Stay or Pay Laws

How much would you owe?

Most fair repayment clauses shrink for every month you stay. Put in the numbers from your contract.

Updated

How much would a fair clause ask for?

$3,750.00

15 of 24 months left: 63% of $6,000.00.

Wyoming's cap for that much service: $6,000.00 (100%)

California's and New York's laws require tuition and bonus repayments to go down over the period you agreed to stay, and Colorado requires training costs to go down month by month over two years. If your contract asks for the full amount whenever you leave, compare it with the figure above. Wyoming caps the share by years served instead.

This works out a straight monthly reduction. Some contracts reduce by quarter or by year; use the figure in yours if it gives a different one.

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.

Sources

  1. AB 1697, chaptered text (Chapter 889, Statutes of 2026), California Legislative Information, read November 8, 2026.
  2. Trapped at Work Act, New York State Department of Labor, read November 8, 2026.
  3. HB 22-1317, Restrictive Employment Agreements, Colorado General Assembly, read November 8, 2026.
  4. SF0107, enrolled act, Wyoming Legislature, read November 8, 2026.