Stay or Pay Laws

Asked to pay your employer back for leaving? Check whether your state still allows it.

Stay-or-pay clauses make you repay training, a sign-on bonus or relocation money if you quit before a set date. Colorado, Connecticut and Wyoming already ban or limit them, New York's ban starts on December 19, 2026 and California's covers contracts signed from January 1, 2027. More states are debating bills.

Checked November 8, 2026 against each state's law. We look again every week.

Where each state stands

50 states
+ DC

  1. AL, Alabama: No stay-or-pay law
  2. AK, Alaska: No stay-or-pay law
  3. AZ, Arizona: No stay-or-pay law
  4. AR, Arkansas: No stay-or-pay law
  5. CA, California: Law coming
  6. CO, Colorado: Law in force
  7. CT, Connecticut: Law in force
  8. DE, Delaware: No stay-or-pay law
  9. DC, District of Columbia: No stay-or-pay law
  10. FL, Florida: No stay-or-pay law
  11. GA, Georgia: No stay-or-pay law
  12. HI, Hawaii: No stay-or-pay law
  13. ID, Idaho: No stay-or-pay law
  14. IL, Illinois: Bill being debated
  15. IN, Indiana: No stay-or-pay law
  16. IA, Iowa: No stay-or-pay law
  17. KS, Kansas: No stay-or-pay law
  18. KY, Kentucky: No stay-or-pay law
  19. LA, Louisiana: No stay-or-pay law
  20. ME, Maine: No stay-or-pay law
  21. MD, Maryland: No stay-or-pay law
  22. MA, Massachusetts: No stay-or-pay law
  23. MI, Michigan: No stay-or-pay law
  24. MN, Minnesota: Partly covered
  25. MS, Mississippi: No stay-or-pay law
  26. MO, Missouri: No stay-or-pay law
  27. MT, Montana: No stay-or-pay law
  28. NE, Nebraska: No stay-or-pay law
  29. NV, Nevada: No stay-or-pay law
  30. NH, New Hampshire: No stay-or-pay law
  31. NJ, New Jersey: Bill being debated
  32. NM, New Mexico: No stay-or-pay law
  33. NY, New York: Law coming
  34. NC, North Carolina: No stay-or-pay law
  35. ND, North Dakota: No stay-or-pay law
  36. OH, Ohio: No stay-or-pay law
  37. OK, Oklahoma: No stay-or-pay law
  38. OR, Oregon: No stay-or-pay law
  39. PA, Pennsylvania: Bill being debated
  40. RI, Rhode Island: No stay-or-pay law
  41. SC, South Carolina: No stay-or-pay law
  42. SD, South Dakota: No stay-or-pay law
  43. TN, Tennessee: No stay-or-pay law
  44. TX, Texas: No stay-or-pay law
  45. UT, Utah: No stay-or-pay law
  46. VT, Vermont: No stay-or-pay law
  47. VA, Virginia: No stay-or-pay law
  48. WA, Washington: No stay-or-pay law
  49. WV, West Virginia: No stay-or-pay law
  50. WI, Wisconsin: No stay-or-pay law
  51. WY, Wyoming: Law in force
  • Law in force
  • Coming into force
  • Partly covered
  • Bill being debated
  • No specific law yet
In force
Colorado (limits since August 10, 2022)Connecticut (all employers from October 1, 2026)Wyoming (caps for contracts from July 1, 2025)
Coming
California (contracts signed from January 1, 2027)New York (from December 19, 2026)
Partly covered
Minnesota (can't charge for training the job requires)
Bills being debated
Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
No stay-or-pay law yet
The other 41 states and DC (wage law can still protect your last paycheck).

Every state, with its law

Do I have to pay it back?

Start with the date on your contract.

Void

In California, a contract signed on or after January 1, 2027 can't make you repay training costs for leaving. That clause is void.

Everything on California

What the clause usually looks like

Example contract language

"If Employee resigns within 24 months1 of the Start Date, Employee shall repay the Company $6,0002 in training costs."

How long they say you must stay

The amount they want you to repay

A fair clause shrinks for every month you stay. Work out what yours should ask for.

Got a repayment bill?

  1. Find the date you signed.
  2. Ask for the costs in writing, item by item.
  3. Don't agree to it coming out of your last paycheck until you've checked your state.

What to do, and a letter to send

This is general information, not legal advice. For your own contract, a lawyer or your state's labor department can tell you where you stand.

What changed, and when

  1. New York's Department of Labor publishes guidance: the Trapped at Work Act starts on December 19, 2026.

  2. Connecticut's ban covers every employer.

  3. California delays its ban to contracts signed from January 1, 2027.

Every date since 2022