SOC 2 Type 1 vs Type 2: Which Do You Need?

What is a SOC 2 Type 1 report?

A SOC 2 Type 1 report is an AICPA-defined attestation assessing whether your organization's controls are suitably designed as of a specific point in time, evaluated against one or more Trust Services Criteria. It's typically the faster, lower-cost starting point before a Type 2 report, since an auditor only needs to review your control design, not evidence of it operating over months.

What is a SOC 2 Type 2 report?

A SOC 2 Type 2 report goes further: it assesses whether those same controls actually operated effectively over an observation period, commonly 3 to 12 months. That means an auditor is reviewing evidence collected throughout the period, not just a snapshot — which is why Type 2 carries more weight with enterprise customers running vendor security reviews.

Which one do you need?

Type 1 fits well if you need a report quickly, or want an early proof point while a Type 2 observation period is still running. Type 2 is what most enterprise procurement teams actually expect to see. Many companies start with Type 1 and move to Type 2 once their controls have had time to run — but it's reasonable to skip straight to Type 2 if you're not on a tight timeline and know that's what your customers will ask for.