Personal loans in Wisconsin

Consumer lending in Wisconsin is regulated by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Below are the sourced rules that affect what a lender can charge you, followed by the cities we cover.

Lending rules in Wisconsin

Payday lending	Permitted and regulated — maximum loan amount: None; maximum loan term: 90 days or less. Finance charges: (a) Interest. 1. Except as provided in sub. (12) (b), this section imposes no limit on the interest that a licensee may charge before the maturity date of a payday loan. 2. If a payday loan is not paid in full on or before the maturity date, a licensee may charge, after the maturity date, interest at a rate not exceeding 2.75% per month, except that if a licensee makes a subsequent payday loan to the customer under sub. (12) (a), and the customer does not pay the subsequent loan in full on or before the maturity date of the subsequent loan, the licensee may charge, after the maturity date of the subsequent loan, interest at a rate not exceeding 2.75% per month on the subsequent loan and the licensee may not charge any interest under this subdivision on the prior loan. Interest earned under this subdivision shall be calculated at the rate of one−thirtieth of the monthly rate charged for each calendar day that the balance of the loan is outstanding. Interest may not be assessed on any interest earned under this subdivision. A licensee may not assess a customer any fee or charge for database access or usage. No licensee may make a payday loan to a customer that results in the customer having an outstanding aggregate liability in principal, interest, and all other fees and charges, to all licensees who have made payday loans to the customer of more than $1,500 or 35% of the customer’s gross monthly income, whichever is less. As provided in sub. (9m), a licensee may rely on a consumer report to verify a customer’s income for purposes of this paragraphSource: National Conference of State Legislatures · as of 2023
Small-loan / installment licensing	Consumer lenders must obtain a state license (Yes; if interest rate is greater than 18% per year). Statutory basis: Wis. Stat. § 138.09, §§ 421.101 et seq. Licensing administered through NMLS: Yes.Source: Conference of State Bank Supervisors · as of 2026
Interest rate cap (usury limit)	Usury limit: 5% unless agreement made in writing (Wis. Stat. § 138.04 (2020). Finance rates and fees for licensed lenders: Rate agreed to by the parties. CSBS 50-state survey of consumer finance laws; state-verified usury catalog.Source: Conference of State Bank Supervisors · as of 2026
Consumer lending regulator	Consumer lenders in Wisconsin are licensed and supervised by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.Source: Conference of State Bank Supervisors · as of 2026
Debt collection rules	Third-party debt collectors must comply with the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq.; state consumer-protection and debt-collection enforcement is handled by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General. The FDCPA expressly authorizes state attorneys general to enforce it (15 U.S.C. § 1692l). Some states also require collection agencies to be licensed.Source: Wisconsin Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General · as of 2026
Military lending protections	The federal Military Lending Act (MLA) caps the Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) at 36% for consumer credit extended to active-duty service members, their spouses and certain dependents, and bars mandatory arbitration and prepayment penalties on covered loans. Federal protection that applies nationwide, including in this state.Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · as of 2024
Complaint / licensing lookup	Check whether a lender holds a state license through NMLS Consumer Access (nmlsconsumeraccess.org) or the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions; consumers can file complaints with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions or the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.Source: Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS) Consumer Access · as of 2026

