In Massachusetts, a new law is taking effect that ensures fairness and unmasks the long-kept secret of salary ranges. Dubbed “An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency,” this law is a powerful tool designed to close the gender and racial wage gaps by giving employees and applicants the right to know what a job pays.
Employers must comply with the law beginning October 29, 2025.
A Treat for Employees: Your New Rights
If your employer has 25 or more employees whose primary place of work is in Massachusetts, they are a “covered employer” and must comply with the following pay transparency requirements:
1. No More Mystery: Pay Ranges in Job Postings
All job postings—whether external advertisements or internal notices for openings—must now clearly include the pay range (the annual salary or hourly wage range) the employer “reasonably and in good faith expects to pay” for that position.
- What this means for you: You will no longer have to apply for a job without knowing if the compensation meets your needs. The “mystery meat” of job compensation is over.
2. See the Salary for Your Future: Promotions and Transfers
If you are offered a promotion or a transfer to a new position with different responsibilities, your employer must provide the new role’s pay range to you before you accept the new position.
- What this means for you: You can make informed career decisions, ensuring your next move is a step up, not a trick that leaves you underpaid.
3. Unveil Your Own Worth: Right to Request Your Range
You have the right to request and receive the pay range for your own current position.
- What this means for you: This is the most powerful tool for current employees. It lets you unmask any potential pay inequities and gather concrete evidence to support your request for a raise or to challenge a discriminatory wage.
Employer Obligations: No Hiding Allowed
In addition to the pay disclosure requirements, the Act also includes data reporting obligations:
- EEO Data Reporting (Already in Effect): Private employers with 100 or more employees who are subject to federal EEO-1 reporting requirements were required to begin submitting these same reports, which include aggregated wage data by race, ethnicity, sex, and job category, to the Commonwealth as of February 1, 2025.
Anti-Retaliation: Employees are Safe
The law includes strong anti-retaliation provisions. It is illegal for an employer to discharge, refuse to hire, or otherwise retaliate against any employee or applicant who:
- Asks about or discusses pay ranges.
- Files a complaint under the law.
- Assists in an investigation of a violation.
The Penalties for Non-Compliance
The law is enforced exclusively by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Violations result in escalating fines:
- First Offense: A warning.
- Second Offense: A fine of up to $500.
- Third Offense: A fine of up to $1,000.
- Fourth and Subsequent Offenses: Subject to more substantial penalties.
Grace Period: To give employers time to adjust, for the first two years (until October 29, 2027), an employer will have a two-business-day grace period to correct a violation after receiving a “Notice to Cure” from the Attorney General’s Office.
The Final Word: Transparency as the Foundation of the Mass Wage Act
The Wage Transparency Act sets a new standard for fairness, but it is critical to understand its place within Massachusetts’ broader framework of employee protection.
While the penalties for violating the Wage Transparency Act are civil fines enforced by the Attorney General’s Office (starting with a warning, then escalating to fines up to $1,000 for a third offense), the ultimate recourse for unpaid wages is through the powerful Massachusetts Wage Act (M.G.L. c. 149, § 148, 150).
The Massachusetts Wage Act is one of the most punitive employee protection statutes in the nation, mandating that employees who successfully sue for unpaid wages—which can include commissions, earned vacation, and even final paychecks—are entitled to mandatory treble damages (three times the amount of the unpaid wages) plus their attorney’s fees and costs.
Cronin Law PC is a Massachusetts-based employment law firm committed to protecting the rights of workers. If you have questions about your rights under the Wage Transparency Act or the Massachusetts Wage Act, contact us today at 617 213-6883 for a no-cost consultation
