Since the 1960's, a dramatic change has occurred in how people receive their income. Transfer payments, largely from government programs, have become a large source of income. As government programs became more important, the need for better information to evaluate them became more apparent. To fill this need, a new survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) was developed. SIPP was designed to record people's receipts of income, including transfers, and their participation in government programs month by month.