Pay transparency in United Kingdom
Directive does not applyin force since 06/04/2017
The UK is not bound by the directive. The government's 'Equal pay and pay discrimination' consultation (14 July – 27 October 2026) proposed a duty for all employers in Great Britain to publish pay information in job adverts, or to give it in writing before the interview if there is no advert. The consultation is closed and responses are being analysed; no legislation yet.
Draft · legal review pending, not yet published.
Last checked: 10/11/2026. This overview is not legal advice. Laws change; the linked legal text is what counts.
- In force since
- 06/04/2017
- Job ads
- No rule yet. There is no legal duty today. The consultation proposes that all employers publish pay information in job adverts (whether a range, a specific salary or a benchmark rate is still open, and range width would be set in regulations), or give it in writing before the interview if there is no advert. It would cover England, Scotland and Wales only.
- Asking about previous pay
- No legal ban yet
- Workers' right to information
- There is no general right to request comparator pay. Under s.77 Equality Act 2010, pay-secrecy terms cannot be enforced against employees who discuss pay to find out whether it is linked to a protected characteristic. According to Lewis Silkin, the consultation does not propose a directive-style right to information or a pay-history ban.
- Pay reporting
- Employers with 250+ employees on the annual snapshot date must report their gender pay gap. Equality action plans are voluntary for these employers and, subject to legislation, are to become mandatory from spring 2027.
- Penalties
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can take enforcement action for late or inaccurate gender pay gap reports, which can lead to court orders and fines. Sanctions for the proposed advert duty are not yet specified.
Not verified: The in-force date of the 2017 Regulations (6 April 2017) is stated from general knowledge and not re-read in the instrument. No government response to the consultation was found as of 10 Nov 2026. Northern Ireland was not covered.
46% of job ads in United Kingdom state pay
74,623 of 161,711 ads on employer career sites and applicant tracking systems in the last month; 29% for tech-related titles (2,200 of 7,647). Measured on 11/11/2026 via Active Jobs DB; includes pay read from the ad text.
IT salaries in United KingdomSources
- Equal pay and pay discrimination (consultation) · Office for Equality and Opportunity, GOV.UK · 14/07/2026
- Equal pay and pay discrimination – consultation document · GOV.UK · 14/07/2026
- Gender pay gap reporting: guidance for employers – overview · GOV.UK · 21/05/2026
- Equality Act 2010, section 77 (Discussions about pay) · legislation.gov.uk
- UK pay transparency in recruitment: pay ranges in job adverts are under consultation · Lewis Silkin · 16/07/2026