Print

Regulation of private renting (Summary)

Alcohol treatment services

Active Travel in England

Dentistry in England

Customer service summary

COVID-19 business grant schemes

The NHS nursing workforce (Summary)

High Speed Two: Euston

Regulation of private renting

Ensure that PDF documents specifies headings for accessibility.

## What this means

Specifying headings in a PDF involves clearly defining tagged heading elements within 
the document. These headings are used to structure the content, similar to how headings 
are used in web content (like HTML). 

## Why it matters

1. **Accessibility**: Headings are crucial for screen readers and other assistive technologies. They allow users with visual impairments to navigate the document more easily.
2. **Document Structure**: Clearly defined headings help in organizing the content, making it more understandable and navigable for all users.
3. **Search Efficiency**: Proper headings improve the document's searchability, enabling users to find information more quickly.

## How to fix

1. **Use Styles in Document Creation**: When creating a document, use heading styles (like Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) in your word processor before converting it to a PDF.
2. **Edit Existing PDFs**: If your PDF is already created, use a PDF editor to add or modify heading tags. Ensure that the headings are in a logical hierarchical order.

## Testing Methodology

Silktide flags PDFs that don't contain a single tagged heading.

## Further Reading

- [WCAG PDF9](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/pdf.html#PDF9)
- [Creating Accessible PDFs](https://www.adobe.com/accessibility/pdf/pdf-accessibility-overview.html)
- [PDF Accessibility - Defining PDF Accessibility](https://www.webaim.org/techniques/acrobat/)

pdf-missing-headings

September 2025

August 2025

National Audit Office (NAO)

Title / URL	Issues
Printwww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NAO-DiversityInclusion_Strategy_2021-25.pdf	1
Regulation of private renting (Summary)www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Regulation-of-private-renting-Summary.pdf	1
Alcohol treatment serviceswww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/alcohol-treatment-services.pdf	1
Active Travel in Englandwww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/active-travel-in-england.pdf	1
Dentistry in Englandwww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Dentistry-in-England.pdf	1
Customer service summarywww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hmrc-customer-service-summary.pdf	1
COVID-19 business grant schemeswww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/covid-19-business-grant-schemes.pdf	1
The NHS nursing workforce (Summary)www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/The-NHS-nursing-workforce-Summary.pdf	1
High Speed Two: Eustonwww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/high-speed-two-euston.pdf	1
Regulation of private rentingwww.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Regulation-of-private-renting.pdf	1

Specify headings for every PDF

National Audit Office (NAO)

Where this issue has occurred