WCAG 2.1 vs. WCAG 2.2: What Changed, and Which One Applies to You

If you've started researching accessibility standards, you've probably noticed two version numbers floating around: WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.2. Here's the short version — the DOJ's Title II rule names WCAG 2.1 Level AA specifically. That's your compliance target. WCAG 2.2 is newer, but it is not what the regulation requires.

Why the version number matters

WCAG is published by the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative and gets revised periodically, with each version adding new success criteria on top of the previous one rather than replacing it. WCAG 2.2 (published October 2023) is backward-compatible with 2.1 — everything required under 2.1 is still required under 2.2, plus a handful of new criteria. Since the DOJ's rule text cites 2.1 AA explicitly, that's the legal bar for Title II entities. Building to 2.2 isn't wrong, it's just not what's being measured against your deadline.

What's actually new in 2.2

WCAG 2.2 added criteria mostly focused on mobile interaction, cognitive accessibility, and authentication — things like clearer focus indicators, minimum target sizes for tap controls, and not requiring users to solve puzzles (like transcribing text from an image) just to log in. None of these were in 2.1.

Should you aim higher than the deadline requires?

If you have the resources, sure — WCAG 2.2 is a reasonable target for new projects and represents current best practice. But if you're triaging limited time against an April 2027 deadline, don't spend it chasing 2.2-only criteria before you've closed out your 2.1 gaps. Our checker tests against the criteria that actually determine your Title II compliance — see the full list of WCAG 2.1 success criteria we check for.

One version, one goal

Don't let the version confusion become a reason to delay. Whether you're targeting 2.1 or 2.2, the highest-impact fixes are the same ones covered in our compliance checklist: alt text, contrast, form labels, and heading structure.