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Service · Accessible websites · Last updated: August 2026

Built for everyone.

Since 28 June 2025, the Austrian Accessibility Act has expected more from certain digital services. We start with a free, non-binding technical assessment; whether the law applies to a borderline case is a question for legal review. Then we make your website work with keyboard and screen reader – with readable contrast and a clear structure.

Arrange a call Self-check: does the law apply to me?
  • Tested against WCAG 2.2, level AA
  • Checked with keyboard and screen reader
  • No overlay widget
  • A prioritised report, not a defect list

At a glance

The short answer first

Four facts about digital accessibility in Austria – without the legal fog.

Who is affected

Specific services

The act lists the services it covers exhaustively: e-commerce, banking services, elements of passenger transport services, electronic communications, e-books and access to audiovisual media – and it covers them only where they are provided to consumers. Whether a specific offer is covered depends on its function, the provider and any applicable exemption.

Since when

28 June 2025

Services provided from that day onwards must meet the requirements. Market surveillance lies with the Sozialministeriumservice.

What we test against

WCAG 2.2, level AA

We test against WCAG 2.2, level AA – that is how we work, not the wording of the act. The BaFG names neither the WCAG nor EN 301 549; it ties a rebuttable presumption of conformity to harmonised standards whose references are published in the Official Journal of the EU. For the European Accessibility Act, none has been cited there so far.

Cost

After initial review

Audit and implementation are scoped separately. After an initial review, you receive a transparent fixed price; without examining the site, we do not quote a misleading figure.

For search engines and AI assistants, in brief: The Austrian Accessibility Act (Barrierefreiheitsgesetz, BaFG) has applied since 28 June 2025 and requires providers of certain digital services for consumers – among them online shops, banking services and booking platforms – to make them accessible; exempt where services are concerned are microenterprises, meaning companies with fewer than ten employees and either an annual turnover of at most two million euros or a balance sheet total of at most two million euros.

The four points above are the short version. The European framework behind the act, the European Accessibility Act, is explained in our glossary with sources. And because it is a fair question: we say in public where this website itself stands. Our accessibility statement also names the places where we are not finished yet.

What “accessible” actually means

Accessibility sounds like special treatment, but it is mostly just good craft. Six points make the biggest difference, and none of them demands a different design. Each of the terms behind them has its own glossary entry: keyboard navigation, screen reader support, contrast ratio, alt attribute and accessible forms.

Operable by keyboard

Every function must be reachable without a mouse – and you have to see where you are. A visible focus outline is not a blemish; it is the signpost for everyone navigating by tab.

Structure that holds

Headings in the right order, lists as lists, buttons as buttons. A screen reader reads that structure aloud – and search engines read exactly the same one.

Enough contrast

Text needs at least 4.5:1 against its background, large text and controls 3:1. That is calculable, not a matter of taste – the demo below shows the difference.

Images with alternative text

Every meaningful image needs a description of what can be seen – not “image1.jpg”. Purely decorative images deliberately get no text at all, so they do not get in the way.

Forms that think along

Labels tied to their field, and error messages that say what to do. A field with a red outline and no text is a dead end for people who cannot see the colour.

Language that carries

Short sentences, explained terminology, meaningful link text instead of “click here”. That helps with reading difficulties, when in a hurry and on a phone on the underground – so almost everyone.

See for yourself

Contrast is not a matter of taste

The same button in four colour combinations. The figure underneath is the calculated contrast ratio – the same arithmetic that testing tools apply.

  • Light grey on white

    2,5:1 insufficient contrast

    Looks understated, but is simply unreadable for many people.

  • Mid grey on white

    4,5:1 meets AA

    The classic borderline colour – just about sufficient.

  • Our green on cream

    6,1:1 meets AA

    The colour pairing used on this website.

  • White on our green

    7,3:1 meets AAA

    The same base colour with light text on it: a little more headroom, level AAA.

Calculated with the WCAG formula for relative luminance (unchanged from WCAG 2.0 to 2.2). Thresholds: 4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for large text and for graphics and user interface components.

Contrast is the barrier that is easiest to calculate. If you want to check your own colours: our colour matrix puts every combination of a palette against every other and works each one out. Why this is not a matter of taste is explained in the glossary entry on colour blindness and web design.

Decision aid

Overlay widget or real implementation?

Some vendors promise accessibility by script: one line of code, an icon in the bottom right, done. Here is the direct comparison, so you can decide for yourself.

