The Department of Homeland Security doesn’t publish a list of certified Trusted Testers, so you find one by asking. The certification belongs to a person, not a company. Anyone offering a Trusted Tester evaluation should be able to name the certified person who will test your product and show you that person’s certificate. Neither dhs.gov nor section508.gov listed a directory when this was checked on .
Key Takeaway
Ask every provider the same two things: who exactly will do the testing, and can you see their certificate. An answer that names a company instead of a person hasn’t answered the question.
What Trusted Tester Certification Is
Trusted Tester is a DHS program that trains and certifies people in one manual method for testing web content against Section 508: the Trusted Tester Section 508 Conformance Test Process for Web, now in version 5. The method follows the ICT Testing Baseline, which covers the Revised 508 Standards and the WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA criteria they include.
Agencies that adopt the process accept test results only from certified Trusted Testers, according to section508.gov. Adoption is each agency’s own choice, so find out whether the agency you’re selling to uses it before you pay for it. What Section 508 requires from software vendors covers how to ask.
The certification is for web testing. Native mobile apps and documents such as PDFs are outside it, even though the wider ICT Testing Baseline has guidance for them.
Where to Look
- Ask the agency first. The agency’s Section 508 program office can tell you whether it uses the Trusted Tester process and what it expects to see in a report. That tells you whether you need a certified tester at all.
- Ask accessibility firms for a name. Large firms and small practices both employ certified testers. Ask who will test your product, not whether the firm “has” Trusted Testers.
- Look for published certificates. Some independent evaluators publish their certificate on their site, so you can read it before you get in touch.
- Certify someone in house. DHS offers the training and the certification exam through its training portal. It suits a company that will test many releases over the years.
How to Read the Certificate
A DHS Trusted Tester certificate shows the person’s name, a certification number beginning TT-, the issue date, and what the person was certified in, such as Trusted Tester for Web on Windows. Check that the name on the certificate belongs to the person who will actually test your product, and that the scope matches what you need tested. If you need more than the document, the program’s contact at DHS is accessibility@hq.dhs.gov.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
- Will the certified tester do the testing, or review someone else’s work?
- Which report will I get? For a federal buyer, an ACR on the Section 508 or INT edition of the VPAT, with the evaluation methods field naming the Trusted Tester process.
- Can I see a complete sample report? It should show a result for each test in the process and a remark for anything that doesn’t fully pass. A scanner export isn’t a Trusted Tester report.
- What’s covered? Trusted Tester is a web method. If your product includes a native mobile app or PDFs, ask how those are handled and by whom.
- When does the report arrive, and is that date committed in writing?
How Harbor Accessibility Does It
Harbor Accessibility’s evaluations are done and signed by Andrew Szigety, DHS Trusted Tester for Web, certification number TT‑2606‑09221, issued June 9, 2026. The certificate is published in full, so you can read it before you get in touch, and the person who scopes the work is the person who tests it and signs the report. Harbor evaluates websites and web applications, and the certification is used only for that. Native mobile work is outside it.
The report is an ACR in the INT edition, which reports Section 508, WCAG 2.2 and EN 301 549 in one document. The fee follows your unique template count and is fixed in writing, with a committed delivery date, after a free 15-minute call or over email. The Section 508 testing page covers what an engagement includes.
Harbor provides technical audits and conformance documentation, not legal advice. Whether an agency requires Trusted Tester results is set by that agency and its solicitation.
- Section 508 Testing
- Section 508 for Software Vendors
- Does a VPAT Need a Third Party?
- Read the Sample ACR
- Talk to the Evaluator
Common Questions
- Is there a directory of DHS Trusted Testers?
- No public one. Neither dhs.gov nor section508.gov listed one when checked on September 21, 2026. The certification belongs to a person, so ask each provider to name the certified tester who will do your testing and to show the certificate.
- How can I check that someone is a certified Trusted Tester?
- Ask for the certificate. It shows the person’s name, a certification number beginning TT-, the issue date, and the scope, such as Trusted Tester for Web on Windows. Make sure the named person is the one who will test your product. The DHS program contact is accessibility@hq.dhs.gov.
- Do I need a Trusted Tester for a Section 508 evaluation?
- Only if the buyer requires it. Agencies that adopt the DHS Trusted Tester process accept test results only from certified Trusted Testers, and adoption is each agency’s own decision. Ask the contracting officer or the agency’s Section 508 program office, and read the solicitation.
- Does Trusted Tester certification cover mobile apps and PDFs?
- No. The certification is for the web test process. Native mobile apps and documents need a different method, and a report on them shouldn’t be presented as a Trusted Tester evaluation.
- Who does Section 508 evaluations with a certified Trusted Tester?
- Many accessibility firms employ certified testers, from large companies to independent practices, so ask each one for the named tester. Harbor Accessibility’s evaluator, Andrew Szigety, is a DHS Trusted Tester for Web (TT-2606-09221, certificate published on harboraccessibility.com) and signs every Section 508 ACR he tests.