New York Pay Transparency Law: What a Job Posting Must Include

New York Labor Law § 194-b covers employers with four or more employees. An advertisement for a job, promotion or transfer opportunity has to disclose the compensation or a range of compensation and, if a job description exists, the job description.

It applies to opportunities that will be performed at least in part in New York, and also to opportunities performed outside New York that report to a supervisor, office or other work site in New York. Penalties go through section 218 of the Labor Law: up to $1,000 for a first violation, $2,000 for a second and $3,000 for a third or later.

What the law says

No employer, employment agency, employee, or agent thereof shall advertise a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity that will physically be performed, at least in part, in the state of New York, including a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity that will physically be performed outside of New York but reports to a supervisor, office, or other work site in New York without disclosing the following: (i) the compensation or a range of compensation for such job, promotion, or transfer opportunity; and (ii) the job description for such job, promotion, or transfer opportunity, if such description exists (NY Labor Law § 194-b(1)(a)). "Employer" means any person or entity employing four or more employees (§ 194-b(6)(b)).

Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LAB/194-B
Last verified 2026-10-16

Penalties

An employer who fails to comply is subject to a civil penalty in accordance with section 218 (NY Labor Law § 194-b(5)(b)). Where the violation is for a reason other than the employer's failure to pay wages, the civil penalty may not exceed $1,000 for a first violation, $2,000 for a second violation or $3,000 for a third or subsequent violation (§ 218(1)).

Easy to miss

• The job description is a separate item from the pay, when a description exists.
• The law covers promotions and transfers, and the statute defines an advertisement to include a written description made available for internal viewing.
• A role performed outside New York is still covered if it reports to a supervisor, office or work site in New York.
• New York City has its own, separate law on salary ranges in job advertisements, in addition to this one.

What a posting can look like

Salary range: $85,000–$105,000 per year.
Job description: Lead the payroll team and manage the monthly close.
Location: New York, NY (hybrid).

An illustration of the required items, not legal wording.

Check a New York posting

Questions

Also see: Colorado · California

The quoted text is the law. The explanations around it are our plain-language summary, not legal advice. We re-check each source regularly and show the date we last verified it.