Cash Advance Calculator
Type the amount, the fee and the days until you pay it back. You get the total, the fee per $100, the daily cost and the APR, using the same formula the lender's disclosure has to use.
How the Cash Advance Calculator Works
A short-term lender quotes a finance charge, not a rate. The charge is either a flat number ($45) or a price per $100 ($15 per $100). Either way the loan runs for a fixed number of days and the whole thing is due at once. The calculator turns those three inputs into the numbers that let you compare offers: what you hand back, what each $100 costs, what each day costs, and the APR.
The APR is the figure that surprises people. It annualizes a two-week charge, so $15 per $100 becomes 391%. That is exactly what Regulation Z requires on the offer, and it is the right number for comparing a cash advance with a credit card or an installment loan. For deciding whether you can afford a single two-week loan, the fee and the total are the numbers that matter.
Three Worked Examples
| Rule | Fee | Days | Total | APR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36% APR cap (Colorado, Illinois, others) | $4.14 | 14 | $304.14 | 36% |
| $15 per $100 cap (common) | $45.00 | 14 | $345.00 | 391% |
| Credit card cash advance (5% fee + 29.99% APR) | $18.45 | 14 | $318.45 | 160% |
The card row: $15 fee plus 14 days of interest at 29.99% on $300 (300 x 0.2999 x 14 / 365 = $3.45), total $18.45. Cheaper than the payday row if you have the card and the limit. The 36% row is what a payday alternative loan or a capped-state installment loan looks like.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is cash advance APR calculated?
Divide the fee by the amount borrowed, multiply by 365, divide by the number of days, then multiply by 100. A $45 fee on $300 for 14 days is 45 / 300 x 365 / 14 = 3.91, or 391% APR. Regulation Z requires lenders to disclose this figure.
Why is the APR so high when the fee seems small?
Because APR annualizes a two-week charge. $15 per $100 for 14 days would be $391 per $100 if you kept paying it all year. Nobody plans to, but rollovers make that math real, which is why the fee matters more than the rate for a one-time loan.
Does the calculator include interest and fees together?
Yes. Enter the total finance charge the lender quotes, whether it calls it a fee, interest, or both. State law usually caps the combined figure, and the offer must show it as one total before you sign.
Is a credit card cash advance cheaper?
Usually, if you repay within a month. Card issuers charge a fee of around 3% to 5% plus interest from day one at a cash advance APR near 25% to 30%. $300 for 14 days costs about $12 to $18 that way. Enter your card's fee and rate here to compare.
What is a fair fee per $100 in my state?
It depends on the state cap: $4.14 under a 36% APR cap, $10 plus $5 in Florida, $15 in many states, uncapped in a few. The state pages list the cap with the statute, and the payday loan calculator lets you pick your state's figure.
