Blog · Updated July 2026
Maryland Pay Transparency Law: What Employers Must Know
Maryland’s Wage Range Transparency Act took effect October 1, 2024 — and unlike almost every other state, it applies to all employers. There is no employee threshold to duck under.
The Wage Range Transparency Act (SB 525 / HB 649 of 2024) amended Md. Labor & Employment § 3-304.2 to move Maryland from a disclosure-on-request state to a full posting-requirement state. Most pay transparency laws carve out small employers — 10+, 15+, 25+ employees. Maryland did not. If you post a role that will be performed even partly in Maryland, the law applies to you, whether you have three employees or three thousand. Compare thresholds across every state with a posting law.
Quick facts
- Law
- Wage Range Transparency Act — SB 525 / HB 649 (2024), Md. Lab. & Empl. § 3-304.2
- Effective date
- October 1, 2024
- Employer threshold
- None — all employers, regardless of size
- Required: salary range
- Yes — good-faith minimum and maximum wage range
- Required: benefits
- Yes — general description of benefits plus any other compensation (bonuses, commissions)
- Covered positions
- Work physically performed, at least in part, in Maryland; fully out-of-state roles excluded
- Internal postings
- Yes — the requirement covers internal and external postings
- Penalty
- Tiered per affected person: compliance letter → up to $300 → up to $600 (within 3 years)
- Enforced by
- Maryland Commissioner of Labor and Industry (no private right of action)
No threshold means no safe harbor
The absence of an employee minimum is the Act’s defining feature. Multistate employers that key their compliance workflows to headcount thresholds routinely misfile Maryland alongside California (15+) or Illinois (15+), and conclude a small subsidiary or early-stage team is exempt. It is not. Any employer posting a covered Maryland role owes the full disclosure.
What every posting must include
Three elements: a wage range set in good faith (both a minimum and a maximum), a general description of benefits, and any other compensation offered for the position — bonuses, commissions, and similar programs. The Maryland Department of Labor has published an FAQ and a posting template employers can adapt, which is the fastest way to see what the Commissioner considers compliant.
Coverage turns on where the work happens: the Act reaches positions that will be physically performed at least in part in Maryland. A hybrid role based in Baltimore is covered; a role performed entirely in Virginia is not, even if the employer is a Maryland company.
Penalties scale with affected people, not postings
Maryland’s penalty math differs from per-posting states: after a first-violation compliance letter, fines run up to $300 — and later $600 — per employee or applicant affected. A single popular posting seen by hundreds of applicants can therefore carry more exposure than the headline numbers suggest. The Commissioner of Labor and Industry enforces; applicants cannot sue directly.
Frequently asked questions
Does Maryland's pay transparency law apply to small businesses?
Yes. The Wage Range Transparency Act has no employee minimum — it applies to every employer with a covered position, regardless of size. This makes Maryland stricter on coverage than states like California (15+) or Massachusetts (25+), and it is the detail multistate employers most often get wrong.
What must a Maryland job posting include?
A good-faith minimum-and-maximum wage range, a general description of benefits, and any other compensation offered for the position, such as bonuses or commissions. The requirement applies to both internal and external postings for positions that will be physically performed, at least in part, in Maryland.
What is the penalty for violating Maryland's Wage Range Transparency Act?
Enforcement is tiered per affected employee or applicant: a first violation draws a compliance letter from the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, a second can bring up to $300 per affected person, and subsequent violations within three years up to $600 per affected person. There is no private right of action.
Hiring in Maryland? Run your postings through the PayTransparency validator to check the wage range, benefits description, and other-compensation elements in one pass — free, no signup required.