What a SOC 2 costs
A SOC 2 budget has four lines:
| Cost | What drives it |
|---|---|
| The CPA firm's fee | Type I or II, which Trust Services Criteria are in scope, and how many systems, locations and subservice organisations the audit covers |
| Compliance tooling | Optional. Automation platforms collect evidence and track controls; company size usually sets the price |
| Internal effort | How far your controls are from audit-ready, and who owns the work |
| Supporting work | Often a penetration test, sometimes policy writing or security engineering |
The calculator above gives budgeting ranges for each. There is no official SOC 2 fee schedule: CPA firms quote their own engagements, so treat the output as a planning figure, not a quote.
Type I vs Type II: the biggest cost and time decision
| Type I | Type II | |
|---|---|---|
| Reports on | Control design, at a point in time | Design and operating effectiveness, over a period |
| Calendar time after readiness | Fieldwork on one date | An observation period, commonly 3 to 12 months (the AICPA sets no minimum), then fieldwork |
| Audit fee | Lower | Higher: a longer engagement with more testing |
Many teams do a Type I first to unblock a deal, then roll straight into the Type II observation period.
Which Trust Services Criteria to include
Security is always in scope. Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality and Privacy each add audit work, so include them only when customer contracts or your service commitments need them. The calculator adds cost for each one you select.
How to keep the cost down
- Scope the system tightly: fewer systems and subservice organisations mean less to test.
- Start the observation period only once the controls actually run; a failed control mid-period shows up in the report.
- Choose tooling for the evidence it saves you, not as a requirement. Plenty of SOC 2s are done without a platform.
- If ISO 27001 is also on the roadmap, build the controls once: the two share most of their evidence.
FAQ
How long does a first SOC 2 take?
Readiness, then either a Type I on one date or a Type II observation period of usually 3 to 12 months, then the auditor's fieldwork and report.
Does SOC 2 require a penetration test?
Not by name, but a recent pentest is common evidence that you evaluate your controls. See VAPT services.
Who issues the report?
An independent CPA firm. Consultants and readiness firms, including us, cannot issue SOC 2 reports.
Read more: SOC 2 readiness, SOC 2 Type I vs Type II and a Type II readiness checklist.
Sources
Facts checked against the sources above on 22 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.