Work · Pay transparency
Pay Transparency Law in Texas
Whether an employer in Texas must disclose the salary range, where it has to appear, who it covers, and what to do if a posting hides the pay. This is separate from your right to discuss wages with coworkers. Cited to the statute.
What the pay transparency law requires in Texas
Who must disclose the range, where it has to appear, and the situations the rule does not reach.
Pay-transparency law is expanding fast, with new states and effective dates arriving regularly. Texas is currently silent, but bills have been introduced. Confirm the current status before relying on the absence of a rule.
| What the law requires | What it means |
|---|---|
| No pay-transparency law exists | The Texas Labor Code has no provision requiring a private employer to disclose a salary or wage range in a job posting. There is nothing to cite as a disclosure rule because the state has never enacted one, so Texas is silent on the point. |
| No duty to share a range on request | Because no state law requires it, a Texas employer does not have to give an applicant or a current employee the pay scale for a position on request. An employer may choose to post a range, but it is not compelled to. |
| Salary-history questions are not banned | Texas also has no statewide ban on asking an applicant about pay history, a rule that often travels with pay-transparency laws. A private employer here may ask, subject to any local rule. |
| Where it does not apply | What it means |
|---|---|
| Another state law can still reach the job | A remote job that could be performed from a state with a posting law, such as California, New York, or Illinois, can trigger that state disclosure rule even when the employer sits in Texas. The absence of a Texas law does not cancel another state requirement. |
| No local ordinance currently fills the gap | No Texas city or county currently requires private employers to post a salary range. Texas also tends to preempt local employment mandates, so a local pay-transparency rule would face that hurdle. |
| Pending legislation could change the answer | A pay-transparency bill has been introduced in the Texas Legislature but has not become law. If one passes, employers of a set size could be required to disclose ranges, so the current answer is not permanent. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if a job in Texas hides the pay range. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Do not expect a range on a Texas posting
A Texas employer is not breaking state law by advertising a job with no salary information. If pay matters to you, ask about the range early in the process.
- Ask for the pay range directly
Since no rule forces disclosure, the practical step is to ask. Requesting the expected range for the role is reasonable, though the employer is not legally required to answer.
- Check whether another state law applies
If the role is remote and could be performed from a state with a posting law, that state rule may require a range. Where the job can be worked can matter more than where the company is based.
- Watch for new legislation
Pay-transparency bills have been floated in Texas. If one passes, the answer could change for employers above a set size, so it is worth checking the current status.
If a posting omits a required pay range, the state labor department takes complaints and can explain how the rule is enforced and any penalty.
→ Texas Workforce CommissionThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Coverage turns on employer size and where the job can be performed, so confirm your situation against the statute.
What workers in Texas get wrong about pay transparency
Texas does not require an employer to disclose a salary range. No Texas statute makes a private employer put a pay range in a job posting, share one with an applicant, or hand one over on request. The Texas Labor Code covers wage payment, minimum wage, and discrimination, but none of it creates a pay-transparency duty. The one pay-related notice the state does require, an annual reminder about the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, has nothing to do with job postings. So a Texas-based employer can advertise a job with no salary information and break no state law, and it can decline to give a range when asked. Two things still matter. A remote job that could be performed from a state with a posting law, such as California, New York, or Illinois, can trigger that state rule even when the company sits in Texas. And a pay-transparency bill has been introduced, so the answer could change. For now, disclosing a salary range in Texas is voluntary.
Common questions
Does Texas require salary ranges in job postings?
No. Texas has no pay-transparency law, so a private employer is not required to put a salary range in a job posting. Disclosure is voluntary under state law.
Do employers have to post salary in Texas?
No. There is no Texas statute requiring a private employer to disclose pay in a posting or to provide a pay range to an applicant or employee on request.
Can a Texas employer refuse to tell me the salary range?
Yes. Because no state law requires disclosure, a Texas employer may decline to share the range. You can still ask, but the employer is not legally obligated to answer.
Could another state pay-transparency law apply to a Texas job?
Yes. A remote role that could be performed from a state with a posting law, such as California, New York, or Illinois, can require the range even if the employer is based in Texas.
Is Texas likely to pass a pay-transparency law?
A pay-transparency bill has been introduced but not enacted. The area is moving quickly nationally, so it is worth checking the current status before assuming the rule will stay the same.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.