How Much Does SOC 2 Cost in 2026? Audit, Platform and Hidden Costs

SOC 2 has no list price. The total depends on which report you need, which audit firm you hire, how much of your security program already exists, and how much work your own team can absorb. Most published estimates focus on the audit fee, but the audit is usually only one of several line items in a first-year budget.

This guide separates SOC 2 spending into its main components, shows the ranges that audit directories, audit firms and compliance vendors published in 2025 and 2026, and turns them into example budgets for a roughly 20-person startup and a roughly 200-person company. All figures are planning ranges drawn from the named sources, not quotes. Your own proposals may land outside them.

Quick questions

Is there a standard price for a SOC 2 report?

No. Each CPA firm quotes its own fee based on scope, report type, company size and readiness, so the same company can receive very different proposals.

Are the figures in this guide quotes?

No. They are ranges published by third parties in 2025 and 2026. Use them to sanity-check proposals, then get quotes for your own scope.

What goes into the cost of SOC 2

A SOC 2 budget usually has six parts: the CPA audit fee, a compliance platform or other way of managing evidence, readiness or consulting help, a penetration test, security tooling needed to meet the controls, and the time your own staff spend on the project. A seventh item, remediation, covers fixing whatever gaps the readiness work finds.

According to soc2auditors.org's cost benchmark page, updated in September 2026, the audit fee excludes readiness, software, testing and internal time, and remediation alone can run $5,000 to $50,000. SecureLeap, a SOC 2 consultancy, reports that across its client engagements the audit fee represents about 30 to 40 percent of total SOC 2 spend. Both points suggest budgeting for the whole program, not only the audit.

Quick questions

What is the biggest variable cost?

It depends on your starting point. One audit-cost benchmark describes remediation as often the most unpredictable expense, and internal labor can exceed the audit fee.

Do I need every component?

Not always. A platform and a consultant are optional, and a penetration test is not strictly required by the SOC 2 criteria, though auditors and customers often expect one.

Audit fees by report type and firm type

A Type 1 report assesses whether controls are designed properly at a single point in time. A Type 2 report tests whether they operated effectively over an observation period, typically three to twelve months. Aliteq's 2026 cost guide estimates that Type 1 costs roughly 30 to 50 percent less than Type 2 for the same scope.

Firm type is the other major driver. According to soc2auditors.org's September 2026 benchmarks, which are median directory-listed ranges rather than actual client payments, specialist CPA firms quote about $10,000 to $35,000 for Type 1 and $15,500 to $50,000 for Type 2. Full-service or mid-tier CPA firms quote about $20,000 to $60,000 for Type 1 and $30,000 to $80,000 for Type 2. Big Four firms quote about $40,000 to $145,000 for Type 1 and $65,000 to $200,000 for Type 2.

Other sources report lower figures for small scopes. SecureLeap's September 2026 guide puts boutique CPA fees at $5,000 to $10,000 for Type 1 and $8,000 to $20,000 for Type 2, with mid-market specialists at $12,000 to $25,000 and $20,000 to $45,000. soc2auditors.org describes a narrow scenario, a 1 to 10 person SaaS company with a simple system and Security-only scope, at $5,000 to $7,000 for Type 1 and $7,000 to $10,000 for Type 2. Sprinto, a compliance platform vendor, reports audit fees of $2,000 to $30,000 through platform partner networks and $5,000 to $80,000 when buyers go direct.

Quick questions

Should a first-time company start with Type 1 or Type 2?

Many start with Type 1 because it is faster and cheaper, then move to Type 2. If your customers specifically require Type 2, a Type 1 may add cost without meeting the requirement.

Does a Big Four report carry more weight?

Every SOC 2 report is issued under the same AICPA standards. Some enterprise buyers or investors prefer a larger firm, so check what your customers expect before paying the premium.

What should I check before hiring a lower-cost firm?

Confirm the firm's current AICPA peer review status, since a report from an unreviewed firm may be rejected by customers.

Compliance platforms, penetration testing and readiness help

Compliance automation platforms collect evidence, track controls and manage policies. Sprinto's September 2026 pricing guide lists platform subscriptions at about $4,000 to $8,000 per year for 1 to 10 employees, $5,000 to $12,000 for 11 to 50, $8,000 to $18,000 for 51 to 200, and $15,000 to $30,000 for 201 to 500. Vendr, a software purchasing marketplace, reports a median Vanta contract of about $20,000 per year across observed deals, with ranges of $12,000 to $28,000 for 1 to 50 employees, $25,000 to $55,000 for 51 to 200, and $100,000 to $250,000 or more above 500 employees with four or more frameworks. SecureLeap notes that renewal increases of 10 to 25 percent are common in year two. Inclusions vary too: third-party reports put Scytale's entry pricing at around $7,500 per year for the platform plus one framework, with a dedicated in-house GRC expert included and vCISO or DPO services as add-ons, while the audit is performed by an independent CPA firm and a partner audit can be purchased as a separate line item.

