The first heading should be an H1

PDF/UA check FIRST_HEADER_LEVEL · Headings · severity Low · PDF/UA 8.2.5.12 Headings

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Why it matters#

Documents should start with H1 as the main title. Starting with H2 or H3 suggests missing content and breaks the document's logical hierarchy. Note: PDF/UA-2 does not explicitly mandate this, but it is a widely recommended best practice.

What you will see#

The first heading in the document is not an H1, which suggests the top of the outline is missing.

How to fix#

Retag the document's first heading as H1, then adjust the levels of subsequent headings to keep the hierarchy consistent. If the first heading is the document title, consider tagging it with the Title element and making the first true section heading an H1.

Step-by-step guide#

1. Find the first heading tag in reading order in the Accessibility tags panel.
2. If it is really the document title, note that ISO 14289-2 8.2.5.13 says titles shall be tagged Title, not as a heading: retag it as Title and make the first true section heading an H1.
3. Otherwise retag the first heading as H1: select it in the Accessibility tags panel and change Properties > Type to Heading Level 1, or use the Reading Order tool (All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order) and click Heading 1.
4. Adjust subsequent headings so the hierarchy still descends one step at a time from the new H1.
5. Prefer a source fix where possible: apply the Heading 1 style to the opening heading in the authoring tool and re-export.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan: FIRST_HEADER_LEVEL should pass, and confirm HEADER_NESTING did not regress after renumbering.

Note: Best practice, not a PDF/UA-2 requirement. Retagging the document title as H1 clears this rule but conflicts with 8.2.5.13, which says titles shall not be identified as headings. The conformant Title type exists only in the PDF 2.0 namespace and Acrobat cannot set element namespaces, so a strict PDF/UA-2 Title element can only come from regenerating the document through a PDF 2.0 aware export workflow - weigh the pragmatic H1 fix against strict conformance.

WCAG success criteria#

1.3.1 Info and Relationships — Level A#

Structure and relationships conveyed visually (headings, lists, tables, labels, groups) must also be available programmatically.

Understanding 1.3.1

Standards#

This check contributes to the following standards:

PDF/UA WCAG A EN 301 549