WCAG 2.2: Complete Guide
95.9% of the top 1 million home pages have at least one detectable WCAG failure, and the majority of those failures are invisible in the browser. They exist in the code, in heading structure, in unlabelled form fields, in missing captions.
This guide covers what WCAG is, how versions differ, which version your law requires, and what Level AA demands in practice.
2008
WCAG 2.0 published
W3C · ISO/IEC 40500:2012
2018
WCAG 2.1 published
+17 success criteria
2023
WCAG 2.2 published
+9 criteria · ISO 2025
Level AA
Legal standard globally
56 criteria cumulative
What Is WCAG?
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is a technical standard published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WCAG defines how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, language, and neurological disabilities.
WCAG is the globally recognised reference standard for web accessibility. Three versions of WCAG 2 are current W3C Recommendations: WCAG 2.0 (December 2008), WCAG 2.1 (June 2018), and WCAG 2.2 (October 2023). All three are backwards-compatible. Content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.0.
Conformance Levels
The Three Conformance Levels: A, AA, and AAA
WCAG has three levels of conformance. Nearly all legal requirements target Level AA. Understanding
what each level meansprevents both under-compliance and unnecessary over-engineering.
Version History
WCAG Versions: 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2
The three versions of WCAG 2 are designed to coexist, not replace each other. WCAG 2.1 did not supersede 2.0. WCAG 2.2 did not supersede 2.1. Each version adds criteria to the previous one.
The practical implication: build to WCAG 2.2 AA and you satisfy WCAG 2.1 AA and WCAG 2.0 AA simultaneously. There is no compliance cost to targeting the latest version.
Full specification: w3.org/TR/WCAG22
Version to Law Mapping
Which WCAG Version Does Your Law Require?
Three different WCAG versions are active in law simultaneously. Knowing which one applies to your situation prevents both gaps and over-engineering.
| Law | Jurisdiction | WCAG Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section 508 | US Federal + vendors | WCAG 2.0 AA | 2018 Refresh. Statutory. Link: /section-508 |
| ADA Title II | US state + local govt | WCAG 2.1 AA | DOJ Final Rule 2024. Deadline April 24, 2026. |
| ADA Title III | US private sector | WCAG 2.1 AA | Courts + DOJ reference. No explicit rule. Link: /ada-compliance |
| EAA / EN 301 549 | EU — 27 member states | WCAG 2.1 AA (updating to 2.2) | EN 301 549 V3.2.1 current. EAA enforcement June 28, 2025. Link: /eaa-compliance |
| UK PSBAR | UK public sector | WCAG 2.1 AA | Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018. |
Best practice target for any organisation: WCAG 2.2 AA. It satisfies all of the above simultaneously, is backwards-compatible, and is the current W3C Recommendation and ISO/IEC 40500:2025.
Current Standard
What Is WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 is the current W3C Recommendation for web content accessibility. Published October 5, 2023, it builds on WCAG 2.1 with 9 new success criteria and removes one that had become redundant. An update was published December 12, 2024.
In October 2025, WCAG 2.2 was approved as ISO/IEC 40500:2025. ISO designation matters specifically for organisations in cross-border procurement, international contracts, or any context where a contracting authority requires a formally cited standard.
If your federal or EU procurement documentation requires a standard reference, ISO/IEC 40500:2025 is the citation. It is also the version courts and regulators will reference as WCAG 2.2 adoption accelerates.
WCAG 2.2 is not yet universally required by law, but it is the recommended target for any organisation planning a long-term accessibility programme. Courts globally are increasingly referencing WCAG 2.2 criteria in accessibility cases.
WCAG 2.2 Changes
What's New in WCAG 2.2: 9 New Criteria
WCAG 2.2 adds 9 new success criteria and removes 1. For organisations already at WCAG 2.1 AA, only the 4 new Level AA criteria are required to reach WCAG 2.2 AA.
Source: W3C What's New in WCAG 2.2
Level A additions (2 cards side by side)
Level AA additions (4 cards, 2x2 grid)
Removed in WCAG 2.2 (full-width muted card)
4.1.1 Parsing — Removed because modern browsers handle HTML parsing errors consistently via the HTML5 algorithm. No longer creates the accessibility failures it once did.
Three Level AAA criteria were also added (Focus Not Obscured Enhanced, Focus Appearance, Accessible Authentication Enhanced). These are not required for legal compliance.
Foundation
The POUR Principles: Foundation of
All WCAG Versions
What Compliance Requires
What WCAG 2.2 Level AA Requires in Practice
Automated tools catch approximately 30 to 40% of WCAG violations. The remainder, heading structure failures, keyboard navigation gaps, ARIA misuse, focus management errors, exist in the source code and are
invisible in the browser.
