Connecticut Expands Pay Transparency Requirements Starting October 1, 2026

Connecticut employers soon face new pay transparency requirements. Beginning October 1, 2026, employers must include both the wage range and a general description of benefits in every internal and external job posting.

These amendments are the latest in a growing wave of state pay transparency developments. As we have previously reported, Delaware recently signed a wage transparency law, Maine’s and Virginia’s pay transparency statutes have recently taken effect, and New Jersey has proposed implementing regulations under its wage transparency law.

Proactive Wage and Benefit Disclosure for all Connecticut Employers

The change to Connecticut’s pay transparency law comes from H.B. 5003 (Public Act 26-12), signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont in May 2026. The law builds upon Connecticut’s original pay transparency law, which took effect in 2021. Under the 2021 law, employers were required to disclose the wage range to applicants either upon request or before or at the time of making a compensation offer (whichever occurred first). Employers must still provide wage range information to applicants and current employees upon request. H.B. 5003 adds a new proactive requirement: employers must now include those disclosures in job postings, rather than waiting for an applicant to ask.

Under the new requirements of H.B. 5003, employers must provide job applicants who view a posting on an external job board, an intranet site, or in an internally circulated email with the position’s wage range and a general description of benefits:

• The law redefines “wage range” as the range of wages an employer “sets in good faith for a position,” replacing the prior definition (the “range of wages an employer anticipates relying on when setting wages”).
• The law defines “benefits” broadly to include “health insurance benefits, retirement benefits, fringe benefits, paid leave and any other compensation other than wages to be offered with a position.”

Connecticut now joins other states like California, Colorado, and New York in requiring employers to make proactive disclosures in job postings. Unlike in some other states, however, Connecticut’s disclosure requirements are not tied to employer size and instead apply to all employers.

Proactive “Pay Code” Disclosure for Connecticut Employers with 100+ Employees

Although Connecticut’s disclosure requirements apply to employers of all sizes, the new law imposes an additional obligation on employers with 100 or more employees relating to “pay codes.” These larger covered employers must now create an employee guide to pay codes that explains the most commonly used pay differentials. The guide must identify at least 10 pay codes and include contact information for employees who wish to dispute how their hours or differentials were calculated. Employers must post the guide on their internal website in English, Spanish, and the most common language spoken in the workforce or, if they do not maintain an internal website, provide a written copy to employees upon hire.

The law also expands existing protections for employees to disclose or inquire about their compensation. Employers remain prohibited from restricting employees from discussing their wage or asking about compensation (including the wages of other employees), requiring employees to waive rights relating to wage disclosure or discussion, or inquiring into an applicant’s wage or salary history unless the applicant voluntarily discloses it. The new law goes a step further by expressly prohibiting retaliation or discrimination against an applicant or employee for exercising rights under the statute.

Extraterritorial Application Depends on Connecticut-Based Supervisor

The law applies to positions performed in Connecticut as well as positions performed outside the state if they report directly to a Connecticut-based supervisor. Similar to New York’s approach, remote positions located outside of the state are subject to disclosure requirements only when the position would report directly to a supervisor or worksite in the state.

As for enforcement, an aggrieved applicant or employee has a private right of action and may bring suit within two years of an alleged violation.

Act Now

With only a few weeks remaining before the October 1 effective date, employers should act now to ensure compliance. For example, employers should confirm that all covered job postings include wage ranges and benefits descriptions and that those wage ranges are supported by a consistent, good-faith methodology. Employers should also ensure they are capturing every covered posting, including positions that report to a Connecticut-based supervisor, and, if they have 100 or more employees, prepare the required pay code guide.