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Cities in Wisconsin

Milwaukee Madison Green Bay Appleton Racine Kenosha Eau Claire La Crosse Wausau Oshkosh Janesville Waukesha Sheboygan West Bend West Allis Wauwatosa Fond du Lac Brookfield New Berlin Menomonee Falls Greenfield Franklin Beloit Oak Creek Sun Prairie Manitowoc Fitchburg Mount Pleasant Neenah Superior Stevens Point Caledonia De Pere Muskego Mequon Watertown Middleton Pleasant Prairie South Milwaukee Germantown Howard Fox Crossing Onalaska Wisconsin Rapids Marshfield Cudahy Menasha Oconomowoc Ashwaubenon Kaukauna Menomonie Beaver Dam River Falls Bellevue Weston Hartford Whitefish Bay Greendale Waunakee Salem Lakes Chippewa Falls Hudson Whitewater Allouez Verona Shorewood Plover Glendale Stoughton Suamico Brown Deer Fort Atkinson Baraboo Harrison Port Washington Cedarburg Grafton Platteville Richfield Little Chute Waupun Sussex Two Rivers Oregon Marinette Burlington DeForest Monroe Holmen Portage Elkhorn Sparta Reedsburg New Richmond Hobart Sturgeon Bay Tomah Hartland Merrill St. Francis Shawano McFarland Plymouth Rice Lake Delavan Monona Village of Waukesha Somers Lake Geneva Kronenwetter Mukwonago Altoona Rhinelander Sheboygan Falls Antigo Ashland Jefferson Ripon Mount Horeb Hales Corners Vernon Kimberly Cottage Grove New London Delafield Jackson Lake Hallie Sturtevant Fox Point Elm Grove Twin Lakes Rib Mountain Waupaca Lake Mills Slinger Edgerton Milton Evansville Prairie du Chien Berlin Waterford Rothschild Columbus North Fond du Lac West Salem Wind Lake Mayville Bristol Tichigan Dodgeville Union Grove Lake Wisconsin East Troy Okauchee Lake Bayside Clintonville Oconto Mosinee Viroqua Prairie du Sac Prescott Medford Mauston Saukville Kewaskum French Island Baldwin West Milwaukee Cross Plains Chilton Lancaster Raymond Kiel Marshall North Hudson Pulaski Horicon Rochester Stanley Bloomer Barron Omro Arcadia Combined Locks Seymour Black River Falls Sauk City Waterloo Merton Lake Delton Tomahawk Peshtigo Ellsworth Boscobel Thiensville Brillion Johnson Creek Brodhead Howards Grove Yorkville Algoma Sherwood Ladysmith Lodi Wrightstown New Holstein Oostburg Hortonville Genoa City Somerset Paddock Lake Williams Bay Oconto Falls Amery Lake Wissota Delavan Lake Wales Kewaunee Walworth Mondovi Tainter Lake Fennimore Osceola Juneau Wisconsin Dells Belleville Luxemburg Lomira Lake Wazeecha Maine Bohners Lake Poynette Mineral Point Belgium Winneconne Deerfield Cumberland Hayward Dousman North Prairie Neillsville Como Fredonia Park Falls Darlington Nekoosa New Lisbon Chetek Schofield Westby Denmark New Glarus Hammond Adams Cedar Grove Cuba City Colby Brice Prairie Redgranite Ixonia Abbotsford Kohler Pardeeville Palmyra Shorewood Hills Spooner Eagle Browns Lake Clinton Washburn Wautoma Lake Ripley Roberts Osseo St. Croix Falls Port Edwards Butler Cleveland Durand Lac du Flambeau Campbellsport Mazomanie Cameron Fall River Trempealeau Black Earth Wind Point Thorp Fox Lake King Weyauwega Sharon Whitehall Shell Lake West Baraboo Spring Green Crandon Phillips Random Lake Spencer Randolph Fall Creek Whiting Cornell Eagle River Woodville River Hills Darien Mishicot Hurley Galesville Orfordville Montello Bonduel Niagara Edgar Cadott Legend Lake Lauderdale Lakes Colfax Spring Valley Big Bend Keshena Elroy Stratford Grantsburg Hillsboro Barneveld Newburg Theresa Little Round Lake Powers Lake Independence Lyons Lannon Manawa Cambridge St. Peter Loyal Brooklyn Glenwood City Black Creek Shullsburg Markesan Gillett Westfield Boyceville Augusta Maple Bluff Bangor Blair Iola Muscoda Luck Elkhart Lake Frederic Princeton Cashton Oakfield Crivitz Elk Mound Nashotah Necedah Monticello Strum Rosendale Centuria Kekoskee Clear Lake Reedsville Hilbert Lake Camelot Marion Dane Hustisford Footville Eagle Lake Albany Dresser Amherst Rio Belmont

Personal loans in Wisconsin

Lending rules in Wisconsin

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Cities in Wisconsin

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