Free · no sign-up · nothing storedLaw checked 16 October 2026

Pay Transparency Laws by State (2026): Job Posting Checker

Which states require salary ranges in job postings in 2026?

California, Colorado, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, Illinois, Minnesota, Vermont, Massachusetts and Washington DC, plus three new in 2026: Virginia (1 July), Maine (29 July) and Connecticut (1 October). Delaware follows on 26 September 2027. Cities including New York City, Cleveland and Columbus have their own rules. Thresholds run from no minimum (Maryland, Virginia) to 50 employees (Hawaii).

Most pay transparency maps were drawn before Virginia, Maine and Connecticut joined in 2026. A remote job advertised nationally can now fall under fifteen or more of these laws at once.

Tick every place the job could be done or where you employ people. The checker shows which laws apply at your size and date, and what one posting must contain to satisfy all of them.

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Built by Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Pay transparency is an applied-psychology question as much as a legal one: posted ranges change who applies and how they negotiate.

The checker

Check a job posting

Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.

Each law counts differently (in the state, in the city, or everywhere); the results say how.

Where could the job be done, or where do you have employees? (tick all)

    Every law in one table

    WhereEffectiveWho is coveredDuty
    Colorado01/01/20211+ employee in ColoradoPosting
    California01/01/202315+ employees, 1+ in CaliforniaPosting
    Washington01/01/202315+ employees in total (anywhere), with one in Washington or doing business therePosting
    New York State17/09/20234+ employeesPosting
    New York City01/11/20224+ employees (owners count), at least one in NYCPosting
    New Jersey01/06/202510+ employees over 20 calendar weeks, doing business in New JerseyPosting
    Hawaii01/01/202450+ employeesPosting
    Maryland01/10/2024No size thresholdPosting
    Washington, DC30/06/20241+ employee in DCPosting
    Illinois01/01/202515+ employees counted everywherePosting
    Minnesota01/01/202530+ employees at Minnesota sitesPosting
    Vermont01/07/20255+ employees, at least one in VermontPosting
    Massachusetts29/10/202525+ employees with a primary place of work in Massachusetts (prior year)Posting
    Virginia01/07/2026No size thresholdPosting
    Maine29/07/202610+ employeesPosting
    Connecticut01/10/20261+ employeePosting
    Delaware26/09/2027More than 25 employeesPosting
    Cleveland, Ohio27/10/202515+ employees in the cityPosting
    Columbus, Ohio01/01/202715+ employees in the cityPosting
    Jersey City, New Jersey01/01/20225+ employees (contractors count)Posting
    Ithaca, New York01/09/20224+ employees in the cityPosting
    Westchester County, New York06/11/20224+ employeesPosting
    Rhode Island01/01/2023Any employerOn request
    Nevada01/10/2021Not verifiedOn request

    No federal law requires pay ranges in job postings. Oregon, Pennsylvania (a bill is pending), Michigan, Georgia and several others had no posting law on 16 October 2026. Toledo and Cincinnati require the pay scale only after a conditional offer.

    Remote jobs are the trap

    Most of these laws reach a remote job that could be done by someone in the state, not just jobs based there. Colorado says that writing "Colorado excluded" does not avoid its law. Washington counts employees anywhere toward its 15-employee threshold, and so does Illinois. The practical answer for a national or remote posting is to write one posting that meets the strictest combination: an honest range, a description of benefits, and, for Colorado, the application deadline.

    Before you rely on this

    What this will not tell you

    This is a checklist from the statutes and official guidance as read on 16 October 2026, not legal advice. Several state sites block automated reading and were checked through official excerpts; a few city rules (Albany County, the Columbus penalties, Minnesota's remote coverage, the Nevada threshold) could not be confirmed and are marked. Laws are changing fast; check the linked source before you post. Nothing you tick leaves your browser.

    Questions

    Questions people actually ask

    Which states have pay transparency laws in 2026?

    Posting laws: California, Colorado, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, Illinois, Minnesota, Vermont, Massachusetts, Virginia (1 July 2026), Maine (29 July 2026), Connecticut (1 October 2026) and DC. Delaware starts on 26 September 2027. Rhode Island and Nevada require pay on request or after an interview.

    Do pay transparency laws apply to remote jobs?

    Usually yes. Colorado, California, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois and others cover remote jobs that could be done by someone in the state, and some count employees nationwide toward the threshold.

    Does Virginia have a pay transparency law?

    Yes, from 1 July 2026. Employers of any size must include the wage or a good-faith range in public and internal postings, and may not ask about salary history (Va. Code 40.1-28.7:12).

    Does Connecticut require salary ranges in job postings?

    From 1 October 2026, yes: the wage or range and a general description of benefits in public and internal postings. Before that, Connecticut required the range only on request or before an offer.

    What happens if a job posting has no salary range?

    Penalties range from USD 100 per violation in Maine to USD 10,000 in Colorado and California and up to USD 250,000 in New York City, and several states let applicants sue. Some give a short period to fix the posting first.

    Where every rule comes from

    Sources

    Checked against the text of the law on 16 October 2026. Laws and notified rates change; if a source below has moved on, the source wins over this page.

    1. Colorado: https://cdle.colorado.gov/sites/cdle/files/info_%239a_transparency_in_pay_and_job_opportunities_the_colorado_epewa_part_2_05.29.24.pdf
    2. California: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/california_equal_pay_act.htm
    3. Washington: https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/equal-pay-opportunities-act/
    4. New York State: https://dol.ny.gov/pay-transparency
    5. New York City: https://www.nyc.gov/site/cchr/media/pay-transparency.page
    6. New Jersey: https://www.nj.gov/labor/myworkrights/wages/pay-transparency/
    7. Hawaii: https://labor.hawaii.gov/hcrc/
    8. Maryland: https://labor.maryland.gov/labor/wages/esswagerangefaq.shtml
    9. Washington, DC: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/32-1453.01
    10. Illinois: https://labor.illinois.gov/faqs/equal-pay-act-salary-transparency-faq.html
    11. Minnesota: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/181.173
    12. Vermont: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/21/005/00495p
    13. Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/pay-transparency-in-massachusetts
    14. Virginia: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title40.1/chapter3/section40.1-28.7:12/
    15. Maine: https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/26/title26sec622-A.html
    16. Connecticut: https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_558.htm
    17. Delaware: https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail/142429
    18. Cleveland, Ohio: https://www.clevelandohio.gov/city-hall/boards-commissions/fair-employment-wage-board
    19. Columbus, Ohio: https://columbus.legistar.com/
    20. Jersey City, New Jersey: https://www.jerseycitynj.gov/
    21. Ithaca, New York: https://ecode360.com/8390481
    22. Westchester County, New York: https://humanrights.westchestercountyny.gov/salary-transparency-amendment
    23. Rhode Island: http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE28/28-6/28-6-22.HTM
    24. Nevada: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-613.html
    Citation

    Cite this tool

    Free to use and free to quote. If a figure here is useful in something you are writing, a link back is all that is asked.

    Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Pay Transparency Laws by State Checker. Shahzeb Speaks. https://www.shahzebspeaks.com/pay-transparency-laws-by-state-checker/

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    Posting ranges means defending them

    The Salary Band and Compa-Ratio Builder sets the bands a posted range comes from and shows where each person sits in theirs, so the range in the ad and the pay inside the company tell the same story.

    See the Salary Band builder