Payday loan rates by state are set by each state’s own law, so the fee a lender may charge, the largest loan it may make and whether it may lend at all depend on where you live. This page brings all 50 answers into one place so you can see what your state allows before you deal with a loan offer, a collection letter or a court paper.
The answer varies because some states authorize payday lending with a fixed fee per $100, some allow it only under a 36% APR cap, and some have no payday statute at all or have repealed the one they had.
The same short-term loan can be fully legal in one state and void or even a crime in the next. Every row below comes from that state’s own verified guide on this site, which you can open for the full rule.
Click any state below for its full payday loan rates by state guide, with the statute citation, the sources and the figures behind each row.
Quick Facts — Payday loan rates by state (2026)
- The lowest caps. Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and South Dakota cap payday loans at 36% APR, and in Nebraska and South Dakota a loan above the cap is void.
- The highest fees and the biggest loans. Wyoming allows $30 or 20% per month, whichever is greater, Mississippi allows $21.95 per $100 on $250 to $500, and Virginia’s maximum loan is $2,500, the largest in the table.
- The most common rule. 25 states list payday lending as legal, 11 as restricted and 14 as illegal, so payday loan rates by state split into three groups rather than one national standard.
- The notable outlier. Rhode Island allows a fee of up to 10% of the amount advanced, about 260% APR, only until December 31, 2026, so the rule there changes at the end of this year.
- What changes the answer for you. In Idaho and Nevada there is no fixed rate cap, but a loan may not exceed 25% of the borrower’s gross monthly income, so your own pay sets the ceiling.
- The rule that holds in every state. Every state’s answer comes from its own statute, and where no payday statute exists, as in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania, lenders must stay under the state’s general interest-rate limits.
- Where to get free help. Each state guide on this site lists the statute and sources behind its figure, and the site’s free tools apply that rule to your own loan numbers at no cost.
Payday loan rates by state — All 50 States Compared
The payday loan rates by state table below shows the two figures that frame the question in every state. Here is what each column means:
Status = whether payday lending is legal, restricted by a rate cap, or effectively banned in the state.
Rate Cap / Max Loan = the most a payday lender may charge under the state statute, and the largest loan it may make.
| State | Status | Rate Cap / Max Loan |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Legal | 17.5% of the amount advanced · max $500 |
| Alaska | Legal | $15 per $100 advanced (or 15%, whichever is less) plus an origination fee of up to $5 ·… |
| Arizona | Illegal | payday lending is prohibited — the authorizing statute was allowed to expire |
| Arkansas | Illegal | payday lending is prohibited — the authorizing statute was repealed in 2011, and the… |
| California | Legal | a fee of up to 15% of the face amount of the check · max $300 (face amount of the check) |
| Colorado | Restricted | 36% APR, all charges included · max $500 |
| Connecticut | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| Delaware | Legal | no fixed rate cap — the rate set in the loan agreement · max $1,000 |
| Florida | Legal | 10% of the amount advanced (installment loans: 8% of the balance every two weeks) · max… |
| Georgia | Illegal | payday lending is prohibited and is a crime under state law |
| Hawaii | Illegal | payday (deferred deposit) lending was repealed effective January 1, 2022; licensed… |
| Idaho | Legal | no fixed fee cap; a loan may not exceed 25% of the borrower's gross monthly income · max… |
| Illinois | Restricted | 36% APR (military APR method) · max $1,000 or 25% of gross monthly income, whichever is… |
| Indiana | Legal | 15% of the first $250, 13% of $250-$400, 10% of $400-$550 · max $550 |
| Iowa | Legal | $15 on the first $100, $10 on each additional $100 · max $500 |
| Kansas | Legal | 15% of the cash advance; 3% per month after maturity · max $500 |
| Kentucky | Legal | $15 per $100 · max $500 total, no more than two transactions at once |
| Louisiana | Legal | 16.75% of the face amount, no more than $45 · max $350 |
| Maine | Restricted | consumer loan finance charges of 30% a year on the first $2,000 (24% to $4,000, 18%… |
| Maryland | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| Massachusetts | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| Michigan | Legal | 15% of the first $100, falling to 11% of the fifth and sixth $100, plus a database fee ·… |
| Minnesota | Restricted | since January 1, 2024: no more than 50% APR including all fees, and any loan above 36%… |
| Mississippi | Legal | $20 per $100 on checks up to $250; $21.95 per $100 on $250-$500 · max $500 including fees |
| Missouri | Legal | interest and fees capped at 75% of the initial loan over the loan and all renewals · max… |
| Montana | Restricted | 36% APR · max $300 |
| Nebraska | Restricted | 36% APR (2020 ballot initiative); a loan above it is void · max $500 |
| Nevada | Legal | no fixed rate cap; a loan may not exceed 25% of expected gross monthly income |
| New Hampshire | Restricted | 36% APR · max $500 |
| New Jersey | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| New Mexico | Illegal | payday lending statutes were repealed in 2017; small loans are capped at 36% APR |
| New York | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| North Carolina | Illegal | payday lending is prohibited — the authorizing statute was allowed to expire |
| North Dakota | Legal | 20% of the amount advanced, plus a database fee · max $500 ($600 across all lenders) |
| Ohio | Restricted | 28% interest plus a monthly fee (lesser of 10% or $30); total charges capped at 60% of… |
| Oklahoma | Legal | $15 per $100 on the first $300, $10 per $100 above · max $500 |
| Oregon | Restricted | 36% APR plus one origination fee of $10 per $100 or $30, whichever is less |
