What is the maximum fine under the EU AI Act?

Up to €35 million or 7% of worldwide annual turnover (whichever is higher) for prohibited practices under Article 5; up to €15 million or 3% for most other breaches; and up to €7.5 million or 1% for supplying incorrect information. For SMEs and start-ups the lower of the two amounts applies.

Do SMEs pay lower EU AI Act fines?

Yes. For SMEs and start-ups, the fine is capped at the lower of the fixed amount or the percentage of turnover, rather than the higher.

EU AI Act penalty calculator

Estimate the maximum fine your organisation could face under the EU AI Act. Choose the type of breach and enter your turnover — the calculator applies the statutory tiers, including the lower-amount rule for SMEs.

Type of breach

The heaviest tier — banned practices such as social scoring or untargeted facial scraping.

Worldwide annual turnover (€ millions)

We are an SME or start-up (the lower amount applies)

Maximum statutory fine

€35,000,000

Driven by the €35.0M fixed cap.

Estimate of the statutory ceiling under Article 99 (and Article 101 for GPAI). Actual fines depend on the authority's assessment and the circumstances. This is not legal advice.

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How EU AI Act fines work

Article 99 sets three main penalty tiers, each expressed as “up to the higher of a fixed cap or a percentage of worldwide annual turnover”:

• €35M / 7% — prohibited practices (Article 5).
• €15M / 3% — most other obligation breaches, and GPAI providers (Article 101).
• €7.5M / 1% — supplying incorrect or misleading information to authorities.

For SMEs and start-ups, the lower of the two amounts applies. See the full penalties guide for the detail, or run the free checker to see which obligations apply to you.