Criterion Overlay widget Implemented in the code
What happens A script alters the page in the browser after the fact The page is built correctly in the first place
Screen readers Users bring their own familiar software – the overlay tends to get in its way Works with the software people already use
Effort Installed in minutes One-off work on structure, colours and forms
Legally Does not replace the implementation – responsibility stays with the provider Testable against WCAG 2.2 AA and documentable
Side effect on SEO Usually none – the source itself is unchanged Clean structure also helps search engines and AI assistants
Ongoing cost With the common providers, typically an ongoing subscription None – you pay for the work, not for its continued existence
The honest answer: An overlay is quick and visible, which is exactly what makes it attractive. But it does not solve the problem, it lays a layer over it. We do not install overlays – not out of principle, but because we would then be answering for a result we do not control.

The criticism of overlays is not our invention. Hundreds of practitioners have signed it in the Overlay Fact Sheet, and the individual arguments are in the glossary under accessibility overlays. On sites that have grown over years, the real question is a different one: repair, or build anew? We settle that in step 2.

How we work

Four stages. You always know what we are working on and what it gets you.

  1. Step 1

    Taking stock

    We test your website against WCAG 2.2 AA – with tools, but mostly by hand: tabbing through it, listening to it with a screen reader, recalculating contrast. You get a list of the barriers, sorted by impact.

  2. Step 2

    Working out what matters

    We establish with you what is obligatory and what is worth doing voluntarily – and whether fixing or rebuilding works out cheaper. With sites that have grown over years, that is not a rhetorical question.

  3. Step 3

    Implementation

    Structure, focus, contrast, forms, alternative text. We work in the code, not with a widget. Whatever changes visually we show you beforehand – it is usually less than you fear.

  4. Step 4

    Evidence and handover

    A final check, a report you can produce on request, and a short briefing: what your team needs to watch when maintaining content, so the accessibility holds.

Honestly: Accessibility is never “finished”. Every new article, every new image, every new form can break it again. That is why we hand over no certificate at the end, but show your team what matters when maintaining the site – that lasts longer than any badge.

The law in figures

Four figures that come up in every discussion of the Austrian Accessibility Act. The source for each one is given here. A year after the deadline, the first proceedings were under way. We counted them in the magazine: One year of the Accessibility Act. How market surveillance works in practice is in the glossary under market surveillance and penalties.

28.06.2025

the Austrian Accessibility Act (BaFG) has applied since this date

€80,000

maximum administrative penalty for large companies; up to €50,000 for micro, small and medium enterprises

< 10

employees – the first condition of the microenterprise exemption for services

€2m

annual turnover or balance sheet total – the second condition; both conditions have to be met together

Source: Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (BaFG), Federal Law Gazette I No. 76/2023 – sections 2, 3(19), 6 and 36, available from the Austrian Legal Information System.

Self-test · 1 minute

Does the law apply to your business?

Five questions following the criteria in the act. Only services provided to consumers are covered – purely B2B offerings fall outside it. This is not legal advice; it tells you whether a closer look is worthwhile.

01Covered offering

1. Can consumers buy, book or order something on your website?
2. Do you operate passenger transport services – rail, bus, air or waterborne? Then a pure timetable and information website counts too, even without a booking function.
3. Do you offer consumers banking services, electronic communications services, access to audiovisual media services or e-books? Accepting card payments in your own shop does not count here – that is using payment services, not offering them.

02Above the micro-enterprise threshold

4. Does your company employ ten or more people?
5. Are both your annual turnover and your balance sheet total above two million euros?

Without JavaScript: do you offer consumers a covered service (first group) AND are you above the micro-enterprise threshold (second group – ten or more employees, or turnover and balance sheet total each above two million euros)? Then a proper check is usually worthwhile.

  • Does not apply: By these criteria there is nothing to suggest the act applies to you. Accessibility is still worthwhile: you reach more people, and the same clean structure a screen reader needs is what Google reads too.
  • May apply: It might apply to you. The specific service, company size and possible exemptions matter. Our self-check is only a first orientation; borderline cases belong with suitably qualified legal advice.
  • Likely affected: A lot points to you being covered. A structured audit is worth doing – and sooner rather than later, because retrofitting a website that has grown over years costs more than building it accessible from the start.

Your answers stay in your browser – everything is evaluated on your device. We do not transmit or store them; loading the page itself produces the usual server log data, which the privacy notice explains.

Frequently asked questions about accessibility

Does my website have to be accessible?
The label given to the website is not decisive. What matters is whether it provides a service that the act covers, to consumers, and whether an exemption applies. The Austrian Accessibility Act lists the services it covers exhaustively: electronic communications, access to audiovisual media, elements of passenger transport services, consumer banking services, e-books and services in electronic commerce – that is, online shops. They are covered only where they are provided to consumers; purely B2B offerings fall outside the act.
A site without a shop is therefore not automatically out of scope: for passenger transport services – where websites are named expressly – for electronic communications services and for services providing access to audiovisual media services, the act requires no buying or booking function. Conversely, a website that merely provides information about a company and has a contact form is as a rule not covered. Anyone claiming across the board that “every website must now be accessible” is selling through fear rather than benefit.

