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Pay Transparency Laws Summary for the U.S.

A growing number of cities and states within the U.S. now mandate that employers provide wage information to applicants and, in some jurisdictions, current employees, either upon request or on a mandatory basis at a specified point in the hiring process. 

Below is a high-level overview of current pay transparency-related laws in the U.S., which is an evolving area of the law. This Summary will be updated periodically and may not reflect changes in the relevant law post the “last updated” date. Please consult your legal team for more detailed information about the latest pay transparency and equity laws compliance.

Location Law Summary Effective Date What Employers are Covered
California Requires employers to include the pay scale for a position in any job posting. Upon reasonable request, an employer must provide the pay scale (salary or hourly wage range) for a position to an applicant applying for employment.

Upon request, any employer in California shall provide an employee the pay scale for the position in which the employee is currently employed.
January 1, 2023 All employers with 15 or more employees in California
Colorado Requires employers to include compensation (hourly rate or salary range) in job postings, and make “reasonable efforts” to notify employees of promotional opportunities, and keep job description and wage rate records.

Requires employers to “disclose in each posting for each job the hourly or salary compensation, or a range of hourly or the salary compensation, and a general description of all the benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant.”
January 1, 2021 All employers in Colorado
Connecticut Requires employers to provide the salary range to an employee upon (i) the hiring of the employee, (ii) a change in the employee’s position with the employer, or (iii) the employee’s first request for a wage range.

For vacant positions, employers must disclose the “wage range” (i.e., base salary, commission or other basis of calculation) that an employer anticipates setting for a position.
October 1, 2021 All employers in Connecticut
Hawaii Requires employers to include hourly rate or salary range within the job listing that reasonably reflects the actual expected compensation for the job. January 1, 2024 All employers in Hawaii with 50 or more employees
Maryland Upon request, an employer shall provide to an applicant for employment, the a wage range for the position for which the applicant applied. October 1, 2020 All employers in Maryland
Nevada Requires employers to disclose wage or salary range or rate for the position an applicant has interviewed for (including employees who have applied and interviewed for a promotion or transfer), once an applicant has interviewed for a position. October 1, 2021 All private and certain public employers in Nevada
New Jersey (Jersey City) Requires employers to post a salary and/or hourly wage range, and benefits for any job posting or advertisement. April 13, 2022 All employers with 4 or more employees in New Jersey City
New York Requires employers to disclose a compensation range when advertising a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity that can or will be performed, at least in part, in the state of New York. September 17, 2023 All employers with 4 or more employees in New York
Ohio (Cincinnati & Toledo) Requires employers, upon reasonable request, to provide the pay range for a job an applicant is applying for after the employer has made a conditional offer of employment. March 13, 2020; June 25, 2020 (respectively) All employers with 15 or more employees within the City of Cincinnati or City of Toledo
Rhode Island Requires employers to:

Provide applicants with the wage range for the position the applicant is applying for, upon their request, and prior to discussing compensation.
Provide an employee with the wage range for the employee’s position both at time of hire and when/if the employee moves into a new position.
Provide the wage range for the employee’s position, upon an employee’s request, during the course of their employment.
January 1, 2023 All employers in Rhode Island
Washington Requires employers to disclose in each job posting the salary range and a general description of all of the benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant.
Requires employers to provide the pay range for an employee’s new position, upon request of an employee who is offered an internal transfer or promotion.
January 1, 2023 All employers with 15 or more employees in Washington state

Last updated date: August 30, 2023

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