Accessibility
WCAG 3 readiness: what the draft says and how to prepare
WCAG 3, the W3C Accessibility Guidelines 3.0, is the draft successor to WCAG 2. It is a W3C Working Draft, not a standard: the latest draft is dated 10 September 2026, and the W3C says it is not expected to be finished for a few more years. Today the version to meet is WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which also covers what Ontario, US, and EU rules ask for.
Last updated 14 October 2026 · Facts and dates from the W3C, with sources linked below
Key facts about WCAG 3
- Status: a W3C Working Draft. The latest is dated 10 September 2026; the one before it was 3 March 2026, and the first public draft was 21 January 2021 (W3C publication history).
- Timeline: the W3C says WCAG 3 "is not expected to be a completed W3C standard for a few more years", and that WCAG 2 will not be deprecated for several years after WCAG 3 is finalized (WCAG 3 Introduction, updated 25 September 2026).
- Next steps: the working group's projected schedule, which it says "does not necessarily represent consensus", plans another draft in December 2026 and a Candidate Recommendation snapshot in the fourth quarter of 2027.
- Conformance: in the September 2026 draft, content conforms when it meets all core requirements. Bronze, Silver, and Gold are reporting tiers above conformance.
- Colour contrast: the draft says the contrast algorithm "is yet to be determined".
- What the W3C advises now: "The best way to prepare for WCAG 3 in the future, is to meet WCAG 2.2 success criteria now."
- The current standard: WCAG 2.2, a W3C Recommendation since 5 October 2023 (updated 12 December 2024), also published as ISO/IEC 40500:2025.
What is WCAG 3?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the W3C's technical standard for making websites, apps, and digital documents usable by people with disabilities. Version 2 has been the reference for laws and contracts since 2008. WCAG 3 is the next major version, and it is being written from a new model rather than added onto WCAG 2.
The name changes too. WCAG 3 stands for W3C Accessibility Guidelines, not Web Content, because it is meant to reach beyond web pages: the draft covers content on desktops, phones, wearables, and other connected devices, virtual and augmented reality, and tools such as browsers, assistive technologies, content management systems, and authoring tools.
The W3C describes the goal as similar core requirements to WCAG 2, with some revisions and additions, more guidance (including more of the needs of people with cognitive disabilities), and a conformance model that can report progress towards conformance and beyond it.
When will WCAG 3 be final?
There is no fixed date, and the W3C avoids giving one. What it has published:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 21 January 2021 | First Public Working Draft, with Bronze, Silver, and Gold as conformance levels and the Advanced Perceptual Contrast Algorithm (APCA) for text contrast. |
| 24 July 2023 | A changed approach: older material removed and placeholder guidelines added. |
| 4 September 2025 | Draft limited to requirements and assertions that had reached "developing" status. |
| 3 March 2026 | Working Draft. |
| 10 September 2026 | Current Working Draft. Conformance is substantially updated: one conformance level (all core requirements), with reporting tiers below and above it. |
| December 2026 (projected) | Another updated Working Draft. |
| Fourth quarter of 2027 (projected) | Candidate Recommendation snapshot. The schedule notes that, historically, it has taken about two more years from there to a final standard. |
Even once WCAG 3 is final, the W3C says WCAG 2 will not be deprecated for several years, and laws that name WCAG 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2 keep naming them until they are amended.
How is WCAG 3 different from WCAG 2?
The W3C expects content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA to meet most of WCAG 3's minimum level, but says more work will be needed for full conformance because WCAG 3 has additional tests and different scoring.
| Aspect | WCAG 2.2 (standard) | WCAG 3 (Working Draft) |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 4 principles, 13 guidelines, and 86 success criteria | Guidelines written as outcome statements, each supported by requirements and assertions, with technology-specific methods |
| What you must meet | Level A, AA, or AAA success criteria; most laws ask for Level AA | All core requirements. Supplemental requirements and assertions are optional and count towards the higher reporting tiers |
| How requirements are written | Pass or fail success criteria | More granular requirements with "applies when" and "except when" conditions, each tagged by the harm a failure causes: physical harm, risk, barrier, or friction |
| Process commitments | Not part of conformance | Assertions: documented statements about practices such as usability testing, plain language review, style guides, staff training, and accessibility statements |
| Colour contrast | Contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text and interface components | Method yet to be determined |
| Scope | Web content | Web content and apps on any device, extended reality, and the tools used to make and read content |
What are core requirements, supplemental requirements, and assertions?
These are the three kinds of provision in the September 2026 draft.
- Core requirements
- The requirements that must be met to conform. They include making content detectable by browsers and assistive technologies, usable through more than one sense and more than one input method, free of content that causes direct physical harm, and supported by things like captions, text alternatives, and expanded abbreviations.
- Supplemental requirements
- Requirements that go beyond the core set. They are not needed to conform; they count towards the higher reporting tiers.
