Let’s take a look back at 2025’s state legislative pay transparency developments:

California

SB 642 clarifies and strengthens CA’s wage transparency law. Beginning January 1, 2026, employers will have to be more specific about the pay ranges they provide in job postings. “Pay Scale” is now defined as a “good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position upon hire.” SB 642 also extends the statute of limitations for workers to bring a civil action to recover wages when they are paid less than the rates paid to employees of another sex or race/ethnicity for substantially similar to three years. (NB: SB 642 also broadens the definition of “wages” and “wage rates” for purposes of the California Equal Pay Act (not the job posting requirement) claims to cover all forms of pay. That includes, but is not limited to: salary, overtime pay, bonuses, stock, stock options, profit sharing and bonus plans, life insurance, vacation and holiday pay, cleaning or gasoline allowances, hotel accommodations, reimbursement for travel expenses, and benefits.)

Delaware

Governor Matt Meyer signed into law  legislation that will require employers with more than 25 employees in Delaware to include wage or salary ranges and information on benefits offered in job postings, beginning September 2027. Employers must also retain records of job descriptions and wage rates for at least three years.

Illinois

 Effective Jan 1, 2025, employers 15 or more employees must include pay scale and benefits in all job postings. The Illinois Equal Pay Act also requires employers to preserve records of the pay scale and benefits information for each posted position for at least 5 years.

Massachusetts 

Pursuant to the “Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency,” beginning October 29, 2025, employers with 25 or more employees must disclose pay ranges in job postings and provide ranges to employees upon request.

Minnesota

Beginning January 1, 2025, employers with 30 or more employees must disclose in each posting for each job opening the starting salary range, and a general description of all of the benefits and other compensation, including but not limited to any health or retirement benefits, to be offered to a hired job applicant.

New Jersey

Effective June 1, 2025, the NJ Pay Transparency Law requires employers with 10 or more employees to include hourly wage or salary range and other compensation benefits in postings for new jobs or transfer opportunities.

Vermont

 Pursuant to Vermont’s Act Relating to Disclosure of Compensation in Job Advertisements, effective July 1, 2025, employers with 5 or more employees must include fixed compensation or range of compensation in written job postings.