Can I have a SOC 1 and a SOC 2 at the same time?

Yes — and many service organizations do. They cover different subject matter and serve different audiences. A payroll-adjacent SaaS company often has both: SOC 1 for financial reporting impact and SOC 2 for security.

Is a SOC 3 enough to satisfy enterprise procurement?

Usually not. Enterprise security teams typically require the detailed test results in a SOC 2 report, which they'll review under NDA. SOC 3 is most useful as public-facing marketing on top of an existing SOC 2.

Do all three reports come in Type I and Type II versions?

SOC 1 and SOC 2 each have Type I (point-in-time design) and Type II (operating effectiveness over a period) versions. SOC 3 reports are always Type II.

Are SOC reports issued under SSAE 16?

Not anymore. SSAE 16 was superseded by SSAE 18, which became effective in May 2017. Current SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 engagements are conducted under SSAE 18.

DisclosureIndependent directory. Not a CPA firm. Nothing here is legal, audit, or tax advice. Methodology.

SOC 1 vs SOC 2 vs SOC 3: which AICPA report do you need?

By Editorial team · Published 2026-04-26 · Last updated 2026-04-26

SOC 1 is for financial reporting impact. SOC 2 is for security and adjacent criteria. SOC 3 is a public-facing summary of a SOC 2. Here's how to pick.

All three reports are issued by AICPA-licensed CPA firms under the same family of attestation standards (SSAE 18). The differences are about audience and scope, not about which is harder or more prestigious. Numbering does not imply hierarchy.

SOC 1 — when financial reporting is impacted

SOC 1 reports are for service organizations whose controls could affect their customers' financial statements. The prototypical SOC 1 customer is a payroll processor, a billing system, a fund administrator, a claims processor, or any service that touches financially material data the customer's auditors will need to opine on.

The audience is the customer's external auditor. They use the SOC 1 to scope their own audit work — if your SOC 1 demonstrates that controls over financial data are operating effectively, their audit becomes shorter and cheaper. If you don't have one and your customer's auditors decide they need to test you directly, that's an unpleasant conversation.

SOC 2 — security and adjacent criteria

SOC 2 evaluates controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. Security is required; Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy are optional. The audience is the customer's security and procurement teams. SOC 2 is the default report for B2B SaaS, hosting providers, and any service organization that handles customer data without directly impacting customers' financial reporting.

SOC 3 — public-facing summary of a SOC 2

A SOC 3 covers the same subject matter as a SOC 2 (Trust Services Criteria) but produces a much shorter report intended for general distribution. It contains the auditor's opinion and a brief system description, but not the detailed control descriptions or test results. SOC 3 reports are always Type II and are typically posted on company websites as marketing material.

Which one should I get?

If your service touches customer financial reporting — start with SOC 1. Your customers' auditors will demand it.
If you're a B2B SaaS, infrastructure, or processing service that handles customer data — start with SOC 2 (Type I if you need a fast first report, then move to Type II).
If you have a SOC 2 already and want a public, marketing-friendly version — add a SOC 3. It's a relatively small incremental engagement on top of an existing SOC 2.
If your service does both — financial reporting impact and security — you may need both a SOC 1 and a SOC 2. They're complementary, not interchangeable.

Numbering myths

SOC 3 is not 'better' than SOC 2 and SOC 2 is not 'an upgrade' from SOC 1. The numbers are just labels for different reports with different audiences. You don't graduate from one to the next, and getting one is not a prerequisite for getting another.