- Assertions
- Documented statements that an organization follows a specific accessibility practice, such as testing with users who have disabilities or having its content reviewed for plain language. Whether any assertion will be required for conformance is still undecided.
Methods, which explain how to meet a requirement in a particular technology, are supporting material, much like the Techniques for WCAG 2.
What happened to Bronze, Silver, and Gold?
In the first public draft (2021), Bronze, Silver, and Gold were conformance levels. The September 2026 draft moves levels out of conformance and into reporting. Conformance is a single level, and six cumulative reporting tiers show progress towards it and beyond it:
| Tier | What it adds |
|---|---|
| 1. Avoid physical harm | Requirements tagged physical harm and risk are met |
| 2. Foundational access | Plus requirements tagged barrier |
| 3. Conformance | Plus requirements tagged friction, so all core requirements are met |
| 4. Bronze | Plus a number of supplemental requirements and assertions about content |
| 5. Silver | Plus a greater number of supplemental requirements and assertions about content |
| 6. Gold | Plus assertions about the organization |
This is still open. The W3C is asking for comment on an alternative that would use scoring to show progress and award Bronze, Silver, and Gold after conformance. Treat any product or policy that promises a "WCAG 3 Silver" result today with caution.
Does WCAG 3 use APCA for colour contrast?
Not as currently drafted. The 2021 first public draft rated text contrast with the Advanced Perceptual Contrast Algorithm (APCA). The September 2026 draft does not name APCA. Its text contrast requirement reads "@@[contrast measure to be determined]", and an editor's note says the contrast algorithm used in WCAG 3 is yet to be determined.
For now, design and test to the WCAG 2 contrast ratios, which the law still points to: 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text, and 3:1 for the parts of controls and graphics people need to see. If you also check APCA, treat it as extra information, not as a WCAG result.
Which WCAG version does the law require today?
None of these rules refers to WCAG 3. WCAG 2.2 Level AA meets all of them, because content that meets WCAG 2.2 also meets WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.0.
| Where | Rule | Version named |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | AODA, Integrated Accessibility Standards (O. Reg. 191/11), section 14: large organizations (50 or more employees in Ontario) and designated public sector organizations, since 1 January 2021 | WCAG 2.0 Level AA, apart from live captions and prerecorded audio description |
| United States | ADA Title II rule of the Department of Justice (published 24 April 2024): state and local governments, by 26 April 2027 for those serving 50,000 people or more and 26 April 2028 for the rest | WCAG 2.1 Level AA |
| European Union | European Accessibility Act, in application since 28 June 2025, and the Web Accessibility Directive, through the European standard EN 301 549 | WCAG 2.1 Level AA through EN 301 549 V3.2.1, the current reference version. Version 4.1.1, published in September 2026, is based on WCAG 2.2 and becomes the reference once the European Commission cites it in the Official Journal |
Contracts and procurement documents often name a version too, so check yours. This table is general information, not legal advice.
How should you prepare for WCAG 3?
Most of the work that will count for WCAG 3 is work WCAG 2.2 already asks for. Start there, then build the habits the draft's assertions describe.
- Meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. It is the W3C's own advice, it satisfies the version your law names, and it is the base the WCAG 3 core requirements build on.
- Fix what automated checks can find, and keep fixing it. Missing text alternatives, unlabelled form fields, low contrast, missing page language, and broken heading structure are common and cheap to fix. Re-check on a schedule, because content changes every week.
- Test by hand with assistive technology. Keyboard-only use, a screen reader, 200% zoom, and 320-pixel reflow find what a scanner cannot, such as whether a text alternative actually describes the image.
- Write in plain language. The draft adds requirements on common words, explained abbreviations, and summaries. Clear writing helps everyone now.
- Document your practices. A style guide, usability testing with people with disabilities, staff training, and a public accessibility statement with a feedback route are the kinds of things WCAG 3 assertions record.
- Put accessibility in contracts. Ask vendors for WCAG 2.2 Level AA and a conformance report, and keep the right to have problems fixed.
- Watch the drafts, but do not chase them. Check readiness against each new draft to see the direction. Do not rebuild a site around requirements that are still marked "to be determined".
One thing not to do: claim WCAG 3 conformance. The W3C says the Working Draft should not be cited as anything other than a work in progress.
How Lavawall® helps with WCAG 2.2 and WCAG 3 readiness
Lavawall keeps the legal target and the draft apart: WCAG 2.2 Level AA (and WCAG 2.0 Level AA for Ontario) is what you work to and report on, and WCAG 3 is a readiness view of what is coming.
- Accessibility checks in the domain scan. The Lavawall domain scan checks your public pages as visitors' browsers show them, and reports issues against WCAG 2.2 Level AA and against WCAG 2.0 Level AA for the Ontario AODA, so you know what to fix. A separate WCAG 3 readiness section, marked as a draft, shows how the same pages do against the requirements in the current Working Draft that can be tested automatically.
