Pay transparency laws are spreading fast. Companies are rewriting job postings, applicants are asking tougher questions, and HR teams are trying to keep track of fifty sets of rules that don’t match up.
This guide explains what’s active right now, what changes in the future, and how to keep every posting compliant without turning it into a legal brief. Every state listed here is broken down in plain language:
- What needs to appear in the ad
- When that information must be shared
- Which employers it covers
Quick Note
Diversity Employment has taken every measure to make sure everything covered below is accurate as of November 4th 2025.
The information below is meant only as a reference, it is not legal advice. Check with your state’s Department of Labor before finalizing your job ads.
Active or Scheduled Pay Transparency Laws
The following states (and D.C.) have laws that require employers to disclose pay information in job postings, to applicants, or to employees at the main steps in the hiring process. These summaries explain who’s covered, what must be shared, and when the rule takes effect.
Employers hiring remotely should assume the strictest state rule applies to any role that can be performed in one of these locations.
California
Pay Transparency Laws apply to employers with 15 or more employees.
All job ads must include a good-faith pay range that reflects what the company expects to pay at the time of hire. The same range must be available to employees who request it. Employers in the Golden State are also required to keep their pay records for three years.
Active since January 2023.
Colorado
Here, laws cover all employers, even those with just a single employee.
Every job posting (internal or external) needs to show the salary range, a short description of the benefits, and all other compensations (like bonuses or commissions). Internal promotion notices must be shared before a decision is made.
Effective since January 2021.
Fun Fact: California and Colorado started the early pay transparency law model that newer states expanded and built on. Midwestern states joined later, bringing the same ideas to even smaller employers.
Connecticut
The pay transparency laws in this state cover all employers that have at least one employee (almost all of them), too.
Specific pay ranges must be given by the time a job offer is made, or earlier if the applicant asks. That same rule applies even when employees start a new position or receive promotions.
Running since October 2021.
District of Columbia
Again, here it applies to all employers with one or more employees.
Job ads must list the minimum and maximum pay and disclose whether healthcare benefits are available before the first interview.
Active as of June 2024.
Hawaii
Covers employers with 50 or more employees.
Every job posting must list both the minimum and maximum pay the employer can or expects to offer.
Active from January of 2024.
Illinois
Applies the laws to employers with 15 or more employees, remote or in-house.
Each posting must include both the pay range and a description of benefits. Internal job opportunities have to be posted for at least 14 days before hiring or promoting someone in that position.
Effective January 1, 2025.
Maryland
Pay transparency laws cover all employers with at least one employee.
Employers must include a pay range and benefits information in job postings and provide it to any candidate who asks. The range should reflect what the employer genuinely expects to pay.
Active since October 2024.
Massachusetts
Applies to any employers with 25 or more employees.
All postings must include a pay range, and employers must share ranges for internal promotions or transfers. Larger companies (100+ employees) are required to submit annual wage-data reports to the state.
Effective October 29, 2025.
Minnesota
Covers employers with 30 or more employees.
All job postings, internal or external, must list both a pay range and a summary of benefits.
Effective January 1, 2025.
Nevada
Applies to all employers with one or more employees.
Pay ranges must be provided to applicants after their first interview and to any employee who applies for a promotion or transfer.
Active since October 2021.
New Jersey
Covers employers with 10 or more workers.
Every job ad, internal or external, must include a pay range and benefits summary. The law also requires written notice of promotion opportunities to all eligible employees.
Effective June 1, 2025.
New York
Pay transparency laws cover any employers with four or more employees.
A salary range must appear in every posting, including remote jobs connected to a New York office or supervisor.
Active since September 2023.
Rhode Island
Covers all employers with at least one employee.
Pay ranges must be given upon request or by the time an offer is made. Current employees must also receive the range when hired or promoted.
Active since January 2023.
Vermont
Laws in the Green Mountain State apply to employers with five or more employees.
Each job ad must show either a fixed pay amount or a good-faith pay range.
Effective July 1, 2025.
Washington
Covers employers with 15 or more employees.
Every posting must include a pay range and a general list of benefits. Remote positions connected to a Washington office are also covered.
Active since January 2023.
Next Up In Line
Delaware is set to join this list in 2027, too.
The state’s new pay transparency law will require employers with 26 or more workers to include pay ranges and basic benefits in every job posting. The rule will also apply to remote jobs offered by Delaware-based companies.
Effective September 26, 2027.
What the Patterns Show
The list of state’s with pay transparency laws keeps growing, and those laws themselves are starting to look more and more alike. States that passed the rules early, like Colorado and California, required only a salary range at the time. The next wave of states added benefits, recordkeeping, and data reporting. The thresholds are shrinking too. What used to apply to companies with 50 or more employees now extends to employers with even a single staff member.
Remote work is changing the game, too. If a job can be done from a covered state, most regulators treat the job as covered by the law. That has quietly turned these laws into the national standard for most large employers, even without an actual federal mandate.
