Pay ranges in Ontario job postings
Every public job posting in Ontario must include the expected pay for the job, or a range of expected pay. A range can be at most $50,000 a year wide. Here's what that means in practice, with wording you can copy.
Updated October 23, 2026. A summary, not legal advice.En français
In short
- Put the expected pay, or a pay range, in every public posting.
- A range can be at most $50,000 a year wide: $85,000 to $135,000 is fine, $85,000 to $140,000 is not.
- Hourly, weekly and monthly pay count too: the limit is the yearly equivalent of $50,000.
- Postings where the pay, or the top of the range, is more than $200,000 a year are exempt.
What the law says
- A public job posting must include information about the expected pay for the position, or the range of expected pay. (ESA, s. 8.2 (1))
- Pay means wages: a salary, an hourly rate, commission, piece rates, and bonuses tied to hours, production or efficiency. Tips, expense and travel allowances, benefits, stock options and purely discretionary bonuses aren't wages. (O. Reg. 476/24, s. 2 (2); ESA, s. 1 (1); Ministry's guide)
- A range can't be wider than the equivalent of $50,000 a year. A range exactly $50,000 wide is allowed. (ESA, s. 8.2 (3); O. Reg. 476/24, s. 4)
- The rule doesn't apply when the expected pay, or the top of the range, is more than $200,000 a year. Exactly $200,000 is still covered. (ESA, s. 8.2 (2); O. Reg. 476/24, s. 3)
- If the pay has more than one part, say something about each. Where a dollar amount can't be given, the Ministry's guide says you can explain how it's earned, for example a bonus of up to 10% of the annual salary based on individual performance, or up to a certain amount in sales commissions. (Ministry's guide)
Wording you can copy
Salary range
Expected pay: $62,000 to $74,000 a year.
Hourly range
Pay: $24.50 to $28.00 an hour.
Base plus commission
Expected pay: a base salary of $55,000 a year, plus commission. The successful candidate can expect to earn up to $20,000 a year in commission.
Salary plus bonus
Expected pay: $70,000 to $85,000 a year, plus a bonus of up to 10% of annual salary based on individual performance.
Before and after
Salary: Competitive, based on experience. Benefits: Health, dental and RRSP matching.
Expected pay: $62,000 to $74,000 a year, based on experience. Benefits: Health, dental and RRSP matching.
"Competitive" says nothing about the expected pay. The fix adds a range less than $50,000 wide and leaves the rest as it was.
How CheckON checks it
CheckON finds the pay in your posting, works out how wide a range is (hourly, weekly and monthly pay included) and applies the $200,000 exemption. If the pay is missing or the range is too wide, it marks the line to fix; it never makes up a figure, and nothing changes until you approve it.
Who the rules apply to
Employers with 25 or more employees in Ontario on the day the job is posted, for public postings of a specific job done in Ontario, on your careers page, a job board or a recruiter's site. A posting open only to current employees, or a general "we're hiring" campaign that names no job, isn't covered. (O. Reg. 476/24, s. 1; O. Reg. 476/24, s. 2 (1))
Questions people ask
Do Ontario job postings have to include a salary range?
Yes, for employers with 25 or more employees in Ontario. Since January 1, 2026, every public job posting must include the expected pay or a range of expected pay (ESA, s. 8.2 (1)). Postings where the pay, or the top of the range, is more than $200,000 a year are exempt.
How wide can a pay range be in Ontario?
At most the equivalent of $50,000 a year (O. Reg. 476/24, s. 4). $85,000 to $135,000 is allowed; $85,000 to $140,000 is not.
How does the $50,000 limit work for hourly pay?
The regulation says "equivalent to $50,000 annually" but not how to convert. CheckON multiplies by the job's weekly hours (40 if you don't say) and 52 weeks, and asks for the hours when the result is close to the limit. At 40 hours a week, $25 to $48 an hour is $52,000 to $99,840 a year: $47,840 wide, so it's within the limit.
Can I write "competitive salary" or "depending on experience"?
Not on its own. Neither tells applicants the expected pay. Give a figure or a range; you can still add "based on experience".
Do commission and bonuses count as pay?
Commission and bonuses tied to hours, production or efficiency are wages, so they count. Tips, expense allowances, benefits, stock options and purely discretionary bonuses don't. If the pay has more than one part, say something about each, for example a base salary and how much commission the person can expect to earn.
What about "$70,000+" or "up to $90,000"?
The law doesn't settle open-ended pay. CheckON treats it as not a range and asks for both ends, the cautious reading.
The other rules
- Canadian experienceDon't require Canadian experience in the posting or its application form.
- AI disclosureSay so if AI screens, assesses or selects applicants.
- Existing vacancySay whether the job is an existing vacancy, or not.
- 45-day replyTell each interviewed applicant within 45 days whether a decision was made.
- 3-year recordsKeep each posting, its form and your interview updates for 3 years.
Sources: the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), Part III.1 and s. 15, O. Reg. 476/24 and the Government of Ontario's guide to the job posting requirements. This page summarises them and isn't legal advice; for your situation, talk to an employment lawyer.