The verdict in three sentences
For a Dublin company selling to consumers online, European Accessibility Act compliance costs 4,000 to 12,000 EUR excl. VAT for a WCAG 2.2 audit in 2026, plus 6,000 to 35,000 EUR for fixes depending on the state of the site and the number of customer journeys. The EAA has applied since 28 June 2025 and Ireland transposed it with its own enforcement regime, so the question is no longer whether but how fast. The right order is well established: a sampled audit, a published accessibility statement, a remediation roadmap, then prioritised fixes.
What the EAA requires from a business in Ireland in 2026
The European Accessibility Act covers consumer-facing digital services such as e-commerce, online banking, booking and ticketing, electronic communications and e-books. It points to the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which in turn relies on WCAG success criteria at level AA. Purely B2B websites can fall outside the strict scope, but many Irish B2B firms are pulled in through public tenders, enterprise procurement and multinational clients that now require WCAG 2.2 AA. Micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 staff and under 2 million EUR turnover) are exempt for services.
| Requirement | What is expected | Frequency | Risk if missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.2 AA conformance | Perceivable, operable, understandable, robust content | Continuous | Enforcement action and fines |
| Accessibility statement | Conformance level, known issues, contact, enforcement route | Updated after each audit | Non-compliance finding |
| Service information | How the service meets accessibility requirements | Permanent, in terms of service or site | Complaint to the market surveillance authority |
| Accessible checkout and forms | Keyboard, labels, error messages, time limits | Each release | Lost customers and complaints |
| Accessible documents | Contracts, invoices, product sheets (PDF) | Continuous | Partial non-conformance |
| Supplier evidence | Accessibility conformance report for third-party widgets | At procurement | Liability stays with you |
In Ireland, enforcement is shared between designated authorities, and the transposition regulations provide for fines and, in serious cases, prosecution. Large procurement buyers also ask for an Accessibility Conformance Report before signing.
What EAA compliance costs in Dublin
The figures below are a 2026 market estimate for specialist auditors and agencies experienced in accessibility in Dublin.
| Line item | Range excl. VAT (2026 estimate) | Timeline | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.2 audit, brochure site (10 to 15 sample pages) | 4,000 to 6,000 EUR | 2 to 3 weeks | Criterion by criterion report |
| WCAG 2.2 audit, site with checkout or customer portal | 6,000 to 12,000 EUR | 3 to 5 weeks | Includes forms and key journeys |
| Technical fixes (templates, keyboard navigation, contrast) | 6,000 to 18,000 EUR | 4 to 8 weeks | Depends on the CMS or front-end stack |
| Heavy fixes or partial rebuild | 18,000 to 35,000 EUR | 2 to 4 months | When the theme is too old |
| Accessible PDFs | 40 to 150 EUR per document | Continuous | Prioritise the most downloaded |
| Content editor training | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR per day | 1 to 2 days | Prevents regression after fixes |
| Re-audit after remediation | 2,000 to 4,000 EUR | 1 to 2 weeks | Provides the figure for the statement |
The most underestimated item is training the people who publish: without it, every new page, image without alt text or scanned PDF lowers conformance within a few months.
Prioritising when budget is limited
Nobody fixes every WCAG criterion at once. The most defensible method is to fix critical customer journeys first (sign-up, quote request, checkout, account login), then the templates repeated on every page (navigation, footer, cookie banner), and finally editorial content. A good audit delivers this prioritisation with a cost per batch, so remediation can be spread over two budget cycles and documented in the roadmap.
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Illustrative example: Aoife, head of digital at a 60-employee software and services firm in Dublin selling subscriptions online, starts from an unknown conformance level. She orders an audit at 8,000 EUR excl. VAT, which finds 41% of tested criteria passing. Plan: 14,000 EUR of fixes on templates and the checkout, 2,500 EUR of training for 8 editors, 3,000 EUR re-audit. Total: 27,500 EUR excl. VAT across 2026, with a target of full AA on the checkout and 80% site-wide, and an accessibility conformance report she can now attach to enterprise tenders worth far more than the project.
FAQ
How much does a WCAG 2.2 audit cost in Dublin in 2026?
Market estimate: 4,000 to 6,000 EUR excl. VAT for a brochure site and 6,000 to 12,000 EUR when the sample includes checkout or a customer portal. A re-audit after fixes costs 2,000 to 4,000 EUR.
Does the EAA apply to a B2B website?
The strict scope targets consumer-facing services, so a purely B2B site can fall outside it. In practice, a growing share of public and enterprise tenders ask for WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA evidence, and an audit at 4,000 to 6,000 EUR is often cheaper than losing a single contract.
Do we have to reach 100% conformance?
The target is WCAG AA conformance on the service, but regulators look at good faith: a published statement, a dated roadmap and visible progress. Prioritise checkout and forms, where 100% is expected.
How long does full remediation take?
Plan 3 to 6 months between the audit and the re-audit for a mid-sized site. Legacy PDFs are then handled progressively.
Is a rebuild mandatory?
Not always. If templates can be edited, 6,000 to 18,000 EUR of fixes is often enough; a rebuild makes sense when the theme blocks more than 30% of the criteria.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site URL, your key customer journeys and your deadline, and we will scope the audit, the fixes and the timeline in a free quote. 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.
