California Payday Facts

California’s Campaign to Reclaim Household Income from Payday Lenders

Payday lenders took over $246 million in fees from Californians in 2024. Payday lenders target working class Californians- those of us who often live paycheck-to-paycheck—with high-fee, short-term loans that promise to fix financial emergencies but instead worsen our financial hardship. Under current law, payday lenders make an average loan of $252 and charge a fee of $37.80 (the maximum loan allowed is $255 for a $45 fee.) The fee and the loan, a total of up to $300, are both taken, all at once, when our income next arrives, leaving us short and unable to afford necessities like groceries, housing, health care, or build savings for a future emergency.

With unprecedented federal cuts to food, health care, and affordable housing programs, now is the time to reclaim California household income from payday predators.

Payday lenders hit working class families the most:

California must join 21 other states to cap interest rates at 36% to stop the payday income drain cycle.

Join the Campaign!

Help your clients, union members, and program participants add up how much they’ve paid on payday loans in the past few years. Tell them it is not their fault. It is a sign that California should fix the law to prevent household income drain.
Help them become a Borrower Advocate by telling their story. Connect them to Andrea Luquetta at Center for Responsible Lending by phone or text at 510-631-9079 or email at [email protected].
Download the campaign factsheet.
Join the campaign! Use this link to learn more and sign up.

Interactive Map

Explore a map that shows the number of licensed payday lenders as well as Self-Help Federal Credit Union locations across the state of California.