- Compliance frameworks for WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.2, and the WCAG 3 draft. Turn them on beside the Ontario AODA and ADA Title II frameworks, keep scan reports, test notes, and your accessibility statement as evidence, and track each gap to an owner and a date. The WCAG 3 framework is labelled as a Working Draft and tracks readiness, not compliance.
- For MSPs: run the same scans and frameworks for every client from one console.
Automated checks find only part of what WCAG asks for. Many requirements need a person to judge them, such as whether an image description is accurate or an error message is helpful. The WCAG 3 readiness results are informative: they do not certify anything, and Lavawall never reports that a site conforms to WCAG 3.
Learn more: the WCAG 2.2 framework, the WCAG 2.0 framework, the WCAG 3 draft framework, working through the AODA in Lavawall, running a domain scan, and Lavawall GRC.
Frequently asked questions
What is WCAG 3?
WCAG 3 is the W3C Accessibility Guidelines 3.0, the planned successor to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2. It is a W3C Working Draft, not a standard. The latest draft is dated 10 September 2026, and the W3C says it is not expected to be a completed standard for a few more years.
When will WCAG 3 be final?
There is no set date. The W3C says WCAG 3 is not expected to be a completed W3C standard for a few more years. The working group's projected schedule, which it says does not necessarily represent consensus, plans another Working Draft in December 2026 and a Candidate Recommendation snapshot in the fourth quarter of 2027, and notes that the step from there to a final standard has historically taken about two more years.
Is WCAG 3 a legal requirement?
No. No law we know of in Canada, the United States, or the European Union requires WCAG 3. Ontario's AODA requires WCAG 2.0 Level AA for large and public sector websites, the US Department of Justice ADA Title II rule requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA, and the European reference standard, EN 301 549 V3.2.1, is based on WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Meeting WCAG 2.2 Level AA covers all three.
Does WCAG 3 replace WCAG 2.2?
Not yet, and not quickly. The W3C says WCAG 3 does not deprecate WCAG 2, and that WCAG 2 will not be deprecated for several years after WCAG 3 is finalized. WCAG 2.2 is the current W3C Recommendation, and the W3C's advice is that the best way to prepare for WCAG 3 is to meet WCAG 2.2 now.
What are Bronze, Silver, and Gold in WCAG 3?
In the September 2026 draft, they are reporting tiers above conformance, not conformance levels. Conformance means meeting all core requirements (tier 3). Bronze, Silver, and Gold (tiers 4 to 6) add supplemental requirements and assertions, in numbers the W3C has not set yet. Earlier drafts used Bronze, Silver, and Gold as conformance levels, and the W3C is still asking for comment on an alternative scoring approach, so this may change again.
Does WCAG 3 use APCA for colour contrast?
Not as currently drafted. The first public draft in January 2021 used the Advanced Perceptual Contrast Algorithm (APCA), but the September 2026 draft says the contrast algorithm used in WCAG 3 is yet to be determined. Until that is settled, keep meeting the WCAG 2 contrast ratios: 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text, and 3:1 for user interface components and graphics.
Can a website claim WCAG 3 conformance today?
No meaningful claim is possible. The W3C says it is inappropriate to cite the Working Draft as anything other than a work in progress, its requirements will change, and the method for testing contrast and other values is not set. A site can measure its readiness against the draft, but it should state conformance to WCAG 2.2 (or the version a law names) instead.
What does the Lavawall WCAG 3 readiness check do?
It shows how your public pages do against the testable requirements in the current WCAG 3 draft that can be checked automatically, beside your WCAG 2.2 Level AA and WCAG 2.0 Level AA results. It is marked as a draft and is for information only. It does not certify anything and never says a site conforms to WCAG 3.
Sources
- W3C, W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0, Working Draft, 10 September 2026: status, structure, conformance, reporting tiers, and the contrast note.
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG 3 Introduction, updated 25 September 2026: timeline and how to prepare.
- W3C, WCAG 3.0 publication history, and the First Public Working Draft of 21 January 2021.
- W3C Accessibility Guidelines Working Group, projected WCAG 3 schedule, last edited 10 September 2026.
- W3C, Crafting WCAG 3 for more accessible user experiences, 25 September 2026.
- W3C, WCAG 2.2 and the WCAG 2 Overview (ISO/IEC 40500:2025 and EN 301 549).
- Government of Ontario, O. Reg. 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards, section 14.
- US Department of Justice, Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments.
- European Commission, The EU becomes more accessible for all (27 June 2025), and AccessibleEU, The European accessibility standard EN 301 549 has been updated (7 September 2026).
Last verified 14 October 2026. WCAG 3 is a draft and this page will change when the W3C publishes a new one. This page is general information, not legal advice.