Budgeting for accessibility is a deliberate, forward-looking process. It requires understanding why accessibility matters, planning for the real costs involved, and thoughtfully allocating resources over time.
Why Accessibility Requires a Dedicated Budget
From a risk perspective, accessibility is just like any other regulatory concern, like data privacy, environmental standards, etc.
Digital accessibility enforcement already has a strong hold at the federal level with regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ, which enforces Title II and Title III of the ADA), the U.S. Access Board (sets the technical accessibility standards, including Section 508), and the General Services Administration (GSA, which oversees Section 508 compliance for federal agencies).
And enforcement is becoming increasingly active at the state and local levels, with the DOJ’s final rule updating Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure that web content and mobile applications (apps) are accessible to people with disabilities.
Treating accessibility as a reactive effort will lead to higher long-term costs due to emergency remediations, litigation, or lost contracts and/or customers.
By contrast, Organizations that plan and budget smartly don’t just reduce risk, they boost operational efficiency. The result? Websites that are easier to use and maintain, and perform better, support SEO goals, and deliver stronger user experiences. All while building customer loyalty and strengthening the brand.
What’s Included in an Accessibility Budget?
A mature accessibility budget would include these common cost categories:
- audits and testing - automated and manual testing.
- remediation - correcting websites, PDFs, other digital documents, and apps, if appropriate.
- training - accessibility training for designers, developers, content creators, and the marketing, procurement, and IT teams. Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility.
- tools and platforms - accessibility testing software, document remediation tools, and assistive technology for manual testing.
- expert support - accessibility consultant or embedded accessibility professional to guide strategy, governance, and provide leadership for complex remediation efforts.
An accessibility budget should also account for:
- Major redesigns or platform migrations.
- New system procurements or vendor contracts.
- Ongoing content publishing and document creation.
- Periodic reassessments as standards and technologies evolve.
When and How Much to Invest
When to invest is easy. The most cost-effective time to fund accessibility is early and continuously. Shift left on accessibility.
According to the W3C Your budget and resource needs depend on your accessibility goals and the extent of the work required to achieve them.
There’s no one-size-fits-all budget number, but according to Karl Groves in his article How much should you spend on accessibility?, rough industry signals can help:
- Large enterprises often spend hundreds of thousands to millions per year on accessibility.
- Mid-sized orgs may carve out $50k–$250k/year depending on the digital footprint.
- Smaller teams can make meaningful progress with project-based investments like $5k–$25k/year.
He goes on to say Aiming for 5%–10% of your compliance budget is a solid starting point. For some, that may mean 0.1%–0.5% of total revenue—a modest investment compared to the potential costs of inaction.
Note: See Chris Hinds’ webinar How to Accurately Budget for Accessibility for a detailed view and scenario-based budget projections.
A Strategic Investment in Compliance
It’s easy to ask what accessibility costs. The harder and more important question is what inaccessibility costs.
In his webinar How to Accurately Budget for Accessibility, Chris Hinds of Equalize Digital states An organization’s budget is the purest reflection of its priorities.
That’s a powerful reminder of what accessibility funding truly is. It's an investment in fairness and inclusion so everyone, regardless of ability, can fully access and use digital resources. It’s a clear statement of an organization's values, long-term responsibility, and the building of digital experiences that work for everybody.
Resources
- How to Accurately Budget for Accessibility: Chris Hinds
- How much should you spend on accessibility?
- Determine Budget & Resources - W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
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