Blog · Updated October 2026
Virginia Pay Transparency Law: What Employers Must Know
Virginia's pay transparency law took effect July 1, 2026. It covers every employer regardless of size, applies to internal postings too, and lets applicants sue, with a 15-business-day window to fix a posting first.
Virginia’s SB 215 and its companion HB 636 were signed on April 22, 2026, and took effect on July 1, 2026. Virginia joins the states with posting requirements with no employer-size threshold, so even the smallest employer posting a Virginia job is covered. The law also bars employers from asking about an applicant’s pay history.
Quick facts
- Law
- SB 215 / HB 636 (2026)
- Signed
- April 22, 2026
- Effective date
- July 1, 2026
- Employer threshold
- None
- Required: pay range
- Yes: the wage or salary, or a good-faith range
- Required: benefits
- No
- Internal postings
- Covered, along with public postings
- Salary history
- Employers may not ask about it
- Penalty
- Civil penalties up to $1,000 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for later ones
- Private right of action
- Yes: within one year, for actual damages, unless the posting is fixed within 15 business days of written notice
What a Virginia posting must include
Every public and internal posting needs the wage or salary, or a good-faith range the employer expects to pay. A good-faith range is one the employer would actually pay within: a range far wider than the real budget, or vague wording like “competitive pay,” doesn’t meet the standard. See what counts as a salary range. Unlike Colorado or Washington, Virginia doesn’t require a benefits description, though including one does no harm.
The 15-business-day cure period
An applicant can sue for actual damages within a year of the violation, but no lawsuit may proceed if the employer corrects the posting within 15 business days of receiving written notice. That makes a fast internal process for notices worth having: someone who receives the notice, checks the posting and fixes it inside the window. The civil penalties (up to $1,000, then up to $5,000) are separate from that private action.
No more salary-history questions
The law also bans asking applicants what they were paid before. Application forms, recruiter screening scripts and background-check vendors should all be checked for pay-history questions.
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia require salary ranges in job postings?
Yes. Since July 1, 2026, every Virginia employer must include the wage or salary, or a good-faith range, in public and internal job postings.
Does Virginia's pay transparency law apply to small businesses?
Yes. There is no employer-size threshold.
What is the penalty for violating Virginia's pay transparency law?
Civil penalties of up to $1,000 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for later ones. Applicants can also sue for actual damages within one year, but not if the employer fixes the posting within 15 business days of written notice.
Can Virginia employers ask about salary history?
No. The same law bans asking applicants about their pay history.
See the Virginia law reference page for the rule as our validator applies it, or compare every state in the state-by-state table.
Hiring in Virginia? Check a posting with the PayTransparency validator, free with no signup, and see the verdict for Virginia and every other state that can reach the same posting.
This guide summarizes the statute and published guidance. It isn’t legal advice.