EMPLOYMENT(c) = EMPLOYMENT(5) *
TOTAL WAGES(c)/TOTAL WAGES(cy)

Imputation Report Codes:
Imputation Failure Codes
Code

Description

TOTA

TOTAL WAGES not imputed because TOTAL WAGES(p) are missing.

TOTB

TOTAL WAGES not imputed because TOTAL WAGES(cy) are missing (seasonal
account).

TOTC

TOTAL WAGES, TAXABLE WAGES, CONTRIBUTIONS not imputed because
master TOTAL WAGES(p) are missing.

TOTD

TOTAL WAGES are not imputed because master account had imputation error.

TOTE

TOTAL WAGES not imputed because macro data are 0.

TAXA

TAXABLE WAGES not imputed because TOTAL WAGES(cy) = 0, CTY-OWNNAICS group not found on MACRO FILE.

TAXB

TAXABLE WAGES not imputed because TOTAL WAGES(cy) = 0, MACRO FILE
TOTAL WAGES = 0

TAXC

TAXABLE WAGES not imputed because master account had imputation error.

EMPB

EMPLOYMENT no imputed because EMPLOYMENT(p) is missing due to prior
quarter(s) delinquency.

EMPC

EMPLOYMENT not imputed because COUNTY-OWNER-NAICS group not found
on MACRO FILE.

EMPD

EMPLOYMENT not imputed because MACRO FILE EMPLOYMENT = 0.

QCEW Operating Manual
Imputation Formulas

July 2003

Page J-33

Imputation Report Codes:
Imputation Failure Codes
Code

Description

EMPE

EMPLOYMENT not imputed because master account EMPLOYMENT had
imputation error.

EMPF

EMPLOYMENT not imputed because no employment formula is available.

EMPG

EMPLOYMENT not imputed because master account MONTH3(p) = 0.

Indicator Flags
Code

Meaning

For Data Field(s)

Blank or R
A

Reported data.
Estimated/imputed using data reported to the CES
program.
Changed (re-reported).
Reported from missing data notice.
Estimated/imputed single unit data.

EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.
EMPL.

C
D
E

H
L
M
N
P
S
W
X

Imputed worksite data prorated from imputed
parent/master record.
Hand-imputed (vs. system generated).
Late reported (overrides prior imputation).
Missing data.
Zero-filled pending resolution of long-term delinquent
reporter
Prorated from reported parent/master to worksite.
Aggregated parent/master from reported MWR or EDI
data.
Estimated/imputed using data reported on quarterly wage
records
Non-numeric data zero-filled pending further action.

EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.
EMPL.
EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.

EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.
EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.
EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.
EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.
EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.
EMPL, TW.
EMPL, TW.
EMPL, TW, TAX, CTB.

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Page K-1

Appendix K – EQUI File Layout
Every Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file generated by the standard State
QCEW processing systems consists of one header record, one trailer record, and as many data
records as are needed to provide initial or updated micro data to BLS-Washington. The record
length of each EQUI record is 1190 positions. The blocksize of the EQUI file is 27370. The
following EQUI file layout has been effective since 2006/2.
EQUI Data Record
The normal data record provides all data elements available on the State's micro file for the
specified Unemployment Insurance (UI) Account Number/Reporting Unit Number (RUN) for
that year and quarter. A delete record is a special type of data record that removes all data for
the specified UI/RUN for all years and quarters. Appendix B defines the data elements.
Start End Length

Field
Type

Data Element

1
2
4
8
9
19
24
33
43
48
58
63
98

1
3
7
8
18
23
32
42
47
57
62
97
132

1
2
4
1
10
5
9
10
5
10
5
35
35

Adm
Adm
Qtr
Qtr
Adm
Adm
Adm
─
─
─
─
Adm
Adm

Transaction Code
State FIPS Numeric Code
Year
Quarter
UI Account Number
Reporting Unit Number
EIN (Employer Identification Number)
Filler
Filler
Filler
Filler
Legal/Corporate Name
Trade Name/DBA

133
168
203
233
235
240

167
202
232
234
239
243

35
35
30
2
5
4

Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm

UI Street Address--Line 1
UI Street Address--Line 2
UI Address—City
UI Address—State
UI Address--5-Digit ZIP Code
UI Address--ZIP Code Extension

244
279
314
344
346
351

278
313
343
345
350
354

35
35
30
2
5
4

Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm

Physical Location (PLA) Street Address--Line 1
Physical Location (PLA) Street Address--Line 2
Physical Location Address (PLA)--City
Physical Location Address (PLA)--State
Physical Location Address (PLA)--5-Digit ZIP Code
Physical Location Address (PLA)--ZIP Code Extension

UI Address Block (133-243)

Physical Location Address Block (244-354)

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Start End Length

Field
Type

Data Element

Mailing/Other Address Block (355-466)
355
390
425
455
457
462
466

389
424
454
456
461
465
466

35
35
30
2
5
4
1

Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm

Mailing/Other (MOA) Street Address--Line 1
Mailing/Other (MOA) Street Address--Line 2
Mailing/Other (MOA) Address--City
Mailing/Other (MOA) Address--State
Mailing/Other (MOA) Address--5-Digit ZIP Code
Mailing/Other (MOA) Address--ZIP Code Extension
Mailing/Other (MOA) Address Type

467

501

35

Adm

Reporting Unit Description

502
505
508

504
507
511

3
3
4

Adm
Adm
Adm

Phone Area Code
Phone Prefix
Phone Suffix

512
516
518

515
517
519

4
2
2

Adm
Adm
Adm

Setup Date—Year
Setup Date—Month
Setup Date—Day

520
524
526

523
525
527

4
2
2

Adm
Adm
Adm

Initial Date of Liability--Year
Initial Date of Liability--Month
Initial Date of Liability--Day

Telephone Number (502-511)

Setup Date (512-519)

Initial Date of Liability (520-527)

End of Liability Date (528-535)
528
532
534

531
533
535

4
2
2

Adm
Adm
Adm

End of Liability Date—Year
End of Liability Date—Month
End of Liability Date—Day

536
540
542

539
541
543

4
2
2

Adm
Adm
Adm

Reactivation Date--Year
Reactivation Date--Month
Reactivation Date--Day

544
545
546
548
552
555
556
560
563
568
569

544
545
547
551
554
555
559
562
567
568
574

1
1
2
4
3
1
4
3
5
1
6

Qtr
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm

Status Code
CES Indicator
ARS Response Code
ARS Refile Year
Old County Code
Old Ownership Code
ARS Verification Year
Old Township Code
Maximum Reporting Unit Number
MWR Mail Indicator
Old NAICS Code

Reactivation Date (536-543)

Page K-2

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Start End Length

Field
Type

Data Element
Data Source
Special Indicator Code
Agent Code
SIC
NAICS02 Code
NAICS Code
Ownership Code
Organization Type Code
County Code
Township Code
Filler
First Month Employment
First Month Employment Indicator
Second Month Employment
Second Month Employment Indicator
Third Month Employment
Third Month Employment Indicator
Total Wages
Total Wages Indicator
Taxable Wages
Contributions (Due)
Type of Coverage Code
MEEI Code
PLA Type Code
First Comment Code
Second Comment Code
Third Comment Code
Narrative Comment
Collection Mode Indicator
ECCI
UI Address Type Code
Date PLA Changed
Geocoding Software
Geocoding Source
Match Code
Location Code
Latitude
Longitude
Year and Quarter of New Latitude and Longitude
Place Code
Class Code
Census ID:
2 digit State code
3 digit County code
6 digit Census Tract
1 digit Census Block Group
2 digit Census Block Code
1 digit optional Block Code letter
Filler

575
576
577
581
585
591
597
598
599
602
605
606
612
613
619
620
626
627
638
639
650
659
660
661
662
664
666
668
725
727
729
730
738
739
740
744
747
756
767
772
777
779

575
576
580
584
590
596
597
598
601
604
605
611
612
618
619
625
626
637
638
649
658
659
660
661
663
665
667
724
726
728
729
737
738
739
743
746
755
766
771
776
778
793

1
1
4
4
6
6
1
1
3
3
1
6
1
6
1
6
1
11
1
11
9
1
1
1
2
2
2
57
2
2
1
8
1
1
4
3
9
11
5
5
2
15

Qtr
QAdm
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Adm
Qtr
Qtr
─
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Adm
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Adm
Qtr
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Twice
Twice
Twice
Twice
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr

794

797

4

─

Page K-3

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Start End Length

Field
Type

Data Element

798

798

1

Adm

Address Source Code

799
800
804

799
803
807

1
4
4

Adm
Adm
Adm

Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Code
Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year Agreed
Nondisclosure/Informed Consent Year Ended

Page K-4

Nondisclosure/Informed Consent (799-807)

Future QCEW Contact Block (808-827)
808
812
814
820
823
826

811
813
819
822
825
827

4
2
6
3
3
2

Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm

828
834

833
844

6
11

Qtr
Qtr

845

849

5

Adm

Future ARS Refile Year
Future ARS Response Code
Future NAICS Code
Future County Code
Future Town Code
Future CMI Code

Wage Record Summary Information (828-844)
Wage Record Count of Unique SSNs
Wage Record Wages
Phone Extension

QCEW Contact Block (850-1049)
850
885
920
980
990

884
919
979
989
1049

35
35
60
10
60

Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm

1050
1051
1061
1067

1050
1060
1066
1076

1
10
6
10

─
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr

1077
1083
1089
1095
1101
1107

1082
1088
1094
1100
1106
1112

6
6
6
6
6
6

Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr
Qtr

1113
1117
1119
1121
1127
1130
1187

1116
1118
1120
1126
1129
1186
1190

4
2
2
6
3
57
4

Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
Adm
─

QCEW Contact (Attention Line)
QCEW Contact Title
QCEW Contact Email Address
QCEW Contact Fax
Website Address
Future Use
Largest Wage Record Recepient─Possible or Actual Successor
Wage Record Count to Largest Wage Record Recepient
Largest Wage Record Contributor─Possible or Actual
Predecessor
Wage Record Count from Largest Wage Record Contributor
Hires
Separations
"New Entrants"
"Exits"
"Continuous Employees"

Discrepancy Information (1113-1190)
Fact of Discrepancy Year
Fact of Discrepancy Month
Fact of Discrepancy Control/Action Code
Fact of Discrepancy NAICS
Fact of Discrepancy County
Fact of Discrepancy Explanation
Filler/Future Field

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Page K-5

Predecessor/Successor Supplemental Records
Predecessor/Successor supplemental records provide detailed information about the relationship
between a predecessor and its successor. A pred/succ supplemental record is generated for each
EQUI data record with a comment code of 85, 86, 87, 92, or 93. This means that for each
identified pred/succ relationship (or pair), two pred/succ records are generated: one for the
predecessor and one for the successor.
Start End Len
1
2
4
14
19
20
21
31
36
38
46
54

1
3
13
18
19
20
30
35
37
45
53
198

1
2
10
5
1
1
10
5
2
8
8
145

Data Element
Transaction Code where the value is set to "P"
State FIPS Numeric Code
UI Account Number
Reporting Unit Number
Format Type
Action Code
Predecessor or Successor UI Account Number
Predecessor or Successor Reporting Unit Number
P/S Source Code
P/S Transfer Date
P/S Posting Date
P/S Narrative Comment

EQUI Header Record
The header record, whose file layout is shown below, provides the parameter values used by the
State. For each parm on the header record, the table shows the edit or edits that use the parm, as
well as the default value for that parm in State systems. The edit conditions and formulas are
described in detail in Appendix F.
Positions

Data Element

Length

State
Default
Value
(Always
"H")

1

Transaction Code

1

2-3
4-7
8
9-18

State FIPS Code
Year
Quarter
UI Account
Number
Reporting Unit
Number

2
4
1
10

zero-filled

5

zero-filled

19-23

24-27

Creation Year

Parameter or
Tolerance Name

Creation Date and Time (24-39)
4

Edit
Code

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Positions

Data Element

Length

28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35

Creation Month
Creation Day
Creation Hour
Creation Minutes

2
2
2
2

36-37
38-39

Creation Seconds
Creation 100ths
Seconds

2
2

40-42
43-47

Record Length
Block Size

3
5

48-53
54-59
60-65

Tax Rate Range
Tax Rate Range
Contributions >
Taxable Wages
Predecessor/
Successor Format
Monthly
Employment
Change
Monthly
Employment
Change
Monthly
Employment
Change
Monthly
Employment
Change
Monthly
Employment
Change
Monthly
Employment
Change
Wage Change

66-71
72-73

74-75

76-77

78-79

80-81

82-83

84-85

State
Default
Value

Page K-6

Parameter or
Tolerance Name

Edit
Code

724
31856

Edit Parms (48-433)
15000
6
Maximum Tax Rate
0
6
Minimum Tax Rate
0
6
Employee Tax Rate
6

0

2

20

2

10

2

30

2

10

2

30

2

10

2

10

Predecessor and
Successor AME Cutoff
Split Level for
Employment Difference
Check
Low Employment
Maximum Employment
Difference
High Employment
Maximum Employment
Difference
Employment Percent
Change Limit for > 6
Reported Months
Employment Percent
Change Limit for < 6
Reported Months
Employment Check
Multiplier
No Total Wages with
AME Cutoff

047
047
063, 118
066-067
091, 126
micro/
macro
091, 126
micro/
macro
091, 126
micro/
macro
091, 126
micro/
macro
091, 126
micro/
macro
091, 126
micro/
macro
092, 093,
127, 130
micro/
macro

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Positions

86-91

Wage Change

6

State
Default
Value
10000

92-93

Wage Change

2

03

Total Wage Check
Multiplier

94-95

Employment
Without Wages

2

10

No Wages But AME
Multiplier

96-101

Employment
Without Wages

6

10000

No Employment with
TW Cutoff

102-103 Wages Without
Employment

2

3

No Employment with
TW Cutoff Multiplier

104-105 Wages/
Employment Sum
106-111 Wages/
Employment Sum

2

5

6

50

112-113 Wages/
Employment Sum
114-119 Zip Code Format

2

10

6

99

120-125 Phone Number
126-131 Physical Address
Format
132-137 Missing Federal
EIN
138-139 Missing Federal
EIN
140-145 Tax Rate
Consistency
146-151 Tax Rate
Consistency

6
6

99
0

6

50

2

6

EIN Months Missing

116

6

330

118

6

250

1

0

6

25000

1

0

Maximum Tax Rate
Deviation
Maximum
Contributions Due
Deviation
Bypass Switch for
California Rate
Maximum Total Wages
with No Taxable Wages
Bypass Switch for
California Taxable
Wages

152

Data Element

Tax Rate
Consistency
153-158 Missing Taxable
Wages
159
Missing Taxable
Wages

Length

Page K-7

Parameter or
Tolerance Name
Total Wage Change
Parm

Edit
Code
092, 127
micro/
macro
092, 127
micro/
macro
093, 130
micro/
macro
092, 094,
127, 131
micro/
macro
094, 131
micro/
macro
095, 132

Employment Equals
Total Wages Tolerance
095, 132
Employment Equals
Total Wages AME
Cutoff
095, 132
Employment Equals
Total Wages Multiplier
Zip Code AME Cutoff 104, 108,
111
105
Telephone AME Cutoff
114
Physical Location
Address AME
116
EIN AME Parm

118

118
119
119

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Positions

Data Element

160-161 Non-Economic
Code Change

2

State
Default
Value
5

162-163 Logical SIC
Change
164-165 Active Account
166-171 Active Account

2

25

2
6

99
150000

172-173 Liability

2

99

174-179 Liability
180-185 Identical Monthly
Employment
186-187 Taxable/ Total
Wage Change

6
6

150000
50

2

20

188-193 Taxable/ Total
Wage Change
194-195 SIC = 9999
196-201 New and
Discontinued Edit
(Macro)
202-207 New and
Discontinued Edit
(Macro)
208-209 New and
Discontinued Edit
(Micro)

6

99

2
6

25
50

6

210-211 New and
Discontinued Edit
(Micro)
212-213 Employment
Change for
Predecessor/
Successor
214-215 Count Change for
Breakout/
Consolidation

Length

Page K-8

Parameter or
Tolerance Name

Edit
Code

Noneconomic Code
Change Monthly
Employment Parm
Logical SIC Change
Employment
Active Account AME
Active Account Total
Wages
Liability Check
Employment
Liability Check Wages
Maximum Identical
Employment AME
Taxable Wages To
Total Wages Percent
Tolerance
Taxable Wages to Total
Wages AME
Unclassified SIC AME
Discontinued Record
AME

120

50

New Record AME

135

2

25

151-163

2

25

2

25
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)

Minimum Employment
for Predecessor/
Successor, New/
Discontinued Singles
Employment Cutoff for
New/ Discontinued
Multis
Maximum Allowed
Predecessor/ Successor
Employment Change

2

10
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)

Maximum RU Count
Change for Breakout/
Consolidation

162

122
124
124
125
125
128
129

129
133
135

151-163

162

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Positions

Data Element

Length

State
Default
Value
10
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)

Page K-9

Parameter or
Tolerance Name

Edit
Code

162
Maximum RU Count
Percent Change for
Breakout/
Consolidation (Non 1st
Quarter)
162
Employment Difference
In Breakout/
Consolidation (Non-1st
Quarter)
162
Maximum Employment
Percent Difference In
Breakout/
Consolidation (Non-1st
Quarter)
162
Maximum RU Count
Change Old
County/SIC No 999s
(Non-1st Quarter)
171-173
First Employment
Balance Split Level

216-217 Count Change for
Breakout/
Consolidation

2

218-219 Employment
Change for
Breakout/
Consolidation
220-221 Employment
Change for
Breakout/
Consolidation

2

50
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)

2

10
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)

222-223 Count Change for
Non 999

2

20
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)

224-229 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
230-231 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
232-233 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
234-239 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
240-245 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
246-251 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
252-257 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)

6

50

2

5

Small Employment
Balance Tolerance

171-173

2

10

Mid-Sized Employment
Balance Tolerance

171-173

6

1000

Second Employment
Balance Split Level

171-173

6

100

Large Employment
Balance Tolerance

171-173

6

50000

First Wage Balance
Split Level

174-176

6

250

Small Wage Balance
Tolerance

174-176

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Positions

Data Element

Length

258-259 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
260-265 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
266-271 Additivity/ Balance
(Monthly
Employment)
272-277 CCS Division
Change
278-283 CCS Intra-Division
Change
284-289 Wage Record Edit

2

State
Default
Value
10

6

999999

6

10000

6

100

6

250

6

50

290-291 Wage Record Edit

2

10

292-293 Wage Record Edit

2

20

294-299 Wage Record Edit

6

100

300-301 Wage Record Edit

2

20

302-307 AME Print Cutoff

6

0

308-313 AQW Print Cutoff

6

0

314-319 EIN Edit
320-325 Wage Change

6
6

5
25

326-331 Wage Change

6

3000

332-337 Large New Record
Check

6

500

Page K-10

Parameter or
Tolerance Name

Edit
Code

Medium Wage Mill
Balance Tolerance
(1/10%)
Second Wage Balance
Split Level

174-176

Large Wage Balance
Tolerance

174-176

Maximum AME for
Wage Record Edits
Bypass
Limit for Employment
> Wage Record Count
(Percent)
Limit for Wage Record
Count > Employment
(Percent)
Maximum AME for
Wage Record Wage
Edit Bypass
Limit for Total Wages
> Wage Record Wages
(Percent)
Average Monthly
Employment Print
Cutoff Level
Average Quarterly
Wage Print Cutoff
Level
Small Record EIN Parm
Supplemental Edit
AME
Supplemental Edit
AQW Wage Difference
Large New Employer

174-176

CCS
Table 1A
CCS
Table 1B
191-196

193-195

191

192, 197

192, 197

045
092, 127
92, 127
096, 139

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Positions

Data Element

338-343 Large Discontinued
Record Check
344-349 New Record Check
350-355 Discontinued
Record Check
356-361 Pred/Succ
Employment

Length

6

State
Default
Value
500

6
6

100
100

6

100
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)
100
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)
100
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)
1000
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)
500
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)
50
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)
10
(Edit
deferred –
zero fill.)
Zero-fill
Zero-fill
Zero-fill
Zero-fill
Zero-fill
Zero-fill

362-367 Multi-Breakout
Employment

6

368-373 Multi-Collapse
Employment

6

374-379 Large MultiCollapse AME

6

380-385 Multi-Collapse
AME

6

386-391 Multi-Unit
Collapse

6

392-397 Comment Error
AME

6

398-403
404-409
410-415
416-421
422-427
428-433

6
6
6
6
6
6

Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use

434-1190 Filler (blank)

767

Page K-11

Parameter or
Tolerance Name

Edit
Code

097, 140
Large Discontinued
Employer
139
New Employer
140
Discontinued Employer
Pred/Succ Employment
Difference

162

Multi-Establishment
Breakout Employment
Difference

177

Multi-Establishment
Collapse Employment
Difference

183

AME for Large Multis

184

AME for Other MultiCollapses

184

Worksite Unit Count

184

Small Record Comment
Code Parm

048

-------

-------

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Page K-12

EQUI Trailer Record
The trailer record includes information that BLS-Washington uses to compare the expected
characteristics of the EQUI file to the actual characteristics. This comparison helps ensure that
no records were lost either when the file was created in the State or when it was loaded in BLSWashington.
Positions
1
2-3
4-7
8
9-23
24-31
32-36
37-44
45-49
50-57
58-62
63-70
71-75
76-83
84-88
89-96
97-104
105-113
114-122
123-131
132-145
146-159
160-171
172-179
180-188
189-197
198-206

Data Element
Transaction Code (Always “T”)
State FIPS Code
Year
Quarter
UI Account Number and Reporting Unit Number
(Zero-filled)
Count of All Deleted Records
Newest Quarter Information (e.g., 2003/1)
Newest Year/Quarter
Newest Count of Records
Next Oldest Quarter's Information (e.g., 2002/4)
Next Oldest Year/Quarter
Next Oldest Count of Records
Next Oldest Quarter's Information (e.g., 2002/3)
Next Oldest Year/Quarter
Next Oldest Count of Records
Next Oldest Quarter's Information (e.g., 2002/2)
Next Oldest Year/Quarter
Next Oldest Count of Records
Next Oldest Quarter's Information (e.g., 2002/1)
Next Oldest Year/Quarter
Next Oldest Count of Records
Control Totals for All Quarters for All Ownerships
Number of Establishments
First Month Employment
Second Month Employment
Third Month Employment
Total Wages
Taxable Wages
Contributions Due
Control Totals for the Current Quarter for All Ownerships
Number of Establishments
First Month Employment
Second Month Employment
Third Month Employment

Length
1
2
4
1
15
8
5
8
5
8
5
8
5
8
5
8
8
9
9
9
14
14
12
8
9
9
9

QCEW Operating Manual
EQUI File Layout

June 2007

Page K-13

Positions
Data Element
Length
207-220
Total Wages
14
221-234
Taxable Wages
14
235-246
Contributions Due
12
Control Totals for the Current Quarter for Federal Government
247-254
Number of Establishments
8
255-263
First Month Employment
9
264-272
Second Month Employment
9
273-281
Third Month Employment
9
282-295
Total Wages
14
296-309
Taxable Wages
14
310-321
Contributions Due
12
Control Totals for the Current Quarter for State Government
322-329
Number of Establishments
8
330-338
First Month Employment
9
339-347
Second Month Employment
9
348-356
Third Month Employment
9
357-370
Total Wages
14
371-384
Taxable Wages
14
385-396
Contributions Due
12
Control Totals for the Current Quarter for Local Government
397-404
Number of Establishments
8
405-413
First Month Employment
9
414-422
Second Month Employment
9
423-431
Third Month Employment
9
432-445
Total Wages
14
446-459
Taxable Wages
14
460-471
Contributions Due
12
Control Totals for the Current Quarter for the Private Sector
472-479
Number of Establishments
8
480-488
First Month Employment
9
489-497
Second Month Employment
9
498-506
Third Month Employment
9
507-520
Total Wages
14
521-534
Taxable Wages
14
535-546
Contributions Due
12
547-1190

