NIPA Handbook: Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
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NIPA Handbook: Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts
NIPA Handbook: Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts
The "NIPA Handbook" begins with introductory chapters that describe the fundamental concepts, definitions, classifications, and accounting framework that underlie the national income and product accounts (NIPAs) of the United States and the general sources and methods that are used to prepare the NIPA estimates. It continues with chapters that describe the sources and methods used to prepare the expenditure and income components of the accounts. Finally, it provides an appendix that defines each entry in the seven summary NIPA accounts and a glossary of terms that are associated with the NIPAs.
The Handbook is intended to be a living reference that can be updated to reflect changes in concepts or methodology as they are introduced into the NIPAs. These chapters reflect the 2024 annual update of the NIPAs. As many of the source data changes made in 2025 may be temporary, the Handbook has not been updated to reflect the 2025 annual update. The source data incorporated for the update are described in the table “NIPA Revisions: Components Detail and Major Source Data and Conceptual Changes Incorporated, 2020-2024” and the article “Updated Summary of NIPA Methodologies.” Changes to methods and presentations introduced as part of the update are described in “The 2025 Annual Update of the National Economic Accounts.”
Additional chapters will be incorporated as they become available.
Chapters 1-4: Concepts, Source Data, and Estimating Methods PDF | December 2024
Chapter 1: Introduction PDF | December 2023
Chapter 2: Fundamental Concepts PDF | December 2024
Chapter 3: Principal Source Data PDF | May 2019
Chapter 4: Estimating Methods PDF | December 2023
Chapter 5: Personal Consumption Expenditures PDF | December 2024
Chapter 6: Private Fixed Investment PDF | December 2024
Chapter 7: Change in Private Inventories PDF | December 2024
Chapter 8: Net Exports of Goods and Services PDF | December 2024
Chapter 9: Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment PDF | December 2024
Chapter 10: Compensation of Employees PDF | December 2023
Chapter 11: Nonfarm Proprietors' Income PDF | December 2024
Chapter 12: Rental Income of Persons PDF | March 2022
Note - As part of the 2021 Annual Update of the NIPAs released on July 29, the methodology for preparing housing services was improved. An updated chapter with the new methodology is forthcoming.-->
Chapter 13: Corporate Profits PDF | December 2024
Chapter 14: Net Interest PDF | December 2023
Appendix: Summary National Income and Product Accounts PDF | May 2019
This appendix provides definitions of the entries in the NIPA 7 account summary table.
NIPA Glossary PDF | November 2019
All-Chapters PDF | December 2024
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Page last modified on 11/21/25