Quick Summary
Pay transparency laws by state: as of October 29, 2026, 12 states and Washington, D.C. have statewide job-posting pay disclosure requirements: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Washington. Nevada and Rhode Island require pay information later in the hiring process, and Delaware’s law starts on September 26, 2027. Cities and counties such as New York City, Cleveland and Columbus add their own rules. This guide covers US laws only.
Being clear and transparent about employee compensation is a step towards pay transparency. So, more and more states are starting to require it in job postings.
Pay range required in postings
Pay transparency laws vary by state and locality. Some apply to employers with a minimum number of employees, while others do not specify a minimum employee threshold. Check the linked statute or official agency guidance for employer-size thresholds, geographic coverage, exceptions, and effective dates before publishing a job advertisement.
| State | Effective | Employers covered | What must be disclosed |
| California | Jan 1, 2023; “pay scale” tightened to a good-faith estimate for the new hire Jan 1, 2026 | 15+ employees | Pay scale in postings, including third-party sites |
| Colorado | Jan 1, 2021; amendments Jan 1, 2024 | Not specified | Pay range, general description of bonuses and benefits, application deadline and how to apply; covers remote jobs that could be done in Colorado |
| Connecticut | Oct 1, 2026 (posting rule is new; range on request already applied) | All employers | Good-faith wage range and general benefits description in internal and external postings. Penalties: Applicants and employees can sue within two years. |
| District of Columbia | Jun 30, 2024 | Not specified | Minimum and maximum projected salary or hourly pay; type of health benefits before the first interview, not in the ad |
| Hawaii | Jan 1, 2024 | 50+ employees | Hourly rate or salary range reflecting expected pay; internal promotions and transfers excluded |
| Illinois | Jan 1, 2025 | 15+ employees | Pay scale and benefits description; current employees must also be told about open postings |
| Maine | Jul 29, 2026 | 10+ employees | Employers must include the expected pay range in job postings, including postings published through third parties. |
| Maryland | Oct 1, 2024 | No size threshold | Minimum and maximum wage range, general benefits description and other compensation; covers work done at least partly in Maryland. Penalties: a compliance letter, then up to $300 per affected applicant or employee, then up to $600. No private right of action. |
| Massachusetts | October 29, 2025 | 25+ employees | Good-faith pay range in postings, for a current role on request, and for promotions or transfers. Penalties: a warning, then up to $500, up to $1,000, and up to $25,000 for a fourth or later offense. |
| Minnesota | Jan 1, 2025 | 30+ employees | Good-faith minimum and maximum, or a fixed rate; open-ended ranges are barred; plus benefits and other compensation |
| New Jersey | Jun 1, 2025 | 10+ employees | Good-faith salary range, benefits description, and notice of promotion opportunities |
| New York | Sep 17, 2023 | 4+ employees | Good-faith minimum and maximum, or a fixed rate, for any advertised job, promotion or transfer; no open-ended figures such as “$20+”; covers remote roles that report to a New York supervisor or worksite |
| Vermont | Jul 1, 2025 | 5+ employees | Minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly wage, including internal postings, promotions and transfers; benefits not required; covers remote roles that mainly support a Vermont office |
| Virginia | Jul 1, 2026 | No minimum employee threshold specified | Employers must include the wage or salary, or a good-faith wage or salary range in job postings |
| Washington | Jan 1, 2023 | 15+ employees | Wage scale or range, plus benefits and other compensation; a single fixed amount is allowed; five business days to correct a posting after written notice (2025 amendment, effective Jul 27, 2025) |
Disclosure later in hiring, and upcoming
| State | Effective | Employers covered | What must be disclosed |
| Nevada | Oct 1, 2021 | Not specified | Range to candidates automatically after the first interview |
| Rhode Island | Jan 1, 2023 | Not specified | Wage range on request; at hire and on a move to a new position (current employees); should also be given before pay is discussed |
| Delaware | Sep 26, 2027 | More than 25 employees | Good-faith pay range and benefits in internal and external postings Penalties (starting Sep 26, 2027): a written warning for a first offense, then $500 to $10,000 per violation. |
Local laws
| Locality | Effective | Employers covered | Requirement |
| New York City, NY | Nov 1, 2022 | 4+ employees | Good-faith minimum and maximum salary in postings |
| Westchester County, NY | Nov 6, 2022 | 4+ employees | Minimum and maximum pay in postings |
| Ithaca, NY | Sep 1, 2022 | Not specified | Minimum and maximum hourly or salary pay; only jobs whose standard work location is in the City of Ithaca |
| Cleveland, OH | Oct 27, 2025 | 15+ employees | Pay range or scale in postings; salary-history ban |
| Columbus, OH | Effective Dec 3, 2025; enforced from Jan 1, 2027 | 15+ employees in the city | Reasonable salary range in postings; excludes internal moves and collectively bargained roles |
Pay range posting checklist by state
Refer to this checklist before you publish a job ad:
- Decide where the job will be performed. Remote roles are covered in Colorado, Maryland, New York and Vermont.
- Add a good-faith pay range, minimum and maximum. Required in the 12 states and D.C. listed above. Keep it to what you would actually pay: Minnesota and New York bar open-ended ranges.
- Add a general description of benefits. Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey; Delaware from Sep 26, 2027; Illinois, Minnesota and Washington.
- Add other compensation, such as bonuses and commissions. Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington.
- Add the application deadline and how to apply. Colorado. An ongoing posting can say it accepts applications on a rolling basis.
