To help potential borrowers with their search, WalletHub’s editors picked out the best personal loans that allow co-signers or joint applications from among our partners in several categories.
Best Joint Personal Loans of 2021
| Loan Provider | Best For | APR Range |
| LendingClub | Fair credit | 7.04% - 35.89% |
| FreedomPlus | Low minimum APR | 7.99% - 29.99% |
When looking for a personal loan that allows co-signers or offers a joint application, you’ll want to consider all the same things you would when getting a personal loan by yourself. That includes APRs, fees, loan amounts, payoff periods, and approval and funding timelines. However, you may be able to consider loans with higher credit score and income requirements than you can personally meet, particularly if you have a co-signer.
Some personal loan providers do not offer the option to add a co-signer, but rather have joint loans. With a joint loan, there are also two names on the application. However, the two applicants have equal access to the loan and are equally responsible for repaying the borrowed amount, as opposed to one person backing up the other. In this case, both applicants’ credit histories and incomes get the same weight in application decisions.
Personal loans that allow co-signers or joint applications aren’t especially hard to find, but they’re not the standard, either. Of the personal loan providers that WalletHub has reviewed, around half provide one of these two options, with joint applications being more common.
Before applying for a personal loan with a co-signer or joint applicant, it’s a good idea for both of you to check for pre-qualification. WalletHub’s free pre-qualification tool will show you the odds of approval with various lenders, along with potential APRs.
Below, you can see a more detailed comparison of personal loans that allow co-signers or joint applications from WalletHub’s partners.
- Excellent Credit
- Good Credit
- Fair Credit
- Bad Credit
- No Credit/Limited History
- Any
- 1 day
- 3 days or less
- 7 days or less
Universal Credit $5,000 Loan • 36 Months
- Fixed rates and payments with a clear pay off date.
- Flexible loan options: explore multiple options and pick the loan amount and term that best fits your budget and timeline.
- Fast Funding. Money is sent to your bank account within a day of clearing any verifications.
- Automatic payments and ability to customize the due date: manage your account online or via the mobile app.
- No prepayment penalties.
- Access to free credit score monitoring, educational tools, and personalized recommendations to help you understand and make the most of your credit.
* Personal loans made through Universal Credit feature Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) of 11.69%-35.93%. All personal loans have a 5.25% to 8.99% origination fee, which is deducted from the loan proceeds. Lowest rates require Autopay and paying off a portion of existing debt directly. Loans feature repayment terms of 36 to 60 months. For example, if you receive a $10,000 loan with a 36-month term and a 28.47% APR (which includes a 22.99% yearly interest rate and a 7% one-time origination fee), you would receive $9,300 in your account and would have a required monthly payment of $387.05. Over the life of the loan, your payments would total $13,933.62. The APR on your loan may be higher or lower and your loan offers may not have multiple term lengths available. Actual rate depends on credit score, credit usage history, loan term, and other factors. Late payments or subsequent charges and fees may increase the cost of your fixed rate loan. There is no fee or penalty for repaying a loan early.
Marcus by Goldman Sachs $5,000 Loan • 60 Months
- No Fees. We don't deduct a sign-up fee from your loan amount.
- Loans from $3,500 to $40,000 and fixed rates from 6.99% to 24.99% APR. Only the most creditworthy applicants qualify for the lowest rates and largest loans amounts. Rates will generally be higher for longer term loans.
- Tailored monthly payment options designed to fit your budget.
- Marcus is backed by over 150 years of Goldman Sachs' financial expertise.
- No origination fee, prepayment fee, or late fee - You only pay interest for the additional days.
- Discount when enrolled in Autopay.
- You may be required to have some of your funds sent directly to creditors to pay down certain types of unsecured debt
Your loan terms are not guaranteed and are subject to our verification of your identity and credit information. Rates range from 6.99% to 24.99% APR, and loan terms range from 36 to 72 months. For NY residents, rates range from 6.99%-24.74%. Only the most creditworthy applicants qualify for the lowest rates and longest loan terms. Rates will generally be higher for longer-term loans. To obtain a loan, you must submit additional documentation including an application that may affect your credit score. The availability of a loan offer and the terms of your actual offer will vary due to a number of factors, including your loan purpose and our evaluation of your creditworthiness. Rates will vary based on many factors, such as your creditworthiness (for example, credit score and credit history) and the length of your loan (for example, rates for 36 month loans are generally lower than rates for 72 month loans). Your maximum loan amount may vary depending on your loan purpose, income and creditworthiness. Your verifiable income must support your ability to repay your loan. Marcus by Goldman Sachs is a brand of Goldman Sachs Bank USA and all loans are issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch. Applications are subject to additional terms and conditions. Receive a 0.25% APR reduction when you enroll in AutoPay. This reduction will not be applied if AutoPay is not in effect. When enrolled, a larger portion of your monthly payment will be applied to your principal loan amount and less interest will accrue on your loan, which may result in a smaller final payment. See loan agreement for details.
Axos $5,000 Loan • 60 Months
Upstart $5,000 Loan • 60 Months
Marcus by Goldman Sachs $5,000 Loan • 36 Months
- No Fees. We don't deduct a sign-up fee from your loan amount.
- Loans from $3,500 to $40,000 and fixed rates from 6.99% to 24.99% APR. Only the most creditworthy applicants qualify for the lowest rates and largest loans amounts. Rates will generally be higher for longer term loans.
- Tailored monthly payment options designed to fit your budget.
- Marcus is backed by over 150 years of Goldman Sachs' financial expertise.
- No origination fee, prepayment fee, or late fee - You only pay interest for the additional days.
- Discount when enrolled in Autopay.
- You may be required to have some of your funds sent directly to creditors to pay down certain types of unsecured debt
Your loan terms are not guaranteed and are subject to our verification of your identity and credit information. Rates range from 6.99% to 24.99% APR, and loan terms range from 36 to 72 months. For NY residents, rates range from 6.99%-24.74%. Only the most creditworthy applicants qualify for the lowest rates and longest loan terms. Rates will generally be higher for longer-term loans. To obtain a loan, you must submit additional documentation including an application that may affect your credit score. The availability of a loan offer and the terms of your actual offer will vary due to a number of factors, including your loan purpose and our evaluation of your creditworthiness. Rates will vary based on many factors, such as your creditworthiness (for example, credit score and credit history) and the length of your loan (for example, rates for 36 month loans are generally lower than rates for 72 month loans). Your maximum loan amount may vary depending on your loan purpose, income and creditworthiness. Your verifiable income must support your ability to repay your loan. Marcus by Goldman Sachs is a brand of Goldman Sachs Bank USA and all loans are issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch. Applications are subject to additional terms and conditions. Receive a 0.25% APR reduction when you enroll in AutoPay. This reduction will not be applied if AutoPay is not in effect. When enrolled, a larger portion of your monthly payment will be applied to your principal loan amount and less interest will accrue on your loan, which may result in a smaller final payment. See loan agreement for details.
The best personal loan provider with joint applications is LightStream. LightStream lets two people apply together and looks at their combined income. However, they weigh the two applicants’ credit scores equally. LightStream offers APRs of 5.95% to 16.79% and has no origination fee. Their loans range from $5,000 to $100,000, with repayment periods of 12 to 144 months. Their minimum credit score requirement is reportedly 660.
