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Arkansas · checked October 24, 2026

Payday loans in Arkansas: the rules and your way out

Typical payday loans not allowed

Arkansas's constitution caps interest on loans by non-bank lenders at 17% a year and makes contracts above that void as to principal and interest, and the Attorney General says all storefront payday lenders in the state have been shut down.

Law: Ark. Const. amend. 89, §§ 3, 6 (effective Jan. 1, 2011; repealed former Ark. Const. art. 19, § 13). Arkansas Secretary of State, Election Laws and Constitution of the State of Arkansas, 2025 edition, read 2026-10-24

Arkansas's rules, line by line

Fee or rate cap
"The maximum lawful rate of interest on loans or contracts not described in Sections 1 and 2 shall not exceed seventeen percent (17%) per annum" (Ark. Const. amend. 89, § 3; Sections 1 and 2 cover governmental units and federally insured depository institutions).
State loan database
No
Limits on collection
Contracts under Section 3 with interest above the maximum lawful rate are void as to principal and interest (Ark. Const. amend. 89, § 6(b)). The Attorney General says that if a loan is illegal and unenforceable under Arkansas law, its office can ask the lender or collector to cancel it, and it takes complaints about harassing collection tactics.

If you are behind on a payday loan in Arkansas

  1. Check whether the loan was legal to make. Arkansas does not allow payday loans at typical payday prices. If a lender charged more than the state's limit, report it to the Arkansas Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division through its complaint page.
  2. Stop the automatic withdrawals if they are emptying your account. You can revoke the lender's permission to debit your account and tell your bank. How to do it.
  3. Look at a credit union payday alternative loan. Federal credit unions can lend $200 to $2,000 at much lower cost. How they work.
  4. Talk to a nonprofit credit counselor. A counselor can look at all your bills, not just this one. How to find a real one.

Check a lender, or report one

Sources

This page summarizes the law; it is not legal advice. Laws change, and the statute and regulator control. If something here is out of date, write to hello@paydayloan.help.

You do not have to sort this out alone

A nonprofit credit counselor can look at the whole picture with you.

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