Washington State- Enhancing Pay Transparency Laws

Washington State recently passed a new law that will increase pay transparency. Since the Equal Pay ...



Posted by Allegra Hill on March 28 2022
Allegra Hill

Washington State recently passed a new law that will increase pay transparency. Since the Equal Pay and Opportunity Act (EPOA) was passed (in 2018), Washington has been striving towards increasing pay equity and pay transparency within their state. When the EPOA went into effect in 2019, Washington joined the list of states with Pay History Bans, which has shown to be beneficial to women and racial minorities and helps to reduce wage gaps.

As of March 30, 2022, Washington State Governor Inslee signed SB 5761 into law. This new law will go into effect on January 1, 2023.

Currently, Washington employers with at least 15 employees are only required to provide applicants the minimum wage or salary of the position after an offer is made and if the applicant requests the compensation information. The wage or salary disclosure is also only required after an employee requests the information after receiving an offer for an internal transfer or promotion.

The new law will require these employers with at least 15 employees to disclose in all job postings “the wage scale or salary range, and a general description of all of the benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant.” If this law is signed by Governor Inslee, it will become effective January 1, 2023.

This is yet another step towards pay transparency within the country, with only Colorado and New York City having similar pay transparency legislation. It is likely that more states will follow and increase their pay transparency requirements in the future as pay inequality continues to be an important topic of concern.

Allegra Hill
Allegra Hill
Allegra Hill is a Consultant on the Compensation Services team at Berkshire Associates Inc. With a background in Industrial Organizational Psychology, Allegra uses best practices to advise clients in the area of compensation.

Contact Us

Get in Touch With a Berkshire Expert