State rules for personal loans
States cap what a licensed lender may charge, fees included. For a $2,000 two-year loan, 32 jurisdictions hold it to 36% APR or less, 12 allow more, and 7 set no numeric cap.
Banks and their lending partners may follow their home state's rules instead, so an offer can be legal above your state's cap. Each state page explains when that happens and who to call.
Map
- 36% APR or less (32)
- Above 36% APR (12)
- No numeric cap (7)
Every state, side by side
| State | Cap on a $2,000 loan | $2,000 two-year loan | $10,000 five-year loan | Lender license |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No cap | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | Small Loan Act license (under $1,500), Consumer Credit Act license, Title 5 |
| Alaska | 36% or less | About 31% APR, fees included | About 25% APR, fees included | Small loan company license, Small Loans Act, AS 06.20 |
| Arizona | Above 36% | About 41% APR, fees included | About 30% APR, fees included | Consumer lender license, A.R.S. 6-601 and following |
| Arkansas | 36% or less | About 17% APR, fees included | About 17% APR, fees included | No separate license found for non-bank installment lenders; Amendment 89 sets the limit |
| California | 36% or less | About 25% APR, fees included | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | California Financing Law license, Financial Code Division 9 |
| Colorado | 36% or less | About 31% APR, fees included | About 21% APR, fees included | Supervised lender license, Uniform Consumer Credit Code, C.R.S. 5-2-301 |
| Connecticut | 36% or less | 36% APR, fees and add-ons included | 25% APR, fees and add-ons included | Small loan license, Conn. Gen. Stat. 36a-556 |
| Delaware | No cap | No rate cap | No rate cap | Licensed lender license, Title 5, chapter 22 |
| Florida | Above 36% | About 37% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Consumer finance license, Florida Statutes chapter 516 |
| Georgia | 36% or less | About 32% APR, fees included | About 60% APR (criminal usury limit of 5% a month) | Installment lender license, O.C.G.A. 7-3 (loans of $3,000 or less) |
| Hawaii | 36% or less | About 31% APR, fees included | About 24% APR, fees included | Financial services loan company license, HRS chapter 412, article 9 |
| Idaho | No cap | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | Regulated lenders license, Idaho Code 28-46-301 |
| Illinois | 36% or less | 36% APR, fees included | 36% APR, fees included | Consumer Installment Loan Act license; 36% cap under 815 ILCS 123 |
| Indiana | Above 36% | About 40% APR, fees included | About 26% APR, fees included | Consumer loan license, Indiana Code 24-4.5-3-502 |
| Iowa | 36% or less | About 36% APR, fees included | About 32% APR, fees included | Regulated loan license, Iowa Code chapter 536 |
| Kansas | Above 36% | About 38% APR, fees included | About 37% APR, fees included, under the 2025 law | Supervised lender license, K.S.A. 16a-2-301 |
| Kentucky | Above 36% | About 42% APR, fees included | About 30% APR, fees included | Consumer loan company license, KRS Chapter 286, Subtitle 4 |
| Louisiana | Above 36% | About 38% APR, fees included | About 27% APR, fees included | Consumer loan license (licensed lender), Louisiana Consumer Credit Law |
| Maine | 36% or less | About 30% APR, fees included | About 18% APR, fees included | Supervised lender license, 9-A M.R.S. section 2-301 |
| Maryland | 36% or less | About 30% APR, fees included | About 25% APR, fees included | Consumer lender license, Financial Institutions Article Title 11, Subtitle 2 |
| Massachusetts | 36% or less | About 24% APR, fees included | About 20% APR, fees included | Small loan license, G.L. chapter 140, section 96 |
| Michigan | 36% or less | About 30% APR, fees included | About 27% APR, fees included | Regulatory loan license, Regulatory Loan Act (MCL 493.1 and following) |
| Minnesota | 36% or less | About 33% APR, fees included | About 22% APR, fees included | Regulated lender license, Minnesota Statutes chapter 56 |
| Mississippi | Above 36% | About 59% APR, fees included | About 26% APR, fees included | Small loan license, Small Loan Regulatory Law (Miss. Code 75-67-101) |
