Accessibility law · Europe

United Kingdom WCAG 2.2 AA

In the United Kingdom, the standard to meet is WCAG 2.2 AA. It binds public sector bodies by regulation, and every service provider through the Equality Act duty. This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
WCAG 2.2 AA
Private sector
Covered
Accessibility statement
Required
Latest
2018; 2.2 since 2024
Reviewed
30 September 2026
The 55 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

Public sector websites and mobile apps must meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement; the Government Digital Service tests a sample every year and passes unfixed failures to the equality regulators. Every other organization serving the public in Great Britain has an anticipatory Equality Act duty to make reasonable adjustments, which names no technical standard but can be enforced by disabled people in the county court.

  • Public sector

    The state, regional and local authorities, bodies governed by public law and their associations, including intranets and extranets. Public service broadcasters are outside the regulations, charities and other NGOs are covered only if their services are essential to the public or aimed at disabled people, and schools and nurseries only for essential online administration.

  • Private sector

    Covered

    No technical rules. Under the Equality Act 2010, any business or organization providing a service to the public in England, Scotland or Wales must make reasonable adjustments, including providing information in an accessible format. The duty is owed to disabled people generally, so it applies in advance, not only when someone asks. Northern Ireland uses the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 instead.

Coverage

What it covers

Websites are only part of it. Each tile says whether these rules reach that kind of product, with the detail.

  • Websites

    Covered

    Public sector sites must meet WCAG 2.2 AA; private sites fall under the general Equality Act duty.

  • Mobile apps

    Covered

    Public sector apps for the general public since 23 June 2021; apps for closed groups such as staff are not covered.

  • Documents

    Partly

    Office documents such as PDFs published before 23 September 2018 are exempt unless needed for an active service.

  • Software

    Partly

    Not in the 2018 regulations; the Equality Act duty applies to a service however it is delivered.

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Partly

    No technical rule; the Equality Act duty applies to a service however it is delivered.

  • Public procurement

    Unclear

    Neither the 2018 regulations nor the Equality Act sets a procurement rule; procurement law was not checked.

Timeline

Deadlines

Every date here is already in force.

Dates move, so check the linked source before you plan around one.

  1. 1 Oct 2010 In force

    The Equality Act 2010 duties for service providers begin to apply in Great Britain.

    Source

  2. 23 Sep 2018 In force

    The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations come into force.

    Source

  3. 23 Sep 2019 In force

    Public sector websites published on or after 23 September 2018 must meet the accessibility requirement.

    Source

  4. 23 Sep 2020 In force

    All other public sector websites must comply; prerecorded video published from now on is no longer exempt.

    Source

  5. 23 Jun 2021 In force

    Public sector mobile apps must comply.

    Source

  6. 26 Oct 2022 In force

    Post-Brexit amendment: conformity is presumed for WCAG Level A and AA as amended from time to time, and the model statement is published by the UK government.

    Source

  7. Oct 2024 In force

    GDS starts monitoring against the new WCAG 2.2 success criteria.

    Source

  8. 3 Jun 2025 In force

    Monitoring and statement-enforcement powers pass from the Minister for the Cabinet Office to the Secretary of State.

    Source

Instruments

The law in the United Kingdom

2 laws, rules and rulings, oldest first. Each links to its primary source.

Every fact points at a primary source. Dates move, and several moved in 2025 and 2026, so check the source before you rely on one.

  1. 2010

    Equality Act 2010

    ss. 20, 29, 114, 118, 119 and Sch. 2

    Service providers and bodies exercising public functions must make reasonable adjustments, including providing information in an accessible format; the duty is owed to disabled people generally, so it is anticipatory. No technical standard is named. Claims go to the county court (sheriff in Scotland); the services provisions do not extend to Northern Ireland.

    Primary source

  2. 2018; 2.2 since 2024 Latest

    The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018

    SI 2018/952, as amended by SI 2022/1097 and SI 2025/557

    Public sector websites and apps must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust, and are presumed to conform if they meet WCAG Level A and AA as amended from time to time, which today means WCAG 2.2 AA. Bodies must also publish an accessibility statement and assess any disproportionate burden they claim.

