No, your bank is not required to provide the requested information. We confirmed this by calling both the IDES and the BLS (without using a specific bank’s name). An IDES employee told us that while they strongly encourage employers to participate in this data collection, it is not required. A BLS employee also confirmed that while some states have passed laws that make completion of Annual Refiling Survey mandatory, Illinois is not among them.
For resources related to our guidance, please see:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Refiling Survey FAQs