Structure & headings

A Table Header Has No Data Cells Under or Beside It

A header cell labels nothing, so screen reader users hear a heading with no data, or can't tell which header goes with which cell.

th-has-data-cellsWCAG 2.0Introduced in WCAG 2.0.Level AA — the minimum. Missing it blocks people outright.

Status: SeriousSerious — Significant friction, or information that is lost.CurrentScanners run this rule today.
Owner: DesignDevContentTest
Audit: Automated+ManualA scanner finds it; a person confirms the fix.

Why it matters

Screen readers read a table one cell at a time. As you move, they read out the header for that row or column, so you know what each number means.

When a header has no cells to label, that link breaks. People hear headers that lead nowhere, or the table looks broken and they give up.

Who it affects, and how much
Who	What they experience	Impact
Screen reader users	They hear a header that leads to empty space, and the table's layout stops making sense.	High impact
Low-vision users (magnification)	Affected if they use a screen reader; on screen they may just see an empty column.	Partial impact
Cognitive and neurodivergent users	An empty or mismatched column makes the table harder to follow.	Partial impact

Business & product impact, with how much each claim weighs
Area	Why	Impact
Legal	It relates to WCAG 1.3.1 at Level A, the minimum. Australia's Disability Discrimination Act complaints point to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, and EN 301 549 applies in Europe.	High impact
Conversion	Price, plan and timetable tables drive decisions. A confusing table can stop someone choosing.	Moderate impact
SEO	No real search benefit — don't sell it as one.	Low impact
Brand trust	A broken table feels careless to anyone who meets it.	Low impact
Cost to fix	Usually quick: remove the extra header or add the missing cells. Fix it in the table template once.	High impact

Don't

<table>
  <tr><th>Plan</th><th>Price</th><th>Notes</th></tr>
  <tr><td>Basic</td><td>$10</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Pro</td><td>$20</td></tr>
</table>

A screen reader says: “Notes, column 3 … then nothing in that column”

<table>
  <tr><th>Plan</th><th>Price</th></tr>
  <tr><td>Basic</td><td>$10</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Pro</td><td>$20</td></tr>
</table>

A screen reader says: “Price, $10”

Every header now labels real cells, so each cell gets a meaningful header.

Don't

A designer adds a header for a column that is sometimes empty, or uses a header cell just to make a label bold.

Each header sits over or beside cells it describes. Empty columns are hidden, and bold text uses styling, not a header cell.

Headers are for labelling data, not for looks.

Sketch each table as a grid. Every header must have at least one cell in its row or column.

If a column can be empty, decide whether to hide it or show "None".

Tool

Checklist

Pass: Every header labels cells, and each cell is read with a header that fits.
Fail: A header leads to empty cells, or cells are read with the wrong header.

A scanner can see a header with no cells. It can't tell whether the header text actually describes the data — read the table aloud to check.

Rule ID: th-has-data-cells
Raised by: axe-core: “Table headers in a data table must refer to data cells”
WCAG: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (opens in a new tab) · Level A · since WCAG 2.0
Other standards: EN 301 549 9.1.3.1 · RGAA 5.7.1
Read more: Deque University: th-has-data-cells (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed: 14 October 2026