Salary Ranges in Job Advertisements – A New Mandate or Still an Employer’s Choice?

15.02.2026

Matylda is the CEO of a household appliance manufacturing company. The past year was exceptionally intense for her organization—dynamic growth rapidly propelled the company into the ranks of industry leaders. However, success brought specific challenges. One of them was the urgent need to expand the team, particularly in operational roles, to ensure the efficient implementation of a new strategy in daily operations.

Prior to the Christmas and New Year break, Matylda held a series of meetings with Agnieszka, the Head of HR. Agnieszka presented a large-scale recruitment plan designed to bolster the company’s production resources. However, one of her proposals raised doubts from the very beginning.

Agnieszka suggested that the offered salary should not be disclosed in the first round of job advertisements. “It would be best to test the actual expectations of candidates ‘on a live organism,’” she persuaded Matylda. Ultimately, trusting the HR manager’s experience, Matylda approved the plan and greenlit the publication of the ads.

Just after the New Year, Agnieszka presented the recruitment plan to the HR team. However, enthusiasm quickly waned. Questions, and even clear anxiety, arose among the department staff.

• “But new regulations have been in force since Christmas Eve…”
• “Are we sure we don’t have to inform candidates about the salary, or at least its range, right away?”
• “Everyone is talking about mandatory salary ranges in job ads…”

Indeed, the topic of pay transparency has been sparking emotions for months. But do the new regulations truly mean that every job offer must contain specific figures?

New Regulations – What Has Changed?

In fact, as of December 24th, 2025, certain provisions implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive in Poland came into force. Their objective is to increase the transparency of recruitment processes and strengthen the position of candidates, ensuring they have a real opportunity to consciously negotiate their terms of employment.

The objective of the regulations is to ensure a real opportunity to negotiate remuneration.

One of the key changes is the introduction of a provision obliging employers to inform job applicants of the proposed remuneration. The employer should specify:

• a specific initial salary amount, OR
• a range – if the salary level depends on additional criteria.

Crucially, “remuneration” under this new provision is not just the base salary. It encompasses all other components—allowances, bonuses, and benefits (such as medical packages or supplemental insurance).

In other words, a candidate should know the actual financial conditions they can expect if they decide to join the company.

Remuneration = Base + Bonuses + Benefits

When Must Salary Information Be Provided?

The new regulation specifies three key moments when a company can (and should) provide a candidate with information regarding the salary level:

1. In the job advertisement – referring to the famous “salary ranges” in recruitment listings.
2. Before the job interview – if there was no official recruitment or if, for some reason, the salary information did not appear in the advertisement.
3. Before signing the employment contract – if the salary was neither in the ad nor mentioned during the interview.

The employer decides at which stage of recruitment to provide the candidate with salary information.

This means that—contrary to popular recent opinion—there is no absolute obligation to publish salary ranges in the job advertisement itself, nor to provide this information before or during the interview.

There is no obligation to publish salary ranges in the job advertisement.

The only condition is that the salary information must be provided no later than prior to the commencement of the employment relationship (i.e., before signing the contract). This allows the potential employee to review the terms and negotiate with the employer.

Is This Truly a Revolution?

If one looks at the regulations literally, the change is evident. The Labor Code contains a new obligation that was not previously stated explicitly.

In practice, however, it is difficult to call this a revolution. The topic of remuneration almost always arises during the recruitment process, even if the conversation initially limits itself to the candidate’s financial expectations. It is hard to imagine a scenario where someone decides to cooperate and signs a contract without knowing the financial terms the employer can provide.

To Inform or Not to Inform?

While the regulations offer companies flexibility regarding the timing of salary disclosure, it is worth looking at their intent rather than just the literal wording.

The essence of this new provision is for the candidate to:

• know what to expect,
• have time to prepare for negotiations,
• make decisions in a conscious manner.

Therefore, if there are no objective obstacles, it is worth fulfilling the information obligation as early as possible. Openly communicating financial terms is simply playing with open cards from the start of the relationship. This approach builds trust and demonstrates that the company treats the recruitment process fairly and as a partnership.

Such early transparency also helps avoid unnecessary disappointment for both parties. it limits the time and costs of interviews with individuals whose financial expectations significantly deviate from the employer’s budget.