# Incalim missing from 2015 ASEC

**URL:** <https://forum.ipums.org/t/incalim-missing-from-2015-asec/1298>\
**Category:** CPS\
**Created:** [May 9, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/incalim-missing-from-2015-asec/1298 "2016-05-09T12:19:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Vanda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@Vanda](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Vanda)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/incalim-missing-from-2015-asec/1298/1 "2016-05-09T12:19:00Z")

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I see that the variable incalim is not available in the 2015 ASEC-CPS sample. Why is that the case?

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**Author:** ![Tim\_Moreland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@Tim\_Moreland](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Tim_Moreland)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/incalim-missing-from-2015-asec/1298/2 "2016-05-09T22:01:00Z")

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In 2014, the CPS redesigned its income questions. 5/8ths of the 2014 ASEC sample still received the old income questions, but the other 3/8ths received the updated questions (see [here](https://cps.ipums.org/cps/three_eighths.shtml) for more info). The updated questions no longer include a separate question for alimony income amounts. Instead, total alimony income is rolled into the [Other Income](https://cps.ipums.org/cps-action/variables/INCOTHER#codes_section) category.

In 2015, the CPS transitioned completely to the redesigned ASEC income questions; however, respondents are now allowed to designate alimony as the source of “other income.” As a result, it should still be possible to identify at least some alimony income in the source [NBER data](http://www.nber.org/data/current-population-survey-data.html) using the OI\_VAL amounts for respondents with OI\_OFF=“20: Alimony”. You can then sequentially merge the NBER data with your 2015 IPUMS data extract (i.e. first NBER observation matches to first IPUMS observation, second to second, etc.), verifying the merge using values of sex, age, and race.

Hope this helps.

![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/ipums/original/1X/2daeaa8b5f19f0bc209d976c02bd6acb51b00b0a.gif)