WCAG 2.2 Transcription Compliance: What You Need Before April 2026

The April 2026 deadline for WCAG 2.2 compliance is approaching fast, and organizations that publish audio or video content without transcripts and captions are running out of time. This guide explains exactly which WCAG success criteria require transcription, what your organization needs to do to comply, and how much it costs to get there using different transcription services.

TL;DR

• WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance requires transcripts for audio-only content and captions for all video content with audio.
• Three specific success criteria (1.2.1, 1.2.2, and 1.2.3) mandate transcription and captioning.
• Organizations that fail to comply face legal exposure, with web accessibility lawsuits increasing 64% between 2023 and 2025.
• Automated transcription services like PlainScribe ($0.067/min with SRT/VTT export) make compliance achievable at a fraction of human transcription costs.

What the April 2026 WCAG 2.2 Deadline Means

In 2023, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published WCAG 2.2, updating the global standard for web accessibility. While WCAG itself does not carry direct legal force, it serves as the benchmark that courts, regulators, and procurement policies reference when evaluating accessibility compliance. Multiple jurisdictions have adopted WCAG 2.2 Level AA as their standard:

• The European Accessibility Act (EAA) takes full effect in June 2025, requiring WCAG 2.2 Level AA for digital products and services sold in the EU.
• The U.S. Department of Justice updated its guidance in 2024 to reference WCAG 2.2 as the standard for ADA compliance for public-facing websites.
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which governs U.S. federal agencies and their contractors, aligns with WCAG 2.2.
• Canada's Accessible Canada Act and the UK Equality Act both reference WCAG as the accessibility benchmark.

By April 2026, organizations that have not updated their digital content to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA face increasing legal risk. According to UsableNet's 2025 annual report, web accessibility lawsuits in the United States increased by 64% between 2023 and 2025, with over 4,600 lawsuits filed in 2025 alone. Of those, 37% specifically cited missing or inadequate captions and transcripts as the accessibility failure.

"Accessibility is not a feature. It is a requirement. The organizations that treat transcription as optional are the same ones that end up in court."

Which WCAG Success Criteria Require Transcripts and Captions

Three specific WCAG 2.2 success criteria directly require transcription and captioning. Understanding exactly what each one demands is critical for compliance planning.

Success Criterion 1.2.1 - Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) - Level A

This criterion requires that prerecorded audio-only content has a text alternative that presents equivalent information. In practical terms, every podcast episode, audio interview, recorded lecture, or voicemail published on your website must have a corresponding text transcript.

For prerecorded video-only content (such as a silent demonstration video), either an audio track or a text description must be provided.

What you need: A full text transcript for every piece of audio-only content on your site.

Success Criterion 1.2.2 - Captions (Prerecorded) - Level A

This criterion requires synchronized captions for all prerecorded video content that contains audio. Captions must be accurate, synchronized with the audio, identify speakers, and include relevant non-speech sounds (such as "[applause]" or "[phone ringing]").

This applies to every video on your website, your YouTube channel (if embedded), your online courses, webinars, and marketing videos.

What you need: SRT or VTT caption files synchronized to your video content.

Success Criterion 1.2.3 - Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) - Level A

This criterion requires either an audio description track or a full text alternative for prerecorded video content. A text transcript that includes both the dialogue and descriptions of important visual content satisfies this requirement.

What you need: Either a descriptive transcript or an audio description track for video content where visual information is essential to understanding.

Step-by-Step Compliance Checklist

Use this checklist to systematically bring your organization into WCAG 2.2 compliance for transcription and captioning requirements.

Phase 1: Audit Your Content (Weeks 1-2)

• [ ] Inventory all audio-only content (podcasts, audio guides, recordings) on your website and platforms.
• [ ] Inventory all video content with audio (marketing videos, tutorials, webinars, course content).
• [ ] Identify which content currently has transcripts and which does not.
• [ ] Identify which videos have captions and verify caption accuracy.
• [ ] Prioritize content by traffic volume and legal exposure (public-facing content first).

