Pay transparency laws for job postings

Why this matters to service companies

Pay transparency laws require employers to show a pay range in job postings, and some also require ranges for promotions and transfers or on request. They were written with office jobs in mind, but they apply to technician, CSR and crew postings too. Home service companies post often, through many channels, and frequently through third-party job boards, so a single non-compliant template can create many violations quickly.

The rules differ by state in who is covered, what has to be disclosed and how they are enforced. This guide covers three large states as examples. If you hire in other states or in cities with their own ordinances, check each one with the state labor department, because new laws keep taking effect.

California

In California, employers with 15 or more employees, at least one of them in California, must include the pay scale for a position in any job posting^[1]. The pay scale is a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range the employer reasonably expects to pay upon hire, and where pay is by piece rate or commission, the posting must include a good faith estimate of that range^[1].

• The pay scale must be in the posting itself; a link or QR code is not enough^[1].
• If a third party publishes the posting, the employer must give it the pay scale and the third party must include it^[1].
• Employers must keep records of each employee’s job title and wage rate history for the length of employment plus three years^[1].
• Violations can bring civil penalties between $100 and $10,000 per violation^[1].

Washington

Washington requires employers to disclose, in each posting for each job opening, the wage scale or salary range and a general description of all benefits and other compensation to be offered^[2]. The rule applies to employers with 15 or more employees^[2]. If only a fixed wage is offered, that amount is disclosed instead of a range, and an employee offered a transfer or promotion can ask for the wage scale or range for the new position^[2].

Washington’s law includes a cure period that runs through July 27, 2027: if someone gives written notice of a noncompliant posting and the employer corrects it within five business days, including asking any third-party site to fix it, no penalties or damages can be awarded for that violation^[2]. Outside that window, applicants and employees can complain to the Department of Labor and Industries or go to court, with statutory damages from $100 to $5,000 per violation and civil penalties up to $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for a repeat^[2].

New York

New York State requires businesses with four or more employees to list compensation ranges for designated job opportunities, promotions and transfers, and to provide job descriptions^[3]. The range is the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly pay the employer believes in good faith to be accurate at the time of posting, and employers must clearly state if a position is commission-based^[3]. A job performed in New York City may also be covered by the city’s own pay transparency law^[3].

Remote, multi-state and staffing-agency postings

Service companies that work across state lines, or that post a single ad on a national job board, need to think about where the job could be filled. The California Labor Commissioner interprets the law to require the pay scale if the position may ever be filled in California, in person or remotely^[1], and New York's rules can reach jobs performed in New York City under the city's own law as well^[3]. The safest approach for a multi-state company is a single template that includes a range for every posting, regardless of location. If you use a staffing agency or recruiter, give them the approved range in writing and ask to see the posting before it goes live, because a third-party ad without a range can still count against you.

How the three states compare

Writing a compliant range for trade roles

A good faith range is the pay you genuinely expect to offer for that role, not the widest possible spread. For technician roles, set separate ranges for each level instead of one range from apprentice to lead tech. Nationally, HVAC mechanics and installers in the lowest-paid tenth earned less than $40,050 in May 2025 and those in the highest-paid tenth earned more than $95,210^[4], so a single posting covering that whole spread would not tell an applicant much and could be challenged as not made in good faith.

1. 01

   Define the level

   Example: "Service technician II: two to five years’ experience, runs calls alone, EPA certified."

2. 02

   Set the hourly range

   Example: the base hourly rate you would actually offer at that level, from the lowest to the highest you expect to pay on hire.

3. 03

   Describe variable pay

   Example: "Plus commission on completed service revenue; estimated commission range stated per state rules."

4. 04

   Describe benefits

   Example: health, dental, retirement match, paid time off, take-home truck, paid training and exam fees.

5. 05

   Use one template

   Store the approved text in your job board account so every repost carries the range.

Compliance checklist

1. List every state and city where you post jobs or where remote roles could be filled.
2. Check each one’s employer-size threshold, what must be disclosed and any rules for promotions and transfers.
3. Write a range for each role and level, reviewed by the owner or general manager.
4. Include commission, piece-rate and bonus information in the form each state requires.
5. Update every active posting, including old ads on job boards and recruiter sites.
6. Send ranges to any staffing agency or recruiter who posts for you, in writing.
7. Keep pay history records for current and former employees as long as required.
8. Review ranges at least once a year and whenever you change pay levels.

Pay transparency is easier when your pay structure is clear. A career ladder for technicians with levels and pay bands gives you the ranges for each posting, and a clear ad structure is in technician job ads that get applicants. Ranges also shape the conversation in the interview; see interview questions and skills tests.

Common mistakes

• Posting one range for every level, from helper to senior tech, so the range means nothing.
• Leaving old ads up on job boards after updating the template.
• Listing only the base rate for a commission or piece-rate role without describing the variable pay.
• Putting the range on a careers page and linking to it from the ad, where the law requires it in the ad itself.
• Forgetting that internal promotions and transfers can be covered in some states.
• Letting a recruiter post without the range because "they always do it that way".

What applicants do with the range

Applicants use the range to decide whether to apply and to set expectations for the offer. If you consistently offer at the bottom of a wide range, candidates notice and trust drops. Decide where in the range a typical new hire at that level starts, and explain in the interview what moves someone up: licenses, certifications, years in the trade and skills checks. A range that matches your real offers is also the best defense if a posting is ever questioned, because it shows the estimate was made in good faith.

Talking about pay with current staff

Posting ranges means current employees will see them. If a new hire’s range is above what a long-serving tech earns, expect a conversation. Review current pay against your posted ranges before you publish, fix gaps that cannot be explained by experience, skills or performance, and be ready to explain the ladder to anyone who asks. Average hourly earnings at specialty trade contractors rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026^[5], so ranges set a year ago may already be out of date.