At Patrol, we often hear the same concern from brands when it comes to digital accessibility: this feels important, but it also feels expensive. What many teams don't realize is that there's a built-in incentive that can significantly reduce the cost. Through an ADA tax credit, eligible brands can get up to 50% of their accessibility investment back.
Accessibility isn't just a compliance or risk decision, it can also be a smart financial one.
What Is the ADA Tax Credit?
The Disabled Access Credit was created to encourage small and mid-sized businesses to invest in accessibility. It applies to both physical and digital accessibility initiatives, including website accessibility audits, code-level remediation, accessibility software, and ongoing accessibility services.
If a business qualifies, it can claim a tax credit equal to 50% of eligible accessibility expenses, up to $5,000 per year.
How the Math Works
The credit applies to eligible expenses between $250 and $10,250. Fifty percent of that amount can be claimed as a direct credit against taxes owed (not a deduction).
For example, if a brand spends $2,000 on website accessibility improvements, $1,750 of that amount is eligible after the initial $250. Fifty percent of that results in roughly $875 back.
Who Qualifies?
Most growing brands qualify. Businesses with $1 million or less in annual revenue or 30 or fewer full-time employees are generally eligible. This includes DTC brands, CPG companies, Shopify merchants, e-commerce businesses, and many startups.
How Using Patrol Helps You Claim This Credit
1. You document real accessibility costs
Patrol gives you a trackable log of the accessibility issues identified and the fixes deployed. That documentation helps support your claim that the expenses were indeed for accessibility improvements.
2. You reduce barriers faster
Patrol helps you prioritize and fix accessibility gaps more efficiently than manual audits — so you can accumulate eligible expenditures sooner and more confidently.
3. You stay more compliant
While compliance isn't required to take the credit, improving accessibility and staying compliant reduces legal risk and improves user experience — which means happier customers and fewer headaches down the road.
Patrol is not a tax advisor. Brands should confirm eligibility with their accountant or tax professional. We're happy to provide documentation to support ADA tax credit claims.