Phase 2: Choose a Transcription Service (Week 3)

• [ ] Select a transcription service that exports SRT and VTT formats (required for web captions).
• [ ] Verify the service supports all languages represented in your content library.
• [ ] Confirm accuracy rates meet your quality threshold (95%+ for compliance).
• [ ] Test the service with 3-5 representative files before committing to full batch processing.

Phase 3: Transcribe and Caption (Weeks 4-8)

• [ ] Transcribe all audio-only content and publish transcripts alongside the audio.
• [ ] Generate SRT or VTT caption files for all video content.
• [ ] Upload captions to your video hosting platform (YouTube, Vimeo, self-hosted player).
• [ ] Review captions for accuracy, speaker identification, and inclusion of non-speech sounds.
• [ ] For WCAG 1.2.3, create descriptive transcripts for videos where visual context is critical.

Phase 4: Implement and Verify (Weeks 9-10)

• [ ] Embed transcripts on the same page as the audio/video content or link directly to them.
• [ ] Test caption display across browsers and devices.
• [ ] Run an automated accessibility audit using tools like axe, WAVE, or Lighthouse.
• [ ] Conduct manual testing with screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver).
• [ ] Document your compliance for internal records and potential legal defense.

Phase 5: Establish Ongoing Processes

• [ ] Create a standard operating procedure for transcribing all new audio and video content before publication.
• [ ] Assign ownership for accessibility compliance within your team.
• [ ] Schedule quarterly audits to catch any new content published without transcripts or captions.

Cost Analysis: Compliance with Different Transcription Services

The cost of WCAG compliance depends on the volume of content you need to transcribe and the service you choose. Here is a realistic cost breakdown for three common content library sizes.

Small Organization (25 hours of existing content)

| Service | Cost for 25 Hours | Caption Export (SRT/VTT) | Languages | |---------|-------------------|--------------------------|-----------| | PlainScribe ($0.067/min) | $100.50 | Included | 54 | | Rev AI ($0.25/min) | $375.00 | Included | Limited | | Rev Human ($1.50/min) | $2,250.00 | Included | English | | Sonix ($10/hr) | $250.00 | Included | 37+ | | Otter.ai Pro ($16.99/mo) | $16.99/mo + time | Limited export | English-first |

Medium Organization (100 hours of existing content)

| Service | Cost for 100 Hours | Caption Export (SRT/VTT) | Languages | |---------|-------------------|--------------------------|-----------| | PlainScribe ($0.067/min) | $402.00 | Included | 54 | | Rev AI ($0.25/min) | $1,500.00 | Included | Limited | | Rev Human ($1.50/min) | $9,000.00 | Included | English | | Sonix ($10/hr) | $1,000.00 | Included | 37+ |

Large Organization (500 hours of existing content)

| Service | Cost for 500 Hours | Caption Export (SRT/VTT) | Languages | |---------|-------------------|--------------------------|-----------| | PlainScribe ($0.067/min) | $2,010.00 | Included | 54 | | Rev AI ($0.25/min) | $7,500.00 | Included | Limited | | Rev Human ($1.50/min) | $45,000.00 | Included | English | | Sonix ($10/hr) | $5,000.00 | Included | 37+ |

At $0.067/min, PlainScribe makes compliance accessible even for organizations with hundreds of hours of backlog content. A 500-hour library costs $2,010 to transcribe with PlainScribe, compared to $7,500 with Rev AI or $45,000 with human transcription.

"The cost of accessibility compliance is a fraction of the cost of an accessibility lawsuit. A single ADA lawsuit settlement averages $25,000 to $100,000. Transcribing your entire content library with PlainScribe costs less than a single legal consultation."

