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EspañolPayday Loans and Cash Advance in Fort Worth, TX
Legal through credit access businesses, fees uncapped in Texas. What a shortfall looks like on Fort Worth rent and pay, the local rules, who to call for help, and how to request a cash advance online.
Fort Worth now counts more than a million residents, and much of the growth has landed in new subdivisions on the far north and south sides, where every errand takes a car. The paychecks come from Lockheed Martin's F-35 plant on the west side, American Airlines' headquarters and the airport jobs around it, BNSF, the distribution centers at AllianceTexas, the hospitals of the Near Southside medical district, and a long list of construction, trucking and restaurant work. Older neighborhoods such as Stop Six, Como, Polytechnic and the Northside have more renters and more hourly jobs, and that is where a short month shows up first. Trinity Metro buses and the TEXRail line cover part of the city, but a 5 a.m. shift at an Alliance warehouse usually means driving there. Rent is no bargain either: the median gross rent is a little higher than in Dallas. The shortfalls are familiar ones, from a hail-cracked windshield in April to an August electric bill to a lost week of pay when a contract job ends early. Fort Worth has required payday and title stores to register with the city and follow local loan limits since December 2019, and the county's community action agency pays utility bills for eligible households.
What a $500 Shortfall Looks Like in Fort Worth
Fort Worth's median household income of $79,507 is about $6,626 a month before taxes ($79,507 / 12), so a $500 shortfall is roughly 7.5% of a typical month. Against the median gross rent of $1,509 it is about 33% of one rent payment. Under the city ordinance, 20% of that monthly income, about $1,325, is the most a payday loan could be for a median household. A family earning half the median faces the same $500 with half the room.
Texas Rules That Apply in Fort Worth
| Rule | TX |
|---|---|
| Maximum amount | No statutory cap; the OCCC reports typical CAB loans of $400 to $1,200 (OCCC 2025 study) |
| Maximum fee per $100 | No cap on the CAB fee; lender interest capped at 10% (OCCC 2025 study). Late charge: the greater of 5% of the payment or $7.50, no earlier than 10 days after the due date |
| Maximum term | 180 days for a CAB contract (Tex. Fin. Code 393.201; OCCC 2025 study) |
| Rollovers | Allowed statewide; the OCCC reports 93,504 refinances of single-payment payday loans in 2024. Cities with a CAB ordinance limit refinances |
| $300 for 14 days | $69 fee, 600% APR |
The full law, the regulator's phone number and the statute citations are on the Texas cash advance page.
Local Ordinance in Fort Worth
Fort Worth adopted its Credit Access Businesses Regulation on December 17, 2019 (Ordinance No. 23991-12-2019), in effect since December 25, 2019, as Chapter 20, Article XIII of the city code. Each payday or title location needs a city certificate of registration, renewed every year. Section 20-460 limits a payday loan to 20 percent of gross monthly income and a title loan to the lesser of 3 percent of gross annual income or 70 percent of the vehicle's retail value. Installment loans can have no more than four payments, each repaying at least 25 percent of the principal, and cannot be refinanced; single-payment loans can be renewed at most three times with the same 25 percent paydown. A new loan within seven days of paying one off counts as a renewal. Contracts must be in the borrower's language of preference, and every store must keep English and Spanish versions on site.
Free Help in Fort Worth Before You Borrow
- 2-1-1 Texas: Statewide referral line run by Texas Health and Human Services for rent, utility and food assistance; toll-free (877) 541-7905. Call 211 or visit 211texas.org.
- City of Fort Worth Community Action Partners: Community action agency for all of Tarrant County; help with electric, gas and propane bills, HVAC repair, case management, and rent, mortgage and utility help for Tarrant County veterans. Call 817-392-2276 or visit fortworthtexas.gov/departments/neighborhoods/cap.
- Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas: Free civil legal help for eligible residents of 114 North and West Texas counties, based in Fort Worth; handles debt collection, fraud and unlawful loan cases. Call 1-888-529-5277 or visit legalaidtx.org.
- Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner: State regulator that licenses credit access businesses; consumer helpline for questions and complaints about a payday or title loan (main office 512-936-7600). Call 800-538-1579 or visit occc.texas.gov/consumers.
Fort Worth on the Map
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fort Worth regulate payday and title loans?
Yes, since December 2019. Chapter 20, Article XIII of the Fort Worth code requires every payday and title store to register with the city each year, caps a payday loan at 20 percent of gross monthly income, limits installment loans to four payments with no refinancing, and lets a single-payment loan be renewed only three times, each renewal paying down at least 25 percent of the principal.
Can I get my Fort Worth loan agreement in Spanish?
Yes. Section 20-461 of the city code requires every agreement, including renewals, to be written in the language you understand best, and each location must keep English and Spanish contracts on hand. If you cannot read, the store must read the whole agreement and every required notice to you in your language before you sign. It must also give you a form listing nonprofit financial help.
How much can a payday loan cost in Fort Worth?
The ordinance limits size and renewals, not price. Texas sets no cap on the credit access business fee, and the OCCC's 2024 activity data averages about $23 per $100 each time a loan is made or refinanced, roughly 600 percent APR on a two-week loan. On $500 that is about $115 per term, charged again at every renewal. Get the total dollar cost in writing before you sign.
Where can Tarrant County residents get help with an electric bill?
The City of Fort Worth's Community Action Partners program is the community action agency for all of Tarrant County and helps eligible households with electric, gas and propane bills; call 817-392-2276. Tarrant County veterans can also get rent and mortgage help there. 2-1-1 Texas covers food and rent referrals, and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas takes debt and collection cases for free.
