Institute for Fiscal Studies

What Institute for Fiscal Studies does

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is the UK's leading independent economics research institute, founded in 1969 and registered as a charity in England (charity number 258615/258815). It conducts rigorous empirical analysis of fiscal policy, taxation, public spending, benefits, education, health, housing, pensions, inequality, and related topics, producing reports, working papers, journal articles in Fiscal Studies, podcasts (IFS Zooms In), explainers, and interactive calculators (Student Finance, NHS Waiting Lists, Housing). Its core technical infrastructure consists of proprietary microsimulation models for tax and benefit analysis, operated through branded initiatives such as TaxLab, TaxDev, the Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy (CPP), cemmap, the Pensions Review, and the IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities.

IFS operates as a non-profit research organisation rather than a commercial enterprise. It is funded through a diversified mix of sources: an ESRC Research Institute grant constituting core public funding, grants from charitable foundations (including the Nuffield Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and abrdn Financial Fairness Trust), corporate and individual memberships, event revenue, training courses, and donations. All research is distributed free of charge via ifs.org.uk. The institute is governed by a board of trustees and led by Director Helen Miller, with a staff of 51–100 based in London. Its stakeholder base spans UK policymakers, parliamentarians, civil servants, journalists, academics, and the informed public, evidenced by 44,994 UK media mentions, 224 parliamentary debate references, and 614 government/parliamentary citations in 2025.

Name

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Legal name

The Institute for Fiscal Studies

Website

https://ifs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Institute for Fiscal Studies is the UK's leading independent economics research institute, producing rigorous analysis on fiscal policy, taxation, benefits, and public services to inform UK policymakers, media, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Public Finance Activities (921130), Administration of Economic Programs (926)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Economics, Finance & Funding Policy Research (EDADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ), Budgeting & Fiscal Planning (BPAIAEAA)

Keywords

• Economic research
• Fiscal policy analysis
• Public policy research
• Tax benefits research
• Economic data analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Institute for Fiscal Studies conducts independent economic research and analysis on UK fiscal policy, taxation, benefits, education, health, housing, and inequality. It produces reports, working papers, journal articles, podcasts, interactive calculators, and training courses that help policymakers and the public understand the impact of policy decisions on individuals, households, and businesses.

Product overview

The Institute for Fiscal Studies operates as a research institute offering a portfolio of economic analysis products rather than a unified software platform. Its core offerings include research publications (reports, working papers, and the Fiscal Studies journal), data tools (Fiscal Facts database), and interactive calculators (Student Finance Calculator, NHS Waiting Lists Calculator, and Housing Calculators). These products serve policymakers, researchers, and the public by providing independent economic analysis on UK taxes, benefits, public spending, education, health, housing, and related policy areas. The portfolio functions as interconnected research and analytical resources rather than an integrated product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy (CPP): The ESRC-funded Research Centre at the heart of IFS, focused on microeconomic analysis of public policy
• TaxLab
• TaxDev
• The Pensions Review
• IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities
• cemmap

Quantifiable outcome

• 44,994 mentions in UK media in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tax Foundation: US-based non-partisan tax policy research organization publishing independent analysis of tax and fiscal policy. Relevant peer to IFS's TaxLab because it occupies the same niche: dedicated, rigorous, non-partisan tax analysis aimed at policymakers and media in a single national context.
• Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR): UK progressive think tank covering economic, social, and public policy. Comparable in scale and audience to IFS, regularly cited in UK policy debates and competing for media attention on fiscal and inequality topics.
• Resolution Foundation: UK-based think tank focused on living standards, inequality, and labour market policy. Closely comparable to IFS as another ESRC-supported economics research outfit producing quantitative policy analysis and competing for the same media and government audience.
• National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR): One of the UK's oldest economic research institutes (founded 1938) producing independent macroeconomic and labour-market analysis. Direct peer because it shares IFS's mission of independent UK economic forecasting and policy evaluation under a similar charitable structure.
• Institute for Government: UK think tank focused on governance, Whitehall effectiveness, and public service reform. Adjacent peer to IFS because it bridges economic policy and government capability, serving the same ministerial and civil-service audience with research-based recommendations.
• Centre for Economic Performance (CEP), LSE: LSE-hosted research centre producing empirical research on labour markets, productivity, and education. Directly comparable to IFS's CPP in its ESRC-funded, academic-grade microeconomic research on public policy with similar funder and audience structures.

Emerging players

• Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA): UK free-market think tank producing economic policy analysis from a different ideological perspective. Partial peer because it shares IFS's UK fiscal policy remit and competes for media and political influence but takes contrasting editorial positions.

Broad incumbents

• OECD Economics Department: Multilateral organization producing influential country-level economic surveys, including for the UK. A broader institutional peer because its cross-country fiscal and economic policy analysis uses methodologies and produces outputs similar to IFS's international work via Country Studies and TaxDev.
• RAND Corporation: Large, US-rooted policy research organization covering economics, health, education, and security with global operations. A broader incumbent than IFS but operates a comparable model of independent, evidence-based research aimed at policymakers in multiple geographies.
• Brookings Institution: Major US think tank with established economic studies and tax policy centres. Comparable to IFS for its brand authority, scale of policy citation, and independent economic analysis aimed at governments and central banks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubelinktr.ee/ifszoomsin
• Xx.com/TheIFS
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstituteforFiscalStudies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Fiscal Studies