Payday Loan Calculator in Canada

How much do payday loans actually cost? Use our calculator to see the real numbers, including APR and total fees.

Payday Loan Calculator
Payday loan calculator

Enter your details to see the total loan cost, including APR.


Warning: Payday loans are a high-cost form of credit. A payday loan for $500.00 for 14 days with a total cost of borrowing of $70.00 has an annual percentage rate (APR) of 365%. This tool provides estimates only. Before you borrow, consider lower-cost alternatives like a bank loan, cash advance or line of credit.

How to use this payday loan calculator

  1. Select your province.
  2. Input the amount you want to borrow.
  3. Input the loan term (i.e., the number of days between the day you apply and your next payday).

Alternative to payday loans: KOHO cash advance

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What are the interest rates of payday loans?

Payday loans in Canada cost $14 for every $100 borrowed, reaching annual percentage rates (APRs) in the triple digits.

What is APR?

A payday loan APR represents the yearly cost of borrowing. It often reaches nearly 300%–400%+ because high, short-term fees accumulate drastically over a full year.

How does the cost of a payday loan compare to other loans?

Here’s how the cost of payday loans compares to those of cash advance apps, personal loans and credit card cash advances, for a $250 loan.

Payday loan Credit card cash advance (23% APR + 5% fee)Cash advance app (free 3-day delivery)Cash advance app (instant)
Loan amount$250$250$250$250
Loan term30 days30 days30 days30 days
Fee$35$4.73 + $12.50 = $17.23$0$11.99/mo (cancel before the 2nd month)
Total loan cost$285$267.23$250$261.99
APR170.33%83.8%0%58.3%

As we can see in this table, payday loans have the highest yearly cost of borrowing.

Alternatives to payday loans that don’t involve more debt

  • Side hustles. Increase your income with easy, beginner-friendly side hustles.
  • Negotiate. Ask your creditors for extensions or partial-payment plans.
  • Financial assistance. Visit 211.ca to get connected to the right support.
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Senior Publisher

Leanne Escobal is a senior publisher at Finder with more than 13 years of experience in financial products and services, with a focus on content strategy and marketing. She has completed the Canadian Securities Course (CSC®) as well as the Personal Lending and Mortgages course through the Canadian Securities Institute. Leanne holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English literature and creative writing from Western University. See full bio

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Leanne has written 189 Finder guides across topics including:
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