How PlainScribe Supports WCAG Compliance

PlainScribe is particularly well-suited for WCAG compliance projects for several reasons:

• SRT and VTT export: PlainScribe generates industry-standard caption files that can be uploaded directly to YouTube, Vimeo, HTML5 video players, and learning management systems. This directly satisfies WCAG 1.2.2 (Captions).
• 47 language support: Organizations with multilingual content can transcribe and translate in a single workflow. This matters for organizations serving diverse audiences across the EU, where the European Accessibility Act applies to all official EU languages.
• Pay-as-you-go at $0.067/min: Compliance projects are typically one-time batch operations followed by smaller ongoing volumes. Pay-as-you-go pricing means you pay only for the backlog processing without committing to an ongoing subscription you may not need afterward.
• AI-powered summarization: PlainScribe's summarization feature helps create the text alternatives required by WCAG 1.2.3 by generating concise overviews of content that can supplement full transcripts.
• Automatic speaker identification: Accurate speaker labeling is important for caption quality and is specifically called out in WCAG best practices for distinguishing between multiple speakers in meeting recordings and interviews.
• 7-day auto-deletion: For organizations handling sensitive content (healthcare, legal, education), PlainScribe's automatic data deletion after 7 days supports data privacy requirements that run alongside accessibility mandates.

Common Compliance Mistakes to Avoid

Based on accessibility audit data, these are the most frequent failures organizations make when attempting WCAG transcription compliance:

1. Auto-generated captions without review: YouTube's auto-captions average 80-85% accuracy, which is insufficient for WCAG compliance. Always review and correct automated captions.
2. Transcripts stored as separate downloadable files: WCAG best practice is to embed transcripts on the same page as the media or link directly to them. A transcript buried in a PDF three clicks away does not meet the spirit of the requirement.
3. Missing non-speech information in captions: Captions must include relevant sounds like "[music playing]", "[laughter]", and speaker identification. Text-only transcription without these elements is incomplete.
4. Ignoring older content: WCAG applies to all content on your site, not just new publications. Backlog content must be transcribed.
5. Failing to caption embedded third-party videos: If you embed a YouTube or Vimeo video on your site, you are responsible for ensuring it has captions, even if you did not create the video.

FAQs

What is WCAG 2.2 and why does it matter for transcription? WCAG 2.2 is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2, published by the W3C. It sets the global standard for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. Three of its success criteria (1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3) specifically require text transcripts for audio content and synchronized captions for video content. Courts and regulators worldwide use WCAG as the benchmark for legal accessibility compliance.

Is there a legal deadline for WCAG 2.2 compliance? The European Accessibility Act requires compliance by June 2025 for new products and services. In the United States, the DOJ references WCAG 2.2 for ADA compliance but has not set a single universal deadline. However, the trend in enforcement and litigation is clear: organizations without WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance face increasing legal risk throughout 2025 and 2026. The practical deadline for most organizations is April 2026 at the latest, when enforcement activity is expected to intensify.

What caption file formats does WCAG require? WCAG does not mandate a specific file format, but SRT (SubRip Subtitle) and VTT (Web Video Text Tracks) are the two industry-standard formats supported by virtually all video players and platforms. PlainScribe exports both SRT and VTT files, ensuring compatibility with YouTube, Vimeo, HTML5 players, and learning management systems.

How accurate do transcripts need to be for WCAG compliance? WCAG does not specify a numerical accuracy threshold, but the standard requires that transcripts present "equivalent information." Industry consensus and legal precedent suggest that 95%+ accuracy is the minimum threshold for compliance. AI transcription services like PlainScribe achieve 94-97% accuracy on clear audio, and a brief manual review of the output typically brings accuracy above 98%.

Can I use YouTube auto-captions for WCAG compliance? YouTube's automatic captions are not sufficient for WCAG compliance on their own. They average 80-85% accuracy, frequently miss speaker changes, omit non-speech sounds, and contain errors that can change meaning. You should use auto-captions as a starting draft and then review and correct them, or use a dedicated transcription service like PlainScribe to generate accurate captions and upload them to YouTube as custom caption files.

Summary

WCAG 2.2 compliance requires text transcripts for audio content (1.2.1), synchronized captions for video content (1.2.2), and descriptive text alternatives for video (1.2.3). With web accessibility lawsuits increasing 64% over two years and over 4,600 filed in 2025, the cost of non-compliance far exceeds the cost of transcription. PlainScribe supports the full compliance workflow at $0.067/min with SRT/VTT caption export, 47-language support, and pay-as-you-go pricing that makes even large backlog projects affordable. Start with a content audit, prioritize public-facing media, and establish an ongoing process to caption all new content before publication.