If you have even one employee, federal law requires you to physically display certain notices — called workplace posters — where employees and job applicants can see them. All of the federally required posters are free. You do not need to buy anything to comply. On top of the federal posters, your state (and sometimes your city) almost certainly requires its own posters, and a number of states also require you to hand new hires a separate written notice about their pay. Here's how to sort out what you actually need.
The federal posters, and who they cover
The U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies each publish their own required poster. Coverage depends on your industry, your headcount, and whether you hold a federal contract — not every poster applies to every employer. The most common ones small employers run into:
Minimum wage / FLSA poster. Explains minimum wage, overtime, and child labor protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This one applies to nearly any employer with at least one employee engaged in interstate commerce, which covers almost every business today (including, for example, any business that ships goods, takes credit card payments, or uses the phone or internet to do business across state lines).
OSHA "Job Safety and Health — It's the Law" poster. Required for most private-sector employers, covering the right to a safe workplace and how to file a safety complaint.
EEOC "Know Your Rights" poster. Explains protections against workplace discrimination. This poster (which replaced the older "EEO is the Law" poster) applies once you cross the relevant employee-count threshold for the underlying law — generally 15 or more employees for the anti-discrimination laws it covers.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) poster. Required for employers covered by the FMLA — generally private employers with 50 or more employees. A covered employer must display this poster even if none of its current employees happen to be eligible for FMLA leave yet.
USERRA notice. Covers reemployment and non-discrimination rights for employees who serve in the uniformed services. This applies to virtually all employers, regardless of size.
Employee Polygraph Protection Act poster. Applies to most private employers and explains limits on lie-detector tests.
Some posters only apply in specific circumstances — federal contractors and subcontractors, for instance, have additional posting duties beyond what a typical small business needs.
Figuring out exactly which ones apply to you
You don't have to guess. The Department of Labor runs a free online tool, the FirstStep Poster Advisor (part of the elaws advisors at dol.gov), that asks a short series of questions about your business — industry, employee count, whether you have federal contracts — and tells you precisely which federal DOL posters you're required to display. Every poster it lists can be downloaded and printed at no cost directly from dol.gov and the issuing agency's site. Keep in mind the tool covers only federal DOL poster requirements, so you'll still need to check your state labor agency separately.
Watch out for "compliance poster" sales pitches
Because poster compliance is a genuine legal duty, it's also become a small cottage industry. You may get official-looking mail, email, or phone calls warning that you're "out of compliance" and offering a laminated all-in-one poster for a fee, sometimes with urgent language designed to make it feel like a government notice. It is not. Every federally required poster is free from dol.gov and the individual issuing agency (OSHA, the EEOC, and so on), and most state labor agencies likewise offer their own state posters free of charge. Buying a combined federal-and-state poster from a private company isn't illegal and can be a legitimate convenience — some owners like having everything on one laminated sheet — but no law requires you to purchase one, and you should never feel pressured by a scare-tactic mailer into paying for something you can print yourself for free.
State and local posters
On top of the federal posters, most states require their own set — commonly covering state minimum wage (which is often higher than the federal rate), state unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, state family or sick leave programs, and workplace discrimination protections that go beyond federal law. Some cities and counties layer on their own local posters as well, especially around paid sick leave or local minimum wage ordinances. Exactly which posters apply, how many you need, and what they must say all vary by state and change periodically, so this guide won't list specific state requirements. Search for your state's Department of Labor (sometimes called the Labor Commissioner or Workforce Development agency) and look for its "required posters" page — nearly all of them offer free downloads, the same way the federal government does.
New-hire notices: a different document from a poster
A poster is displayed on a wall for everyone to see. A new-hire notice is a separate written document you give to each individual new employee, typically at or before their start date, laying out details specific to that person — their pay rate, how often they'll be paid, and sometimes how much paid sick leave they'll accrue and how to use it. Federal law does not require a general new-hire pay notice, though you'll still have federal new-hire paperwork of a different kind — Form I-9 to verify work eligibility and Form W-4 for tax withholding are both required regardless of state. Whether you owe an additional new-hire pay/sick-leave notice, and what it must contain, depends on your state. A number of states require one (sometimes called a wage theft prevention notice), and the required content and deadline for delivering it vary by jurisdiction. Confirm the current requirement and any official form with your state labor agency before hiring.
