Published November 11, 2026

WCAG 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose, Level AA

Does WCAG require autocomplete on form fields?

Yes at Level AA when the field collects information about the user and that purpose is in the WCAG input purposes list. Success criterion 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose requires the purpose of those fields to be programmatically determined. In HTML, that is usually the autocomplete attribute with a listed token such as name, email, or tel. The text is in the W3C WCAG 2.2 Recommendation.

What does identify input purpose require?

Two conditions. The field serves a purpose identified in Input Purposes for User Interface Components, and the technology can identify the expected meaning of the data. When both are true, the purpose must be programmatically determined. The W3C explanation is in Understanding Success Criterion 1.3.5. HTML technique H98 uses autocomplete tokens. Whether a browser actually autofills is not the test. A visible label is a separate Level A check on the labels or instructions page. Broader form patterns are on the accessible forms page.

Which fields are in scope?

Fields that collect information about the user: given name, family name, email, telephone, street address, postal code, username, current password, birthday, and the other tokens in the WCAG list. HTML also allows grouping tokens such as shipping and billing on address fields. A search box, a message body, or a field about another person is out of scope even if a similar token exists. Understanding notes that transaction-amount is on the list but is not about the user, so it does not have to expose purpose. A combined username-or-email field may use either purpose, or none, if the technology cannot express both. A wrong token, including a purpose that does not match the field, is failure F107.

How is 1.3.5 different from labels and authentication?

3.3.2 requires a visible label or instruction so a person knows what to enter. 1.3.5 requires the machine-readable purpose so a user agent or assistive technology can offer icons, autofill, or other help. A field can have a correct label and still fail 1.3.5 if it has no autocomplete token, or the wrong one. Accessible names are covered on the accessible names page. Sign-in fields for username and current password are in the 1.3.5 list. WCAG 2.2 also adds 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication, which is about not relying on a memory test. That is a different criterion on the accessible authentication page.

Does the Title II web rule include identify input purpose?

Yes. The Department of Justice rule for state and local government websites names WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That level includes 1.3.5. Governments with a population of 50,000 or more have until April 26, 2027. Smaller governments and special districts have until April 26, 2028. Who must comply is on the Title II web rule page. A scanner can flag a missing or invalid autocomplete value. It often cannot tell whether the field is about the user. A person checks that, which is why a passing score is not conformance, as covered on the scanner page. The fix belongs in the form templates, which is remediation.