Illinois has a stay-or-pay bill, not a law

HB 5461 would limit training repayment agreements in Illinois. Until it passes, your contract decides.

Updated November 8, 2026

Bill being debated HB 5461 waiting in the Rules Committee.

Illinois has no stay-or-pay law. HB 5461 can still move until the General Assembly ends in January 2027.

The bill

HB 5461: Would add stay-or-pay limits to the Wage Payment and Collection Act. Introduced February 13, 2026 and sent to the Rules Committee, with no action since.

Until then

With no state law, a repayment clause is judged as an ordinary contract term. Courts in states without a law have enforced some and thrown out others, often over whether the amount was a fair estimate of a real cost or a penalty for leaving. Federal law still sets a floor: whatever your employer takes back can't push your last week's pay below the federal minimum wage (the FLSA "free and clear" rule). What protects you in a state with no law.

Check your Illinois contract

Start with the date on your contract.

State When did you sign? What do they want back?

No state law

Illinois has no law against stay-or-pay clauses yet, so whether you owe training costs depends on your contract and ordinary contract law. A bill (HB 5461) would change that if it passes.

Everything on Illinois

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.

Get one email if Illinois passes it

Pick your state. The day a law there passes, starts or changes, we write once with what it means for your contract.

Sources

HB 5461, Wage Payment and Collection Act amendment, Illinois General Assembly, read November 8, 2026.
29 CFR § 531.35, "free and clear" payment; "kick-backs", Cornell Legal Information Institute, read November 8, 2026.