What's changing: accessibility dates to know

Checked on October 3, 2026Every date on this page was read from its source on that day. Dates can change, so check the source before you plan around one.

1. Late 2026Expected

   WCAG 2.2: updated ISO edition expected

   W3C expects it by late 2026. This is an expectation, with no firm date.

2. December 31, 2026Scheduled

   Ontario: accessibility reports due

   Businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees file their report with the province.

3. January 1, 2027Scheduled

   New York: state agency websites

   Websites created or modified after the law took effect are to conform, "to the extent practicable", to the most current WCAG at Level AA, or the agency posts a progress report. The state applies this as WCAG 2.2 Level AA.

4. January 12, 2027Scheduled

   FCC: video conferencing

   Interoperable video conferencing services provide captions and support third-party sign language interpreting.

5. April 26, 2027Scheduled, under challenge

   ADA Title II: larger governments

   State and local governments serving 50,000 or more people, at WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

6. May 11, 2027Scheduled, under challenge

   HHS Section 504: larger recipients

   Organizations that receive HHS funding and have 15 or more employees, at WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

7. December 5, 2027Scheduled

   Canada: federal public sector

   Canada's digital accessibility rules come into force. Web page duties begin for federal public sector entities.

8. April 26, 2028Scheduled, under challenge

   ADA Title II: smaller governments

   Governments serving fewer than 50,000 people, and all special district governments.

9. May 10, 2028Scheduled, under challenge

   HHS Section 504: smaller recipients

   Organizations that receive HHS funding and have fewer than 15 employees.

10. December 5, 2028Scheduled

    Canada: private entities and mobile apps

    Web page duties extend to federally regulated private entities averaging 100 or more employees. Mobile app duties begin for the federal public sector and for private entities averaging 500 or more. The public-facing web page and app sections leave out broadcasting, telecommunications and transportation providers.

11. June 28, 2030Scheduled

    EU: Accessibility Act transition ends

    Two transition periods end: the one that lets service providers keep using products they lawfully used for similar services before June 28, 2025, and the one that lets service contracts agreed before that date run unchanged.

12. No datePending in court

    NFB v. DOJ: court challenge to the Title II and HHS dates

13. No datePlanned

    DOJ and HHS plans to revisit their web rules

• WCAG 2.2

  An ISO standard

  W3C announced on October 21, 2025 that WCAG 2.2 was approved as ISO/IEC 40500:2025. W3C expects its December 2024 version to follow as ISO/IEC 40500:2026.

• EN 301 549

  Version 4.1.1 is published

  Published in September 2026, the new version of Europe's standard adopts WCAG 2.2. Until the European Commission cites it in the Official Journal, version 3.2.1 (WCAG 2.1 AA) stays the current reference, and no citation date has been announced.

• WCAG 3

  Still a working draft

  The latest draft is dated September 10, 2026. W3C says WCAG 3 "is not expected to be a completed W3C standard for a few more years", and no law names it.

• ADA Title II rule

  DOJ plans to revisit it

  DOJ's August 14, 2026 agenda lists a planned proposal "to reconsider whether some of the regulatory provisions imposed by the April 24, 2024 rule could be made less burdensome". Its date is "To Be Determined", and nothing has been published.

• HHS Section 504 rule

  HHS is considering the same

  HHS's agenda of the same date says it "contemplates" a proposal to reconsider parts of its May 9, 2024 rule. It gives no date, and nothing has been published.

• Section 508

  No change

  The standards for federal agencies still name WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA. The Access Board has published no technology rule in the Federal Register since January 1, 2025.

1. 01Find the rules that name you

   Go through the rules with your attorney. Legal questions are theirs to decide.

2. 02Test against a named WCAG version

   We test against WCAG 2.2 Level AA. W3C says content that meets WCAG 2.2 also meets WCAG 2.1 and 2.0. A test shows where a site stands on a given day. It does not answer a legal question.

3. 03Fix key journeys first

   Start with the barriers in what people come to do: booking, checkout, forms and sign-in.

4. 04Keep dated records

   Note what was tested and fixed, and when. Retest after changes.

These are technical steps. Doing them does not mean a site meets any rule. Your attorney decides legal questions.