Croatia: 250 or more workers

Obligations

• Applies — Pay range for applicants

  Applicants are entitled to the initial pay or its range, based on objective, gender-neutral criteria, and employers must not ask about pay history.

  Art. 5 · Directive baseline · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

• Applies — Gender-neutral pay criteria

  Pay structures use gender-neutral criteria for equal work or work of equal value. Workers can access the criteria used to determine pay, pay levels and pay progression. A Member State may exempt employers with fewer than 50 workers from making pay-progression criteria accessible (Art. 6). This band does not split that line.

  Art. 4 and Art. 6 · Directive baseline · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

• Applies — Worker right to pay information

  Workers may request their individual pay level and the average pay levels, broken down by sex, for the category of workers doing the same work or work of equal value. The employer answers within two months and reminds workers of this right each year.

  Art. 7 · Directive baseline · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

• Applies — Gender pay gap reporting

  Employers with 250 or more workers report the Art. 9(1) indicators every year.

  Art. 9 · Directive baseline · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

• Applies — Joint pay assessment

  A joint pay assessment follows when a report shows a gap of at least 5% in any category of workers, the employer has not justified it with objective gender-neutral criteria, and has not remedied it within six months of the report.

  Art. 10 · Directive baseline · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

• Does not apply from the Directive alone — National law in Croatia

  Croatia must transpose the Directive by 7 June 2026 (Art. 34). This assessment does not state whether that law is enacted, partial, or still a draft. Treat every line above as the Directive baseline, which a Member State may make stricter.

  Art. 34 · National law not reviewed · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

Deadlines

• Member State transposition: 2026-06-07

  Laws, regulations and administrative provisions in force by this date. Not a filing date for the employer.

  Art. 34 · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

• First Art. 9 pay report: 2027-06-07

  Then every year. The report covers the previous calendar year.

  Art. 9(2) · reviewed 2026-10-16 · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/970/oj/eng

Checklist

1. Confirm the worker headcount that places you in “250 or more workers” for Croatia. The Directive counts workers of the employer, not a guessed FTE. (Art. 9)
2. List categories of workers doing the same work or work of equal value, using gender-neutral criteria you can show to workers. (Art. 4)
3. Give applicants the initial pay or a pay range before the interview, and stop asking about pay history. (Art. 5)
4. Prepare the Art. 7 answer (individual level and category averages by sex) so a request can be met within two months, and plan the annual reminder. (Art. 7)
5. Put 2027-06-07 on the calendar for the first Art. 9 report, then each year. (Art. 9(2))
6. If a category gap is at least 5% and is not justified, the six-month remedy window starts at the report date. Miss it and Art. 10 requires a joint pay assessment. (Art. 10)