Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Family Resources Survey (FRS) has been running continuously since 1992 to meet the information needs of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It is almost wholly funded by DWP. The FRS collects information from a large, and representative sample of private households in the United Kingdom (prior to 2002, it covered Great Britain only). The interview year runs from April to March.The focus of the survey is on income, and how much comes from the many possible sources (such as employee earnings, self-employed earnings or profits from businesses, and dividends; individual pensions; state benefits, including Universal Credit and the State Pension; and other sources such as savings and investments). Specific items of expenditure, such as rent or mortgage, Council Tax and water bills, are also covered.Many other topics are covered and the dataset has a very wide range of personal characteristics, at the adult or child, family and then household levels. These include education, caring, childcare and disability. The dataset also captures material deprivation, household food security and (new for 2021/22) household food bank usage. The FRS is a national statistic whose results are published on the gov.uk website. It is also possible to create your own tables from FRS data, using DWP’s Stat Xplore tool. Further information can be found on the gov.uk Family Resources Survey webpage. Secure Access FRS data In addition to the standard End User Licence (EUL) version, Secure Access datasets, containing unrounded data and additional variables, are also available for FRS from 2005/06 onwards - see SN 9256. Prospective users of the Secure Access version of the FRS will need to fulfil additional requirements beyond those associated with the EUL datasets. Full details of the application requirements are available from Guidance on applying for the Family Resources Survey: Secure Access.FRS, HBAI and PIThe FRS underpins the related Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset, which focuses on poverty in the UK, and the related Pensioners' Incomes (PI) dataset. The EUL versions of HBAI and PI are held under SNs 5828 and 8503, respectively. The Secure Access versions are held under SN 7196 and 9257 (see above).
Latest version informationIn May 2024, the variable CTAMTBND (Annual council tax payment bands), was updated to resolve some missing cases.
Main Topics:
Household characteristics (family composition, tenure); COVID-19, housing costs including rent or details of mortgage; household bills including Council Tax, buildings and contents insurance, water and sewerage rates; receipt of state support from all state benefits, including Universal Credit and Tax Credits; household food security and household food bank usage; educational level and grants and loans; children in education; care, both those receiving care and those caring for others; childcare; occupation, employment, self-employment and earnings/wage details; income tax payments and refunds; National Insurance contributions; earnings from odd jobs; health, restrictions on work, children's health, and disability or limiting long-standing illness; personal and occupational pension schemes; income from pensions and trusts, royalties and allowances, and other sources; children's earnings; interest and dividends from investments including National Savings products, stocks and shares; and total household assets.
Multi-stage stratified random sample
Telephone interview: Computer-assisted (CATI)