Penetration testing is scoped separately. soc2auditors.org's September 2026 benchmarks list $8,000 to $30,000, while its penetration testing page cites entry-level SOC 2 tests from about $2,800 and describes $8,000 to $25,000 as a planning band for a standard SaaS web and API test. SecureLeap reports $4,000 to $8,000 for small companies.

Readiness assessments and consultants help you find and close gaps before the audit. According to Scrut, a compliance platform vendor, a consultant-led gap assessment costs about $5,000 to $15,000, and a consultant handling preparation and coordination runs $16,000 to $30,000 or more. BD Emerson, a security consultancy, lists readiness and gap work at $5,000 to $40,000.

Quick questions

Is a compliance platform required?

No. Some companies manage evidence with spreadsheets and shared drives, trading software cost for more staff time. Consultancy cost guides often list the platform as optional for small companies.

Do platforms include the audit?

Usually not. Vendor pricing guides commonly note that the platform and the CPA firm bill separately, and a bundled quote often excludes the audit fee.

Does the penetration test price include retesting?

Sometimes. Several providers include a retest after remediation, so confirm this in the proposal.

Internal staff time and security tooling

Staff time rarely appears on an invoice, but it is often a large part of the real cost. BD Emerson estimates 100 to 300 internal hours in the first year and 50 to 150 hours in later years. Workstreet, a compliance services firm, cites 100 or more hours of staff time as a major unlisted cost. soc2auditors.org values internal labor at $25,000 to $90,000 as an opportunity cost, and Scrut estimates engineering time and coordination at $10,000 to $30,000.

SOC 2 controls also tend to require tools a young company may not have yet, such as mobile device management (MDM), endpoint protection, security awareness training and vulnerability scanning. Scrut puts an MDM solution at $5,000 to $10,000 and security training at $2,000 to $5,000, noting that some platforms include training. Published per-device pricing helps scale this: Siit's August 2026 comparison lists Jamf for Mac at $12.50 per device per month billed annually and Jamf Now from $4 per device per month. SecureLeap estimates security tools for small companies at $1,000 to $3,000 per year.

Quick questions

Who usually does the internal work?

Typically a mix of engineering, IT, HR and a project owner, often a founder or security lead, who handles policies, evidence and auditor requests.

Will I need to buy new security tools?

It depends on what you already run. Check existing coverage for device management, access control, logging and training before buying anything new.

First-year versus ongoing costs

The first year carries one-time costs such as readiness work, remediation, policy writing and tool rollout. After that, most spending is recurring: the annual audit, platform renewal, a yearly penetration test, training and staff time to keep controls running.

Estimates for year two vary. BD Emerson puts the annual program at $25,000 to $75,000, including a 12-month Type 2 audit at $12,000 to $40,000. SecureLeap estimates recurring spend at 40 to 70 percent of year-one costs. Aliteq reports that renewals run 70 to 90 percent of year one if scope stays stable. soc2auditors.org advises buyers to get a separate renewal fee in writing rather than assume a discount, and to budget for platform renewals, seat limits and price increases.

Quick questions

Is SOC 2 a one-time cost?

No. SOC 2 reports cover a period of time, and most customers expect a new report each year, so the audit and supporting costs recur.

Does a longer observation period double the audit fee?

No. One audit-cost benchmark notes there is no universal multiplier, and sampling depends on control frequency, risk and the number of events.

What drives the cost up or down

Scope is the main driver. Security is the only required Trust Services Criterion. Adding Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity or Privacy increases testing, and BD Emerson estimates that Privacy alone adds 30 to 50 percent. More products, environments, locations and third-party vendors in scope also add work.

Company size and complexity matter because auditors sample from larger populations of employees, changes and systems. Aliteq's 2026 guide shows Type 2 fees at boutique and mid-tier firms moving from $15,000 to $35,000 for companies under 50 staff to $30,000 to $60,000 for 50 to 200 staff, and $50,000 to $150,000 or more above 200 staff.

Readiness is the third driver. A company with documented policies, centralized identity, device management and logging will spend less on consultants, remediation and staff time than one building those from scratch. soc2auditors.org also lists scope-change exposure of $10,000 to $30,000 for changes made after an engagement is signed.

Quick questions

Which Trust Services Criteria should I include?

Security is mandatory. Published guidance suggests adding other criteria only when customers require them, and notes Processing Integrity mainly applies when customers rely on your system's computational outputs.

Does region affect the price?

Yes. Some cost guides list separate euro and pound ranges, and others report different ranges for the US, UK and India.

Ways to reduce what you spend

Keep scope tight. Include only the Trust Services Criteria, products and environments your customers need. A narrower system description means fewer controls to test and less evidence to collect.

