Codes

This is a 5-digit numeric variable.

Description

SPMCHSUP records the value of child support paid by family members and is used in the construction of the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). Child support payments are deducted from the economic resources available to the SPM-defined family unit. Child support received is counted as part of income.

For more information on child support payments in the SPM, see the Census Bureau's "The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure" report.

SPMCHSUP is reported in current dollars; users can adjust for inflation with Consumer Price Index adjustment factors.

Comparability

Child support payments are reported by CPS respondents. Aside from the effects of inflation, SPMCHSUP is comparable across years from 2010 to 2018.

In 2019, the Census Bureau implemented a new processing system to accommodate survey changes. These changes affect income and relationship variables, making poverty measurements before and after 2019 incomparable. For more information on this overhaul, see our guide to the 2019 ASEC updates.

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Unharmonized Variables