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WCAG 2.1 Compliance Checklist

Work through all 50 WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria. Mark each as pass, fail, or not tested. Your progress saves automatically — export a PDF report when you are ready. Required by the European Accessibility Act.

0%
0 of 49 tested

1. Perceivable

Information and UI components must be presentable in ways users can perceive.

1.1 Text Alternatives

1.1.1 Non-text ContentA

All images, icons, and non-text content have text alternatives that serve the equivalent purpose.

1.2 Time-based Media

1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-onlyA

Pre-recorded audio-only and video-only content has a text or audio alternative.

1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)A

Pre-recorded video with audio has synchronized captions.

1.2.3 Audio Description or Media AlternativeA

Pre-recorded video has audio description or a full text alternative.

1.2.4 Captions (Live)AA

Live video with audio has real-time captions.

1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)AA

Pre-recorded video has audio description for visual content.

1.3 Adaptable

1.3.1 Info and RelationshipsA

Information structure and relationships conveyed through presentation are available programmatically or in text.

1.3.2 Meaningful SequenceA

The reading order of content is correct and meaningful when presentation is changed.

1.3.3 Sensory CharacteristicsA

Instructions do not rely solely on shape, colour, size, location, or sound.

1.3.4 OrientationAA

Content does not restrict display to a single orientation (portrait or landscape) unless essential.

1.3.5 Identify Input PurposeAA

Form input fields that collect user information have a programmatically determined purpose.

1.4 Distinguishable

1.4.1 Use of ColourA

Colour is not the only visual means of conveying information or indicating an action.

1.4.2 Audio ControlA

Audio that plays automatically for more than 3 seconds can be paused, stopped, or its volume controlled.

1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)AA

Text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text) against its background.

1.4.4 Resize TextAA

Text can be resized up to 200% without losing content or functionality.

1.4.5 Images of TextAA

Text is used instead of images of text, unless customisable or essential.

1.4.10 ReflowAA

Content reflows without horizontal scrolling at 320px width (or 256px height for horizontal content).

1.4.11 Non-text ContrastAA

UI components and graphical objects have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent colours.

1.4.12 Text SpacingAA

No loss of content or functionality when adjusting line height, spacing, and word/letter spacing.

1.4.13 Content on Hover or FocusAA

Additional content triggered by hover or focus can be dismissed, hovered over, and persists until removed.

Perceivable: 0 of 20 tested

0 passed, 0 failed

What is a WCAG compliance checklist?

A WCAG compliance checklist is a structured tool for reviewing a website or application against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA success criteria. It helps content teams, IT departments, and legal teams systematically identify accessibility barriers and track remediation progress. According to the WebAIM Million 2024 study, 95.9% of home pages have at least one detectable WCAG failure — a checklist is the first step toward fixing them.

How to use this checklist

Start by selecting a representative sample of pages from your site — your homepage, a content page, a form, and a search results page. Work through each WCAG principle (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) and mark criteria as pass, fail, or not tested. Use browser DevTools, a keyboard, and a screen reader for thorough testing.

Your progress saves automatically in your browser. Share the URL with colleagues to collaborate, or export a PDF report for your compliance documentation. For a detailed guide on each criterion, see our WCAG compliance checklist guide.

WCAG compliance and the European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) references the EN 301 549 standard, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA. This checklist covers all 50 criteria that the EAA effectively requires. An accessibility audit typically uses a similar checklist as its starting point.

This tool is a self-assessment. To scan your entire website for WCAG violations automatically, including colour contrast, broken links, and missing alt text, see Askem Quality Assurance.

Last updated: March 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a WCAG compliance checklist?
A WCAG compliance checklist is a structured tool for reviewing a website against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA success criteria. It helps content, IT, and legal teams identify accessibility barriers and track remediation progress.
How many WCAG 2.1 Level AA criteria are there?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA includes 50 success criteria: 30 at Level A and 20 at Level AA. Level A criteria are the minimum baseline. Level AA adds requirements for colour contrast, text resizing, keyboard focus visibility, and more.
Is this checklist saved automatically?
Yes. Your progress saves to your browser automatically every time you mark a criterion. You can close the tab and come back later — your progress will be there. No account or login needed.
Can I share my checklist progress with my team?
Yes. Click the Share link button to copy a URL that contains your current progress. Anyone who opens the link sees the same checklist state. You can also export a PDF report.
Does the PDF export require an account?
No account is needed. We ask for your email and domain so we can include the domain in the report header and send you accessibility tips. The PDF downloads immediately in your browser.

This is a self-assessment. Askem monitors your site continuously.

  • Automated WCAG scanning
  • Contrast, alt text, headings, links, and more
  • GDPR compliant — EU hosted
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