Nevada Pay Transparency Law: Salary Range Rules for Employers and Workers

Meta description: Learn what Nevada’s pay transparency law requires, when employers must disclose salary ranges, how salary history rules work, and what applicants and employees can do.

Nevada’s pay transparency law gives job applicants and current employees the right to request certain wage or salary information in specific hiring and promotion situations. It also restricts employers from asking about or relying on a person’s salary history. The law does not require every job posting to display a pay range, but it does create disclosure duties after an interview or during certain internal job processes. Knowing when those duties apply can help employers follow the rules and help workers make informed decisions.

What Nevada’s Pay Transparency Law Requires

Nevada’s principal pay transparency requirements are set out in Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 613.133 and NRS 613.134. The provisions were enacted through Senate Bill 293 and took effect on October 1, 2021.

The law addresses two related issues: salary history and wage-range disclosure. Employers generally may not seek or use an applicant’s wage or salary history when deciding whether to hire the person or determining the offered compensation. Separately, an employer must provide a wage or salary range or rate in certain circumstances when an applicant or employee requests it.

These rules apply to employers in Nevada. They do not create a general requirement that every Nevada job advertisement include a salary range. That distinction matters: the disclosure obligation is triggered by particular steps in the hiring or internal job process, rather than by publication of a job posting alone.

When Employers Must Provide a Wage Range

For an external applicant, an employer must provide the wage or salary range or rate for the position after the applicant has completed an interview, if the applicant requests it. A request made before the interview is complete does not trigger this particular disclosure requirement under the statute.

For a current employee seeking a promotion or transfer, the employer must provide the wage or salary range or rate when the employee has applied for the promotion or transfer, completed an interview for it, and requested the information. The law therefore covers defined internal opportunities, not every conversation about a possible future role.

In both situations, the range or rate should reflect the position at issue. Employers can use a range rather than a single figure; the statute does not require them to offer the midpoint or top of that range. However, the information should be meaningful and tied to the employer’s compensation structure, rather than an arbitrary figure that does not reflect the role.

What Counts as an Interview and a Request

The law uses the term “interview” but does not set out a detailed checklist for every hiring format. Employers may conduct interviews in person, by phone, or through video, and recruitment processes vary. A screening conversation may or may not be treated as an interview depending on the circumstances. Employers can reduce uncertainty by documenting the stages of their process and responding promptly to clear requests once the interview requirement has been met.

The statute does not prescribe a special form for requesting a range. A request may be made in writing or verbally. Applicants and employees may find it useful to ask by email so the request and response are easy to track. For example: “Now that I have completed the interview, could you share the wage or salary range or rate for this position?”

Employers should distinguish a request for the position’s range from a question about the candidate’s expected pay. Nevada law allows an employer to ask an applicant about their expectations regarding compensation. Asking what a person hopes to earn is different from asking what the person currently earns or previously earned.

Nevada’s Salary History Ban

Nevada employers may not seek the wage or salary history of an applicant or the applicant’s current or former employer. They also may not rely on that history to determine whether to offer employment or what wage or salary to offer. An employer cannot refuse to hire an applicant, or refuse to promote or transfer an employee, because the person does not provide salary history.

The restriction applies to direct and indirect attempts to obtain salary history. Employers should avoid questions such as “What do you make now?” or “What did your last job pay?” A recruiter or staffing firm acting for an employer should also be given clear instructions not to request or pass along prohibited history.

Compensation expectations are different from salary history. Employers may ask what pay range an applicant is seeking or what compensation the applicant would consider. A practical, compliant approach is to ask about the candidate’s expectations and share the employer’s own range when required, without asking for prior earnings.

What Information Is Included in a Wage Range?

Nevada’s disclosure provision refers to a “wage or salary range or rate.” The employer should provide the range or rate applicable to the position, based on its compensation practices. Depending on the role, compensation may be expressed as an hourly rate, annual salary, or another wage rate.

The statute’s disclosure rule is focused on wage or salary information. It does not expressly require employers to provide a complete valuation of benefits, bonuses, commissions, equity, or every other component of total compensation as part of the requested range. Employers may choose to explain those components separately. Where a position includes variable pay, clear written details about how commissions, incentives, or tips work can prevent misunderstandings, even if those details are not the range disclosure specifically required by the statute.

