How Long Does It Really Take To Get SOC 2 Compliant?

Imagine a scenario where your prospective client has expressed a strong desire for your organization to become SOC 2 compliant. Alternatively, you may be driven by a desire to gain a significant competitive advantage in your industry. Another compelling situation could be your commitment to ethical business practices and the safeguarding of your future clients’ sensitive information. In light of these motivations, you make the strategic choice to become SOC 2 compliant. You want to do this quickly as time is precious. How long does the process take? And, how long does a SOC 2 audit take? Let’s take a look.

Becoming SOC 2 compliant isn’t an overnight process, and that’s a good thing because SOC 2 compliance involves making detailed, lasting enhancements to your security processes, which ultimately leads to a better InfoSec program and more reliable security systems. 

The SOC 2 timeline (this includes the preparation process and the auditing) can vary depending on a few factors. When considering how long SOC 2 takes to achieve, you need to consider the entire SOC 2 journey. Preparing for your SOC 2 audit is a vital phase of the process and takes up the majority of the time. To appreciate what’s involved in getting fully compliant, we need to consider the whole process, from planning to audit. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that SOC 2 is no one-time event, but rather an ongoing process that involves annual renewal.

The SOC 2 audit itself is a meticulous process conducted by a licensed CPA firm or an agency accredited by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), who assesses your controls and practices to ensure they meet the five Trust Services Criteria (Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Privacy and Processing Integrity). Generally, the preparation for the SOC 2 audit can take anywhere from three months to several months, and then there is the audit.

For startups, assessing the whole process can be especially valuable. Firstly, because it helps you plan more effectively and understand how SOC 2 workflows work going forward. But also, more importantly, because carefully laying out your SOC 2 roadmap will help you to develop systems and processes that ultimately meet your business goals.

So, What Does the SOC 2 Audit Timeline Look Like?

One of the most common questions we hear is: how long does it take to get SOC 2 compliant? The truth is, it’s not as simple as saying four months, six months, a year, or so on. The length of your organization’s SOC 2 compliance process and audit depends on several factors – including the type of report (Type I vs. Type II), the scope of your audit, the maturity of your security program, and how quickly you can implement the necessary controls.

To start off, a Type I SOC 2 report versus a Type II SOC 2 report affect the length of time to achieve SOC 2 compliance. If undergoing a Type I report, you should achieve SOC 2 compliance quicker. This is because a Type I reports on the design of an organization’s internal controls at a specific point in time, while a Type II reports on the design and operating effectiveness of an organization’s internal controls over a period of time, which means there is an observation period.

Secondly, the scope of your audit will affect the number of tasks and evidence collection involved in your compliance process. For example, if you are only including the Security principle in your audit, the SOC 2 process will most likely be shorter than if you were including Security, Availability, and Confidentiality Trust Service Principles (TSP) in your scope.

Thirdly, the SOC 2 readiness, gap analysis, remediation, policy implementation and evidence collection phases usually require more time if your organization is undergoing SOC 2 compliance for the first time, so this is another important factor to consider.

Understanding the full SOC 2 timeline helps you plan, align stakeholders, and set realistic expectations for the journey ahead. Whether you’re pursuing SOC 2 compliance for the first time or preparing for a Type II report, the table below outlines what the process typically looks like:

Stage	SOC 2 Type I Timeline	SOC 2 Type II Timeline
Pre-audit preparation	1–3 months	1–3 months
SOC 2 observation period	N/A	3–12 months
Official audit	2–5 weeks	1–3 weeks
Report creation and delivery	2–6 weeks	2–6 weeks

SOC 2 Compliance: Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

Companies that don’t try to rush the process and cut corners, and carefully map out their SOC 2 compliance, tend to have more successful outcomes. 

Of course, in the competitive SaaS space, time is money. But that’s the point. Businesses that rush in without an effective ‘SOC 2 plan’ invariably encounter delays and difficulties down the road. These cost time and money. 

By contrast, businesses that develop a carefully thought-out plan build an excellent foundation that ensures they meet the highest standards of compliance for the long term.

Pre-audit preparation (1–3 months)

Before your official audit begins, you’ll go through a SOC 2 readiness assessment to identify which controls are missing. 

