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The Accessible Canada Regulations set different deadlines for organizations to publish their accessibility plans, feedback process descriptions and progress reports depending on the type of organization and the number of employees.
In December 2025, Parliament published new regulations under the Accessible Canada Act. These new regulations relate solely to Information and Communications Technologies (ICT).
If your organization is a:
Your organization's initial accessibility plan was due December 31, 2022.
If you or your organization is operating a federally regulated service or business and is:
Your organization's initial accessibility plan was due June 1, 2023.
If your organization is operating a federally regulated service or business and is:
Your organization's initial accessibility plan was due June 1, 2024.
Your organization became subject to the Accessible Canada Act during any year after 2021.
Your organization's initial accessibility plan is due on June 1st two years after the year in which your organization became subject to the Act.
For example: if your organization was established in November 2022, your initial accessibility plan was due on June 1, 2024.
Your organization was exempt from publishing an accessibility plan because it had an average of fewer than 10 employees.
If your employee count changes throughout the year and you are unsure whether this means that you are now subject to the Act and need to publish a plan, contact us for clarification.
Federally regulated private-sector organizations with fewer than 10 employees are exempt from the planning, feedback and reporting requirements of the Accessible Canada Act.
Organizations can determine if they are exempt by calculating if they have an average of fewer than 10 employees.
A small trucking company, established in 2021, has a fluctuating number of drivers (employees). The owner wants to check if, on average, the company has had fewer than 10 employees and is therefore exempt from the Accessible Canada Act requirements. The owner chooses the year 2023 to check the average number of employees. In 2023, the peak number of employees each month looked like this:
| Month | Peak # of Employees |
|---|---|
| January | 8 |
| February | 10 |
| March | 7 |
| April | 9 |
| May | 8 |
| June | 11 |
| July | 12 |
| August | 8 |
| September | 9 |
| October | 10 |
| November | 7 |
| December | 9 |
| Total | 108 |
Step 4: The owner divides the total number of employees at the peak employment point of each month by 12: 108/12 = 9
A small radio station, established in 2022, has a fluctuating number of employees. The station manager wants to check if, on average, the station has had fewer than 10 employees and is therefore exempt from the Accessible Canada Act requirements. The owner chooses the year 2023 to check the average number of employees.
In 2023, the peak number of employees each month looked like this:
| Month | Peak # of Employees |
|---|---|
| January | 8 |
| February | 10 |
| March | 7 |
| April | 9 |
| May | 8 |
| June | 12 |
| July | 15 |
| August | 8 |
| September | 9 |
| October | 12 |
| November | 7 |
| December | 9 |
| Total | 114 |
Step 4: The station manager divides the total number of employees at the peak employment point of each month by 12: 114/12 = 9.5 Since 9.5 is equidistant between 9 and 10, the number is rounded up to 10.
Organizations must update their accessibility plans every three years. They must publish progress reports each year in between publishing their accessibility plans.
The three-year cycle looks like this:
At the end of each cycle, a new cycle begins. Accessibility is an ongoing practice. In year one of the first cycle, you must publish what is called your initial accessibility plan. The deadline for publishing this first accessibility plan varies depending on the type of organization.
Organizations must notify the Accessibility Commissioner via the My Accessibility Portal within 48 hours of publishing their accessibility plans, description of their feedback process and progress reports.
Notifications must include one of the following: