Website Accessibility Statement: Template and Requirements

Sooner or later, a customer, a procurement officer or a regulator asks the same question: where is your accessibility statement? Some businesses publish one voluntarily. Others have to, because a law in their market requires it. The two cases come with different rules, and confusing them leads to statements that promise too much or leave out what the law actually asks for.

This guide explains what a statement should cover, where the law requires one for services in the US, UK, EU, Germany and Poland, and includes a copy-ready template. Treat it as a starting point, not as a finished legal document.

What an accessibility statement is (and what it is not)

An accessibility statement is a public page that explains how accessible your website or app is, what you know does not yet work, how you tested it, and how someone can report a barrier. Its job is transparency. A visitor who relies on a screen reader or a keyboard can see in advance what to expect, and your team has one place to send feedback.

It is not a certificate. A statement cannot make a site fully compliant, and it does not protect you from a lawsuit. In the United States, the ADA does not require private businesses to publish one. Under federal Title III, a private plaintiff can obtain an injunction and attorney’s fees, but not damages. State law can go further: California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, for example, sets a minimum of $4,000 for each offense. Website cases are also growing. According to Seyfarth Shaw’s count of federal filings, there were 3,117 website accessibility suits in 2025, up from 2,452 in 2024.

Where a statement is legally required

The rules differ by market, and they are narrower than many guides suggest. Check the scope before you copy anyone else’s wording.

Two details catch people out. First, the EU rules cover consumers only, so a business-only service is generally outside them. Second, the microenterprise exemption applies only to businesses with fewer than 10 people and with turnover or a balance sheet of no more than EUR 2 million. The German text we checked does not make clear whether the exemption also removes the information duty, so get advice before you rely on it.

Penalties are real. Under § 37 BFSG, offering a service in breach of § 14(1) can be fined up to EUR 100,000, and § 14(1) makes preparing the information a condition for offering the service. Poland’s act allows fines of up to 10 times the average monthly wage, and never more than 10% of turnover, for some breaches, such as skipping the conformity assessment. These are ceilings. The actual amount depends on the case.

What a useful statement includes

Whether or not your market requires it, a good statement covers the same core points. The rules above point to the same content.

1. 1Your commitment and target standard. Name the standard and its version. The European standard EN 301 549, which is built on WCAG 2.1 AA, is the usual reference for the EU rules. If you aim for WCAG 2.2 AA, say so.
2. 2Your current status, stated honestly. Choose one: partially conforms, not yet evaluated, or fully conforms. Use “fully conforms” only if you have tested every type of page and can show the evidence.
3. 3Known limitations. List the barriers you know about, with the page or feature, what fails and a planned fix date. The UK public-sector rules require the same kind of explanation, which makes it a sound model for everyone.
4. 4Alternatives. Explain how someone can get the information or finish the task another way, such as by phone or with an accessible document sent on request.
5. 5How it was assessed. Give the date, the pages covered and the tools used. State whether manual testing with a keyboard and a screen reader was part of the work.
6. 6A feedback channel with a response time. Name an email address or form, and a response time you can actually meet. For reference, Poland’s act requires a business to answer a consumer’s accessibility complaint within 30 days, with a longer deadline in complicated cases.
7. 7Regulator or escalation details, where required. In Germany, name the market surveillance authority responsible for your service. UK public bodies must link to the enforcement procedure.

The known-limitations section is the hardest to write, because it needs evidence. This is where an audit helps. The InclusiveWeb audit checks your site against 90+ WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 AA rules and produces a prioritized report that shows the issues and where they appear. You can turn that report into a dated known-limitations list. An automated scan is only a start, though. It catches part of the barriers, so manual keyboard and screen-reader testing still belongs in the “how it was assessed” section.

Copy-ready template

Replace every placeholder in square brackets, delete the options that do not apply, and check each sentence against your test results before you publish.

Accessibility statement for [Website name]
Last updated: [Month Day, Year]

Our commitment
[Company name] wants everyone to be able to use [Website name], including people with disabilities. We aim to conform to [WCAG 2.2 Level AA].

Current status
[Choose one option, and only after testing.]
Option A: This website partially conforms to [WCAG 2.2 Level AA]. The known limitations below do not yet meet the standard.
Option B: We have not yet completed a full evaluation. We will update this statement by [date].

Known limitations
- [Page or feature]: [what does not work and why]. Planned fix: [month and year].
- [Example: PDF price lists uploaded before [date] are not tagged for screen readers.]

Alternatives
If you cannot use part of this website, contact us. We can provide [information] in another accessible format.

How we tested
We assessed this website on [date]. The test covered [number] pages with an automated scan and manual checks using the keyboard and [screen reader and browser]. [Name of person or organization] carried out the assessment.

Feedback
Tell us about any barrier at [email address] or [phone number]. We aim to reply within [number] business days.

Regulator (where required)
[Name, address and website of the market surveillance authority, if your service is covered by national rules that require it.]

Do not publish a status line you cannot back up with a test record. If you choose “partially conforms”, the known-limitations list must match what you actually found.

Avoid overclaiming

Overclaiming is the most common mistake in statements. Phrases such as “fully compliant”, “certified” or “100% accessible” are checkable claims. If you cannot show the evidence, they become the first thing a critic or a regulator quotes. A short, accurate statement is easier to defend than a long one that promises more than your testing supports.

Test before you write the status line. The free WCAG checklist walks through the main criteria, and the contrast checker checks text and background colors. Both are a starting point, not a full assessment.

Action checklist

1. 1List the markets you sell to, and whether your services are offered to consumers.
2. 2Test the site with an automated scan and with manual keyboard and screen-reader checks. Keep a dated record.
3. 3Write the known-limitations list from your results, with a planned fix date for each item.
4. 4Set up one feedback channel and a response time your team can meet.
5. 5Add the regulator or enforcement details your market requires.
6. 6Publish the statement where visitors can find it, usually linked from the footer and the terms, and make sure the page itself is accessible.
7. 7Set a review date. Review at least once a year, and after any major change such as a redesign or a new checkout.