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SOC 2 Cost

SOC 2 Cost for Payments

Estimate SOC 2 cost for payments teams handling cardholder data flows, payouts, and bank/vendor diligence.

Cost range and timeline snapshot

  • Typical first-year range: ~$45k–$120k depending on PCI overlap, processors, and remediation.
  • Tooling: logging/SIEM, fraud monitoring, vulnerability scanning, EDR, and ticketing.

Timeline bands

  • Readiness: 10–16 weeks if payment flows, contracts, and evidence are mapped.
  • Type I: 4–8 weeks once pentest remediation and access reviews are complete.
  • Type II: add 6–12 months observation with tighter sampling around payment systems.

Assumptions

  • Payment data or cardholder-related PII in scope; PCI alignment considered even if SOC 2-focused.
  • Pentest and remediation planned before audit start; evidence ready for walkthroughs.
  • Vendor contracts (processors, gateways, fraud tools) documented with security addenda.

Common scope

  • Payment processing flows, card/token handling, payout systems, and data stores.
  • Access control and segregation of duties for finance/engineering/support.
  • Logging/monitoring, fraud signals, and incident response processes.

Top cost drivers

  • PCI-related controls layered onto SOC 2 scope.
  • Number of processors/gateways and contract/security review expectations.
  • Pentest depth (apps/APIs) and retest cycles.
  • Vendor risk evidence for banks, payment partners, and fraud tools.

What auditors focus on

  • Logging and alerting for payment flows with response playbooks.
  • Segregation of duties between finance, engineering, and support.
  • Evidence of vendor due diligence, DPAs, and contract clauses.
  • Pentest results, remediation tracking, and retest evidence.

What changes cost most

  • New payment partners added mid-audit requiring fresh vendor reviews.
  • Delayed pentest remediation or missing retest evidence.
  • Gaps in transaction logging or alert response documentation.

Example scenarios

Gateway-only integration

Lean surface area; lower range if logging and contracts are strong.

Full-stack processor

Broader systems, more vendors, and PCI overlap push budget to mid/upper range.

Marketplace payouts

Multi-party payouts and fraud tooling add vendor reviews and sampling depth.