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Pay transparency in Malta

In force Last verified 7 August 2026 High confidence

  • Pay information requests In force

    Individual pay level plus average pay levels broken down by sex for categories performing the same work or work of equal value.

  • Time to respond 8 days

    Every request starts a clock. Answering one needs pay structures and equal-value groupings that already exist.

  • Salary history questions are banned

    Applicants learn the pay range before the interview, and employers may not ask what they earn today.

Malta’s pay transparency rules are already law, not a proposal. Two instruments work together: L.N. 112 of 2025, which opened up early transparency rights from 27 August 2025, and L.N. 173 of 2026, the comprehensive regime that came into force on 5 June 2026 and now controls the framework nationwide.

That combination means Malta moved faster and further than the EU Directive’s minimum. The response deadline for pay information requests is notably shorter than the Directive allows, and mandatory reporting starts at a lower headcount than in many other member states.

If you employ people in Malta, in the public or private sector, these obligations already apply to you. The next fixed point on the calendar is your first Directive report, due by 7 June 2027 if you have 250 or more workers.

The measure

Law or measure
Equal Pay (Transparency and Reporting) Regulations, 2026, together with the earlier Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions (Amendment) Regulations, 2025
Core obligations start
5 Jun 2026
Who is covered
All employers in public and private sectors.

What the law requires

How Malta differs from the Directive

Some pay-transparency rights began on 27 August 2025 under L.N. 112/2025, including pre-employment wage-structure information, pay/progression criteria and a two-month information-response rule. L.N. 173/2026 introduced the comprehensive Directive reporting regime and the stricter current 8-day response workflow.

On at least one point the national rules go beyond the Directive minimum, so preparing to the EU baseline alone is not enough here.

What this means for employers

Because the rules are in force, there is no grace period to plan around. Your practical task now is operational readiness: making sure requests for pay information get answered fast, and that your reporting data will be ready well before the 2027 or 2031 deadlines apply to you.

  • Build an 8-day response workflow. Employees can ask for their individual pay level and sex-disaggregated average pay for people doing the same work or work of equal value, and you must have accurate, complete data ready to answer within that window.
  • Remove pay history questions from hiring. Asking applicants about current or past pay is not allowed, so review application forms, interview guides and recruiter scripts.
  • Share pay ranges before you conclude recruitment. Applicants are entitled to the initial pay or pay range, plus any relevant collective agreement terms, before the process ends.
  • Map your headcount against the thresholds. Reporting duties begin at 100 employees, with 250-plus employers reporting first by 7 June 2027 and 100 to 149 employee employers following by 7 June 2031.
  • Prepare the seven core metrics your report will need, and decide whether you will also publish the report on your website, since the law only requires filing it with the Monitoring Body.

Getting the data pipeline and documentation right now helps you prepare for both the information-request deadline and the first reporting cycle, well ahead of any enforcement attention from the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations.

Enforcement and open questions

Competent authority
Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER); Industrial Tribunal and courts for remedies/enforcement.
Equality body
National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE), or successor entity under law.
Penalties
General contraventions: €2,500-€5,000; gender/intersectional equal-pay breaches: €5,000-€7,000; repeated infringements attract a more severe punishment within those limits. Failure to provide accurate and complete pay information within 45 days of the worker's first request is an offence and the Director may initiate proceedings.
What could still change
Two implementing instruments are in force. L.N. 112/2025 established earlier transparency rights from 27 August 2025; L.N. 173/2026 is the controlling comprehensive 2026 pay-transparency and reporting regime.

Common questions

Is Malta's pay transparency law already in force, or still a proposal?

It is fully in force nationwide. L.N. 112 of 2025 started some rights on 27 August 2025, and L.N. 173 of 2026, the comprehensive Directive reporting regime, took effect on 5 June 2026.

How fast must a Malta employer respond to an employee's pay information request?

Within 8 days, which is materially shorter than the Directive's maximum response window. The request can cover both the employee's individual pay level and the sex-disaggregated average pay for their category of work.

Which Malta employers have to file gender pay-gap reports, and by when?

Reporting duties apply from 100 employees upward. Employers with 250 or more workers file their first report by 7 June 2027, and employers with 100 to 149 workers file by 7 June 2031.

What penalties can a Malta employer face for breaching pay transparency rules?

General contraventions carry fines of €2,500 to €5,000, while gender or intersectional equal-pay breaches carry €5,000 to €7,000, with repeated infringements attracting a more severe punishment within those limits. Failing to give accurate, complete pay information within 45 days of a worker's first request is also an offence, and the Director can initiate proceedings.

Author

Julius Aho

Co-founder, CTO

Julius Aho is the co-founder and CTO of Evenpay. At Evenpay he is responsible for product, engineering and AI, building the tools that make fair pay the default.