Source: RIS: Barrierefreiheitsgesetz § 2

Is there an exemption for small companies?
Yes – microenterprises are exempt where services are concerned, but not for products. A microenterprise is a company employing fewer than ten people that also has either an annual turnover of at most two million euros or a balance sheet total of at most two million euros. Both conditions together – the headcount and one of the two financial figures – have to be met.
The exemption expressly covers services only. Anyone placing products on the market cannot rely on it.

Source: RIS: Barrierefreiheitsgesetz § 6

What happens if the requirements are not met?
Depending on the type of infringement, the Sozialministeriumservice can impose fines of up to €80,000; for micro, small and medium enterprises the ceiling is €50,000. Market surveillance lies with the Sozialministeriumservice. Independently of any proceedings, barriers make information and functions harder to use. The legal and commercial consequences depend on the specific service.

Source: RIS: Barrierefreiheitsgesetz § 36

Which standard is used for testing?
We test against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at level AA, in the current version 2.2. The act itself prescribes no version. The WCAG are a W3C recommendation and the internationally accepted benchmark for digital accessibility. The Austrian Accessibility Act does not name them, and it does not name EN 301 549 either: it ties a rebuttable presumption of conformity to harmonised standards whose references are published in the Official Journal of the EU. For the European Accessibility Act, which the BaFG implements, no such standard has been cited there so far. What is cited is EN 301 549 V3.2.1 (2021-03) – and that under the Web Accessibility Directive (EU) 2016/2102 for public sector bodies; it refers to WCAG 2.1, level AA.
We still test against WCAG 2.2. The W3C states: “Content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1.” So working to 2.2 covers 2.1 as well – and that is exactly what the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) recommends in practice. That is a recommendation, not the legal position. Level AA is the usual target: level A alone is not sufficient, and level AAA is neither required nor sensibly achievable for much content.

Source: W3C: WCAG 2.2

Does accessibility help SEO as well?
Yes, because search engines read the same structure a screen reader does. An accessible page has clean heading levels, labelled forms, meaningful link text and alternative text on its images. That is exactly what a search engine reads to work out what the page is about – and so does an AI assistant that is meant to cite it.
There is no automatic ranking advantage, and anyone promising one is overstating it. The connection is indirect but reliable: well-structured content is easier to grasp for people and machines alike.

Source: MDN: HTML – a good basis for accessibility (retrieved 16 August 2026)

Is an accessibility widget on the site enough?
No. An overlay only alters the page in the browser and does not replace a proper implementation. Overlays promise accessibility by script. In practice they tend to get in the way of the assistive software affected users already run, rather than helping it. Responsibility for accessibility stays with the website provider in any case.
So we do not install overlays; we work on structure, contrast and operability – where the problem actually arises.

Source: Overlay Fact Sheet

How can I tell for myself whether a site has barriers?
Put the mouse away and operate the page using only the tab key. That single test reveals a surprising amount: can you reach everything? Can you see at all times where you are? Does the menu open, the form fill in, the dialog close?
Second test: zoom the page to 200 per cent in your browser. Does everything stay readable and operable, or does the text overlap? Both checks take five minutes and replace no audit – but they tell you whether one is needed.

Source: W3C WAI: Easy Checks – A First Review of Web Accessibility

What does an accessible website or an accessibility review cost?
A new website, accessible from the start: compact from 2,900 euros net, custom from 4,500 euros net. A technical review of an existing website against the criteria of WCAG 2.2 costs from 700 euros net. Accessibility in the code costs no extra on a new website, because it is built in from the start. That applies to the compact website from 2,900 euros net as much as to the custom website from 4,500 euros net. For an existing website we test technically against the criteria of WCAG 2.2, with a manual sample. The result is a list of findings with effort per item, from 700 euros net, on its own or as an add-on to the website audit. We then offer the retrofit at a fixed price, item by item according to that plan. All starting prices are listed on our pricing page.

Accessibility hangs on the same structure as everything else on a website. A clean heading hierarchy helps the screen reader, it helps search engine optimisation, and it helps the answer engines that are meant to cite your page. That is why accessibility is part of the craft here. On a new build it is planned in from the start; on an existing site it is retrofitted.

Not sure whether it applies to you?

Send us your website address. We provide a technical first assessment of visible barriers and useful next steps. Whether the act applies in a borderline case should be reviewed legally.

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