Payday Loans in Kansas: Laws, Costs, and Your Options (2026)

Payday loans in Kansas are legal under the Kansas Uniform Consumer Credit Code, K.S.A. 16a-2-404. You can borrow up to $500 for 7 to 30 days, and the fee is capped at 15% of the advance. One lender can have no more than two loans outstanding to you at once, rollovers are banned, and once a year you can convert a loan you cannot repay into an installment plan with no added fees. This page covers what the law allows, what a loan costs, your rights, and which of the lenders we review serve Kansas. For how Kansas compares with every other state, see payday loan laws by state.

Kansas payday loan rules at a glance

Rule	Kansas
Legal status	Permitted, through a licensed or supervised lender (K.S.A. 16a-2-404)
Regulator	Office of the State Bank Commissioner, 785-380-3939
Maximum loan	$500 cash advance (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(1))
Fee cap	15% of the cash advance (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(1))
Term	At least 7 days, no more than 30 days (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(2))
Loans at once	No more than two from one lender and its related businesses
Loans per 30 days	No more than three from one lender (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(3))
Rollovers	Not allowed (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(6))
Extended payment plan	Once per 12 months, at least four installments, no added fees
After the due date	No more than 3% a month on the loan proceeds (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(5))
Returned check	One charge, up to $30 (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(8), 16a-2-501(1)(e))
Right to cancel	By the end of the next business day, at no cost (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(10))
Criminal liability	No use or threat of criminal process to collect (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(11))
Military borrowers	36% federal MAPR cap under the Military Lending Act

How a Kansas payday loan works

You give the lender a personal check, or authorize a payment, and receive a cash advance of up to $500. The loan must run at least 7 days and no more than 30 (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(2)). When the lender takes your check, it must stamp the back with an endorsement that reads, in part, “No criminal prosecution” (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(8)).

Your agreement must carry a notice, in English and Spanish and in at least 10-point bold type, that Kansas law prohibits the lender and its related businesses from having more than two loans outstanding to you at one time, and that the lender cannot divide the amount you want to borrow into multiple loans to increase your fees. You sign or initial the version in the language you read more easily (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(4)). Each lender keeps a journal of every loan it makes you, with the date made and the date due, to track those limits (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(3)).

What a payday loan costs in Kansas

The fee is up to 15% of the cash advance:

Cash advance	Maximum fee	You repay	APR over 14 days	APR over 30 days
$100	$15	$115	About 391%	About 183%
$300	$45	$345	About 391%	About 183%
$500	$75	$575	About 391%	About 183%

The APR columns are our own arithmetic, not a quote; your agreement states the actual finance charge. On the shortest allowed term, 7 days, the same fee works out to about 782%.

Beyond the fee, the law allows very little. After the due date, the rate cannot exceed 3% a month on the loan proceeds, and no insurance or other charges are permitted, including a charge for cashing a loan check (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(5)). If your check bounces, the lender can charge one returned-check fee of up to $30 (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(8), 16a-2-501(1)(e)).

Rollovers and the extended payment plan

A payday loan cannot be paid off with the proceeds of another payday loan from the same lender or a related business (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(6)). Instead, once in any 12-month period, you can ask for an extended payment plan (K.S.A. 16a-2-404(7)). The rules:

1. Ask in time. Request the plan before close of business on the last business day before the loan is due.
2. At least four installments. The plan splits what you owe into substantially equal payments timed to your paydays, or at least two weeks apart if you do not have regular income.
3. No added cost. As long as you keep to the plan, the lender cannot charge more interest or fees, and you can pay it off early without penalty.
4. No new loan meanwhile. The lender cannot make you another payday loan while the plan is running.

Lenders must display the availability of extended payment plans where loans are made and disclose it in every payday loan agreement.

Your rights

1. A licensed lender. Online or in a store, the lender needs an OSBC license, and its ads must show the license number. Check at 785-380-3939.
2. A capped fee. No more than 15% of the advance, and $500 is the most you can borrow.
3. A limit on loans. No more than two outstanding from one lender, and no more than three in 30 days.
4. No rollovers. A lender cannot pay off your loan with a new one.
5. One extended payment plan a year. Four or more installments, with no added fees.
6. A right to cancel. Return the cash by the end of the next business day and the lender must refund every fee.
7. No prosecution threats. The lender cannot use or threaten the criminal process to collect.
8. A capped penalty. No more than 3% a month after the due date, plus one returned-check fee.
9. The federal Truth in Lending box. The APR, finance charge, amount financed, and total of payments must be disclosed before you sign.

What happens if you cannot repay

Ask for the extended payment plan before the due date; it adds no interest or fees if you keep to it. If a lender refuses a plan you qualify for, threatens prosecution, or charges more than the law allows, report it to the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. Read what happens if you default on a payday loan for how collection works, and how to escape the payday loan cycle if one loan keeps leading to the next. If the real problem is a bill you cannot cover, start with what to do when you can’t make this month’s payment.

Alternatives worth trying first in Kansas

Several routes usually cost less than a Kansas payday loan, roughly cheapest first:

Option	What it costs	The catch
Payment plan on the bill itself	Often nothing	You have to ask before the due date
211 referral to rent, utility, or food help	Nothing	What is funded varies by area
Federal credit union PAL I	Up to 28% APR plus an application fee of up to $20; $200 to $1,000, 1–6 months	One month of membership first; one PAL at a time
Federal credit union PAL II	The same caps; up to $2,000, 1–12 months	Not every federal credit union offers one
Kansas payday loan	A fee of up to 15% of the advance: $75 on $500, for 7 to 30 days (above)	No rollovers; one extended payment plan a year

The credit union limits come from federal regulation (12 CFR 701.21(c)(7)): no more than three PALs in six months, and no rollovers. Call 211 to reach the local referral line. Employer pay advances and earned-wage apps cost more than their small fees suggest; payday loan alternatives that actually work has the numbers for each option. If an installment loan is on the table, installment loans vs. payday loans explains how to compare total cost.

If you do borrow, borrow the smallest amount, take the longest term the lender offers up to 30 days, and confirm the lender’s Kansas license before you sign.