Salary History Questions

Some states and cities have banned employers from asking questions regarding salary history.  Below is a list of states and cities where these bans have or are being implemented (this information has been compiled by BusinessInsider.com):

 

• California has banned private and public employers from asking about a candidate’s pay history. The law will take effect in January 2018, according to HRDive.com.
• Delaware banned all employers from asking candidates about their salary history. The law will take effect in December 2017, according to Duane Morris.
• Massachusetts prohibited all employers from inquiring about a candidate’s pay history. This law will go into effect in July 2018, according to Mass.gov.
• New Orleans banned inquiries about all city departments and employees of contractors who work for the city. The rule is already in effect, but, in this case, it only impacts individuals who are interviewing to work for the city of New Orleans, according to WDSU.
• New York City has banned public and private employees from asking about a candidate’s pay history. The law goes into effect October 31, 2017, Business Insider previously reported.
• Oregon has banned all employers for inquiring about a candidate’s salary history. The law goes into effect January 2019, according to Jackson Lewis.
• Philadelphia banned the salary history question for all employers. The rule was supposed to take effect May 23, but a judge halted it temporarily due to a lawsuit from the Chamber of Commerce, according to NBC.
• Pittsburgh banned city agencies from asking about candidates’ pay history. The rule is effective immediately, but only effects city employees, SHRM reported.
• Puerto Rico banned employers from inquiring about a candidate’s pay history. The law will go into effect March 2018, according to Jackson Lewis.

Please note, that if you work or are applying for positions in states/cities that do not ban salary history questions, you most likely will be expected to provide that information.