This guide outlines salary history ban states, covering statewide and local rules, effective dates, and how hiring pay questions are limited. It explains where employers cannot ask, use, or rely on past compensation during hiring or promotion decisions.
By Brad Nakase, Attorney
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Across the country, more states and cities have started putting limits on what employers can ask when it comes to a candidate’s past pay. The basic idea behind these laws is pretty simple: stop pay inequality from repeating itself. If someone was underpaid in a previous job, letting a new employer base their offer on that old number only keeps the cycle going.
Some of these rules only say, “Don’t ask about salary history during hiring.” Others go a step further and say employers can’t use past pay to decide a new salary, even if the applicant mentions it on their own. A few laws also protect workers inside a company by saying they can’t be punished for talking about their wages with coworkers. Salary History Ban States are redefining how hiring works by limiting what employers can ask about a candidate’s past pay.
To help keep track of all this, we’re summarizing which states and local governments have adopted these bans, what each rule requires, when it went into effect, and where you can read the actual law.
Statewide: Effective September 1, 2019
Applies to all employers.
Alabama keeps its rules simple. If a candidate doesn’t want to share what they earned in a previous job, an employer can’t hold that against them. No rejecting, no skipping interviews, no denying promotions just because someone chooses not to talk about past pay. The applicant can keep that information private without fear.
Applicable Statewide (from 1st January 2018)
Covers every employer (private & public). Includes state agencies and the legislature.
California takes one of the strongest positions in the country. Employers aren’t allowed to hunt for a candidate’s salary history. Not by asking, not by hinting, not by digging it up elsewhere. And even if an applicant blurts it out voluntarily, the employer still can’t use it when deciding what to pay them. The state also flips the script by requiring employers to share their pay scale if a candidate asks for it. Transparency goes both ways. In most Salary History Ban States, the goal is simple. Stop old pay decisions from silently shaping new ones.
San Francisco
Ordinance of the City (from 1st July 2018)
Applies to all employers. It includes contractors & subcontractors doing business with the city.
San Francisco layers on its own rules. Employers within the city can’t request or factor in a job seeker’s previous or current compensation when setting a salary. They also can’t reveal the pay of a former or current employee without permission — no casual sharing, no background “checks” through old references. The aim is to cut the salary-history chain entirely.
State-wide — from Jan 1, 2021
Covers: pretty much every employer in the state — public, private, and all the government layers in between.
In Colorado, employers aren’t allowed to ask what someone made in their last job, and they can’t use that number to decide their new wage either. Even if a candidate hints at their past salary, the employer can’t lean on it. They also can’t punish or treat someone differently just because the person chose not to share their pay history.
State-wide — from Jan 1, 2019
Covers: companies, partnerships, LLCs, the state itself — basically anyone doing the hiring.
Connecticut keeps it simple: employers can’t dig into your past pay. If an applicant chooses to share it on their own, fine — but asking for it outright is off the table.
State-wide — from Dec 14, 2017
Covers: all employers and anyone acting on an employer’s behalf.
Delaware bars employers from using salary history as a filter. No screening candidates based on what they used to earn, no poking around for old pay stubs. They can verify that information, but only after a job offer has been made.
D.C. Government Agencies — from Nov 17, 2017
Agencies of the D.C. government can’t ask applicants what they used to make. The only exception is if a candidate brings them up on their own — but only after they’ve received an offer.
All other employers — from 30th June 2024
All employers in the District are covered (except D.C. & the federal government).
For everyone else, the rule is direct: no asking for pay history, no fishing for the number in any form.
Atlanta
Applicable since 18th Feb 2019
Applies to city agencies
Atlanta quietly changed its hiring practices. City departments now leave salary-history questions out of the process entirely — no boxes on the form, no casual questions in an interview, no screening tied to what someone earned before. The idea is simple: start clean, judge the candidate, not their past pay.
Statewide: Applicable since 1st Jan 2019
Employers, employment agencies, & their reps are covered
Hawaii took a firm stance. Employers aren’t supposed to dig into an applicant’s previous salary, and they can’t use that information to shape an offer unless the applicant brings it up on their own. Internal candidates are treated differently, but for new applicants, the rule is clear: leave pay history out of it.
