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EU Pay Transparency

Last checked: 26 October 2026

The directive

The directive explained

General

Established – EU directive

  • Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 strengthens the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women for equal work or work of equal value, through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms. Published on 17 May 2023, entered into force on 6 June 2023.

    Source: EUR-Lex – Richtlijn (EU) 2023/970 · As of: 26 October 2026

  • Member States had to transpose the directive into national law by 7 June 2026.

    Source: Europese Commissie · As of: 26 October 2026

  • The directive sets minimum requirements. Equal pay for men and women has been in the European treaties since 1957 and is now laid down in Article 157 TFEU.

    Source: Europese Commissie · As of: 26 October 2026

Article 5 – Pay transparency before employment

These rules apply to job applicants and the recruitment process.

Information on starting pay

Established – EU directive

  • Job applicants are entitled to information about the starting pay or its range, based on objective, gender-neutral criteria, and where applicable the relevant provisions of the collective agreement. This can be provided in the job ad, before the interview or otherwise.

    Source: EUR-Lex samenvatting · As of: 26 October 2026

No questions about pay history

Established – EU directive

  • Employers may not ask applicants about their current or previous pay.

    Source: EUR-Lex samenvatting · As of: 26 October 2026

Gender-neutral job ads and job titles

Established – EU directive

Pay criteria

Established – EU directive

  • Employers make the criteria used to determine pay, pay levels and pay progression easily accessible to workers. These criteria must be objective and gender-neutral.

    Source: EUR-Lex samenvatting · As of: 26 October 2026

Workers' right to information

Established – EU directive

  • Workers can request information on their individual pay level and on average pay levels, broken down by sex, for categories of workers doing the same work or work of equal value.

    Source: Europese Commissie · As of: 26 October 2026

  • The employer responds within a reasonable period and at the latest within two months.

    Source: Europese Commissie · As of: 26 October 2026

  • Employers inform workers of this right every year.

    Source: Europese Commissie · As of: 26 October 2026

  • Workers may not be prevented from disclosing their pay in order to enforce their right to equal pay; the Commission describes this as a ban on pay secrecy clauses.

    Source: Europese Commissie · As of: 26 October 2026

Pay gap reporting

Established – EU directive

  • 250 or more workers: report every year, first report by 7 June 2027.

    Source: Europese Commissie / EUR-Lex · As of: 26 October 2026

  • 150 to 249 workers: report every three years, first report by 7 June 2027.

    Source: Europese Commissie / EUR-Lex · As of: 26 October 2026

  • 100 to 149 workers: report every three years, first report by 7 June 2031.

    Source: Europese Commissie / EUR-Lex · As of: 26 October 2026

  • Fewer than 100 workers: no reporting obligation under the directive; Member States may introduce one.

    Source: Europese Commissie / EUR-Lex · As of: 26 October 2026

  • The report covers, among other things, the gender pay gap, the median gender pay gap and the pay gap in complementary or variable components.

    Source: Europese Commissie / EUR-Lex · As of: 26 October 2026

Joint pay assessment

Established – EU directive

  • If the report shows a difference in average pay of 5% or more within a category of workers that cannot be justified by objective, gender-neutral criteria and has not been remedied within six months, the employer carries out a joint pay assessment together with workers' representatives.

    Source: EUR-Lex samenvatting · As of: 26 October 2026

  • This assessment is made available to workers, their representatives and the monitoring body.

    Source: EUR-Lex samenvatting · As of: 26 October 2026

Enforcement

Established – EU directive

EU resources

Established – EU directive

  • On 26 March 2026 the European Commission and EIGE launched EU-wide guidelines on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification, as a step-by-step guide for micro, small, medium-sized and large organisations.

    Source: EIGE – Gender-neutral job evaluation · As of: 26 October 2026

  • The European Commission published an FAQ on the directive on 6 August 2026.

    Source: Europese Commissie – FAQ richtlijn · As of: 26 October 2026

  • In the Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030 (adopted 5 March 2026) the Commission confirms its commitment to full and timely implementation.

    Source: [BRON NODIG – nog niet ingevuld] · As of: 26 October 2026