The verdict in three sentences
Since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act has extended accessibility duties to private companies with more than 10 staff and 2 million EUR turnover that provide covered digital services (e-commerce, banking, transport, communication services). A realistic budget for a B2B company site runs from 7,500 to 31,000 EUR for audit and remediation, plus annual monitoring. With penalties reaching 50,000 EUR per service in France, renewable, doing nothing costs more than complying.
Who is covered and what you must produce
The harmonised standard EN 301 549 incorporates WCAG 2.1 level AA, around 50 success criteria (106 tests in the French RGAA method) checked on a representative page sample. Compliance goes beyond code: it requires public documents and an action plan.
| Deliverable | Content | Indicative cost 2026 | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit of 20 pages | Compliance rate, list of failures | 2,500 to 6,000 EUR | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Accessibility statement | Status (non, partially, fully compliant), contact | Included or 300 to 800 EUR | 2 to 3 days |
| Multi-year plan (3 years) | Strategy, resources, schedule | 800 to 2,000 EUR | 1 week |
| Annual action plan | Prioritised fixes, owners | 500 to 1,500 EUR | 1 week |
| Footer mention | Compliance status link | Negligible | 1 day |
| Re-audit after fixes | Verification of new rate | 1,500 to 3,500 EUR | 1 to 2 weeks |
Microenterprises (fewer than 10 staff or under 2 million EUR) are exempt for services, but public buyers and large accounts increasingly require compliance in tenders.
Remediation cost by starting point
The remediation bill depends mostly on existing code quality and the number of templates. A recent, well-structured site is fixed quickly; an old site with a heavy theme can justify a rebuild.
| Starting point | Typical initial compliance | Remediation | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recent site, clean design system | 60 to 75 % | 5,000 to 9,000 EUR | 3 to 5 weeks |
| WordPress site with market theme | 35 to 55 % | 9,000 to 16,000 EUR | 6 to 8 weeks |
| E-commerce site with checkout | 30 to 50 % | 12,000 to 25,000 EUR | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Site older than 7 years, legacy code | 20 to 40 % | Rebuild often cheaper, 25,000 EUR and up | 3 to 5 months |
| PDFs and downloadable documents | Often non-compliant | 30 to 120 EUR per document | Variable |
| Videos (captions, transcript) | Rarely compliant | 50 to 200 EUR per video | Variable |
The most frequent failures remain poor contrast, images without text alternatives, unlabelled forms and keyboard traps. They often account for 60 % of issues and are fixed at component level.
Realistic schedule and penalties
A full project takes 3 to 4 months: audit (month 1), template-by-template fixes (months 2 and 3), re-audit and statement publication (month 4). Each member state sets its own penalties: in France up to 50,000 EUR per non-compliant service, renewable every six months; other countries combine fines with orders to withdraw the service.
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Mini case study
Nadia, digital director of an 80-person B2B services company in Paris, audits her WordPress site: initial rate 48 %. Budget: audit 4,000 EUR, fixes 12,000 EUR, plan and statement 1,800 EUR, re-audit 2,500 EUR, total 20,300 EUR. Against an exposure of 50,000 EUR per service, possibly renewed, the project costs less than half a single fine. Measured bonus after 6 months: contact form conversion rose from 2.1 % to 2.6 %, or 12 more leads per quarter.
FAQ
Is a 15-person company covered?
Yes if it exceeds 2 million EUR turnover and offers a service covered by the EAA, such as online sales. A pure brochure site without transactions is less exposed, but many large clients still demand compliance.
Is an accessibility overlay plugin enough?
No. Overlays at 300 to 500 EUR a year do not fix the code and auditors often rate them non-compliant. They can even degrade screen reader navigation.
Should we aim for 100 % compliance?
Full compliance requires 100 % of applicable criteria. Reaching 85 to 95 % with a partially compliant statement and a credible action plan is an accepted milestone.
What does annual monitoring cost?
Budget 1,500 to 4,000 EUR a year to check new pages, update the statement and train editors, which prevents losing 10 to 20 compliance points.
Let's scope your project. Audit, template-level remediation and mandatory documents: we price your compliance project between 7,500 and 31,000 EUR depending on your site, over 3 to 4 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