Applicable: 15th Jan 2019
Illinois state agencies are in its purview
The state government dropped salary-history questions altogether. The governor announced that employees applying to state jobs would no longer be asked what they made before — part of an effort to close long-standing wage gaps.
Illinois – Statewide
All employers
Applicable since 29th September 2019
Beyond government roles, the broader law bars employers from asking about prior wages, benefits, or any form of compensation. What is allowed is a conversation about future pay. No discussion about the past pay.
Chicago
Applicable since 10th April 2018
Applies to city departments
Within Chicago’s own departments, salary-history questions are off the table. Hiring managers cannot ask, hint, or circle around the topic.
Louisville
Louisville County Metro Government
Local government offices in Louisville now follow a similar rule (since 17th May 2018). No digging into what an applicant earned in previous roles. The focus is meant to stay on qualifications and the job at hand.
New Orleans
Applicable since 25th Jan 2017
Applies to city departments
New Orleans moved early. City agencies cannot ask applicants about their salary histories when hiring.
New Orleans (Expanded Rule)
Effective: 1st Oct 2019
Applies to the city as an employer
The updated policy goes further. The city won’t use past compensation to screen candidates, won’t rely on old salary data to set pay, and won’t consider it when deciding whether someone should be hired. After an offer is made, applicants can choose — voluntarily — to share past pay if they think it will help them negotiate a higher salary. Otherwise, the slate stays clean.
State-wide: Applicable since 17th Sep 2019
Every employer in the state is covered.
In Maine, hiring managers have to hold off on asking what a candidate earned in a previous job. That conversation can only happen after the offer has already been worked out. Until then, pay history stays off the table. These laws show how Salary History Ban States are slowly shifting hiring away from past pay and toward the value of the role itself.
State-wide: Applicable since 1st Oct 2020
All employers are covered
Maryland takes a similar approach. Employers can’t dig into an applicant’s past wages while hiring. If the candidate freely brings it up—after receiving an initial offer—then the employer may confirm it. The employer must tell if a candidate wants to know the pay range of the role.
Montgomery County
County level
The county government won’t ask what applicants earned before. It won’t use past pay to decide hiring or salary. Refusing to share salary history can’t count against an applicant. If someone voluntarily discloses their past salary, the county can use that information only to offer a higher wage—never to justify unequal pay.
State-wide: Applicable since 1st July 2018
All employers are covered.
Massachusetts bars employers from requesting salary history outright. If the applicant chooses to reveal it, or if an offer has already been extended, the employer may confirm it. But using someone’s past pay as a defense in a pay-equity complaint is not allowed.
State-wide: Applicable since 24th June 2018
Who it covers: State law applies statewide
Michigan went in the opposite direction. The state banned local governments from creating their own bans on salary history. Cities and counties cannot pass rules.
State departments and certain agencies (8th Jan 2019):
These agencies cannot ask about salary history until a conditional offer is made. They’re also prevented from digging through old records or contacting former employers. They cannot use someone’s salary in their decision if they happen to know it already.
State-wide: Applicable since 1st Jan 2024
All employers are covered
Minnesota prohibits employers from requesting pay history during hiring. The only exception is when the information is already public record, but employers can’t go searching those records with the intention of using them to set pay. Candidates may volunteer their history if they want, and employers can use that voluntarily offered information to increase a salary offer, but not to reduce one.
Jackson
Applicable since 13th June 2019
Employers affected: The city
Jackson keeps things simple. City job applications no longer ask what someone earned in their previous roles. No digging, no subtle phrasing — the question just isn’t allowed anymore.
Kansas City
Employers affected: The city
Applicable since 26th July 2018
Kansas City’s rule is straightforward: when you apply for a city job, no one can ask about your old salary. Only after you’re officially hired at a mutually agreed salary can that information even come up, and by then it doesn’t matter.
Applicable since 31st Oct 2019
All employers with six or more employees are affected
For private employers in Kansas City (and across Missouri with this rule), the restrictions go deeper. Employers can’t ask for salary history, can’t base hiring decisions on it, and can’t use it to decide what to offer you. They can ask what you expect to earn, but they can’t push for the numbers from your last job. If you decide to share your pay history voluntarily, that’s allowed — but it has to come from you.
