New Hampshire pay transparency law: no range rule, but Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine all have one (2026)

New Hampshire has no law that requires employers to put a pay range in job postings, as of November 2026. The 2026 attempt, House Bill 1123, would have required employers with 50 or more employees in the state to post a starting salary range and a description of benefits; the House voted it inexpedient to legislate, 193 to 149, on February 5, 2026. What New Hampshire does have is a ban on pay secrecy rules (RSA 275:41-b), a duty to tell new hires their rate of pay (RSA 275:49) and an equal pay law (RSA 275:37). Unlike most states without a posting law, New Hampshire is surrounded by states that have one: Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine all require ranges, and New Hampshire employers recruit in all three.

Does New Hampshire require salary ranges in job postings?

No. RSA chapter 275, New Hampshire's protective labor chapter, governs what an employer tells people it has already hired, not what it advertises. A Manchester, Nashua or Portsmouth employer can post without a range under state law. The rest of New Hampshire's hiring rules, including the annulled-record question format for criminal history, are in our guide to hiring employees in New Hampshire.

What would HB 1123 have required?

HB 1123, "requiring certain companies to post expected salary ranges on public job listings," was sponsored by Representative Alice Wade with Representatives Heath Howard, Valerie McDonnell and Billie Butler and Senator David Watters. The introduced text would have added RSA 275:70-b:

• Who: an employer "that employs 50 or more employees at one or more sites in New Hampshire," including the state, counties, towns, cities and school districts.
• What: "a starting salary range and a general description of all benefits and other compensation, including any health or retirement benefits," in each posting for each job opening.
• Postings: any solicitation to recruit applicants for a specific position, "including recruitment done directly by an employer or indirectly through a third party," electronic or printed.
• Ranges: a good-faith minimum and maximum; an employer not planning to negotiate "shall list a fixed pay rate," and "a salary range shall not be open ended."

The bill record shows it was introduced on January 7, 2026 and referred to the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee, which held a hearing on January 13. On January 20 the committee majority recommended inexpedient to legislate by a 10 to 9 roll call, with a minority report of ought to pass. The House adopted the majority report 193 to 149 on February 5, 2026. It was the only 2025 or 2026 bill we found that would have required ranges.

What does New Hampshire law already require about pay?

Note the words "person seeking employees" in RSA 275:37: the equal pay rule is written to reach those recruiting, not only those already employing. The federal Equal Pay Act adds a claim against virtually all employers, and the NLRB treats "talking with one or more co-workers about your wages and benefits or other working conditions" as protected concerted activity for most private-sector employees.

Which neighboring states' laws reach a New Hampshire job?

All three of New Hampshire's state neighbors now require pay ranges, with different thresholds and tests:

Each state's details, including penalties, are in our Massachusetts guide, Vermont guide and Maine guide. For fully remote roles open to candidates across the country, see pay transparency for remote jobs.

How should a New Hampshire employer handle a Massachusetts or Vermont role?

Massachusetts. The question is where the job's primary place of work is, not where the employer is headquartered. A Salem, New Hampshire company that has 25 or more employees working primarily in Massachusetts and posts a Lowell or Boston role needs the range. Under the Attorney General's primary-place-of-work test, the same company posting a role based at its Salem office is outside section 105F for that posting, even if the hire lives in Massachusetts. Section 105F also treats one or more postings made by the same employer within a 48-hour period as a single offense for enforcement.

Vermont. Section 495p covers a job "physically located in Vermont" or a remote job that will "predominantly perform work for an office or work location that is physically located in Vermont," and excludes a job physically located outside Vermont that works predominantly for offices outside Vermont. Section 495d defines an employer as one with "one or more individuals performing services for it within this State," and section 495p adds a five-employee threshold, so a Lebanon employer that already has staff working in Vermont is covered when it advertises a White River Junction job. The statute does not say how it treats a remote employee who lives in Vermont but works for a New Hampshire office, so ask counsel or include the range. Verbal announcements, including radio, are not "advertisements" under the section.

Maine. Section 622-A applies to employers with 10 or more employees but does not say whether they must be in Maine. A Seacoast employer recruiting for a site in Kittery or York should assume it is covered.

Can a New Hampshire city require pay ranges?

We found no New Hampshire city or town ordinance that requires private employers to post pay ranges, as of November 2026. Any New Hampshire pay range rule for private employers would most likely come from the General Court, as HB 1123 tried to.

Do federal rules require pay ranges?

No. The federal contractor pay transparency rule, 41 CFR 60-1.35, only protected pay discussions, and it has been removed: Executive Order 14173 revoked Executive Order 11246 on January 21, 2025, and the Department of Labor's final rule rescinded the order's regulations, including part 60-1, effective October 26, 2026 (91 FR 54444). RSA 275:41-b still bars pay secrecy rules in New Hampshire, contractor or not. See job posting requirements for federal contractors.

What should New Hampshire recruiters and staffing agencies do?

1. Tag every requisition with its primary place of work. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont or Maine decides which rule applies, so make it a required field.
2. Count employees by state. Know whether you have 25 or more working primarily in Massachusetts, 5 or more for Vermont and 10 or more overall for Maine.
3. Consider one posting format for the region. New Hampshire does not require a range, but a two-ended range on every posting means a role that turns out to be Massachusetts-based is already compliant. See how to set salary ranges for job postings.
4. Put the rate of pay in every offer letter to satisfy RSA 275:49, and strip pay-confidentiality language to satisfy RSA 275:41-b.
5. Agencies: get the client's range and work location at intake. New Hampshire agency rules are in staffing agency licensing in New Hampshire; posting duties when you recruit for a client are in pay transparency for staffing agencies.

Example posting line (example figures): "Pay: $62,000 to $74,000 a year, based on experience. Benefits: medical, dental, 401(k) with match, 15 days PTO." That satisfies Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine for a covered employer and costs nothing in New Hampshire. For phrasing pay questions on the call, see salary expectation questions.

New Hampshire at a glance

More New Hampshire rules: ban the box in New Hampshire, New Hampshire background check laws, employer of record in New Hampshire and E-Verify in New Hampshire. For every state's rule, see pay transparency laws by state.