When you have to pay your employer money if you quit your job

Employers invest in certain benefits like tuition reimbursement as a way to attract and retain employees. But sometimes the terms of retention are subject to so-called "stay or pay" agreements. fotostorm/E+/Getty Images

Most people go to work for the paycheck and benefits. What they typically don’t expect is to have to return some of the money when they leave.

But with some benefits — such as signing or retention bonuses, tuition reimbursement and some forms of training — workers may have to pay their employer back if they’re subject to a so-called stay-or-pay agreement, which specifies that the employee will be on the hook to repay the company for the cost of certain benefits if they don’t stay at the organization for a minimum amount of time.

Why? On the one hand, “employers are