St. Louis
Employers affected: The city
St. Louis bars its own departments from asking applicants what they made before (since 11th March 2020). If someone refuses to answer, the city can’t hold it against them. The rule doesn’t apply to people who already work there and are applying internally, or to a few narrow situations involving former employees returning to service.
State-wide: Applicable since 1st Oct 2021
All employers are affected
Nevada took a pretty strong stance. Employers aren’t allowed to ask for salary history at any stage. They also can’t punish, sideline, or overlook someone who chooses not to share it. What they must do is provide a salary range once an applicant has completed an interview. The same applies when someone is being promoted or transferred. Employers can still ask what salary an applicant is hoping for — expectations are fair game, history isn’t.
State-wide (public sector): Applicable since 1st Feb 2018
State agencies are affected
New Jersey agencies cannot ask applicants about their previous compensation, nor can they run background checks or dig around to find it. The conversation is focused on the present job opening.
State-wide
All employers are covered.
The broader state law applies to everyone (since 1st Jan 2020). Employers can’t screen or filter applicants based on past wages, and they can’t set minimum or maximum salary requirements tied to someone’s old pay. If a candidate freely shares their previous salary without being prompted, the employer is allowed to confirm it and even use it in finalizing an offer — but only after making a compensation offer that lays out the full package. At that point, the employer can request written authorization to verify it, but again, only after the offer is on the table.
New York was one of the earlier states to move away from salary history questions, starting inside government itself.
Back in January 2017, state agencies under the governor’s authority stopped asking applicants about what they earned in previous roles. This applied broadly across departments, boards, and public authorities where leadership appointments came from the governor’s office.
Even if an applicant’s old salary was already known for some reason, agencies were not allowed to lean on that information when setting pay for a new role. The only exceptions were situations where another law or a collective bargaining agreement required it. In short, past pay was no longer supposed to shape future pay inside state hiring.
The rule expanded in January 2020. It stopped being just about government. From that point on, all employers in New York were covered. Companies could no longer ask candidates about prior wages. The only narrow opening was when an offer was already on the table, and the candidate voluntarily shared past pay to justify asking for more than what was offered. Outside of that situation, salary history stayed off-limits.
New York City
New York City moved even earlier than the state as a whole.
By late 2017, city law had already shut the door on salary history questions. Employers, recruiters, staffing agencies — everyone involved in hiring inside city limits — were prohibited from asking candidates what they earned before.
The restriction didn’t stop at questions. Even if an employer somehow already knew an applicant’s past compensation, that information could not be used to decide the new salary. The idea was simple: past pay should not follow someone forever.
This local law drew national attention at the time. It became a reference point for other cities considering similar bans.
Albany County
This rule applies broadly. Employers, recruiters, & staffing firms are affected.
The idea is pretty simple. Until a job offer is actually on the table, pay history stays off limits. No questions about what someone earned before. No digging into past benefits either. Those details only enter the picture after an offer exists. Before that point, it’s a closed door.
Suffolk County
By mid-2019, Suffolk took a firmer stance. Employers here aren’t allowed to ask about past wages at any stage of the application process. Not on forms. Not in interviews. Not casually, not indirectly.
It goes further. Employers can’t even look it up. Public records searches meant to uncover prior pay are off the table. And if salary history somehow becomes known anyway, it still can’t be used to decide compensation. Knowing doesn’t equal permission to use.
Westchester County
Westchester followed a similar path in 2018, but with a narrow exception carved out. In general, asking about prior wages is prohibited. Full stop.
There are rare situations where confirmation is allowed, but only under specific, limited conditions. Even then, relying on that information to set pay is tightly restricted. Employers, agencies, unions — anyone involved in the hiring process — are bound by these limits.
The default rule here is restraint. Ask less. Assume nothing. Set pay without looking backward.
This rule applies only to state agencies. State offices have been required to leave salary history out of the hiring process altogether (since April 2, 2019). That means no asking applicants what they earned before. It also means agencies can’t quietly lean on information they already have about someone’s past pay when deciding what salary to offer. Even if the number is sitting right there, it’s off-limits when setting compensation. The rules in Salary History Ban States don’t all look the same, but they share a common idea. Past wages shouldn’t dictate future opportunity.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati takes a broader approach, but only within city limits. Starting around March 2020, employers with fifteen or more employees must avoid salary history questions entirely. That includes staffing firms and job placement agencies. State and county governments aren’t covered, though the City of Cincinnati itself is.
