# State Eligibility Checker — Is a Payday Loan Legal in My State? (2026) | Nimbus Loans > Enter your ZIP code. See instantly whether payday loans are allowed, restricted, or banned in your state — plus three paths forward, customized to your state. Источник: https://nimbusloans.com/tools/state-eligibility-checker/ --- 50-state coverage · Updated quarterly # Is a payday loan legal in my state? Enter your ZIP code. We tell you in 5 seconds whether payday loans are allowed, restricted, or banned where you live — and we lay out three paths forward, customized to your state's law. **Quick answer.** Payday loans are legal in 23 U.S. states (with varying fee caps), restricted by 36% APR caps in others (which makes single-payment payday loans economically unviable, so installment products fill the gap), and banned outright in the rest — overall, 14 states + DC effectively ban payday lending (bans or 36% rate caps). The checker below maps your ZIP to one of those three buckets and gives you three customized paths. ### Enter your ZIP We use ZIP code, not your IP, so VPN users see accurate results. Check Or pick a state from the list below. Texas Allowed · Credit Access Business model Max loan $1,800 (CSO/CAB model) Max term 180 days Fee cap ~$22.10 per $100 / 14 days Effective APR ~576% (typical; Texas sets no rate cap) Rollovers Refinances allowed; CFPB Payday Rule applies EPP required? No state mandate (some lenders offer voluntarily) Source: Texas OCCC · Nimbus Loans Compliance Matrix v0.1. Your three paths ## For any state, three ways forward. The checker recomputes these paths based on your status. Here are the three patterns you'll see. 1 #### Allowed state path Match with a state-licensed payday or installment lender. Nimbus Loans routes you to the lender most likely to approve at the lowest available rate for your profile. PAL alternative shown on the same screen. **Example states:** Texas, Florida, California, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Michigan, Nevada, Mississippi, Idaho, Kentucky. 2 #### Restricted state path 36% APR cap states. Single-payment payday loans are economically unviable, so we route you to an installment loan (6–24 month term, 36% APR cap) or, if your situation allows, directly to a PAL credit-union loan. **Example states:** Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, Virginia, New Mexico, South Dakota, Montana, plus DC. 3 #### Banned state path No payday-loan match. We route you only to alternatives: PAL credit-union loans, earned wage access (EarnIn, DailyPay, Brigit), employer hardship advances, and verified nonprofit emergency-grant programs in your area. **Example states:** New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, West Virginia, Vermont, Connecticut. **On this page** How does the checker work? What will my loan actually cost? What if my state is restricted or banned? What are my options outside payday loans? What if I'm military? What happens after I check? Frequently asked questions DR **[Daniel Reyes, JD](/authors/daniel-reyes/)** · Reviewed by [Hannah Schaefer, CFP®](/authors/hannah-schaefer/) Published May 10, 2026 · Last reviewed May 24, 2026 · ~1,700 words · 7 min read Enter your ZIP code and hit check. The tool tells you in seconds whether payday loans are legal where you live, what they cost, and what to do next. No forms, no credit pull, no guesswork. ### What shapes your loan cost - A $300 loan for 14 days costs roughly $52.50 in Alabama. - The same loan in Illinois, capped at 36% APR, costs about $4.14 in interest. - State legislatures set fee caps, loan limits, term lengths, rollover rules, cooling-off periods, and license requirements. - The 2017 CFPB Payday Rule adds federal payment protections, but your state legislature decides the dollar cost. - In 23 states, lenders must offer one free Extended Payment Plan per 12-month period if you ask. - For 2026, 23 states plus Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming allow licensed single-payment payday loans. ## How does the checker work? It maps your ZIP to state law and returns a color-coded result. Green means licensed payday loans are available. Yellow means restricted—only installment loans under 36% APR. Red means banned. Here's how Maria used it. She lives in a ZIP that straddles Oklahoma and Texas—some ZIPs do that, like 73950. She typed hers in, saw her state assignment, and learned her options in under a minute. The tool also flagged that her state status had last been updated this quarter, with emergency updates