| Pennsylvania | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| Rhode Island | Legal | until December 31, 2026: a fee of up to 10% of the amount advanced (about 260% APR); from… |
| South Carolina | Legal | 15% of the face amount of the check · max $550 |
| South Dakota | Restricted | 36% APR, all charges included; a violation is a crime and the loan is void · max $500 |
| Tennessee | Legal | 15% of the face amount of the check · max $500 total outstanding |
| Texas | Legal | no single cap — most storefront payday loans are arranged by credit access businesses… |
| Utah | Legal | no fixed rate cap; no interest after 10 weeks · max no statutory maximum |
| Vermont | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| Virginia | Restricted | 36% simple interest plus a monthly fee of the lesser of 8% or $25 · max $2,500 |
| Washington | Legal | 15% of the first $500, 10% above · max $700 or 30% of gross monthly income, whichever is… |
| West Virginia | Illegal | no specific payday statute — lenders must stay under the state's general interest-rate… |
| Wisconsin | Legal | no limit on interest before maturity; 2.75% per month after · max no single-loan maximum… |
| Wyoming | Legal | $30 or 20% per month, whichever is greater · max no statutory maximum |
Each payday loan rates by state cell comes from the verified data behind that state’s own guide on this site, which prints the figure with the statute and the date it was read. Where a cell says “see guide,” the state’s rule needs more than one line, and the guide covers it in full.
Payday loan rates by state: What Every State Shares
Behind payday loan rates by state there is one shared structure. Each state answers the same three questions: is payday lending allowed, how much can the lender charge, and how large can the loan be. In states such as Iowa, Kentucky and Oklahoma the answer is a fee per $100 borrowed, for example $15 per $100 in Kentucky, with a maximum of $500.
In states such as Indiana and Michigan the fee steps down as the loan grows, so Indiana allows 15% of the first $250, 13% of $250 to $400 and 10% of $400 to $550.
The other shared piece is the consequence when a lender goes past the line. In South Dakota a violation is a crime and the loan is void, in Nebraska a loan above 36% APR is void, and in Georgia payday lending itself is a crime. In states with no payday statute, such as Maryland, New Jersey and Vermont, the general interest-rate limit is what a lender must stay under.
So the core question for any reader is the same everywhere: which rule applies to this loan, and was the lender inside it.
Payday loan rates by state: What Makes It Different
What moves payday loan rates by state is mostly the statute itself and when it changed. Arizona and North Carolina let the authorizing statute expire, Arkansas repealed its statute in 2011, New Mexico repealed its payday statutes in 2017 and now caps small loans at 36% APR, and Hawaii repealed deferred deposit lending effective January 1, 2022.
Minnesota changed course on January 1, 2024, setting a limit of no more than 50% APR including all fees. A loan made before or after one of these dates can fall under a different rule, so the date on your paperwork matters.
How the state structures lending also changes the answer. In Texas there is no single cap because most storefront payday loans are arranged by credit access businesses. Ohio combines 28% interest with a monthly fee, and Virginia combines 36% simple interest with a monthly fee of the lesser of 8% or $25.
Your own choices count too: Kentucky limits you to no more than two transactions at once, North Dakota caps borrowing at $600 across all lenders, and Washington limits a loan to $700 or 30% of gross monthly income.
Find the rule for the state where the loan was made before you respond to anything. Compare the fee, loan amount and dates on your paperwork with that state’s row and its full guide, because payday loan rates by state differ so widely that the same charge can be allowed in one state and void in another.
Payday loan rates by state: What to Do Next
Start by gathering the loan agreement, any letter or notice you received, and the dates the loan was made and renewed. Find your state in the table, then open its guide. Each state page carries the statute citation, the sources behind the figure and the date each figure was verified, so you can see exactly where the rule comes from and check it against your own documents.
If your state lists payday lending as illegal or restricted, the guide explains what the state rule lets the lender and the borrower do when a loan goes past that limit.
Next, use the site’s free tools, which apply the state rule to your own numbers, such as the amount borrowed, the fee charged and the loan term. That shows you whether the charges on your paper fit the cap for your state. Because payday loan rates by state change as legislatures act, as Rhode Island’s rule does after December 31, 2026, check the verified date on your state page, and bring the guide and your results to a local legal aid office if you want someone to review your situation with you.
Find Your Payday loan rates by state
Ready to see the payday loan rates by state where you live? Click any state name in the table above, or browse the full category below.
Browse All Payday loan rates by state Guides →
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Official Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, payday loans: www.consumerfinance.gov — what a payday loan is and the federal rules that apply
- State statutes and agency pages: linked inside each state guide, with the date each was read
Payday loan rates by state data compiled from the verified figures behind each state’s guide on this site, which cites the statute and the source with the date each figure was read. Figures change by statute and by year, so each row links to the page that explains it. Last reviewed October 2026.
Disclaimer: This page is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Rules, deadlines and figures vary by state and change over time. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.