Employers should avoid presenting a range so broad that it gives little useful information or using a range that is inconsistent with the role’s actual compensation plan. The law does not set a maximum spread or prescribe a single method for calculating a range, so employers should maintain a consistent, documented basis for the figures they provide.

What Nevada’s Law Does Not Require

• No universal job-posting mandate: The state law does not generally require every job advertisement to state a pay range.
• No disclosure before every interview: The statutory applicant disclosure duty arises after the interview is completed and the applicant requests the information.
• No requirement to offer a particular point in the range: Disclosure does not guarantee that an applicant will receive the minimum, midpoint, or maximum.
• No permission to ask about past pay: The ability to ask about compensation expectations does not override the salary-history restrictions.

Other laws, local rules, contracts, or employer policies may impose additional requirements in a particular situation. Employers with positions spanning multiple states should review the rules for each location rather than assuming Nevada’s requirements apply everywhere—or that Nevada’s rules are the only ones that matter.

How Applicants and Employees Can Use the Law

An applicant who has completed an interview can request the range or rate directly from the employer or the employer’s recruiting contact. The request can be brief and neutral. If the employer does not respond, keeping a record of the interview date, request, and any reply may help clarify what occurred.

Current employees considering a promotion or transfer should confirm that they have formally applied and completed an interview before requesting the range under the statute. They can also ask how compensation is structured, including whether the stated range includes a base wage only or other pay elements. The disclosure requirement does not itself guarantee a promotion, transfer, or pay increase.

Applicants and employees should not assume that every compensation discussion is covered by the same rule. The timing and circumstances matter. A general inquiry about a future opening, for example, may not meet the statutory conditions for a required disclosure.

Employer Compliance Practices

Employers can reduce risk by building the law into recruiting and promotion procedures. Useful steps include:

• Train hiring managers and recruiters not to request or rely on current or former salary history.
• Use consistent questions about compensation expectations instead of questions about past earnings.
• Set and document a wage or salary range or rate for each position or compensation level.
• Tell candidates how to request the range after an interview and designate someone to respond.
• Apply the same process to eligible internal promotion and transfer candidates.
• Keep records of interview completion, range requests, responses, and the compensation basis used.
• Review job descriptions and compensation plans when duties or pay structures change.

Written procedures are particularly helpful when multiple managers, outside recruiters, or staffing agencies participate in hiring. A policy should explain what information can be requested, when ranges must be provided, who handles requests, and how exceptions or unusual compensation structures are escalated.

Enforcement and Potential Remedies

Nevada law provides enforcement options for violations of its salary-history and wage-range provisions. The Labor Commissioner may investigate and impose an administrative penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation, subject to the governing statute and enforcement process. The law also allows an affected applicant or employee to bring a civil action. Available relief may include injunctive relief and monetary remedies, as well as attorney fees and costs when authorized by law.

Time limits and the specific remedies depend on the type of claim and the facts. Anyone considering a complaint or lawsuit should review the current statutory language and consult a qualified employment attorney or the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner. The statutory text is available through the Nevada Legislature’s NRS Chapter 613; agency guidance and complaint procedures are available from the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner.

How Nevada Compares With Broader Pay Transparency Trends

Pay transparency rules differ across the United States. Some states and cities require salary ranges in job postings, while Nevada’s state law primarily requires disclosure after specified interview or internal application steps when the individual requests it. Employers that recruit across state lines may therefore need separate posting and disclosure practices for different locations.

Even where a posting range is not required, voluntarily including one can make compensation expectations clearer and help candidates decide whether to proceed. For employers, a well-supported range can also encourage consistent pay decisions. Transparency is most useful when the range is realistic, applied consistently, and paired with an explanation of how experience, responsibilities, and qualifications affect placement within it.

Key Takeaways

• Nevada’s pay transparency rules are principally found in NRS 613.133 and NRS 613.134 and have been effective since October 1, 2021.
• An employer must provide an applicant’s position range or rate after the applicant completes an interview and requests it.
• For a promotion or transfer, an employee must apply, complete an interview, and request the range or rate.
• Employers generally may not seek or rely on salary history, or penalize someone for refusing to provide it.
• The law does not generally require a pay range in every job advertisement, though other jurisdictions may have different rules.