Web accessibility compliance deadlines, as they currently stand
Four dates, two rules, both of which moved during 2026. Each row below links the Federal Register document that set it. Last verified September 27, 2026. The standard in every case is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, and it covers PDFs.
| Deadline | Applies to | Rule | Days remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 26, 2027 | Public entities serving a population of 50,000 or more | ADA Title II | 211 |
| May 11, 2027 | Recipients of HHS funding with 15 or more employees — hospitals, health systems, most clinics | HHS Section 504 | 226 |
| April 26, 2028 | Public entities serving under 50,000, and special districts | ADA Title II | 577 |
| May 10, 2028 | Recipients of HHS funding with fewer than 15 employees | HHS Section 504 | 591 |
The next one to fall is April 26, 2027, for public entities serving a population of 50,000 or more.
What changed, and when
Both extensions were interim final rules — they took effect without a prior comment period, which is part of why so much published commentary missed them.
- 20 April 2026 — DOJ. The ADA Title II web accessibility compliance dates, originally 22 April 2026 for large public entities and 22 April 2026 for the rest under the phased schedule, were pushed out to 26 April 2027 and 26 April 2028. The original date was two days away when the rule published.
- 11 May 2026 — HHS. The Section 504 dates for recipients of HHS financial assistance were extended by one year, to 11 May 2027 and 10 May 2028. This rule published on the day the first deadline fell, which is why a large amount of guidance written in the preceding weeks — correctly, at the time — still says healthcare organisations are past their deadline.
Each date and where it comes from
April 26, 2027 — ADA Title II
Applies to: Public entities serving a population of 50,000 or more
Originally 22 April 2026. Extended by the DOJ interim final rule published 20 April 2026.
Source: DOJ interim final rule, 20 April 2026 (FR doc. 2026-07663)
May 11, 2027 — HHS Section 504
Applies to: Recipients of HHS funding with 15 or more employees — hospitals, health systems, most clinics
Originally 11 May 2026. Extended by one year, by an HHS interim final rule published on that same date.
Source: HHS interim final rule, 11 May 2026 (FR doc. 2026-09266)
April 26, 2028 — ADA Title II
Applies to: Public entities serving under 50,000, and special districts
Originally 22 April 2026. Extended by the same DOJ rule.
Source: DOJ interim final rule, 20 April 2026 (FR doc. 2026-07663)
May 10, 2028 — HHS Section 504
Applies to: Recipients of HHS funding with fewer than 15 employees
Originally 10 May 2027. Extended by one year by the same HHS rule.
Source: HHS interim final rule, 11 May 2026 (FR doc. 2026-09266)
A disagreement worth knowing about
Secondary sources currently differ on the small-recipient HHS date. We have seen both 10 May 2028 and 11 May 2028 in print from reputable publishers, including one that cites the Federal Register document number correctly and then states the other date. The rule itself says 10 May 2028, and that is what this page shows.
A one-day discrepancy does not change anyone’s project plan, but it is a good illustration of why a summary is not a source. If a date matters to a decision you are making, open the rule.
What the standard actually requires of a PDF
WCAG 2.1 Level AA applies to web content, and both rules treat PDFs published on a covered site as web content. In practice the criteria that bite hardest on documents are:
| Criterion | What it means for a PDF |
|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | Every image and figure needs a text alternative that actually describes it. |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Headings, lists and tables must be tagged as such, so their structure survives being read aloud. This is the criterion most failures map to. |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | The reading order stored in the file has to match the order the content is meant to be read in — which is not the same as the order it appears on screen. |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | The document needs a real title, and it has to be set to display. |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | The document has to declare its language, or a screen reader may pronounce it using the wrong one. |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Form fields need labels. Without them the form cannot be completed. |
How to find out where you stand
You cannot hand-review a portfolio of thousands, and you do not need to — a large fraction of most estates fails on something a machine can detect. PDFCraft scans a domain, checks every PDF it finds, and returns a prioritised report with an estimated remediation cost. The first 25 documents are free.
See the overview for the method and a dated scan of published federal documents, or the cost calculator to put a range around your own estate.
Corrections
If a date on this page is wrong, tell us and we will fix it and re-stamp the verification date. That stamp is the only thing that makes a page like this worth linking to, and it is worthless if it is not honest. This page is not legal advice.