Filler (blank)

654

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Supplement (CCS) File Layout

June 2007

Page L-1

Appendix L – Code Change Supplement (CCS)
File Layout
The CCS file is a compilation of all records with noneconomic code changes in one or more of
the essential classification codes. For most States, these are the county, ownership, and industry
codes. For New England States and New Jersey, township is also included.
The following is the layout for the CCS file generated by the BLS-Washington system beginning
with 2006 data. The standard State systems use the same layout, although some fields may be
generated in a different manner.
Field
Positions

Data Element

Field
Length

1-2
3-6

State FIPS Code
Year

2
4

10
5

31-65

UI Account Number
Reporting Unit Number
(RUN)
Employer Identification
Number (EIN)
Name

35

66
67
68-71
72-77

MEEI Code
Filler
Old SIC Code
Old NSTA Code

1
1
4
6

78-83

Old NAICS Code

6

Old Ownership Code

1

85-87

Old County Code

3

88-90

Old Township Code

3

91-94

New SIC Code

4

95-100

New NSTA Code

6

101-106

New NAICS Code

6

New Ownership Code

1

7-16
17-21
22-30

84

107

Comments/Source

Should correspond to the most recent first
quarter (e.g."2006" when 2006/1 is the current
quarter)

9
Trade Name if present on the micro file;
otherwise the Legal Name
The first quarter MEEI code
Blank (formerly Auxiliary Code)
From the Old SIC on the micro file, if present
From the Old NSTA on the micro file, if
present
From the Old NAICS on the micro file, if
present
From the Old Ownership on the Micro file, if
present
From the Old County on the micro file, if
present
From the Old Township on the micro file, if
present
The first quarter SIC, if different than the Old
SIC
First quarter NSTA, if different than the Old
NSTA
First quarter NAICS, if different that the Old
NAICS
First quarter Ownership, if different than the
Old Ownership

QCEW Operating Manual
Code Change Supplement (CCS) File Layout

July 2003

Field
Positions

Data Element

Field
Length

108-110

New County Code

3

111-113

New Township Code

3

114-119
120-125
126-131
132-137
138-148
149-159

December Employment
January Employment
February Employment
March Employment
First Quarter Wages
Fourth Quarter Wages

6
6
6
6
11
11

Page L-2

Comments/Source
First quarter County, if different than the Old
County
First quarter Township, if different than Old
Township
From Month 3 Employment in fourth quarter
From Month 1 Employment in first quarter
From Month 2 Employment in first quarter
From Month 3 Employment in first quarter
From Total Wages in first quarter
From Total Wages in fourth quarter

QCEW Operating Manual
Summary of Differences File Layout

July 2003

Page M-1

Appendix M – Summary of Differences File
Layout
The following is the layout for the CCS Summary of Differences file generated by the BLSWashington system. For each county/ownership/industry cell, the Summary of Differences file
shows the economic data that enter or leave due to noneconomic code changes. The standard
State systems use the same layout, although some fields may be generated in a different manner.
Field
Positions

Data Element

Field
Length

1-2
3-5
6
7-12

State FIPS Code
County Code
Ownership Code
NAICS Code

2
3
1
6

13-16

Year

4

17-25

December Employment
(From)
Fourth Quarter Wages
(From)
December Employment
(To)
Fourth Quarter Wages
(To)
January Employment
(From)
February Employment
(From)
March Employment
(From)
First Quarter Wages
(From)
January Employment (To)

9

26-39
40-48
49-62
63-71
72-80
81-89
90-103
104-112
113-121

14
9
14
9
9
9
14
9
9

122-130

February Employment
(To)
March Employment (To)

131-144

First Quarter Wages (To)

14

145-152

Total Records Leaving

8

153-160

Total Records Entering

8

9

Comments/Source

Industry code under which the Summary of
Difference is aggregated
Should correspond to the most recent first
quarter (e.g."2003" when 2003/1 is the current
quarter)
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records leaving the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records leaving the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records entering the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records entering the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records leaving the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records leaving the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records leaving the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records leaving the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records entering the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records entering the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records entering the cell
Aggregated from corresponding field of all
CCS records entering the cell
Total number of records leaving aggregated
cell
Total number of records entering aggregated
cell

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MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Page N-1

Appendix N – MWR File Layouts
The Electronic Data Interchange Center (EDIC) uses the format below to export Multiple
Worksite Report (MWR)/Report of Federal Employment & Wages (RFEW) data files to the
States each quarter. This format also provides data fields covering Professional Employer
Organizations (PEO) and Payroll Provider Firms (PPF). The Supplemental Record Format is
used to export MWR data when additional data elements are required, such as
predecessor/successor account information. States should use their standard State processing
system (EXPO-202 or WIN-202) to load these MWR data files as needed to their QCEW micro
files during routine quarterly processing. The collection and processing of MWR data by the
EDIC is discussed in Chapter 4 – Multiple Worksite Central Reporting.
The EDIC receives the data from reporters (employers or their agents) in various file formats.
Reporters are encouraged to use the standard 350 MWR File Format with Four-Digit Year.
BLS-Washington also collects data from reporters using Multiple Worksite Report web
(MWRweb), an interactive web-based processing system with online editing of various fields
including employment and wages.
Standard 424 MWR File Format Exported to the States from the EDIC
EDIC uses this format to export reporter data to the States (i.e., “detail records”). Codes in the
four fields that occupy positions 309-322 are provided by EDIC for "birth" records (new
establishments) and are generally not provided by reporters.
Position Length Data Element
1-2
2 Program Code

3

1

4-5

2

6-15

10

16-20

5

21

1

Data Specification
Required. A 2-digit program code indicating the type of data
being reported.
02 = MWR/QCEW
Record Type
Required. A 1-digit number indicating the type of reporter:
3 = PEO
4 = PPF
5 = MWR or RFEW
Reference State Required. The 2-digit State FIPS code indicating the location
of the establishment.
Required. The Unemployment Insurance (UI) account number
UI Account
Number
assigned to the employer by the State. Right-justified with
leading zeros.
Reporting Unit Required. The Reporting Unit Number (RUN) assigned by the
Number
State to distinguish between records with the same UI account
number. Right-justified with leading zeros.
Format Type
Required. Type = D, for Detail Record. This is not the same
as Record Type.

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position Length Data Element
22-30
9 Employer
Identification
Number (EIN)
31-65
35 Trade Name

66-100

35

Street Address

101-130

30

City

131-132

2

State

133-137

5

Zip Code

138-141

4

Zip Code
Extension

142-143

2

Primary
Comment Code

144-145

2

Secondary
Comment Code

146-147

2

Third Comment
Code

148-151

4

Reference Year

152

1

Reference
Quarter

153-187

35

Legal Name

188-222

35

Reporting Unit
Description
(RUD)

Page N-2

Data Specification
Required. The 9-digit EIN assigned to the employer by the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Numeric, right justified.
Zero-filled if EIN is unknown.
Required if Legal Name is blank. The division or subsidiary
name of the establishment. "Mom's Restaurant" is an example
of a trade name of ABC Enterprises. Left-justified with
trailing blanks.
The physical street address of the establishment. If provided,
is abbreviated as necessary in accordance with the U.S. Postal
Service’s National Zip Code and Postal Service Directory.
Left-justified with trailing blanks.
The city of the establishment. Left-justified with trailing
blanks, if provided.
If provided, it will be a standard 2-letter Postal Service State
abbreviation for the establishment.
If provided, the 5-digit Zip Code used by the Postal Service for
the establishment.
The 4-digit Zip Code Extension used by the Postal Service for
the establishment. It is zero-filled if no Zip Code Extension is
provided.
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
explain flagged data, or values that differ substantially from
previously reported data. Blank-filled if not used.
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
explain flagged data, or values that differ substantially from
previously reported data. Blank-filled if not used.
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
explain flagged data, or values that differ substantially from
previously reported data. Blank-filled if not used.
Required. The four digits of the calendar year covered by the
report.
Required. The 1-digit number indicating the reference
calendar quarter for the report. The calendar quarters are:
1 = January–March 2 = April–June
3 = July–September 4 = October–December
Required if Trade Name is blank. The legal or corporate name
of the establishment. For example "ABC Enterprises" or
"Smith Companies, Inc." Left-justified with trailing blanks.
Required and must be alphanumeric for private (MWR)
reporters. For DOD, NFC, and other federal reporters, may be
zero-filled. Should contain a meaningful, unique description
of the establishment, such as store number or plant name (e.g.,
Store 101, Jones River Plant). Left-justified with trailing
blanks.

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position Length Data Element
223-228 6 Month 1
Employment

229-234

6

235-240

6

241-250

10

251-307

57

308

1

309-311

3

312-314

3

315

1

316

1

Page N-3

Data Specification
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Rightjustified with leading zeros.
Month 2
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Rightjustified with leading zeros.
Month 3
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Rightjustified with leading zeros.
Quarterly Wages Required. The total amount of wages (both taxable and nontaxable) paid to employees during the entire reference quarter.
All numeric (no $ signs or commas). Right-justified and filled
with leading zeros. Rounded to the nearest dollar (no cents).
Zero-filled if no wages were paid.
Comments
Optional. Any large changes in employment or wages due to
store closings, layoffs, bonuses, seasonal changes, etc. should
be explained in this field. If any units of a firm are being
reported for the first time following expansion of operations or
purchase of units from another firm, a description of the
business activity(s) that will be conducted at each
establishment should be provided. BLS will use this
information in assigning industrial classification codes to the
new unit(s). In addition, if units were purchased from another
firm, the name of the firm, the effective date of the transaction,
and the UI number of the seller, if known, should be provided.
If units have been sold to another firm, the name of the firm,
the effective date of the transaction, and the UI number of the
purchaser, if known, should be provided. Left-justified with
trailing blanks.
Source Code
Required. The value is currently “C”. This indicates data
(Data Source)
processed and edited by the EDIC.
County FIPS
Required for birth records. 3-digit numeric Federal
Code
Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code used to identify
each establishment location or place of business.
Township Code Required for birth records. 3-digit numeric code required in
New England States and New Jersey. Used to identify
township of each establishment location or place of business.
Ownership Code Required for birth records. 1-digit numeric code used to
identify the economic ownership of the establishment.
Filler

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position Length Data Element
317-322 6 NAICS Code
323-326
327-330

4
4

331-332

2

333-334

2

335-338

4

339-340

2

341-342

2

343-346

4

347-348

2

349-350

2

351-360

10

361-369

9

370-379

10

380-381

2

382-385

4

386-387

2

388-391

4

392-424

33

Page N-4

Data Specification
Required for birth records. 6-digit numeric code used to
identify the primary activity of the establishment.
Agent Code
Record Type 4.
Initial Date of The four-digit year of a firm's initial liability date. This is
Liability - Year applicable to birth records for record types 3, 4, and 5.
Initial Date of The two-digit month of a firm's initial liability date. This is
Liability –
applicable to birth records for record types 3, 4, and 5.
Month
Initial Date of The two-digit day of a firm's initial liability date. This is
Liability – Day applicable to birth records for record types 3, 4, and 5.
End of Liability The four-digit year of a firm's end of liability date. This is
Date – Year
applicable to death records for record types 3, 4, and 5.
End of Liability The two-digit month of a firm's end of liability date. This is
Date – Day
applicable to death records for record types 3, 4, and 5.
End of Liability The two-digit day of a firm's end of liability date. This is
Date – Year
applicable to death records for record types 3, 4, and 5.
Reactivation
The four-digit year of a firm's re-activation date. This is
Date - Year
applicable to record types 3, 4, and 5.
Reactivation
The two-digit month of a firm's re-activation date. This is
Date – Month
applicable to record types 3, 4, and 5.
Reactivation
The two-digit day of a firm's re-activation date. This is
Date – Day
applicable to record types 3, 4, and 5.
Client UI
The UI account number assigned to the client before the client
Account Number entered the co-employer relationship with the Professional
Employer Organization (PEO). Should be right-justified,
zero-filled.
Client EIN
The EIN assigned to the client before the client entered the coemployer relationship with the Professional Employer
Organization (PEO).
Client Telephone The telephone number of the client.
Number
Month Became The 2-digit month that the record became a client of the PEO.
Client
Year Became
The 4-digit year that the record became a client of the PEO.
Client
Month Client
The 2-digit month that the record terminated being a client of
Terminated
the PEO.
Year Client
The 4-digit year that the record terminated being a client of the
Terminated
PEO.
Worksite
A description of the client worksite's economic activity.
Economic
Economic activity is the principal business(es) in which the
Activity
worksite is engaged.
Description

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MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Page N-5

Supplemental P/S Record Format (EDIC)
Supplemental predecessor/successor (P/S) records provided by the EDIC to States contain
detailed information about the relationship between a predecessor and its successor. This means
that for each identified predecessor/successor relationship (or pair), two records are generated:
one for the predecessor and one for the successor. Please note that not all “detail” records
exported by the EDIC will have associated predecessor and successor records.
Position Length Data Element
1-2
2
Program Code

3

1

4-5

2

6-15

10

16-20

5

21

1

22

1

23-32

10

33-37

5

38-41
42

4
1

Data Specification
A 2-digit program code indicating the type of data being
reported.
02 = MWR/QCEW
Record Type
A 1-digit number indicating the type of reporter. Type =
3, PEO; Type = 4, PPF; Type = 5, MWR/RFEW
Reference State
The 2-digit State FIPS code indicating the location of the
establishment.
UI Account
The UI account number assigned to the employer by the
Number
State. Right-justified, zero-filled.
Reporting Unit
The RUN assigned to the establishment by the State to
Number
distinguish between records with the same UI Account
Number. Right-justified, zero-filled.
Action Code
Blank = predecessor or successor data provided; D =
delete record
Format Type
P = The UI/RUN identified in positions 6-20 has a
Predecessor
S = The UI/RUN identified in positions 6-20 has a
Successor
Pred/Succ UI
The UI account number of the Predecessor (Successor) to
Account Number the UI account number in positions 6-15.
Pred/Succ
The RUN of the Predecessor (Successor) to the UI
Reporting Unit
account number in positions 16-20.
Number
Reference Year
The 4-digit year of the current processing year.
Reference
The 1-digit quarter of the current processing quarter.
Quarter

Standard 799 MWR File Format Exported to the States via MWRweb (Collected
Data file)
The data of firms who report via the MWRweb system are provided to the States by BLSWashington/Division of Business Establishment Systems (DBES) in the 799 position file layout
given below. This is known as the Collected Data file referred to in Section 4.8.

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position
1-2
3

Length
2
1

4-5

2

6-15

10

16-20

5

21
22-30

1
9

31-65

35

66-100

35

101-130

30

131-132

2

133-137

5

138-141

4

142-143

2

144-145

2

146-147

2

Data Element
Program Code
Record Type
(MWRweb = 6)
Reference State

Page N-6

Data Specifications
02 = QCEW
Record Type = 6

Required. The 2-digit numeric FIPS code of the
State.
UI Account Number
Required. The UI account number assigned to
the employer by the State. Should be rightjustified, zero-filled.
Reporting Unit Number
Required. The RUN assigned by the State to
distinguish between records with the same UI
Account Number. Should be right-justified,
zero-filled.
Format Type
Format Type = D
Employer Identification
Required. The 9-digit EIN assigned to the
Number
employer by the IRS. Numeric, right-justified.
Should be zero-filled if EIN is unknown.
Trade Name
Required. The division or subsidiary name of
the establishment. "Mom's Restaurant" is an
example of a trade name of ABC Enterprises.
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
Street Address
Required. The physical street address of the
establishment. Abbreviate as necessary in
accordance with the U.S. Postal Service’s
National Zip Code and Postal Service Directory.
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
City
Required. The city of the establishment. Should
be left-justified, blank-filled.
State
Required. The standard 2-letter Postal Service
State abbreviation for the establishment.
Zip Code
Required. The 5-digit Zip Code used by the
Postal Service for the establishment.
Zip Code Extension
Optional. The 4-digit Zip Code Extension used
by the Postal Service for the establishment.
Should be zero-filled if not used.
Primary Comment Code
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment
codes used to explain data values that differ
substantially from previously reported data.
Should be blank-filled if not used.
Secondary Comment Code Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment
codes used to explain data values that differ
substantially from previously reported data.
Should be blank-filled if not used.
Third Comment Code
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment
codes used to explain data values that differ

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position

Length

Data Element

148-151

4

Reference Year

152

1

Reference Quarter

153-187

35

Legal Name

188-222

35

Worksite Description

223-228

6

Month 1 Employment

229-234

6

Month 2 Employment

235-240

6

Month 3 Employment

241-250

10

Quarterly Wages

251-307

57

Narrative Comment

308

1

Data Source Code

Page N-7

Data Specifications
substantially from previously reported data.
Should be blank-filled if not used.
Required. The four digits of the calendar year
covered by the report.
Required. The 1-digit number indicating the
reference calendar quarter for the report. The
calendar quarters are:
1 = January - March
2 = April - June
3 = July - September
4 = October December
Optional. The legal or corporate name of the
establishment. For example "ABC Enterprises"
or "Smith Companies, Inc." Should be leftjustified, blank-filled.
Required. A meaningful, unique description of
the establishment, such as store number or plant
name (e.g., Store 101, Jones River Plant).
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
Required. The number of all full- and part-time
employees who worked during or received pay
(subject to UI wages) for the pay period which
includes the 12th of the month. Should be rightjustified, zero filled.
Required. The number of all full- and part-time
employees who worked during or received pay
(subject to UI wages) for the pay period which
includes the 12th of the month. Should be rightjustified, zero filled.
Required. The number of all full- and part-time
employees who worked during or received pay
(subject to UI wages) for the pay period which
includes the 12th of the month. Should be rightjustified, zero filled.
Required. The total amount of wages (both
taxable and non-taxable) paid to employees
during the entire reference quarter. Must be
numeric (no $ signs or commas). Must be rightjustified and filled with leading zeros. Should be
rounded to the nearest dollar (no cents). Should
be zero-filled if no wages were paid.
Explanation of large changes in employment or
wages due to store closure, layoffs, bonuses,
seasonal changes.
Required. The value is currently “W”. This

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position

Length

Data Element

309-311

3

County Fips Code

312-314

3

Township Code

315

1

Ownership Code
(Births Only)

316

1

317-322

6

Filler
(formerly Auxiliary Code)
NAICS Code
(Births Only)

323-326
327-330

4
4

Agent Code
Initial Date of Liability –
Year

331-332

2

Initial Date of Liability –
Month

333-334

2

Initial Date of Liability –
Day

335-338

4

End of Liability Date Year

339-340

2

End of Liability Date Month

341-342

2

End of Liability Date –
Day

343-492

150

Worksite Economic
Activity Description

493-527
528-562
563-597

35
35
35

MWR Contact
Contact Title
Mailing Street Address
Line 1

Page N-8

Data Specifications
indicates data processed and edited via
MWRweb.
Required for birth records. 3-digit numeric
Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)
code used to identify each establishment location
or place of business.
Required for birth records. 3-digit numeric code
required in New England States and New Jersey.
Used to identify township of each establishment
location or place of business.
Required for birth records. 1-digit numeric code
used to identify the economic ownership of the
establishment.
1-digit numeric, assigned value is “5.”
Required for birth records. 6-digit numeric code
used to identify the primary activity of the
establishment.
Record Type 6
The four-digit year of a firm's initial liability
date. This is applicable to birth records for
record types 3, 4, and 5.
The two-digit month of a firm's initial liability
date. This is applicable to birth records for
record types 3, 4, and 5.
The two-digit day of a firm's initial liability date.
This is applicable to birth records for record
types 3, 4, and 5.
The four-digit year of a firm's end of liability
date. This is applicable to death records for
record types 3, 4, and 5.
The two-digit month of a firm's end of liability
date. This is applicable to death records for
record types 3, 4, and 5.
The two-digit day of a firm's end of liability
date. This is applicable to death records for
record types 3, 4, and 5.
A description of the client worksite's economic
activity. Economic activity is the principal
business(es) in which the worksite is engaged.

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position
598-632

Length
35

633-662
663-664
665-669

30
2
5

670-673

4

674-676
677-679
680-683
684-688
689-698
699-758
759

3
3
4
5
10
60
1

760

1

761

1

762

1

763

1

764-798

35

799

1

Data Element
Mailing Street Address
Line 2
Mailing Address - City
Mailing Address - State
Mailing Address – 5-digit
ZIP Code
Mailing Address – 4-digit
ZIP Code Extension
Area Code
Phone Prefix
Phone Suffix
Phone Extension
Contact Fax
Email Address
Business Transfer
Event Type 1
Business Transfer
Event Type 2
Business Transfer
Event Type 3
Business Transfer
Event Type 4
Business Transfer
Event Type 5
Business Transfer
Company
Collection Status

Page N-9

Data Specifications

1 = “Acquired another company”
2 = “Been sold to another company.”
3 = “Been in a merger”
4 = “Reorganized”
5 = “Opened a new UI account”

1 = No action required
2 = Mail indicator “Y”
3 = “Now is a single worksite account – State
action required.”
4 = “UI account no longer active.”
5 or 6 = No action required

Various file formats received by the EDIC are provided next in this appendix, including the
standard 350 reporter files: 4-digit year; PEO; and PPF. All data processed by the EDIC,
regardless of the file format in which it was received at the EDIC, are exported to the States in
the standard 424-position file EDIC export format shown at the beginning of this appendix.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

Page N-10

350 Position MWR File Format with Four-Digit Year – Received by EDIC
Position Length Data Element Data Specification
1-2
2
Program Code Required. A 2-digit program code indicating the type of data
being reported.
02 = MWR
3
1
Record Type
Required. A 1-digit number indicating the record format is
Y2K compliant. Value = 2 for this record format.
1 = The file format is not Y2K compliant
2 = The file format is Y2K compliant - All values of 2 and
greater are Y2K compliant.
3 = The reporter is a Professional Employee Organization
(PEO)
4 = The reporter is a Payroll Provider Firm (PPF)
4-5
2
Reference State Required. The 2-digit State FIPS code indicating the location
of the establishment.
6-15
10 UI Account
Required. The UI account number assigned to the employer
Number
by the State. Should be right-justified, zero-filled.
16-20
5
Reporting Unit Required. The RUN number assigned by the State to
Number
distinguish between records with the same UI Account
Number. Should be right-justified, zero-filled.
21-29
9
Employer
Required. The 9-digit EIN assigned to the employer by the
Identification IRS. Numeric, right-justified. Should be zero-filled if EIN is
Number
unknown.
30-64
35 Trade Name
Required. The division or subsidiary name of the
establishment. "Mom's Restaurant" is an example of a trade
name of ABC Enterprises. Should be left-justified, blankfilled.
65-99
35 Street Address Required. The physical street address of the establishment.
Abbreviate as necessary in accordance with the U.S. Postal
Service’s National Zip Code and Postal Service Directory.
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
100-129 30 City
Required. The city of the establishment. Should be leftjustified, blank-filled.
130-131
2
State
Required. The standard 2-letter Postal Service State
abbreviation for the establishment.
132-136
5
Zip Code
Required. The 5-digit Zip Code used by the Postal Service for
the establishment.
137-140
4
Zip Code
Optional. The 4-digit Zip Code Extension used by the Postal
Extension
Service for the establishment. Should be zero-filled if not
used.
141-142
2
Delivery Point Optional. The 2-digit delivery point Bar-code used by the
Bar-code
Postal Service for the establishment. Should be zero-filled if
not used.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

Page N-11

Position Length Data Element Data Specification
143-144
2
Primary
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
Comment Code explain data values that differ substantially from previously
reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
145-146
2
Secondary
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
Comment Code explain data values that differ substantially from previously
reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
147-148
2
Third Comment Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
Code
explain data values that differ substantially from previously
reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
149-152
4
Reference Year Required. The four digits of the calendar year covered by the
report.
153
1
Reference
Required. The 1-digit number indicating the reference
Quarter
calendar quarter for the report. The calendar quarters are:
1 = January - March
2 = April - June
3 = July - September
4 = October - December
154-188 35 Legal Name
Optional. The legal or corporate name of the establishment.
For example "ABC Enterprises" or "Smith Companies, Inc."
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
189-223 35 Worksite
Required. A meaningful, unique description of the
Description
establishment, such as store number or plant name (e.g., Store
101, Jones River Plant). Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
224-229
6
Month 1
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero-filled.
230-235
6
Month 2
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero-filled.
236-241
6
Month 3
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero-filled.
242-251 10 Quarterly
Required. The total amount of wages (both taxable and nonWages
taxable) paid to employees during the entire reference quarter.
Must be numeric (no $ signs or commas). Must be rightjustified and filled with leading zeros. Should be rounded to
the nearest dollar (no cents). Should be zero-filled if no wages
were paid.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

Page N-12

Position Length Data Element Data Specification
252-301 50 Comments
Optional. Any large changes in employment or wages due to
store closure, layoffs, bonuses, seasonal changes, etc. should
be explained in this field. If any units of a firm are being
reported for the first time following expansion of operations or
purchase of units from another firm, a description of the
business activity(s) that will be conducted at each
establishment should be provided. BLS will use this
information in assigning industrial classification codes to the
new unit(s). In addition, if units were purchased from another
firm, the name of the firm, the effective date of the
transaction, and the UI number of the seller, if known, should
be provided. If units have been sold to another firm, the name
of the firm, the effective date of the transaction, and the UI
number of the purchaser, if known, should be provided. Leftjustified, blank-filled.
302-322 21 EDIC Field
Reporter should have contacted the EDIC regarding the use of
this field. This field is reserved to include crosswalk
information provided by an employer so that the EDIC may
process the data to assign UI/RUNs. There is no unique
format within these 21 positions as they are dependent upon
the reporter. Usually, the field is blank-filled.
323-350 28 Blank
For future use. Blank-filled.

