US SOC 2 consultants
- The US market is crowded and the offerings vary widely, from a template pack to a firm that runs the whole programme. Compare scope before price.
- Consultancy fees for a first programme typically run $15,000 to $50,000, with the auditor's fee separate.
- Your sector often decides the scope. Healthcare, financial services and federal-adjacent buyers each add requirements beyond the Security criterion.
- Location is rarely a factor. Fieldwork is remote almost everywhere, so sector experience matters more than a shared time zone.
- The most useful thing you can do before speaking to anyone is get your buyer's requirement in writing.
Hiring is a scoping exercise
Hiring a SOC 2 consultant in the United States is mostly a scoping exercise rather than a shopping exercise. The market is large and the quality is generally good, so the difference between a smooth programme and a difficult one usually comes down to whether the scope, the fee and the responsibilities were agreed in writing before the work started.
A consultant prepares you for the examination. The examination and the report come from a licensed CPA firm, which is a separate engagement with a separate fee.
What the US market offers
Providers fall into four rough groups, and each suits a different situation.
Compliance platforms with a services layer sell software first and attach advisory hours. This works well when your environment is straightforward and you mainly need the evidence collection automated.
Specialist compliance consultancies run the readiness programme end to end and prepare you for examination. This is the usual fit for a company with a fixed audit date and no in-house compliance function.
Independent practitioners work at a day rate, commonly $800 to $2,000. This suits companies that have someone internal running the programme who needs experienced judgement at specific points rather than continuous support.
Full-service accounting groups offer both consulting and attestation, usually through separate legal entities to preserve independence. This appeals to boards that want a recognised name on the report. Ask which entity is signing and how the two are kept apart.
Our own position is set out on the about page: we prepare and run programmes, we do not issue reports, and we take no commission from audit firms or platform vendors.
What US consultancy fees cover
| Engagement | Typical fee |
|---|---|
| Gap or readiness assessment | $5,000 to $25,000 |
| Full readiness programme, small to mid-sized company | $15,000 to $50,000 |
| Programme management through the observation period | Retainer, varies with scope |
| Independent practitioner day rate | $800 to $2,000 |
| Auditor fee, Type 2, quoted separately | $15,000 to $60,000 |
What to confirm about the fee
Ask for a fixed fee with itemised scope, and confirm in writing that the auditor's fee is outside it. It almost always is, and discovering that in month four is a bad way to find out.
Also ask what is excluded. Penetration testing, the compliance platform subscription and legal review of customer contracts commonly sit outside the consultancy fee, and each carries a real number.
How your sector changes the scope
The Security criterion applies to everyone. What varies is what gets added on top, and this is where sector experience earns its fee.
Companies selling into healthcare are usually asked for HIPAA alignment alongside SOC 2, which most firms handle by mapping one control set against both rather than running two programmes.
Companies selling into financial services face buyers with their own vendor risk frameworks, and the questions go deeper than the report. Expect requests for the underlying evidence, not just the opinion.
Companies selling into or adjacent to federal buyers may face FedRAMP requirements, which is a substantially larger undertaking than SOC 2 and should be planned as a separate programme rather than an extension.
Companies whose product uses AI increasingly face a specific section of the buyer's security questionnaire about model governance, training data and human oversight. SOC 2 does not address those questions directly, which is why ISO/IEC 42001 is now appearing in enterprise procurement. See our ISO/IEC 42001 guides for how that framework works.
Does the consultant need to be nearby?
Usually not. SOC 2 fieldwork is conducted remotely at almost every firm, evidence is exchanged through platforms, and interviews happen on video. What matters far more than geography is whether the practitioner has run programmes for companies at your size, in your sector and on your infrastructure.
Time-zone overlap does matter for the interview stage, when engineers need to be available and questions need same-day answers. Four hours of shared working time is generally enough.
What to ask before signing
The full list of nine questions is in how to choose a SOC 2 compliance consultant. The three that separate US firms fastest are these.
Who runs the programme during the observation period, and is that inside the fee? The build phase is the visible one. The observation period is where evidence collection quietly stops.
Which audit firms do you work with, and does any payment pass between you? Working relationships genuinely help. Undisclosed referral arrangements are worth knowing about before you choose.
Can you show me a sample policy and explain how you would adapt it to our architecture? The answer tells you immediately whether the adaptation will be substantive.
What to do next
Get your buyer's requirement in writing, including whether they will accept a Type 1 and what deadline actually applies. That single email changes the scope conversation.
Then establish where you stand. Our free readiness diagnostic gives a first view in a few minutes, and our readiness and gap assessment produces a requirement-by-requirement breakdown for a fixed fee.
References
FAQ
How much does a US SOC 2 consultant cost?
Typically $15,000 to $50,000 for a full first programme at a small to mid-sized company, with the auditor's fee separate. Standalone gap assessments run $5,000 to $25,000.
Do I need a consultant and an auditor, or just an auditor?
You need an auditor, because only a CPA firm can issue the report. Whether you need a consultant depends on who inside your company will do the preparation work and whether they have the time and experience.
Can one firm do both the consulting and the audit?
Some groups offer both through separate legal entities. Ask which entity signs the report and how independence is maintained, then decide whether you are comfortable with the arrangement.
Does the consultant need to be in my state?
No. Fieldwork is remote and state location has no bearing on the examination. Sector and infrastructure experience matter far more.
How long does a US SOC 2 engagement take?
Six to ten weeks to be ready for a Type 1. Nine to twelve months for a first Type 2, because the observation period cannot be compressed once it begins.
About Hael
Hael is an advisory firm specialising in AI governance and security compliance. We do the work, hold the deadline and stand behind the evidence, across SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO/IEC 42001 and the EU AI Act. We are not a certification body, we do not issue reports, and we take no commission from audit firms or platform vendors. On engagements involving regulated financial services firms we work alongside Buckingham Capital Consulting, the partner firm that has advised payment and e-money firms on authorisation and compliance since 2013.
This guide is general information and is not professional advice on your particular circumstances.