As a business owner, it's your responsibility to do everything you can to help provide access to your services for everyone, whether they're visiting your office or visiting online.
But you also need to keep your business going without breaking the bank.
When you're the person in charge of the budget, you're likely looking for ways to get compliant AND save money where you can.
You may be wondering if there are any tax credits available to help offset the cost of making your business more accessible.
The good news for our American friends, there is. In this blog post, we'll discuss some of the most important things you need to know about accessibility and tax credits. Keep reading to learn more!
You’re probably already thinking: “Not another thing I have to worry about.”
As a small business owner in any industry, there are a zillion little issues trying to take up space in your mind. While some are more important than others, most of them have to be addressed at some point.
That nagging issue of your website and whether it makes you vulnerable to litigation is one of those ones that doesn’t just go away on its own. In fact, it gets louder with time. And it’s not going away.
Web accessibility litigation for websites that were restrictive to users with disabilities continued to grow in 2021. According to Accesibility.com, more than 2,300 cases were filed against U.S. businesses — a year-over-year increase of over 14%.
You may have already gotten some of these warnings across in your email inbox or social media feed.
About 61 million Americans are living with a disability. That's one in every four people. As a small business owner, it's vital to be ADA compliant with your website. ADA compliance means ensuring that all of your content is accessible to everyone, including those who have disabilities.
The Department of Justice, or DOJ, published the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design in September 2010. The Act states that electronic and information technology (IT) must be easily accessible to people with disabilities.
Having reviewed hundreds of small business websites, we are certain that even the best businesses in operation today have websites that violate the ADA. However, all is not lost. In this article, I’ll go over the top ten questions we are asked about this issue.
Please note that it is focused on United States law. Canadian law will be covered another time.
Your Role As A Business Owner In The 21st Century
It's up to you as a business owner to do anything you can to help provide access to your services for everyone, whether in your business or online.
As a small business owner, you're always looking for ways to save money and get ahead of the competition. You may be wondering if there are any tax credits available to help offset the cost of making your business more accessible. In this blog post, we'll discuss some of the most important things you need to know about accessibility and tax credits. Keep reading to learn more!
How To Improve Your Website's Accessibility
Clinics must be accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. Ways to improve onsite accessibility include making alterations such as installing ramps or additional Braille signs. Accessibility today extends further than onsite, and businesses must also ensure that their websites are compliant and meet ADA standards.
There are many ways that you can achieve ADA Website Compliance. It may be that all you need is simple improvements, such as options for increased font size and audio descriptions. Or perhaps a full-scale website redesign would be the best way to improve access to your business online.
Of course, it's always best to build a site with accessibility in mind. However, improving a website down the line is simple when you know how. Get Clear makes your website more accessible for all users, improving the user experience and making your site ADA compliant. We specialize in website design for accessibility. Our team has years of experience creating websites that are easy to use for everyone.
How To Claim Tax Benefits
The ADA Compliance Tax Credit provides a significant incentive for clinics to increase accessibility. Suppose you are considering renovating or adding to your building or updating your business website. In that case, it's worth exploring whether this tax credit can help offset some of those expenses through financial relief from the IRS.
This tax relief is available for small businesses complying with the ADA, Section 44 of the IRS Code.
The tax credit is available to small businesses with a total revenue not exceeding $1 million in the previous tax year and 30 or fewer employees.
With this tax benefit, businesses can claim up to 50 percent of their expenses towards improving accessibility. It's valid for costs over $250 and up to $10,250 in a single tax year. For example, if a company spends $5000 on website design for improving accessibility, it can claim 50 percent over the cost of $250. This gives a tax credit of $2375.
To apply for these tax benefits, you must use IRS Form 8826.
What Else Affects Disabled Access Credit?
It's worth bearing in mind that there may be additional tax benefits offered to your business depending on where your business is based. Disabled Access Credit applies to federal tax only. With the help of a tax professional, you may find additional tax savings in your state.
How Get Clear Helps Business Owners
When it comes to accessibility, many things impact your tax credit eligibility. The Disabled Access Credit can be a valuable way to offset costs for clinics that want to improve the digital experience they offer to their disabled patients.
We have several packages to make sure our clients never have to worry about website accessibility with a website that is ADA compliant.
We want to help you create an inclusive website experience. To find out more, contact us today to discuss your project needs.
