Most job postings don't have a salary range on them because there isn't one. Nobody is hiding anything. The business never decided what that role pays. The last person was hired at whatever they negotiated, the person before that was hired at something different, and the "range" lives in the owner's head. When a candidate asks what the job pays, someone makes a number up on the spot.
Why this is bigger than it looks
Pay transparency laws are spreading. About 14 states plus DC now have them, and roughly a dozen require the range right in the posting (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington, and DC). Connecticut, Nevada, and Rhode Island require it on request or before an offer. The rules change often, so check current law and talk to an employment attorney.
The part that catches people: it's generally about where the job can be worked, not where your business sits. Post a remote role that someone in Colorado or New York could fill, and the law can reach your posting even if your own state requires nothing. One remote listing can put you under a dozen sets of rules at once. In Washington, applicants filed dozens of class actions over postings with no range, before the state softened its penalties.
The law is the floor
Even if you're in a state with no requirement, leaving the range off costs you. LinkedIn found 91% of U.S. job seekers say whether a salary range is shown affects whether they'll apply. Your strongest candidates skip the posting, and you negotiate blind with whoever is left. The real reason most employers leave it off is more uncomfortable: they have no pay structure, or the range for a new hire would be higher than what current employees make. Replacing a good person costs roughly 140% of their annual salary, so underpaying the people you already have is the expensive choice.
Build the foundation first
The range on the posting is only the proof. The pay band underneath is the foundation. Here's how it comes together:
List every role with the person's start date, current pay, last increase, the reason for it, and the job title.
Benchmark each role against reliable market data (the 10th, 25th, median, 75th, and 95th percentiles).
Plot where each person sits in the range, and decide on purpose where you want to pay each role and why (median, 75th percentile, and so on).
Check your titles against the actual duties. Inflated titles make roles look overpaid or underpaid.
Adjust anyone who falls out of line, and add tiers (like Paralegal I, II, and III) where they give people a visible career path.
Only then name the ranges, and post them.
Once this is in place, the range stops feeling like something to hide. It's by design, not by default. It helps you recruit better, retain better, and answer the "I got an offer for $18,000 more" conversation with data instead of panic.
This week's step
Pull up every active job posting and ask: could someone in a pay transparency state fill this role? If yes, the range belongs on it. If you can't confidently name one, that's your sign to build the pay bands.
This is general HR education, not legal advice. Check current laws in your state and consult an employment attorney.
If you've got a job posting live right now and you're not sure it holds up, take the free HR Audit to see whether your pay and hiring systems are actually built to protect you. → saltandlightadvisors.com/hraudit
Resources to keep building:
🎯 Take the free HR Audit — Score your HR systems in 5 minutes and see exactly where your gaps are.
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🎙️ Listen to Don't Waste the Chaos — The podcast for small business owners building strong people operations.
👉 kerrimroberts.com/dontwastethechaos/salary-range-job-postings
📖 Get The HR Easy Button — Kerri's book on building HR systems that actually work for small businesses.
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