CASH ADVANCE MATH / UTAH

Payday loans in Utah: rules, costs and cheaper options

Start with the rules. Then compare the full cost of an advance or a credit union loan before deciding.

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Utah borrowing rules

Legal as deferred deposit loans, with registered lenders

Maximum loan: No statutory maximum loan amount
Fee cap: No statutory interest-rate cap. Lenders must publish their fee schedule. The DFI consumer guide lists a returned-check charge of up to $20.
Loan term: No fixed initial-term limit found. Interest cannot continue after 10 weeks from the original loan date, and a rollover cannot be due later than that.
Rollovers: Only at the borrower's request and within the original 10-week limit. No new interest-bearing loan is allowed in the final 7 days before that period ends.

The 10-week rule limits interest and rollovers. It does not make every loan a 10-week agreement. A loan from a lender that is required to register but has not done so is void under the reviewed law.

Regulator: Utah Department of Financial Institutions (DFI)

Repayment options and borrower safeguards

Extended payment plans: A plan is available on request at least once per 12 months and must be offered on request after 10 weeks of interest. It must allow at least 4 equal payments over at least the greater of 90 days after default or 60 days after signing, without interest or fees. Defaulting on the plan can carry a fee of up to $20.

Cancellation and early repayment: You may cancel without a fee until 5 p.m. on the next business day and may prepay in $5 increments.

Before collection proceedings: The lender must give 30 days' notice of default before suing and cannot use criminal process. There is no statewide payday database; consumer-report and loan-reporting duties apply.

What the sources establish

The current Utah statute was read directly. The DFI site blocked access, so its 2025 annual report and 2021 consumer guide were read as Internet Archive copies of official files. The regulator page could not be opened live during research.

Cheaper options in Utah

Compare an app's standard delivery cost, then ask a federal credit union about a PAL. Check your eligibility and state availability first.

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Last checked Sep 30, 2026. These state rules do not change the calculator's national example.

Full researched rules and qualifications

Legal status

Legal as 'deferred deposit loans' under the Check Cashing and Deferred Deposit Lending Registration Act (Utah Code 7-23). Lenders must register with the Utah Department of Financial Institutions (DFI); a loan made by a lender that should be registered but is not is void (7-23-201).

Maximum loan

No statutory maximum. DFI 2025 annual report (calendar 2024 data, 16 lenders reporting): average loan $504.

Fees

None. DFI consumer guide: 'There is no usury limit in Utah'. Lenders must post a complete fee schedule in dollar amounts (7-23-401(1)(a)). DFI 2025 annual report (2024 data): average APR 498.32%, range 2.98% to 1,642.5%. Returned check charge max $20 (DFI consumer guide).

Term

No fixed limit on the initial term, but the lender may not collect interest after 10 weeks from the day the loan is executed, and a rollover may not require repayment later than 10 weeks from that day (7-23-401(4)(a) and (c)). DFI 2024 data: loans paid in full carried interest for 22 days on average.

Rollovers

Allowed only if the borrower requests it, and only within the 10-week limit (7-23-401(4)(b)-(c)). No new loan on the same business day a loan is paid in full if the combined terms exceed 10 weeks of consecutive interest; no new loan used to refinance an existing one to get around the limit; no new interest-bearing loan within 7 calendar days before the 10-week period ends (7-23-401(4)(d), (e) and (i)). DFI 2024 data: 4,771 loans were carried to the full 10 weeks.

Other rules and source qualifications

Extended payment plan (7-23-403): available on request at least once per 12 months, and mandatory on request after 10 weeks of interest; at least 4 equal payments over at least the greater of 90 days after default or 60 days after signing; no interest or fees, except a fee of max $20 if the borrower defaults on the plan. DFI: 3.21% of borrowers used a plan in 2024, average $205. No statewide database: for a first-time customer the lender must obtain a consumer report, and it must report loans to a consumer reporting agency (7-23-401(1)(g)-(i) and (6)). Borrower may rescind free until 5 p.m. on the next business day and may prepay in $5 increments (7-23-401(3)). Lender must give 30 days' notice of default before suing (7-23-401(8)); no criminal process. 2025-2026: DFI's list of 2025 laws shows no change to chapter 23; 2026 General Session ch. 92 amends 7-23-201 (registration) from 2026-10-01 with only a cross-reference update, not a consumer rule change.

Sources for this state guide