Abstract

Statistics Sweden (SCB) annually produces and publishes statistics on incomes and taxes for individuals and households. These statistics are typically released 13 months after the end of the reference year. The statistics are based entirely on administrative records from various authorities, including the Swedish Tax Agency. However, due to a significant lag in data availability, the published statistics lack in timeliness, something that often is highlighted among users of the statistics.

Since 2019, employers are obliged to declare payments and deducted preliminary tax for each payee monthly to the Swedish tax authority. SCB has since the introduction of monthly employer’s declaration received data on a monthly basis, including information on salaries and preliminary taxes for all employees. In addition, SCB has ongoing monthly data collection for various types of income transfers from agencies such as the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the Swedish Pensions Agency.

Altogether, these new data open opportunities to generate timely income statistics, with the possibility to monitor the financial situation of households in near real time. Furthermore, such statistics would serve as a valuable complement to the annual statistics.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the possibilities of creating monthly income statistics, with a primary focus on disposable income. The paper examines available data, identifies gaps in data availability and explores how monthly data aligns with the official annual statistics. Additionally, results are presented on monthly development of disposable income for the period 2019 to 2025.