Accessibility cost savings
Accessibility can pay back.
Making your business more accessible may do more than improve communication. Eligible businesses may qualify for federal tax incentives that help offset accessibility costs.
Tax incentives depend on individual circumstances. bitsign does not provide tax or legal advice.
Up to
$5,000
Federal tax credit
The federal Disabled Access Credit may allow qualifying small businesses to claim up to $5,000 annually for eligible expenditures made to improve access for people with disabilities.
You may qualify if your business had
$1M or less
in gross receipts
30 or fewer
full-time employees
…in the preceding tax year. The credit is nonrefundable and is elected by filing IRS Form 8826.
A simple, illustrative example.
- Accessibility investment
- $10,250
- First $250
- Excluded
- Eligible calculation base
- $10,000
- 50% credit rate
- × 0.5
- Potential federal credit
- $5,000
The credit equals 50% of eligible access expenditures over the first $250, counted up to $10,250 — for a maximum credit of $5,000 in a given year.
Actual eligibility depends on the expenditure and taxpayer. Consult a qualified tax professional.
Communication is one of the most fundamental accessibility barriers of all.
Current IRS guidance describes categories of eligible access expenditures — including, among others:
- Removing barriers that prevent accessibility
- Providing qualified interpreters or other methods of making audio materials available to people with hearing disabilities
- Providing accessible formats or readers for people with visual disabilities
- Acquiring or modifying equipment or devices for individuals with disabilities
bitsign is designed specifically to improve real-time communication access between Deaf and hearing people. Because of that, eligible businesses may wish to ask their tax adviser whether their bitsign implementation may constitute an eligible access expenditure.
This page does not state that the IRS has specifically approved bitsign as a qualifying expenditure. Whether any specific bitsign expense qualifies must be determined by your tax professional.
Four returns on one investment.
Access
Communicate more effectively with Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers, patients, and employees.
Availability
Give staff another communication-access tool for the moments it is needed most.
Compliance
Strengthen the accessibility infrastructure supporting ADA and other applicable communication-access obligations.
Economics
Potential tax incentives may help offset accessibility investments for qualifying businesses.
bitsign supports your accessibility and communication-access program. No single technology automatically establishes ADA compliance.
An educational estimate — in your browser, kept private.
Enter a few figures to see whether your business may meet the small-business size test, and an illustrative potential credit. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
Calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to bitsign, saved, or stored.
This is an educational estimate only. Qualification of expenses and final tax treatment must be determined by your tax professional.
Credits and deductions work differently.
Independent of accessibility-specific incentives, accessibility technology used in operating a business may also receive normal business-expense treatment — depending on the facts and the tax rules applicable to your business. Some software must instead be capitalized, amortized, depreciated, or treated under separate rules.
Tax credits and deductions are different, and the same dollars generally cannot be used twice. Your accountant can determine which benefits apply and how they interact.
For your accountant
A one-page tax information sheet.
A concise summary of what bitsign is, the current Disabled Access Credit thresholds, Form 8826, eligible expense categories, and official IRS and ADA references — ready to hand to your CPA, controller, CFO, or tax attorney.
bitsign — Accessibility Tax Information Sheet
Educational summary · 1 page · printable PDF
What businesses ask us.
Does buying bitsign automatically qualify me for a $5,000 credit?
Is the credit worth $5,000?
Who qualifies as a small business?
Can the credit be claimed every year?
Is bitsign a tax deduction too?
Can I claim both the Disabled Access Credit and a deduction on the same expense?
Does using bitsign make my business ADA compliant?
Accessibility isn't only a cost. It can be an investment.
Make access easier. Make the economics easier too.
Build better communication access for your customers, patients, and employees — and explore whether federal accessibility incentives can help offset the investment.
bitsign and UMI do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. Information presented on this page is for general educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a determination of eligibility for any tax credit, deduction, or other benefit. Eligibility depends on the taxpayer, the nature of the expenditure, applicable law, and individual circumstances. Businesses should consult a qualified tax professional regarding their specific situation. Tax figures reflect current federal guidance under IRC §44 and IRS Form 8826 and may change; verify current rules before relying on them.