Connecticut Pay Transparency Law: Wage Range and Employer Rules

The Connecticut pay transparency law, codified at General Statutes Section 31-40z, requires every employer with at least one worker in the state to disclose wage ranges to job applicants and current employees at defined points, bars questions about a candidate’s salary history, and protects employees who talk about their pay with coworkers. Violations can be pursued through a civil lawsuit or a complaint to the Connecticut Department of Labor.

Who the Law Covers

The statute defines “employer” as any person or entity using the services of one or more employees for pay in Connecticut. There is no size threshold. A sole proprietor with one part-time worker is covered. The law reaches jobs performed in the state, so a Connecticut-based subsidiary of a national company must comply even when its parent sits elsewhere. An out-of-state employer with no physical presence in Connecticut is not covered unless it has a subsidiary within the state.¹

When Applicants Must Be Given the Wage Range

An employer must provide the wage range for a position to an applicant at the earliest of two moments: when the applicant asks for it, or when the employer makes a compensation offer. Ask during a phone screen, and the range has to come then. Never ask, and the deadline is the offer itself.²

When Current Employees Must Be Given the Wage Range

The disclosure obligation continues after hiring. Employers must provide the wage range for an employee’s position at three points:²

At hiring, if the range was not already shared during the application process.
When the employee changes to a different position within the company, whether that move is a promotion or a lateral transfer.
Upon the employee’s first request for the range of their own position.

The first-request trigger gives you a direct way to check your pay against the established range without having to involve coworkers or guess from job postings.

What the Wage Range Has to Include

The statute defines a wage range as the range an employer anticipates relying on when setting pay for a position. The range must be grounded in actual data, and the law lets employers base it on any of the following:²

An existing pay scale for the job title.
A previously determined range for the position.
The actual wages paid to current employees in similar roles involving similar tasks.
The amount budgeted for the role, when no other data exists (for example, a newly created position).

Wages under the Act include compensation calculated on a time, task, piece, or commission basis, so a position paid primarily through commissions or a structured bonus must have those components reflected in the range. Purely discretionary pay is not considered wages and does not have to be disclosed. The line can be blurry: a bonus tied to specific metrics or guaranteed at a certain level is likely a wage, while occasional bonuses handed out with no set formula fall on the discretionary side.¹

Salary History Questions Are Off Limits

Connecticut employers cannot ask candidates about their previous wages or salary, and they cannot direct a third party like a recruiter or background check company to find that information. The only exception is when an applicant voluntarily shares their salary history without being prompted.²

There is a narrow carve-out that trips people up. An employer can ask about the structure of past compensation (did your last job include a commission or bonus?) but not about the dollar value of those elements. A separate exception applies when federal or state law specifically authorizes salary verification for a particular type of employment.

You Can Discuss Pay Without Retaliation

The law prohibits employers from punishing employees who discuss their own wages or who ask about a coworker’s pay. An employer cannot fire, discipline, or otherwise penalize a worker for disclosing what they earn or for asking what someone else earns.² A worker who requests a wage range and then sees a sudden negative performance review or schedule change has the same remedies available as someone denied the range outright.

What You Can Do If an Employer Violates the Law

You have two routes, and they are not mutually exclusive in principle, though they lead to different kinds of relief. Both must be used within two years of the violation.

Civil Lawsuit

Any applicant or employee denied required wage information, subjected to a prohibited salary history inquiry, or retaliated against for discussing pay can sue in Connecticut court within two years. A court can award:²

Compensatory damages for actual financial harm, such as accepting a lower salary because the employer concealed the real range.
Punitive damages for particularly egregious or intentional violations.
Attorney’s fees and costs.
Other equitable relief the court considers appropriate.

Department of Labor Complaint

You can instead file a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Wage and Workplace Standards Division, online or in person at a local American Job Center. The Division can be reached at (860) 263-6790 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.³

The Division can investigate and issue civil penalties against the employer, but it cannot recover damages on your behalf. If you want to recover money you lost, a lawsuit is the vehicle for that. If you want a government investigation without the cost of litigation, a complaint accomplishes that. The same two-year deadline applies. The Division is currently running eight to ten months behind on assigning new claims, so expect a significant wait before an investigator is assigned to your case.³

1
Connecticut Department of Labor. Questions and Answers Regarding Public Act 21-30
2
Justia Law. Connecticut General Statutes 31-40z – Penalizing Employees for Discussion or Disclosure of Wage Information Prohibited
3
Connecticut Department of Labor. Wage and Workplace Standards Complaint Forms Instructions