SOC 1 Pricing Report 2026: Planning-Estimate Fee Bands
Nobody publishes their SOC 1 invoice, and firms rarely publish SOC 1 fee schedules. So instead of fabricating citations, this report gives you our clearly-labeled planning-estimate fee bands for every SOC 1 path -- with the basis and scope of each, so you can budget and sanity-check real quotes.
The bands
| Cost item | Planning-estimate range | Basis | Date | Scope / context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 examination fee (SMB) | $8,000–$20,000 | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | Boutique/mid-market CPA firm; single location; documented controls |
| Type 1 examination fee (mid-market) | $15,000–$35,000 | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | Mid-market CPA firm; 1–3 locations |
| Type 1 examination fee (enterprise) | $25,000–$60,000 | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | National firm; multi-location scope |
| Type 2 examination fee (SMB) | $15,000–$40,000 | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | Boutique/mid-market CPA firm; single location |
| Type 2 examination fee (mid-market) | $30,000–$75,000 | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | Mid-market/national CPA firm; 1–3 locations |
| Type 2 examination fee (enterprise) | $50,000–$150,000+ | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | National/Big Four firm; complex multi-location scope |
| Readiness assessment | $5,000–$25,000 | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | 2–6 week gap assessment; scales with environment complexity |
| Remediation (year 1) | 40–100% of examination fee | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | Tooling, access-review platforms, consultant hours; the swing factor |
| Combined SOC 1 + SOC 2 | Less than 2× either alone | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | One evidence set feeding two reports; always request combined pricing |
| Annual Type 2 renewal | 50–70% of year-1 examination fee | Planning estimate (Sept 2026) | Sept 2026 | Scoping, documentation, and evidence habits carry forward |
- Type 2 examination fee: planning estimate $20,000–$100,000+ depending on company size and scope -- the examination itself, before remediation.
- Type 1 examination fee: planning estimate $10,000–$30,000 -- no observation period, lower testing effort.
- Readiness assessment: planning estimate $5,000–$25,000 -- the highest-ROI spend for first-timers.
- Remediation is the swing factor: budget 40–100% of the examination fee on top in year one -- most “cost of SOC 1” discussions undercount by half.
- Combined SOC 1 + SOC 2: one evidence set feeding two reports costs materially less than two separate engagements.
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Get scoped quotesWhat the bands actually tell us
- The path decision dominates. Type 1 vs Type 2 moves the fee more than which firm you pick.
- Scoping drives everything. In-scope systems, locations, and service lines -- not the firm’s brand -- determine where you land in a band.
- Firm tier tracks report acceptance. Boutique, mid-market specialist, national firm, Big Four: fees and customer-auditor acceptance rise together. Match the tier to what your customers require.
- Year two is cheaper. Renewals reuse scoping, documentation, and evidence habits -- plan on roughly half to two-thirds of the year-one examination fee.
Methodology
What is this report?
A compilation of our planning-estimate fee bands for SOC 1 examinations, assembled September 2026. It is a budgeting aid -- not a survey we ran, not published vendor figures, and not an average we computed.
Why planning estimates instead of published figures?
SOC 1 fees are scoped per engagement and firms rarely publish SOC 1 fee schedules. Rather than fabricate citations, we label every figure below as our planning estimate with its basis and scope, so you can budget honestly and verify with scoped quotes.
How should I use these bands?
As a starting budget and a sanity check on quotes. A quote far outside the band for your size and path deserves a question -- in either direction. Always get 2–3 scoped quotes on a common statement of work.
What isn’t here?
Anything we couldn’t stand behind. We don’t publish a single ‘average SOC 1 cost’ because scopes differ too much to average honestly.
How current is this?
September 2026. We plan to refresh this report annually; the methodology section will note what changed.
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