SOC 1 Cost Breakdown: What You’re Actually Paying For
SOC 1 quotes vary 10x between firms, which makes budgeting feel like guesswork. It isn’t: fees follow the path plus five drivers. Here’s the breakdown.
Fees by path
Planning estimates (September 2026), not quotes: Type 1: $10K–$30K. Readiness assessment: $5K–$25K. Type 2: $20K–$100K+, rising with company size and complexity -- Big Four and national-firm Type 2s for large enterprises run higher. Boutique and mid-market CPA firms cluster at the lower end; national and Big Four firms at the upper end. Use the cost estimator for a tailored figure.
The 5 cost drivers
- Scope breadth. Every in-scope system, location, and service line gets tested. Tight scoping is the single biggest lever on fees.
- Report type. Type 2 costs more than Type 1 -- the observation period means more testing, more sampling, more reporting.
- Control maturity. Undocumented or informal controls mean more readiness work before (or during) the examination -- billable either way.
- Subservice organizations. Inclusive-method reports (testing your vendors’ controls too) cost more than carve-out.
- Firm tier. Boutique CPA firms, mid-market specialists, national firms, and Big Four price in that order -- and report acceptance rises in roughly the same order. Match the tier to what your customers’ auditors require.
Hidden costs buyers forget
Remediation typically adds 40–60% on top of the examination fee in year one (tooling, access-review platforms, consultant hours). Internal labor -- your team’s evidence collection and walkthrough time -- is real cost even though no invoice arrives. Re-testing fees after failed controls should be negotiated into the engagement letter upfront.
How to compare quotes
Get 2–3 scoped quotes on the same statement of work: same report type, same period, same locations, same carve-out/inclusive decisions. Compare what’s excluded as carefully as the fee -- travel, re-testing, and report distribution are the classic add-ons. Get matched quotes on a common scope.
Questions
Are these figures quotes?
No -- planning estimates (September 2026) for budgeting. Every engagement is scoped individually; get the fee and scope boundaries in writing.
Does a combined SOC 1 + SOC 2 cost double?
No. Combined examinations share one evidence set and are materially cheaper than two separate engagements -- always ask for combined pricing.
Related reading
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