Payday Loans and Cash Advance in Kansas
Legal, $500 cap, 15 percent fee. Below: the law, the limits, what $300 costs here, who regulates it, and how to request a cash advance online in Kansas.
Legal in Kansas. Max amount: $500 per loan (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(1)(c)). Max fee: $15 per $100, since the finance charge may not exceed 15% of the cash advance (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(1)(c)). A $300 loan for 14 days costs about $45 (391% APR). Regulator: Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner, 785-380-3939.
Is a Cash Advance Legal in Kansas?
Payday loans are legal in Kansas under section 16a-2-404 of the Kansas Uniform Consumer Credit Code, and lenders must hold a supervised loan license from the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. The law allows a single-payment cash advance of up to $500 for a term of 7 to 30 days, with a finance charge of no more than 15 percent of the amount advanced. A lender may have no more than two of these loans out to you at once and may not make you more than three in any 30-day period, and it cannot let you repay one payday loan with the proceeds of another from the same company. The OSBC's own example puts the APR on a 14-day loan at 391.07 percent. Kansas updated the UCCC through Senate Substitute for HB 2247, effective January 1, 2025, which among other things wrote an extended payment plan right into the payday loan section: once every twelve months, a borrower who cannot pay on the due date may repay in installments instead. You can also cancel a payday loan free of charge within one business day. Payday loans here are legal, priced by statute and, since 2025, come with an exit ramp.
The governing law is Kansas Uniform Consumer Credit Code, K.S.A. 16a-2-404 (payday loans) (K.S.A. 16a-2-404, as amended by 2024 Senate Substitute for HB 2247).
Loan Limits and Terms in Kansas
| Rule | KS |
|---|---|
| Maximum amount | $500 per loan (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(1)(c)) |
| Maximum term | 30 days (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(2)) |
| Minimum term | 7 days (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(2)) |
| Maximum fee per $100 | $15 per $100, since the finance charge may not exceed 15% of the cash advance (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(1)(c)) |
| APR on a $300, 14-day loan | 391% (OSBC example for a 14-day loan at the 15% cap) |
| Rollovers | Not allowed from the same lender; a loan cannot be repaid with a new loan from that lender (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(6)) |
| Cooling-off period | None, but no more than 2 loans outstanding and 3 loans in any 30 days from one lender (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(3)) |
| Statewide database | No statewide database |
Kansas caps the price and the pace. The 15 percent finance charge is the whole cost of the loan for its full term, whether 7 days or 30. After the due date a lender may add interest of no more than 3 percent per month on the unpaid balance and one returned-check fee, but nothing else. The two-at-a-time and three-per-month limits apply per lender, and there is no state database linking companies, so a borrower can still hold loans from several lenders at once; that is the gap to watch. Since January 1, 2025 the statute also guarantees an extended payment plan once every twelve months, measured from the date you finish one plan to the date you start the next, and bars the lender from making you a new payday loan while a plan is open.
What a $300 Loan Costs in Kansas
| Amount | Term | Fee | You repay | APR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $300 | 14 days | $45 | $345 | 391% |
K.S.A. 16a-2-404 caps the finance charge at 15 percent of the cash advance, so the most a lender can charge on $300 is $300 x 0.15 = $45, and you repay $345 on the due date. APR: $45 / $300 = 0.15; 0.15 x 365 / 14 = 3.91, or 391 percent, the same figure the Office of the State Bank Commissioner publishes for a $100 loan over 14 days (391.07 percent). Stretch the same $45 over the 30-day maximum and the APR falls to about 183 percent, but the dollar cost stays at $45.
Run your own numbers with the cash advance calculator.
Consumer Protections and Who to Call in Kansas
- Payday lenders must be licensed as supervised lenders by the Office of the State Bank Commissioner, which examines them, publishes its licensee lists and opens a consumer complaint by phone at 785-380-3939.
- You may rescind a payday loan at no cost by returning the money within one business day of taking it out (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(10)).
- The finance charge may not exceed 15 percent of the amount advanced, and after the due date interest is limited to 3 percent per month on the outstanding balance plus one returned-check fee (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(1)(c) and (5)).
- Once every twelve months you may elect to repay a payday loan through an extended payment plan if you cannot pay on time, and the lender may not make you a new payday loan while the plan is open (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(7), as amended by 2024 Senate Substitute for HB 2247).
