The verdict in three sentences
A 400-employee company that sells or serves customers online in the EU must make its website compliant with the European Accessibility Act (EAA), enforceable since June 28, 2025. A realistic budget is EUR 7,500 to 37,000 excl. VAT for the audit and fixes, over 6 to 12 weeks depending on the site's technical debt. Waiting costs more: in France the fine can reach EUR 50,000 per breach, renewable, and public buyers and large accounts now ask for an up-to-date accessibility statement.
Who is covered and what the law actually requires
The EAA targets consumer-facing digital products and services: e-commerce, online banking, ticketing, transport, communication services, e-books. Service micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 staff and under EUR 2 million turnover) are exempt, a 400-person company is not. In France the technical standard is RGAA 4.1, aligned with WCAG 2.1 level AA, i.e. 106 criteria to test.
| Obligation | What it means | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|
| RGAA / WCAG 2.1 AA compliance | 106 criteria tested on a page sample | Applicable since June 2025 |
| Accessibility statement | Public page with compliance rate and exemptions | Publish and update yearly |
| Footer mention | "Accessibility: fully, partially or not compliant" | On every page |
| Contact channel | Form or address to report a defect | Answer within a reasonable time |
| Multi-year plan | 3-year plan (mandatory above EUR 250M turnover) | Recommended for others |
| Penalty | Up to EUR 50,000, renewable every 6 months | DGCCRF and Arcom checks |
What surprises digital teams most: compliance is not declared, it is proven. Without a documented audit, "not compliant" is the only legally honest mention.
What compliance costs: 2026 price grid
Prices depend on three variables: the number of distinct page templates, complex journeys (checkout, customer portal, multi-step forms) and the quality of the existing front-end code. A site on a recent CMS with a clean theme is fixed quickly. An older site with custom JavaScript components often needs a partial rebuild.
| Item | Corporate site (15-25 templates) | E-commerce or customer portal | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial RGAA audit (20-page sample) | EUR 2,500 to 4,000 | EUR 4,500 to 7,000 | 3 to 8 expert days |
| Front-end technical fixes | EUR 5,000 to 12,000 | EUR 12,000 to 30,000 | 10 to 45 dev days |
| Editorial fixes (alt text, headings, PDFs) | EUR 1,500 to 4,000 | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | Often underestimated |
| Re-audit and statement | EUR 1,200 to 2,000 | EUR 1,800 to 3,000 | Required to publish a rate |
| Team training (editors, devs) | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 | EUR 2,000 to 4,000 | 1 to 2 days |
| Yearly upkeep (monitoring, QA) | EUR 2,000 to 5,000/yr | EUR 4,000 to 9,000/yr | Prevents regression |
For a 400-employee company with a corporate site and a customer portal, the median scenario is about EUR 22,000 excl. VAT in year one, then EUR 5,000 to 7,000 per year. Against a renewable EUR 50,000 fine, or a tender lost for lack of a statement, the math is quick.
The typical 6 to 12 week timeline
| Week | Step | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | RGAA audit on a representative sample | Report, baseline rate, prioritized list |
| 3 | Decide: fix or rebuild some components | Costed fix plan |
| 4-8 | Technical and editorial fixes | Accessible components, corrected content |
| 9-10 | Re-audit | Final compliance rate |
| 11-12 | Statement, footer mention, training | Site you can publish and defend |
The components behind 70% of failures are always the same: dropdown menus, carousels, modals, unlabeled forms, poor contrast and untagged PDFs. Fixing them first often takes a site from 35% to over 75% compliance within a month.
Mini case study
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Thomas, digital lead at a 400-employee services company in Lyon, finds his customer portal flagged "not compliant". The initial audit costs EUR 5,500 and shows a 41% rate. Technical fixes across 18 templates cost EUR 16,000, editorial fixes EUR 3,500, the re-audit and statement EUR 2,200. Total: EUR 27,200 excl. VAT over 10 weeks, for a final rate of 88%. The company then bids on a EUR 380,000 public contract that required an accessibility statement: one won contract repays the investment fourteen times.
FAQ
Is my corporate site with no online sales covered by the EAA?
The EAA mainly targets consumer services, but as soon as there is a customer portal, online booking or a subscription form, the service falls in scope. When in doubt, a EUR 2,500 audit settles the question and documents your position.
Is an accessibility overlay or widget enough?
No. These EUR 500 to 1,000 per year overlays do not fix source code and are regularly cited in litigation. They replace neither the audit nor the fixes.
Should we aim for 100% compliance?
100% is rare on a living site. A rate above 75% with a published action plan is a defensible position, and most large accounts ask at minimum for a current statement.
How long does compliance last once achieved?
Each new page or feature can drop the rate by 5 to 15 points in a year. Accessibility QA built into releases costs EUR 2,000 to 5,000 per year and avoids paying for a full project again.
Is a redesign more cost-effective than fixes?
If the audit finds over 60% of criteria failing and the site is more than 5 years old, an accessible-by-design rebuild often costs about the same as fixes, with a faster site as a bonus.
Let's scope your project. RGAA audit, fixes and accessibility statement for a corporate site or customer portal, indicative budget EUR 7,500 to 37,000 excl. VAT, delivered in 6 to 12 weeks. 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.
