Do I need an accessibility audit of my website? (deadline 31 January 2027)
In force
Yes. The appointment of your IAAP auditor, the audit of your digital platforms and the fixing of what it finds are all due by 31 January 2027. SEBI extended this on 30 October 2026, one day before the previous deadline of 31 October 2026.
It covers your website, any mobile app and any portal you run. The standard is WCAG 2.1 level AA, and the audit must be done by a certified accessibility professional.
If you are a proprietor with no separate officer, you are the Nodal Officer for this by default. SEBI says so in terms.
You report to BSE as RAASB, not to SEBI directly. That changed in August 2025.
Two other dates sit either side of it. A readiness and compliance status was due by 31 March 2026, which has passed. After the audit, an annual audit report is due within 30 days of each financial year end, so the next one falls on 30 April 2027.
Investor documents you publish as PDFs are expected to be accessible, and you need a channel for accessibility complaints, which can also reach you through SCORES.
One practical note. The July 2026 extension circular is a scanned image on SEBI's site, so a text search of sebi.gov.in will not find it.
What SEBI says, word for word
Extension Circular“the extension is granted for "Appointment of IAAP Auditor, Conduct of Accessibility Audit for the digital platforms and Remediation of findings from the Audit" by January 31, 2027 in order to ensure compliance.”Source: SEBI Circular No. HO/53/12/13(2)2026-ITD5-M2IPC/I/24856/2026, dated October 30, 2026 Open document ↗
Earlier Extension Circular“the extension is granted for 'Conduct of Accessibility Audit for the digital platforms and Remediation of findings from the audit' by October 31, 2026.”Source: SEBI Circular No. HO/(411)2026-ITD-5_DIV2/I/17922/2026, dated July 31, 2026 Open document ↗
Clarification Circular“All REs shall conduct periodic accessibility audits of their digital platforms including websites, mobile apps and portals through certified accessibility professionals.”Source: SEBI Circular No. HO/13/19/13(2)2025-ITD-1_VIAP/I/187/2025, dated December 8, 2025 Open document ↗
Original Circular, Annexure I ¶1.1“In the absence of an officially designated Nodal Officer, the Compliance Officer or the Proprietor shall be deemed to be the Nodal Officer for ensuring digital accessibility compliance.”Source: SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/ITD-1/ITD_VIAP/P/CIR/2025/111, dated July 31, 2025 Open document ↗
Reporting Authority Circular“The reporting authority for IAs and RAs shall be modified from BASL and SEBI respectively to BSE Ltd. for both IAs and RAs.”Source: SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/ITD-1/ITD_VIAP/P/CIR/2025/121, dated August 29, 2025 Open document ↗
More on Governance
- Do I need to appoint a compliance officer?
- What are the rules if I use AI tools in my research process?
- Who can conduct my annual compliance audit — does it have to be ICAI or ICSI?
- Does the cyber security framework (CSCRF) apply to me?
- Do I need written internal policies, and what must they cover?
- What must I do with the compliance audit report once it is done?
- What may I outsource, and what stays my responsibility?