State laws / VA
Virginia pay transparency law
What Virginia employers must disclose in job postings, who's covered, and the penalty for non-compliance.
- Statute
- Virginia Pay Transparency Law (SB215 / HB636)
- Requirement type
- In-posting disclosure
- Effective
- July 1, 2026
- Applies to
- All employers
- Salary range in postings
- Required
- Benefits description
- Not required
- Penalty
- Not yet published
- Enforced by
- Virginia Department of Labor and Industry
- Notes
- Signed April 22, 2026; effective July 1, 2026. No employer size threshold. Requires wage/salary or a good-faith range in every public and internal posting; also bans salary-history inquiries. Includes a private right of action; civil penalty amounts not yet specified — exposure shown as $0 pending guidance.
Virginia's pay transparency law (SB215/HB636) took effect July 1, 2026 with no employer size threshold — every Virginia employer, from a two-person shop up, must include the wage or salary (or a good-faith range) in each public and internal posting for a job, promotion, or transfer. The same law bans asking candidates about their salary history.
Two features make Virginia unusually sharp-edged for a new law: there is no small-employer carve-out, and it includes a private right of action, so enforcement is not limited to a state agency's docket. Civil penalty amounts are still taking shape; guidance from the Department of Labor and Industry is expected.
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia require salary ranges in job postings?
Yes. Since July 1, 2026, Virginia's pay transparency law (SB215/HB636) requires every employer — there is no size threshold — to include the wage, salary, or a good-faith range in each public and internal posting for a job, promotion, or transfer.
Can Virginia employers ask about salary history?
No. The same law prohibits employers from seeking a prospective employee's wage or salary history, effective July 1, 2026.
Who can enforce Virginia's pay transparency law?
Unusually for a new posting law, Virginia's includes a private right of action, so affected individuals can sue directly in addition to any agency enforcement. Civil penalty amounts are still being clarified.
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