Your state decides what this can cost.
Payday loan availability and fee limits vary by state. The applicable rules also depend on the type of loan and lender. Our state guides distinguish verified information from entries still awaiting review.
How we handle state law
Lending rules are state law, and the differences are large: the same loan can be capped at 36% APR in one state and prohibited outright in the next. That makes the figures worth publishing — and worth publishing only once we have read them. Each state page states its own status. Where an entry has been verified, it lists the statute and the regulator publication it was read from, with the date. Where it has not, it says so and sends you to the regulator instead of guessing.
Right now, none of the 51 entries has completed source verification. That is an uncomfortable thing to publish, and it is a great deal better than the alternative — which is letting you rely on a rate ceiling nobody has read. Spot an error anywhere on this site and email info@straightsum.com; we correct it and credit you if you want the credit.
Public status: Verification in progress
Who can give you the actual limits
State regulator directory (CSBS)
Resolves to the agency that licenses consumer lenders in any state. They publish the current maximum amount, term, and rate ceiling, and they are the ones who enforce them.
NMLS Consumer Access
Check whether a specific lender is licensed to lend where you live. A licensed lender exceeding your state's ceiling, or an unlicensed one at any rate, is a reason to walk away.
CFPB guidance on payday loans
Federal guidance on how short-term lending works and what a lender must disclose to you in writing before you sign.
File a complaint with the CFPB
Free, and it is read. Use it alongside a complaint to your state regulator if a lender is unlicensed or misbehaving.
A rough picture (not source-verified)
Status is a general indication of whether high-cost small-dollar lending operates in a state. It is not legal advice, it has not been source-verified, and it should not be relied on. Confirm with your state regulator.
Licensed lenders may offer small-dollar or installment loans, subject to state limits.
A statutory rate cap limits what lenders may charge, so fewer products exist — and costs are lower.
High-cost lending is prohibited or effectively unavailable. Lower-cost alternatives still apply.
Every state, by region.
Each page names the regulator to ask, how to check a lender's licence, and the options that cost less than borrowing. Verified pages additionally show the statutory limits with the sources they were read from.
Northeast9
South17
Midwest12
Cheaper than borrowing.
Three things are cheaper than a high-cost loan in every state, and none of them pays us a referral fee: a credit-union Payday Alternative Loan, capped at 28% APR by federal rule; a payment plan from whoever you owe, asked for before the due date; and a free consultation with an NFCC-affiliated nonprofit counselor.
Before you borrow anywhere
StraightSum is not a lender, loan broker, or credit services organization. We do not make credit decisions, issue funds, set rates or fees, guarantee approval, or service loan accounts. Calculators and guides on this site are educational estimates, not offers of credit and not financial, legal, tax, or credit advice. Actual terms depend on the lender, your state, verification, underwriting, and applicable law.