Hawaii enacted HB 1057, its pay transparency law, effective January 1, 2024, making it one of the most recent US states to require salary range disclosure in job postings. Hawaii's law is notable for its relatively high employer threshold — 50 employees — and its graduated penalty structure that gives employers an opportunity to correct first offenses without penalty.
Who does HB 1057 apply to?
- Employers with 50 or more employees anywhere (not just in Hawaii)
- Positions that are performed in Hawaii or that could be performed remotely by a Hawaii resident
- Applies to all public job advertisements and postings
What must job postings include?
- The salary range (minimum and maximum) that the employer in good faith believes it will pay for the position
- For positions paid on an hourly basis, the hourly rate range
Hawaii law does not explicitly require a benefits description in the job posting, distinguishing it from states like Minnesota and Colorado. However, many employers include benefits information as a best practice.
Salary history prohibition
Hawaii prohibits employers from requesting or considering an applicant's wage history. This prohibition has been in effect since 2019 (SB 2011) and applies to all employers regardless of size. TA teams should ensure that salary history questions are removed from applications and interview processes.
Employer checklist
- ✓ Include salary range (min and max) in all job postings for Hawaii-applicable roles
- ✓ Remove salary history questions from applications and interview guides
- ✓ Apply to remote roles where a Hawaii resident could realistically apply
- ✓ If you receive a first-offense notice, correct the violation promptly to avoid penalty
How RoleComply helps
RoleComply scans your postings against Hawaii HB 1057 requirements, flags missing salary ranges, and detects salary history language in posting copy. Because Hawaii gives employers a penalty-free first correction window, early detection is especially valuable — catching a violation before a complaint is filed means no fine at all.
What Hawaii employers must do
The HB 1057 requires employers to include salary ranges in job postings in Hawaii. The Hawaii Department of Labor is the authoritative source for compliance guidance and enforcement updates. Employers with any hiring activity in Hawaii should treat pay range disclosure as non-negotiable.
Audit every active posting. Review all roles advertised in Hawaii — on your own careers page, LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and through any staffing agencies. Every posting needs a salary range. Check that your range is genuine — regulators and candidates alike can identify placeholder-wide ranges that bear no connection to actual pay.
Establish pay bands. A range on a job posting is only defensible if it connects to a documented compensation structure. Build pay bands for each role or level, benchmark against market data, and document the factors that explain variation within each band (experience, skills, location). This documentation protects you in enforcement situations and in employee conversations.
Train your recruiting team. Front-line recruiters need to understand what is required and what is prohibited. "Competitive salary", "DOE", salary history questions, and ranges that do not match the actual hiring budget are the most common violations — and all of them are preventable with basic training and updated posting templates.
Penalties and enforcement
Enforcement of US pay transparency laws has accelerated since 2023. New York City has issued fines ranging from $15,000 to over $250,000 for single violations. California's Civil Rights Department investigates complaints and requires remediation. The pattern is consistent across jurisdictions: initial enforcement targets large employers with visible non-compliance, then expands to mid-market companies as regulators build capacity. See our US state law roundup for current requirements across all states, or read our salary range best practices guide to learn how to write ranges that satisfy multiple state requirements simultaneously.
