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

Payday loans in Utah are legal as deferred deposit loans under Utah Code Title 7, Chapter 23, from lenders registered with the Department of Financial Institutions. Chapter 23 does not cap the fee or the loan amount. It limits the loan’s life instead: a lender cannot collect more interest once 10 weeks have passed since the loan was made, cannot roll a loan over unless you ask, and must give you an extended payment plan with no added fees at least once a year. This page covers what the law allows, what a loan costs, your rights, and which of the lenders we review serve Utah. For how Utah compares with every other state, see payday loan laws by state.

Utah payday loan rules at a glance

Rule	Utah
Legal status	Permitted, through a lender registered with DFI (Utah Code 7-23-201)
Regulator	Department of Financial Institutions, 801-538-8830
Maximum loan	No cap in Chapter 23; the lender must check your ability to repay (7-23-401(6))
Fee cap	No cap in Chapter 23; fees posted and disclosed in dollar amounts (7-23-401(1))
Interest limit	No more interest once 10 weeks have passed since the loan was made (7-23-401(4)(a))
Rollovers	Only at your request, and never past 10 weeks (7-23-401(4)(b)-(c))
Extended payment plan	At least once per 12 months, four or more equal payments, no fees (7-23-403)
Partial payments	Any time before maturity, in increments of $5 or more, at no extra charge (7-23-401(3))
Right to cancel	By 5 p.m. the next business day, at no cost (7-23-401(3)(b))
Criminal liability	No use or threat of criminal process to collect (7-23-401(4)(f))
Lawsuits	At least 30 days’ notice of default first (7-23-401(8))
Unregistered lender	The loan is void: no principal, interest, or fees collectible (7-23-201(7))
Military borrowers	36% federal MAPR cap under the Military Lending Act

How a Utah payday loan works

You give the lender a check or authorize an electronic payment, sign a written contract, and receive the loan amount right away. Before your first loan with a lender, it must look into whether you can repay in the ordinary course. For a new customer that means pulling a consumer report from a credit bureau; for a returning customer it can rely on your repayment history or proof of income (Utah Code 7-23-401(6)). You then sign an acknowledgment, in 14-point bold type, that you have reviewed the payment terms, been told about the 10-week rollover limit and the extended payment plan, and can repay (Utah Code 7-23-401(7)).

The lender must post a schedule of its fees in dollar amounts, a number to call DFI with a complaint, and a list of the states where it is registered to lend online. Online lenders must give you the same information before the loan is made (Utah Code 7-23-401(1)-(2)). Utah lenders also report the original loan amount and whether you paid in full or defaulted to a credit bureau (Utah Code 7-23-401(1)(i)), so a Utah payday loan can show up on your credit report.

What a payday loan costs in Utah

Chapter 23 caps the length of a loan’s interest, not its price. Your contract and the federal Truth in Lending disclosure must state the fee and the APR. For illustration, here is what a $15-per-$100 charge every two weeks would cost if you rolled a loan over for the full 10 weeks:

Loan amount	Fee per two weeks	Fees over 10 weeks	APR
$300	$45	$225	About 391%
$500	$75	$375	About 391%
$1,000	$150	$750	About 391%

These are our own figures, not a quote or a legal limit; a Utah lender can charge more or less. The point of the table is the third column: rolled over for 10 weeks, the fees on a $500 loan approach the amount you borrowed, and you still owe the $500.

Rollovers and the extended payment plan

A lender cannot roll a loan over unless you ask, and cannot roll it over if that would leave any part of it due more than 10 weeks after the loan was first made. It also cannot dodge that limit by making you a new loan that pays off the old one, or a same-day loan after a payoff that would total more than 10 weeks of interest (Utah Code 7-23-401(4)).

At least once in any 12-month period, you can ask for an extended payment plan (Utah Code 7-23-403). After 10 continuous weeks of interest, the lender must give you one when you ask. The rules:

1. Ask in time. Sign the plan no earlier than the day before the last day of the loan’s term and no later than the business day before it is due. After a default, you have 10 days from the lender’s default notice.
2. At least four equal payments. Spread over at least the longer of 90 days after the default or 60 days after the plan starts.
3. No added cost. No interest, and no charge by any name: origination, set-up, collection, processing, late, or default fees are all barred. You can pay early without penalty.
4. No collection while you keep to it. The loan is not in default and the lender cannot pursue collection while you make the plan payments.
5. What the lender can ask for. After a default, an initial payment of up to 20% of the total, and checks or payment authorizations as security. If you miss a plan payment, it can end the plan and charge one fee of up to $20.

Your rights

1. A registered lender. Online or in a store, the lender must be registered with DFI. If it is not, the loan is void. Check at 801-538-8830.
2. Interest stops at 10 weeks. No more interest can be collected once 10 weeks have passed since the loan was made.
3. No rollover you did not ask for.
4. One extended payment plan a year. Four or more equal payments, with no interest or fees.
5. Partial payments. Pay down the principal in $5 increments at any time before maturity, at no extra charge.
6. A right to cancel. Return the money by 5 p.m. the next business day and owe nothing.
7. No prosecution threats. The lender cannot use or threaten the criminal process in any state.
8. Thirty days before a lawsuit. You get written notice of the default and a chance to cure it or enter a plan.
9. No calls at work if your employer forbids them. Once you or your employer tell the lender, it cannot contact you at work to collect (7-23-401(4)(g)).
10. 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, or within 10 days of the lender’s default notice; it adds no interest or fees if you keep to it. If a lender refuses a plan you qualify for, threatens prosecution, or keeps charging interest past 10 weeks, file a complaint with DFI. 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 Utah

These are roughly cheapest first, with the payday loan last for comparison:

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
Utah payday loan	$45 fee per two weeks on $300; $225 over 10 weeks (above)	About 391% APR; no state fee cap

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, compare the APR on at least two offers, borrow the smallest amount, avoid rolling the loan over, and confirm the lender’s DFI registration before you sign.