Training repayment agreements

A training repayment agreement provision, or TRAP, says you owe your employer for training if you leave before a set date: often 12 to 24 months, sometimes longer. They spread through trucking, nursing, retail, pet grooming, airlines and tech, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau called them out in its 2023 report on employer-driven debt (CFPB).

Where they are void or limited

State	Training costs	From
California	Void	January 1, 2027
Colorado	Only with conditions	August 10, 2022
Connecticut	Void	October 1, 2026
Minnesota	Not settled	Any date
New York	Void	December 19, 2026
Wyoming	Only with conditions	July 1, 2025

Every other state: no stay-or-pay law, so the contract decides.

Connecticut's law names training directly: a note to repay "training previously provided" if you leave is void (C.G.S. § 31-51r). New York's and California's laws reach any payment owed because you left, with exceptions for credentials you can take elsewhere. Colorado allows only the reasonable cost of training that goes beyond normal on-the-job training, shrinking month by month over two years. Wyoming caps it at 100%, 66% or 33% of the cost depending on how long you stayed.

What makes one weak anywhere

• The training was really just learning the job.
• The amount is a round number with no link to what the training cost.
• It doesn't go down the longer you stay.
• You were only shown it after you had started, or it was a condition of getting the job.

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.

Questions