Employers can’t ask what an applicant used to make. They also can’t use past pay, even if they somehow know it. If a candidate reaches the conditional offer stage and asks about pay, the employer is expected to share the pay range for that role. No guessing games. No backtracking to old salary numbers.
Cleveland, Ohio
Applicable since 27th October 2025
Most private employers inside city limits with 15 or more employees are covered. State, federal, & county employers are not covered. The City of Cleveland itself is.
Once the ordinance kicks in, employers in Cleveland will have to stop asking about an applicant’s past pay. That means no questions about previous salary, bonuses, benefits, or other compensation, and no screening candidates based on what they earned before. Employers also can’t set minimum or maximum pay requirements tied to someone’s pay history.
What employers can talk about is expectations. Applicants and employers are still allowed to discuss desired salary ranges, compensation goals, and even things like stock options or deferred compensation that a candidate might lose by leaving their current job, as long as those conversations don’t drift into past pay.
There are carve-outs. Internal promotions and transfers aren’t covered. Neither are rehires if the employer already has the pay information on file. Jobs governed by collective bargaining agreements are excluded as well. The same goes for situations where another law specifically allows pay history to be considered.
If an applicant blurts out their salary on their own, without being prompted, that disclosure doesn’t violate the rule. Still, employers aren’t allowed to rely only on that information when deciding pay. And if pay history shows up indirectly, say during a background check done for other reasons, it can’t become the main factor in setting compensation.
Columbus
Applicable since 1st Mar 2024
It applies to most private employers (fifteen or more employees) operating inside city limits. Staffing agencies and placement firms are covered, too. State, federal, and county employers are mostly outside its reach, except for the City of Columbus itself.
In practice, employers aren’t allowed to ask candidates what they earned before. Not on applications. Not in interviews. Not casually, either.
Pay decisions also can’t be built purely on someone’s past salary. There are narrow exceptions. Internal promotions are one. Voluntary disclosures are another, but only when the applicant brings them up on their own. Collective bargaining agreements also create carve-outs. Outside of those situations, prior pay stays off the table.
Toledo
Every employer in the city (15 or more workers) is affected (since 25th June 2020). Employment agencies and the city itself are also covered.
The rule is simple but firm. Employers cannot ask about pay history. They also can’t use it to filter candidates or set minimum or maximum compensation thresholds.
That said, conversations about expectations are still allowed. Applicants can talk about what they’re looking for. Employers can explain what a role pays. What’s blocked is digging into someone’s past wages and letting that information steer the decision.
The idea is to keep hiring focused on the job, not on where someone came from financially.
This rule has been in place for a while now. Oregon has taken a firm position on salary history questions (since 6th Oct 2017)
This applies to pretty much everyone who employs people. Private businesses, state offices, counties, cities, public agencies — even smaller entities with just one employee fall under it.
Employers must keep salary history out of the interview conversation. No digging during applications. No casual “what were you making before?” during interviews.
There’s another line employers can’t cross. Even if they already know what someone earned in the past, they generally can’t use that number to decide pay for the new role. The main exception is internal movement. If a current employee is shifting into a different position with the same employer, prior pay can factor in. Outside of that narrow situation, past compensation stays off limits.
At the state level, the rule applies to government hiring. Since early September 2018, state agencies have been expected to steer clear of salary history altogether. That means no questions about what a candidate earns now, no digging into what they earned before, and no using that information at any point in the hiring process. There’s also a transparency piece built in. Job postings from state agencies are supposed to spell out the pay scale and range upfront, so applicants know what they’re walking into before any interviews begin.
Lehigh County
Lehigh County takes a broader approach. Employers across Lehigh County are barred from asking applicants about past pay. The rule doesn’t just cover applications or interviews in name only. It closes the door on salary history questions entirely.
There’s a timing wrinkle, though. While most municipalities fall under the rule immediately, Allentown and Bethlehem operate on a delayed schedule. For those two cities, the ordinance kicks in 15 months after enactment, unless either city formally opts out. Until then, employers there follow a different clock, even though the county rule is already in motion elsewhere.