They are also the violations most commonly cited in legal proceedings, because they require manual testing to find and manual expert work to fix.
These are the failure points that appear most consistently in WCAG 2.2 AA audits.
Every image that conveys information must have a descriptive text alternative in the alt attribute. Decorative images must carry an empty alt attribute so screen readers skip them. Missing or uninformative alt text is one of the most consistently flagged WCAG failures.
Every form input must have a visible, programmatic label that describes its purpose. Placeholder text does not substitute for a label. Autocomplete fields must identify their purpose so users can rely on browser autofill.
Text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background for normal text, and 3:1 for large text. User interface components and graphical objects require 3:1. Low contrast is one of the most common automated scan findings.
Every interactive element must be reachable and operable using only a keyboard. Focus must move logically through the page. Keyboard traps, where focus cannot leave a component, are a direct failure.
Pre-recorded video with audio must include synchronised captions. Live video requires real-time captions. Audio-only content requires a text transcript.
Focused elements must not be completely hidden by overlapping content such as sticky headers or floating banners. A WCAG 2.2 AA criterion. Common failure: sticky navigation bars covering focused links when tabbing down a page.
Interactive targets must meet a minimum size requirement under WCAG 2.2 AA. Common failure: icon-only buttons and small pagination controls without adequate target area or spacing between adjacent elements.
95.9% of top home pages fail at least one detectable WCAG criterion.
The scan identifies your detectable WCAG failures and maps them to the specific criteria your law requires, ADA, EAA, or Section 508. Takes 60 seconds. No account required.
Free Accessibility Checker
Ongoing Compliance
Find, Fix, Prove: What Ongoing
WCAG Compliance Requires
WCAG compliance is not a status. It is a programme. Every content update,
every new component, every third-party integration is a potential new failure point.
The Full Platform
The Platform That Makes the VPAT Possible.
Every step feeds the next. Install, scan, fix, and prove. The VPAT is the output of the whole system.
01 Install
Accessibility Toolkit
User controls from day one.
Every visitor.
02 Find
Scanner
Every WCAG issue across your
full domain.
03 FIX
Fix Hub
Assign. Fix with AI.
Verify. Close.
04 PROVE
Audit Report
Audit Report
How Accesstive Supports WCAG Compliance
Accesstive is an Accessibility Compliance Platform built for the gap between a point-in-time audit and ongoing WCAG compliance.
FAQs
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a technical standard published by the W3C. It defines how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG is not a law, but it is adopted by reference in accessibility laws across the US, EU, UK, Canada, and many other countries. The current version is WCAG 2.2, published October 2023 and approved as ISO/IEC 40500:2025. Full standard: w3.org/TR/WCAG22.
Each version adds success criteria to the previous one. WCAG 2.1 added 17 criteria to WCAG 2.0, focusing on mobile and low vision users. WCAG 2.2 added 9 criteria and removed one, with new focus on cognitive disabilities and touch targets. All three versions are backwards-compatible — meeting WCAG 2.2 AA automatically satisfies 2.1 AA and 2.0 AA.
Level AA is the standard required by nearly all accessibility laws globally, including ADA Title II, Section 508, the EAA, and UK PSBAR. Level A is the minimum baseline but insufficient for legal compliance. Level AAA is aspirational and not required by any mainstream law.
No. WCAG is a technical standard published by the W3C. It has legal force because national laws adopt it by reference or courts use it as a benchmark in accessibility discrimination cases. The W3C does not enforce WCAG and cannot impose penalties.
For ADA Title II (US state and local government), the DOJ's 2024 Final Rule requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA with a compliance deadline of April 24, 2026 for large entities. For ADA Title III (private businesses), courts and DOJ enforcement consistently reference WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the de facto standard. Full details: ADA Compliance.
The European Accessibility Act references EN 301 549, which currently incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA as its web content standard. EN 301 549 is expected to update to WCAG 2.2 in a future revision. Organisations serving EU customers should target WCAG 2.2 AA to satisfy both. Full details: EAA Compliance.
WCAG 2.2 adds 9 new success criteria. At Level AA, the 4 new required criteria are: Focus Not Obscured Minimum, Dragging Movements, Target Size Minimum, and Accessible Authentication Minimum. Two additional criteria are added at Level A, and three at Level AAA. Full breakdown: W3C What's New in WCAG 2.2.
WCAG 3.0 is the next major version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, currently in draft. The W3C is targeting a stable Recommendation for approximately 2029. WCAG 3.0 is not referenced in any current law and is not a compliance requirement anywhere today.
Start with an automated scan to identify detectable violations. Automated tools catch approximately 30 to 40% of WCAG issues. Manual testing with a keyboard and screen reader is required for the remainder. Run a free accessibility scan: Free Accessibility Checker.