1. Check if the payday lender is licensed

Use this letter-writing tool to complain about a product or service.

All payday lenders must be licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. 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 do not have a licence. Unlicensed lenders might use illegal ways to collect the money you owe, or they might be a .

You can also check the Ministry website make sure a payday lender is licensed. There are two ways that you can check. One way is to:

  1. Open the Consumer Protection Branch
  2. Click on Search for a business licence, registration, or appointment.
  3. If you know the name or address of the lender, type them into the search bar.
  4. Click the magnifying glass. You will see a list of licensed lenders. The payday lenders included on this list are licensed. If a lender is not on this list, that lender is not licensed.

Another way is to:

  1. Open the Consumer Protection Branch
  2. Scroll to where it says 2023-24 Business. This is a list of all the licensed payday lenders in Ontario.

Search through each page of the list. The list is organized alphabetically.

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