On July 31, 2024, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the state’s salary range transparency legislation, An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency (“Wage Transparency Act”), into law. The Act enforces salary disclosure requirements on Massachusetts employers and took effect on October 29, 2025, with the intended goal of increasing pay equity and transparency in the Commonwealth.
The state has observed through its own research that:
- Pay transparency poses a notable advantage for closing gender and racial pay gaps.
- A higher percentage of job seekers are more likely to consider applying for a job when the pay range is included in the job posting.
- A higher percentage of workers are more likely to trust the workplace if the pay range is listed in the job posting.
Through this Act, Massachusetts lawmakers aim to ensure that “workplaces in the Commonwealth are more equitable” and to “strengthen the Massachusetts economy and its competitiveness by attracting and retaining the best talent.”
Below is an overview of key provisions, requirements, and enforcement rules that Massachusetts employers can expect now that the Act is in effect.
Important details of the Wage Transparency Act
There are two main components of the Act that employers need to be aware of to maintain compliance: disclosing pay ranges and submitting EEO reports to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Disclosing pay ranges
Massachusetts businesses with 25 or more employees are required to disclose salary range information in their job postings and provide pay range information to current employees when requested. The conditions of these requirements include:
Salary range disclosure
Employers must provide the salary range for a position (1) in any job postings, (2) to job applicants upon request, and (3) to current employees upon hire, promotion, or transfer.
“Salary range” defined
The statute defines salary range as the “annual salary range or hourly pay range the employer reasonably and in good faith” expects to pay for the specific position “at that time.”
Job postings
Salary range must be provided for all job postings. This applies to both internal and external listings, whether directly posted by the employer or through a recruiting firm or agency.
Nonretaliation
Employees cannot be retaliated against for exercising their right to request salary information.
Submitting EEO reports
This provision does not create any new data collection requirements, as it applies to Massachusetts employers with over 100 employees who are already required to submit EEO Data Reports. However, employers with 25 or more employees are now required to submit these reports to the Secretary of the Commonwealth as well, in order to be transmitted to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD).
You can find more information on filing the required reports here.
Enforcement
The Wage Transparency Act is exclusively enforced by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, and there is no private right of action for applicants or employees. The penalty for failing to meet the requirements is determined by the employer’s number of previous offenses:
- First-time offenders receive a warning from the Attorney General’s Office.
- Second-time offenders receive a fine of up to $500.
- Third-time offenders receive a fine of up to $1,000.
- Offenders with four or more violations will be penalized according to paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsection B of General Laws Chapter 149, Section 27C.
Additional information
Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office hosted webinar sessions to help employers better understand the law’s requirements and help employees understand their rights under the new law. The state’s official government website has shared a recording of one of the sessions for reference, linked here: Guidance on Employers’ Obligations and Employees’ Rights Under the Wage Transparency Act
Verified Credentials will attempt to provide updates regarding pay transparency legislation in Massachusetts and other states as they become available.
This content is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute legal opinion or advice. Consult your legal counsel to ensure compliance.
