Form 941 Quarterly Payroll Tax Return Due (Q3)
Why this matters.
There is no federal law requiring US employers to publish pay ranges, but a fast-growing number of states and cities now do. Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (C.R.S. §8-5-201) requires a good-faith pay range and benefits description in job postings for any employer with at least one Colorado employee. California Labor Code §432.3 requires employers with 15 or more employees to include a pay scale in postings and to give it to employees on request. New York Labor Law §194-b, Washington’s RCW 49.58.110, Illinois’ Equal Pay Act (from 1 January 2025), Minnesota (from 1 January 2025), New Jersey (from 1 June 2025), Vermont (from 1 July 2025) and Massachusetts (from 29 October 2025) have similar rules, each with its own employee threshold. Many laws also reach remote jobs that could be filled by someone in the state, so an employer based elsewhere can still be covered.
Penalties vary by state but add up quickly because they often apply per job posting. Washington lets applicants sue for statutory damages of $100 to $5,000 per violation, Colorado fines range from $500 to $10,000 per violation, and California allows civil penalties of $100 to $10,000 per violation. Many of the same states also ban asking about salary history, and federal law still applies: the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII prohibit pay discrimination, and Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act protects most employees who discuss their pay. This check shows which rules apply to your job ads and pay practices and what to fix.
