On April 22, 2026, Virginia enacted House Bill (HB) 636 and Senate Bill (SB) 215, companion bills that expand pay transparency requirements and limit how employers may seek and use applicants’ compensation information.
Under the new law, employers are prohibited from seeking the wage or salary history of a prospective employee or relying on
Equal Pay Day, observed this year on March 26, highlights how far into the current year the average woman must work to earn what the average man earned in the prior year. While the date may shift from year to year, the conversation it prompts does not.
For employers, Equal Pay Day is less about
Ahead of the May 13, 2026, filing deadline, the California Civil Rights Department has released preliminary templates and updated FAQs for the 2025 pay data reporting cycle. Although these simplified templates may still be revised, they highlight new mandatory data fields, including exemption status, employment type, and total annual weeks worked. Read more about these
On December 4, 2025, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Eric Adams’ veto, enacting new local laws that significantly expand pay transparency obligations for private employers.
Under the new law, employers with at least 200 employees must report pay data, including demographic and occupational information, on an annual basis following a
The City of Columbus, Ohio, has joined a growing list of jurisdictions adopting pay transparency laws intended to promote pay equity. On November 4, 2025, Mayor Andrew Ginther signed an ordinance that introduces new requirements for employers and restricts salary history inquiries. This ordinance closely mirrors the Cleveland pay transparency law that went into effect
Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 642 on October 8, 2025, revising California’s Equal Pay Act. Effective January 1, 2026, the amendments refine key definitions, including “pay scale,” “sex,” and “wages,” and limit the period to obtain relief to six years.
For more details about SB 642, read the full analysis here.
On October 9, 2025, the New York City Council passed amendments to local laws that, if passed, would impose new pay equity reporting obligations on certain private employers and require the city to conduct annual pay equity studies. These measures are designed to identify and address wage disparities based on gender, race, and ethnicity.
The 2025 pay data reporting deadline under California law is May 14th. The California Civil Rights Department has published guidance for employers on submitting pay data. For a comprehensive understanding and details on that information, read the full article.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed H.704 on June 4, 2024, mandating pay transparency in job postings and advertisements. Effective July 1, 2025, employers with at least five employees must include in any “Vermont job opening” advertisement the compensation or range of compensation for the advertised position.
Why It Matters
The law applies not only to
Effective October 1, 2024, Maryland will join a growing list of states in promoting wage transparency in the workplace. The Maryland Wage Transparency Law (SB 525/HB 649) requires employers, both public and private, to publish wage ranges, a “general description of benefits,” and “any other compensation” in all internal and external job postings. This new