Guide
How much does a NYC bias audit cost?
Updated June 16, 2026 · By Max Langley, Bias Audit USA
A single-tool NYC Local Law 144 bias audit generally starts around $1,500 to $2,000 from independent auditors, and complex or multi-tool engagements from large firms commonly reach the low-to-mid five figures. Most firms do not publish a price at all. Bias Audit USA does: $1,950 for one tool, $3,950 for two to three. The audit is also recurring, required annually and again after any significant change to the tool.
What the market actually charges
Pricing for AEDT bias audits is mostly hidden behind sales calls. When you do find published numbers, a flat single-tool audit from an independent auditor tends to sit in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. Larger firms that bundle audits with monitoring software or legal review do not list prices, and their engagements for multiple tools or messy data commonly run into the low-to-mid five figures. Treat any single quote as a starting point and compare at least two.
Why nobody publishes a price
The standard playbook is to quote-wall everything: route each inquiry through a demo, scope it individually, and never show a number on the site. That keeps buyers without an anchor and forces a sales conversation. For a standard single-tool audit the work is predictable enough to price openly, which is why we publish flat fees and treat transparency as part of the service.
What drives the number
- · Number of tools. Each automated tool used to screen, score, or rank candidates is a separate audit scope.
- · Data quality. Clean historical selection data is cheaper to audit than sparse or messy data.
- · Demographic inference. If candidate sex, race, or ethnicity is not recorded, it has to be estimated, which adds work.
- · Remediation and re-testing. Fixing a flagged tool and re-running the analysis is additional scope beyond the base audit.
It is a recurring cost, not a one-off
Local Law 144 requires a fresh independent audit at least once a year, and again after any significant change to the tool. A significant change generally means retraining on new data, switching the underlying model, or materially changing the inputs or their weighting. The standard is intentionally broad, so a mid-year model update can reset the clock. Budget for the audit as an annual line item and build a quick check into your model-change process so an update does not quietly put you out of compliance. Non-compliance runs up to $1,500 per day, so a missed re-audit is expensive.
How much does a NYC Local Law 144 bias audit cost?
Most audit firms quote privately and publish no price. Across the market, a single-tool independent bias audit generally starts around $1,500 to $2,000, while complex or multi-tool engagements from large firms commonly reach the low-to-mid five figures. Bias Audit USA publishes flat fees: $1,950 for one tool and $3,950 for two to three tools.
Why do most bias audit firms hide their pricing?
Most providers route every inquiry through a sales call and scope each engagement individually, so they keep prices off the site. The result is that buyers have no public anchor and cannot compare without booking demos. We publish flat fees instead, because the work for a standard single-tool audit is predictable.
What makes one audit cost more than another?
Price scales with the number of tools audited, the complexity and cleanliness of the data, whether demographic data must be inferred, and whether you add remediation support or re-testing after fixes. A single resume screener on clean historical data is far cheaper than several tools with sparse data and a remediation cycle.
Is a bias audit a one-time cost?
No. NYC Local Law 144 requires a fresh independent audit at least once a year, and again after any significant change to the tool. Budget for it as a recurring annual line item, not a one-off.
What triggers a new audit before the year is up?
A significant change to the automated employment decision tool. In practice that means retraining on new data, swapping the underlying model, or materially changing the inputs or how they are weighted. The standard is deliberately broad, so when in doubt, confirm with counsel before you keep using a changed tool.
Sources
- NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Local Law 144 / Automated Employment Decision Tools, nyc.gov.
- Office of the New York State Comptroller, enforcement audit of Local Law 144 (2025), osc.ny.gov.
Want a fixed price for your tools?
Tell us which hiring tools you use. We will tell you whether Local Law 144 applies and give you a flat quote, with no sales call.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with qualified counsel.