BOSTON — Starting October 29, 2025, a new pay transparency law in Massachusetts will require covered employers to include salary ranges in job postings and provide pay information upon request to both job applicants and current employees.
According to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, the law—titled “An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency”—applies to public and private employers with at least 25 employees whose primary place of work was in Massachusetts during the previous calendar year. This includes full-time, part-time, seasonal, and remote workers who either work from Massachusetts or are tied to a Massachusetts worksite.
Job posting requirements
Employers must include the pay range for any advertised job, promotion, or transfer opportunity where the primary place of work is in Massachusetts. The law also covers remote positions that are either tied to a Massachusetts worksite or can be performed from within the state.
As defined by the statute, pay range refers to the lowest to highest salary or hourly wage an employer reasonably and in good faith expects to offer at the time of the posting. If the job is based on commission or piece-rate pay, employers must disclose the expected earnings range for those compensation structures.
In addition to job postings, employers must provide pay range information:
- To any job applicant upon request, regardless of qualifications;
- To employees offered a promotion or transfer; and
- To current employees who request the pay range for their existing position.
Pay reporting obligations
According to Jackson Lewis LLP, employers already required to file Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) reports with the federal government must also submit those reports to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. The reporting schedule depends on the type of EEO report:
- EEO-1 (private employers): annually, beginning Feb. 1, 2025
- EEO-3 and EEO-5 (unions and educational institutions): odd-numbered years, starting 2025
- EEO-4 (government agencies): even-numbered years, beginning 2026
Employers not subject to federal EEO reporting requirements are not required to submit pay data under the new Massachusetts law.
Anti-retaliation and enforcement
The law includes strong anti-retaliation protections, prohibiting adverse action against employees or applicants who:
- Request salary range information;
- File a complaint with their employer or the Attorney General’s Office; or
- Participate in any investigation or proceeding under the law.
The law does not allow individuals to sue their employer directly for violations. Instead, only the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has the authority to investigate and enforce the law. Individuals who believe their rights have been violated can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division, which will review the matter. Until October 29, 2027, employers will have two business days to correct any violation after receiving a notice from the AG’s office. If the issue is resolved within that timeframe, no penalty will be imposed.
What employers should do now
Employment attorneys at Jackson Lewis recommend that businesses begin preparing immediately by:
- Determining if their organization is a covered employer;
- Reviewing and updating job postings to include accurate and good-faith salary ranges;
- Establishing internal procedures for responding to salary range requests from applicants and employees; and
- Training HR and management staff to ensure compliance and prevent retaliation.
According to Mass.gov: “Research shows that salary range transparency in the hiring process is one of the best tools to close gender and racial wage gaps. Furthermore, research has found that most workers are more likely to consider applying to a job, and trust the associated workplace, if the pay range is listed in the job posting.”
Massachusetts joins a growing number of states—including California, Colorado, New York, and Washington—that have adopted pay transparency laws in recent years, reflecting a national push toward greater wage equity and workplace fairness.
