Can you get a loan without a job?

Getting a personal loan is a lot easier than many people think. Most people are familiar with the credit card application process, however, and getting a personal loan is very similar. In general, you comparison shop to find an offer that suits your needs in terms of loan amount, length and APR. Then, you check for pre-approval to gauge your odds of success. Once you’re confident you want to apply, you fill out an application with some key personal and financial information, submit it and wait for a decision. Applying for a personal loan can be done in a matter of minutes, and you may find out whether you’re approved within a few days.… read full answer

How to Get a Personal Loan:

1. Compare offers after checking your credit score.
2. Check for pre-qualification.
3. Fill out an online application.
4. Get a decision.
5. Receive a bank transfer for the loan amount.

The first step in the personal loan process is always to check your credit score. Personal loan companies, just like credit card issuers, will look at your credit when you apply to see if you qualify. The higher your credit score is, the more loans you’ll qualify for and the better terms you’ll get. You can check your credit score for free with WalletHub. It’s also a good idea to take a look at your credit report and dispute any errors before applying.

Once you know your credit score, you’re ready to compare personal loan offers. Take note of the credit requirements that each available loan has, and narrow them down to ones you can likely qualify for. Then, compare other terms, like interest rates, estimated monthly payments, loan amounts and timeframes. These can vary widely depending on the lender.

After you’ve narrowed down your selections to a few personal loans with the best terms you can find, you’ll want to see whether any of the lenders offer pre-qualification. Pre-qualification is a way to check how likely you are to get approved for a loan without actually applying. You’ll just have to give the lender some basic personal information like your Social Security number. Pre-qualification will not affect your credit. If you are pre-qualified, you won’t necessarily be approved. But your chances are about as high as they can get.

By this point, you should make a decision on which loan to apply for. When you apply, it’s best to do so online. That way, you’ll have the potential for the fastest decision possible. The application will ask for basic personal information like your name and address, plus financial information like your income, employment status and monthly housing payment. Be sure to fill out everything accurately and truthfully.

All that’s left now is to wait for a decision. It could happen instantly or could take a few weeks, based on how well you meet the loan’s credit and income requirements and how quickly the lender can verify your personal information. If you’re approved, the lender will send you a bank transfer for the amount of the loan. Make sure you manage the loan responsibly after that. Pay on time every month, and pay more than the monthly minimum if you’re able to.

Major personal loan requirements include being at least 18 years old, having a bank account, having a good credit history, and having enough income or assets to afford monthly loan payments. Specific personal loan requirements vary by lender, however. Avant requires a credit score of 600 or higher, for example, while … read full answerProsper sets the bar at 640 and SoFi asks for 680. Most lenders don’t disclose annual income requirements, but two exceptions are LendingPoint ($20,000+) and Citibank ($10,500+).

Some personal loans may have additional requirements, such as collateral to secure the loan. Lenders will also look at plenty of other factors when you apply, including your existing debt, employment status and housing payments.

Personal Loan Requirements

18+ Years Old

A loan is a binding contract, and most states won’t let you enter into a binding contract unless you are at least 18. Lenders generally do not offer loans to minors as a result.

SSN and U.S. Residency

Many (but not all) lenders will only make loans to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. You may be required to have a Social Security number. Some lenders allow applicants to use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or a Visa instead.

Bank Account

Lenders usually send the funds as a direct deposit to a bank account. Certain types of loans, such as ones where you provide collateral, may not require you to have a bank account. But most loans will.

Steady Income

Lenders need to be confident that you will repay the loan. So you will need to demonstrate that you have a source of income and/or significant assets. Lenders don’t generally disclose minimum income requirements, but you must be able to manage your monthly payments in addition to any other debts/expenses you have.

Credit Score of 585-700+

Lenders require applicants to meet a certain credit score threshold for approval. The most popular lenders usually require a credit score of at least 585 to 700. However, these requirements aren’t set in stone. Having a high income might help make up for a low credit score, and vice versa.

Reasonable Financial Obligations

If the lender determines that you already owe too much money relative to your income and assets (i.e. the amount you can afford to pay back), you probably won’t qualify. Lenders will also consider monthly expenses like housing payments that will decrease the amount of money you can put toward repaying a loan.

Stable Employment

It’s not impossible to get a loan if you don’t have a job. But if you’re unemployed you’ll need a strong alternative source of income, such as a pension, government benefits or investments.