Behind the legal text is a shift in workplace culture: applicants expect to see real numbers before they spend time applying. For HR teams, it’s becoming a trust signal and a way to show real transparency before the first interview.
States Without Pay Transparency Laws
Not every state has a pay transparency law. Most of them still leave that choice up to individual employers… The list below highlights regions with no active statewide requirement to include pay ranges in job ads as of November 2025.
No Statewide Law Exists Yet
These 35 states don’t have statewide pay transparency laws, yet some of them make up for it in other ways. The ones without statewide laws are:
- Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida
- Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas
- Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi
- Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico
- North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon
- Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas
- Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
These states might still regulate how pay transparency laws are discussed through other means. For example, many of them prohibit asking about previous salary history or allow pay information to be shared, only after an offer.
Local Rules to Know
Some cities and counties inside these states have adopted their own pay transparency laws and measures:
- Cincinnati and Toledo, Ohio: Bans employers from asking about prior pay and require a written out response of pay ranges when requested.
- Jersey City, New Jersey (before statewide adoption): Previously required pay ranges in local postings.
- New York City: Led the way before the statewide law took hold, showing how local policies often set the precedent.
- Portland, Oregon: Reviewing draft language for disclosure of pay ranges in city contracts.
Employers operating nationally should check city and county ordinances before posting jobs, even if a state appears “no law” at first glance.
What This Means for Employers
Working across multiple states now means treating transparency as the default standard, not the exception. Even if a posting isn’t legally required to show a range, most national employers have already decided it’s easier to keep every listing consistent. Doing so avoids future updates, saves recruiter time, and builds trust with applicants. Pay transparency laws policy, written for compliance, can also double as a recruiting advantage… especially in regions where competitors still hide ranges.
Pay Transparency Employer Checklist
Every state handles their pay transparency laws a little differently, but the day-to-day compliance is mostly the same everywhere. Use this list as a quick “reality check” before publishing a new job posting or internal opportunity.
Before You Post a Job
- Confirm your coverage.
Check if your state, or any state where the job can be performed, has a salary-range disclosure law. Remote jobs usually count if the employee could live in a covered state. - Set the range early.
Base it on current market data, internal equity, and documented factors such as location or experience. Keep a written record of how you reached that number. - Decide what to disclose.
Many states now expect benefits or other compensation details along with pay. A one-line “Benefits at a Glance” section usually covers it. - Standardize the format.
Post the pay range the same way, every time. For example: “$64,000–$82,000 base salary plus bonus eligibility.” Consistency here prevents confusion and audit issues later on down the road.
During the Hiring Process
- Be transparent early.
Don’t wait until the offer stage if your state requires earlier disclosure. Share the range when candidates first ask or when interviews begin. - Train your team.
Recruiters and hiring managers should know what they can and can’t say about pay history or negotiation limits. A short annual refresher is enough. - Keep communication documented.
Save copies of postings, candidate questions, and your responses. These become your proof of “good-faith” compliance if questioned later.
After the Hire
- Review internal postings.
Promotion and transfer notices may need the same pay-range detail as external ads. - Audit pay data.
Compare actual salaries to posted ranges. If patterns drift, adjust the ranges or re-evaluate leveling. - Refresh your policy.
Revisit your written pay-transparency policy once a year. Update it with any new state laws or threshold changes.
Simple Habits That Help
- Keep templates for job ads so ranges are easy to plug in.
- Maintain a single spreadsheet or HRIS field for “pay range last posted.”
- Subscribe to a labor-law update email (Fisher Phillips, SHRM, or state HR department).
- Re-train your hiring leads when a new state joins the list.
Employers who handle pay transparency laws well don’t see many, if any, issues. They clearly document pay ranges, communicate them clearly, and treat every job posting like it’s public information. The more consistent the process is, the less it will feel like compliance… It’ll feel more like real trust.
Sources and Future Updates
All data was reviewed against official state resources and verified through major employment law trackers.
Primary references include:
- U.S. Department of Labor: dol.gov
- Fisher Phillips: Pay Equity and Transparency Interactive Map
- GovDocs: Pay Transparency Law Tracker
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): State Law Summaries and Compliance Alerts
- Littler Mendelson: State-by-State Pay Transparency Resource
- Paycor: National Pay Transparency Overview (2025 Report)
- Deloitte: Pay Transparency and Pay Equity
Pay transparency laws changing quickly sometimes, especially around remote and hybrid work. Employers need to double-check their state’s labor department for the most recent guidance before a campaign posting or updating a job listing.
How to Keep Up
- Bookmark your state’s Department of Labor transparency page.
- Follow verified legal or HR compliance newsletters for real-time alerts.
- Treat job posting templates as living documents and adjust as soon as laws shift.
Next Update
This article will be revised again after the Delaware Pay Transparency Act takes effect in 2027 or when any new state-level laws are enacted.
