Permitted Regulated Verified 2026-09-06 · ver. 0.2.3 How we verify these rules

Payday Loans in Louisiana

Louisiana permits regulated deferred-presentment and small-loan products. Current law allows up to $700 paid to the issuer on a deferred-presentment transaction, while OFI publishes a $740 maximum outstanding-principal balance for September 2026–August 2027; the fee ceiling is 16.75% of check face amount.

Louisiana legal category: Deferred Presentment Transaction / Small Loan · Louisiana Deferred Presentment and Small Loan Act, R.S. 9:3578.1 et seq.

Louisiana payday loans at a glance

Legal status
Permitted Regulated
Legal category
Deferred Presentment Transaction / Small Loan
Rule structure
2 encoded variants
Amount / term
Varies by statutory variant
Regulator
Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions (OFI)
Verified
2026-09-06

Choose a loan type by amount

PLS Cash Advance currently presents request amounts from $200 to $5,000. The ranges below are navigation guidance between our state loan guides — not statutory limits, eligibility rules, or a promise of approval.

$200–$700 Current guide

Payday Loans in Louisiana

Preferred routing for Louisiana payday/deferred-presentment intent based on the $700 cash-paid ceiling. The $740 OFI figure is an outstanding-principal cap, not an offer-fit target.

$700–$5,000

Installment Loans in Louisiana

Preferred routing for larger or multi-payment Louisiana requests after the $700 deferred-presentment cash-paid ceiling.

See Installment Loans

Amount and term limits

Louisiana distinguishes the cash paid to the borrower from the maximum outstanding principal balance. A deferred-presentment transaction may pay the issuer no more than $700, while OFI’s CPI-adjusted maximum outstanding principal balance is $740 for September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. A statutory “small loan” is defined as $350 or less, while the same OFI table lists a $370 current outstanding-principal ceiling.

A deferred-presentment check may be held for no more than 30 days. The separate statutory small-loan variant is defined as a consumer loan of $350 or less for a term of 60 days or less.

Interest, fees and repayment

The fee is based on check face amount, while current law separately publishes CPI-adjusted outstanding-principal ceilings. Those concepts should not be collapsed into a single amount-only calculator.

A licensee may charge a fee not exceeding 16.75% of the face amount of the check in a deferred-presentment transaction or small loan.

Deferred presentment ordinarily resolves when the payment instrument is presented. A consumer unable to repay a deferred-presentment transaction or small loan when due may request the statutory extended payment plan before the due date, subject to eligibility and frequency rules.

Rollovers, refinancing and early payment

Rollover allowed?
No
Louisiana prohibits rollovers. The statute separately permits specified partial-payment/restructuring mechanics and an extended payment plan; those are not treated as ordinary rollovers.
Prepayment penalty allowed?
Not reduced to a yes/no rule
Louisiana defines prepayment in this chapter, but the source set used here does not justify a universal standalone prepayment-penalty flag across both variants.

Louisiana borrower protections

  • Louisiana caps the amount paid to the issuer in a deferred-presentment transaction at $700.
  • For Sep. 1, 2026–Aug. 31, 2027, OFI publishes maximum outstanding-principal balances of $740 for deferred presentment and $370 for the statutory small-loan category.
  • The transaction fee is capped at 16.75% of check face amount.
  • Ordinary rollovers are prohibited.
  • An eligible consumer may request an extended payment plan before the due date once in a 12-month period, subject to the statute.

Louisiana loan cost calculator

Why there is no single statutory calculator: Louisiana uses check-face fees, borrower cash-paid limits, and CPI-adjusted outstanding-principal ceilings. A single input amount could represent different statutory quantities, so the calculator is intentionally withheld.

How to verify a lender in Louisiana

Regulator: Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions (OFI).

Deferred Presentment and Small Loan Lender / payday-lender authority

Verify a lender license

Official sources

  1. Louisiana R.S. 9:3578.3 — Deferred presentment and small-loan definitions · primary
  2. Louisiana R.S. 9:3578.4 — Finance charge and fees · primary
  3. Louisiana OFI — Maximum Outstanding Principal Balance for Deferred Presentment Transactions and Small Loans · primary
  4. Louisiana R.S. 9:3578.4.1 — Extended payment plan · primary

Last regulatory verification: 2026-09-06. Laws can change; verify current terms and lender status before borrowing. Read our research methodology.