How to Start a Payday Loan Business in Canada

In Canada, a payday loan is a short-term loan with high fees for solving immediate, short-term financial emergencies. 

Payday loans are “expensive” money. Generally, depending on the Canadian Province, a payday loan consumer may borrow up to $1,500. 

Borrowers must pay the loan back from their next paycheque. Failure to pay back these loans on the promised due date result in more fees and interest charges.

This will likely increase your loan principal. 

Payday loans are designed to solve a cash shortfall until your next pay. Avoid using them for ongoing costs such as rent, groceries or utility bills. If you use them in this way, you may end up in financial trouble.

Both private and publicly traded companies offer payday loans in stores [brick-n-mortars] and online.

What to expect when you start a payday loan business

Here’s what you can expect if you’re considering opening a payday loan company.

• The easiest method to determine the legalities involved is to simply get a payday loan. Visit your nearest competitor in your city and go through the process.
• Get copies of everything; all the forms.
• Look around! Whip out your phone and take pictures of any wall charts, regulatory info, consumer help alerts posted inside the location…
• If there are payday loan stores around you, you know they’re legal!
• So… get a payday loan/installment loan/title loan… Then, pay back the money in a couple of days. Consider this your first “investment” in your new business.
• PS: If you cannot qualify for a loan at your competitor’s store, get a “shill.” Pay their fees.

Next:

• Study our Course. It’s available here: “The Business of Lending to the Masses Profitably!” 
• Our Course covers EVERYTHING you need to know about starting and operating a payday loan, installment loan, car title loan… business-to-consumer [B2C} loan business].
• We thoroughly teach online and storefront models.
• We provide sample consumer contracts, your State/Province licensing regulations and licensing forms.
• We provide specific Chapters devoted to starting, getting customers, loan management software, underwriting consumers, funding your qualified borrowers, collecting your money, websites, marketing, employee hiring, strategies and tactics for learning from your competitors what does and does not work in your geographic area and much, much, more!
• For a complete “Table of Contents” to our course, Click the Image:
  

  Click Image for Table of Contents

Payday loan lenders typically require the following for borrowers to qualify :

Generally, payday lenders will require proof that a consumer has:

• a regular income
• a bank account
• a permanent address

Before funding a payday loan, payday lenders will require borrowers to do one of the following:

• fill out a form that will allow the lender to withdraw the total loan amount, including fees, directly from your bank account when the loan is due (also called a pre-authorized debit)
• provide a post-dated cheque for the total loan amount including fees

Getting money from a payday lender to a qualified borrower

In most cases, the payday lender will deposit money into your bank account via an ACH, a check or, in a storefront environment,  give the borrower cash.

However, in some cases, payday lenders may require the borrower to take accept loan proceeds on a prepaid card. It may cost extra to activate and use the card.

Paying back a payday loan

Some payday lenders require consumers to repay the loan at the same location where they got the loan. Others offer online payment. We recommend and teach how a Lender can offer a multitude of payment methods both online and offline.

The Consumer Loan Agreement

Make certain you employ loan management software to compute all fees, payment periods, loan principals, payment schedules, APR’s… We teach all this in our Course! Payday lenders must require their borrowers to sign an agreement that shows your loan costs, including interest, fees, and the due date. FULLY disclose EVERYTHING to the consumer! [Our Course offers names and recommendations to the best companies offering cloud-based software enabling you to run a payday loan business from anywhere in the world!]

Find out your province or territory’s payday lending rules by contacting your provincial or territorial consumer protection office.

How much money do payday loan companies make?

A payday loan, installment loan, car title loan… Lenders can make great profits. There are zero guarantees because profitability depends on the Lender.