Standard 350 MWR File Format (for PEOs) with Four-Digit Year – Received by
EDIC
Position Length Data Element Data Specification
1-2
2
Program Code Required. A 2-digit program code indicating the type of data
being reported.
02 = MWR
3
1
Record Type
Required. A 1-digit number indicating the reporter is a PEO.
Value = 3 for this format.
1 = The file format is not Y2K compliant
2 = The file format is Y2K compliant - All values of 2 and
greater are Y2K compliant.
3 = The reporter is a PEO
4 = The reporter is a PPF
4-5
2
Reference
Required. The 2-digit State FIPS code indicating the location
State
of the client establishment (State where PEO pays UI taxes for
that client).
6-15
10 UI Account
Required. The UI account number assigned to the PEO and
Number
pertaining to the State listed above. Should be right-justified,
zero-filled.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

Page N-13

Position Length Data Element Data Specification
16-20
5
Reporting Unit Required. The RUN assigned by the State to distinguish
Number
between records with the same UI Account Number. Should
be right-justified, zero-filled.
21-29
9
Employer
Required. The 9-digit EIN assigned to the PEO by the IRS.
Identification Numeric, right-justified. Should be zero-filled if EIN is
Number
unknown.
30-64
35 Trade Name
Required. The name of the client establishment. "Mom's
Restaurant" is an example of a trade name of ABC
Enterprises. Should be left- justified, blank-filled.
65-99
35 Street Address Required. The physical street address of the client
establishment. Abbreviate as necessary in accordance with
the U.S. Postal Service’s National Zip Code and Postal
Service Directory. Should be left-justified, blank filled.
100-129 30 City
Required. The city of the client establishment. Should be
left-justified, blank filled.
130-131
2
State
Required. The standard 2-letter Postal Service State
abbreviation for the client establishment.
132-136
5
Zip Code
Required. The 5-digit Zip Code used by the Postal Service for
the client establishment.
137-140
4
Zip Code
Optional. The 4-digit Zip Code Extension used by the Postal
Extension
Service for the client establishment. Should be zero-filled if
not used.
141-142
2
Delivery Point Optional. The 2-digit delivery point Bar-code used by the
Bar-code
Postal Service for the establishment. Should be zero-filled if
not used.
143-144
2
Primary
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
Comment Code explain data values that differ substantially from previously
reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
145-146
2
Secondary
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
Comment Code explain data values that differ substantially from previously
reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
147-148
2
Third Comment Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used to
Code
explain data values that differ substantially from previously
reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
149-152
4
Reference Year Required. The four digits of the calendar year covered by the
report.
153
1
Reference
Required. The 1-digit number indicating the reference
Quarter
calendar quarter for the report. The calendar quarters are:
1 = January - March
2 = April - June
3 = July - September
4 = October - December
154-188 35 Legal Name
Optional. The legal or corporate name of the client
establishment. For example "ABC Enterprises" or "Smith
Companies, Inc." Should be left-justified, blank-filled.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

Page N-14

Position Length Data Element Data Specification
189-223 35 Worksite
Required. Enter a meaningful, unique description of the client
Description
establishment, such as store number or plant name (e.g., Store
101, Jones River Plant). Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
224-229
6
Month 1
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero filled.
230-235
6
Month 2
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero filled.
236-241
6
Month 3
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
Employment
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero filled.
242-251 10 Quarterly
Required. The total amount of wages (both taxable and nonWages
taxable) paid to employees during the entire reference quarter.
Must be numeric (no $ signs or commas). Must be rightjustified and filled with leading zeros. Should be rounded to
the nearest dollar (no cents). Should be zero-filled if no wages
were paid.
252-261 10 Client UI
The UI account number assigned to the client before entering
Account
the co-employer relationship with the PEO. Should be rightNumber
justified, zero-filled.
262-267
6
Client SIC or The 4-digit SIC or 6-digit NAICS code assigned to the client.
NAICS Code Should be right-justified, zero-filled.
268-301 34 Client
The Client Economic Activity describes the principal
Economic
business(es) in which the client is engaged. Should be leftActivity
justified.
302-322 21 EDIC Field
Reporter should have contacted the EDIC regarding the use of
this field. This field is reserved to include crosswalk
information provided by an employer so that the EDIC may
process the data to assign UI/RUNs. There is no unique
format within these 21 positions as they are dependent upon
the reporter. Usually, the field is blank-filled.
323-331
9
Client EIN
The EIN assigned to the client before the client entered the coemployer relationship with the PEO.
332-341 10 Client
The telephone number of the client.
Telephone
Number
342-343
2
Month Became The 2-digit month that the record became a client of the PEO.
Client
344-345
2
Year Became The 2-digit year that the record became a client of the PEO.
Client

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position Length Data Element
346-347
2
Month Client
Terminated
348-349
2
Year Client
Terminated
350
1
Blank

Page N-15

Data Specification
The 2-digit month that the record terminated being a client of
the PEO.
The 2-digit year that the record terminated being a client of
the PEO.
For future use. Should be blank-filled.

Standard 350 MWR File Format (for PPF's) with Four-Digit Year – Received by
EDIC
Position Length Data Element
1-2
2
Program Code

3

1

4-5

2

6-15

10

16-20

5

21-29

9

30-64

35

65-99

35

100-129

30

Data Specification
Required. A 2-digit program code indicating the type of data
being reported.
02 = MWR
Record Type
Required. A 1-digit number indicating the record format is
Y2K compliant. Value = 4 for this format.
1 = The file format is not Y2K compliant
2 = The file format is Y2K compliant - All values of 2 and
greater are Y2K compliant.
3 = The reporter is a PEO
4 = The reporter is a PPF
Reference State Required. The 2-digit State FIPS code indicating the location
of the establishment.
UI Account
Required. The Unemployment Insurance (UI) account
Number
number assigned to the employer by the State. Should be
right-justified, zero-filled.
Reporting Unit Required. The number assigned by the State to distinguish
Number
between records with the same UI Account Number. Should
be right-justified, zero-filled.
Employer
Required. The 9-digit EIN assigned to the employer by the
Identification
IRS. Numeric, right-justified. Should be zero-filled if EIN is
Number (EIN) unknown.
Trade Name
Required. The division or subsidiary name of the
establishment. "Mom's Restaurant" is an example of a trade
name of ABC Enterprises. Should be left-justified, blankfilled.
Street Address Required. The physical street address of the establishment.
Abbreviate as necessary in accordance with the U.S. Postal
Service’s National Zip Code and Postal Service Directory.
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
City
Required. The city of the establishment. Should be leftjustified, blank-filled.

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position Length Data Element
130-131
2
State
132-136

5

137-140 4

Zip Code
Zip Code
Extension

141-142

2

Delivery Point
Bar-code

143-144

2

Primary
Comment Code

145-146

2

Secondary
Comment Code

147-148

2

Third Comment
Code

149-152

4

Reference Year

153

1

Reference
Quarter

154-188

35

Legal Name

189-223

35

Worksite
Description

224-229

6

Month 1
Employment

230-235

6

Month 2
Employment

236-241

6

Month 3
Employment

Page N-16

Data Specification
Required. The standard 2-letter Postal Service State
abbreviation for the establishment.
Required. The 5-digit Zip Code used by the Postal Service
for the establishment.
Optional. The 4-digit Zip Code Extension used by the Postal
Service for the establishment. Should be zero-filled if not
used.
Optional. The 2-digit delivery point Bar-code used by the
Postal Service for the establishment. Should be zero-filled if
not used.
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used
to explain data values that differ substantially from
previously reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used
to explain data values that differ substantially from
previously reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
Optional. One of the standard 2-digit comment codes used
to explain data values that differ substantially from
previously reported data. Should be blank-filled if not used.
Required. The four digits of the calendar year covered by the
report.
Required. The 1-digit number indicating the reference
calendar quarter for the report. The calendar quarters are:
1 = January - March
2 = April - June
3 = July - September
4 = October - December
Optional. The legal or corporate name of the establishment.
For example "ABC Enterprises" or "Smith Companies, Inc."
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
Required. A meaningful, unique description of the
establishment, such as store number or plant name (e.g., Store
101, Jones River Plant). Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero filled.
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero filled.
Required. The number of all full- and part-time employees
who worked during or received pay (subject to UI wages) for
the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Should
be right-justified, zero filled.

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Page N-17

Position Length Data Element Data Specification
242-251 10 Quarterly Wages Required. The total amount of wages (both taxable and nontaxable) paid to employees during the entire reference
quarter. Must be numeric (no $ signs or commas). Must be
right-justified and filled with leading zeros. Should be
rounded to the nearest dollar (no cents). Should be zero-filled
if no wages were paid.
252-301 50 Comments
Optional. Any large changes in employment or wages due to
store closure, layoffs, bonuses, seasonal changes, etc. should
be explained in this field. If any units of a firm are being
reported for the first time following expansion of operations
or purchase of units from another firm, a description of the
business activity(s) that will be conducted at each
establishment should be provided. BLS will use this
information in assigning industrial classification codes to the
new unit(s). In addition, if units were purchased from
another firm, the name of the firm, the effective date of the
transaction, and the UI number of the seller, if known should
be provided. If units have been sold to another firm, the
name of the firm, the effective date of the transaction, and the
UI number of the purchaser, if known, should be provided.
Should be left-justified, blank-filled.
302-311 10 Client Contact Required. The phone number (with area code) of the client’s
Phone Number contact person to call in reference to data questions.
Parentheses and hyphens should be omitted.
312-350 39 Client Contact Required. The name of the client’s contact person. Should
Name
be left-justified.
Additional MWRweb Record Formats
Solicitation Request File
The MWRweb solicitation request file is sent by BLS-Washington to the States on a quarterly
basis, as appropriate. It is absent in those quarters where BLS-Washington does not solicit new
respondents in the State. The request file contains the identification of employers that BLSWashington has selected to be solicited to participate in providing MWR data via MWRweb.
Position
1-2

3

Length
2

1

Data Element
Program Code

Record Type

Data Specification
Required. A 2-digit program code indicating the
type of data being reported.
02 = MWR data for the QCEW program
Required. A 1-digit number indicating the record
format.
"1" = MWRweb Solicitation Request File

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position
4-5

Length
2

Data Element
Reference State

6-15

10

UI Account
Number

16-24

9

25-36

12

Employer
Identification
Number
IDCF Temporary
Account Number

37-44

8

45-48

4

IDCF Temporary
Password
Reference Year

49

1

Reference Quarter

Page N-18

Data Specification
Required. The 2-digit State FIPS code indicating
the location of the establishment.
Required. The UI account number assigned to the
employer by the State. Right-justified with leading
zeros.
The 9-digit EIN assigned to the employer by the
IRS. When used in the MWRweb system this field
will always be blank.
Temporary Account Number that the Respondent
will need in order to register for MWRweb. The
IDCF Temporary Account and Password should
appear on initial and follow-up solicitation forms,
but should be retained for only the one quarter.
Once the employer registers and reports this
information it is not used in the EXPO and WIN
systems again.
Temporary Password that the Respondent will need
in order to register for MWRweb
Required. The four digits of the calendar year
covered by the report.
Required. The 1-digit number indicating the
reference calendar quarter for the report. The
calendar quarters are:
1 = January–March 2 = April–June
3 = July–September 4 = October–December

State Historical Data File
States send the State Historical Data file to BLS-Washington on a quarterly basis. Every record
on the State Historical Data File is identified by a Format Type value, which indicates its
format. The three possible Format Types in the State Historical Data File correspond to the
three major entities that are covered by the MWR survey:
Format Type
1
2
3

Data Specification
Information about a UI account
Information about a worksite
Information about one quarter of data for a worksite

Note: For a given UI account, all records on the State EXPO-202 and WIN-202 data base should
be included on the State Historical Data file, regardless of the Status Code: active, inactive, and
pending records. Further note, some inactive records may have no quarterly records for the time
period requested. Pending records may not have quarterly data either.

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Page N-19

State Historical Data File - Format Type 1 (UI Account)
Position
1-2

Length
2

Data Element
Reference State

3-12

10

UI Account
Number

13-22
23
24-32

10
1
9

33-42

10

Blank
Format Type
Employer
Identification
Number
Predecessor UI
Account Number

43

1

Ownership Code

44-78

35

Legal Name

79-113
114-148

35
35

149-183

35

184-213

30

214-215

2

Contact Name
Mailing Other
Address 1
Mailing Other
Address 2
Mailing Other
Address City
Mailing Other
State

216-220

5

221-224

4

225-284
285-294
295-304
305-309

60
10
10
5

310-313

4

Mailing Other
Zip Code
Mailing Other
Zip Code
Extension
Email address
Fax Number
Phone Number
Phone Number
Extension
Agent Code

Data Specification
Required. The 2-digit State FIPS code
indicating the location of the establishment.
Required. The UI account number assigned to
the employer by the State. Right-justified
with leading zeros.
Not Used.
1 = UI Account
The 9-digit EIN assigned to the employer by
the IRS.
Insert the UI Account Number before it
changed.
If UI Account Number did not change then
leave it blank.
Code describing the economic ownership of
the enterprise: Federal, State, Local, Private
Sector
The Legal Name of the UI account. Do not
supply the Trade Name.
Contact Name or Attention Line
The address that would be used to mail the
MWR to the respondent for the UI account.
See note above. May also be left blank.
The city that would be used to mail the MWR
to the respondent for the UI account.
The standard 2-letter Postal Service State
abbreviation that would be used to mail the
MWR to the respondent for the UI account.
The Zip Code that would be used to mail the
MWR to the respondent for the UI account.
The Zip Code Extension that would be used to
mail the MWR to the respondent for the UI
account.
Contact’s e-mail address.
Contact’s fax number if provided.
Contact’s phone number.
Contact’s phone extension if provided.
State-defined 4-digit agent code (used for
payroll service or similar agency)

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position
314-318

Length
5

Data Element
Maximum RUN

Page N-20

Data Specification
The highest used value of RUN for any
worksite in this UI account.

State Historical Data File - Format Type 2 (Worksite)
Position
1-2

Length
2

Data Element
Reference State

3-12

10

UI Account
Number

13-17

5

18-22
23
24-33

5
1
10

Reporting Unit
Number
Blank
Format Type
Predecessor UI
Account Number

34-38

5

39-73

35

74-108

35

109-138
139-140

30
2

Physical
Location
Address
City
State

141-145

5

Zip Code

146-149

4

150-184

35

Zip Code
Extension
Worksite
Description

185-187

3

County Code

188-190

3

Township Code

Predecessor
Reporting Unit
Number
Trade Name

Data Specification
Required. The 2-digit State FIPS code
indicating the location of the establishment.
Required. The UI account number assigned to
the employer by the State. Right-justified
with leading zeros.
RUN of the worksite within the UI account.
All blank.
2 = Worksite
Insert the UI Account Number before it
changed. If UI Account Number did not
change then leave it blank.
The value of RUN before it changed. If RUN
did not change then leave it blank.
The division or subsidiary name of the
establishment.
Physical address of the establishment. Line 1
of the PLA street address; if Line 1 is not
available, line 2 used.
City of the establishment.
The standard 2-letter Postal Service State
abbreviation.
Zip Code used by the Postal Service for the
establishment.
Zip Code Extension used by the Postal Service
for the establishment.
A meaningful, unique description of the
establishment, such as store number or plant
name.
3-digit numeric Federal Information
Processing Standard (FIPS) county code used
to identify each reporting unit's location or
place of business.
3-digit numeric township code required in
New England states and New Jersey, used to
identify township of location or place of

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position

Length

Data Element

191
192-197

1
6

Auxiliary Code
NAICS

Data Specification
business.
Blank
North American Industry Classification
System code

State Historical Data File - Format Type 3 (Worksite-Quarter)
Position
1-2

Length Data Element
2
Reference State

3-12

10

UI Account Number

13-17

5

Reporting Unit Number

18-21

4

Year

22

1

Quarter

23

1

Format Type

24

1

Status Code

25-30
31

6
1

32-37
38

6
1

39-44
45

6
1

46
57

11
1

Month 1 Employment
Month 1 Employment
Indicator
Month 2 Employment
Month 2 Employment
Indicator
Month 3 Employment
Month 3 Employment
Indicator
Total Wages
Total Wage Indicator

58-59

2

Comment Code 1

Data Specification
Required. The 2-digit
State FIPS code indicating
the location of the
establishment.
Required. The UI account
number assigned to the
employer by the State.
Right-justified with
leading zeros.
RUN of the worksite
within the UI account
Year of data collection for
this worksite
Quarter of data collection
for this worksite
Format Type.
3 = Worksite-Quarter
1 = active
2 = inactive
9 = pending
Month 1 employment
First month employment
indicator flag
Month 2 employment
Second month
employment indicator flag
Month 3 employment
Third month employment
indicator flag
Total Wages
Total Wages Indicator
Flag
Comment code #1:
Standard 2-digit comment
codes used to explain data

Page N-21

QCEW Operating Manual
MWR File Layouts

June 2007

Position

60-61
62-63
64-120

Length Data Element

2
2
57

Comment Code 2
Comment Code 3
Narrative Comment

Data Specification
values that differ
substantially from
previously reported data
Comment code #2
Comment code #3
Explanation of large
changes in employment or
wages due to store
closure, layoffs, bonuses,
seasonal changes.

Page N-22

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

Page O-1

Appendix O – Central Collection Data Editing
This appendix describes in general terms the edits performed by the Central Collection 2
(CenCo2) processing system used by the Electronic Data Interchange Center (EDIC). They are
being presented so that State staff can better understand how their data are being processed by
the EDIC before being provided to the State. (For a more comprehensive overview of the work
performed at the EDIC, see Chapter 4 – Multiple Worksite Central Reporting.)
The CenCo2 system edits closely resemble the following list of edits performed in the standard
State systems and the BLS-Washington system. For detailed edit information on these edits,
refer to Appendix F – Edit Conditions and Formulas.
Edit Code
002
003
004
005
006
010
012
013
016
031
032
033
034
045
048
065
072
091
092
093
094
095
102
103
104
104
126
127
128

State/BLS System Edit
UI Account Number Check
Reporting Unit Number Check
Reference Year Check
Reference Quarter Check
State Code Check
NAICS Code Check
Ownership Code Check
County Code Check
Ownership/NAICS Conflict
First Month Employment Check
Second Month Employment Check
Third Month Employment Check
Total Wages Check
Federal Employer Identification Number Check
Comment Code Check
Inconsistent County and Township Codes Check
Blank Name Check
Large Monthly Employment Change Check
Large Wage Change Check
Employment Without Wages Check
Wages Without Employment Check
Wages/Employment Sum Check
Blank Physical Location City Check
Physical Location State Abbreviation Check
Physical Location Zip Code Format Check
Physical Location Zip Code Extension Format Check
Monthly Employment Change Check
Wage Change Check
Identical Monthly Employment Check

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

Page O-2

This appendix provides specific, detailed edit information only for those editing processes that
CenCo2 performs differently or that have no corresponding edits in the States and
BLS-Washington, as well as some additional information.
Normal CenCo2 Processing from Initial Load Through Export
The processing sequence of the CenCo2 system is outlined below. CenCo2 provides EDIC staff
with the option of performing a crosswalk, which is needed when employers do not provide UI
Account Numbers (UIs) and/or Reporting Unit Numbers (RUNs). Steps 2 and 3 are only
performed if the crosswalk processing is used. If the crosswalk option is not used, CenCo2
moves from the pre-edits (step 1) directly into single unit processing (step 4).
1. Pre-Edits – Pre-edit checks are performed to flag invalid State FIPS codes as well as nonnumeric employment and wages. Pre-edit checks for UI and RUN formatting are also
performed unless the crosswalk option is selected.
2. Crosswalk Matching – CenCo2 assigns a UI and RUN to each record using linking
information built into the reporter’s crosswalk information. CenCo2 performs the linking
process by matching a unique worksite identifier on the reporter's file with the company
identifier on their crosswalk information. If a match is found, CenCo2 copies the UI and
RUN from the reporter’s crosswalk information onto the appropriate record on the reporter
file.
3. Pre-edits – After crosswalk processing is completed, CenCo2 performs pre-edits on the UI
and RUN fields of the reporter file.
4. Single Unit Identification – The system identifies and displays potential single-unit records
on the reporter’s file. This applies to private sector reporters only. For private sector
employers, CenCo2 does not accept zero-filled RUNs; however, government reporters may
have zero-filled RUNs.
5. Aggregation Size Errors – Reporter records are checked by the system for impossibly large
employment and wage totals that would cause errors in aggregation of duplicate State FIPS
code/UI/RUN combinations.
6. Aggregation – Data of records having an identical combination of State FIPS code, UI, and
RUN are aggregated into a single record. This step is needed because some reporters provide
data at a sub-establishment level (for example, for store departments rather than for the entire
store). If the reporter file received is from a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), any
client data of the PEO are also copied to a “PEO client table” which holds the client data.
This step is done immediately after aggregation processing is completed. The client data are
later used as part of building the State export files during the exporting process.
7. Missing Record Identification/Processing – The system identifies and displays records that
are potentially missing/out-of-business. Typically, these are records not present on the file
submitted by the reporter for the current quarter but were present on the same reporter file for
the previous quarter. Records that are truly out-of-business can be added back to the
reporter’s file for the current quarter along with a comment code of 86 (establishment
permanently out-of-business) for export and identification to the State. Other missing record

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Central Collection Data Editing

Page O-3

situations may involve comment code 88 (establishment dissolution) or 18 (active employer
reporting zero employment and wages).
8. Detail Edits – Detail edits are performed to check the validity of fields on the reporter file
and to compare fields for consistency.
9. Interquarter Editing of Employment and Wages – The system performs interquarter edits for
employment and wages using the reporter file and historical reporter data (data collected by
the EDIC for that reporter in previous quarters).
10. Birth Record Processing – The system identifies and edits birth records (records on the
current quarter reporter file but not on earlier quarters). Birth records carry the classification
codes (including NAICS, County/Township, and Ownership codes) and appropriate
comment code (85 = new establishment or worksite, or 90 = reporter changes basis of
reporting – greater detail) needed to set up the new reporting units in the State.
11. Non-Wage, Non-Employment Interquarter Editing – CenCo2 checks for content changes in
fields other than wages and monthly employments (name and address fields, Employer
Identification Number (EIN), and Reporting Unit Description). The system compares these
fields using current and prior quarter reporter records.
12. Detail Edits – Detail edits are performed a second time. Typically, at this stage, there are no
critical detail edit errors to correct.
13. Single Unit Identification – The system identifies and displays potential single-unit records a
second time on the reporter’s file. This applies to private sector reporters only. For private
sector employers, CenCo2 does not accept zero-filled RUNs; however, government reporters
may have zero-filled RUNs.
14. Reporter Data to Export Work Table – Once all editing is finished, CenCo2 moves the
reporter’s data to an export work holding table for later transmission to States.
15. Export – Data are exported to the States using the first export file format (424 positions)
shown in Appendix N – MWR File Formats. Predecessor/successor data are also exported
within State export files if entered by the EDIC prior to the exporting process.
General Differences Between CenCo2 and the State/BLS Systems
•

With few exceptions, CenCo2 does not allow data to be processed to completion and
exported to the States until records with edit flags are either fixed or explained. Invalid data
must be corrected, while suspect data must be explained with an appropriate comment code
(sometimes accompanied by a narrative comment).

