1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose

What this criterion requires

Form fields that collect common personal data (name, email, phone, address, credit card) must declare their purpose programmatically so browsers and assistive tools can autofill and augment them.

Who it helps

People with cognitive or motor disabilities, for whom re-typing known data is a barrier; everyone who uses autofill.

Example: fails vs passes

<input type="text" name="fld_7">

<input type="email" name="email" autocomplete="email">

The WCAG 2.1 autocomplete tokens (email, given-name, tel, street-address, cc-number...) let browsers and assistive tools fill known data.

How to meet and fix it

• Add the correct HTML autocomplete tokens: autocomplete="email", "given-name", "tel", "street-address", "cc-number" and the rest of the WCAG 2.1 token list

Common failures auditors find

• autocomplete="off" on standard personal fields
• Custom field names with no autocomplete tokens at all

Automated scanning catches a share of these instantly - run a free check - and a manual audit covers the judgement calls a tool cannot make.

Last updated 12 August 2026. Reviewed by the EqualWeb accessibility team.