The United States did not adopt a nationwide job-posting salary disclosure mandate in 2025. Instead, new state requirements took effect in Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, each with different coverage and posting rules. Salary disclosure means stating a job's wage, salary, or expected pay range in the advertisement. Some states also require information about benefits and other compensation, which can matter greatly for entertainment, media, and creator-economy positions.
Table of Contents
- Why the 2025 rules are not nationwide
- Which employers and postings are covered?
- What information must appear?
- How employers and applicants can use the rules
Why the 2025 rules are not nationwide
Congress introduced the federal salary Transparency Act, H.R. 2007, on March 10, 2025. However, Congress.gov records its latest action as referral to the House Education and Workforce Committee, not enactment of a national requirement in the bill's official legislative record.
That distinction matters for employers posting positions across several states. A production company, talent agency, media business, or celebrity-founded brand may face a disclosure duty for one opening but not another. The applicable rule depends on the employer's size and the position's connection to a covered state. A single national posting template can work only if it contains everything required in every relevant jurisdiction.
Which employers and postings are covered?
Illinois covers employers with at least 15 employees. Beginning January 1, 2025, covered employers had to include pay and benefits information in internal and external postings for specific openings performed at least partly in Illinois or reporting to an Illinois site or supervisor. The Illinois Department of Labor explains the location and reporting tests in its salary-transparency guidance. Illinois does not require an employer to create a job posting. The disclosure obligation applies when a covered employer chooses to advertise a specific opening.
Minnesota's January 1, 2025 rule applies to employers with at least 30 employees at one or more Minnesota sites. Each opening must state a starting salary range and generally describe benefits and other compensation. If the employer has no range, it must list a fixed pay rate, according to Minnesota Statutes §181.173. new Jersey's law took effect June 1, 2025. It covers qualifying public and private employers with at least 10 employees over 20 calendar weeks when they do business, employ people, or accept applications in New Jersey.
What information must appear?
Illinois postings must provide the position's pay scale or compensation and benefits. Minnesota requires a starting range—or a fixed rate when no range exists—plus a general description of benefits and other compensation. New Jersey requires covered postings for new jobs and transfers to state an hourly wage, salary, or range. They must also give a general description of benefits and other compensation programs. The state additionally requires reasonable efforts to notify affected current employees about promotion opportunities, as the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development explains in its implementation announcement.
Massachusetts took a narrower approach to posting content. Beginning October 29, 2025, employers with at least 25 employees in the Commonwealth had to disclose the annual-salary or hourly-wage range they reasonably and in good faith expected to pay. Applicants and employees also received specified rights to obtain pay-range information. For readers tracking celebrity wealth, a posted range is not proof of a particular employee's eventual earnings or net worth. It describes compensation for an opening, while personal wealth can involve many other assets and income sources.
How employers and applicants can use the rules
Employers should review each opening before publishing it rather than relying solely on headquarters location. Illinois, for example, also reaches certain positions that report to an Illinois site or supervisor. A practical posting review should confirm: Applicants can save a copy of the advertisement and compare it with later compensation information.
They should also distinguish between base pay and broader compensation descriptions, especially for media roles involving bonuses or other programs. Massachusetts has an important enforcement limitation. Until October 29, 2027, a covered employer receiving notice of a posting defect from the Attorney General has two business days to correct it. Later violations can lead to escalating penalties, so employers should document when and how a defective posting was fixed.
- How many employees the employer has under the applicable state threshold.
- Where the work will be performed and where the position reports.
- Whether the advertisement concerns a job, transfer, or promotion.
- Whether it states the required wage, salary, range, benefits, and other compensation.
- Whether an internal posting or employee notice is also required.