•

Back quarter data available during CenCo2 processing may differ from back quarter data
available during State processing for employers who recently switched to EDIC reporting.
Generally speaking, the EDIC only receives, processes, and exports current quarter data.
However, States routinely update and process back quarter data that were reported late.
States may have more accurate or complete back quarter data for employers who make the
transition to the EDIC. Differences in back quarter data could occasionally lead to different
editing results in the interquarter edits for employment and wages.

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

December 2004

Page O-4

•

Records submitted to the EDI Center have only one address, a physical location address. In
the State and BLS systems, records may have up to three addresses: physical location
address, Mailing/other address, and UI address. The address edit in the State and BLS
systems requires that each record must contain one clean address that meets postal
regulations. (See edit 070 in Appendix F.) In CenCo2, it is possible for a record to pass
editing when all of the address fields are blank.

•

The Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) data processed through CenCo2 do not include a
number of data elements present in the State systems, such as Taxable Wages, Contributions,
Type of Coverage Code, and Status Code. All CenCo2 data are presumed to describe active,
covered reporting units.

•

Some parameters in CenCo2 are tighter than the parameter defaults in the State systems.

In addition, CenCo2 performs two edits (see Consistency Edits later in this chapter) that are not
included in the State and BLS systems. For several other edits, CenCo2 screens data more
stringently than the State and BLS systems. For example, several CenCo2 edits do not use the
employment cutoff parameters that allow comparable edits in the State and BLS systems to
bypass records with low employment. In other words, CenCo2 flags some records that would
not flag in the States or BLS.
CenCo2 Pre-edits
The purpose of the pre-edits is to check for critical errors in key fields. CenCo2 flags these
errors in the pre-edits:
Edit Code
002
003
004
005
006
031
032
033
034

State/BLS System Edit Message
Invalid UI Account Number
Invalid Reporting Unit Number
Invalid Reference Year
Invalid Reference Quarter
Invalid State Code
Invalid First Month Employment
Invalid Second Month Employment
Invalid Third Month Employment
Invalid Total Wages

If a crosswalk is used to process the reporter's file and assign UI Account Numbers or Reporting
Unit Numbers, the edits for those two fields are not performed until after crosswalk processing is
completed.
CenCo2 allows the RUN field to be alphanumeric and to contain all nines; however, the field is
changed to appropriate number values during crosswalk processing. The State and BLS systems
require the RUN field to be numeric only and do not permit the field to contain all nines. See
edit 003. For private sector employers, CenCo2 does not accept zero-filled RUNs; however, the

December 2004

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Central Collection Data Editing

Page O-5

National Finance Center (NFC), Department of Defense (DoD), and other Federal government
establishments may have zero-filled RUNs.
Detail Edits
CenCo2 runs the detail edits after the pre-edits and the crosswalk matching process. The detail
edits are composed of data type, range, and value checks of a particular field within each record.
The CenCo2 detail edits flag the same conditions as these State/BLS edits:
Edit Code
045
048
072
102
103
104

State/BLS System Edit Message
Invalid Federal EI Number
Invalid Comment Code
Both Trade Name and Legal Name are Blank
Blank Physical Location City; Other PLA Fields Present
Unusable Physical Location State Abbreviation
Unusable Physical Location Zip Code Format

In addition, CenCo2 screens the address block in a manner similar to State/BLS edit 114, the
Physical Address Format Check. The record is flagged if the street address line contains a Post
Office Box or drawer lock box, or if the street address line is blank when any other address field
is not blank. CenCo2 also compares the State abbreviation to the State FIPS code (for example,
if the FIPS code is 17 (Illinois), the State abbreviation should be IL). However, this is not a
critical edit and does not require correction for CenCo2 to continue processing. Some worksite
records contain the address of the company's headquarters, which may be in a different State.
The State and BLS systems have three address blocks, and can use the Mailing/Other address
block for such cases. CenCo2 has only one address block, which is presumed to be a physical
location address. The EDIC is unable to collect a physical location address on some occasions
(for example, when a group of employees are not assigned to any specific, fixed location) and
accepts a headquarters address instead. For this reason, inconsistencies between State FIPS
codes and State abbreviations are flagged only as warnings.
CenCo2 also screens the comment codes to ensure that the same code is not used in more than
one comment code field. Comment code 99 is not permitted unless a narrative comment is
present.
Beginning several quarters after the reporting unit's Setup Date, the State and BLS systems
assign a Warning (W) flag to UI accounts with significant employment and zero-filled EINs.
(See edit 116 in Appendix F.) Though the CenCo2 system permits records of zero filled EINs to
be exported, as a matter of policy the EDIC will not send the data without valid EINs.

December 2004

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Central Collection Data Editing

Page O-6

Consistency Edits
The consistency edits are run as part of the detail edits. The consistency edits are composed of
relationship checks between fields of the same record. Several of these edits use parameters
from the State Abbreviation Table located within CenCo2. (See State Parameters later in this
appendix.) The consistency edits check the reporter file for the following:
1. State physical location – The State abbreviation is compared to the State FIPS code (e.g. if
the State FIPS code is 17 (Illinois), then the State abbreviation is expected to be IL).
However, this is not a critical edit in CenCo2 and does not need to be corrected to pass detail
edits. This is because the EDIC is unable to collect a physical location address on some
occasions (for example, when a group of employees are not assigned to any specific, fixed
location) and accepts a headquarters address instead.
2. Monthly Employment
•

A record is flagged if employment for all three months is zero when wages are greater
than the Quarterly Wages Parm (parm default = 10,000).

3. Quarterly Wages
•

A record is flagged when wages are zero when average monthly employment is greater
than the average monthly employment (AME) Parm (parm default =10).

•

A record is flagged when wages minus the sum of month 1 employment + month 2
employment + month 3 employment are less than the AME Tolerance Parm (parm
default = 5). CenCo2 will only perform the edit if average monthly employment is
greater than the AME Tolerance Parm.

In addition, CenCo2 performs two edits that are not mechanically performed in the States or
BLS-Washington:
1. Monthly employment flags if month 1 employment, month 2 employment, month 3
employment, and quarterly wages are all = 0.
2. Total wages flag if the average weekly wage is very low (less than $8.00). The system
calculates average weekly wages for a 13 week quarter – quarterly wages are divided by the
average monthly employment and then divided by 13.
(Wages/Quarter) ÷ (Average Number of Workers) ÷ (13 Weeks/ Quarter) = Wages per
Employee per Week. The system does not perform this edit when wages equal zero or when
employment equals zero.
Records flagged by the consistency edits can be processed to completion if given a proper
comment code.

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

December 2004

Page O-7

State Parameters
The CenCo2 system uses a table of parameters during editing called the State Abbreviation
Table. Each State's parameters may be adjusted separately. Table 1 below lists
parameters/tolerances that are used during the consistency edits phase. In addition, eight
parameters and tolerances on the State Parameters Table are used specifically during the
interquarter edits for employment and wages. These parameters and tolerances are listed in
Table 2.
Table 1. Detail Edit Parameters/Tolerances
CenCo2
Parm
No Total
Wages with
AME Cutoff
(default = 10)

State
System
Parm
NO-WAGEMAX-EMPL
(default = 10)

CenCo2 Edit

Flags zero wages when
average monthly
employment (AME) is
greater than this parm.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edit 130.
Quarterly
NO-EMPLFlags zero employment
Wages
MAX-WAGE
for all three months
Parm
(default =
when wages are greater
(default =
25,000)
than this parm.
10,000)
Corresponds to
State/BLS edit 131.
Employment EMPL-EQThe monthly wage
Equals Total WAGE-TOL
check flags records with
Wages
(default = 5) absolute difference
Tolerance
between wages and the
(default = 5)
sum of month1, month2,
and month3
employment less than
this parm.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edit 132.
Employment EMPL-EQThe monthly wage
Equals Total WAGE-AME
check is performed only
Wages AME (default = 50) when the record’s
Cutoff
average monthly
(default = 25)
employment is above
this parm.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edit 132.

EXPO
PK #
008

WIN
PK
#
011

007

015

041

017

042

018

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

December 2004

Page O-8

Interquarter Edits
Interquarter edits for employment and wages are performed on the reporter file after the initial
detail edit process is completed. The edits used by CenCo2 during this phase of processing
closely resemble the following edits performed in the State and BLS systems:
Edit Code
091
092
126
127
128

State/BLS System Edit Message
Employment Change Greatly Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change is Significantly > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile
AQW Range
Employment Change Exceeds Test Parameters
AQW Change > Parm and Exceeds Twice the Quartile AQW Range
Identical Monthly Employment > Parm

CenCo2 uses data reported to the EDIC in prior quarters as the historical data for performing
interquarter edits. If the reporter file has less than four consecutive quarters of historical data,
the record automatically passes the interquarter edits. Birth records (i.e., those with no historical
data) also pass these edits automatically. After non-wage/non-employment interquarter editing,
CenCo2 cycles the reporter file back through detail editing a final time, checking for any
remaining detail edit errors and permitting correction of errors as necessary.
Records flagged by these interquarter edits can be processed to completion if given a proper
comment code. In addition, comment code 98 (data verified by EDIC) can also be assigned by
the EDIC to records flagged during these interquarter edits. They can only use it during this
stage of CenCo2 processing. It cannot be used to pass reporter records with other types of errors.
Table 2. Interquarter Edit Parameters and Tolerances
CenCo2
Parm
Split Level
for
Employme
nt
Difference
(Default = 20)

State
CenCo2 Edit
System
Parm
EMPL-DIFF-SPL- Interquarter edit for
AME
employment
(Default = 20) fluctuations; used to
check seasonal
fluctuations and
seasonality.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 091
and 126.

EXPO
PK #

WIN
PK #

010

005

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

December 2004

CenCo2
Parm
Low
Employment
Maximum
Employment
Difference
(Default = 10)

State
System
Parm
LOW-EMPLMAX-DIFF
(Default = 10)

High
Employment
Maximum
Employment
Difference
(Default = 30)

HIGH-EMPLMAX-DIFF

High
Reporting
Percent
Change
(Default = 10)

HIGHREPORTINGPCT-CHG

Reporting
Percent
Change
(Default = 30)

(Default = 30)

(Default = 10)

REPORTINGPCT-CHG

(Default = 30)

CenCo2 Edit

Interquarter edit for
employment
fluctuations; used to
check differences on
an absolute basis and
seasonal fluctuations
on an absolute basis.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 091
and 126.
Interquarter edit for
employment
fluctuations; used to
check differences on
an absolute basis and
seasonal fluctuations
on an absolute basis.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 091
and 126.
Interquarter edit for
employment
fluctuations; used to
check differences on
a percent basis and
seasonal fluctuations
on a percent basis.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 091
and 126.
Interquarter edit for
employment
fluctuations; used to
check differences on
a percent basis and
seasonal fluctuations
on a percent basis.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 091
and 126.

Page O-9

EXPO
PK #

WIN
PK #

011

006

012

007

013

008

014

009

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

December 2004

CenCo2
Parm
Employment
Check
Multiplier
(Default = 10)

Wage Change
Cutoff
(Default =
10,000)
Wage Check
Multiplier
(Default = 3)

State
System
Parm
EMPL-CHECKMULTIPLIER

(Default = 10)

WAGE-CHGCUTOFF

(Default =
10,000)
WAGE-CHECKMULTIPLIER

(Default = 3)

CenCo2 Edit

This parm is used to
determine the
severity of the edit
flag.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 091
and 126.
Interquarter wage
edit.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 092
and 127.
This parm is used to
determine the
severity of the edit
flag.
Corresponds to
State/BLS edits 092
and 127.

Page O-10

EXPO
PK #

WIN
PK #

053

010

019

012

059

013

Birth Record Edits
Three files are used during birth record processing.
1. Reporter file – This file contains the current reporter data to be processed.
2. Historical Employment file – Records on the Reporter Work File are compared to the records
on this file. No matches indicate a birth record.
3. Birth file – Contains a list of all birth records processed by CenCo2.
After CenCo2 completes the interquarter employment and wage edits, it identifies births
submitted on the reporter file. CenCo2 does this by comparing the State FIPS Code, UI Account
Number, and Reporting Unit Number (State FIPS-UI-RUN combination) of each record on the
reporter file to the same fields of records located on the Historical Employment file. (The
Historical Employment file contains up to five quarters of data.) Each record on the reporter file
that does not have a corresponding record on the Historical Employment file with an identical
State FIPS-UI-RUN combination is considered a birth record by CenCo2. EDIC staff assign
classification codes to birth records, and these codes are screened by the birth record edits. The
CenCo2 birth record edits flag the same conditions as these State/BLS edits:

QCEW Operating Manual
Central Collection Data Editing

June 2007

Edit Code
010
012
013
016
065

Page O-11

State/BLS System Edit Message
Invalid NAICS Code
Invalid Ownership Code
Invalid County Code
NAICS & Ownership Inconsistent
Inconsistent County/Township Combination

Birth records flagged for any of these errors cannot complete processing until they are corrected.
In addition, the EDIC assigns a comment code of 85 (new establishment or worksite) or 90
(reporter changes basis of reporting – greater detail) to birth records to identify them as new
worksites to the State.
Non-Wage, Non-Employment Interquarter Checks
After birth edits are completed, CenCo2 then proceeds to the interquarter check for non-wage
and non-employment fields. The non-wage, non-employment check applies to private
companies only. There are no comparable edits in the State or BLS systems. This stage checks
for changes in information on nine fields that do not include economic data:
EIN
Street Address
Zip Code

Trade Name
City
Zip Code Extension

Legal Name
State Abbreviation
Reporting Unit Description

For each of these fields, CenCo2 compares the current information (located on the reporter file)
with the previous quarter's information (located on CenCo2's Historical Address Table). CenCo2
allows the data processing staff to view and/or resolve any discrepancies discovered during the
comparison. For each of the nine data fields compared, CenCo2 gives the data processing staff
three options:
1. Accepting the data values from the current quarter's data.
2. Accepting the data values from the previous quarter's data.
3. Updating the current quarter data field, if flagged for being different than the previous
quarter, with updated information.
The current reporter file must contain records of companies located on the Historical Address
Table for these edits to take place. Reporters submitting data for the first time to the EDIC do
not meet this requirement and the edits are not performed on their records.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-1

Appendix P – Data Collection Forms
The following examples are forms used in the collection of data in the QCEW program:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Industry Verification Form, BLS 3023 NVS (for single unit accounts)
Industry Verification Form, BLS 3023 NVM (for multi-unit accounts)
Industry Classification Form, BLS 3023 NCA (for unclassified establishments)
Multiple Worksite Report (BLS 3020 MWR) - Example of a UI account having six or
fewer subunits
Report of Federal Employment and Wages (BLS 3021 RFEW) – Example of a UCFE
account having six or fewer subunits
Multiple Worksite Report (BLS 3020 MWR) – Example of a UI account having more
than six subunits
Report of Federal Employment and Wages (BLS 3021 RFEW) – Example of a UCFE
account having more than six subunits

Fictitious data have been used on these form examples to show how data appear when issued to
employers and installations.
The NVM form presented in this appendix provides an example of an account containing
subunits with more than one industry code. The number of pages of an NVM form will vary by
employer, and depends on the number of NAICS industry codes and subunits (worksites) in the
account.
The first page templates of the MWR and RFEW form will differ slightly based upon the number
of subunits in the account. If the employer has six or fewer subunits, the MWR and RFEW form
for that employer will be just one physical page. If the employer has more than six subunits, the
number of pages printed for the MWR and RFEW form is dependent upon the number of
subunits in the account.

June 2007

BLS 3023 NVS form

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-2

June 2007

BLS 3023 NVS form (continued)

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-3

June 2007

BLS 3023 NVM form

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-4

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3023 NVM form (continued)

Page P-5

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3023 NVM form (continued)

Page P-6

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3023 NVM form (continued)

Page P-7

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3023 NVM form (continued)

Page P-8

June 2007

BLS 3023 NCA form

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-9

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3023 NCA form (continued)

Page P-10

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with six or fewer subunits

Page P-11

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with six or fewer subunits (continued)

Page P-12

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with six or fewer subunits

Page P-13

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-14

BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with six or fewer subunits (continued)

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with more than six subunits

Page P-15

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with more than six subunits (continued)

Page P-16

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with more than six subunits (continued)

Page P-17

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3020 MWR form - UI account with more than six subunits (continued)

Page P-18

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with more than six subunits

Page P-19

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-20

BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with more than six subunits (continued)

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-21

BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with more than six subunits (continued)

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Data Collection Forms

Page P-22

BLS 3021 RFEW form - UCFE account with more than six subunits (continued)

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Refiling Codes

Page Q-1

Appendix Q – ARS Refiling Codes
The Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) Response Code field on the Control File shows the status of
the record as it progresses through the refiling cycle. Each record included in the ARS always
has an ARS Response Code. Two ARS Response Codes are included in the systems: the
response code assigned to the record from the most recently completed refiling for that account
and the “future’ response code of the refiling cycle in progress. The refile year and “future”
refile year are included for each response code. A Collection Mode Indicator (CMI) is also
assigned to records for the current refilling cycle to identify its eligibility in the Touchtone
Response System (TRS) or if the record is part of the 2007 NAICS Revision.
At the conclusion of the ARS, the State system copies each record's Collection Mode Indicator,
ARS Response Code, and ARS Refile Year to subsequent EQUI files. Future response codes
and refile year equal the information from the refiling cycle in progress or just completed prior to
building the next control file.
The valid values for the ARS Response Codes are listed below.
Code

blank
00
01
02
03
04
11
12
86
98
99
30
31
32
33
34
35
63
64
65

Definition

Non-respondents
State default value, for records not included in the survey
Mailable, not yet mailed
Mailable, mailed once
Mailable, mailed twice
Mailable, mailed three times
Mailable, mailed four times
Clean subunit record in a mailable multi
Clean record in a multi, but unmailable due to errors on another record
Record on the control file but either not mailed or not remailed; nonrespondents excluded
from response rates
Carryover nonrespondent from prior refiling; mail only once in current ARS
Unmailable due to errors (single, master, or subunit)
Responses – Unusable Response
CCS I-error on both the State and BLS Micro file
Record not reviewed, pending
Industry information centrally collected by BLS (not valid until FY 2008).
BLS-assigned, submitted as 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 but has a CCS I-error on BLS Micro file
BLS-assigned, submitted as 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77 but doesn’t have a true code change on
BLS Micro File
BLS-assigned, submitted with Comment Code 81 and a true code change but not with a
Response Code of 30, 46, 50, 57, 76, or 77
Post Office return
Out of Business
Refusal

June 2007

41

42
43
46

50

57
76
77

78
79

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Refiling Codes

Page Q-2

Responses – Usable Response or System-assigned Codes
Reviewed, no refiling changes (no NAICS, county, township (New England or New Jersey
only) or ownership change) on a single or subunit record. Response Code 41 is also
assigned to a reviewed master record (MEEI =2) with or without any code changes. This
code is also used for refiling records that changed from unclassified to classified area where
the NAICS is unchanged. It is also used for those records originally included in split
industries that remain in the same six-digit code.
Employer misunderstood industry description but codes are correct. NAICS 2007 code
either not assigned or remains in the same six-digit code as the 2002-based NAICS code.
TRS respondent to ARS refiling. No NAICS, county, township (New England and New
Jersey only) or ownership changes (no longer assigned after 2003).
Clean record with CCS updates from the ARS refilling. Noneconomic code change made
to NAICS, county, township (New England and New Jersey only) or ownership. Change
did not result in a NAICS 2007 code assignment or the NAICS code remains in the same
six-digit code as the 2002-based NAICS code.
Code changes from non-refiling sources. Noneconomic code change made to NAICS,
county, township (New England and New Jersey only) or ownership but not from the ARS
refilling. NAICS 2007 code not assigned or the NAICS code remains in the same six-digit
code as the 2002-based NAICS code.
Code changes from non-refiling sources. Noneconomic code change made to the 2002
NAICS resulting in a 2007 NAICS code as well.
Code change to industry code, county, township (New England and New Jersey only) or
ownership also results in a NAICS 2007 code assignment.
2007 NAICS code assigned during refiling but with no correction to the 2002-based
NAICS code. (Employer may or may not have misunderstood the industry description but
the 2002-based NAICS code was correct.) There were no changes to the county, township
(New England and New Jersey only) or ownership codes. Response code 77 will also be
system-assigned to those industries that directly map from a specific 2002-based code to
one 2007-based code where no other noneconomic code change is made.
NAICS code system-assigned (no longer assigned after 2001)
NAICS code system-assigned based on known business activities (no longer assigned after
2001)

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Refiling Codes

June 2007

The valid values for the Collection Mode Indicator (CMI) are listed below.

Collection Mode Indicator (CMI) Codes
Code
00
01
02
07
08
09
05
15
25

Brief Definition
Refiling CMI’s
Not eligible for TRS and not in revision
TRS-eligible, no response
Successful TRS response
TRS-ineligible but attempted to respond via TRS
TRS-eligible, responded via TRS and mail
TRS-eligible, but responded via mail
Revision CMI’s
2007 NAICS Revision, NVS
2007 NAICS Revision, NVM
2007 NAICS Revision, central review

Page Q-3

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-1

Appendix R – ARS Management Report and File
Layout
States are required to submit management reports for the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) to their
regional office by the 25th of each month during the refiling cycle. States and regional offices
use these reports to monitor the status of the survey. These management reports provide the
following information:
• Dates the survey forms were mailed
• Number of forms mailed
• Counts by response code
• Total and usable response rates
• Information on code changes
The standard State processing systems generate the reports on paper and also as text files that
States send to the regional offices. The file format for the ARS report is listed below. All fields
are numeric. Fields that give percentages or rates are five positions long, with two of the five
positions implied to the right of the decimal place. For example, a value of 08934 in a percent
field would mean 89.34%. Date fields are eight positions long, including a four-digit year.
See Exhibit R at the end of this section for a sample of the printed report.

