Regulations on mandatory gender pay gap reporting introduced

Implementation date: 6 April 2017

The Equality Act (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2016 require employers with 250 or more employees in private companies and voluntary-sector organisations to disclose their gender pay gap and gender bonus gap information. The Government will publish regulations for public authorities separately.

Employers are required to publish the differences in mean and median pay and mean and median bonus pay between male and female employees, expressed as a percentage. Employers must also provide information on the number of male and female employees employed in quartile pay bands for the overall pay range. The draft Regulations prescribe the specific details of the requirement, including which elements of pay are included in the calculation of pay and bonus pay. The information must be published annually on the organisation's website and in English, accompanied by a signed statement confirming that the information is accurate, and must be available on the website for at least three years. In addition, the information must be provided to the Government via a designated website.

Organisations must publish their first report within 12 months of 5 April 2017. The Government will issue guidance on the Regulations.

The Government Equalities Office and Acas have published draft guidance for employers in the private and voluntary sectors on managing gender pay gap reporting.