1. Check if the payday lender is licensed

All payday lenders must be licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. The lender must clearly display their licence in their store, or on their website if they make loans over the internet.

Be careful when using online payday lenders. Many companies that are only found online don’t have a licence. Unlicensed lenders might use illegal ways to collect the money you owe, or they might be a scam.

You can also check the Ministry website make sure a payday lender is licensed:

1. Open the Consumer Protection Branch webpage.
2. Click on Search for any of the following licence, registration, or appointment types.
3. Under Licence/Registration/Appointment Type, select Lender/Loan Broker.
4. If you know the name or address of the lender, type them into the form. You don’t need to type in a File Number. For a list of all licensed payday lenders in Ontario, leave the form blank.
5. Click Submit. A list of licensed lenders will appear. Only payday lenders included on this list are licensed.

If a payday lender is not listed, it means that they are not licensed and you should not use them.