Know the loan before you sign it.

Closing on a home in the next few weeks, or weighing a payday, installment or title loan? Two different deadlines, the same question: what this loan will really cost you, and what the rules say.

Buying a home From accepted offer to the keys, on time Pre-approval, documents, underwriting, the appraisal, the rate lock and closing day: what each step needs from you and what it costs when it slips. The seven stops ↓ Small loans What your state allows on payday, installment and title loans Rate caps, fee limits, loan sizes, rollovers and licensing, state by state, from the statutes and the regulators. Find your state ↓

Offer to keys, in order

Most purchase loans close in 30 to 45 days. Every stop below has a deadline in your contract or a fixed federal wait; the posts are the decisions you make at each one.

Start with the whole run, day by day: Mortgage Process Timeline From Accepted Offer to Closing Day

  1. Pre-approval

    How strong it is once the offer is in, and what breaks it.

  2. Documents

    What underwriters ask for, by how you are paid.

  3. Underwriting

    Conditions, debts and deposits that need explaining.

  4. Inspection and appraisal

    What the inspector finds, and when the value comes in under the price.

  5. Rate lock

    When to lock, and what an extension costs.

  6. Closing

    Clear to close, the three-day rule, what not to touch.

  7. Walk-through and keys

    The last look before you sign, and the first week after.

What would your payment be?

Principal and interest, taxes, insurance and mortgage insurance in one monthly figure. Then see what rate you actually qualify for.

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Loan of $0 · $0 in interest over the life of the loan. An estimate: your rate depends on your credit, the lender and the day.

Free, no obligation. A licensed lender in your state gets in touch with real numbers.

Payday, installment and title loan laws by state

Whether the loan is legal where you live, the most a lender may charge, and how to check a lender's license. Each state page cites the statute and the regulator.

