Payday loans in North Dakota
With Department of Financial Institutions licensing under chapter 13-08 of the Century Code, deferred presentment service providers can make payday loans legally in North Dakota.
- Payday lending
- Allowed
- Max cost
- $20.00 per $100 borrowed
- Top amount
- At most $500 may be disbursed in one transaction; a single customer's total outstanding obligations may not exceed $600 in all.
At that cap, a $100 loan over 14 days can carry $20.00 in fees: $120.00 back in total, close to 521% APR.
Are payday loans legal in North Dakota?
Yes, the North Dakota Deferred Presentment Service Providers law makes payday loans legal in North Dakota. State law names these lenders deferred presentment service providers and requires each to get a license from the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions. With a license, a lender may give you as much as $500 per loan. The fee must stay at or below 20 percent, meaning $20 for each $100 you get. Across all payday lenders, your total debt with fees cannot exceed $600, and the loan term plus one renewal lasts at most 60 days.
While you are in North Dakota, an online lender may lend to you only with a state license. Before applying, search for the company on NMLS Consumer Access, the site North Dakota relies on to list licensed lenders. If you change your mind after the loan comes through, you can cancel it free of charge until the end of the next working day.
- The law sets the fee cap at 20% of what the customer receives, so a $100 advance costs no more than $20 regardless of the term.
- Proceeds from a loan cannot exceed $500, but total outstanding payday debts for a customer, fees included, may reach $600.
- You may renew only once, each renewal must last at least 15 days, and the entire deferral period cannot go beyond 60 days.
- Canceling a payday loan costs nothing if done by the end of the next workday.
- Rather than relying on borrower statements about other open loans, lenders must check a state database the commissioner runs or authorizes.
- Licensed money brokers have been limited to an all-in annual rate of 36% on installment loans since SB 2103 (2021).
North Dakota payday loan laws
- Law in force
- North Dakota Deferred Presentment Service Providers law
- Cited as
- N.D. Cent. Code 13-08-01 through 13-08-14.1 (main rules: 13-08-02, 13-08-12)
- Fees under the law
- Licensees may charge for deferred presentment service, but only up to twenty percent of what the customer receives.
- Most you can borrow
- At most $500 may be disbursed in one transaction; a single customer's total outstanding obligations may not exceed $600 in all.
- How long a loan runs
- The total deferral period is 60 days, which includes the initial deferral plus one renewal.
- Rollovers
- One renewal is permitted, with a fee no higher than 20% of the renewed amount and a period lasting at least 15 days.
- Cooling-off gap
- a wait of three working days after a customer completes an earlier deferred presentment transaction
- Loans you can hold at once
- No fixed number exists; a state database checks that aggregate outstanding obligations stay capped at $600.
- Installment lending limits
- Money brokers with licences (North Dakota Cent. Finance charges under Code 13-04.1-09.3) may not exceed a 36% annual rate, with all origination fees and charges included.
Also checked against nd.gov. Full statute text.
Online lenders that list North Dakota
Seven companies we track say they lend in North Dakota: 2 online installment lenders, 4 tribal lenders and 1 loan broker.
| Lender | Kind | Posted APR |
|---|---|---|
 NetCredit | Installment | 34.99% to 99.99% |
 OppLoans | Installment | 99% to 195% |
 Viva Payday Loans | Broker | Partner lenders quote 4.99% to 1,386% |
Tribal loans in North Dakota
Online payday lenders need a state licence because North Dakota counts deferred presentment activity as in-state whenever the customer is in North Dakota; DFI ordered an unlicensed lender that mailed solicitations to residents to stop and to pay $7.1 million in penalties.
On the immunity claim tribal lenders make, see are tribal loans legal.
Four tribal lenders we track list North Dakota as a state they lend in. Two of the four publish an APR, from 73.7% to 725%.
| Lender | Posted APR |
|---|---|
 Mobiloans | 73.7% to 405% |
 BrightLending | 325% to 725% |
 Minto Money | Not published |
| American Web Loan | Not published |
Need cash in North Dakota? Ask about cheaper routes
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North Dakota and the states around it
| State | Payday lending | Max cost | Top amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | Allowed | $20.00 per $100 borrowed | At most $500 may be disbursed in one transaction; a single customer's total outstanding obligations may not exceed $600 in all. |
| Minnesota | Allowed | 50% APR | Consumer small loans with one payment are limited to $350; consumer short-term loans are limited to $1,300. |
| Montana | Banned | 36% APR | $300 (not including the fee) |
| South Dakota | Banned | 36% APR | None allowed |
North Dakota loans with no credit check
Installment loan rates: Money brokers with licences (North Dakota Cent. Finance charges under Code 13-04.1-09.3) may not exceed a 36% annual rate, with all origination fees and charges included.
See no credit check loans: the checks lenders still run, and the price.
Verify a lender's license in North Dakota
- Look the lender up on the license list before you hand over any bank details.
- Lenders here answer to the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).
- Had trouble with a lender? Report the lender.
Sources for North Dakota
- You need a licence for deferred presentment, and the law treats the business as being in North Dakota if the customer is there.; The fee cannot go over 20% of the money the customer receives.; The amount paid out per transaction may not exceed $500.ndlegis.gov
- A 36% annual rate is the most licensed money brokers may charge in finance charges.ndlegis.gov
- The 2021 session passed Senate Bill 2103, which set the 36% money broker cap.ndlegis.gov
- DFI verifies the $500 limit on proceeds and the $600 aggregate cap.nd.gov
- Payday lenders, or deferred presentment service providers, get licensed by DFI.nd.gov
- DFI directs people to NMLS Consumer Access to see if a company holds a North Dakota licence.; You can file complaints online with DFI about the entities it regulates.nd.gov
- DFI determined BHG Financial issued unlicensed loans to North Dakotans via mailed solicitations.; DFI levied $7.1 million in civil money penalties against BHG (2025 archive).nd.gov