Philadelphia
Applicable since 1st Sep 2020.
Anyone doing business in the city through employees is covered here. That includes private employers, public agencies, state-linked authorities, and the city itself—departments, boards, commissions, all of it. Family-only employment setups are the lone carve-out.
The rule didn’t arrive quietly. The Third Circuit stepped in on 6th Feb 2020. It cleared the way by lifting an earlier block. A few months later, the city made it official. On August 6, Philadelphia confirmed that its Commission on Human Relations would begin enforcing the salary history ban starting September 1. Asking about past pay (or using it to shape an offer) was no longer acceptable inside city limits.
Pittsburgh
This one applies strictly to the city government (since 30th Jan 2017). Offices, agencies, departments—any arm of the city, unless the law specifically says otherwise.
The rule is straightforward. Don’t ask applicants what they earned before. And if that information shows up anyway, intentionally or not, it can’t be used. There’s one narrow exception: when the applicant volunteers it on their own. Absent that, prior pay stays off the table.
Across the commonwealth, the rule has been in place for a while now. Since March 8, 2017, employers generally aren’t allowed to ask job applicants what they earned before. That door stays closed during the hiring process. There are a few narrow openings, though. If a candidate chooses to share salary details on their own — and only after a job offer is on the table — an employer may verify that information. Outside of those moments, pay history isn’t supposed to factor in.
Rhode Island took a firmer, more recent step. As of January 1, 2023, employers across the state are barred from digging into an applicant’s past pay. No questions. No quiet reliance on information they already know. Pay history is off-limits when deciding whether to hire someone or how much to offer them.
There is one exception, but it comes late in the process. Once a formal offer is on the table, pay from the past can enter the conversation — but only if the applicant opens that door. If they choose to mention it, and only to argue for more than the original number, the employer may verify it. Beyond that, there’s no guessing game. The pay range for the role has to be disclosed upfront. The idea is simple enough: measure the position for what it’s worth, not the trail of numbers someone carried in with them.
Columbia
Applicable since 6th Aug 2019
Applies to: the City
For city jobs in Columbia, past pay is off the table. The city doesn’t ask for it and doesn’t factor it into wage decisions either. The only exception is when an applicant chooses—clearly and voluntarily—to share that information themselves. Even beyond its own hiring, the city nudges vendors in the same direction. How a company handles salary history can quietly influence whether it wins a city contract.
Richland County
Applies to: the County
Richland County took a simpler route. The salary history question is gone. Not just from job applications, but from interviews and screening conversations too. If you’re applying there, what you earned before isn’t part of the process anymore (since 23rd May 2019).
Salt Lake City
Inside Salt Lake City’s own hiring process, salary history is off the table (since 1st Mar 2018). Literally. Anyone involved in recruiting for the city is barred from asking candidates what they used to earn. Even if an applicant casually mentions past pay, the city isn’t allowed to use that information when deciding compensation. It can be said. It just can’t matter.
Statewide: Applicable since 1st Jul 2018
Employers are expected to look forward across Vermont. Questions about prior wages aren’t permitted during hiring. If a candidate volunteers that information on their own, it still stays dormant until an offer is already on the table. Only then can an employer confirm it. The pay decision, at least initially, has to stand on its own.
Across the state.
For state agencies, the question itself disappears. Virginia’s Department of Human Resource Management rolled out a revised job application that simply removes salary history altogether (since 1st Jul 2019). No box. No prompt. No subtle nudge to disclose past pay. The change followed a public announcement in late June and applies to state-level hiring going forward.
Statewide rules: Applicable since 28th July 2019.
Employers are expected to leave pay history alone. They can’t ask for it. They can’t hunt for it. The only exceptions come later — when a candidate brings it up on their own, or when an offer is already on the table. Even then, the information isn’t automatic leverage.
There’s another layer here. Employers with 15 or more workers have an added obligation. Once an offer is made, and if the applicant asks, they must share the minimum salary tied to the role. Not vague hints. Actual numbers.
This law is in the opposite direction.
There is no salary history ban here (since 18th Apr 2018). In fact, local governments are blocked from creating one. Cities and counties can’t tell employers what they may or may not ask during hiring when it comes to prior pay. In Wisconsin, that door stays open — whether people like it or not.
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