Malta Pay Transparency Law: EUPTD Transposition Status
Local term: pay transparency
As of 28 September 2026: Malta has transposed the Directive through the Equal Pay (Transparency and Reporting) Regulations 2026 (Legal Notice 173 of 2026), in force since 5 June 2026. First gender pay gap reports are due by 7 June 2027 for employers with 150+ employees.
Status snapshot
| Status | Enacted |
|---|---|
| National instrument | Equal Pay (Transparency and Reporting) Regulations, 2026 (Legal Notice 173 of 2026), in force from 5 June 2026. |
| Official source | Legal Notice 173 of 2026 (Legislation Malta) |
Pay gap reporting required before the Directive
Other existing requirements that relate to the Directive
From 27 August 2025 to 5 June 2026, a narrower right applied under the Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (Legal Notice 112 of 2025): employees could request their own pay and average pay only for colleagues doing the same work (not work of equal value), with a 2-month employer deadline. This has since been superseded by the broader right in force today.
When Directive (Article 9) pay gap reporting starts
Article 9 reporting covers seven indicators: the mean and median gender pay gap, the mean and median gap in variable pay, the proportion of women and men receiving variable pay, the proportion of women and men in each pay quartile, and the gender pay gap by category of workers.
| Employees | First report | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 250+ | 7 June 2027 (2026 data) | Annually |
| 150–249 | 7 June 2027 (2026 data) | Every three years |
| 100–149 | 7 June 2031 (2030 data) | Every three years |
| Under 100 | No obligation | Voluntary |
Reports go to the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER).
Employee right to request pay information
Malta's earlier law (Legal Notice 112 of 2025) gave employees the right to request pay for comparable 'same work' colleagues, with a 2-month employer deadline. The current law (Legal Notice 173 of 2026, in force since 5 June 2026) broadens this to 'same work or work of equal value' and dramatically shortens the deadline: employers must respond in writing within 8 days, and failing to respond within 45 days is a statutory offence.
Things to work on now
- Priority for Malta. Malta sets a short deadline for answering employee pay information requests. Put a fast-track process in place now.
- Priority for Malta. Pre-employment pay range and pay history ban already apply.
- Pre-employment pay information. Give candidates the starting pay or pay range before interview and remove pay history questions from forms and interview guides (Directive Article 5).
- Right to information. Set up a process to answer employee requests for their pay and average pay by gender for the same or equal-value work within the national deadline (Article 7).
- Clean your data first. Article 9 reporting is only as good as the pay data behind it. Prioritise getting records complete and consistently structured by gender, job category and pay component, since reporting already applies to you.
- Pay structures. Document gender-neutral job evaluation and pay structures that show which roles are work of equal value (Article 4).
- Pay and progression criteria. Make the criteria used to set pay, pay levels and progression easily accessible to staff (Article 6).
- Pay secrecy. Remove contract terms that stop employees disclosing their pay (Article 7(5)).
Legislative timeline
- 27 August 2025Earlier partial legal notice
- 5 June 2026Legal Notice 173 of 2026 published and in force
Frequently asked questions
Has Malta transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive?
Malta has transposed the Directive through the Equal Pay (Transparency and Reporting) Regulations 2026 (Legal Notice 173 of 2026), in force since 5 June 2026. First gender pay gap reports are due by 7 June 2027 for employers with 150+ employees.
When does gender pay gap reporting start in Malta?
Under Malta's law, Directive (Article 9) reporting, including gaps by category of workers, applies as follows: employers with 250+ employees: 7 June 2027 (2026 data); employers with 150–249 employees: 7 June 2027 (2026 data); employers with 100–149 employees: 7 June 2031 (2030 data).
What should employers in Malta do now?
Malta sets a short deadline for answering employee pay information requests. Put a fast-track process in place now. Pre-employment pay range and pay history ban already apply. Give candidates the starting pay or pay range before interview and remove pay history questions from forms and interview guides (Directive Article 5).