Does a New York City job ad have to include the pay?
Yes, if the employer has four or more people working for it. An ad for a job, promotion or transfer must state the minimum and maximum salary or hourly wage the employer in good faith believes it would pay. Only a current employee can sue over it, and only over their own employer’s ad for a position with that employer; anyone can complain to the City Commission.
Who does this apply to?
Ads for positions performed at least in part in New York City, by employers with four or more people working for them (§ 8-102). Temporary help firms’ ads for temporary work are excluded (Admin. Code § 8-107(32)(b)).
The rules
- A good-faith range. The range may run from the lowest to the highest pay the employer in good faith believes, at the time of posting, it would pay (§ 8-107(32)(a)).
- Who can sue. Only an employee, against their current employer, over its ad for a job, promotion or transfer with that employer (§ 8-107(32)(c)).
- A first violation cured within 30 days of the Commission serving the complaint carries a civil penalty of $0, though the cure counts as an admission (§ 8-107(32)(d)).
What should I gather?
- A copy or screenshot of the ad, with the date.
- What people in the position are actually paid, if you know.
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This page is general information about New York City, New York State and federal law, last reviewed September 2026. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. The City law is amended often, and which parts of it cover you depends on facts this page does not know. If a deadline may be close, speak with a lawyer now.