| Missouri | No cap | No rate cap | No rate cap | Consumer credit or consumer installment lender license, RSMo 367.100 and 408.510 |
| Montana | 36% or less | About 36% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Consumer loan license, Montana Consumer Loan Act (MCA 32-5-101 and following) |
| Nebraska | 36% or less | About 30% APR, fees included | About 24% APR, fees included | Installment loan license, Nebraska Installment Loan and Sales Act (45-334 to 45-380) |
| Nevada | Above 36% | About 40% APR, fees included | About 40% APR, fees included | Installment loan license, NRS chapter 675 |
| New Hampshire | 36% or less | About 36% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Small loan lender license, RSA 399-A |
| New Jersey | 36% or less | About 30% APR, fees included | About 30% APR, fees included | Consumer lender license, N.J.S.A. 17:11C |
| New Mexico | 36% or less | About 36% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Small loan license, Small Loan Act of 1955 (NMSA 58-15) |
| New York | 36% or less | About 25% APR, fees included | About 25% APR, fees included | Licensed lender license, Banking Law Article 9 |
| North Carolina | 36% or less | About 35% APR, fees included | About 29% APR, fees included | Consumer finance license, G.S. Chapter 53, Article 15 |
| North Dakota | 36% or less | About 36% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Money broker license, NDCC chapter 13-04.1 |
| Ohio | 36% or less | About 31% APR per NCLC; about 35% with the $200 origination charge | About 26% APR, fees included | Consumer Installment Loan Act license, ORC 1321.62 to 1321.702 |
| Oklahoma | Above 36% | About 56% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Supervised lender license, Consumer Credit Code (title 14A) |
| Oregon | 36% or less | 36% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Consumer finance license, ORS chapter 725 |
| Pennsylvania | 36% or less | About 24% APR, fees included | About 26% APR, fees included | Consumer discount company license, Consumer Discount Company Act (1937) |
| Rhode Island | 36% or less | About 24% APR (2% a month under the small-loan law) | About 21% APR, fees included | Lender or small loan lender license, chapter 19-14 |
| South Carolina | No cap | No numeric cap; filed rate and unconscionability standard | No numeric cap; filed rate and unconscionability standard | Supervised lender license, Consumer Protection Code section 37-3-502 |
| South Dakota | 36% or less | 36% APR, fees included | 36% APR, fees included | Money lending license, SDCL chapter 54-4 |
| Tennessee | Above 36% | About 49% APR, fees included | About 40% APR, fees included, under the 2025 Code | Industrial loan and thrift registration, Title 45 chapter 5 |
| Texas | Above 36% | About 37% APR, fees included | About 27% APR, fees included | Regulated lender license, Finance Code chapter 342 |
| Utah | No cap | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | Consumer Credit Notification filed through NMLS, Utah Code Title 70C |
| Vermont | 36% or less | About 21% APR, fees included | About 18% APR, fees included | Lender license, 8 V.S.A. chapter 73 |
| Virginia | Above 36% | About 50% APR, fees included | About 36% APR, fees included | Consumer finance license, Va. Code title 6.2, chapter 15 |
| Washington | 36% or less | About 29% APR, fees included | About 27% APR, fees included | Consumer loan license, Consumer Loan Act, chapter 31.04 RCW |
| Washington, D.C. | 36% or less | About 24% APR, fees included | About 24% APR, fees included | Money lender license, D.C. Code § 26-901 |
| West Virginia | 36% or less | About 33% APR, fees included | About 27% APR, fees included | Regulated consumer lender license, W. Va. Code chapter 46A, article 4 |
| Wisconsin | No cap | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | No numeric cap; unconscionability standard | Licensed lender license, Wis. Stat. § 138.09 |
| Wyoming | 36% or less | About 31% APR, fees included | About 23% APR, fees included | Consumer lender license, Uniform Consumer Credit Code, W.S. 40-14-304 |
Short summaries. Each state page has the statute, the regulator's contact details and the date the facts were checked.