What a Salary Range in a Job Posting Really Tells You

TL;DR — A salary range in a job posting is the band the employer expects, in good faith, to pay for that role at the time it posts — a realistic span, not a promise of the top figure. More than a dozen US states and cities now require ranges in job ads, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive requires member states to give applicants the right to know the starting pay or its range. In our index, about one remote posting in five shows a range.

A salary range is the lowest and highest pay an employer expects to offer for a job. The laws that make employers publish one define it in similar terms: California calls it the range the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position, and Massachusetts adds that the expectation must be held in good faith. It is an honest estimate, not a guarantee of any figure inside it.

What does a salary range actually cover?

Usually base pay, for one role at one level. Colorado lets employers post anything from the lowest to the highest pay they believe, in good faith, they might pay for the job, so a range can be much wider than any single offer. Common reasons:

• The posting covers more than one level, such as "Senior or Staff".
• It folds several locations into one span.
• It includes variable pay, as commission-heavy sales roles do.

Regulators push back on ranges that say nothing. Washington's labor department does not accept open-ended wording with no top or no bottom, New York City requires both a minimum and a maximum, and Massachusetts guidance calls a span as broad as $20,000 to $200,000 unrealistic. A January 2025 New York City Council report found that in an overwhelming majority of postings the maximum was less than double the minimum, with the widest ranges in commission- and performance-based roles.

Which laws require a salary range in a job posting?

In the US, the requirement comes from states and cities. These places require a range in the job ad itself:

Many apply only above a headcount — 15 employees in California and Washington, 25 in Massachusetts, 50 in Hawaii — and several reach beyond the office. Colorado's rules cover a remote job that could be done from Colorado, even if the posting says Coloradans will not be considered, and New York City's law covers jobs performed at least partly in the city, including from home. So a remote posting from a US company may carry a range even if you live nowhere near those places.

What does the EU Pay Transparency Directive change?

Directive (EU) 2023/970 requires every EU country to give job applicants the right to know the starting pay, or its range, for the position. Article 5 says the information must reach applicants in a way that allows an informed pay negotiation, such as in the job ad, "prior to the job interview or otherwise". It also bars employers from asking about your pay history.

Member states had until 7 June 2026 to write it into national law. When that deadline passed, only four — Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Slovakia — had rules in force, according to a Morgan Lewis review, and Greece followed in July.

What is different about salary ranges on remote jobs?

• Location-based pay. A remote posting may print one range per location tier, or one range with a note that pay varies by location. Our guide to pay zones explains how the tiers work.
• A range written for someone else. A range on a US company's posting may describe US pay only. If you are applying from Brazil, India or Nigeria, ask whether the same band applies where you live.
• OTE in sales. Sales postings often quote on-target earnings: base pay plus commission at 100% of quota.

How should you use a salary range when you apply?

• Read the bottom as the floor. If the lowest figure is below what you need, the role is unlikely to work, however well the interviews go.
• Plan around the lower and middle part of the range unless you clearly exceed what the posting asks for.
• Ask which level they are hiring for when a range spans two levels, before you name a number.
• Negotiate inside the band, then around it. If the base is fixed, a signing bonus, equity or start date may not be. Our guide on how to negotiate a remote salary has scripts.

What if the posting has no salary range?

That is the normal case: about four in five remote postings in our index show none.

• Ask for the budgeted range in the first call.
• Look for the same role posted elsewhere. A company that lists a job in several locations may include a range on the version aimed at one of the places above.
• Compare against market data on our salary pages before you name a figure.
• Do not volunteer your current pay. The EU directive, Virginia's law and Cleveland's ordinance all bar employers from asking about pay history.

How often do remote job postings show a salary range?

Of the 48,522 live remote postings in our index on 13 September 2026, 20.6% state a salary range. The share varies by field:

In product management, more than one posting in four prints a range — worth knowing if you are browsing remote product manager jobs. RemoteHunt pulls remote jobs from 20+ sources and company career pages, refreshed every two hours, and scores each one 0-100 against your resume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I negotiate above the top of a salary range?

You can ask, but the top is the most the employer said it expects to pay for that job. A stronger move is to ask whether your experience fits a higher level, which has its own range, or to negotiate other terms such as a signing bonus or equity.

Does the salary range include bonuses, equity and benefits?

Usually it is base pay. Colorado and Washington also require a general description of benefits and other compensation, and sales postings often state OTE, which includes commission at 100% of quota. If equity matters to you, ask about it separately.

Does the EU Pay Transparency Directive apply in my country yet?

It depends on your country. Member states had to transpose it by 7 June 2026; at the deadline only Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Slovakia had rules in force, and Greece followed in July. Check your national labor ministry — this is general information, not legal advice.

How can RemoteHunt help me compare pay across remote jobs?

RemoteHunt is an all-in-one AI job-search platform for remote workers — it builds your resume, finds and scores jobs against it, writes tailored applications, and coaches you through the search. It aggregates remote jobs from 20+ sources and company career pages, scores each one 0-100 against your resume, and shows where each employer says it can hire — useful when a posted range was written for another country.

Find remote roles that fit your resume, then check what they pay. Try it free.