Glossary — Hr compliance

Salary history ban

State or local laws prohibiting employers from asking job applicants about their prior salary.

Definition

About 20 states and many cities have salary history bans — prohibiting employers from asking applicants about prior compensation. Rationale: prior salary often perpetuates pay disparities; basing offers on prior salary continues the disparity.

Some jurisdictions also require employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings (CO, CA, NY, WA, IL, others).

Common questions about Salary history ban

State or local laws prohibiting employers from asking job applicants about their prior salary.

About 20 states and many cities have salary history bans — prohibiting employers from asking applicants about prior compensation.

Most PEO buying decisions touch several related concepts at once. Salary history ban typically comes up alongside the other terms in this category. Closely related terms include Pay equity.

Browse the full PEO glossary

This is one entry from our PEO glossary covering payroll, benefits, workers comp, HR compliance, and PEO mechanics. Browse all terms.

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