Which federal‑contract jobs must show the pay rate in the job offer?

What jobs on federal contracts have to show the pay rate in the job offer

Short answer: Only positions covered by the Service Contract Act and the Davis‑Bacon Act currently require mandatory wage information in job‑related notices; a governmentwide FAR pay‑disclosure rule was proposed but has not been adopted.

The FAR proposal was published January 30, 2024 (Federal Register, proposed FAR rule, Jan. 30, 2024, govinfo public‑inspection PDF). This proposal would require contractors and subcontractors to disclose the salary or salary range in advertisements for any position to perform work on or in connection with the contract, but the proposal, as written, is not a binding FAR clause until a final rule is published and the FAR is amended.

Service Contract Act coverage: employers performing work on covered service contracts must notify each service employee of the minimum monetary wage and fringe benefits that apply, and post the wage determination at the worksite. The SCA applies to contracts over $2,500 (U.S. Department of Labor, SCA Compliance Principles, accessed Aug. 31, 2026). That posting and notice requirement means employees on SCA contracts get official wage information when they start work.

Davis‑Bacon Act coverage: contractors on covered construction contracts must pay locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits and must post the applicable Davis‑Bacon wage determination and the WH‑1321 poster at the jobsite. Davis‑Bacon applies to many construction contracts in excess of $2,000 (U.S. Department of Labor, Davis‑Bacon and Related Acts, accessed Aug. 31, 2026). The posting obligation is a jobsite notice, not a public job ad.

Executive‑order and minimum‑wage rules: Executive Order 14026 requires minimum wages for certain contractor workers and is implemented in FAR clause 52.222‑55 and DOL regulations, which set a baseline federal‑contract minimum wage (FAR Part 22, Acquisition.gov, accessed Aug. 31, 2026). That rule obliges contracting officers to include the updated clause for contracts that incorporate SCA or Davis‑Bacon clauses, and it requires payroll and wage compliance but it does not by itself convert every job ad into a public pay‑range disclosure.

What the proposed FAR pay‑disclosure rule would have done: the January 30, 2024 proposal (OFPP/FAR Case 2023‑021, Federal Register, Jan. 30, 2024) would require contractors and subcontractors, in all advertisements for job openings placed by or on behalf of the contractor, to disclose the compensation or a compensation range the contractor in good faith believes it will pay for the advertised position. The proposal also describes complaint procedures and central collection points for complaints. Because it is a proposal, it imposes no compliance obligation until finalized.

What people get wrong: many employers assume the proposed FAR requirement already applies to every federal‑contract job posting. That is incorrect. As of this writing the pay‑disclosure clause was proposed, not finalized, and the existing, enforceable requirements that force wage disclosure are the statutory wage‑determination and posting obligations tied to SCA and Davis‑Bacon, and the EO minimum‑wage clause where applicable (Federal Register proposed rule Jan. 30, 2024; DOL SCA and Davis‑Bacon guidance, accessed Aug. 31, 2026).

What is inconvenient in practice: if the proposed FAR rule becomes final, contractors will need to map each open position to contracts that are "work on or in connection with" a federal contract, then add compensation disclosures to every advertisement. Mapping positions to contracts is administratively heavy for firms with mixed commercial and government work and for positions that may or may not perform contract work. Comment letters on the proposal flagged that difficulty (FAR proposal public comments, April 2024, accessed via regulations.gov).

Concrete example and steps an employer should take now: If you post a janitorial position that will perform services on an SCA‑covered contract, post the SCA wage determination at the worksite and notify the employee of the SCA minimum before they begin, and include pay information in any recruitment materials you place specifically for the contract workforce to avoid complaints (U.S. Department of Labor, SCA Compliance Principles, accessed Aug. 31, 2026). If the opening could be filled by employees who may or may not perform contract work, retain documentation showing the job’s linkage to covered contract work and the wage you plan to pay.

If the FAR pay‑disclosure proposal is finalized: employers will need to put the compensation or compensation range in any advertisement for jobs to perform work on or in connection with the contract. Until a final FAR amendment appears in the Federal Register and is published on Acquisition.gov, you are not required to do that for non‑SCA, non‑Davis‑Bacon positions. Monitor the FAR rulemaking docket for the final rule and required clause date.

Where to get authoritative answers and to file complaints: for SCA and Davis‑Bacon questions and wage determinations contact the Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov), and for contractor nondiscrimination and the eventual FAR clause complaint processes check the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the OFCCP complaint page (U.S. Department of Labor, OFCCP pages and FAR part 22, accessed Aug. 31, 2026).

Bottom line: enforceable wage disclosure duties today come from SCA and Davis‑Bacon posting and notice requirements and from the federal‑contract minimum wage clause where it applies. A broader, governmentwide requirement to show the pay rate in job advertisements for positions related to federal contracts was proposed on January 30, 2024 but was not a binding clause until a final FAR rule is issued (Federal Register proposed rule, Jan. 30, 2024).