Payday Loan Laws by State and What Each One AllowsWhere they are legal, banned or capped at 36%, the fee limits and the rollover rules.Installment Loan Laws by State and What Each One AllowsRate caps, license thresholds and what each state lets a lender charge on a small loan.Title Loan Laws by State and What Each One AllowsThe states that allow car title loans, their caps, and what happens to the car if you miss.
Payday status from each state's own rule. Not legal advice; laws change.
StatePayday loansOur pages on this state
AlabamaLegal $500 cap, 17.5% fee, 10 to 31 days, one rollover.Payday Installment Title
AlaskaLegal $500 max, $15 per $100, 14-day minimum.Payday Installment
ArizonaBanned Illegal since July 1, 2010. Licensed small loans are capped at 36% APR on the first $3,000.Payday Installment
ArkansasBanned Effectively banned: the state constitution caps interest at 17% a year, and loans above it are void.Payday Installment Title
CaliforniaLegal Legal up to a $300 check with a 15% fee ($45), so $255 in cash, for up to 31 days. No rollovers.Payday Installment Title
ColoradoCapped Capped at 36% APR and $500 (principal and charges together), with a six-month minimum term.Payday Installment Title
ConnecticutBanned Capped out of existence: unlicensed loans above 12% are void, and licensed lenders top out at 36% APR.Payday Installment
DelawareFew limits Legal with no APR cap: $1,000 max, under 60 days, 4 rollovers at most, 5 loans a year.Payday Installment
FloridaLegal $500 cap, 10% plus a $5 verification fee, 7 to 31 days, one loan at a time, no rollovers.Payday Installment
GeorgiaBanned Illegal and void under state law.Payday Installment Title
HawaiiInstallment only Repealed in 2022. Small installment loans replaced it: up to $1,500, 36% a year plus a monthly fee of up to $35, 2 to 12 months.Payday Installment
IdahoFew limits Legal with no APR cap: $1,000 including fees, no more than 25% of gross monthly income, three renewals.Payday Installment Title
IllinoisCapped Capped at 36% APR, all fees included; the smaller of $1,000 or 25% of gross monthly income.Payday
IndianaLegal up to $825, 14-day minimum, 15% / 13% / 10% tiered fees, no rollovers.Payday Installment Title
IowaLegal $500 in checks per lender, $15 on the first $100 and $10 per $100 after, 31 days, no rollovers.Payday Installment
KansasLegal up to $500, a 15% fee, 7 to 30 days, no rollovers.Payday Title
KentuckyLegal $600 max since July 15, 2026, $15 per $100 plus a $3 database fee, no rollovers.Payday Installment
LouisianaFew limits $740 maximum from September 1, 2026, up to 60 days, an extended payment plan in every contract. The old $45 fee cap was removed in 2025.Payday Installment
MaineLegal Legal only from licensed lenders: 30% interest plus a $5, $15 or $25 fee by size.Payday
MarylandBanned Capped out of existence by a 33% a year rate limit.Payday
MassachusettsBanned Capped out of existence by a 23% APR limit plus a $20 fee.Payday Installment Title
MichiganLegal up to $600 for 31 days, 15% on the first $100 falling to 11%, $76 on $600.Payday Installment
MinnesotaCapped Capped at $350, 30 days and 50% APR with fees included.Payday
MississippiFew limits Legal as check-casher loans: a $500 check, $21.95 per $100 on the first $250 and less above it, no rollovers.Payday Installment
MissouriFew limits $500 max, 14 to 31 days, interest and fees capped at 75% of the loan across all renewals.Payday Installment
MontanaCapped Capped at 36% APR, and the state licenses no payday lenders.Payday Installment Title
NebraskaCapped Legal but capped at 36% APR since 2020.Payday
NevadaFew limits Legal with no APR cap: total loans up to 25% of expected gross monthly income, a 35-day original term.Payday
New HampshireCapped Capped at 36% APR and $500 under RSA 399-A.Payday
New JerseyBanned Blocked by a 30% criminal usury cap; no payday license exists.Payday Installment
New MexicoInstallment only Small loans capped at 36% APR, fees included, with a 120-day minimum term and at least four payments.Payday Installment
New YorkBanned Banned by the state's usury caps (16% unlicensed, 25% licensed).Payday
North CarolinaBanned Effectively banned; licensed installment loans run at 33% and lower.Payday
North DakotaLegal $500 per loan, a 20% fee, one renewal, no more than 60 days.Payday Installment Title
OhioInstallment only Capped at $1,000 and 28% interest plus a monthly fee of 10% or $30, with 91-day to one-year terms.Payday Installment
OklahomaInstallment only Run under the Small Lenders Act: 17% a month (about 204% APR), $1,824.60 combined cap, 60 days to 12 months.Payday Installment
OregonLegal 36% interest plus a one-time fee of $10 per $100 up to $30, 31 to 60 days, two renewals.Payday Installment
PennsylvaniaBanned A 6% cap on unlicensed lenders keeps payday lenders out, online ones too.Payday Installment
Rhode IslandLegal Legal at up to 10% per advance until a 36% APR cap takes effect January 1, 2027.Payday Installment
South CarolinaLegal $550 cap, a 15% fee, up to 31 days, one loan at a time, no rollovers.Payday Installment
South DakotaCapped Capped at 36% APR, all fees included, and $500.Payday Installment Title
TennesseeLegal $500 in checks, a 15% fee on the check, 31 days, no rollovers.Payday Installment
TexasFew limits Legal with no fee cap: most are arranged by a credit access business, which adds its own fee. The OCCC put the average at about 488% APR.Payday Installment
UtahFew limits Legal with no rate cap; interest must stop 10 weeks after the loan is made.Payday
VermontBanned Effectively illegal under an 18% cap on single-payment loans.Payday
VirginiaInstallment only Replaced by short-term loans: 36% interest plus a monthly fee of 8% or $25, $2,500 max, 4 to 24 months.Payday Installment
WashingtonLegal the smaller of $700 or 30% of gross monthly income, 15% on the first $500 and 10% above, 45 days, eight loans a year.Payday
West VirginiaBanned Effectively illegal; licensed loans of $3,500 or less are capped at 31% a year.Payday Installment
WisconsinFew limits Legal with no rate cap before the due date: the smaller of $1,500 or 35% of gross monthly income, 90 days, one rollover. The 2025 average was 599.51% APR.Payday Installment
WyomingLegal no maximum amount or APR cap, a fee of $30 or 20% a month, whichever is greater, a one-month term, no rollovers.Payday Installment

Work out the numbers

Mortgage payment calculatorThe payment the way your Closing Disclosure will show it, at this week's average rate. Payday loan cost calculator by statePick your state and the amount: whether payday loans are legal there, the most a lender may charge, the APR, …Installment loan calculatorThe monthly payment, the total cost and the true APR with the fees counted, the payment schedule, what paying…Will this loan hurt my mortgage approval? DTI checkerYour debt-to-income ratio with and without a new loan, against the conventional, FHA, VA and USDA limits, and…

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