- Cover internal postings, not just job boards. Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and Vermont; Delaware from Sep 26, 2027.
- Check postings placed by others. Maryland covers recruiters acting for you; California covers third-party sites.
After you post:
- Keep records. Maryland: three years.
- Check local rules. New York City, Westchester County, Ithaca, Cleveland, and Columbus (enforced from Jan 1, 2027).
Pay transparency vs. pay equity
Pay equity laws by state and pay transparency laws are related, but they are not the same thing.
Pay equity is about ensuring employees receive fair compensation for performing work of equal value. The goal is to avoid pay discrimination based on factors like gender, race, national origin, or sexual orientation. Ultimately, pay equity aims to close the gender pay gap, racial wage gap, and other pay disparities in the workplace.
Pay transparency, on the other hand, is communicating the compensation amount the organization or employer is willing to offer to candidates applying for a certain role. This sets the expectation early on, which benefits both employer and candidate. Candidates can self-select out if the published salary range doesn’t meet their expectations. Employers receive candidates who are truly interested in the job opening, and both parties avoid wasting time.
Ongig Features for Pay Transparency and Equity
Ensuring salary transparency in your job postings is a highly effective method for attracting qualified candidates, and in many jurisdictions, it’s also a legal requirement. But when you’re tasked with revising hundreds of job descriptions with a sizeable team, how do you maintain transparency consistently?
The answer is to utilize a tool capable of assessing these details at scale. Considering something like a salary compliance tracker is a step in the right direction.
With Ongig’s Text Analyzer, you can monitor salary compliance effectively across all your job descriptions. This tool proves invaluable, especially when generating a large volume of JDs with numerous collaborators. While human oversight remains crucial, the tool streamlines the process, making it more efficient and less time-consuming. In doing so, it helps ensure your job listings are both compliant and transparent.
Take a look at this helpful video from Ongig’s Head of Content and Patnerships, Heather Barbour Fenty:
FAQs on Pay Transparency Laws
1. Is there a federal pay transparency law?
No. No federal law requires private employers to post pay ranges. Federal laws such as the Equal Pay Act and Title VII prohibit pay discrimination, but pay range disclosure rules come from state and local laws.
2. Which employers are covered by pay transparency laws?
It depends on the state. Connecticut covers all employers and Maryland has no size threshold. New York covers 4 or more employees, Vermont 5 or more, New Jersey 10 or more, California, Illinois and Washington 15 or more, Massachusetts 25 or more, Minnesota 30 or more and Hawaii 50 or more. Delaware covers employers with more than 25 employees. Colorado and D.C. thresholds are not specified in the sources used for this guide.
3. Do pay transparency laws apply to remote jobs?
Often, yes. Colorado covers jobs that could be performed in the state, including remote jobs. Maryland covers roles physically performed at least in part in Maryland. Connecticut covers out-of-state roles that report to a supervisor or worksite in Connecticut. Vermont covers remote roles that predominantly serve a Vermont-based office. Many employers add a range to any posting that could be filled by someone in a covered location.
4. What is the difference between pay transparency and pay equity?
Pay transparency laws require employers to disclose pay information, most often a salary range in job postings. Pay equity laws require fair pay for comparable work and aim to close pay gaps by gender, race and other protected characteristics. Transparency is one tool for achieving pay equity.
Why I wrote this:
At Ongig, we help employers include pay ranges for job postings by state so you remain compliant with your state’s pay transparency law (and attract more top talent). Kindly click the demo request button to learn more.
Shout-outs:
- Colorado Pay Transparency Amendments Go Live January 1, 2024 (by Littler)
- Connecticut Expands Pay Transparency Requirements Starting October 1, 2026 (by National Law Review)
- What’s in a Job Advertisement? New D.C. Salary and Hourly Pay Disclosure Requirements (by Ogletree Deakins)
- Hawaii Enacts Pay Transparency Law and Broadens Equal Pay Law (by Littler)
- Maryland’s New Wage Transparency Law to Take Effect on October 1, 2024 (by Ogletree Deakins)
- Massachusetts Pay Transparency Law Takes Effect on Oct. 29, 2025 (by Greenberg Traurig)
- Minnesota Passes New Job Posting Transparency Law (by Greenberg Traurig)
- New Jersey salary range requirements (by NJ Department of Labor)
- Vermont Joins Pay Transparency Trend with New Job Posting Law (by Greenberg Traurig)
- Washington Governor Signs Bill Making Key Changes to Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (by Ogletree Deakins)
- Pay Transparency Requirements on the Rise (by Akerman)
- Rhode Island Amends Pay Equity Law, Bans Salary History Inquiries and Requires Pay Scale Disclosures (by National Law Review)
- Delaware’s New Pay Transparency Requirements Take Effect in 2027 (by National Law Review)
- Show Me the Money (or the Wage Range): New State Pay Transparency Laws (by Cooley)
- New York City Law Requiring Salary Ranges in Job Listings Goes Into Effect November 1, 2022 (by Morrison Cohen)
- Westchester County, NY Pay Transparency Law Takes Effect (by Proskauer)
- Pay Transparency Laws Proliferate in New York (by Littler)
- Cleveland Enacts Salary History and Pay Transparency Law (by Greenberg Traurig)
- Columbus, Ohio Enacts New Pay Transparency Ordinance Requiring Salary Ranges in Job Postings (by Ogletree Deakins)
- 2023 Pay Transparency Wage Range Disclosure Compendium (by Seyfarth)