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

1-8
9 - 16
17 - 18

Date of report (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of previous report (YYYY/MM/DD)
State FIPS Code

8
8
2

UI Accounts (19-39)
19 - 25
26 - 32
33 - 39

Number of UI accounts printed in the first mailout
7
Number of UI accounts printed in first mailout, noncarryovers 7
Number of UI accounts printed in first mailout, carryovers
7

Printing Dates (40-110)
40 - 46
47 - 54
55 - 62
63 - 70
71 - 78
79 - 86
87 - 94
95 - 102
103 - 110

Number of NVM Forms in First Printing
Date of 1st printing, NVS (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of 1st printing, NVM (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of 2nd printing, NVS (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of 2nd printing, NVM (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of 3rd mailing, NVS (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of 3rd printing, NVM (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of 4th printing, NVS (YYYY/MM/DD)
Date of 4th printing, NVM (YYYY/MM/DD)

7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-2

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length
Response Codes (111-452)
Code 32 (111-123)

111 - 115
116 - 122
123 - 129

Percent of total, response code 32
Number of singles, response code 32
Number of subunits, response code 32

5
7
7

Code 41 (130-148)
130 - 134
135 - 141
142 - 148

Percent of total, response code 41
Number of singles, response code 41
Number of subunits, response code 41

5
7
7

Code 42 (149-167)
149 - 153
154 - 160
161 - 167

Percent of total, response code 42
Number of singles, response code 42
Number of subunits, response code 42

5
7
7

Code 43 (168-186)
168 - 172
173 - 179
180 - 186

Percent of total, response code 43
Number of singles, response code 43
Number of subunits, response code 43

5
7
7

Code 46 (187-205)
187 - 191
192 - 198
199 - 205

Percent of total, response code 46
Number of singles, response code 46
Number of subunits, response code 46

5
7
7

Code 50 (206-224)
206 - 210
211 - 217
218 - 224

Percent of total, response code 50
Number of singles, response code 50
Number of subunits, response code 50

5
7
7

Code 30 (225-243)
225 - 229
230 - 236
237 - 243

Percent of total, response code 30
Number of singles, response code 30
Number of subunits, response code 30

5
7
7

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-3

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length
Code 31 (244-262)

244 - 248
249 - 255
256 - 262

Percent of total, response code 31
Number of singles, response code 31
Number of subunits, response code 31

5
7
7

Code 63 (263-281)
263 - 267
268 - 274
275 - 281

Percent of total, response code 63
Number of singles, response code 63
Number of subunits, response code 63

5
7
7

Code 64 (282-300)
282 - 286
287 - 293
294 - 300

Percent of total, response code 64
Number of singles, response code 64
Number of subunits, response code 64

5
7
7

Code 65 (301-319)
301 - 305
306 - 312
313 - 319

Percent of total, response code 65
Number of singles, response code 65
Number of subunits, response code 65

5
7
7

Codes 00 and 11 (320-338)
320 - 324
325 - 331
332 - 338

Percent of total, response codes 00 and 11
Number of singles, response codes 00 and 11
Number of subunits, response codes 00 and 11

5
7
7

Code 01 (339-357)
339 - 343
344 - 350
351 - 357

Percent of total, response code 01
Number of singles, response code 01
Number of subunits, response code 01

5
7
7

Code 02 (358-376)
358 - 362
363 - 369
370 - 376

Percent of total, response code 02
Number of singles, response code 02
Number of subunits, response code 02

5
7
7

Code 03 (377-395)
377 - 381

Percent of total, response code 03

5

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-4

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

382 - 388
389 - 395

Number of singles, response code 03
Number of subunits, response code 03

7
7

Code 04 (396-414)
396 - 400
401 - 407
408 - 414

Percent of total, response code 04
Number of singles, response code 04
Number of subunits, response code 04

5
7
7

Code 12 and 99 (415-433)
415 - 419
420 - 426
427 - 433

Percent of total, response codes 12 and 99
Number of singles, response codes 12 and 99
Number of subunits, response codes 12 and 99

5
7
7

Code 98 (434-452)
434 - 438
439 - 445
446 - 452

Percent of total, response code 98
Number of singles, response code 98
Number of subunits, response code 98

5
7
7

Nonrespondents (453-478)
453 - 457
458 - 464
465 - 471
472 - 478

Percent of total, nonrespondents, excluding master records
Number of singles, nonrespondents
Number of subunits, nonrespondents
Total number of nonrespondents

5
7
7
7

Control File (479-485)
479 - 485

Total number of control file records, excluding master records 7

Response Rates (486 - 565)
Usable Response Rate (486-525)
486 - 490
491 - 495
496 - 500
501 - 505
506 - 510
511 - 515
516 - 520
521 - 525

Usable response rate all, units
Usable response rate all, employment
Usable response rate singles, units
Usable response rate singles, employment
Usable response rate subunits, units
Usable response rate subunits, employment
Usable response rate carryovers, units
Usable response rate carryovers, employment

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-5

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

Total Response Rate (526-565)
526 - 530
531 - 535
536 - 540
541 - 545
546 - 550
551 - 555
556 - 560
561 - 565

Total response rate all, units
Total response rate all, employment
Total response rate singles, units
Total response rate singles, employment
Total response rate subunits, units
Total response rate subunits, employment
Total response rate carryovers, units
Total response rate carryovers, employment

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

Carryovers (566 - 649)
Carryover Nonresponse (566-586)
566 - 572
573 - 579
580 - 586

Mailable carryover nonresponses, singles
Mailable carryover nonresponses, masters
Mailable carryover nonresponses, subunits

7
7
7

Carryover Usable Responses (587-607)
587 - 593
594 - 600
601 - 607

Carryover usable responses, singles
Carryover usable responses, masters
Carryover usable responses, subunits

7
7
7

Carryover Unusable Responses (608-628)
608 - 614
615 - 621
622 - 628

Carryover unusable responses, singles
Carryover unusable responses, masters
Carryover unusable responses, subunits

7
7
7

Carryover Pending (629-649)
629 - 635
636 - 642
643 - 649

Carryover pending, singles
Carryover pending, masters
Carryover pending, subunits

7
7
7

TRS (650-689)
650 - 656
657 - 661
662 - 668
669 - 675
676 - 682
683 - 689

Total TRS records
TRS response rate
Single records TRS CMI Status 00 (Not Eligible)
Single records TRS CMI Status 01 (Eligible)
Single records TRS CMI Status 07 (TRS with change)
Single records TRS CMI Status 08 (TRS and Other)

7
5
7
7
7
7

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QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-6

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

Total Response Rate (690-699)
690 - 694
695 - 699

Total response rate, size range (0), units
Total response rate, size range (0), employment

5
5

Usable Response Rate (700-709)
700 - 704
705 - 709

Usable response rate, size range (0), units
Usable response rate, size range (0), employment

5
5

Total Size Range (710-723)
710 - 716
717 - 723

Total size range (0), units
Total size range (0), employment

7
7

Response Rate and Ranges (724 - 859)
Size Range 1-9 (724-757)
724 - 728
729 - 733
734 - 738
739 - 743
744 - 750
751 - 757

Total response rate, size range (1-9), units
Total response rate, size range (1-9), employment
Usable response rate, size range (1-9), units
Usable response rate, size range (1-9), employment
Total size range (1-9), units
Total size range (1-9), employment

5
5
5
5
7
7

Size Range 10-49 (758-791)
758 - 762
763 - 767
768 - 772
773 - 777
778 - 784
785 - 791

Total response rate, size range (10-49), units
Total response rate, size range (10-49), employment
Usable response rate, size range (10-49), units
Usable response rate, size range (10-49), employment
Total size range (10-49), units
Total size range (10-49), employment

5
5
5
5
7
7

Size Range 50-99 (792-825)
792 - 796
797 - 801
802 - 806
807 - 811
812 - 818
819 - 825

Total response rate, size range (50-99), units
Total response rate, size range (50-99), employment
Usable response rate, size range (50-99), units
Usable response rate, size range (50-99), employment
Total size range (50-99), units
Total size range (50-99), employment

5
5
5
5
7
7

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-7

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

Size Range 100-249 (826-859)
826 - 830
831 - 835
836 - 840
841 - 845
846 - 852
853 - 859

Total response rate, size range (100-249), units
Total response rate, size range (100-249), employment
Usable response rate, size range (100-249), units
Usable response rate, size range (100-249), employment
Total size range (100-249), units
Total size range (100-249), employment

5
5
5
5
7
7

Size Range 250-999 (860-893)
826 - 830
831 - 835
836 - 840
841 - 845
846 - 852
853 - 859

Total response rate, size range (250-999), units
Total response rate, size range (250-999), employment
Usable response rate, size range (250-999), units
Usable response rate, range (250-999), employment
Total size range (250-999), units
Total size range (250-999), employment

5
5
5
5
7
7

Size Range 1000+ (894-927)
826 - 830
831 - 835
836 - 840
841 - 845
846 - 852
853 - 859

Total response rate, size range (1000+), units
Total response rate, size range (1000+), employment
Usable response rate, size range (1000+), units
Usable response rate, size range (1000+), employment
Total size range (1000+), units
Total size range (1000+), employment

5
5
5
5
7
7

NAICS Sectors (928 - 1347)
NAICS Sector 11 (928-947)
928 - 932
933 - 937
938 - 942
943 - 947

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 11, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 11, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 11, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 11, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 21 (948-967)
948 - 952
953 - 957
958 - 962
963 - 967

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 21, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 21, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 21, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 21, employment

5
5
5
5

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-8

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length
NAICS Sector 22 (968-987)

968 - 972
973 - 977
978 - 982
983 - 987

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 22, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 22, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 22, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 22, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 23 (988-1,007)
988 - 992
993 - 997
998 - 1002
1003 - 1007

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 23, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 23, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 23, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 23, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 31-32-33 (1,008-1,012)
1008 - 1012
1013 - 1017
1018 - 1022
1023 - 1027

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 31-32-33, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 31-32-33, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 31-32-33, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 31-32-33, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 42 (1,028-1,047)
1028 - 1032
1033 - 1037
1038 - 1042
1043 - 1047

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 42, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 42, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 42, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 42, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 44-45 (1,048-1,057)
1048 - 1052
1053 - 1057
1058 - 1062
1063 - 1067

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 44-45, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 44-45, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 44-45, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 44-45, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 48-49 (1,068-1,087)
1068 - 1072
1073 - 1077
1078 - 1082
1083 - 1087

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 48-49, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 48-49, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 48-49, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 48-49, employment

5
5
5
5

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-9

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

NAICS Sector 51 (1,088-1,107)
1088 - 1092
1093 - 1097
1098 - 1102
1103 - 1107

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 51, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 51, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 51, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 51, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 52 ( 1,108-1,127)
1108 - 1112
1113 - 1117
1118 - 1122
1123 - 1127

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 52, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 52, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 52, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 52, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 53 (1,128-1,147)
1128 - 1132
1133 - 1137
1138 - 1142
1143 - 1147

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 53, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 53, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 53, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 53, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 54 (1,148-1,167)
1148 - 1152
1153 - 1157
1158 - 1162
1163 - 1167

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 54, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 54, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 54, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 54, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 55 (1,168-1,187)
1168 - 1172
1173 - 1177
1178 - 1182
1183 - 1187

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 55, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 55, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 55, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 55, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 56 (1,188-1,207)
1188 - 1192
1193 - 1197
1198 - 1202
1203 - 1207

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 56, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 56, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 56, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 56, employment

5
5
5
5

July 2003

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ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-10

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

NAICS Sector 61 (1,208-1,227)
1208 - 1212
1213 - 1217
1218 - 1222
1223 - 1227

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 61, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 61, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 61, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 61, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 62 (1,228-1,247)
1228 - 1232
1233 - 1237
1238 - 1242
1243 - 1247

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 62, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 62, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 62, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 62, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 71 (1,248-1,267)
1248 - 1252
1253 - 1257
1258 - 1262
1263 - 1267

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 71, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 71, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 71, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 71, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 72 (1,268-1,287)
1268 - 1272
1273 - 1277
1278 - 1282
1283 - 1287

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 72, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 72, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 72, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 72, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 81 (1,288-1,307)
1288 - 1292
1293 - 1297
1298 - 1302
1303 - 1307

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 81, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 81, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 81, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 81, employment

5
5
5
5

NAICS Sector 92 (1,308-1,327)
1308 - 1312
1313 - 1317
1318 - 1322
1323 - 1327

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 92, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 92, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 92, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 92, employment

5
5
5
5

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-11

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

NAICS Sector 99 (1,328-1,347)
1328 - 1332
1333 - 1337
1338 - 1342
1343 - 1347

Total response rate, NAICS Sector 99, units
Total response rate, NAICS Sector 99, employment
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 99, units
Usable response rate, NAICS Sector 99, employment

5
5
5
5

Changes (1,348 – 1,431)
Code Changes (1,348-1,395)
1348 - 1354
1355 - 1359
1360 - 1366
1367 - 1371
1372 - 1378
1379 - 1383
1384 - 1390
1391 - 1395

Number of code changes, NAICS only
Percentage of total code changes that are NAICS only
Number of code changes, location only
Percentage of total code changes that are location only
Number of code changes, NAICS and location
Percentage of total code changes, NAICS and location
Total CCS code changes
Percentage of total CCS code changes

7
5
7
5
7
5
7
5

Auxiliary Changes (1396 – 1431)
1396 - 1402
1403 - 1407
1408 - 1414
1415 - 1419
1420 - 1426
1427 - 1431

Number of units with auxiliary changes to 5
Percentage of units with auxiliary changes to 5
Number of units with auxiliary changes from 5
Percentage of units with auxiliary changes from 5
Number of units with auxiliary changes from zero
Percentage of units with auxiliary changes from zero

7
5
7
5
7
5

TRS (1,432 - 1,485)
1432 - 1436
1437 - 1443
1444 - 1450
1451 - 1457
1458 - 1464
1465 - 1471
1472 - 1478
1479 - 1485

TRS response rate
Successful TRS response (02)
TRS actually eligible
TRS selected, no response (01)
TRS but not eligible (07)
TRS and mail (08)
TRS selected, mail response (09)
Not eligible for TRS (00)

5
7
7
7
7
7
7
7

Date of Forms Printing (1486 - 1665)
Date of First Forms Printing (1,486 - 1,530)
1486 - 1493 Date of first NVS printing
1494 - 1500 Number of NVS Forms Printed

8
7

July 2003

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ARS Management Report and File Layout

Page R-12

ARS Management Report
Positions

Data Element

Length

1501 - 1508
1509 - 1515
1516 - 1523
1524 - 1530

Date of first TRS forms printing
Number of TRS forms printed
Date of first NVM forms printing
Number of NVM forms printed

8
7
8
7

Date of Second Forms Printing (1,531 - 1,575)
1531 - 1538
1539 - 1545
1546 - 1553
1554 - 1560
1561 - 1568
1569 - 1575

Date of second NVS printing
Number of NVS Forms Printed
Date of second TRS forms printing
Number of TRS forms printed
Date of second NVM forms printing
Number of NVM forms printed

8
7
8
7
8
7

Date of Third Forms Printing (1,576 - 1,620)
1576 - 1583
1584 - 1590
1591 - 1598
1599 - 1605
1606 - 1613
1614 - 1620

Date of third NVS printing
Number of NVS Forms Printed
Date of third TRS forms printing
Number of TRS forms printed
Date of third NVM forms printing
Number of NVM forms printed

8
7
8
7
8
7

Date of Fourth Forms Printing (1,621 - 1,665)
1621 - 1628
1629 - 1635
1636 - 1643
1644 - 1650
1651 - 1658
1659 - 1665

Date of fourth NVS printing
Number of NVS Forms Printed
Date of fourth TRS forms printing
Number of TRS forms printed
Date of fourth NVM forms printing
Number of NVM forms printed

8
7
8
7
8
7

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

July 2003

Page R-13

Exhibit R - ARS Management Report
DATE: YYYY/MM/DD
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
PAGE:
1
TIME: HH:MM:SS
ANNUAL REFILING CONTROL SYSTEM
DATE OF PREVIOUS SUMMARY: YYYY/MM/DD
ARS MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR XXSTATEXX
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL NUMBER OF UI ACCOUNTS PRINTED IN THE FIRST MAILOUT:
X,XXX,XXX
DATE OF 1ST PRINTING:
NVS YYYY/MM/DD
NVM YYYY/MM/DD
NUMBER OF UI ACCOUNTS PRINTED – NONCARRYOVER RECORDS:
X,XXX,XXX
DATE OF 2ND PRINTING:
NVS YYYY/MM/DD
NVM YYYY/MM/DD
NUMBER OF UI ACCOUNTS PRINTED – CARRYOVER RECORDS:
X,XXX,XXX
DATE OF 3RD PRINTING:
NVS YYYY/MM/DD
NVM YYYY/MM/DD
NUMBER OF NVM FORMS IN FIRST PRINTING:
X,XXX,XXX
DATE OF 4TH PRINTING:
NVS YYYY/MM/DD
NVM YYYY/MM/DD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RESPONSE STATUS
USABLE RESPONSES -CENTRALLY COLLECTED DATA
REVIEWED, NO CCS CHANGES, NON-TRS
CODES CORRECT, EMPLOYER MISUNDERSTOOD
THE INDUSTRY DESCRIPTION
TRS RECORDS
CLEAN RECORD WITH CCS UPDATES
CODE CHANGE FROM OTHER SOURCES

CODE

PERCENT
OF TOTAL

SINGLES

SUBUNITS

TOTAL

(32)
(41)

XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

(42)
(43)
(46)
(50)

XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
------XXX.XX%

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
-------X,XXX,XXX

(30)
(31)
(63)
(64)
(65)

XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
------XXX.XX%
------XXX.XX%

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX
------X,XXX,XXX

(00, 11)
(01)
(02)
(03)
(04)
(12, 99)
(98)

XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

XXX.XX%

X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX

-------

-------

-------

TOTAL USABLE RESPONSES
OTHER RESPONSES -UPDATES, BUT HAS CCS I-ERROR
NOT REVIEWED – PENDING
POST OFFICE RETURN
OUT OF BUSINESS
REFUSAL
TOTAL OTHER RESPONSES
TOTAL ALL RESONSES

NONRESPONDENTS
MAILABLE, NOT YET MAILED
MAILED ONCE
MAILED TWICE
MAILED THREE TIMES
MAILED FOUR TIMES
UNMAILABLE RECORDS
CARRYOVER PRESUMED OUT OF BUSINESS
TOTAL NONRESPONDENTS – NOT YET MAILED,
MAILED, UNMAILABLE, ETC.
(EXCLUDING MASTER RECORDS)

------TOTAL NUMBER OF CONTROL FILE RECORDS
(EXCLUDING MASTER RECORDS)
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
USABLE RESPONSE RATE:
ALL
SINGLES
SUBUNITS
CARRYOVERS

UNITS
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%

EMPLOYMENT
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%

TOTAL RESPONSE RATE:
ALL
SINGLES
SUBUNITS
CARRYOVERS

UNITS
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%

EMPLOYMENT
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

July 2003

Page R-14

EXHIBIT R - ARS Management Report (continued)
DATE: YYYY/MM/DD
TIME: HH:MM:SS

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
PAGE:
2
ANNUAL REFILING CONTROL SYSTEM
ARS MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR XXSTATEXX
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SINGLES
MASTERS
SUBUNITS
TRS STATUS
TRS CMI STATUS
SINGLES
CARRYOVER STATUS
MAILABLE CARRYOVER NONRESPONSES
CARRYOVER USABLE RESPONSES
CARRYOVER UNUSABLE RESPONSES
CARRYOVER PENDING

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

TOTAL TRS RECORDS X,XXX,XXX
TRS RESPONSE RATE
XXX.XX%

NOT ELIGIBLE (00)
ELIGIBLE (01)
TRS WITH CHANGES(07)
TRS AND OTHER (08)

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------USABLE
TOTAL
TOTAL RECORDS
UNITS
EMPLOYMENT
UNITS
EMPLOYMENT
RESPONSE RATES BY SIZE RANGE:
UNITS
EMPLOYMENT
SIZE RANGE (O)
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
SIZE RANGE (1-9)
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
SIZE RANGE (10-49)
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
SIZE RANGE (50-99)
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
SIZE RANGE (100-249)
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
SIZE RANGE (250-999)
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
SIZE RANGE (1000+)
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------USABLE
TOTAL
UNITS
EMPLOYMENT
CODE CHANGES:
NUMBER
PERCENTAGE
RESPONSE RATES BY NAICS SECTOR
UNITS
EMPLOYMENT
SECTOR 11
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
----------------------------SECTOR 21
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
NAICS CHANGE ONLY:
X,XXX,XXX
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 22
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
LOCATION CHANGE ONLY:
X,XXX,XXX
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 23
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
NAICS AND LOCATION:
X,XXX,XXX
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 31-33
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 42
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
TOTAL CCS CODE CHANGES:
X,XXX,XXX
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 44-45
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 48-49
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
AUXILIARY CHANGES TO 5:
X,XXX,XXX
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 51
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
AUXILIARY CHANGES FROM 5:
X,XXX,XXX
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 52
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
AUXILIARY CHANGES FROM ZERO: X,XXX,XXX
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 53
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 54
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 55
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 56
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 61
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 62
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 71
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 72
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 81
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 92
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
SECTOR 99
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
XXX.XX%
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
USABLE RESPONSE RATE:
NUMERATOR – RESPONSE CODES
32 + 41 + 42 + 43 + 46 + 50
------------------------------------------------------------------------DENOMINATOR – RESPONSE CODES
00 + 01 + 02 + 03 + 04 + 11 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 41 + 42 + 43 + 46 + 50 + 65
TOTAL RESPONSE RATE:
NUMERATOR -- RESPONSE CODES
DENOMINATOR -- RESPONSE CODES

30 + 31 + 32 + 41 + 42 + 43 + 46 + 50 + 63 + 64 + 65
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------00 + 01 + 02 + 03 + 04 + 11 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 41 + 42 + 43 + 46 + 50 + 63 + 64 + 65

FOR THE USABLE RESPONSE RATE, THE NUMERATOR EXCLUDES LATE RESPONSES TO THE CURRENT REFILING.
THE DENOMINATOR EXCLUDES NONRESPONDENTS CARRIED OVER FROM LAST YEAR, UNLESS THEY HAVE A USABLE RESPONSE.

QCEW Operating Manual
ARS Management Report and File Layout

July 2003

EXHIBIT R - ARS Management Report (continued)
DATE: YYYY/MM/DD
TIME: HH:MM:SS

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
PAGE:
3
ANNUAL REFILING CONTROL SYSTEM
ARS MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR XXSTATEXX
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TRS STATUS
TRS RESPONSE RATE
SUCCESSFUL TRS RESPONSE (02)
TRS ACTUALLY ELIGIBLE

XXX.XX%
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX* Excludes response codes (30, 31, 42, 46, 63, 64, 65) or records with CMI (00 or 07)

TRS
TRS
TRS
TRS
NOT

X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX
X,XXX,XXX

SELECTED, NO RESPONSE (01)
BUT NOT ELIGIBLE (07)
AND MAIL (08)
SELECTED, MAIL RESPONSE (09)
ELIGIBLE FOR TRS
(00)

ARS FORMS PRINTED
DATE

NUMBER OF NVS
DATE
NUMBER OF TRS
DATE
NUMBER OF NVM
FORMS PRINTED
FORMS PRINTED
FORMS PRINTED
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
YYYY/MM/DD
X,XXX,XXX
================================================================================================================
Totals
XX,XXX,XXX
XX,XXX,XXX
XX,XXX,XXX

Page R-15

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Addresses

July 2003

Page S-1

Appendix S – BLS Addresses
Division of Business Establishment Systems (DBES)
States that transmit their Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) files to
BLS-Washington should send them to DBES at one of the following addresses.
1. To use Federal Express or another private overnight courier service:
ATTN: EQUI Processing
Bureau of Labor Statistics, DBES
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE – Room 5625
Washington DC 20212 - 0001
PHONE: 202-691-7300
2. To use the US Postal Service (Express Mail service or regular mail):
ATTN: EQUI Processing
Bureau of Labor Statistics
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE – Mail Code 77
Washington DC 20212 – 0001
Data transmittal forms or other material can be faxed to DBES at 202-691-7292.

Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (DASLT)
Material sent to DASLT should be addressed as follows:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, DASLT
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Postal Square Building, Suite 4840
Washington, DC 20212
PHONE: 202-691-6513
FAX: 202-691-6645

SunGard Computer Service
States that transmit their EQUI files directly to SunGard by Federal Express or another private
overnight courier should send the file (and a copy of the data transmittal form) to the following
address:

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Addresses

SunGard Computer Service
600 Laurel Oak Road
Voorhees, New Jersey 08043
ATTN: John Gallagher
PHONE: 1-800-441-1181 OPTION 0
Data transmittal forms or other material can be faxed to SunGard at 215-351-1356.

BLS Regional Offices
Boston/New York:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
JFK Federal Bldg.
15 New Sudbury St., RM E-130
Boston, MA 02203-1603
PHONE: (617) 565- 2331
FAX: (617) 565- 4183
FAX: (212) 337-2532 (NY)
Philadelphia:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Suite 610 East
The Curtis Center
170 S. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3305
PHONE: (215) 861-5600
FAX: (215) 861-5703
Atlanta:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
61 Forsyth St., SW, Room 7T50
Atlanta, GA 30303-3104
PHONE: (404) 893-8327
FAX: (404) 893-8343
Chicago:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Federal Office Building
230 S. Dearborn St., 9th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604
PHONE: (312) 353-7226
FAX: (312) 353-1103

Page S-2

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
BLS Addresses

Page S-3

Dallas/Kansas City:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
525 Griffin St., Room 221
Dallas, TX 75202
PHONE: (214) 767-6953
FAX: (214) 767-8881
FAX: (816) 426-7524 (KC)
San Francisco:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Federal/State Cooperative Programs
90 7th Street, Suite #14-100
San Francisco, CA 94103
PHONE: (415) 625-2263
FAX: (415) 625-2355

EDI Collection Center
BLS/EDI Collection Center
230 South Dearborn Street, 9th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604
PHONE: 1-800-861-3804
FAX: (312) 353-1108
E-mail address: EDICTR-CHI
Internet E-mail address: [email protected].

EXPO-202
The Exportable ES-202 System (EXPO-202) should be contacted through their internet home
page at http://199.221.111.170/systems/expo.htm. This site provides program updates, access to
user and system documentation, FAQs, problem reports, and contact information.
EXPO HOTLINE: 1-877-614-3387

WIN-202
Chris Boudreau, Project Leader
Division of Labor Market Information Services
Maine Department of Labor
45 Commerce Drive
Augusta, ME 04332-0259
PHONE: (207) 621-5186
Internet: http://www.maine.gov/labor/lmis/win-202/

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Useful Links and References

Page T-1

Appendix T – Useful Links and References
This appendix contains links to Internet websites, Intranet sites and documents that State and
BLS staff may find useful. The title of each is followed by the URL (or the path) and a brief
explanation of what that site or document contains. If you are using this manual online, clicking
on the URL or path will take you directly to the site. Many of these sites contain sub menus or
links that might also prove helpful.
American Statistical Association (ASA)
http://www.amstat.org/
This is the official website of the American Statistical Association, which works to promote
statistical practice, applications, and research; publish statistical journals; improve statistical
education; and advance the statistics profession. The ASA serves its members as well as the
broader scientific community and the public at large. Several links and responses to FAQs are
provided.
AutoNAICS
http://lmi.state.oh.us/Special/AutoNAICS.htm
This website provides access to a BLS-sponsored tool developed by Ohio that assists the user in
the assignment of NAICS codes. The site includes overview information, downloading and
installation instructions, and access to the AutoNAICS software. However, the software is
password protected for BLS use only, so States should contact their regional office before
downloading.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
http://www.bea.gov/
This site is the home page of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, an agency of the U.S.
Department of Commerce that prepares measurements and estimates of key aspects of the U.S.
economy and who is a key customer of QCEW.
Business Employment Dynamics (BED)
http://www.bls.gov/bdm.
This web page is dedicated to providing information about Business Employment Dynamics
data. BED is a set of statistics generated from the Longitudinal Database of the Quarterly
Census of Employment and Wages program. These quarterly data series consist of gross job
gains and gross job losses statistics from 1992 forward and help provide a picture of the dynamic
state of the labor market.

June 2007

QCEW Operating Manual
Useful Links and References

Page T-2

Bureau of the Census
http://www.census.gov
This site is the home page of the Census Bureau, an agency of the U.S. Department of
Commerce that conducts the decennial census of the United States and gathers data on various
aspects of the population.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
http://www.bls.gov
This site is the home page of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It contains a wealth of BLS
statistics, reports, publications, and links to other useful sites. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is
the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor
economics and statistics.
BLS Handbook of Methods
http://stats.bls.gov/opub/hom/homtoc.htm
This site provides detailed explanations of how BLS obtains and prepares the economic data it
publishes.
City/County Cross Reference
http://pev.frickco.com/hdocs/ctyxref.html
This site provides city and county cross references by State. Select a State to view an
alphabetical list of cities within that state. For each city listed, zip code and county information
are provided.
Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws
http://ows.doleta.gov/unemploy/comparison.asp
This site is maintained by the Employment and Training Administration to report the types of
workers and employers by State that are covered under State UI laws. It also gives the methods
of financing the program, the benefits that are payable, the conditions to be met for payment, and
the administrative organizations established to do the job.
Corporate Information
http://www.corporateinformation.com
This site provides links to global company information, such as company profiles, research
reports, and industry analyses. It also includes links by State to many providers of Web-based
company information (for example, business directories) often including addresses, phone
numbers, and Web URLs.
Department of Labor (DOL)
http://www.dol.gov/
This is the home page of the U.S. Department of Labor. It includes, among numerous other
topics, statistics and data published by several DOL agencies.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Useful Links and References

Page T-3

Econ Data.Net
http://www.econdata.net
This site is a guide to regional economic data on the web, sponsored by the Department of
Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. It is designed to help data users quickly
gain access to relevant State and sub-State socioeconomic data. It includes various links for
employment data, industry sectors, and firm listings, and provides access to a user's guide for
understanding regional socioeconomic data.
EXPO-202
http://199.221.111.170/systems/expo.htm
This is the home page for the Exportable QCEW System (EXPO), the standard QCEW State
processing system developed by the State of Utah and used by the majority of States. This site
provides program updates, access to user and system documentation, FAQs, problem reports, and
contact information.
Electronic Data Interchange Center (EDIC)
http://199.221.111.170/Edi/default.asp
This is the homepage for the EDIC, a BLS Center located in Chicago that is responsible for
collecting, editing, and correcting Multiple Worksite Reports (MWR) and Current Employment
Statistics (CES) data for multi-State employers and providing this data to the States.
Electronic Data Reporting
http://stats.bls.gov/cew/cewmwr02.htm
Copies of the Electronic Data Reporting Booklet are provided to employers who are considering
the central reporting of their MWR data to the EDI Center in Chicago. It provides the standard
flat file formats for reporting the MWR data for the QCEW program as well as CES data. The
same information is also available on the Multiple Worksite Report website.
Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM)
http://www.fcsm.gov
This is the website of FCSM, an interagency committee sponsored by the U.S. Office of
Management and Budget to improve the quality of federal statistics, as well as the efficiency and
effectiveness of statistical practice among Federal agencies.
Federal Statistics (FedStats)
http://www.fedstats.gov
This site contains links to more than 100 federal government agencies producing statistics of
interest to the public. It is maintained by the Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Useful Links and References

Page T-4

Federal Web Locator
http://www.infoctr.edu/fwl/
This site provides a "one stop shopping point" for federal government information on the World
Wide Web. It is sponsored by the Center for Information Law and Policy.
FedWorld Information Network
http://www.fedworld.gov
This site was established by the U.S. Department of Commerce to serve as online locator service
for a comprehensive inventory of information disseminated by the Federal Government.
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/index.htm
This is the home page of FIPS, where approved standards and guidelines that are developed by
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for Federal computer systems are
catalogued. This site provides links to the complete and current FIPS county codes for all States
and territories.
Information Technology Support Center (ITSC)
http://www.itsc.state.md.us/
This is the home page of the ITSC, a collaboration of State Employment Security Agencies, the
U.S. Department of Labor, and private sector partners. The ITSC is dedicated to advancing the
appropriate application of information technology, which States may adopt, to provide more
accurate, efficient, cost effective, and timely service for unemployed insurance customers.
Melissa Data
http://melissadata.com/Lookups/index.htm
This website provides free lookups online for zip codes, NAICS codes, counties, and other useful
information.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
http://www.m-w.com
This is an obvious, but useful, site which may help make sense of a respondent's explanation of
their product or services. It helps to classify a widget company if you know what it is.

December 2004

QCEW Operating Manual
Useful Links and References

Page T-5

Mexico National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics (INEGI in
Spanish)
http://www.inegi.gob.mx/difusion/ingles/revistai.html
English version home page of the Mexican government agency that provides statistical,
geographic, demographic, and economic information on the country. The agency also
coordinates Mexico’s Informatics Development Program.
Monthly Labor Review Online
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm
This site is based on the print version of the Monthly Labor Review (MLR). The MLR is the
principal journal of fact, analysis, and research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Editor's
Desk section, which is updated daily to highlight one or two particular points, can also be
reached from this MLR page or directly at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/tedhome.htm.
Multiple Worksite Report (MWR)
http://stats.bls.gov/cew/cewmwr00.htm
This site describes the MWR and provides related information, including contact information by
State, FAQs, and information on reporting electronically through the EDI Center.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
This site, maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau, includes background information,
correspondence tables (NAICS to SIC and SIC to NAICS), implementation schedules, and
related information on NAICS.
OFO Fed/State Programs State Intranet
http://199.221.111.170/
This site provides access to the Fed/State numbered memoranda for QCEW, CES, and other
Fed/State programs. It also gives access to meeting and training schedules, regional office
telephone numbers, and general program information.
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)
http://www.bls.gov/cew/
This site gives an overview of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)
Program, provides QCEW data, answers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and gives contact
information.

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Useful Links and References

Page T-6

Social Security’s Online Guide to Wage Reporting for Employers
http://www.ssa.gov/employer/
This site provides information, requirements, services, and assistance for employer wage
reporting.
Statistics Canada
http://www.statcan.ca/
This is the home page of Canada’s national statistical agency, which provides economic,
geographic, demographic, social, socio-economic, and socio-political information about the
nation.
SuperPages
http://www.superpages.com/
This search site allows the user to locate businesses by category (the three hundred most frequent
options are alphabetically listed); business name; and city, State. It gives business information,
including phone, fax numbers, addresses and URLs and includes a nationwide yellow pages and
reverse phone number lookup facility. This site may be useful for identifying, researching, or
contacting employers.
Unemployment Insurance Program Letters (UIPL)
http://www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/XDMS/indexfrm.xml
This site, linked to the Office of Workforce Security's (OWS) Document Management System
webpage, provides access to UI Program Letters (UIPL). UIPL give coverage rulings, policy,
and determinations made by the Director of the Unemployment Insurance Service of the
Employment and Training Administration.
WIN-202
http://www.state.me.us/labor/lmis/win-202/
This is the home page for the WIN –202 System, an alternate standard QCEW State processing
system developed by the State of Maine. This site provides system documentation, training info,
prefabricated queries, new release info, a facility for submitting questions or comments, and a
list of FAQs.
Workforce Information Council
http://www.workforceinfocouncil.org/
The Secretary of Labor, through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, acts with other Federal agencies
and State employment statistics agency representatives elected by their peers. Collectively

April 2006

QCEW Operating Manual
Useful Links and References

Page T-7

known as the Workforce Information Council, this group works together to plan, guide, and
oversee the nationwide workforce information system.
ZipInfo
http://www.zipinfo.com/search/zipcode.htm
For any valid zip code, this site will find the city and state plus the county name and FIPS code,
time zone, MSA/PMSA, area code, and latitude and longitude. Please note that this site uses the
zip centroid method of geocoding, which is considered less desirable than finding the latitude
and longitude at the street address level.
Zip+4 Code Lookup
http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html
This site, developed by the U.S. Postal Service National Customer Support Center, can be used
to find Zip codes. Enter the delivery address onto the form, and it returns the Zip code and the
standardized address.

July 2003

QCEW Operating Manual
Publication Macro Aggregation Levels

Page U-1

Appendix U – Publication Macro Aggregation
Levels
QCEW micro data are aggregated to macro levels for publication purposes. This appendix is
included for reference purposes to show the macro levels at which data are produced. The code
associated with each level is an internal code used in the systems within BLS-Washington.
Eventual publication drives many of the questions that are asked during the quarterly and annual
data clean-up periods.
Aggregation Level

Code

National......................................................................10
All MSAs ...................................................................91
All CSAs ....................................................................92
All non-MSA counties ...............................................93
National x Own2-5 (UI-covered)...............................94
National x Own1-3.....................................................95
State x Own1-3 ..........................................................96
National x Own ..........................................................11
National x Own x Domaina ........................................12
National x Own x Supersectorb ..................................13
National x Own x Sector............................................14
National x Own x 3-digit NAICS ..............................15
National x Own x 4-digit NAICS ..............................16
National x Own x 5-digit NAICS ..............................17
National x Own x 6-digit NAICS ..............................18
National x Own5 x Size .............................................21
National x Own5 x Size x Domaina ...........................22
National x Own5 x Size x Supersectorb .....................23
National x Own5 x Size x Sector...............................24
National x Own5 x Size x 3-digit NAICS .................25
National x Own5 x Size x 4-digit NAICS .................26
National x Own5 x Size x 5-digit NAICS .................27
National x Own5 x Size x 6-digit NAICS .................28
CSA............................................................................30
MSA...........................................................................40
MSA x Own ...............................................................41
MSA x Own5 x Domaina ...........................................42
MSA x Own5 x Supersectorb .....................................43
MSA x Own5 x Sector...............................................44
MSA x Own5 x 3-digit NAICS .................................45
MSA x Own5 x 4-digit NAICS .................................46
MSA x Own5 x 5-digit NAICS .................................47
MSA x Own5 x 6-digit NAICS .................................48
State............................................................................50
State x Own................................................................51
State x Own x Domaina ..............................................52
State x Own x Supersectorb........................................53
State x Own x Sector..................................................54
State x Own x 3-digit NAICS ....................................55
State x Own x 4-digit NAICS ....................................56
State x Own x 5-digit NAICS ....................................57
State x Own x 6-digit NAICS ....................................58

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Publication Macro Aggregation Levels

State x Own5 x Size...................................................61
State x Own5 x Size x Domaina .................................62
State x Own5 x Size x Supersectorb...........................63
State x Own5 x Size x Sector.....................................64
County........................................................................70
County x Own ............................................................71
County x Own x Domaina ..........................................72
County x Own x Supersectorb ....................................73
County x Own x Sector..............................................74
County x Own x 3-digit NAICS ................................75
County x Own x 4-digit NAICS ................................76
County x Own x 5-digit NAICS ................................77
County x Own x 6-digit NAICS ................................78
MicroSA.....................................................................80
__________________________________
a
b

Domain refers to the division of all economic activity into two domains, goods-producing and service-producing.
Supersector refers to the 11 alternate aggregation sectors defined by the ECPC plus the additional sector for unclassified.

Page U-2

QCEW Operating Manual
Geocode File Layouts

December 2004

Page V-1

Appendix V – Geocode File Layouts
Geocoding is the process of adding geographic information to a file or database so that its objects
can be used in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Geocoding may use either a point or
polygon approach. In a point-based approach, record information is linked to longitude and
latitude coordinates. This information allows for locations to be plotted on a map. In a polygonbased approach, record information is linked to the center of a polygon that represents a
reference layer such as, census block group, census tract, or county. With this information a user
can associate historical data that may be collected and any demographic data. The QCEW micro
data file contains a rich set of geographic information that can be geocoded.
Geocoded data are used extensively in government, business, and research for a wide range of
applications including environmental resource analysis, land use planning, locational analysis,
tax appraisal, utility and infrastructure planning, real estate analysis, marketing and demographic
analysis, and habitat studies.
Geocoding Requirements
The geocoding requirements for FY 2005 as outlined in the cooperative agreement are given
below. Please note that the 90% and 95% deliverable rates are for units with positive (non zero)
employment in month 3 of the quarter.
C-16. 90% percent of private sector single and subunits units with employment of 100 or more
will be geocodable by physical location address at least to the ZIP CODE level by submission of
the 4th Quarter EQUI.
C-17. 95% percent of private sector single and subunits units will be geocodable by physical
location address at least to the ZIP CODE level by submission of the 4th Quarter EQUI for a city
of the State’s choosing following the criteria below.
City Selection Criteria:
To be selected, a city must meet at least one of the following criteria:
•
•
•

A top five city based on employment
A top ten city based on population
A capital

Processing of Load and Reject Files
BLS sends to the States a geocoded Load file (Final Geocode Load File) and two different Reject
files containing records that were unable to be geocoded. The first Reject file (Geocode Reject
File) is statewide and contains non geocodable records with employment of 100 or more. Once
the State has selected a city, a second Reject file will be sent containing non geocodable records
with positive employment for the county or counties that are part of the chosen city. To the

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Geocode File Layouts

Page V-2

extent that only parts of a county are within the chosen city, only those parts of this second reject
file need to be acted upon by the State.
BLS will evaluate large city geocoding rates by reviewing total geocoded records by county or
counties that include the city, though States will only be required to refine physical location
addresses for zip codes that contain the area of the city chosen.
The geocoding Load and Reject files will be sent on a quarterly basis. Load files will be
available at SunGard for service center States and will be sent to the regional offices via CD for
non-service center and WIN States. States must load to their system the Load files before
submitting their quarterly EQUI file.
Reject files for all States will be available on EUSWeb. States should utilize the Reject file to
review and supply physical location addresses in order to meet the requirements of the LMI
cooperative agreement given above.

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Geocode File Layouts

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Page V-3

Final Geocode Load Format
Positions

Load/No Load

1-2
3-6
7-7
8-17
18-22
23-57
58-92
93-100
101-104
105-105
106-111
112-112
113-115
116-121

No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No

122-156

Not at this time

157-191
192-221
222-223
224-228
229-232
233-235
236-246
247-255
256-259
260-262
263-267
268-269
270-284
285-288
289-289
290-349
350-355
356-370
371-380
381-415
416-450
451-480
481-482
483-487
488-491

Not at this time
Not at this time
Not at this time
Not at this time
Not at this time
Future Use
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes, if available
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use
Future Use

Data Element
State FIPS Code
Load Year
Load Quarter
UI Account Number
Reporting Unit Number
Trade Name
Legal Name
PLA Date Changed
ARS Refile Year
MEEI Code
NAICS Code
Ownership Code
County Code
Month Three Employment
Standardized or from Alternate Source PLA Street
Address--Line 1
Standardized or from Alternate Source PLA Street
Address--Line 2
Standardized or from Alternate Source PLA City
Standardized or from Alternate Source PLA State
Standardized or from Alternate Source PLA ZIP Code
Standardized or from Alternate Source PLA ZIP Extension
Filler
Longitude
Latitude
Match Code
Location Code
Place Code
Class Code
Census ID
Filler
Address Source Code
e-mail Address from Alternate Source
NAICS from Alternate Source
Phone from Alternate Source
Fax from Alternate Source
MOA Street Address--Line 1 from Alternate Source
MOA Street Address--Line 2 from Alternate Source
MOA City from Alternate Source
MOA State from Alternate Source
MOA ZIP Code from Alternate Source
MOA ZIP Extension from Alternate Source

Length
2
4
1
10
5
35
35
8
4
1
6
1
3
6
35
35
30
2
5
4
3
11
9
4
3
5
2
15
4
1
60
6
15
10
35
35
30
2
5
4

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Geocode File Layouts

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Page V-4

Geocode Reject File Format
Positions Data Element
1-2
3-6
7-7
8-17
18-22
23-23
24-29
30-30
31-33
34-39
40-74
75-109
110-144
145-179
180-209
210-211
212-216
217-220
221-221
222-222
223-226
227-229
230-289
290-295
296-305
306-310

State FIPS Code
Reference Year
Reference Quarter
UI Account Number
Reporting Unit Number
MEEI Code
NAICS Code
Ownership Code
County Code
Month Three Employment
Legal Name
Trade Name
Input PLA Street Address--Line 1
Input PLA Street Address--Line 2
Input PLA City
Input PLA State
Input PLA ZIP Code
Input PLA ZIP Extension
MOA Address Type Code
UI Address Type Code
Match Code
Location Code
website url
NAICS from Alternate Source
Telephone number
Telephone number extension

Length
2
4
1
10
5
1
6
1
3
6
35
35
35
35
30
2
5
4
1
1
4
3
60
6
10
5

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Glossary

Page g-1

Glossary
The following defined terms are used in the QCEW program, and most of them appear in this
manual.
ACES
Automated Current Employment Statistics. Mainframe processing system for CES micro and
macro data. Developed by Iowa and used in a majority of the States.
Advance Release
Providing a BLS news or data release (or any part or derivative of a release) to a person or
organization outside the BLS prior to its official date and time of public release.
Agent
An individual who meets the definition of agent as set forth by CIPSEA and who has been
designated by the BLS to perform exclusively statistical activities through an Agent Agreement.
The 53 State Workforce Agency LMI staffs that work on the BLS Federal/State Cooperative
Programs, such as the QCEW program, are designated as agents of the BLS.
The QCEW program also collects identifiers on businesses that either only file or fully prepare
and report QCR data and UI taxes to the States for specific employers. These identifiers are
collected in the form of an Agent Code. Additional information on Agent Codes can be found in
appendix B, section A of this manual.
Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)
A survey conducted by the QCEW program to verify and update the industry, geographic area,
addresses, and codes of business establishments covered by State unemployment insurance
programs and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees.
Authorized Persons
Officers, employees, and agents of the BLS who are responsible for collecting, processing, or
using confidential data in furtherance of statistical purposes or for the other stated purposes for
which the data were collected. Authorized persons are authorized access to only those
confidential data that are integral to the program or project on which they work, and only to the
extent required to perform their duties.
Average Monthly Employment (AME)
Computed as the average of the three monthly employment figures in a given calendar quarter.

