What number matters?
Aggregate liability including charges
Each scheduled payment and total cost
Independent provider directory
Wisconsin: separate payday debt from installment payments
A cash-advance sign does not identify the legal product. Start with a local contact, ask whether the offer is payday or installment, and compare the obligation using the rule for that contract.
Bottom Dollar Payday is not the lender. This page helps prepare and compare decisions; it does not submit an application or access accounts or application records.
Which limit is used here?
$1,500 or 35% income, whichever is less
Do not reuse the payday test automatically
What document resolves doubt?
Agreement and itemized liability
Agreement, lender identity and schedule
Wisconsin installment-loan contacts
Published contacts in Milwaukee and Madison, checked September 22, 2026. Green Bay and Kenosha are not represented in this selection. No live opening or license certification.
Milwaukee
Check ’n Go — South Layton
807 South Layton Boulevard, Milwaukee, WI 53215
Installment-loan location, not presented as a confirmed payday offer. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm; Sat 10am–2pm; Sun closed. Network operator. [WI02]
Madison
Check ’n Go — Zeier Road
2103 Zeier Rd, Madison, WI 53704
Published installment-loan location. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm; Sat 10am–2pm; Sun closed. Ask which contract and lender apply before comparing charges. [WI03]
The map is requested from Google only after you press the button. It searches the displayed place or area; it does not verify a business profile or a license.
Choose the route that fits your question
You want a Milwaukee or Madison counter
The contacts below publish installment-loan services. Treat them as possible alternatives to a payday transaction, not proof that a payday loan is available there.
You are searching Green Bay or Kenosha
Those cities remain in this state’s directory plan. The displayed contacts do not cover them. Confirm the street returned by the operator’s locator rather than using a statewide phone as a branch.
You are carrying an existing payday balance
Have principal, accrued interest and fees available. The Wisconsin payday test is based on aggregate liability with the licensee, not only new cash requested.
Match the legal test to the product
Wisconsin DFI distinguishes payday loans from other high-interest loans. For a payday loan, the new obligation plus other open payday liability with the licensee cannot exceed the lesser of $1,500 or 35% of gross monthly income. Principal, interest and other charges belong in that total. [WI01]
| Question | Payday comparison | Installment comparison |
|---|---|---|
| What number matters? | Aggregate liability including charges | Each scheduled payment and total cost |
| Which limit is used here? | $1,500 or 35% income, whichever is less | Do not reuse the payday test automatically |
| What document resolves doubt? | Agreement and itemized liability | Agreement, lender identity and schedule |
A liability example is not a cash limit
Consider a hypothetical gross monthly income of $2,400 and $200 of other payday liability with the same licensee. This is a regulatory arithmetic illustration, not an eligibility result.
| Worksheet step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Income-based figure | $2,400 × 35% | $840 |
| Compare with dollar cap | Lower of $840 and $1,500 | $840 |
| Subtract existing liability | $840 − $200 | $640 |
| Proposed new cash plus charges | Hypothetical $550 + $100 | $650 |
The proposed liability exceeds the remaining figure by $10 even though the cash advance is only $550. Charges are hypothetical, not a lawful-rate quote. Other requirements can still prevent a transaction. [WI01]
Put timing beside the payment
An installment quote may have a smaller first payment but more payment dates. Place every date alongside expected income and essential bills; do not compare its first installment with a payday loan’s full payoff as if they were the same cost. Ask whether any quoted fee is withheld, financed or paid separately. A balance remaining after several payments is still debt, not savings.
Make the branch call specific
Ask the named office whether it processes the product in person, which documents it needs and what time it stops accepting new applications. The published Saturday hours are shorter at both listed contacts. Confirm holiday changes and any appointment requirement. Do not send account statements to a review website or use a directory’s generic application instead of the chosen provider. [WI02] [WI03]
No statewide database does not mean no eligibility review
DFI explains how lenders must check eligibility without the former statewide payday database. It is not permission to ignore an open loan. Disclose relevant obligations accurately and ask the provider to reconcile its records when a paid balance appears outstanding. The absence of a database entry does not prove repayment capacity. [WI01]
Use the right help route before renewing
For repayment trouble, contact the actual lender before the due date and ask about applicable repayment-plan rights. Save the request and response. The regulator’s payday guidance does not automatically establish identical rights for a different installment contract. Use DFI to resolve a product-classification or licensing question; use the lender for an account-specific arrangement. [WI01]
Questions before continuing
Are these payday lenders?
Is the 35% figure a recommended budget?
No. It is part of the payday legal test. Your essential expenses can make a much smaller payment unaffordable.
Can I compare a monthly rate with an APR?
Not as identical measures. Obtain the disclosed APR, all dollar charges and the full payment schedule before comparing the contracts.
Related decisions
Explore city guides
Sources and scope
Sources describe rules and resources; they do not endorse Bottom Dollar or certify listed businesses. Numerical examples are calculations, not offers.
