Wisconsin at a glance
- Personal loansAllowed No numeric cap
- Installment loansAllowed No numeric cap
- Emergency loansAllowed No numeric cap
- Payday loansAllowed No numeric cap
- Title loansAllowed No numeric cap
Loan options in Wisconsin
Every loan type we cover is listed, including the ones Wisconsin law does not allow, so you can see why and what else can work.
- Personal loansAllowedA lump sum you repay in fixed monthly payments. See what your state allows and what a loan can cost.
- Installment loansAllowedFixed payments over months, not weeks. See your state's rate limits and a worked cost example.
- Emergency loansAllowedMoney for an urgent bill, usually a smaller installment loan. Check your state's limits before you borrow.
- Payday loansAllowedA short loan usually due in one payment on your next payday. Allowed in fewer states, so read the fee limits first.
- Title loansAllowedA loan secured by your car title. Allowed in fewer states, and your car is at risk if you cannot repay.
Other ways to borrow
- Credit union payday alternative loans: small loans from federal credit unions with an APR capped at 28% under NCUA rules. (12 CFR 701.21)
- Credit-builder loans: a small loan held in savings while you pay it off, which can help build a payment history.
- Secured credit cards: a card backed by a deposit you make, which can help build credit when you pay on time.
- Payment plans: many utilities, hospitals and lenders offer hardship plans if you ask before you miss a payment.
What a loan can cost in Wisconsin
Worked examples at an illustrative rate, never above Wisconsin's rate cap for that loan amount where the law sets one. They are examples, not quotes.
Representative example
- Amount borrowed
- $500
- Annual percentage rate (APR)
- 29.99%
- Repayment
- 12 monthly payments
- Payment
- $48.74
- Finance charge
- $84.88
- Total of payments
- $584.88
Example: a $500 installment loan at 29.99% APR repaid in 12 monthly payments of $48.74 costs $584.88 in total, including a finance charge of $84.88. Illustration only; your lender will disclose your actual APR, payment schedule and total cost before you accept a loan.
Representative example
- Amount borrowed
- $1,000
- Annual percentage rate (APR)
- 29.99%
- Repayment
- 12 monthly payments
- Payment
- $97.48
- Finance charge
- $169.76
- Total of payments
- $1,169.76
Example: a $1,000 installment loan at 29.99% APR repaid in 12 monthly payments of $97.48 costs $1,169.76 in total, including a finance charge of $169.76. Illustration only; your lender will disclose your actual APR, payment schedule and total cost before you accept a loan.
Representative example
- Amount borrowed
- $3,000
- Annual percentage rate (APR)
- 29.99%
- Repayment
- 12 monthly payments
- Payment
- $292.45
- Finance charge
- $509.40
- Total of payments
- $3,509.40
Example: a $3,000 installment loan at 29.99% APR repaid in 12 monthly payments of $292.45 costs $3,509.40 in total, including a finance charge of $509.40. Illustration only; your lender will disclose your actual APR, payment schedule and total cost before you accept a loan.
Resources in Wisconsin
Free and low-cost places to turn in Wisconsin, each linked to its official source and dated when we last checked it.
Lending regulator and complaints
Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions licenses lenders in Wisconsin. Check a lender's license here, and file a complaint if something goes wrong.
Check a lender's license File a complaint
dfi.wi.gov Checked September 23, 2026
Attorney general consumer protection
The attorney general's consumer protection office takes complaints about scams, unfair debt collection and other business practices.
datcp.wi.gov Checked September 23, 2026 Available in Spanish
211
Call 211 or visit your local 211 site to reach help with rent, utilities, food and other urgent bills.
211wisconsin.communityos.org Checked September 23, 2026
Legal aid
Free civil legal help for people with low incomes, including debt collection, repossession and eviction problems. Income limits vary.
legalaction.org Checked September 23, 2026
Nonprofit credit counseling
Nonprofit counselors can help you build a budget or set up a debt management plan. Look for an NFCC or FCAA member agency.
nfcc.org Checked September 23, 2026
Benefits portal
The official site for checking whether you qualify for food, cash or other benefits in Wisconsin, and for signing up.
access.wi.gov Checked September 23, 2026 Available in Spanish
Federal complaints
Submit a complaint about any lender to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Submit a complaint to the CFPB
consumerfinance.gov Checked September 23, 2026 Available in Spanish
Cheaper options to try first
Worth checking whatever your credit: these can cost less than a high-rate loan.
- Credit union payday alternative loans (PALs). Federal credit unions may offer small loans of up to $2,000 with terms of up to 12 months and an APR no higher than 28%, under NCUA rules (12 CFR 701.21). You usually need to be a member.
- Nonprofit credit counseling. A counselor accredited by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling can help you build a budget or a debt management plan.
- Ask your creditor for a payment plan. Utilities, hospitals and many lenders offer hardship or extended payment plans if you ask before you miss a payment.
- Local assistance. Call 211, or visit 211.org, for emergency help with rent, utilities and food in Wisconsin.
The rules lenders follow in Wisconsin
These rules protect you as a borrower and explain the labels above. Each one links to the source we took it from. How we research state rules.
