Your pay rights in Maryland

Equal Pay for Equal Work – Wage Range Transparency (2024 Md. Laws Ch. 271 (HB 649) and Ch. 272 (SB 525)) (Md. Code, Labor & Employment § 3-304.2 (penalties at § 3-308; definitions at § 3-301))

Job posting rules in effect since October 1, 2024

Maryland employers must list a good-faith minimum and maximum pay, a general description of benefits, and any other pay (like bonuses or commissions) in every job posting. Employers may not ask about your pay history.

Who is covered

Employers of any size, including nonprofits, churches, household employers, and state, county and local governments. It covers public and internal postings for jobs physically performed at least partly in Maryland, including remote jobs for Maryland-based workers even if the company is based elsewhere. Jobs with only occasional Maryland work, such as attending a meeting, are not covered. Postings by recruiters and on job sites for the employer are covered. Postings made on or after October 1, 2024, including reposts, must comply.

What a job posting must show

The wage range: the minimum and maximum hourly rate or salary, set in good faith. A single fixed rate is fine, but open-ended pay like '$30+' is not.
A general description of benefits, for example health insurance, paid time off and retirement plans
Any other compensation offered, for example overtime, differentials, tips, commissions, bonuses or stock
A separate range for each location or seniority level when one posting covers several (per state guidance)

Pay history

Employers may not ask for your pay history, or use it to screen you or set your pay. After a first offer, they may use pay history you share voluntarily only to offer you more.

What you can do

If you did not see a posting, the employer must give you the pay range, benefits and other pay before any discussion of pay. You can also ask for it at any other time.
Employers cannot refuse to interview, hire, promote or transfer you, or otherwise retaliate against you, because you asked for the range, declined to share your pay history, or used your rights.
File a complaint with the Maryland Commissioner of Labor and Industry (Wage and Labor Standards Enforcement Unit, 410-767-2357). Include the facts and any supporting documents, such as the posting.
Report retaliation to the same unit. It can seek reinstatement and back pay for you.

Where to report a posting without pay

Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Labor and Industry, Wage and Labor Standards Enforcement Unit

First violation: an order or letter requiring compliance. Second violation: up to $300 for each applicant or employee affected. Later violations within 3 years: up to $600 for each applicant or employee affected. For retaliation, the state can seek reinstatement and back pay and a penalty of up to $1,000 per employee retaliated against (per state guidance).

Sources

The 2025 and 2026 statute texts match; no changes were found through 2026. The law's private lawsuit section (§ 3-307) covers pay discrimination only and doesn't mention § 3-304.2, so posting and pay-history violations appear to be enforced by the Commissioner only. The $1,000 retaliation penalty comes from state guidance, not § 3-308. Spanish-language help: 410-767-2370.