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Product Manager Salary Transparency Requirements in Washington

What Washington law requires when you post a Product Manager position - including salary ranges, benefits, and how to avoid penalties under Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA).

schedule 5 min read update Updated Mar 2026 category Technology
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Quick Summary

If you are hiring a Product Manager in Washington, you are required by Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) to disclose a salary range, a benefits description in the job posting. This applies to employers with 15+ employees, including remote positions that could be filled by Washington residents. Failure to comply can result in fines of Wages, damages, and adjusted penalties.

"Hiring a Product Manager in Washington without disclosing pay is no longer a gray area - it is a direct violation that regulators are actively monitoring in 2026."

What Does Washington Law Require?

Under Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA), effective January 1, 2023 (amended 2026), employers posting Product Manager positions in Washington must include specific compensation disclosures. Here is exactly what the law mandates:

Compliance Checklist for Product Manager Postings in Washington

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Salary Range - Include a minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly rate. For this Product Manager role, the typical market range is $130,000 - $200,000.
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Benefits Description - Washington requires a general description of all benefits and other compensation (health insurance, retirement, PTO, etc.).

Why Product Manager Roles Are Especially at Risk

Product Manager roles carry some of the highest salary ranges in tech, making the absence of a disclosed range particularly conspicuous to regulators and plaintiff attorneys monitoring job boards.

The typical salary range for a Product Manager is $130,000 - $200,000, though this varies significantly by seniority, location, and company size. Washington law requires that your posted range reflect a good-faith estimate of what you actually expect to pay - not an artificially wide band designed to technically comply.

Benefits Disclosure: Washington's Extra Requirement

Unlike many states, Washington requires that you go beyond just salary. Your Product Manager posting must also include a general description of all benefits and other compensation. This includes:

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Retirement plans (401k, pension, etc.)
  • Paid time off (PTO, sick leave, holidays)
  • Equity, stock options, or profit sharing
  • Any other form of compensation (bonuses, commissions, signing bonuses)

A posting that includes the salary range but omits benefits information is still considered non-compliant in Washington.

Penalties and Enforcement

Non-compliance carries real financial consequences. Washington penalties for failing to include required salary information in your Product Manager posting include:

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Fine Exposure

Wages, damages, and adjusted penalties

Washington updated its law in 2026 to require written pay notices for new hires, adding an entirely new compliance obligation beyond just the job posting. The state also broadened the definition of "applicant" to include anyone who engages with the posting.

Remote Product Manager Roles and Washington Compliance

If your Product Manager position is listed as "Remote" or "Remote - US" and you do not explicitly exclude Washington from the job listing, you must comply with Washington salary transparency law. This is true even if your company has no physical presence in Washington.

Technology roles like Product Manager are frequently posted as remote-eligible, which means many employers unknowingly trigger Washington compliance requirements. The safest approach is to include Washington-compliant salary disclosures in all remote postings, or to explicitly restrict hiring to states where you are not subject to transparency mandates.

How to Make Your Product Manager Posting Compliant

Compliance is straightforward when you know what to include. Follow these steps:

  1. Determine your pay range. Set a realistic minimum and maximum for the Product Manager role based on market data and internal pay bands.
  2. Include the range in the posting. State the range clearly - such as "$X - $Y annually" or "$X - $Y per hour." Avoid vague language like "competitive salary."
  3. List benefits and other compensation. Include health insurance, retirement plans, PTO, equity, and any other benefits. Washington requires this alongside the salary range.
  4. Run a compliance check. Use our free compliance checker to verify your posting meets Washington requirements before publishing.

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