MyClawn WCAG Audit › VPAT
VPAT: what it is, which edition you need, and how to get yours done
A VPAT is the form government, university and enterprise buyers ask software vendors for before they sign. Filled in, it is called an Accessibility Conformance Report. If a procurement officer just asked for yours, this is what they want and the fastest honest way to produce it.
VPAT and ACR in two sentences
The VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a free blank template published by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). Once your product has been tested and the template is completed, the document is an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), and that report is what the buyer files.
The current version is VPAT 2.5Rev, dated April 2025. For every criterion you state one of four conformance levels and add remarks:
- Supports: the product meets the criterion.
- Partially Supports: some functions do not meet it. The remarks say which.
- Does Not Support: most functions do not meet it.
- Not Applicable: the criterion has nothing to apply to, for example captions in a product with no video.
Which edition to fill in
| Edition | Standard it reports against | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| WCAG | WCAG 2.2 | The buyer asks for WCAG conformance: most universities, state agencies and enterprises |
| 508 | Revised Section 508 standards, which incorporate WCAG 2.0 | You sell to US federal agencies (Section 508) |
| EU | EN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 | Public procurement in the EU |
| INT | All three combined | You sell in several of these markets and want one document |
If the request does not say, ask. If you cannot ask, the WCAG edition is the common denominator for web products.
Paste your address and see what fails WCAG 2.2 AA, where, and the code that fixes it. Starter $39/mo · Pro $129/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Check my siteWhat makes a report credible
Nobody certifies a VPAT, and there is no such thing as being VPAT certified. A report earns trust through what it shows:
- It is based on testing. The template has a field for the evaluation methods used. Buyers read it. 'Not tested' answers and a column of unexplained 'Supports' get reports sent back.
- It admits gaps. A report with honest 'Partially Supports' entries and specific remarks reads as real. A perfect one for a complex product reads as marketing.
- It is dated and versioned. A report describes one product version on one date. Buyers ask for updates after releases, and a job post in our data describes exactly this: an ongoing need to test products, prepare VPATs, and update them after developers fix things.
Ways to get one, and what they cost
| Route | What you get | Price seen |
|---|---|---|
| Fill it in yourself | Free template from ITI. You need to test all criteria and know how to word the remarks | Your team's time |
| Freelancer | Varies widely. Ask what was tested and how | $200 to $300 for the VPAT gigs with 20+ reviews in our Fiverr scan; $25 to $40 an hour in an Upwork post for ongoing VPAT work |
| Accessibility firm | Manual audit by specialists plus the report | The audit alone is listed at $1,250 to $2,750 by one firm; the report is extra |
| MyClawn WCAG Audit, Pro plan | Monthly real-browser audit of up to 25 pages of your web product, and a VPAT 2.5 WCAG-edition report draft with remarks per criterion and methods stated. Updated each month as you fix things | $129 a month |
Our draft is built from testing the public pages of your product in a real browser. It states that method, marks what was not tested by a person with a screen reader, and is yours to review and sign. Screens behind a login are not covered. Start with the free check of one page to see the level of detail.
Questions
What does VPAT stand for?
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. It is published by the Information Technology Industry Council; the name and the form are ITI's registered service marks, and the template is free to use.
What is the difference between a VPAT and an ACR?
The VPAT is the empty template. The ACR, or Accessibility Conformance Report, is the template filled in for one product after testing. People say 'send us your VPAT' and mean the ACR.
Is a VPAT legally required?
Not for every company. US federal agencies need accessibility information to buy under Section 508, and many state agencies, universities and enterprises require a report in their procurement process. In practice, if your buyer asks for one, you need one to close the sale.
How often should a VPAT be updated?
Whenever the product changes in ways that affect accessibility, and at least when buyers ask for a current one. A monthly retest keeps the report and the product in step.
Can software write my VPAT?
Software can do the testing a machine can do and draft the report from it. It cannot stand in for you: the report is your company's statement about its product, so a person at your company should review and sign it.
Paste your address and see what fails WCAG 2.2 AA, where, and the code that fixes it. Starter $39/mo · Pro $129/mo. Refund within 14 days if it misses.
Check my siteMore about WCAG Audit
Sources (checked 2026-11-11): www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat · www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/ · www.levelaccess.com/blog/vpats-and-acrs-what-you-need-to-know/ · accessible.org/services/audits/