Bottom Line

Overall, good credit and disposable income are the two most important personal loan requirements. You can check your latest credit score for free as well as compare personal loans based on their minimum credit score requirements on WalletHub. Lenders will be able to provide more detailed information about other requirements.

Although each lender is a bit different, the basics of the application and approval processes are pretty much the same. You can take the same general approach to maximize your odds of success, too.

Personal loan applications require several key pieces of personal information, including your name, SSN/ITIN, address and date of birth, along with financial information such as your yearly income and monthly mortgage/rent payments. It usually takes less than 7 business days to get a decision and to receive your money if you’re approved.

Yes, it's possible to get a loan without a credit history, either on your own or with a co-signer. Your options to get a loan with no credit and no co-signer include credit-builder loans, secured personal loans and home equity loans. But you won’t be able to qualify for regular personal loans without collateral because they usually require a 600+ credit score and a few years of credit history. That’s where a co-signer comes in handy. By getting someone with established credit history to co-sign for you, you can use their credit rather than yours during the approval process.… read full answer

If all else fails, you could always try to get a loan from a family member or friend, since they won’t necessarily base their decision on your credit history. Lastly, if you want a small loan of $300 - $500 that’s available whenever you need it, you can look into credit cards.

How to get a loan with no credit in 2023

1. Consider credit-builder loans
2. Put up collateral for a secured personal loan
3. Take advantage of home equity
4. Get a co-signer
5. Borrow from family/friends
6. Get a credit card for no credit

Credit-Builder Loans

Credit-builder loans are the first avenue to pursue if you don’t need cash immediately and are just looking to establish credit history. They’re fairly simple. The lender puts a sum of money into a savings account for you, and you repay that sum over time. The lender then reports those payments to the credit bureaus. And at the end, you receive access to the account, so you get the money.

The best places to look for credit-builder loans are your local credit unions and banks. If you need cash right away, you’ll have to try another option.

Secured Personal Loans

A secured personal loan requires you to put up something you own as collateral to take out the loan. Some possible things you could use as collateral include your car, property, stocks, or even valuable possessions like art. If you default on the loan, the lender can take your collateral as repayment so they don’t lose money.

People with no credit shouldn’t have trouble getting approved for a secured personal loan, as they’re generally targeted toward people who have bad credit. No credit history is more positive than a history of irresponsibility. And since there’s little risk to the lender, approval rates are high. Before going into a secured personal loan, be sure that you’re confident you can make your payments. You don’t want to risk losing your collateral.

Other “no credit/bad credit” lenders exist. But most of the time, if they’re not secured loans they’re payday lenders. A payday lender gives you a loan (plus a huge fee) that you will pay back with your next paycheck. Avoid these loans at all costs – they are predatory and charge gigantic fees just to leave you still in a difficult position after you get your paycheck.

Home Equity Loans

Another way to obtain a loan with no credit is to get a home equity loan. A home equity loan is a secured loan that lets you borrow based on the market value of your house minus the amount you have left to pay on the mortgage. That could potentially give you access to a lot of money. However, the danger is that if you default, you could lose your house.

The other catch is that if you have no credit, you probably don’t have a mortgage, considering credit scores and reports are a big part of the mortgage decision-making process.

Co-signing

Even if you have no credit, it’s possible to get a regular unsecured personal loan if you have a co-signer with established credit history. When you apply, the lender will not base their decision on your credit, but rather on the credit of the co-signer. So if you can find a co-signer with good or excellent credit history, your chances of qualifying for a loan are high.

But it’s important to know that the co-signer provides a guarantee of repayment. If you’re unable to pay the loan back, the co-signer is held responsible. Make sure you are confident in your repayment abilities so you don’t create a bad situation for your co-signer.

Loans From Family/Friends

One simple way to get a loan with no credit is to borrow from a family member or friend. Unlike with a bank, credit union or online lender, you can make a personal appeal. And depending on the person, you may get lenient terms for repayment and low interest.

But if you pursue this option, be sure to make a contract in writing with explicit terms. It’s important for the other person to be able to hold you accountable. The biggest danger with this type of loan is that if you default, your relationship with the other person may be ruined. So you must decide if that’s a risk you want to take, versus the risk of collateral from another type of lender.

Credit Cards

If you need to borrow $300 or less, you might want to apply for a credit card for no credit instead. There are several credit cards available where you don’t need any credit history to get approved, so long as you have some form of income. You probably won’t get a big credit line to start (usually around $300), but you can tap in to it any time you need.