Q: I keep getting a request form from the U.S. Census. I was wondering if this is truly mandatory for me to fill out and return? I don’t like giving any more information than I absolutely have to. We read somewhere that if you don’t fill it out you could be fined up to $100, is this true?

B.D.

Answer: Yes, in theory that is true. According to U.S. Code, if you are 18 or older and refuse or “willfully neglect” to answer the Census, you are subject to a fine of up to $100. If you willfully give false information, that could be subject to an even higher fine, up to $500; or if it was false with the intent to “cause inaccurate renumeration of population,” it could be up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both.

However, as a 2014 report at Politifact found, no one has been penalized for not answering the census since 1970. The option is still out there, though, and there are negative consequences to not answering it.