- A loan agreement may not include a confession of judgment or a clause that holds the lender harmless, and a lender cannot use a new loan of its own to pay off your old one (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(6) and (11)).
- A single lender may not have more than two payday loans outstanding to you at once or make you more than three in any 30-day period (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(3)).
- Federal law caps the annual rate at 36 percent, including most fees, for active-duty service members and their dependents under the Military Lending Act.
Complaints and licence checks go to the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner: 785-380-3939, osbckansas.gov, or file a complaint at the regulator's complaint page. The federal CFPB also takes complaints about any lender.
Online vs Storefront Lenders in Kansas
The Kansas UCCC reaches any lender making consumer loans to Kansas residents, so an online payday lender needs the same OSBC supervised loan license as a storefront and is bound by the same $500 cap, 15 percent charge and 30-day term. The OSBC's complaint page asks you to check its licensee lists first, because the office can only act against companies it regulates. Internet lenders based out of state or affiliated with tribal governments do lend into Kansas, often at rates far above the statutory cap and with automatic renewals that Kansas does not permit from its own licensees. Those companies are the source of most of the trouble the OSBC hears about. Look the lender up on the OSBC's website or NMLS Consumer Access before you apply, confirm the agreement shows the finance charge in dollars and the APR, and never give account access to a lender you cannot find on a license list. If an unlicensed lender is collecting from you, call the OSBC and file with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Alternatives If a Payday Loan Is Not the Right Fit
The extended payment plan in K.S.A. 16a-2-404 is the first alternative for anyone already holding a Kansas payday loan: it costs nothing extra and stops the lender from adding a new loan on top. For new borrowing, federal credit unions may offer payday alternative loans under NCUA rules, from $200 to $1,000 over one to six months or up to $2,000 over up to twelve months, capped at 28 percent APR with an application fee of no more than $20 and no rollovers. Kansas also licenses supervised lenders to make installment consumer loans under the UCCC; those repay over months and the OSBC examines them, but read the APR on the disclosure, because a long-term loan at a high rate can cost more than a two-week payday loan in total. Ask your employer about an advance on wages you have already earned, ask creditors for more time, and call 2-1-1 for local assistance programs before you borrow.
Compare the installment loan and payday alternative loan options before you decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are payday loans legal in Kansas?
Yes. K.S.A. 16a-2-404 allows licensed supervised lenders to make single-payment payday loans of up to $500 for 7 to 30 days, with a finance charge of no more than 15 percent of the amount advanced. The Office of the State Bank Commissioner licenses and examines the lenders. Rollovers from the same lender are prohibited, and since 2025 borrowers have a statutory right to an extended payment plan once a year.
How much does a $300 payday loan cost in Kansas?
At most $45, because the finance charge is capped at 15 percent of the cash advance. You would repay $345 on the due date. For a 14-day loan that is 391 percent APR, the same rate the OSBC quotes in its own example. If you miss the due date, the lender may add up to 3 percent a month on the unpaid balance and one returned-check fee, but no other charges.
Can I roll over a payday loan in Kansas?
No. K.S.A. 16a-2-404(6) says a payday loan cannot be repaid with the proceeds of another payday loan from the same lender. A lender may have no more than two loans out to you at once and may not make you more than three in 30 days. Instead of a rollover, ask for the extended payment plan, which the statute guarantees once every twelve months at no extra cost.
What changed for Kansas payday loans in 2025?
Senate Substitute for HB 2247, effective January 1, 2025, rewrote parts of the Kansas UCCC. For payday loans it added a statutory extended payment plan: a borrower who cannot repay on the due date may elect, once every twelve months, to repay in installments, and the lender may not make a new payday loan during the plan. The $500 cap, 15 percent charge and 7 to 30 day term did not change.
How do I file a complaint against a Kansas payday lender?
Call the Office of the State Bank Commissioner at 785-380-3939 to open a Consumer Affairs complaint; the office starts the process by phone and asks for your name, the company name, your contact number and a summary. Check its licensee lists first, since it can act only against companies it regulates. Try the lender directly beforehand, and keep your loan agreement and payment records.
Nearby States
NebraskaThe fee cap, a worked example and the regulator to call in Nebraska.
MissouriThe fee cap, a worked example and the regulator to call in Missouri.
OklahomaThe fee cap, a worked example and the regulator to call in Oklahoma.
ColoradoThe fee cap, a worked example and the regulator to call in Colorado.
