Massachusetts employers with 25 or more employees must disclose the pay range for a particular and specific position in the job posting. The pay range is the annual salary range or hourly wage range the employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay at that time. Covered employers must also provide the range when an employee is offered a promotion or transfer to a new position with different job responsibilities, and must provide it to an employee holding the position or an applicant for the position upon request. These disclosure duties took effect October 29, 2025, and the law prohibits retaliation for exercising protected rights.
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Massachusetts Pay-Range Disclosure Took Effect October 29, 2025
Massachusetts's Wage Transparency Act created a statewide salary-range disclosure framework. Beginning October 29, 2025, employers with 25 or more employees are covered by the pay-range disclosure duties described in M.G.L. c. 149, § 105F. Employers should separate this 25-employee threshold from the Act's separate EEO reporting provisions, which use their own coverage rules. For recruiting compliance, the key question is whether the employer is a covered employer and whether the communication is a posting for a particular and specific employment position.
Covered Job Postings Must State the Pay Range
A covered employer or its agent must disclose the pay range for the position in the posting. Massachusetts defines pay range as the annual salary range or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position at that time. That definition focuses attention on the employer's real compensation expectation when the posting is published. Employers should therefore establish the range before the requisition is released and preserve the basis for it, especially where compensation budgets or market ranges are later revised.
Promotion and Transfer Offers Trigger Separate Disclosure Rights
Massachusetts does not limit transparency to external recruiting. A covered employer must provide the pay range when an employee is offered a promotion or transfer to a new position with different job responsibilities. This means internal mobility workflows need a compensation disclosure step even when no public advertisement exists. HR systems should distinguish ordinary changes within the same position from movement to a new position with different responsibilities and should provide the applicable range at the point required by the statute.
Applicants and Current Employees Can Request Pay Ranges
The Massachusetts law also gives applicants and current employees request-based rights. A covered employer must provide the pay range to an applicant for the position upon request and to an employee holding that position upon request. These rights mean that a compliant public job posting is not the end of the employer's obligation. Recruiters, HR service centers and managers should know how to route and respond to requests consistently so that workers do not receive different answers depending on who receives the question.
Retaliation for Exercising Transparency Rights Is Prohibited
Massachusetts expressly prohibits covered employers from discharging, retaliating against or discriminating against an employee or applicant because that person exercised rights under the salary transparency section, complained about an alleged violation, initiated a proceeding or participated in a proceeding. Employers should therefore treat pay-range questions as protected compliance interactions rather than as negative signals about a candidate or employee. Complaint-handling procedures, recruiter training and manager guidance should reflect that protection.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Massachusetts salary range transparency take effect?
The pay-range disclosure requirements took effect October 29, 2025.
Which Massachusetts employers must disclose pay ranges?
The pay-range disclosure requirements generally apply to employers with 25 or more employees.
Does Massachusetts require pay-range disclosure for promotions and transfers?
Yes. Covered employers must provide the pay range when an employee is offered a promotion or transfer to a new position with different job responsibilities.
Related Guides
Official Sources
Requirements and practices differ by jurisdiction and organisation. Check current local law, official guidance and professional advice for a specific situation.