Pay transparency in Latvia
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Pay information requests Proposed
Employees can ask for their own pay level and the averages for colleagues doing equal or equal-value work, broken down by sex.
In the published draft, not yet in force.
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Time to respond 2 months
Every request starts a clock. Answering one needs pay structures and equal-value groupings that already exist.
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Salary history questions are banned
Applicants learn the pay range before the interview, and employers may not ask what they earn today.
Latvia has published a draft Pay Transparency Law meant to bring the EU Pay Transparency Directive into national law. The draft is out for review, but it is not yet enacted, so none of its employer obligations are binding today.
The official text, draft 26-TA-700, went through public consultation from 26 March to 9 April 2026. The plan is for the law to apply nationwide, covering both public and private employers, but it still needs to move through the Cabinet and then the Saeima before it becomes law.
Several core details, including the employee pay information right, the salary range rule and any salary history ban, are not yet defined in the published material. The reporting model is proposed as employer-calculated, but that too could change before the law is finalized.
The measure
- Law or measure
- Draft Pay Transparency Law implementing Directive (EU) 2023/970
- Core obligations start
- Pending
- Who is covered
- The planned law is intended to cover public and private employers
What the law requires
- Pay range before the interview Source for: Pay range before the interview
- Salary history questions banned Source for: Salary history questions banned
- Pay information requests, 2 months to respond Source for: Pay information requests, 2 months to respond
- Gap reporting from 100 employees Source for: Gap reporting from 100 employees
- Joint pay assessment at a 5.0% gap Source for: Joint pay assessment at a 5.0% gap
How Latvia differs from the Directive
Official draft law 26-TA-700 was published for public consultation from 26 March to 9 April 2026.
What this means for employers
Because Latvia’s law is still a draft, you are not yet required to act on it. That said, the direction is clear enough that waiting until the law passes to start thinking about it would leave you scrambling once obligations do land.
- Track the legislative path: follow the draft as it moves through Cabinet review and the Saeima, since the current text can still change.
- Treat national details as provisional: the employee pay information right, salary range rule, salary history ban and reporting model are all proposed, not settled, so validate any later version before building processes around them.
- Note the institutions involved: the Ministry of Welfare and the State Labour Inspectorate are named as competent authorities, and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia is the equality body, so guidance is likely to come through these channels.
- Start thinking about data readiness: the proposed reporting model is employer-calculated, which suggests you would eventually need reliable internal pay data, even though the details are not final yet.
Enforcement and open questions
- Competent authority
- Ministry of Welfare; State Labour Inspectorate
- Equality body
- Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia
- What could still change
- The draft is public but not enacted; all substantive country fields remain proposed and subject to amendment.
Common questions
Is Latvia's pay transparency law already in force?
No. It is a published draft, not an enacted law, and the core employer obligations described in it remain proposed. There is currently no confirmed start date for these obligations.
What will Latvia's draft pay transparency law require employers to do?
The draft is meant to implement the EU Pay Transparency Directive, but several specific national choices are not yet defined, including the employee pay information right, the salary range rule and any salary history ban. The reporting model is proposed as employer-calculated, though this could still change.
Who will enforce pay transparency rules in Latvia?
The draft names the Ministry of Welfare and the State Labour Inspectorate as competent authorities. The Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia is identified as the equality body.
When will pay transparency obligations start in Latvia?
The start date is currently listed as pending, meaning it has not been set. The next step to watch is how the draft progresses through the Cabinet and the Saeima.
Does Latvia's proposed law go beyond what the EU Directive requires?
This is currently unclear based on available information. Until the law is finalized, it is too early to say whether Latvia's approach will be stricter than the EU baseline.
- Pay information request right Art. 7(1)
- Proposed
- Response deadline Art. 7(4)
- 2 months
- Salary range in recruitment Art. 5(1)
- Yes
- Salary history questions banned Art. 5(2)
- Yes
- Joint pay assessment trigger Art. 10(1)
- 5.0%
Employees may request their individual pay level and the averages for workers performing equal or equal-value work, broken down by sex.
Workers would have the right to request written information on their individual pay level and sex-disaggregated average pay levels for categories doing the same work or work of equal value.
Read the sourceThe employer must answer in writing within this period.
The employer would have to provide the Article 8 information within a reasonable period and in any event no later than two months after the request.
Read the sourceApplicants receive the pay or pay range before the interview, based on objective, gender-neutral criteria.
The draft gives applicants a right to the initial gross monthly/annual pay or expected hourly-rate range; where the employer advertises a vacancy, the range must be stated in the job advertisement.
Read the sourceWhether employers are prohibited from asking applicants about their current or previous pay.
The draft prohibits employer questions about an applicant's pay in current or previous employment relationships; not enacted.
Read the sourceThe unjustified gap that obliges the employer and worker representatives to assess pay together.
A category-level average pay gap of at least 5% is one of three cumulative JPA conditions, together with lack of objective justification and failure to correct the gap within six months.
Read the source- Reporting threshold
- 100 employees
- Reporting model
- Proposed employer-calculated Operational data-production and filing model for pay-gap reporting: employer-calculated, authority-calculated, hybrid, proposed, pre-existing or absent.
- First report, 250 or more employees
- By 7 Jun 2027 (proposed)
- First report, 100 to 149 employees
- By 7 Jun 2031 (proposed)
- Formal transposition stage
- Published draft
- Scope
- Nationwide
Next milestone
Monitor Cabinet and Saeima stages.
Primary sources
- Draft Pay Transparency Law implementing Directive (EU) 2023/970 Primary source, checked 17 August 2026
- Formal transposition stage Published draft · proposed · high confidence
- Core employer obligations Not operational · proposed · high confidence
- Transposition scope Nationwide · proposed · high confidence
- Salary range in recruitment Yes · proposed · high confidence
- Salary history questions banned Yes · proposed · high confidence
- Pay information request right Yes · proposed · high confidence
- Response deadline 2 months · proposed · high confidence
- Reporting threshold 100 · proposed · high confidence
- First report, 250 or more employees By 7 Jun 2027 (proposed) · proposed · high confidence
- First report, 100 to 149 employees By 7 Jun 2031 (proposed) · proposed · high confidence
- Reporting model Proposed employer-calculated · proposed · high confidence
- Joint pay assessment trigger 5% · proposed · high confidence
- Employer required input data Payroll, sex, working hours, contracted/base pay, supplements/bonuses/other remuneration and worker-category data. · proposed · high confidence
- First data period needed Proposed: 2026 data for the first 2027 cycle for 150+ employers; 2030 data for the first 2031 cycle for 100-149 employers. · proposed · high confidence
- Own pay information Yes · proposed · high confidence
- Comparator information Yes · proposed · high confidence
Change history
This page is maintained by Evenpay from official primary sources and reviewed before publication. It is general information, not legal advice. Requirements vary by member state and change as national laws progress; figures described as proposed are subject to amendment.
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