What to do
Run your business through the Department of Labor's free FirstStep Poster Advisor to get your list of required federal posters.
Download and print each required poster free from dol.gov or the issuing agency's site (OSHA, EEOC, etc.) — never pay a third party for something the government gives away.
Find your state labor agency's required-posters page and download the state posters that apply to you, plus any posters required by your city or county.
Post everything together in a place employees and applicants actually pass — a break room, a staff entrance, or wherever job candidates fill out applications. If your team is fully remote with no shared physical worksite, check the specific rules for electronic posting before relying on it, since they vary by law.
Check whether your state requires a written new-hire pay/sick-leave notice and, if so, build it into your onboarding paperwork alongside Form I-9 and Form W-4.
Recheck at least once a year — minimum wage figures, leave programs, and required posters get updated periodically, and an outdated poster can leave you technically out of compliance even if you did everything right when you first posted it.
If you're not sure whether a specific federal or state law applies to your business, a state Small Business Development Center (found through sba.gov) can point you toward the right agency, and an employment attorney can review your specific situation if you want certainty.
This article is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay for workplace posters?
No. Every poster required under federal law is available free to download and print from dol.gov and the individual agencies (the Wage and Hour Division, OSHA, the EEOC). Companies that mail you a 'mandatory compliance poster' notice or cold-call offering an all-in-one laminated set are selling a convenience product, not something the law requires you to buy. Some small business owners still choose to buy a combined federal-plus-state poster for convenience, and that's a legitimate business choice — just know it's optional, not a legal requirement.
Do I need posters if I only have one or two employees, or if I'm self-employed with no employees at all?
If you have no employees, most posting duties don't apply to you yet. But several core federal posters — including the FLSA minimum wage poster, OSHA's "Job Safety and Health" poster, and the USERRA notice — apply to virtually any employer with even one non-owner employee, regardless of size. Others, like the EEOC's "Know Your Rights" poster, only kick in once you cross a specific employee-count threshold. Run your situation through the Department of Labor's free FirstStep Poster Advisor to see which federal posters apply, and check your state labor agency for state posters, which often have their own thresholds.
Can I just email employees a PDF instead of posting on a wall?
For most of the core federal posters, the law expects physical posting in a conspicuous location where employees and applicants can see it — not merely an emailed PDF. If you have no fixed worksite (for example, an all-remote team), some agencies allow electronic posting to satisfy the requirement, but the rules for exactly when electronic posting is acceptable vary by law and have been updated in recent years. Check the specific poster's instructions on dol.gov, and if you have a mixed remote/in-person team, post physically wherever you have a workplace and confirm the electronic option's requirements before relying on it.
What is a new-hire notice, and is it the same thing as a poster?
No. A poster is displayed for everyone to see. A new-hire notice is a separate written document given to each individual new employee, usually at or before their first day, spelling out things like their pay rate, pay frequency, and how much paid sick leave they'll accrue. Federal law doesn't require a general new-hire pay notice (though Form I-9 and Form W-4 are federal new-hire paperwork for a different purpose), but a number of states do require one, often called a Wage Theft Prevention notice or similar. The required content and delivery deadline vary by state, so check with your state labor agency for the exact form and timing.
Where do I find out what my state and city require?
Search for your state's Department of Labor (or Labor Commissioner, or Workforce agency) website — most publish their required posters as free downloads, the same way the federal government does. If you operate in a city or county with its own labor ordinances (paid sick leave, fair scheduling, or minimum wage laws above the state rate), check that local government's website too. Because these vary by state and change over time, this guide intentionally doesn't list specific state requirements — confirm current ones with your state agency directly.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and may not reflect the most current law or the law in your jurisdiction. Laws vary by state and change over time. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.
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