Cash advance app rules in Wisconsin

Fees

• Delivery or expedited-delivery fees may not exceed $5 for an advance of $75 or less, or $7.50 for an advance over $75 (Wis. Stat. 203.04(2)(i), added by 2025 Act 199, effective April 5, 2026).
• Starting Jan. 1, 2030, and every 5 years after, DFI will adjust these caps for changes in the consumer price index since April 5, 2026 (203.04(5)).
• The provider must offer at least one reasonable no-cost option and clearly explain how to choose it (203.04(1)(b)).
• Before an agreement, the provider must fully and clearly disclose all fees (203.04(1)(c)).
• "Fee" covers delivery or expedited delivery fees and subscription or membership fees; a voluntary tip is not a fee (203.01(9)).

Tips

• Immediately before each transaction, the provider must clearly and conspicuously disclose that a tip may be zero and is voluntary (203.04(1)(g)).
• The service contract must say that the amount and frequency of advances do not depend on tips (203.04(1)(g)).
• No misleading statements about tips being voluntary, and no claims that tips benefit specific individuals (203.04(2)(g)).
• The provider may not share fees or tips with the employer (203.04(2)(a)).

Other rules

• No requiring a credit report or credit score; no credit card or charge card payments (203.04(2)(b), (c)).
• No late fees, deferral fees, interest or penalties for non-payment; no reporting to credit bureaus or debt collectors (203.04(2)(d), (e)).
• No lawsuits, third-party collection or debt sales to collect, except for fraud (203.04(2)(f), (3)).
• No false, misleading or deceptive advertising (203.04(2)(h)).
• The provider must reimburse overdraft or NSF fees caused by early or wrong-amount debits (203.04(1)(i)).
• Consumers can cancel at any time without a cancellation fee (203.04(1)(e)).
• Licensees must keep a $25,000 surety bond and file an annual report by July 1 (203.03(6), 203.06).
• Certain Wisconsin Consumer Act provisions do not apply to EWA from a licensee in compliance with the chapter (203.09, added by 2025 Act 199).
• Civil penalties are $100 to $1,000 per violation, or $1,000 to $10,000 for knowing or willful violations (203.08).

Who is licensed or registered

The state publishes an official list.

We have not been able to check this list yet (it sits behind a verification step we don’t automate). Search it yourself at the link above.

Lists change. Check the regulator’s current list before you rely on it.

What we could not confirm

• Original effective date: 2023 Act 131 takes effect "on the first day of the 6th month beginning after publication" (published March 22, 2024). We calculated Sept. 1, 2024; no DFI page confirming that date was found.
• Which apps hold a Wisconsin EWA license: NMLS Consumer Access was not queried because it requires a CAPTCHA.