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Cross-industry · Advisory & learning

Accessibility consultant: salary vs freelance rates

A digital accessibility consultant identifies barriers that prevent people from using websites or applications. They combine technical inspection, assistive technology testing, and clear remediation guidance so teams can improve access in real user journeys.

U.S. employee wage reference

$105,850 / year

Computer systems analysts · May 2025 national median

Illustrative freelance rate

$117.38 / hour

To replace this wage plus $15K benefits, with 1,200 billable hours/year, $20K business costs, and no percentage fees. Before personal taxes.

The wage is for the named occupation; the hourly rate is a planning calculation, not a surveyed freelance price for this specialty. Adjust the assumptions below.

Calculate my freelance rate →

Skills that make the work valuable

  • Keyboard and screen reader testing
  • Accessibility issue documentation
  • Semantic interface review
  • Remediation prioritization

Build proof, not just a list

Audit a small site you own or have permission to test. Document keyboard and screen reader findings with reproduction steps, propose fixes, and retest one complete user journey after remediation.

How to price this work as a freelancer

Scope the pages, components, user journeys, test environments, and reporting depth before quoting an audit. Separate remediation support and retesting from the initial findings. Manual testing and developer explanation take time beyond automated scans; define the review boundary and avoid promising universal accessibility or legal compliance from a limited sample.

Start with the income you need to replace

Required hourly rate = (target salary + benefits budget + annual business expenses) ÷ (annual billable hours × share of revenue retained after fees).

For illustration, $100/hour × 25 billable hours/week × 48 working weeks = $120,000 revenue. After $20,000 in business expenses, that leaves $100,000 profit before personal taxes. Replacing a $100,000 salary plus $15,000 in benefits under those assumptions takes $112.50/hour, with no percentage fees.

These are editable planning assumptions, not rates surveyed for accessibility consultant work. Your personal taxes, location, contract terms, and workload still affect the comparison.

Employee or freelancer?

Working as an employee

Employment allows accessibility work to influence design systems and release practices over time. Strong career evidence includes barriers prevented and fixes verified, with support for continuing learning and collaboration with disabled users.

Running a freelance business

Consulting can package audits, remediation guidance, and team training. Repeatedly inspecting similar pages still requires context, and a limited engagement needs clear coverage so clients understand what was tested and what remains.

Where this career could take you

  1. 01Web quality analyst or developer
  2. 02Accessibility consultant
  3. 03Accessibility lead or specialist practice owner

An example path, with room for lateral moves or specialization. Progression depends on opportunities and demonstrated work; these steps do not imply a timetable or salary increase.

Try one small next step

Test a page you control using only the keyboard, document two reproducible barriers, improve one interaction, and learn how to check it with a screen reader.