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AME = (M1+M2+M3)
3
where M1 = Month One Employment
M2 = Month Two Employment
M3 = Month Three Employment
Average Quarterly Wages (AQW)
Computed as total quarterly wages (TQW) divided by average monthly employment (AME).
AQW = TQW
AME
Average Weekly Wages (AWW)
Computed as average quarterly wages divided by 13.
AWW = AQW
13
BLS-790
BLS-790 is the assigned number of the form used to collect data for the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) survey.
Benchmark
A point of reference (either an estimate or a count) from which measurements can be made or
upon which adjustments to estimates are based.
Birth
A unit that is within scope of a survey as of the reference date of the survey but was not in the
sampling frame. This includes units that existed in the universe but were not on the sampling
frame as well as units that came into existence after the creation of the sampling frame. For the
QCEW program, which is not a sample survey but collects data for a universe, a birth is a new
establishment.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
A Federal statistical agency that is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. BEA is
responsible for estimation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and personal income. Data from
the CES and QCEW programs are used in the GDP estimates.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

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A Federal statistical agency that is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. BLS functions as the
principal data-gathering agency of the Federal government in the field of labor economics. The
BLS collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates data relating to employment, unemployment,
the labor force, productivity, prices, family expenditures, wages, industrial relations, and
occupational safety and health. Well-known data released by BLS include: the Consumer Price
Index, the Producer Price Index, the unemployment rate, and nonagricultural employment levels.
BLS-Washington
Term used to refer to the offices and employees of BLS in Washington, DC.
Bureau of the Census
A Federal statistical agency that is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. As its name
implies, the Census Bureau conducts the decennial census of population and housing and
monthly, annual and/or quinquennial surveys of all major industry groups. The Census Bureau
also conducts the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) in cooperation with BLS. Data
from this survey are the source of unemployment statistics.
Business Cycle
A periodically repeated sequence of fluctuations in the aggregate economy of an area, or the
nation as a whole, varying in duration, but consisting of: (a) upturn, including recovery and
prosperity; (b) cyclical peak; (c) downturn, including recession; and (d) cyclical trough.
CenCo2
CenCo2 is the Central Collection system, a QCEW client/server processing system developed
and maintained by DBES. It handles the central collection of Multiple Worksite Report (MWR)
data at the Chicago Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) center. This system processes QCEW
program data that is collected from multi-State employers and prepares it for distribution to the
appropriate States. The system updates incoming data, performs edits, aggregates records, and
builds historical files.
Census
A complete count (i.e., not a sample) of a specified population or some other measurable
characteristic in a given area (housing, industry, etc.).
Census Block
A subdivision of a census tract. A block is the smallest geographic unit for which the Census
Bureau tabulates data.

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Census Tract
A small, relatively permanent statistical subdivision of a county delineated by a local committee
of census data users for the purpose of presenting data.
Centroid
The calculated center of a zip code. The centroid is part of the methodology sometimes used to
assign latitude and longitude to addresses based on zip code.
Code Change Supplement (CCS)
A computer file generated from the BLS or State micro file database. The Code Change
Supplement documents all non-economic changes to industry, area, and ownership classification
codes that will be made effective with the first quarter data. It is used to measure the impact of
classification changes on QCEW macro data tabulations.
Combined Statistical Area
A geographic entity consisting of two or more adjacent Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs)
with employment interchange measures of at least 15. Pairs of CBSAs with employment
interchange measures of at least 25 combine automatically. Pairs of CBSAs with employment
interchange measures of at least 15, but less than 25, may combine if local opinion in both areas
favors combination.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
A Bureau of Labor Statistics program that measures the average change in the prices of a fixed
set of goods and services purchased by households. It is the most commonly recognized measure
of inflation.
Core
A densely settled concentration of population, comprising either an urbanized area (of 50,000 or
more population) or an urban cluster (of 10,000 to 49,999 population) defined by the Census
Bureau, around which a Core Based Statistical Area is defined.
Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA)
A general term that refers to both Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. A CBSA is a
geographic area that contains at least one core (urbanized area or urban cluster) of at least 10,000
in population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration
with the core as measured through commuting ties. Both types of CBSAs are defined in terms of
entire counties.

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Covered Employment
Employees who are subject to State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws or the Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employee (UCFE) program. These "covered" employees should be
counted in the QCEW micro data if they worked or received pay for the pay period that included
the 12th day of the month.
CES
Division of Current Employment Statistics (also known as the CES “program office.") The
division within OEUS that is primarily responsible for setting CES program policy and
directives, and producing national CES estimates.
Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey
A monthly survey of non-farm business establishments used to collect wage and salary
employment, worker hours, and payroll, by industry and area. Through the Federal/State
cooperative effort, these data are used to compute current monthly employment, hours, and
earnings estimates, by industry, for the nation, the 50 States and the District of Columbia, and
over 250 Metropolitan Areas.
Current Population Survey (CPS)
A monthly household survey of the civilian noninstitutional population of the United States.
This BLS survey provides statistics on employment, unemployment, and wages, by industry,
occupation, and demographic characteristics. Micro data for this survey are collected for BLS by
the Bureau of the Census.
DASLT
Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover, also known as the program office for
the QCEW and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) programs. This division is
responsible for program policy and overall program management.
DBES
Division of Business Establishments Systems. The division within the Directorate of Survey
Processing (DSP) that includes staff for the QCEW program, the Occupational Employment
Statistics (OES) program, and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
Deaths
Units that were in a sampling frame but are now out of scope for any survey. They include units
that have gone out of business, have changed to an out-of-scope industry, or were erroneously
included on the sampling frame. For the QCEW program, which is not a sample survey but
collects data for a universe, deaths are establishments that have gone out of business.

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Glossary

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Deliverable
As specified by the Labor Market Information (LMI) contract, any product required to be
delivered by the States to BLS-WASHINGTON is generally called a “deliverable."
Department of Labor (DOL)
Cabinet-level agency that enforces laws protecting workers, promotes labor-management
cooperation, sponsors employment training and placement services, oversees the unemployment
insurance system, and produces statistics on the labor force and living conditions. The BLS is an
agency with the DOL.
Disaggregate
To divide a statistic into its component parts. For macro data, this may refer to the division into
smaller macro parts or the division into constituent micro data.
Disclose or Disclosure
The release of confidential information to anyone other than authorized persons or the
respondent who provided or is the subject of the data.
Economic Indicator
A set of data that serves as a tool for analyzing current economic conditions and future prospects.
Usually classified according to their timing in relationship to the ups and downs of the business
cycle, that is, whether they anticipate (lead), coincide with, or lag behind general business
conditions.
Editing
Verification of data for consistency and conformance with pre-established criteria or tolerance
limits.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Center
A BLS center located in Chicago that is responsible for collecting, editing, and correcting
Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and Current Employment Statistics (CES) data for multi-State
employers and providing it to the States.
Embargoed Data
Pre-release economic data for the Principal Federal Economic Indicators produced by the BLS.
Currently, the following BLS data series have been designated by Office of Management and

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Glossary

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Budget (OMB) as Principal Federal Economic Indicators: the Consumer Price Index,
Employment Situation, Employment Cost Index, Producer Price Indexes, Productivity and Costs,
Real Earnings, and U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes.
Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
A part of the U.S. Department of Labor. This agency oversees the State UI programs and job
training and placement services provided by State Employment Security Agencies.
Employment Interchange Measure
A measure of ties between two adjacent entities. The employment interchange measure is the
sum of the percentage of employed residents of the smaller entity who work in the larger entity
and the percentage of employment in the smaller entity that is accounted for by workers who
reside in the larger entity.
Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) file
A computer file prepared quarterly by State QCEW programs and provided to BLS-Washington.
These files store the names, addresses, employment, wages, as well as other data items, of the
establishments covered by State unemployment insurance programs and Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees.
Establishment
An economic unit that produces goods and services, usually at a single physical location, and
engaged in one or predominantly one industry activity.
Estimate
A numerical quantity calculated from sample data, or from a model, and intended to provide
information about a universe.
Estimating Cell
The most basic or lowest level (or strata) for which estimates are made. All higher level strata
are aggregations of estimating cells. For establishment surveys, the estimating cell structure is
generally stratified by industry code, area, and size of establishment. For household surveys, the
estimating cell structure is generally stratified by demographic characteristics.
EUSWeb
A data communication system developed by BLS-Washington to support file transfers between
States and the BLS.

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Glossary

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EXPO-202
A mainframe State QCEW processing system developed and maintained by the State of Utah and
used by the majority of States. Many States access it centrally at the SunGard service center.
Extrapolate
To project values of a variable in an unobserved interval from values within an already observed
interval.
F/SMS
Division of Federal/State Monthly Surveys, a project office within OTSP. This office is
responsible for processing data and maintaining systems for the Current Employment Statistics
(CES), the Current Population Survey (CPS), Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and
Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) Programs.
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
Standards for information processing issued by the National Bureau of Standards in the U.S.
Department of Commerce. Includes numeric designations (codes) for geographic areas such as
States, counties, and metropolitan areas.
Federal Reserve Board (Fed)
An independent government agency primarily responsible for keeping prices stable. The Fed’s
primary tool is control over certain short term interest rates. The Fed is a key user of
Federal/State program data.
Federal/State Cooperative Programs
Statistical programs in which the State and Federal governments cooperate in accomplishing
program goals. CES, QCEW, OES, LAUS, MLS, and OSHS are BLS Federal/State cooperative
programs.
Firm
A business entity, either corporate or otherwise. May consist of one or several establishments.
Fiscal Year (FY)
A 12-month period established for budgetary and accounting purposes. In the Federal
Government, the fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30.
FUTA

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Glossary

Page g-9

Federal Unemployment Tax Act. This Act became Chapter 23, Sections 3301-3311, of the U.S.
Internal Revenue Code, authorizing the tax imposed on employers with respect to persons they
employ for the purpose of funding unemployment insurance benefits. The FUTA made possible
the federal/state system that establishes an employment security program in each State.
GBF
Geographic Base File. A generic term for a computer file of geographic attributes of an area
(street names, address ranges, geographic codes, hydrography, railroads and so forth).
GDP
Gross Domestic Product. The total of all goods and services produced by the U.S. economy.
GDP is compiled quarterly by the U.S. Department of Commerce. CES employment and
earnings data are used for advance GDP estimates. QCEW wage data are used for the final GDP
estimates.
Geocode
The geographic information associated with a unique address or centroid, such as longitude and
latitude coordinates, census block group, census tract, or county.
GIS
Geographic Information System is an organized collection of computer hardware, software,
geographic data, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate,
analyze, and display all forms of geographically referenced information.
Imputation
A process used to estimate employment and wages data when the actual data are not provided by
the employer.
Individually Identifiable Data
Any representation of information that permits the identity of the respondent to whom the
information applies to be reasonably inferred by either direct or indirect means.
Industry
Describes the type of economic activity engaged in by a group of firms as used in the
compilation of economic statistics. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system and the
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) provide numerical classification for
industries.

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Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
A monthly survey of establishments covering payroll employment in nonagricultural industries
in both the private and public sectors. Included are total employment, job openings, total hires,
resignations, discharges, and other separations. DASLT is the program office and DBES is the
project office for this survey.
LABSTAT
BLS’s public repository of data, available through the Internet. LABSTAT is a database that
contains most published BLS data.
Labor Dispute
Any controversy concerning terms or conditions of employment, or concerning the association or
representation of persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking to arrange
terms or conditions of employment, regardless of whether or not the disputants stand in the
proximate relation of employer and employee.
Labor Market Area (LMA)
An economically integrated geographical unit within which workers may readily change jobs
without changing their place of residence. All States are divided into exhaustive LMAs, which
usually consist of a county or a group of contiguous counties (except in New England, where
township is the smallest government unit) .
LAUS Program
Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program. A Federal/State cooperative program that
produces employment, labor force, and unemployment estimates for States and local areas.
LMI
Labor Market Information. The body of data available on a particular labor market, including
employment and unemployment statistics, occupational statistics, and average hours and
earnings data. LMI is also used to refer to the statistical research and analysis offices of the State
Employment Security Agencies. These offices are also referred to as Research and Analysis (R
& A) or Research and Statistics (R & S) offices.
LMI Cooperative Agreement
A contract between the State Employment Security Agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
for the collection and tabulations of Labor Market Information, including the QCEW, CES, OES,
MLS, and LAUS programs.

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Longitudinal Database (LDB)
The LDB is a database of business establishments based on the micro data submitted quarterly
by the States on the EQUI name and address files. Included on the database is information on
monthly employment, quarterly wages, business name and addresses, industry and area codes,
and other administrative data. Every unit on the database contains a unique identifier that allows
tracking of individual establishments across quarters. The LDB is the sampling frame for many
Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys, and serves as an important resource for labor market
research. It is used to produce tabulations on business births and deaths, and job creation and
destruction.
Macro Data
Single establishment or household (micro) data aggregated to any level. Data at the estimating
cell level and summary cell levels are called macro data. Compare to micro data.
Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program
A BLS Federal/State cooperative program that collects and publishes data on mass layoffs.
Master Record
In QCEW micro data, a master record represents the Quarterly Contributions Report data for
multi-establishment employers (employers with more than one worksite). A master record's
economic data is the summation of data from all of its composite worksites. Master records are
not included in macro data aggregations because they duplicate the economic data of the
worksite records.
Mean
A number obtained by dividing the sum of the observations by the number of observations. The
mean can be weighted or unweighted.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
The general concept of a Metropolitan Statistical Area or a Micropolitan Statistical Area is that
of an area containing a recognized population nucleus and adjacent communities that have a high
degree of integration with that nucleus. The definitions provide a nationally consistent
definitions for collecting, tabulating, and publishing Federal statistics for a set of geographic
areas. OMB establishes and maintains the definitions of Metropolitan and Micropolitan
Statistical Areas, Combined Statistical Areas, and New England City and Town Areas solely for
statistical purposes.
A Metropolitan Statistical Area has at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population,
plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as

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Glossary

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measured by commuting ties. Metropolitan Statistical Areas are defined in terms of whole
counties (or equivalent entities) in all States including the six New England States.
Micropolitan Statistical Area
A Micropolitan Statistical Area is a new type of statistical areas which has at least one urban
cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population, plus adjacent territory that has a high
degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.
Micropolitan Statistical Areas are defined in terms of whole counties (or equivalent entities), in
all States including the six New England States.
Micro Data
Data reported from an individual establishment, MWR, the EDI Center, or household. Data on a
single CES report or a single UI contribution report are micro data.
Moving Average
A series of calculations made by initially taking the simple average, or arithmetic mean, of a
consecutive number of items, and then dropping the first item and adding the next item in
sequence and averaging, so that the number of items in the series remains constant. This is a
continuous process.
Multi-establishment
A firm or reporting unit that consists of more than one establishment.
Multiple Worksite Report (MWR)
A required, standardized data collection form approved by OMB that the State QCEW staff
sends employers with multiple worksites. The Multiple Worksite Report allows the QCEW
program to obtain worksite-level information that is not otherwise available from the
administrative files of the State Unemployment Insurance programs.
MWRweb
A QCEW web-based processing system that allows small to moderately-sized multiple worksite
reporters to report and transmit their quarterly MWR data to BLS via the internet. EDI reporters
are excluded from MWRweb reporting. Information gathered via MWRweb is fed back to the
States, loaded to their processing systems, and transmitted to BLS-Washington on the EQUI.
Non-Economic Code Change (NECC)
A change in a reporting unit’s industry, area, or ownership classification code that:

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1. Does not result from an actual conversion or re-location of the unit from one industry,
area, or ownership type to another.
2. Results from an actual conversion or re-location that took longer than 30 days or was
discovered by QCEW staff long afterwards.
3. Lacks sufficient evidence to be classified as an economic code change.
Nonresponse
Failure to obtain usable data for eligible units.
Numbered Memoranda
A series of technical memoranda issued for the purpose of disseminating information to Regional
offices (R-memos) and States (S-memos) on new developments in the Fed/State programs,
changes in operating procedures, and updates to manuals.
OES Program
Occupational Employment Statistics Program. A Federal/State cooperative program that collects
detailed occupational and wage data by industry and area.
Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics (OEUS)
The BLS office that includes the “program offices” of the Federal/State cooperative programs:
Division of Current Employment Statistics (CES), Division of Administrative Statistics and
Labor Turnover (DASLT), Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and Mass
Layoff Statistics (MLS). OEUS also includes other divisions: Division of Labor Force Statistics
(DLFS), Statistical Methods Staff (SMS), and Division of Data Development and Publications
(DDDP).
Office of Field Operations (OFO)
The BLS office that coordinates the work of regional offices and acts as a liaison between BLSWashington and the regions. Regional offices are part of the Office of Field Operations.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Located in the Executive Office of the President, this agency prepares the President’s budget
with the Council of Economic Advisors and the Treasury Department. OMB also oversees all
Federal data collection. Among other duties, this federal agency is responsible for enforcing the
Paperwork Reduction Act and, in so doing, must approve all survey and data collection forms
that represent a reporting burden on employers and the general public.

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Office of Technology and Survey Processing (OTSP)
The BLS-Washington office that includes the various "project offices" for the QCEW, Current
Employment Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), Local Area
Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) programs. Also
responsible for LABSTAT development and maintenance of the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) LAN.
Optimum Allocation
An allocation procedure for stratified sampling that, for a given target relative error, will
generate the minimum necessary sample size.
Out-of-Business (OOB)
Status assigned to a unit that was once active but that has permanently ceased to conduct
business or perform services and industrial operations.
Parent Organization or Company
A company that owns or operates one or more subsidiary companies or establishments.
Pre-Release Economic Data
Statistics and analyses that have not yet officially been released to the public, whether or not
there is a set date and time of release before which they must not be divulged.
Program Offices
Generic term for the Divisions within OEUS responsible for the various Fed/State survey
programs. See DASLT or CES.
Project Offices
Generic term for the Divisions within the Directorate of Survey Processing responsible for
processing the various Fed/State surveys and for developing BLS-Washington’s programspecific information technology systems. See Division of Business Establishments Systems
(DBES) and Division of Federal/State Monthly Surveys (FSMS).
QCEW Program
A Federal/State cooperative program that collects and compiles employment and wage data for
workers covered by State unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and Federal civilian workers
covered by Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE). State Employment

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Security Agencies collect and compile quarterly UI contribution reports which are submitted by
all employers. These data are maintained in the State in micro form and are forwarded to BLSWashington via data deliverables. Any data from this program is generically referred to as
“QCEW” data.
Quarterly Contribution Report (QCR)
A mandatory report filed quarterly by almost all U.S. employers to the SWA for UI purposes.
Employers report the number of employees, total quarterly wages, and UI taxable wages, and
compute their UI tax liability for each quarter. Used by the QCEW program as the source of
most data on the State QCEW database.
Reference Date
The reference date of a sample frame is the date when the characteristics of the population
existed on the frame. The reference date of a survey or file, however, is the date for which the
respondents are requested to submit the data.
Regional Office (R.O.)
Term used to refer to the offices and employees of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the regional
office locations outside of Washington, DC.
Report of Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW)
A standardized data collection form (BLS 3021) that the State QCEW staff sends federal
government employers with multiple worksites. The RFEW allows the QCEW program to
obtain worksite level information from federal agencies and reporting agents for federal
employers from the State administrative files of the Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employers.
Reporting Unit
A reporting unit is the most detailed economic unit for which data are reported by the employer.
Usually, a reporting unit is an individual establishment, but sometimes two or more
establishments are reported as a single unit.
Respondent
A person who, or organization that, is requested or required to supply information to the BLS, is
the subject of information requested or required to be supplied to the BLS, or provides that
information to the BLS. A person or organization is not required to actually have provided
information to BLS, or have had information provided to BLS from another source, to be
considered a respondent.

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Sample
A subset of a universe. Usually selected as representative of the universe.
Sample Survey
A survey in which only a sample or part of the population is studied.
Seasonal Adjustment
Adjustment of time-series data to eliminate the effect of seasonal variations. Examples of such
variations include school terms, holidays, yearly weather patterns, etc.
Series Break
A large change in the level of a time series resulting from: a major change in methodology; a
major change in industry definition; a major industry or area coding error; the permanent loss of
a major reporter; area redefinition. If a series has been broken, data before the break are not
comparable to data after the break.
SMS
Statistical Methods Staff. A division within OEUS that researches and sets statistical standards
for Federal/State surveys.
State Workforce Agency (SWA)
A generic name for the State agency usually responsible for three activities:
1. Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program - UI tax collection, administration, and
determination and payment of unemployment benefits.
2. Research and Analysis -- collection, analysis, and publication of labor market information.
3. Employment or Job Service Program - an exchange for workers seeking work and employers
seeking workers.
Statistical Activities
The collection, compilation, processing, or analysis of data for the purpose of describing or
making estimates or tabulations concerning the whole, or relevant groups or components within
the economy, society, or the natural environment. Statistical activities include the development
of methods or resources that support those activities, such as measurement methods, models,
statistical classifications, or sampling frames.
Statistical Purposes
The description, estimation, or analysis of the characteristics of groups without identifying the
individuals or organizations that comprise such groups, and the development, implementation, or

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maintenance of methods, procedures, or information resources that support such purposes. This
definition does not include any use of individually identifiable data for administrative,
regulatory, law enforcement, adjudicatory, disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, or
other similar purposes that affect the rights, privileges, or benefits of a particular respondent.
Status Determination Form
(Also called Status Report) A mandatory form filed by most U.S. employers with the SWA
when they begin business operations. Information on the form is used to determine the
employer’s UI liability and establish a UI account.
Strata
The parts into which a sample frame are partitioned according to predetermined criteria for the
purpose of sampling and estimation. In Federal/State survey programs, these strata are usually
based on industry code, geographic area, and size. The process of partitioning the sample frame
is called “stratification."
Strike
A work stoppage by employees acting together in an attempt to bring pressure on management to
give in to their demands concerning wages, working conditions, union recognition, or other
issues.
Successor
The new owner of a business establishment. In QCEW micro data, a successor is an
establishment that is now reported (or that will be reporting) under one UI Account Number or
Reporting Unit Number, that was being reported under a different UI Account
Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration. The purpose of Successor (and Predecessor)
UI/RUN coding is to identify establishments as continuous, especially when they change
ownership or UI number.
Survey
A study of all or a portion of the whole, conducted for the purpose of making generalized
statements about the whole.
Survey Design
All procedures used in a survey. Includes frame development, sample design, form design,
estimation, and tabulation.
Time Series
A variable in which the values are successive observations over time.

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Trend
The long term or overall movement of a series over time. Any economic time series is assumed
to be made up of trend, irregular, cyclical, and seasonal movements.
UCFE
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees. The federal program that provides
temporary financial assistance to eligible federal workers who become unemployed. (Federal
employees are not covered under State-administered Unemployment Insurance programs.)
UI
Unemployment Insurance. Social welfare program first instituted in the Great Depression to
provide temporary financial assistance to eligible unemployed workers. Unemployment
insurance programs are administered by State Employment Security Agencies under State law,
subject to federal minimum standards.
Universe
The entire population to be measured.
Wage Records
An attachment to employer’s Quarterly Contribution Reports that lists the Social Security
numbers, the individual quarterly wages, and in some instances names of all UI-covered
employees on the payroll.
WIN-202
A client/server QCEW processing system developed and maintained by the state of Maine, and
used as the standardized processing system in some States. It is a PC-based system that operates
in a Windows environment.

