Blog · Updated October 2026
Rhode Island Pay Transparency Law: Ranges on Request
Rhode Island's pay transparency rules have applied since January 1, 2023. They don't require a range in the posting, but applicants and employees can ask for one, and employers can't ask about past pay.
Rhode Island’s Pay Equity Act is a disclosurelaw, not a posting law: a job posting without a range isn’t itself a violation, unlike in the states with posting requirements. What the law requires is that employers have a range ready and share it when asked.
Quick facts
- Law
- Rhode Island Pay Equity Act
- Effective date
- January 1, 2023
- Employer threshold
- None
- Required in postings
- No
- Applicants
- Must be given the wage range on request, and before compensation is discussed
- Current employees
- Can get their own position's wage range
- Salary history
- Employers may not ask about it
- Enforced by
- Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
When Rhode Island employers must share the range
An applicant who asks must be given the wage range for the position, and the range must be shared before compensation is discussed. Current employees can also get the range for their own position. Employers need a written range for each role before hiring starts.
Why posting the range is still the easy path
Since the range has to be shared with anyone who asks, putting it in the posting is the simplest way to comply. It also covers remote postings that other states’ laws can reach, like nearby Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, which all require ranges in postings. See remote job postings and pay transparency.
The salary-history ban
Rhode Island employers can’t ask applicants about their pay history. Application forms, recruiter screening questions and background-check vendors should all leave it out.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island require salary ranges in job postings?
No. Rhode Island requires employers to give applicants the wage range on request and before discussing compensation, but not to include it in the posting.
Can Rhode Island employers ask about salary history?
No. Employers may not ask applicants about their pay history.
Do Rhode Island employers with remote roles need to post ranges?
Not under Rhode Island law, but a remote posting can be reached by other states' posting laws, such as those in Connecticut, Massachusetts or New York.
See the Rhode Island law reference page for the rule as our validator applies it, or compare every state in the state-by-state table.
Hiring from Rhode Island? Neighboring states require ranges in postings. The PayTransparency validator checks every state a posting can reach, free with no signup.
This guide summarizes the statute and published guidance. It isn’t legal advice.