What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to validate the GETTSIM microsimulation model by comparing its results with actual administrative data on social benefit entitlements.

June 13, 2026Open Access

Evaluating the results of a social benefit simulation using individual administrative data on benefit receipt

Key Points

This research aims to validate the GETTSIM microsimulation model by comparing its results with actual administrative data on social benefit entitlements.
Analyzed administrative data collected during the application process to evaluate GETTSIM's simulations.
Assessed the quality of simulated social benefits against recorded benefits for accuracy evaluation.
Achieved a low beta error rate, demonstrating the model's accuracy.
Identified a high match between simulated benefits and actual recorded benefits, supporting GETTSIM's utility in social policy analysis.

Abstract

The simulation of social benefit entitlements is an important application of tax-benefit microsimulation models in social policy research. However, the simulation of social benefits that include a comprehensive means test and overlap with other social benefits is subject to numerous data limitations and simulation inaccuracies. This note examines the validity of the results of an open-source tax-benefit microsimulation model (GETTSIM) on social benefit entitlements. We use accurate administrative data collected during the application process for the simulation to assess the quality of the simulation. We find a low beta error rate and a high match between simulated and recorded benefits, making GETTSIM a powerful tool for the analysis of social policies.

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