*Please note: we are not tax experts or legal consultants and this is not legal advice. We advise you to talk to your tax advisor for confirmation.
If you have a website for your business, you’ve more than likely heard the term “website accessibility” thrown around lately. Recently, several small local businesses have received demanding letters and have even been sued because their websites do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
But what does “Accessibility” actually mean?
“Accessibility” refers to your website being coded to be read by screen readers and to be used by people with various disabilities. The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) most recent web content accessibility guidelines are known as WCAG 2.1.
Making a website’s code accessible to all takes time and money, which has deterred many business owners before from pulling the trigger to making their website accessible. But with a recent incentive from the IRS, now just may be the time.
IRS Can Grant $5,000 for Website Accessibility Via Tax Credit
Under IRS Code Section 44, Disabled Access Credit, businesses who make accommodations to make their businesses accessible to persons with disabilities—including increasing their website accessibility—can now qualify for a $5,000 tax credit.
Eligible businesses can claim the credit using the Disabled Access Credit on IRS Form 8826.
This new tax credit is available to those qualified in the amount of 50 percent of “eligible access expenditures” that exceed $250 but do not exceed $10,250 for a taxable year, for a maximum tax credit of $5,000.
Can Your Business Qualify for the IRS Tax Credit?
If you’re a local small business owner, chances are you can! According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, your business can be eligible for the tax credit if: You had $1 million or less in gross receipts for the preceding tax year OR You had 30 or fewer full-time employees during the preceding tax year.
At Mannix Marketing, we’re website professionals–not tax experts or legal consultants, so you’ll want to double check your eligibility with your tax advisor before moving forward. For more information on eligibility, visit the EEOC website here.
Let us Help Make Your Website More Accessible
In order to protect your small business from a lawsuit, your website should be evaluated for its accessibility to people with disabilities. It’s important to work with a professional company that understands the WCAG 2.1 standards and learn for yourself what makes a website code accessible. Unfortunately, shortcuts to accessible code do not exist–and adding a good-faith tool to your website may not not hold up in court.
If you’re looking for assistance in this review and help making your website WCAG 2.1 accessible, our team of programmers is here to help. We’re passionate about making your website accessible to all to the best of our abilities!
Book a call with Sara Mannix or Book a call with Chris Archibee to get the conversation started!
Looking for more resources on website accessibility?
Check out our website accessibility blog for more information!
Source: Bureau of Itnernet Accessibility, https://www.boia.org/blog/irs-will-pay-you-for-website-accessibility