Get a $5,000 Tax Credit for Making Your Business Website ADA Compliant!

Often, when we think of ADA compliance, what comes to mind is ensuring accessible parking outside a business or providing other reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities.

Many don’t realize that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a business must also ensure its website is accessible. That's because your business website is considered public, which falls under the ADA umbrella.

Website accessibility includes optimizing for screen readers (i.e., images with alternative text), providing audio alternatives and ensuring the site can be navigated via a keyboard, among other features designed to aid those with disabilities. There is a set of standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that offers guidelines.

Complying with ADA guidelines for your business website can earn you a tax credit of up to $5,000 and follow good business practices. The IRS also allows a tax deduction for businesses not eligible to receive the tax credit. The Americans with Disabilities Act helps ensure people of all abilities have access to public spaces and places. When your website is accessible to all, it’s a win-win situation!

The tax credit is available to businesses that have total revenues of $1,000,000 or less in the previous tax year or 30 or fewer full-time employees. This credit can cover 50% of the eligible access expenditures in a year up to $10,250 (maximum credit of $5000). The tax deduction is available to ALL businesses with a maximum deduction of $15,000 per year. The tax deduction can be claimed for expenses incurred in removing barriers and other improvements to facilitate those with disabilities.