Directive explained

Pay information for applicants

Last reviewed 2026-10-16

Article 5: applicants receive the initial pay or its range, and relevant collective-agreement provisions, before pay is negotiated. Employers do not ask pay history.

Article 5

What the applicant receives

Article 5 gives applicants the right to information from the prospective employer about the initial pay or its range, based on objective gender-neutral criteria, for the position. Where the employer applies a collective agreement to the position, the applicant also receives the relevant provisions of that agreement.

When it is given

The information is given in a way that allows an informed and transparent negotiation on pay, such as in a published job vacancy notice, prior to the job interview, or otherwise. The Directive does not pick a single template. A notice, a pre-interview message, or another channel can satisfy the timing if the applicant has the information in time to negotiate.

Pay history

Article 5 says the employer shall not ask applicants about their pay history in their current or previous employment relationships. This page does not describe interview scripts or vendor tools.

Related

Source

Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency (adopted 2023-05-10)

Update log

Informational only. This is not legal advice and not a statement of national law. Statutory claims cite Directive (EU) 2023/970 and carry a last-reviewed date. A Member State duty exists only when that State’s law says so. See the country pages for a dated status snapshot.