The SOI Databank: A case study in leveraging administrative data in support of evidence-based policymaking

Abstract

Full-population administrative tax data collected for program administration holds potential for facilitating statistical work that previously had been infeasible. This article describes a framework – the SOI databank – for that facilitation. The Databank is a statistical database that comprises income and tax information from income tax returns and several information returns, along with links to children and employers. The Databank structure and process described in this article may provide a useful model for other government agencies facing similar challenges and opportunities with administrative data.