Get several audit quotes, and ask each firm to itemize the audit, any readiness work, the report and the renewal fee. Sprinto recommends requesting audit fees separately from platform fees. For platforms, SecureLeap reports that quarter-end timing, multi-year commitments and partner discounts can reduce list pricing by 15 to 25 percent, and Vendr reports 15 to 30 percent off initial quotes for multi-year terms. Weigh any multi-year commitment against the risk of being locked in if your needs change.

Use what you already have. Many companies already run identity providers, cloud logging and device management that can satisfy controls. Scrut estimates that automation can reduce auditor fees by about $5,000 to $15,000 through fewer audit days, though this depends on the firm. If you expect to add ISO 27001 or another framework, ComplyJet estimates that adding ISO 27001 to an existing Vanta SOC 2 subscription costs about $5,000 to $15,000 per year, so shared controls can spread cost across frameworks.

Quick questions

Are platform partner auditors a way to save?

They can be. One platform comparison reports partner-auditor Type 1 fees of $2,500 to $7,500 for one widely used platform, compared with $10,000 to $20,000 at non-partner firms. Check the firm's peer review status and whether your customers accept its reports.

Can I skip the readiness assessment?

You can, but readiness work often prevents a qualified opinion or a costly second audit. Some platforms include readiness guidance in the subscription.

Example budgets for a 20-person and a 200-person company

The two examples below combine the sourced ranges above into first-year cash budgets. They are illustrations, not benchmarks, and they exclude remediation, which depends on your gaps. Adding the lows and highs of each line produces wide totals, and a real budget will usually sit somewhere between them.

A roughly 20-person SaaS startup pursuing a Security-only Type 2 with a specialist firm might budget: audit fee $8,000 to $35,000 (SecureLeap and Aliteq small-company ranges); compliance platform $5,000 to $28,000 (Sprinto and Vendr ranges for small companies); penetration test $4,000 to $15,000 (SecureLeap and Aliteq); readiness help $0 to $15,000; and tooling of $1,000 to $5,000. That totals about $18,000 to $98,000 in cash, plus 100 to 300 staff hours. For comparison, SecureLeap puts all-in year-one cost for companies under 50 employees at $20,000 to $35,000, and BD Emerson gives a general first-year range of $30,000 to $90,000.

A roughly 200-person company pursuing a Type 2 with a mid-tier firm, possibly with Availability or Confidentiality added, might budget: audit fee $30,000 to $80,000 (soc2auditors.org full-service range); platform $8,000 to $55,000 (Sprinto and Vendr 51 to 200 employee ranges); penetration test $10,000 to $30,000; readiness or consulting $5,000 to $40,000; and tooling of $10,000 to $50,000 if device management and training are not already in place. That totals about $63,000 to $255,000 in cash, plus internal labor that soc2auditors.org values at $25,000 to $90,000. SecureLeap reports $40,000 to $75,000 for 50 to 250 employee companies, which suggests many companies in this band land toward the lower end when tooling already exists.

Quick questions

Why are the example totals so wide?

Each line is a published range, and the sources differ on firm type, scope and company profile. Narrow the range by getting two or three quotes for each line.

What would year two look like for these examples?

Using the ratios reported in published cost guides, recurring costs often land between 40 and 90 percent of year one, driven by the audit, platform renewal and penetration test.

Where does remediation fit?

Add it on top once readiness work shows your gaps. One audit-cost benchmark lists $5,000 to $50,000.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a SOC 2 Type 2 audit cost?

According to one audit-cost benchmark updated in September 2026, about $15,500 to $50,000 at specialist firms, $30,000 to $80,000 at full-service firms and $65,000 to $200,000 at Big Four firms. Very small, simple scopes can come in lower.

How much does a SOC 2 Type 1 audit cost?

The same source lists about $10,000 to $35,000 at specialist firms, $20,000 to $60,000 at full-service firms and $40,000 to $145,000 at Big Four firms.

What is the total first-year cost of SOC 2?

It depends on size and readiness. One security consultancy gives a general range of $30,000 to $90,000, and another reports $20,000 to $35,000 for companies under 50 employees and $40,000 to $75,000 for 50 to 250 employees.

How much does SOC 2 cost each year after the first?

One security consultancy estimates $25,000 to $75,000 per year for the ongoing program. Other sources describe renewals as 40 to 90 percent of year-one spend.

Is a penetration test required for SOC 2?

Published guidance notes the SOC 2 criteria do not specifically require one, but auditors may ask for a recent test as evidence for vulnerability management controls, and many customers expect it.

How much do compliance platforms cost?

One vendor pricing guide lists about $4,000 to $30,000 per year depending on headcount up to 500 employees. Published purchasing data reports a median contract of about $20,000 per year for one widely used platform, with larger multi-framework contracts going well above that.

How long does SOC 2 take?

Compliance services firms commonly describe a Type 1 audit as 2 to 6 weeks of active auditing and a Type 2 as a 3 to 12 month observation period plus 3 to 6 weeks of audit work, not counting readiness.

Sources

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