Iu2019m not a lawyer, but Iu2019d say you donu2019t have to pay. The law, as I know it, requires former employers to confirm your dates of employment and title. If your former employer demands you pay a fee for this, ask for the demand in writing (say you need it for financial records), then send a copy of that demand to the company you applied to, and your stateu2019s Office of the Attorney General or Labor Department. The demand on email would also work, as would a voicemail you can attach to an email.