This assessment helps uncover gaps in your security and compliance posture so you can take action to address them effectively. This phase includes implementing or updating security controls (such as access and identity management), developing policies, performing vendor risk assessments, and collecting compliance documentation. This is where a large portion of the SOC 2 effort lies.

How long this takes depends heavily on your starting point. Organizations that are new to SOC 2 often need the full 2–3 months, while those with mature InfoSec practices in place may be able to accelerate this stage to under a month. Regardless, this preparation period is a crucial step in becoming SOC 2 compliant.

The SOC 2 readiness assessment process consists of two main stages:

Gap analysis

As the name implies, a gap analysis assesses where your organization is and whether there are any identified gaps in your systems and controls that are keeping you from achieving SOC 2 compliance. Once these gaps have been identified, guided by the detailed AICPA framework of relevant criteria, work can begin on remediating those gaps, assigning ownership, and deadlines.

Remediation period

The remediation period consists of implementing measures and fixing gaps identified in the gap analysis. The timeline of the remediation period depends on the scale of interventions required, starting from around 10 days up to 3 months.

SOC 2 observation period (Type II only: 3–12 months)

The SOC 2 observation period only applies to Type II audits. During this time, your organization must demonstrate that its SOC 2 controls are not only properly designed, but also operating effectively. 

For a SOC 2 Type II report, there is a chosen period of 3 to12 months during which the effectiveness of your controls will be assessed. This is not an official rule, but it is advised for an observation period to be at least 6 months as a longer window provides greater assurance to stakeholders that your controls are both sustainable and consistently enforced. During the audit, only the controls and policies in place during this specified observation period are evaluated. 

Official audit (2–5 weeks for Type I, 1–3 weeks for Type II)

After the observation period, it is time for the official audit. At this stage, your chosen auditor will conduct the testing and reporting of your controls. Once you successfully pass the audit and receive your SOC 2 report, it is crucial to be aware of the SOC 2 validity period. SOC 2 reports typically have a validity period of 12 months.

Report creation and delivery (2–6 weeks)

Once your auditor has completed the audit, they will compile their findings into a SOC 2 Type 2 report. This report includes details about your information security posture, the controls you have in place, how effective those controls are, and whether your organization met the requirements of the Trust Services Criteria. This stage is typically out of your control, but proactive communication and well-prepared documentation can help prevent delays. You can then share this report with prospects, partners, and customers as proof that your systems are secure and trustworthy.

So, the SOC 2 compliance journey can vary in duration, with the audit itself adding additional time to the overall process. Understanding the SOC 2 timeline – along with the validity period of your report – is essential for maintaining ongoing compliance and ensuring your organization continues to meet the highest standards of security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

With the right preparation and support, achieving SOC 2 compliance can be a clear and structured process. Whether you’re pursuing a Type I or Type II report, knowing how long it takes to get SOC 2 compliant gives you the confidence to move forward effectively.

Leveraging SOC 2 Compliance Automation

SOC 2 compliance is an exhaustive, often complex, process that provides serious, enduring benefits to an organization if implemented correctly, but at the same time, can be a time-sucking and admin-heavy project for teams. This is why so many SaaS companies are turning to compliance automation tools to streamline the SOC 2 compliance process, save their team tremendous amounts of time, boost customer trust and gain a real competitive edge.

FAQs

How long does it take to get SOC 2 compliant?

The time to achieve SOC 2 compliance depends on factors like audit type, scope, and the maturity of your security systems. Typically, it takes 3 to 12 months, with Type II audits requiring additional time for observation.

What are the main steps to achieve SOC 2 compliance?

The main steps include pre-audit preparation (gap analysis and remediation), the SOC 2 observation period (for Type II), the official audit, and report creation and delivery. Each phase involves assessing and implementing security controls to meet the Trust Services Criteria.

How can automation tools like Scytale streamline the SOC 2 compliance process?

Automation tools like Scytale simplify SOC 2 compliance by streamlining key tasks like evidence collection, user access reviews, vendor risk management, multi-framework cross-mapping, and much more. They save time, reduce manual effort, and ensure continuous monitoring, making it far easier to achieve and maintain SOC 2 compliance efficiently.