Is it legal to share your salary with coworkers?

Yes — sharing your salary with coworkers is federally protected under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) for most private sector employees. Employers cannot legally prohibit you from discussing your pay with coworkers or fire you for doing so. The exception: supervisors, managers, and HR employees who have access to salary information as part of their jobs may have different protections. Government employees have different rules that vary by jurisdiction. If your employer has a policy against salary discussion, that policy is likely unenforceable — and you can file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) if you face retaliation.

Which states have pay transparency laws requiring employers to post salaries?

As of 2026, states with pay transparency laws requiring salary ranges in job postings: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New York (and NYC), Washington, and Rhode Island. Laws vary in scope — some require salary ranges on job postings only; others require disclosure on request for current employees. The trend accelerated significantly between 2022 and 2026. At the federal level, the Pay Transparency Act has been proposed but not enacted. NYC's law, in effect since 2022, requires salary ranges on all job postings for positions that can be performed in NYC.

Does sharing salaries help workers get paid more?

Research consistently shows salary transparency reduces pay gaps and helps workers negotiate more effectively. Studies of pay transparency policies have found: workers in transparent pay environments negotiate more often; workers with salary information earn 4–5% more after successful negotiations; gender and racial pay gaps narrow in more transparent environments. The mechanism: without information, workers cannot know whether their salary is above, at, or below market; with information, workers can make data-driven arguments for raises. The finding that pay transparency reduces pay gaps aligns with the fact that pay secrecy historically benefited employers by keeping information asymmetry in their favor.

What salary data sources can you use to benchmark your pay?

Resources for benchmarking salary: 1) Glassdoor.com — self-reported salaries by job title, company, and location; useful for private companies; 2) Levels.fyi — comprehensive compensation data for technology roles, including base, bonus, and equity; 3) Salary.com — aggregated survey data; useful for many professional roles; 4) LinkedIn Salary — provides salary ranges based on LinkedIn user data; 5) Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics (bls.gov/oes) — official government data by occupation and metropolitan area; 6) Payscale.com — survey-based salary data. For government roles: usajobs.gov lists all federal salaries; state government salary databases are often public record.

Younger Workers Sharing Salaries — Pay Transparency in 2026

Younger workers — particularly Gen Z and younger millennials — are sharing salary information openly in a way previous generations largely did not. The trend has a name (“pay transparency culture”), legal backing, and measurable financial benefits: workers who share salary information and negotiate earn more. Here is what you need to know about the legal landscape, the data, and how to use salary information effectively.

Your Legal Right to Discuss Salary

Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), most private sector employees have a federally protected right to discuss wages and working conditions with coworkers. This means:

Your employer cannot legally prohibit salary discussions between employees
A company policy that says “salary information is confidential” is generally unenforceable for regular employees
You cannot be fired or disciplined for discussing your salary
If you face retaliation, you can file a complaint with the NLRB at nlrb.gov

Who is not covered by NLRA: Government employees have different rules. Supervisors and managers who have access to payroll information as part of their official duties may have limited protections.

State Pay Transparency Laws

The patchwork of state pay transparency laws in 2026:

State	Law	Effective
California	Salary range required on job postings; employers must provide range on request	2023
Colorado	Salary range required on job postings	2021
Connecticut	Salary range required on request and on job postings	2023
Hawaii	Salary range required on job postings	2023
Illinois	Salary range required on job postings; must disclose benefits	2025
New York State	Salary range required on job postings	2023
New York City	Salary range required on job postings	2022
Washington	Salary range required on job postings and to employees on request	2023
Rhode Island	Salary range on request; wage range on offer	2023

More states are moving toward pay transparency laws — the trend is accelerating.

Why Salary Transparency Helps Workers

The economic case for transparency is strong:

Negotiation leverage: You cannot negotiate effectively without data. If you don’t know that your peers in similar roles at your company or competitors earn $15,000–$20,000 more than you, you don’t know to ask. With data, you can make a specific, grounded request: “My research shows this role pays $X–$Y in this market, and I’d like to discuss bringing my compensation in line with that range.”

Pay gap reduction: Research on pay transparency policies consistently shows they narrow gender and racial pay gaps. The mechanism: without transparency, employers can pay different amounts to different people for the same work; with transparency, disparities become visible and difficult to justify.

Research findings: Studies of Danish pay transparency requirements found that the gender wage gap narrowed by approximately 7% after transparency policies were implemented. US company-level research shows similar patterns.

How to Use Salary Information to Negotiate

Step 1: Gather data from multiple sources

Source	Best For
Glassdoor	Private company roles, specific employers
Levels.fyi	Technology roles (includes equity and bonus)
LinkedIn Salary	Professional roles across industries
BLS OES (bls.gov/oes)	Geographic/occupation benchmarks
State job postings with required ranges	Current market data

Step 2: Build a market range with context Your market argument should consider: your location (salaries vary 20–40% between markets), your industry, your years of experience, your specific skills, and the company size.

Step 3: Make the ask specifically “Based on my research, the market rate for this role in [city] is $[range]. I’d like to discuss bringing my compensation to $[specific target], given my [specific experience/skills].”

Vague requests (“I feel I deserve more”) are easier to deny. Specific market-data-backed requests are harder to dismiss.

Pros of sharing:

Helps coworkers (especially those from underrepresented groups) identify and address pay disparities
Normalizes transparency
Can prompt collective negotiation leverage

Cons to consider:

May create awkwardness if large disparities exist
Could reveal you as significantly underpaid without an immediate path to remedy
Workplace culture varies significantly on how this is received

The risk of retaliation is legally limited — but workplace culture can make salary disclosure uncomfortable even where legally protected. Use judgment about your specific workplace environment.

For more on income and career finance, see wage-to-inflation index and manage multiple income streams.

Written by WealthVieu

WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.

The content on Wealthvieu is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Full disclaimer · Editorial policy