Deadlines for organizations

Overview of the different deadlines

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.

• Government organizations: December 31, 2022.
• Large private organizations (100 or more employees): June 1, 2023.
• Small private organizations (10 to 99 employees): June 1, 2024.

Planning and reporting cycles

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:

• Year 1: Accessibility Plan + Feedback process
• Year 2: Progress Report
• Year 3: Progress Report

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.

Types of organizations

Organization type 1

If your organization is a:

• Ministerial department
• Parliamentary entity
• Departmental agency
• Departmental corporation or service agency
• Crown corporation
• Federal public administration
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Canadian Forces

Your organization’s initial accessibility plan was due December 31, 2022.

Organization type 2

If you or your organization is operating a federally regulated service or business and is:

• a person (including, for example, a corporation such as a bank);
• privately owned (for example, a trucking company or a shipping company);
• a partnership;
• an unincorporated organization; or
• acts in the name of, or for the benefit of, an organization listed above,
  and
  had an average of 100 or more employees in 2021.

Your organization’s initial accessibility plan is due June 1, 2023.

Organization type 3

If your organization is operating a federally regulated service or business and is:

• a person (including, for example, a corporation such as a bank);
• privately owned (for example, a trucking company or a shipping company);
• a partnership;
• an unincorporated organization; or,
• acts in the name of, or for the benefit of, an organization listed above
  and
  had an average of 10 to 99 employees in 2021.

Your organization’s initial accessibility plan is due June 1, 2024.

Organization type 4

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 of the year following 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 is due on June 1, 2024.

Organization type 5

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.

Learn more

To learn about the publication requirements for all federally regulated organizations and those that fall under more than one regulatory authority, please visit the Publication Requirements.