How to Negotiate Your Salary Using Pay Transparency Laws (2026 State Guide)

For most of history, job seekers negotiated blind. The employer knew the budget for the role, and the candidate could only guess. Pay transparency laws are changing that: in a growing number of states, employers must put a pay range in the job posting itself.

That range is one of the most useful negotiation tools you will ever get, if you know how to read it. This guide shows which states require salary ranges, how to figure out where you should land inside a range, and a step-by-step way to negotiate without guessing.

Which states require a pay range in job postings

The table below lists the main state and city laws that require employers to include pay information in job postings. Size thresholds refer to the number of employees the employer has.

Where	In effect since	Employers covered	Benefits info required?
Colorado	January 2021	All employers with a Colorado employee	Yes
California	January 2023	15+ employees	No
Washington	January 2023	15+ employees	Yes
New York	September 2023	4+ employees	No
Hawaii	January 2024	50+ employees	No
Washington, D.C.	June 2024	All employers	Yes (health benefits, before the first interview)
Maryland	October 2024	All employers	Yes
Illinois	January 2025	15+ employees	Yes (general description)
Minnesota	January 2025	30+ employees	Yes
New Jersey	June 2025	10+ employees	Yes (general description)
Vermont	July 2025	5+ employees	Yes
Cleveland, Ohio	October 2025	15+ employees in the city	Not specified
Massachusetts	October 2025	25+ employees in the state	No

More states are joining. A 2026 tracker by Loio lists new requirements in Virginia (July 2026), Maine (July 2026), and Connecticut (October 2026), and Delaware’s law is scheduled to take effect in September 2027, according to the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth. California also tightened its rules in 2026: the range must now be the pay the employer “reasonably expects” to offer, not an inflated span. Laws change often, so check your state labor department’s website for the current rules.

Remote jobs: some of these laws also cover remote positions that could be filled by someone living in the state. That is why many national employers now show ranges on all their postings.

How to read a salary range

A range like $62,000 to $78,000 isn’t a promise. It shows how the employer plans to pay for the role. In practice:

• The bottom third is usually for candidates who meet the minimum requirements and need some training.
• The middle is for people who can do the full job from day one.
• The top third is usually for people who bring extra experience, rare skills, or certifications the posting lists as “preferred.”

Very few new hires start at the very top, because that leaves no room for raises. Your goal is to make a clear case for the upper-middle part of the range.

How to negotiate using the range: 5 steps

1. Save the posting. Take a screenshot of the job ad with the range. Postings get edited or removed, and you will want to point to it later.
2. Check the market. Compare the range with local wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics or the salary tools on CareerOneStop. If the range sits well below the local median, that tells you something too.
3. Place yourself in the range. Count how many “required” and “preferred” items you meet, and list two or three results from past jobs that match the role. The more preferred items you meet with proof, the higher you can reasonably aim.
4. Answer the money question with the range, not your history. Many states and cities ban employers from asking about your past salary. If you’re asked what you expect, anchor to the posting: “Based on the range in the posting and my experience with X and Y, I’m looking for something around $73,000.”
5. Negotiate the whole package. If the salary can’t move, ask about a signing bonus, an earlier performance review, extra paid time off, remote days, or training paid by the company. These are often easier for a manager to approve.

Example: doing the math

Ana applies for an operations coordinator job posted at $62,000 to $78,000. The midpoint is $70,000. She meets all of the required qualifications and two of the three preferred ones, including the scheduling software the team uses. Local wage data shows similar jobs in her area at a median of about $68,000.

She aims for $74,000: above the midpoint because of the preferred skills, but below the top to leave room for raises. The company offers $68,000. She replies with her two strongest results, points to the posted range, and asks for $74,000. They settle at $72,000 plus a six-month salary review. Over a year, that conversation is worth $4,000 more than the first offer, before any raise.

5 questions to ask before you accept

• How are raises decided, and when is the first review? A clear review date matters as much as the starting number.
• Is any part of the pay variable? Bonuses and commissions shown in a range may depend on targets you don’t control.
• What does health insurance cost me each month? A $3,000 difference in salary can disappear in higher premiums.
• Is there a retirement match, and when does it vest? A 4% match on $70,000 is $2,800 a year of extra pay.
• Can I get the offer in writing? Never resign from a current job on a verbal offer alone.

What to do if a posting has no range

• Check whether the law applies. The employer may be too small, or the job may be outside a covered state.
• Ask politely. A simple question like “Could you share the pay range for this role?” is normal and expected. In some states, such as Rhode Island, employers must share the range if you ask.
• Report violations. If the law clearly applies and the range is missing, you can file a complaint with your state labor department. Some states also let job seekers recover penalties.

Pay transparency helps most when you can prove your skills. If you don’t have a degree, see our guide on getting hired without a degree. If you just lost a job and are negotiating a new offer, our layoff checklist covers the steps to take first.