How do auditors price additional Trust Services Criteria?
Auditors price extra Trust Services Criteria by the added testing hours involved. Security is always included; adding Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, or Privacy means more controls to test, so the fee rises with scope, not a flat per-criterion charge.
The full answer
SOC 2 is built around five Trust Services Criteria: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. Security, sometimes called the common criteria, is mandatory and included in every engagement. The other four are optional, and you add them based on what customers ask for and what your service actually does. Each one you add brings its own set of controls the auditor must test.
Auditors generally do not use a flat per-criterion price. Instead, they estimate the additional controls, evidence, and testing hours each criterion introduces and fold that into the engagement fee. Privacy and Processing Integrity often add the most work because they touch data handling and system accuracy in depth, while Availability may add less if you already monitor uptime and backups. More criteria also mean more sampling across a Type 2 observation window.
This is why scope drives SOC 2 pricing so heavily. Typical US SOC 2 audits run $5,000 to $60,000-plus depending on scope (Vanta, Drata, and Secureframe guides, 2024–2026), and much of that spread comes from how many criteria and systems are in scope. Adding criteria you do not need inflates both cost and prep effort.
The practical move is to include only the criteria your customers require and your product supports. Confirm demand before expanding scope, then get a quote reflecting that exact set. AuditNex network audits start at $2,500 (promotional rate) and average about $5,000 (AuditNex network rate card, 2026), and a cost calculator can show how criteria selection shifts the estimate.
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Related questions
Can I negotiate a SOC 2 audit price?
Yes. SOC 2 audit fees are quotes, not fixed prices, so scope, timing, and multi-year commitments are all negotiable. The biggest lever is narrowing scope; bundling readiness or future audits and comparing firms also moves the number.
Do SOC 2 auditors charge for a readiness assessment?
Usually yes — a readiness assessment is a separate, billed engagement, priced below the audit itself. Some firms bundle or credit it toward the audit; others quote it standalone. Independence rules limit how much remediation the same auditor can do.
Do SOC 2 audits have hidden fees?
Sometimes. The audit fee itself is usually fixed, but total SOC 2 cost can include readiness assessments, GRC tooling, penetration testing, remediation, extra Trust Services Criteria, and bridge letters — get an itemized quote to avoid surprises.
Do auditors discount multi-year SOC 2 contracts?
Often yes. Because SOC 2 is an annual attestation, many firms offer a discount or locked rate for a two- or three-year commitment in exchange for recurring revenue. There is no standard discount; terms are negotiated firm by firm.
Does company size change the price of a SOC 2 audit?
Yes, but scope drives price more than headcount. Bigger companies usually have more systems, locations, and controls to test, which raises fees. A small startup with tight scope can pay far less than a large firm with sprawling infrastructure.
Does using a GRC platform lower my SOC 2 audit fee?
Sometimes, modestly. A GRC platform like Vanta, Drata, or Secureframe mainly cuts your prep time and internal effort, not the auditor's base fee. Fees drop most when your auditor has a confirmed integration and pulls evidence directly.
Sources: AICPA Trust Services Criteria (2017, revised 2022); AuditNex network rate card, 2026; Vanta, Drata, and Secureframe SOC 2 pricing guides, 2024–2026. Answer written and maintained by the AuditNex research team; last reviewed July 26, 2026. AuditNex is a marketplace — accredited firms price and scope engagements independently.