EU Pay Transparency Directive: What Changes in June 2026?

The EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive 2023/970) must be transposed into national law by every member state by 7 June 2026. It is the single biggest change to wage information in Europe in a generation. From that date — at least in theory — every job ad in the EU must show a salary range, and every employee gains the right to ask what colleagues in equivalent roles earn.

What the directive actually requires

Three core obligations apply to all employers, regardless of size:

• Salary range in job ads or before the first interview. The figure cannot be a "competitive package" placeholder — it has to be a real band.
• Ban on salary history questions. Employers may no longer ask candidates what they earned previously, anywhere in the recruitment process.
• Right to information. Any employee can request, in writing, the average pay level for their role and for the role of the opposite sex doing equal work. Employers must respond within two months.

For employers with 100+ workers, reporting kicks in too: the first gender pay gap report (250+ employees) lands in June 2027 covering 2026 data. Employers with 150-249 staff follow in 2031; 100-149 in 2031 as well, with three-year cycles thereafter.

Country-by-country status

The European Commission has signalled it will open infringement proceedings against any member state that misses the 7 June deadline — but realistically, expect a patchwork rollout through Q3 2026.

What it means for workers

From 7 June 2026, you can — in any compliant member state — legally ask a current or prospective employer for the salary band of the role you are doing or applying for. They must answer in writing within two months. The directive makes the burden of proof in pay discrimination cases lighter: if you can show your pay is below the average for your role, the employer must justify it on objective grounds.

You also gain the right not to disclose your salary history. If an interviewer in an EU country asks "what's your current salary?", you can politely refuse — and an offer cannot be conditioned on that information.

What it means for employers

The compliance load is real. Expect:

• Audits of pay structures to identify gaps larger than 5 % between equal roles — anything above this triggers a "joint pay assessment" with worker representatives.
• Updated job ads with bands, not bullet points like "competitive".
• HR systems that can produce a pay range on demand for any role.
• Recruitment training to remove salary history questions from intake forms and screening interviews.

Employers below 100 employees are mostly exempt from reporting, but the recruitment-side rules apply to everyone.

Practical tip

From 7 June, you can legally ask any EU employer for the salary band of your role — they must tell you in writing. The single most useful negotiation lever is now free for the asking.

Send the request in writing (email is fine) and reference Article 7 of Directive 2023/970. You have two months to receive a response.

What's still uncertain

Three open questions remain as of mid-2026:

• "Equal work" definition — each country sets the criteria, so cross-border comparability is limited.
• Remote and cross-border workers — which country's rules apply when the employer and the worker sit in different states?
• Enforcement teeth — fines vary wildly: from €5,000 in Poland to up to 4 % of annual turnover in proposed German drafts.

Expect the European Commission to publish guidance in late 2026 once enough national transpositions are in place.

FAQ

Does the directive apply to small employers?

Yes — for the recruitment-side rules (salary range in ads, ban on salary history questions, the right to ask about colleagues' average pay). Only the reporting and pay-assessment obligations are size-graded: 250+ employees first, then 150-249 from 2027, then 100-149 from 2031.

What counts as a "salary range"?

A real band — typically a minimum and maximum gross figure, monthly or annual. Vague phrasing such as "competitive" or "depending on experience" is not compliant. Most national transpositions allow either a single band or a percentile range (e.g. "P25-P75 of our pay scale for this role"). Some allow ranges as wide as 30 % between low and high.

Can the employer refuse my information request?

Only on very narrow grounds — typically, when the dataset is so small that disclosing averages would reveal an individual's pay. The default is that you receive the information within two months. The directive also bars retaliation for asking.

Does it apply to non-EU workers within the EU?

Yes — the directive is location-based, not citizenship-based. A UK or US national working for an EU employer at an EU workplace is covered. A worker physically based outside the EU is not, even if their employer is EU-headquartered.

For employers: a quick compliance checklist

• Inventory every open job ad and replace "competitive" with a real band.
• Update interview templates to remove salary history fields.
• Map pay levels by gender across "equal work" categories — anything > 5 % gap needs a documented objective justification.
• Decide how the right-to-information request flows internally (typically HR responds within 30 days, not 60, to be safe).
• If you are 250+, build the reporting template now — first data collection covers FY 2026.