Allowed in Wisconsin: installment and personal loans, title loans and payday loans.
| Product | Status | APR cap | Amount | Term | License | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installment and personal loans[1][2][3] | Allowed | No numeric cap | Up to $25,000 | Not set by statute | Licensed Lender license under Wis. Stat. sec. 138.09, issued by the Wisconsin... | Wis. Stat. sec. 138.09 |
| Title loans[4][5][6] | Allowed | No numeric cap | Up to $25,000 | Up to 6 months | Licensed Lender license under Wis. Stat. sec. 138.09 with a Title Loan Certificate of... | Wis. Stat. sec. 138.16 |
| Payday loans[7][8][9][10] | Allowed | No numeric cap | Up to $1,500 | Up to 3 months | Payday lender license | Wis. Stat. sec. 138.14 |
| Verified against the statute and regulator on September 23, 2026. Laws change; confirm with the regulator before you borrow. | ||||||
Bars place each APR cap on a 0 to 400% scale; the pin marks the cap. A striped bar means the statute sets no numeric cap.
Rate, fee and license rules in Wisconsin
Installment and personal loans
- Rate cap
- Licensed Lenders Law, Wis. Stat. sec. 138.09: a license is required to make a consumer loan with a finance charge above 18 percent per year (sec. 138.09(1g)); loans exceeding 25,000 dollars in principal are outside the section. Under sec. 138.09(7)(bp), a loan made after October 31, 1984 is not subject to any maximum interest rate limit, so licensed lenders have no statutory APR cap. The former 9.50 dollars per 100 dollars advance-interest schedule is no longer in the current text.
- Fees
- No statutory rate cap (sec. 138.09(7)(bp)). Structural limits: loans of 3,000 dollars or less in equal installments may not be scheduled beyond 36 months and 15 days if principal exceeds 700 dollars, or 24 months and 15 days if 700 dollars or less (sec. 138.09(7)(d)1.). Post-default rate may equal but not exceed the disclosed APR.
- License
- Licensed Lender license under Wis. Stat. sec. 138.09, issued by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).
Title loans
- Rate cap
- Wis. Stat. sec. 138.16: a title loan is a loan of 25,000 dollars or less secured by the borrower's motor vehicle with an original term of not more than 6 months, made by a licensed lender holding a title loan certificate for the location. Principal may not exceed 50 percent of the vehicle's retail value. There is no limit on interest before maturity; after maturity interest may not exceed 2.75 percent per month.
- Fees
- No pre-maturity interest limit; post-maturity interest capped at 2.75 percent per month, computed daily without compounding (sec. 138.16).
- License
- Licensed Lender license under Wis. Stat. sec. 138.09 with a Title Loan Certificate of Authorization, issued by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).
Payday loans
- Rate cap
- Wis. Stat. sec. 138.14 imposes no cap on interest before the maturity date of a payday loan. After maturity, interest may not exceed 2.75 percent per month. A payday loan has a term of 90 days or less. Aggregate outstanding payday liability to all licensees may not exceed the lesser of 1,500 dollars or 35 percent of gross monthly income. A customer may repay a payday loan with one subsequent payday loan but may not repay that subsequent loan with another payday loan.
- Fees
- a 2025 bill (SB760) proposing a 36 percent APR cap had not passed as of early 2026 per secondary reporting and should be re-checked for 2026 session developments..
- License
- Payday lender license (Licensed Lender authority extended to payday loans) under Wis. Stat. sec. 138.14, issued by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).
Money snapshot for Wisconsin
Guides for Wisconsin borrowers
Check your options in Wisconsin
Wisconsin questions
Does Wisconsin law allow payday loans?
Wisconsin law allows payday loans. State law sets no numeric cap on the cost. Source: Wis. Stat. sec. 138.14.
What is the most a lender can charge in Wisconsin?
By loan type in Wisconsin: Installment and personal loans: No numeric cap. Title loans: No numeric cap. Payday loans: No numeric cap.
Where can I file a complaint about a lender in Wisconsin?
You can file a complaint with Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, and you can also submit one to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Both links are under Resources in Wisconsin on this page.
How do I check a lender's license in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions licenses lenders in Wisconsin. Use the license link under Resources in Wisconsin on this page to check a lender before you share your information.
Is there free help paying bills in Wisconsin?
Yes. Resources in Wisconsin on this page lists free help, including 211, legal aid, nonprofit credit counseling and benefits portal.
Can I get a loan in Wisconsin with a 500 credit score?
Lenders look at more than your score, such as income and existing debts, and each sets its own rules. BadCreditMD cannot tell you whether a lender will approve you.
Nearby states
Sources
- Justia. law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/chapter-138/section-138-09. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- dfi.wi.gov. Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Wis. Stat. sec. 138.09. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- Justia. law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/chapter-138/section-138-16. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- dfi.wi.gov. Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Wis. Stat. sec. 138.16. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- Justia. law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/chapter-138/section-138-14. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- dfi.wi.gov. Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lc/information_memos/2023/im_2023_05. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Wis. Stat. sec. 138.14. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- National Low Income Housing Coalition. Out of Reach 2026: Wisconsin. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Vintage 2024 National and State Population Estimates. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), All States, Seasonally Adjusted. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
Important disclosures
Illustrative range for installment loans in Wisconsin: APRs from 5.99% to 35.99%. This range is not a quote; each lender sets its own rates. Your APR depends on your credit, income, state and the lender.
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- Questions about a lender licensed in Wisconsin? Contact the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) or file a state complaint.
- You can submit a complaint about any lender to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.