Short answer
Businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees in Ontario must file an accessibility compliance report by December 31, 2026. The report is a self-assessment confirming you meet your AODA obligations. If you have 50 or more employees, that includes having a public website that meets WCAG 2.0 Level AA. The website rule is not new. It has applied since January 1, 2021.
Every three years, Ontario asks private sector organizations to put it in writing: are you meeting your accessibility obligations? 2026 is one of those years. Here is what the deadline means for your website.
Who has to file by December 31, 2026?
- Businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees file every three years. This is your year.
- Designated public sector organizations file every two years. Their most recent deadline was December 31, 2025, and a late report still has to be filed.
- Organizations with fewer than 20 employees do not file a report, though other AODA requirements still apply.
What is the report, exactly?
It is an online form, submitted through the province's Accessibility Compliance Reporting Portal, in which you confirm whether your organization meets each requirement that applies to it. Someone with the authority to bind the organization has to certify it. Ontario's own instructions are on its page about completing your accessibility compliance report (opens in a new tab).
Where does my website come in?
If you have 50 or more employees, one of the things you are confirming is that your public website and web content conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA. The only exceptions are live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions.
That is where many organizations pause. It is easy to tick a box about a policy you wrote. It is harder to say, honestly, that every form on your website can be completed with a keyboard.
What if my website is not there yet?
You still have to file on time, and you should answer truthfully. A truthful "not yet" backed by a real plan is a far better position than a "yes" you cannot support. The practical move is to get your site tested and fixed now so that you can answer yes with evidence behind it.
A simple plan for the weeks you have left
- Confirm your employee count in Ontario. That decides which requirements apply.
- Get your website tested. Automated scans plus manual testing, on every unique template.
- Fix the highest-impact issues first. Navigation, forms and checkout before the blog archive.
- Keep the paperwork. A record of what was tested, fixed and re-tested is exactly what you want on file.
- File early. Reporting portals get busy as a deadline approaches. Do not leave it to New Year's Eve.
Does installing a widget count?
No. An overlay does not make your site conform to WCAG, so it does not give you grounds to say that it does. More on that here.
What happens if we miss the deadline?
Filing is a legal obligation, and the province says that not filing may lead to enforcement action. That can mean notices, compliance orders and penalties. We cover the consequences in detail here.
Want to know where your site stands?
Send us your web address. We will test it by hand and reply with a fixed quote for real, code-level fixes. No overlay, no subscription.
This article is general information for Ontario organizations, not legal advice. For advice on your specific obligations, speak with a lawyer.