Some recent discussions in the Accessibility Slack, as well as with some customers, inspired me to do some research on what you should spend on digital accessibility.
In a business environment increasingly shaped by regulation, risk, and reputation, the question “How much should you spend on digital accessibility?” is more than a budgeting decision—it’s a strategic one. As organizations allocate growing portions of their revenue to compliance activities, digital accessibility is emerging not only as a legal requirement but also as a vital pillar of inclusive, ethical, and sustainable business practices.
Accessibility as a Compliance Domain
Traditionally, corporate compliance programs have focused on domains like financial regulation, data privacy, cybersecurity, labor law, and environmental standards. Yet over the last decade, digital accessibility—ensuring that websites, mobile apps, and digital content are usable by people with disabilities—has joined this roster of high-stakes regulatory concerns.
Laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the European Accessibility Act, and many other similar laws throughout the world have established clear obligations for digital accessibility. Non-compliance can result in fines, lawsuits, lost contracts, and reputational damage. In fact, thousands of digital accessibility lawsuits are filed annually in the United States alone, with similar trends gaining traction globally.
As a result, spending on accessibility should be viewed as part of an organization’s overall compliance budget—just like GDPR, HIPAA, or SOX. It’s no longer optional; it’s an enforceable, essential part of doing business.
What Do Companies Spend on Compliance Overall?
Understanding how much to allocate to digital accessibility requires situating it within the broader landscape of compliance spending.
According to various industry studies, companies typically spend between 3% to 10% of their annual revenue on compliance overall. Heavily regulated industries like financial services and healthcare may spend even more—banks often allocate 6% to 10%, and some small financial firms report spending nearly 20% of their revenue on compliance efforts.
Globally, regulatory compliance costs are estimated to exceed $1.9 trillion annually. Companies in North America and Europe lead in absolute spending due to stricter regulatory environments, while Asia-Pacific and other regions are quickly catching up as global standards harmonize.
Large companies may enjoy economies of scale and internal compliance teams, but small to mid-sized businesses often face a disproportionately high burden relative to their revenue. For them, strategic compliance investments can be make-or-break.
How Accessibility Fits into the Compliance Budget
While digital accessibility is still a relatively small line item compared to privacy or cybersecurity for many companies, that is changing. Accessibility is increasingly becoming a cross-cutting requirement, affecting procurement, marketing, HR, customer support, and product development. It intersects with legal risk, brand trust, and user experience.
Budgeting for digital accessibility can include:
- Audits and testing (automated and manual)
- Remediation of websites, PDFs, videos, and apps
- Staff training on accessibility
- Consulting or agency partnerships
- Tooling (e.g., linters, testing frameworks, screen reader licenses, testing platforms)
- Policy and governance work
For large enterprises, full accessibility programs can range into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars annually, depending on the digital footprint. However, for many small to medium-sized organizations, even 0.1% to 0.5% of revenue allocated to accessibility can support meaningful progress.
Consider this: if your company spends 5% of its $10M revenue on compliance ($500,000), allocating 5%–10% of that compliance budget to accessibility ($25,000–$50,000) would represent a balanced, defensible investment aligned with legal risk and impact.
Accessibility Spending Benchmarks
There are currently few standardized benchmarks for digital accessibility spending, but industry signals offer guidance:
- Global 2000 companies typically maintain dedicated accessibility teams and often spend over $1M/year on accessibility efforts.
- Mid-market firms (revenues between $50M–$500M) may spend between $50,000 to $250,000/year, depending on sector, risk profile, and public exposure.
- Small businesses often start with project-based investments, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000/year, focused on audit, remediation, and training.
Organizations that build accessibility into their development and design lifecycles from the start tend to spend significantly less over time than those who retroactively fix issues in response to complaints or litigation.
The Cost of Not Investing
Like all compliance categories, non-compliance is far more expensive than compliance. According to the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of compliance for organizations is around $5.5 million, while the cost of non-compliance is $14.8 million—nearly 3x higher.
In the context of digital accessibility, non-compliance can trigger:
- Costly lawsuits and settlements
- Regulatory fines
- Loss of government or enterprise contracts
- Damaged brand reputation and public trust
Moreover, as accessibility lawsuits become more frequent, proactive investment becomes a risk mitigation strategy. Organizations that can demonstrate good-faith efforts, documented progress, and internal governance often fare better in legal disputes. The converse is also true: getting sued automatically increases the amount you end up spending on accessibility.
Beyond Compliance: The Strategic Value of Accessibility
While accessibility should be framed as a compliance obligation, the smartest organizations view it as a strategic differentiator. Accessible digital experiences:
- Open access to over 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide
- Improve usability for all users, including those on mobile or with temporary impairments
- Support aging populations and growing legal mandates
- Strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts
The ROI of accessibility isn’t just in risk reduction—it’s also in market reach, brand loyalty, and innovation.
Final Thoughts
So how much should you spend on digital accessibility? The answer depends on your organization’s size, industry, and digital complexity—but a good rule of thumb is to treat accessibility as a core part of your compliance strategy. 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.
Accessibility is compliance. But it’s also opportunity. Make sure your budget reflects both.