Payday loans are very expensive compared to other ways of borrowing money. This is because:

• Borrowers pay high fees
• Borrowers are charged a higher interest rate than on a regular loan or line of credit
• Borrowers will have to pay a fee if their cheque or pre-authorized debit doesn’t go through the bank
• Borrowers – on average – pay $17.50 per $100 borrowed every two weeks. That’s a 600%+ APR!
• So… a borrower gets a payday loan of $300 from their Lender. Two weeks later they pay $52.50 in fees + the $300. At least 40% of these borrowers at a minimum will not pay anything towards the loan principal so the borrower “rolls-over” their loan. Thus another two weeks pass and the borrower pays $52.50 in fees again.
• The average payday loan small business has 400 to 600+ customers!

As a Lender, be aware that a payday loan business is not all “peaches and cream!” Whether online, storefront or “blended,” you will have costs, headaches, employees…

But, the potential for earning a SUPERIOR Return on your Investment [ROI] is tremendous.

After all, your inventory is MONEY! You are nor investing in and operating a fruit stand experiencing rotting inventory 😆

With hard work, knowledge, implementation of the latest technology and tactics, Lenders can grow big, earn extraordinary profits and achieve a very nice lifestyle. BUT, at least in the beginning, IT WILL BE HARD WORK!

Figure 1: Comparing the cost of a payday loan with a line of credit, overdraft protection on a chequing account and a cash advance on a credit card (Based on a $300 loan for 14 days)

The costs shown in this example are for illustration purposes only and are based on the following assumptions:

• a payday loan costs $17 per $100 that you borrow, which is the same as an annual interest rate of 442%
• a line of credit includes a $5 administration fee plus 8% annual interest on the amount you borrow
• overdraft protection on a bank account includes a $5 fee plus 21% annual interest on the amount you borrow
• a cash advance on a credit card includes a $5 fee plus 23% annual interest on the amount you borrow

What happens to your borrower if they can’t pay back a payday loan on time?

There can be serious consequences if borrowers don’t repay their loan by the due date.

They may include:

• the payday lender will charge you a fee if there isn’t enough money in your account
• your financial institution may also charge you a fee if there isn’t enough money in your account
• the total amount that you owe, including the fees, will continue to accumulate interest
• the payday lender could call your friends, relatives or employer in attempts to contact you to collect the money
• the payday lender could sell the loan to a collection agency and this could appear on your credit report
• the payday lender or collection agency could sue you for the debt
• the payday lender or collection agency could seize your property
• the payday lender could take money from your paycheques (also called garnishing your wages)

If you can’t make your payday loan payments on time, it can be easy to get stuck in a debt trap.

Infographic: Payday loans: Make sure you pay on time!

What to know to be a payday lender

The total cost of borrowing you can charge. Be sure to find out:

Understand that:

• a fee is often charged if your borrower’s cheque or pre-authorized debit is returned due to non-sufficient funds
• these fees can range from $20 to $50
• many provinces have rules about maximum fees for non-sufficient funds
• the amount can be much higher in provinces and territories where the fee is unregulated

Ask if there is a “cooling off” period. This is a period, often a day or two, during which a borrower can cancel the loan with no explanation and without paying any fees. The laws in many provinces protect this right. Make sure to know the “cooling off” period information.

Each province and territory has different rules and restrictions around payday lending. However, many online payday lenders aren’t licensed and don’t follow provincial rules designed to protect borrowers.

Canada Fees and penalties

Many provinces regulate payday lending fees and penalties.

NOTE to Payday Loan Lenders! Laws, rules, compliance, regulations are in constant flux! The information below is almost CERTAINLY not current as you read it! Invest in our Course for the latest, most current information!

Restrictions

In the following provinces, a payday lender can’t extend or roll over a payday loan:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Saskatchewan

A payday lender can’t ask a borrower to sign a form that transfers your wages directly to them in the following provinces:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Saskatchewan

Provincial laws define what a payday lender can do when trying to collect a loan. This includes when and how often a payday lender can a borrower and what tactics you can use to get you to pay.

These laws exist in the following provinces:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Saskatchewan

Canadian Entrepreneurs:

For more information about what rules apply to payday lenders or to make a complaint, contact your provincial or territorial consumer protection office.