Gender, ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting in Northern Ireland

First reporting deadline - expected April 2028

The Department for Communities (Northern Ireland) is consulting on introducing mandatory gender, ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for employers in Northern Ireland with 250 or more employees.

The obligations on employers in Northern Ireland to report on their gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps are largely expected to mirror the requirements for the rest of the UK contained in the existing Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/172) and the forthcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.

The Department for Communities consultation suggests that the legislation will come into force in early 2027; the first snapshot date will be 5 April 2027; and the first reporting deadline will be in April 2028. Thereafter, employers with 250 or more employees will be required to report their pay gap figures annually every April.