pushed within 14 days if laws change mid-quarter. ## What will my loan actually cost? That depends entirely on your state's fee cap. Maria's friend in Alabama borrowed $300 for 14 days and paid roughly $52.50 in fees. Maria, shopping in Texas, saw different numbers. Her cousin in Illinois, where a 36% APR cap applies, would pay about $4.14 in interest for that same $300, 14-day loan. The math is simple state arithmetic, not lender choice. Lenders can charge less. They cannot charge more. To see exact figures for your state—fee per $100, maximum loan amount, term cap, rollover limit, cooling-off period—check the [Texas](/by-state/texas/), [California](/by-state/california/), [Florida](/by-state/florida/), [Illinois](/by-state/illinois/), or [Ohio](/by-state/ohio/) state pages, or the full 2026 Cost Index. ## What if my state is restricted or banned? Maria's brother lives in a 36%-cap state. His checker result showed yellow. The tool didn't leave him empty-handed—it pointed him to [15 alternatives ranked by cost](/alternatives/). Here's what restricted-state borrowers typically see: - Installment loans capped at 36% APR - Funding in a few business days rather than same-day - Total dollar cost 80–90% lower than equivalent payday products in allowed states None of the matched products exceed 36% APR. ## What are my options outside payday loans? Maria's coworker wasn't sure she'd qualify for anything. She ran the checker, saw her state allowed payday loans, but wanted to compare. Here's the full menu she considered: 1. **Payday Alternative Loans (PALs):** If you're a federal credit union member, PALs are capped at 28% APR. Not a member? Joining usually takes a $5–$25 deposit. 2. **Employer paycheck advances:** Many large employers offer same-day, interest-free advances of $200–$1,000 against your next paycheck. Fees run $3–$5 per advance. 3. **Local assistance:** United Way 211, Modest Needs, and faith-based networks provide small grants for rent, utilities, and medical bills. No repayment required. The [alternatives page](/alternatives/) ranks all 15 by total cost and speed. ## What if I'm military? Maria's neighbor is active-duty. The Military Lending Act caps the Military APR (MAPR) at 36% for service members, spouses, and dependents. Nimbus Loans screens MLA status at application through the DMDC database and blocks referrals to lenders exceeding that cap. If you're military and being offered a payday loan above 36% APR, that is likely an MLA violation. The checker notes this automatically when it detects military status. ## What happens after I check? Maria's result came back green. She clicked through to [the application form](/apply/). It took about 30 seconds. Offers appeared in 60–90 seconds. She compared three lenders, picked one, and knew exactly what she'd owe on her next payday. If your result is yellow or red, the checker routes you to the [alternatives page](/alternatives/) instead. If you've already borrowed and need help repaying, the [crisis guide](/guides/already-have-a-payday-loan/) walks through your first 72 hours step by step. ## Frequently asked questions Why does the checker say my state is allowed but my city says no? Some cities have local ordinances that are stricter than state law. The checker reflects state-level status. Check your municipal code or call your city clerk to confirm local rules. My state just passed a new law. Why hasn't the checker updated? If your state passed a law in the last 90 days, the checker may be one quarter behind. We push emergency updates within 14 days when a state's legal status changes mid-quarter. Will checking hurt my credit? No. The eligibility checker uses your ZIP code only. No name, no Social Security number, no credit pull. What if I live near a state border? Some ZIP codes span state lines. The checker assigns you based on your ZIP's primary state. If you believe the assignment is wrong, contact us with your full address for manual verification. Is there a Spanish version? Spanish-language support is in the v0.2 roadmap. For now, browser translation tools work with the checker's simple interface. #### Borrower tip If a lender's offer doesn't match what your state legally allows, that is a red flag. Verify the lender's license at your state's department of financial institutions before signing. --- 23 Allowed states 15 Banned states 12 36% APR cap 50 In our matrix --- [See my options](/apply/) ## Know your state before you click "apply." Free. No personal info collected. Updates quarterly. Check my state