Sometimes, but not always, and the deciding factor is usually where the work can be done, not where the company sits. As of 2026, there is no single federal law forcing every employer to publish a salary range. Instead, around 16 to 18 states plus Washington, D.C. have their own pay transparency rules, and a remote listing typically falls under a state's law if the job could be performed by someone living there. So a fully remote role posted by a Texas company can still owe a salary range to a candidate in California, Colorado, New York, or Washington. Some states want the range right in the posting; others only require it once you ask or once you reach the offer stage. Below is how to tell which rule applies to a given remote job, what the range should actually look like, and how to pry the number loose when a posting hides it.
The core rule for remote jobs: location of the work, not the company
The mistake people make is checking where the employer is headquartered. For remote roles, the state laws that matter are the ones tied to where the job can be performed. If a position is open to applicants nationwide, then any covered state where a worker could plausibly sit can pull that posting into its rules. Several states have written this out. New York's law reaches roles performed outside the state that still report to a New York office, work site, or supervisor, regardless of where the employee actually sits. California covers jobs that 'could be performed' in California, which state regulators read to include remote postings open to California residents. So a company that recruits nationally usually ends up complying with the strictest state on the list, because carving out individual states is more trouble than just posting the range.
That is also why you will see otherwise identical remote listings where one shows pay and one does not. Employers sometimes geo-fence postings, excluding states like California, Colorado, New York, and Washington specifically to dodge the disclosure requirement. When a remote job says 'not available in CA, CO, NY, WA,' that exclusion is frequently a pay-transparency workaround, not a tax or staffing reason.
Two flavors of law: 'in the posting' vs. 'on request'
Not every transparency law works the same way, and the difference matters a lot when you are hunting for the number. As a rough framework for 2026, states fall into two camps. Confirm the current specifics for any state with that state's labor agency, because legislatures keep amending these and effective dates keep moving.
States that generally require the range in the job posting
- Colorado — an early mover; applies broadly, even to very small employers.
- Washington — generally applies to employers with about 15 or more employees and requires pay plus a general description of benefits.
- California — salary range required in postings for roles that could be performed in the state; applies at 15 or more employees, and a 2026 amendment (SB 642) tightened the range to a good-faith estimate of what the employer expects to pay upon hire.
- New York — salary range required in postings, including remote roles tied to a New York work site or supervisor; covers private employers with four or more employees.
- Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont — have moved to in-posting disclosure, with thresholds and effective dates that vary. Massachusetts, for instance, took effect October 29, 2025 and covers employers with 25 or more employees in the state.
States that mainly require disclosure on request or at the offer stage
- Connecticut — the employer must give the wage range if an applicant asks, or before making an offer, whichever comes first.
- Nevada — the range is provided automatically after an interview, without the candidate having to ask.
- Rhode Island — range provided on request and at hire.
- Several others phase disclosure to the application or offer stage rather than the public ad.
Newer additions keep landing on the calendar. Maine and Vermont, for example, have requirements with recent or upcoming effective dates, and Delaware's is set to take effect later still. Treat any list, including this one, as a snapshot. The reliable move is to search '[state] pay transparency law' on the state labor agency's own site before you rely on it.
What a compliant salary range actually looks like
Most of these laws ask for a 'good faith' range, meaning what the employer genuinely expects to pay for the role, not a legally meaningless span. A range like '$70,000 to $95,000' for a mid-level role is normal. A range like '$40,000 to $400,000' is a red flag and, in stricter states, can be a violation in its own right. Many laws also require a description of other compensation, so a strong remote listing reads something like: base $85,000 to $110,000, plus an annual bonus target of 10 percent, equity, and health benefits. Hourly roles should show the hourly band. If a national remote posting offers only 'competitive salary' or 'DOE' (depends on experience), that is not compliant in the in-posting states, and it is a fair signal that the employer is either excluding those states or behind on the rules.
Why Indeed and LinkedIn show a salary even when the employer didn't
This trips up a lot of people. On Indeed, you will often see a pay figure tagged as an estimate. Indeed is not a state regulator and does not legally force employers to disclose pay. What it does, when an employer leaves the salary blank, is generate its own estimated range from the job title, location, experience requirements, and aggregated market data. That number is a useful sanity check, but it is Indeed's guess, not the employer's good-faith range, and it should not be mistaken for what the role actually pays.
- Employer-entered range: the real number, set by the company. Trust this most.
- Indeed 'Estimated' range: an algorithmic guess shown when the employer left pay blank. Treat it as a ballpark.
- LinkedIn pay range: may be employer-provided or platform-estimated; check whether it says the employer supplied it.
- Glassdoor and Levels.fyi: crowd-sourced from employees, useful for cross-checking the employer's stated range.
By Indeed's own Hiring Lab data, roughly 9 in 10 jobs posted directly on its platform in early 2025 included employer-provided pay, partly because so many recruiters post nationally and just comply with the strictest state. So when a remote listing carries no pay at all, that is increasingly the exception, and worth a second look.
How to get the salary when a remote posting hides it
If a remote role appeals to you but shows no number, you have more leverage than you would think, especially if you live in a covered state. Work through these steps in order.
- Check whether your state requires it. If you live in Colorado, Washington, California, New York, or another in-posting state and a national remote listing omits pay, the employer may be out of compliance. That is useful context, not a personalized legal opinion.
- Ask directly and early. In request-based states like Connecticut or Nevada, you are entitled to the range, so ask the recruiter in your first reply. A simple line works: 'Could you share the budgeted salary range for this role before we go further?'
- Search the employer's own careers page. Companies often post the compliant range there even when an aggregator stripped it out.
- Cross-reference Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, and the Indeed estimate to triangulate before any salary conversation.
- If you believe a covered-state employer is ignoring the law, report it to that state's labor agency. Look up the specific complaint process on the official site rather than a third-party summary.
Pay transparency and the 'pay to apply' scam line
One warning, because remote-job seekers get targeted constantly. Salary transparency rules do not mean anyone should ever charge you to access a posting, unlock a 'verified' salary, or process your application. The rule that never changes: a legitimate employer never asks you to pay money, buy equipment through them, or move funds as part of getting hired. If a remote listing pairs a too-good-to-be-true salary with any request for payment, bank details upfront, or a check you are told to deposit and forward, it is a scam. Walk away no matter how polished the range looks.
Quick reference: is this remote job required to show pay?
- Could the job be performed in an in-posting state (CO, WA, CA, NY, IL, and similar)? If yes, a range usually belongs in the ad.
- Does it report to an office or supervisor in a covered state? New York-style rules can apply even when the worker sits elsewhere.
- Is the employer below the state's employee threshold? Some laws only kick in at 4, 15, 25, or more employees.
- Is it a request-based state (CT, NV, RI)? Then ask, because you are likely entitled to the number.
- Does the posting exclude specific states? That exclusion is often a transparency workaround. Read it as a signal.
The bottom line
Whether a remote job 'has to' show salary depends on the states it can be performed in, the employer's size, and whether that state wants disclosure in the ad or only on request. The landscape is expanding fast: more states join each year, enforcement is sharpening, and platforms like Indeed now fill gaps with estimates. None of the above is legal advice, and the exact thresholds, covered employers, and effective dates change. For a real decision, confirm the current requirements with the relevant state labor agency, and if you are an employer trying to stay compliant across many states, talk to an employment attorney before you post.