QCEW Operating Manual
Index

June 2007

Page i-1

Index
***A***
ACES (See Automated Current Employment Statistics)
Action Code N-5
Additivity 9-22, F-8-1
Address Edits 9-18, F-4-21
Address Type (See Mailing/Other Address Type)
Advance Release g-1
Agent g-1
Agent Code B-A-1
Aggregation Level U-1
AME (See Average Monthly Employment)
American Statistical Association T-1
Annual Processing Cycle E-9
Annual Refiling Survey 1-4, 6-1, 11-32, g-1
AQW (See Average Quarterly Wages)
Army Non-Appropriated Funds 4-19
ARS (See Annual Refiling Survey)
ARS Cycle 6-4
ARS Exclusions 6-5
ARS Management Report R-1
ARS Response Code (See Response Code)
ARS Response Rate 6-6
Authorization Statement (on ARS Forms) 3-18, 6-8
Authorized Persons g-1
Automated Current Employment Statistics g-1
AutoNAICS 2-17, T-1
Average Monthly Employment g-1
Average Quarterly Wages g-2
Average Weekly Wages F-2, g-2
AWW (See Average Weekly Wages)

***B***
Back Wages 15-6
Basic Terminologies 1-55
BEA (See Bureau of Economic Analysis)
BEL (See Business Establishment List)
Benchmarking 1-8, g-2
Birth 5-10, g-2
Birth Record (from EDI Center) 4-8
BLS (See Bureau of Labor Statistics)
BLS ARS Review 6-46
BLS Handbook of Methods T-2
BLS-3023 NCA (See Industry Classification Form)
BLS-3023 NVM (See Industry Verification Form for Multi
Unit Accounts)
BLS-3023 NVS (See Industry Verification Form)
BLS-790 g-2
BLS-790 Sample Members 3-45
BLS-Related Addresses S-1
BLS-Washington 1-20, g-3
Breakout 3-44, 5-2, 10-12
Bureau of Economic Analysis 1-7, 13-5, T-1, g-2
Bureau of Labor Statistics T-2, g-3

Bureau of the Census 1-8, T-2, g-3
Business Cycle g-3
Business Employment Dynamics T-1
Business Establishment List 1-14
Business Transfer Event N-9

***C***
CARS (See Centralized Annual Refiling Survey)
CARS Contractor 6-11
CBSA (See Core Based Statistical Area)
CCS (See Code Change Supplement)
CCS Cleanup 11-52
CCS Creation Counts 11-41
CCS Edit F-6-20
CCS Group (See Code Change Supplement Group)
CCS Master List 11-50
CCS Table 1A 11-37
CCS Table 1A/1B Parameters 11-38
CCS Table 1B 11-37
CCS Zero Employment and Wages Report 11-41
CDA (See Current Data Analysis Branch)
CenCo g-3
CenCo2 4-4, O-1
Census g-4
Census Block g-4
Census Bureau (See Bureau of the Census)
Census Tract g-4
Central Review 6-47
Centralized Annual Refiling Survey 6-1, 6-47
Centroid g-4
CES (See Current Employment Statistics)
CES Cross Reference Files 2-18
CES Indicator B-C-7
CES/QCEW Roll-Up Spreadsheet 10-13
Change from Unclassified 2-21
Check Count 15-2
Check Digit B-C-1
CIPSEA (See Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act)
City/County Cross Reference T-2
Cleanup Deadline D-1
Cleanup Period 13-94
Client EIN N-14
Client SIC or NAICS Code N-14
Client Telephone Number N-14
Client UI Account Number N-14
Code Change Integration 10-8, 11-34
Code Change Supplement 5-17, 11-1, L-1, g-4
Code Change Supplement Group 13-90
Code Changes 2-20, 11-18
Coding Coordination 2-18
Collapse (See Consolidation)
Collection Mode Indicator (CMI) Codes Q-3
Collection Status N-9
Combined Statistical Area g-4

QCEW Operating Manual
Index

June 2007

Comment Code 9-24, 9-25, B-C-3, F-4-10, I-1, I-2
Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws T-2
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical
Efficiency Act xviii, A-1
Confidentiality xix, 1-10, A-1
Consolidation 5-2, 5-7, 10-12
Consumer Price Index g-4
Continuous Unit 5-6, 13-14
Contribution Exclusions 1-56
Contributions B-C-4, F-4-3, J-14
Contributions Due Indicator B-C-5, F-4-13
Contributions, Sources 1-55
Core g-5
Core Based Statistical Area g-5
Corporate Information T-2
Correction Procedures 13-90
Count of Available Employees 15-3
County Breakout 3-44
County Code 2-2, B-C-6, F-2-3
Cover Letter 6-14
Coverage F-4-13, F-4-15
Covered Employment 1-62, g-5
CPI (See Consumer Price Index)
CPS (See Current Population Survey)
Crosswalk 4-5, O-2
CSA (See Combined Statistical Area)
Cumulative Employment Count 15-3
Current Data Analysis Branch 1-19, 13-90
Current Employment Statistics 1-67, 2-18, 13-5, g-5
Current Employment Statistics Survey g-5
Current Population Survey g-5

***D***
DASLT (See Division of Administrative Statistics and
Labor Turnover)
Data Collection g-14
Data Collection Branch 1-19, 13-94
Data Distribution (EDI Center) 4-6, 4-9
Data Element 13-2, B-1
Data Quality 1-18, 4-15, 9-38
Data Record 12-6, K-1
Data Source B-D-1
DBES (See Division of Business Establishment Systems)
DCB (See Data Collection Branch)
DCES (See Division of Current Employment Statistics)
DCSP (See Division of Cooperative Survey Programs)
DDDP (See Division of Data Development and
Publications)
Death 5-10, 11-32, g-6
Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) 4-2
Delete Record 7-15, 12-5
Delinquent 7-6, 8-3
Delinquent Contribution Report 8-2
Delinquent MWR 3-41
Deliverable g-6
Deliverable (EQUI) 1-5, 12-4
Department of Defense 1-4
Department of Labor 1-1, T-2, g-6
DFSMS (See Division of Fed/State Monthly Surveys)
Disability Payments 15-7

Page i-2

Disaggregate 3-2, 5-8, g-6
Disclosure g-6
Diskette 4-22
Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover
1-6, 1-19, g-6
Division of Business Establishment Systems 1-19, g-6
Division of Cooperative Survey Programs 1-20
Division of Current Employment Statistics g-14
Division of Data Development and Publications g-14
Division of Federal/State Monthly Surveys g-8
Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics g-14
DLAUS (See Division of Local Area Unemployment
Statistics)
DOL (See Department of Labor)
Domestic Employees 2-9
Due Date 1-32, D-1

***E***
Early Retirement 15-6
ECC (See Economic Code Change)
ECCI (See Economic Code Change Indicator)
Econ Data.Net T-3
Economic Classification Policy Committee 2-11
Economic Code Change 2-21, 5-16
Economic Code Change Indicator 10-12, B-E-1
Economic Indicator g-6
ECPC (See Economic Classification Policy Committee)
EDB (See ES-202 Database)
EDI Question/Clarification Request Form 4-11
EDIC (See Electronic Data Interchange Center)
Edit Codes and Messages G-1
Edit Level 9-2
Edit Output (from the EQUI) 13-13
Edit Type 9-2
Editing 9-1, 10-4, 11-11, g-7
EIN (See Employer Identification Number)
Electronic Data Interchange Center 1-20, 4-1, N-1, O-1, T3, g-7
Electronic Data Reporting T-3
Email (EDI Center) 4-6, 4-9, 4-10
Embargoed Data g-7
Employee 1-56, g-5
Employee Contributions 1-55
Employer Contributions 1-55
Employer Identification Number B-E-2, F-4-7
Employment 1-30, 1-56, 9-8
Employment and Training Administration 1-4, 13-5, 13103, g-7
Employment and Wages 13-112
Employment Interchange Measure g-7
End of Liability Date 3-39, 5-18, 8-18, 9-3, 12-6, B-E-2, F3-2
End of Quarter Count 15-2
Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance File 1-32,
12-1, K-1, g-7
Enterprise 1-57
EQUI (See Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance
File)
ES-202 Database 1-33, 4-7, 13-24
ES-202 Improvement Project 1-16

QCEW Operating Manual
Index

June 2007

Establishment 1-57, g-7
Estimating Cell g-8
Estimation 1-8, 11-30, 13-102, g-8
ETA (See Employment and Training Administration)
EUS (See Office of Employment and Unemployment
Statistics)
EUSWeb 4-9, 4-10, 12-19, g-8
Exclusions from UI Coverage 1-62
Experience Rated B-T-6
EXPO-202 1-54, 9-1, T-3, g-8
Extract Requirements 12-10
Extrapolate g-8

***F***
FAC (See Federal Agency Codes)
FCSM (See Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology)
Fed/State Programs g-9
Federal Agency Codes (FACs) and EINs 3-57
Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology T-3
Federal Data/Coverage 1-64
Federal Employer Identification Number (See Employer
Identification Number)
Federal Government 2-6
Federal Information Processing Standards 2-2, C-1, T-4, g8
Federal Payroll Service Bureaus 3-52
Federal Reserve Board g-9
Federal Statistics (FedStats) T-3
Federal Unemployment Tax Act 1-11, g-9
FedWorld Information Network T-4
Field Lock Position B-F-3
Final Geocode Load File V-1
FIPS (See Federal Information Processing Standards)
Firm g-9
First Month Employment B-M-5, F-4-1
First Month Employment Indicator B-M-6, F-4-11
First Quarter 11-2
Fiscal Year g-9
Fixed Worksite 3-4
Fluctuation 9-3, 10-9, E-4
Follow-up Letters (for the MWR) 3-27
Form Retention (for the MWR) 3-25
Format Type N-1
FUTA (See Federal Unemployment Tax Act)
FY (See Fiscal Year)

***G***
GDP (See Gross Domestic Product)
Geocode g-9
Geocode Reject File V-1
Geocode Source B-G-1
Geocoding V-1
Geocoding Software B-G-1
Geographic Base File g-9
Geographic Code 9-5
Geographic Information System V-1, g-10
GIS (See Geographic Information System)
Gross Domestic Product 1-11, g-9
GSA Location Code 4-18

Page i-3

***H***
Handling Reporting Errors 15-4
Header Record 12-5, K-5
Hewlett-Packard (HP) Forms 3-18, 6-22
Historical File 4-4
Hourly Earnings 1-67

***I***
IDCF (See Internet Data Collection Facility)
IDCF Temporary Account Number N-18
IDCF Temporary Password N-18
I-Error 9-2, F-1
IMA (See Interim Macro Access)
Imputation 8-2, J-1, J-14, g-10
Imputation Code J-30
Imputation Methodologies J-3
Imputation Report Code 8-14
Inactive 1-57, 5-18, 11-3, 12-8
Indicator Flag 8-14, J-33
Individually Identifiable Data g-10
Industry g-10
Industry Classification Form P-9
Industry Code 1-58, 2-7
Industry Verification Form P-2
Industry Verification Form for Multi Unit Accounts P-4
Information Technology Support Center (ITSC) T-4
Informed Consent 3-26, 3-32
Initial Date of Liability 5-18, 8-17, 9-3, B-I-1, F-3-1
Installation 4-17
Integrated Macro Edit 13-4
Interim Macro Access 13-91
Internet Data Collection Facility 1-48, 4-29
Intra-Account (Firm) Transfers I-9
Invalid NAICS Codes 2-10
ITSC (See Information Technology Support Center)

***J***
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey g-10
JOLTS (See Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey)

***K***
Key Field 10-2, F-1

***L***
Labor Dispute g-10
Labor Market Area g-10
Labor Market Information 1-10, g-11
LABSTAT g-10
Large Record Employment and Wage Edits F-1
Large Record Without Usable PLA Check 9-19
LAUS (See Local Area Unemployment Statistics)
Layoff 15-8, I-6
LDB (See Longitudinal Database)
LDB Group (See Longitudinal Database Micro Review
Group)

QCEW Operating Manual
Index

June 2007

Legal Name B-L-1
Liability Date (See Initial Date of Liability)
Linkage (on the Longitudinal Database) 1-16, 1-52, 5-35
LMA (See Labor Market Area)
LMI (See Labor Market Information)
LMI Cooperative Agreement 1-20, g-11
Load Files V-1
Local Area Unemployment Statistics 1-8, g-11
Local Government 1-63, 2-6
Locking Fields 7-15
Longitudinal Database 1-49, 5-35, 6-3, g-11
Longitudinal Database Micro Review Group 1-19, 13-90

***M***
Macro Data 1-32, 12-9, 13-5, g-11
Macro File 10-1, J-7
Macro Flag Situations 10-6
Magnetic Medium Transmittal Form 4-23
Mailing/Other Address B-F-1, B-M-1, F-4-21, F-4-31, F-68
Mailing/Other Address Type B-M-3, F-6-1
Mass Layoff Statistics g-11
Master Record 2-2, 3-6, 4-4, 11-7, g-12
Coding 2-10
Matrix Map (of the EIN) 13-17
Maximum Reporting Unit Number B-M-4, B-V-1
Mean g-12
MEEI (See Multi Establishment Employer Indicator Code)
Melissa Data T-4
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary T-4
Metropolitan Statistical Area g-12
Mexico National Institute of Statistics, Geography and
Informatics (INEGI in Spanish) T-5
Micro Data 1-31, 9-1, g-12
Micro Edit 9-2
Micro SA (See Micropolitan Statistical Area)
Micropolitan Statistical Area g-12
Missing and Delinquent Data 8-2, 8-7
Missing Records 4-9
MLR (See Monthly Labor Review)
MLS (See Mass Layoff Statistics)
Month Became Client N-14
Month Client Terminated N-15
Monthly Employment 15-1, B-M-5
Monthly Employment Indicators B-M-5
Monthly Labor Review T-5
Moving Average g-12
MSA (See Metropolitan Statistical Area)
Multi-Establishment Employer 3-1, 3-25, 5-27, g-13
Multi-Establishment Employer Indicator Code 2-6, 3-6, 920, 11-7, B-M-9, F-4-5
Multi-Installation Federal Agency 3-48
Multiple Worksite Report 1-39, 3-16, N-1, P-11, T-5, g-13
MWR (See Multiple Worksite Report)
MWRweb 1-46, 4-29, N-5, g-13
Collected Data File 1-48, 4-31, N-5
Confirmed Register File 1-48, 4-30
Historical Data File 1-48, 4-29, N-18
Solicitation Request File 1-48, 4-29, N-17

Page i-4

***N***
NAICS (See North American Industry Classification
System)
NAICS Code B-N-1, F-2-1
NAICS Coding Interpretation 2-11
Narrative Comment 9-24, 13-2, B-N-2, I-1
National Finance Center 4-20
National Office Questions 13-90
NECC (See Noneconomic Code Change)
New County 11-9, L-2
New Field 11-2, 11-9
New NAICS 11-9, L-1
New Ownership 11-9, L-1
New Township 11-9, L-2
New Unit 8-17
NFC (See National Finance Center)
Non-covered Employment 15-3
Noneconomic Code Change 2-20, 2-21, 5-17, 10-8, 11-1,
13-21, F-6-16, g-13
Non-quarterly Data 7-9
Nonresponse g-13
Nontaxable Wages 1-59
NOQ (See National Office Questions)
North American Industry Classification System 1-17, 1-58,
2-7, B-N-1, T-5
Number of Establishments F-6-27
Numbered Memoranda g-13

***O***
Obtaining Form Templates 3-17
Occupational Employment Statistics 1-7, g-14
Occupational Safety and Health 1-7
OES (See Occupational Employment Statistics)
OEUS (See Office of Employment and Unemployment
Statistics)
Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics 1-8, 149, 4-1, 4-31, g-14
Office of Field Operations 1-20, g-14
Office of Management and Budget g-14
Office of Technology and Survey Processing g-14
OFO (See Office of Field Operations)
OFO Fed/State Programs State Intranet T-5
Old County 11-4, B-O-1, F-4-24, L-1
Old Field 5-17, 11-2, 11-14
Old NAICS 11-4, B-O-1, F-4-26, L-1
Old Ownership 11-4, B-O-2, F-4-23, L-1
Old Township 11-4, B-O-3, L-1
OMB (See Office of Management and Budget)
OOB (See Out-Of-Business)
Optimum Allocation g-14
Organization Type (See Ownership Extension)
Orphan 5-32
OSH (See Occupational Safety and Health)
OTSP (See Office of Technology and Survey Processing)
Out-of-Business 4-4, 4-6, 11-32, g-14
Ownership Code 1-59, 2-6, B-O-4, F-2-2
Ownership Extension 2-6, B-O-5, B-P-1, B-P-2

QCEW Operating Manual
Index

June 2007

***P***
Parameter 9-30, 13-19, H-1
Parent g-15
Partial Imputations 8-19
Pay Period 9-15
Payroll 1-56
Payroll Outsourcing Firm 4-1
Payroll Provider Firm N-1
Pending 5-26, 10-3, F-3-5, Q-1
PEO (See Professional Employer Organization)
PEO File Format (From EDIC) N-12
Permanent Change (industry, location, ownership) 2-20
Physical Location Address B-P-2, F-4-21, F-4-31, F-6-12
PLA (See Physical Location Address)
Pledge of Confidentiality xix
Political Subdivision 2-6
PPI (See Producer Price Index)
Predecessor 5-3
Predecessor Reporting Unit Number 5-2, F-4-5
Predecessor SESA ID B-P-7
Predecessor UI Number 5-2, B-P-7, F-4-5
Predecessor/Successor 4-5, 4-15, 5-2, 11-27
Predecessor/Successor Edits 9-4
Pre-edit 13-8
Preliminary or Final Responses (from EDI Center) 4-12
Pre-Release Economic Data g-15
Primary Activity 2-8
Primary County 2-4, 3-46
Primary Establishment 3-2
Primary Industry 3-46
Primary Installation 3-48
Printing MWR Forms 3-24
Printing RFEW Forms 3-50
Private Household 2-9
Private Ownership 2-6
Processing Options 10-6
Processing Sequence – CES/ES-202 Spreadsheet 10-14
Producer Price Index 1-7
Professional Employer Organization 4-5, 6-50, 9-7, 11-24,
15-10, I-27
Program Constant (PK) Numbers H-1
Program Offices g-15
Project Offices g-15
Prorate 5-32, 7-10, 8-10, J-2
Published Data 1-9, 1-34, 1-53, 1-67, T-2

***Q***
QCEW (See Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
QCEW Coverage 1-62
QCEW Program 1-1, g-15
QCEW Program Data Transmittal Form 1-32, 12-22, B-U1, D-1
QCR (See Quarterly Contributions Report)
Quarter 1-30, B-Q-1, F-1-3
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages T-5
Quarterly Contributions Report 3-17, 4-2, 5-32, 8-2, g-15
Quarterly Processing Cycle E-1
Quarterly Wages N-3

Page i-5

Question/Clarification Request Form for RFEW Data 3-51,
3-56

***R***
Railroad Workers 15-4
Reactivated Record 12-8
Reactivation Date 9-3, B-R-1, F-3-4
Record Type N-1
Reference Date g-15
Refile Year 11-4, B-A-3
Refiling Cycle Q-1
Refusal 3-27, 5-7
Regional Office 1-20, g-16
Regional Office Questions 13-90
Reimbursable Code B-T-6
Reject Files V-1
Reminder Notices (from EDI Center) 4-13
Replacing Estimates 13-113
Report of Federal Employment and Wages 1-44, 3-48, P13, g-16
Reporter File 4-4
Reporting Unit g-16
Reporting Unit Description B-R-1
Reporting Unit Number 9-20, B-R-2, F-1-2
Resources 8-19, 9-34
Respondent g-16
Response Code 5-17, 11-12, 11-14, Q-1
Response Code Reassignment - BLS 11-15
Review of BLS-Generated Estimates 13-112
Review of Federal Installation Reports 7-17
Review/Process MWR Data (flowchart) 3-38
Revised Tape 4-22
RFEW (See Report of Federal Employment and Wages)
ROQ (See Regional Office Questions)
RU (See Reporting Unit)
RUD (See Reporting Unit Description)
RUN (See Reporting Unit Number)

***S***
Sample g-16
Sample Records Listing 13-18
Sample Survey g-16
Seasonal I-5, J-6
Seasonal Adjustment g-16
Seasonality Test 9-10
Second Month Employment B-M-6, F-4-1
Second Month Employment Indicator B-M-7, F-4-11
Secondary Establishment 3-2
Selection For Imputation J-1
Series Break g-16
Service Center 1-30, 12-17
SESA ID 5-35
Setup Date B-S-1, F-3-3
Severance Pay 15-7
SIC (See Standard Industrial Classification)
Significant Employment and Wage Edit 10-5
Single Establishment 3-7
Single Unit Account 4-2, 4-4, 5-22
SMR (See Summary Management Report)

QCEW Operating Manual
Index

June 2007

SMS (See Statistical Methods Staff)
SO-274E Form 2-11
Social Security Act 1-1
Social Security’s Online Guide to Wage Reporting for
Employers T-6
Solicitation 9-31
Solicitation Letter 3-26
Source Code N-3
Special Indicator 2-7, B-S-2
Standard Industrial Classification B-S-2, F-2-2
State Code 2-2, B-S-3, C-1, F-1-4
State Government 2-6
State Processing 7-2
State Processing Schedule E-1
State Use B-S-3
State Workforce Agency 1-1, g-17
Statewide 2-4, 3-6
Statistical Activities g-17
Statistical Methods Staff 1-19, g-17
Statistical Purposes g-17
Statistics Canada T-6
Status Code 9-3, 9-9, 10-3, 11-10, B-S-3, F-3-5
Status Determination Form 1-59, g-17
Stock Options 1-68, 15-8
Strata g-17
Strike 15-9, I-7, g-18
Submittal 1-15, 12-4
Subset File 13-6, 13-90, 13-94, 13-100
Subunit 3-6, 4-4, 5-24, 9-20, 11-18
Successor 5-16, g-18
Successor Reporting Unit Number 5-2, B-S-5, F-4-6
Successor SESA ID B-S-4
Successor UI Number 5-2, B-S-4, F-4-6
Summary Management Report 6-51
Summary of Differences 11-47
SunGard 4-10, 12-17, S-1
SuperPages T-6
SuperStan 5-36
Survey 1-1, g-18
Survey Design g-18
Suspect Data 9-32, 9-34
SWA (See State Workforce Agency)

***T***
Tax Rate 8-10, B-T-1, F-4-10
Taxable Wage Imputation J-12
Taxable Wages 1-61, 8-11, B-T-1, F-4-3, F-4-13
Taxable Wages Indicator B-T-1
Telephone Number B-F-3, B-T-2
Television and Film Industry 15-12
Temporary Codes I-23
Test Tape 4-22
Third Month Employment B-M-8, F-4-2
Third Month Employment Indicator B-M-8, F-4-12
Time Series g-18
Tolerance (See Parameter)
Total Response Rate 6-53
Total Wages 1-61, 15-1, B-T-3, F-4-2
Total Wages Indicator B-T-3, F-4-12
Touchtone Response System 6-34, Q-1

Page i-6

Township Code 2-5, B-T-4
Township Extension B-T-5
Trade Name B-T-5
Trailer Record 12-5, 12-7, K-12
Transaction Code 12-5, F-1-1
Transmittal Form (See QCEW Program Data Transmittal
Form)
Trend g-18
Tribal Council 2-7, 9-6, 9-21, B-S-3
TRS (See Touchtone Response System)
T-test 9-10
Type of Coverage B-T-6, F-4-4

***U***
UCFE (See Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees)
UDB (See Universal Database)
UI (See Unemployment Insurance)
UI Account Number B-U-1, F-1-1
UI Address B-U-1, F-4-21, F-4-31
UI Address Type B-P-3, B-P-4, B-P-5, B-P-6, B-U-4
Unclassified County or Industry Code 2-22, 10-11
Unclassified Processing Report 6-51
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees 1-64,
g-18
Unemployment Insurance 1-1, g-19
Unemployment Insurance Program Letters (UIPL) T-6
Universe g-19
Universe Database 1-14
Unlocked Quarters 7-15, 13-5
Usable Response Rate 6-52

***V***
Vacation Fund 15-9
Verification Year B-A-3

***W***
Wage Fluctuations 9-14
Wage Imputation 9-23, J-3
Wage List 3-9
Wage Record Count 15-2
Wage Record Edits 9-6, 9-23, F-1
Wage Records 1-59, 3-45, 9-23, g-19
Wage Report 3-9
Wages (See Total Wages)
Warning Edit 10-5, F-1
Weighted Match 5-35
W-Flag (See Warning Edit)
WIN-202 1-54, T-6, g-19
Workforce Information Council T-6
Worksite Employment Estimates J-27

***Y***
Year B-Y-1, F-1-2
Year Became Client N-14
Year Client Terminated N-15

QCEW Operating Manual
Index

June 2007

***Z***
Zero Employment I-34
Zero Employment and Wages 4-6, I-10
Zero-Filled RUN 4-4, O-2

Zip Code F-6-3
Zip Code Extension F-6-6
Zip+4 Code Lookup T-7
ZipInfo T-7

Page i-7
File Type	application/pdf
File Title	Microsoft Word - Log of Replacement Pages.doc
Author	PLASKIE_W
File Modified	2007-06-20
File Created	2004-12-01