Do employers have to put salaries in job adverts?
Not yet. In Great Britain there is no general legal requirement to publish salaries in job adverts. On 5 November 2026 the government announced it will make publishing salaries a legal requirement and bring forward legislation as soon as possible, with details to follow. Employment agencies already have rules on what their adverts must say.
What the government has announced
The government says it will make publishing salaries in job adverts a legal requirement for all employers. It will legislate as soon as possible, with details on scope, required information, implementation and enforcement to follow. Until then, the Prime Minister is asking businesses to say what they pay now.
What the consultation proposed
The government's equal pay and pay discrimination consultation ran from 14 July to 27 October 2026. It proposed requiring all employers to publish pay information in job adverts or, where there is no advert, to give it to the candidate in writing before the interview.
It proposed that regulations would set the exact requirements, such as the size of a salary range. The consultation asked whether a pay range, a specific salary or a benchmark rate should be required. No government response had been published on GOV.UK by 6 November 2026.
The proposals are intended to cover Great Britain only. Northern Ireland has separate employment law.
Rules that already apply
Under section 77 of the Equality Act 2010, a term stopping someone sharing their pay, or asking a colleague about theirs, cannot be enforced when the aim is to find out whether pay is linked to a protected characteristic. Seeking, making or receiving such a disclosure is a protected act for victimisation.
Employment agencies and employment businesses
In Great Britain, the agency conduct regulations do not require adverts to state pay, but every advert an agency or employment business issues must give its full name and say whether each position is temporary or permanent. It needs details of each position and the hirer's authority to recruit for it. If an advert gives rates of pay, it must also state the nature of the work, the location and the minimum experience, training or qualifications needed to receive that pay.
Getting ready now
Government guidance written for gender pay gap action plans suggests including pay information in job adverts, saying whether pay is negotiable and explaining how jobs are placed in pay bands. It says employers preparing to be transparent should question and account for how current pay was set and how the value of each job was decided, which could help them find unlawful pay discrimination.
The law
“is unenforceable against P in so far as P makes or seeks to make a relevant pay disclosure…”
“in which rates of pay are given, state the nature of the work…”
“whether it is for temporary or permanent work…”
Sources
- New 'say what you pay' law to help young people into work · GOV.UK
- Equal pay and pay discrimination · GOV.UK
- Consultation document (HTML): Equal pay and pay discrimination · GOV.UK
- Increase transparency for pay, promotion and rewards · GOV.UK
- Employment agencies and businesses: job advertisements · GOV.UK
- Equality Act 2010, section 77: Discussions about pay · legislation.gov.uk
- Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, regulation 27 · legislation.gov.uk
General information for employers in Great Britain, not legal advice. Check the official sources for your situation.
- Equal pay and pay discrimination consultation closed
- Government announced it will make publishing salaries in job adverts a legal requirement; no date set
Future dates are expected dates and depend on Parliament.
What employers can do
- Agree a pay range for each role before it is advertised.
- Compare it with what current staff in similar roles are paid and look into unexplained gaps.
- Decide and record whether pay is negotiable, and say so in the advert.
- Prepare managers to answer questions from current staff once ranges are public.
- If you use an agency, check its adverts name it and say whether the role is temporary or permanent.
Related answers
- What does equal pay law require of employers? Under the Equality Act 2010, men and women must get equal pay and contractual terms for equal work: like work, work rated as equivalent, or work of equal value. A difference is only allowed where it is genuinely explained by something other than sex, such as location or hard-to-recruit skills.
- Which employers must report their gender pay gap, and what is changing? Employers with 250 or more employees on their snapshot date must report and publish gender pay gap data within a year. Action plans on the gender pay gap and menopause support are currently voluntary and are expected to become mandatory in 2027: March for public authorities and April for private and voluntary sector employers.
- What should employers consider when using AI in recruitment? Employers remain responsible under data protection and equality law when they use AI to source, screen or score candidates. The ICO expects a data protection impact assessment, a lawful basis, clear contracts with the provider, checks for bias, transparency with candidates and minimal data collection. Employers should also plan reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants.