How to file your AODA compliance report (due Dec 31, 2026)

The short answer: if your Ontario business or non-profit has 20 or more employees, you have to file an accessibility compliance report through the government’s Accessibility Compliance Reporting Portal by December 31, 2026. It’s an online form of yes/no questions. Most businesses finish it in one sitting once they have the right details on hand.

Here’s what you need, how to file it, and the one question that trips up businesses with a website.

Who has to file, and when

Organization	Files a report?	Deadline
Businesses and non-profits, 20+ employees in Ontario	Yes, every 3 years	December 31, 2026
Businesses and non-profits, 1–19 employees	No (other AODA rules still apply)	—
Designated public sector (municipalities, etc.)	Yes, every 2 years	December 31, 2025 (passed)

Source: Ontario, “Completing your accessibility compliance report”.

The report is a self-assessment. You’re confirming that you meet the AODA requirements that currently apply to an organization of your size, things like accessible customer service, staff training, written policies, and (at 50+ employees) your website.

What you need before you start

Have these ready so you don’t stall halfway through:

Your organization’s legal name
Your business number (BN9), the first nine digits on your federal or provincial tax return
Your number of employees in Ontario
The name and contact details of your certifier: a senior officer with the legal authority to say the report is complete and accurate

How to file it, step by step

Go to the Accessibility Compliance Reporting Portal and select Sign In/Create Account. Register with an email address and password.
Sign in, select New Submission, and choose Accessibility Compliance Report.
Answer the questions. They’re tailored to your organization type and employee count, and each one links to an explanation of the requirement behind it.
Select Submit at the bottom of the form.

You’ll get a confirmation email with a confirmation number, sent to both your certifier and your primary contact. Keep it. If you get stuck, the ministry’s AODA line is 1-866-515-2025, or email AODA.assistance@ontario.ca.

The website question (50+ employees)

If you have 50 or more employees, the report asks about your website. In Ontario’s official guide to the report, the question reads:

Do all your organization’s internet websites conform to World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA (except for live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions)?

It also asks you to list the names and addresses of all your public web content, including websites, social media pages, and apps.

This is where most businesses guess. A yes is a claim, signed off by a senior officer, that every page meets an international standard most owners have never read. If nobody has actually checked the site, you don’t know the answer.

If you have 20 to 49 employees, the website standard doesn’t apply to you yet, but the same barriers still turn away customers who can’t book, call, or buy.

If your honest answer is no

Answer no. Ontario’s guide is clear that a report showing you’re not fully compliant doesn’t trigger automatic enforcement. The ministry offers tools and support and agrees on a schedule for when you’ll report full compliance.

The real risk is answering yes when it isn’t true, or not filing at all. Enforcement can include orders to comply and financial penalties, and a corporation convicted of an offence under the Act can be fined up to $100,000 a day. I go through how realistic that is in AODA website requirements for Ontario small businesses.

Check your website before you sign

You can get a real answer in about half an hour. Run a free scan, then do the five hands-on tests in how to check if your website is AODA compliant. That tells you whether you can tick yes with a straight face, or what needs fixing first.

I’ve done this work under a real deadline. I led the design work on the website for the College (the Ontario College of Teachers) after it received an AODA accessibility warning, catching issues through each round of remediation. If your site needs more than a few fixes, I build and redesign sites for Toronto and Durham Region businesses to WCAG 2.1 AA from the start, so the website question becomes an easy yes.

Not sure where you stand? Start with a free audit and see your accessibility score in a minute.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to file an AODA compliance report if I have fewer than 20 employees?

No. Only businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees in Ontario have to file. Smaller organizations still have AODA duties, such as accessible customer service and staff training, but they don't submit a report. If you dropped below 20, update your profile in the portal.

What happens if I miss the December 31, 2026 deadline?

File as soon as you can. Ontario's guide says to file late rather than not at all, to limit the damage to your compliance history. Not filing can lead to enforcement, which can include orders to comply and financial penalties. If the portal gives you technical trouble, contact the ministry before December 31.

What if I can't honestly answer yes to every question?

Answer honestly anyway. According to Ontario's guide, filing a report that shows you're not fully compliant doesn't trigger automatic enforcement. The ministry offers help and agrees on a date by which you'll be compliant. Answering yes when the answer is no is the real risk.

Who can certify the accessibility compliance report?

A senior officer with the legal authority to say the report is complete and accurate, usually an owner, director, or senior executive. You'll need their name and contact information. The confirmation email goes to both the certifier and the primary contact.

Can I file one report for several businesses?

Yes, up to 20 at once, but only if they share the same organization category, employee range, certifier, and answers to every compliance question. Otherwise each business files its own report.