AI Work FluencyEU AI Act glossary

Penalty / fine Szankció / bírság

Verified: 2026-08-04 · Legal source: 99–101. cikk

Short definition

The AI Act recognises three penalty tiers: EUR 35 million or 7% of total worldwide annual turnover for prohibited practices, EUR 15 million or 3% for infringements of provider, deployer and transparency obligations, and EUR 7.5 million or 1% for misleading the authority. The higher figure always applies — except for SMEs and startups, where the lower figure applies.

The tiers are set out in Article 99(1)–(11) and Articles 100–101. The SME reduction means that for a small or medium-sized enterprise — as defined under the relevant EU recommendation — the fine calculation uses not the higher, but the lower of the fixed euro amount and the global-turnover percentage, which can significantly reduce exposure. No published, actually imposed AI Act fine could be confirmed from a primary source as of August 2026, nor could a formal Article 5 enforcement proceeding — the Member State market-surveillance institutional framework is still being built, and as of April 2026 only a handful of Member States had formally notified a single point of contact. Article 99's closed list does not attach a dedicated fine to the Article 4 AI literacy duty.

Why this matters for an EU SME

Even the lowest tier can be a significant sum for an SME, but according to primary sources available as of August 2026, no AI Act fine had yet been imposed — the more realistic short-term risk is a non-monetary market surveillance measure.

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Related terms

Related questions in the knowledge base (Hungarian)

This page is general information, not legal advice. It does not substitute for a legal assessment of a specific case and does not create a retainer or attorney-client relationship. The legal status was verified on 4 August 2026 against primary sources; where the law or regulatory practice is uncertain, this is flagged separately.