A Boston salary range is a starting point, not the whole offer

A job advertisement with a salary range answers one question: what the employer says it reasonably expects to pay for that position. It does not tell you where your offer will land, what the commute costs or whether a bonus is guaranteed. Read the range first. Then ask what it leaves out.

Massachusetts’ Attorney General says the state’s pay-range disclosure requirement began October 29, 2025. It applies to covered employers with at least 25 employees in the Commonwealth. The guidance defines a pay range as the annual salary or hourly wage range the employer reasonably and in good faith expects to pay at that time.

Check coverage before drawing a legal conclusion

The Attorney General’s FAQ connects coverage to employees whose primary place of work is Massachusetts and explains the headcount calculation. It also contains exclusions in the statutory definition of employee. A large organization, a Boston mailing address or a remote-work label is not enough for this article to decide whether a particular employer is covered.

The guidance says the posting requirement applies to positions whose primary place of work is Massachusetts, including specified remote-work arrangements. If location or coverage is unclear, ask the employer how it has defined the role. Do not assume a job advertised nationally has identical disclosure duties everywhere.

Ask what determines your place within the range

Save the advertisement and its date before the listing changes. Ask which experience, qualifications or responsibilities distinguish the lower and upper ends. That is an offer-comparison question, not a guarantee that meeting a particular criterion entitles you to the maximum.

Then separate the advertised wage or salary from the rest of the proposed package. Ask for written explanations of any bonus, commission, overtime arrangement, equity award or benefit that matters to your decision. The state’s FAQ specifically says that where hourly or salary wages are based on a piece rate or commission, the expected piece-rate or commission range must be included in the posting.

For your own comparison, keep guaranteed and conditional amounts in different columns. Do not turn an employer’s possible bonus into money already available for rent. If two roles have different hours or work locations, record those differences beside the pay figures rather than hiding them in the headline number.

The right to ask is not limited to new applicants

The guidance says employees and prospective employees of covered employers have rights to pay-range information when applying, being promoted, transferring or starting a new position. Current employees can request the range for their specific position even without a vacancy. It also says covered employers must not retaliate against employees exercising these rights.

Keep this distinct from Massachusetts’ Equal Pay Act. The Attorney General’s separate explanation says employers may not prohibit employees from discussing wages, and may not seek an applicant’s salary history before making an offer that includes compensation. It describes comparable-work protections and permitted reasons for pay differences. Those rules are not interchangeable with the requirement to publish a range.

If the answer seems wrong, preserve the evidence

The pay-transparency page directs people who believe their rights were violated to the Attorney General’s workplace-complaint route. Retain the posting, relevant correspondence and dates so you can describe the issue accurately. This guide does not conclude that a particular employer has broken the law.

The practical outcome is a better question: not just “What is the range?” but “What exactly am I being offered, on what terms, and how does that compare with the position advertised?”

Sources and limits

• Massachusetts pay transparency guidance, checked October 10, 2026.
• Massachusetts Attorney General: Equal Pay Act, checked October 10, 2026.

Official state guidance checked October 10, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice, a ruling on an employer’s coverage or a calculation of take-home pay. Coverage, exceptions and remedies require the full official guidance and individual advice where needed.