Have you ever looked at a job ad and thought, wait, why is the pay a secret? In Virginia, that is starting to change. A new law, Senate Bill 215, was approved on April 22, 2026, and it takes effect on July 1, 2026. From that date, employers in Virginia must show the wage, salary, or pay range in public and internal job postings. They also may not ask a job seeker for salary history, and they may not use old pay to decide whether to hire the person or what pay to offer. (lis.blob.core.windows.net)

Now imagine Emi is looking for work in Richmond. She sees a job post for an office assistant. Before this law, the ad might only say “competitive pay.” Now it should show a real pay range, like a minimum and maximum amount, and that range must be set in good faith. If Emi says, “Can you tell me the pay range?” the company cannot punish her for asking. And if she does not want to share her old pay, the company cannot refuse to interview or hire her for that reason. (lis.blob.core.windows.net)

But here is the small twist. If Emi tells the company her old pay by herself, without being asked, the employer may use that information only in a limited way. It can support a higher offer than the first offer, as long as that higher pay still follows equal-pay rules and federal law. Also, if a job post forgets the pay range, the employer gets 15 business days to fix it after written notice before a worker can bring a case about that posting problem. (lis.blob.core.windows.net)

So the big change is simple. In Virginia, job ads are moving from mystery to numbers. That can mean less guessing, fewer awkward questions about old pay, and a fairer start for people looking for a new job. Sometimes one honest line in a job post can make work feel more open already. (lis.blob.core.windows.net)