2.1 Definition

A. Income refers to the amount of money an individual receives from offering a service or from multiple sources.^{2, 3}

2.2 Considerations and Limitations

Sources of income can be used to understand:

• Whether a client meets program eligibility.^{4, 5, 6}
• Individuals can have more than one source of income.⁷
• In aggregate, knowing about the income of clients can demonstrate community needs in the services organizations provide.

Sources of income cannot be used to understand:

• The amount of income and whether the client’s income is adequate.⁸
• Details about household income as that can be important for example, for determining eligibility for programs for children and youth, or when an agency needs to consider household income and number of people in household, e.g., when calculating low-income cut-offs.^{9, 10}

Additional Considerations:

• May be intrusive to ask about income without identifying a specific reason for asking.
• Asking for more details such as the amount of income in ranges, or overall household income, as this can be useful to better understanding needs or assessing whether a client meets certain eligibility criteria for programming.

2.3 Suggested Collection Methods

The minimum suggested data collection method, or “basic” option reflects a synthesis of practices, considerations from nonprofit stakeholders, and recognized standards in capturing demographic data. The suggested method is modeled after what might be asked on an intake form during an initial meeting with a client. The process by which intake or registration occurs can vary widely depending on the context within which you are working. For example, the way questions are asked and data are recorded will vary for clients in crises, as compared to walk-in or drop-in sessions, or when registering for a program that requires people to meet certain eligibility requirements. In those cases, the suggested collection method can be used as a starting point but adapted to fit the needs of the context within which the data are being collected.

As a standard practice we suggest always including an option for people to write in an answer that may not fit within the options provided, along with an option not to answer. These are both important for creating inclusive demographic questions.^{1, 11, 12}

2.3.1 Basic Question(s)