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    The Government Digital Service (GDS) monitors on behalf of the Secretary of State (the role moved from the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 3 June 2025). The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) enforces in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) in Northern Ireland.

  • How

    GDS tests a sample of sites and apps every year with automated (axe) and manual checks, sends a report, expects fixes within 12 weeks, retests and passes unresolved cases to the EHRC or ECNI. Users must first raise a problem with the public body; if its response is unsatisfactory they can complain to the enforcement body, in Great Britain through the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

  • Penalties

    No fixed fines. A public body's failure to meet the accessibility requirement is treated as a failure to make a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act (or the Disability Discrimination Act in Northern Ireland). Courts can grant any remedy available in tort or judicial review, including injunctions and damages for injured feelings. The EHRC can investigate, issue unlawful act notices, make binding agreements and seek injunctions.

  • Individuals

    Yes. A disabled person can sue any service provider in the county court (the sheriff court in Scotland), normally within 6 months of the act. For a public sector site they can also complain to the body and then to the EASS or EHRC.

Accessibility statement

A statement is required

Required

Every public sector body must publish a statement for each website and app, following the government's model statement and kept under regular review. It must explain which content is not accessible and why, describe accessible alternatives, link to a contact form for reporting problems and requesting excluded content, and link to the enforcement procedure. The Secretary of State can demand evidence of compliance within 28 days and publish the name of a body that fails.

Exemptions

What is exempt

Exemptions are narrow and usually have to be claimed and explained, not assumed.

  • Public service broadcasters and their subsidiaries.
  • Non-governmental organizations such as charities, unless their services are essential to the public or aimed at disabled people.
  • Schools and nurseries, except content for essential online administration.
  • Office documents such as PDFs published before 23 September 2018, unless needed for active administrative processes.
  • Prerecorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020, and all live audio and video.
  • Online maps, as long as essential information for navigation maps is given in an accessible form.
  • Third-party content the body neither funds, develops nor controls.
  • Reproductions of heritage collection items that cannot be made fully accessible.
  • Intranet and extranet content published before 23 September 2019, until the site is substantially revised.
  • Archived sites that are not needed for active administration and have not been updated since 23 September 2019.
  • Disproportionate burden, if formally assessed and explained in the accessibility statement.
  • Under the Equality Act, a service provider need not take a step that would fundamentally alter the nature of its service or trade.

The standard

What WCAG 2.2 Level AA asks for

55 success criteria: 31 at Level A and 24 at Level AA.

1. Perceivable

2. Operable

3. Understandable

4. Robust

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is WCAG 2.2 Level AA.

  1. Audit your pages against WCAG 2.2 Level AA: 55 success criteria at Level A and AA.
  2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
  3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
  4. Publish an accessibility statement that says what does not meet the standard yet, and how to report a problem.
  5. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

Questions

Common questions

  • Does it apply to private companies?

    Not the 2018 regulations. But the Equality Act 2010 requires any business serving the public in Great Britain to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including accessible formats for information, and the duty is owed to disabled people generally. The Act names no technical standard, so a court decides what was reasonable; WCAG 2.2 AA is the level the public sector must meet.

  • Which WCAG version do public sector sites need?

    WCAG 2.2 AA. Since the 2022 amendment, regulation 9 presumes conformity for sites and apps that meet WCAG Level A and AA as amended from time to time, and GDS has monitored the WCAG 2.2 criteria since October 2024.

  • Do old PDFs have to be fixed?

    Not if they were published before 23 September 2018 and are not needed for an active administrative process, such as a form someone must complete to use a service. Documents published since then must meet the standard.

  • What happens if GDS finds problems?

    GDS sends a report, expects the issues fixed within 12 weeks and then retests. Unresolved failures go to the EHRC (or the ECNI in Northern Ireland), which can use its enforcement powers. The failure also counts as a failure to make a reasonable adjustment, which a disabled person can take to court.

  • Is Northern Ireland different?

    Yes. The Equality Act 2010 services provisions do not extend there. The 2018 regulations apply through the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 instead, and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland enforces them.

Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these; the few secondary sources are marked. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

Elsewhere

Also in Europe

Other regions