Who is affected
The BFSG applies to e-commerce services provided to consumers after 28 June 2025 (section 1 (3) no. 5 BFSG). That means websites and apps through which consumers conclude contracts (section 2 no. 26 BFSG), for example online shops.
Check your website's accessibility: the free BFSG check
Since 28 June 2025, Germany's accessibility act (BFSG) has required many online shops and digital services to be accessible. The check opens your home page and one subpage in a real browser and tests them against WCAG 2.1 and 2.2, levels A and AA.
An automated test finds only part of the barriers. It does not confirm BFSG compliance and is not legal advice.
- Page views only, no login
- No signup
- Instant result
What an automated test can do – and what it cannot
Automated tests find only part of the barriers. The check reliably shows the errors that can be measured. Whether people with disabilities can really use your website only shows in a manual review.
What the check tests
- Colour contrast of text
- Whether images have alternative text
- Labels of form fields, buttons and links
- Headings, page structure and page language
- ARIA roles and attributes
- Further axe-core rules for WCAG 2.1 and 2.2, levels A and AA
What needs a manual review
- Keyboard operation: every function without a mouse, visible focus, sensible order
- Screen reader: whether alternative texts, labels and status messages make sense
- Video and audio: captions, audio description, transcripts
- Flows such as checkout, login and forms with error messages
- Content behind a cookie banner or login, in iframes and in PDFs
- Every page other than the two checked
The check therefore does not promise that your website complies with the BFSG. Not legal advice.
BFSG: who is affected and what the law requires
The key points in brief, each with its reference in the German act. Whether your offer falls under the law is a question for your legal counsel.
The exemption
Microenterprises that offer services are exempt (section 3 (3) BFSG). A microenterprise employs fewer than ten people and has an annual turnover or annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million (section 2 no. 17 BFSG).
The accessibility statement
Providers must state in their terms and conditions, or in another clearly noticeable place, how their service meets the requirements (section 14 BFSG, Annex 3). This includes a description of the service, explanations of how it is carried out, a description of how the requirements are met and the competent market surveillance authority. This information must itself be accessible.
The technical benchmark
In practice EN 301 549 and WCAG serve as the benchmark; the act itself refers to harmonised standards (section 4 BFSG). For websites, EN 301 549 adopts WCAG 2.1, levels A and AA.
As of 3 October 2026. Not legal advice.
How the BFSG check scores
The check uses axe-core, Deque's open-source testing library. Every rule belongs to a WCAG success criterion and has a severity.
The score
The score is the weighted share of passed rules from 0 to 100. Critical rules count 10, serious 7, moderate 3 and minor 1. A rule counts as failed as soon as it reports a violation on one of the pages checked. Rules that find nothing to test on the pages are left out. With at least one critical finding the score is capped at 79.
The score only compares automated rules. 100 means: no automatically measurable violation on the pages checked.
The severity
- Critical: blocks some users completely
- Serious: makes use considerably harder
- Moderate: gets in the way, but can usually be worked around
- Minor: small flaw
The classification comes from axe-core.
The report
- Right away: score, all findings with severity and number of affected elements
- After email: affected elements with selector and HTML snippet
- After email: explanation of the rule, WCAG success criterion and fix hint
- Rules axe-core could not decide with certainty, as a list for manual review
Sources: BFSG, German Accessibility Strengthening Act (in German) · Section 14 BFSG (in German) · Annex 3 BFSG (in German) · EN 301 549 V3.2.1 (ETSI, PDF) · WCAG 2.2 (W3C) · axe-core (Deque)
After the check: three steps to an accessible website
The report is the start. This is how it continues:
Fix the automated findings
Contrast, missing alternative text and labels are often something your team can correct itself. The report names the element, the rule and a fix hint.
Start the checkManual audit
We test with keyboard and screen reader what the automated run cannot see: navigation, forms, checkout, media. You get a prioritised list by WCAG success criteria.
Request an auditImplementation and statement
We remove the barriers in theme, components and content and supply the technical details for your accessibility statement. The legal review stays with your legal counsel.
Discuss implementation
Related: Meeting obligations: BFSG, e-invoicing, AI Act · Digital Stack Builder · Security Check
FAQ about the BFSG check
Your question isn't here? Ask us directly
Is my website BFSG-compliant if the check shows 100?
No. 100 only means that axe-core found no automatically measurable violation on the two pages checked. Keyboard operation, screen reader clarity, captions and flows such as the checkout can only be tested manually. The check therefore does not confirm BFSG compliance and is not legal advice.
Who does the BFSG apply to?
Germany's Accessibility Strengthening Act has applied since 28 June 2025, among other things to e-commerce services, meaning websites and apps through which consumers conclude contracts, for example online shops. Microenterprises that offer services are exempt: fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million. Whether your offer is covered is a question for your legal counsel. As of 3 October 2026.
What exactly does the BFSG check test?
It opens your home page and one more page from your sitemap.xml in a Chromium browser and tests both with axe-core against the rules for WCAG 2.1 and 2.2, levels A and AA. This covers colour contrast, alternative text, labels of form fields, buttons and links, the heading structure and ARIA attributes.
How can I test my website for accessibility?
In two stages. An automated test like this check finds measurable errors in seconds. The manual review follows: operate the website with the keyboard only, go through it with a screen reader and test flows such as ordering or the contact form from start to finish.
What is the accessibility statement?
Under section 14 BFSG and Annex 3, providers must state in their terms and conditions, or in another clearly noticeable place, how their service meets the accessibility requirements. This includes a description of the service, explanations of how it is carried out and the competent market surveillance authority. The check does not write this statement.
What data do you store?
Without an email we store no result; the scanner only logs the domain, the duration and whether the request succeeded. If you request the report, we store your email address, the URL and the score to send you the report and to get in touch once.
Get barriers removed
Send us your report or just the domain. We'll tell you which findings matter first, what a manual audit covers and who should fix them: your team or us.
