The verdict in three sentences
Since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (transposed in Germany by the BFSG and in France by the law of 9 March 2023) requires companies selling online or offering consumer digital services to make their websites accessible. For a mid-sized company, compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA (RGAA 4.1 in France, BITV 2.0 and EN 301 549 in Germany) costs EUR 7,000 to 30,000 in total in 2026 (audit + fixes), over 6 to 12 weeks. Against fines of up to EUR 50,000 per non-compliant service in France, renewable every six months, and up to EUR 100,000 in Germany, the math is quick.
Who is affected and what you risk
The rule covers consumer digital products and services: e-commerce, online banking, ticketing, transport, electronic communications, e-books. Microenterprises with fewer than 10 staff and under EUR 2 million turnover are exempt for services. A mid-sized company selling online or running a customer portal is therefore in scope.
| Obligation | 2026 detail | Penalty or risk |
|---|---|---|
| Conformance with RGAA 4.1 / WCAG 2.1 AA | 106 criteria to meet (RGAA) | Up to EUR 50,000 per service (FR) |
| Published accessibility statement | Conformance rate, exemptions, contact | Formal notice from market regulator |
| "Accessibility: non, partially or fully compliant" notice | In the footer | Administrative fine |
| Multi-year plan (public bodies and large companies) | 3-year plan | Up to EUR 25,000 |
| Contact channel to report issues | Form or email | Ombudsman complaints |
| Market surveillance | DGCCRF (FR), state authorities (DE) | Service withdrawal or suspension |
What compliance costs, line by line
Budget depends mainly on site size, technology (CMS, JavaScript framework, PDFs) and starting conformance. A recent WordPress site often starts at 50 to 60% conformance, a poorly marked-up React app at 25 to 40%.
| Line item | 20-page brochure site | E-commerce or customer portal | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit on sample (15 to 25 pages) | EUR 2,000 | EUR 5,000 | Full checklist, prioritized report |
| Technical fixes (HTML, ARIA, contrast, keyboard) | EUR 3,500 | EUR 15,000 | Depends on front-end debt |
| PDF and media remediation | EUR 800 | EUR 5,000 | Captions, transcripts, tagged PDFs |
| Re-audit and accessibility statement | EUR 700 | EUR 2,000 | Final rate published |
| Content editor training (1 day) | EUR 900 | EUR 1,800 | Prevents editorial regression |
| Indicative total | EUR 7,900 | EUR 28,800 | 2026 order of magnitude |
Beware of accessibility "overlays" or widgets sold at EUR 50 to 150 a month: they do not make a site compliant and the European Commission has explicitly judged them insufficient.
Rebuild or remediate: how to decide
| Starting conformance | Site age | Recommendation | Typical budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 70% | Under 3 years | Targeted fixes | EUR 5,000 to 9,000 |
| 50 to 70% | 3 to 5 years | Fixes + component rework | EUR 10,000 to 18,000 |
| Under 50% | Over 5 years | Accessible-by-design rebuild | EUR 25,000 to 45,000 |
| JavaScript app without semantic markup | Any age | Design system overhaul | EUR 20,000 to 40,000 |
Once fixes exceed 60% of a rebuild's cost, rebuild: you fix accessibility, performance and security in one go.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Thomas, digital director of a 250-employee company in Strasbourg selling equipment online (the same reasoning applies to a Berlin retailer under the BFSG), has his e-commerce site audited: 42% conformance. The fix quote reaches EUR 16,500, plus EUR 4,500 for the audit, EUR 2,000 for the re-audit and EUR 1,800 for training, totalling EUR 24,800 over 10 weeks. On the other side: a single EUR 50,000 fine on his checkout, potentially repeated, and the 12% of visitors with disabilities or limitations (vision, motor, seniors) who abandoned at payment. If this audience represents 3% of his EUR 1.2 million online revenue, recovering half the abandonments brings in EUR 18,000 a year: the project pays back in 16 months before even counting legal risk.
FAQ
How much does an accessibility audit cost in 2026?
Between EUR 2,000 for a brochure site audited on 15 pages and EUR 5,000 for an e-commerce site or customer portal on 25 pages. The post-fix re-audit adds EUR 700 to 2,000.
Is my company covered by the European Accessibility Act?
Yes if you offer the public a covered digital service (online sales, banking, transport, ticketing) and exceed 10 staff or EUR 2 million turnover. Pure B2B sites are out of direct scope, but public-sector clients often require it in tenders.
How long does compliance take?
Allow 6 weeks for a brochure site and up to 12 weeks for an e-commerce site. The audit takes 1 to 2 weeks, fixes 3 to 8 weeks, the re-audit 1 week.
Is an accessibility widget enough?
No. These overlays, billed at EUR 50 to 150 a month, fix neither code nor content and cannot reach level AA. Several US lawsuits have targeted sites that used them.
Should we aim for 100% conformance?
RGAA defines full conformance as 100% of applicable criteria and partial above 50%. A realistic target is 85 to 95% with an honest statement and a dated remediation plan for the rest.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site URL and scope: we will price the audit and fixes, between EUR 7,000 and 30,000 depending on the starting point, over 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.
