As long as you’re at least 18 years old, you’re capable of getting a payday loan, but whether you should or not is another question entirely. First, you should ask yourself a couple of questions; most importantly, do you have a steady job and steady income? Every payday loan company will want to see at least one of your recent paychecks as proof that you are employed and to help determine how much money to lend you. At 20 years old you probably don’t have a large weekly income and you may not get approved for a loan higher than $500. Think about how much money you are looking to take out and if you’ll able to pay it back promptly, typically within two weeks. This is where many people make a mistake, if you’re taking out a payday loan a week before you get paid next, make sure you understand that you won’t really be receiving a full paycheck for another three weeks, assuming you are paid bi-weekly. If you take out a loan for all or most of what your future paycheck will be, understand that three weeks is a long time to go without any cash flow, so you’ll want to be careful financially during that time period. Also, consider why you’re taking out the loan and if the reason is really worth it, you might reconsider if you’re using it just to go shopping.