Georgia Promissory Note Template

A Georgia promissory note is a written promise to repay a loan, signed by the borrower and made out to the lender. This Georgia promissory note template records the amount borrowed, the interest rate and the payment dates. Fill it out online or download the PDF.

Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Georgia law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.

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Every promissory note names the borrower and the lender, the sum lent, the interest rate and the due date. This holds for a promissory note for personal loans as well. Notes come in two types, and the Georgia template lets you pick either one.

  • A secured note: the borrower pledges an asset, called collateral, to back the loan. Examples are a car or other property.
  • An unsecured note: no asset backs the loan. It suits a smaller sum or a borrower with a record of repaying on time.

Apart from the collateral lines, both types use the same details.

What Is the Maximum Interest Rate on a Georgia Promissory Note?

Georgia's usury law, O.C.G.A. § 7-4-2, sets the interest on a loan. Where a written contract does not establish the rate, the legal rate of interest is 7 percent per year, simple interest. On a loan of $3,000 or less, the rate cannot exceed 16 percent per year, simple interest.[1.1][1.2]

Where the principal amount involved is $3,000.00 or less, such rate shall not exceed 16 percent per annum simple interest on any loan, advance, or forbearance to enforce the collection of any sum of money

O.C.G.A. § 7-4-2(a)(2)

In plain words, a lender cannot charge more than 16 percent a year on a loan of this size. The cap does not apply to a loan made under another law, which follows its own rate rule.[1.1]

Other rules in the same section affect a promissory note:

  • Interest means a charge for the use of money. It can be computed over the term of the contract at the rate stated in the contract, precomputed at a stated rate on the scheduled principal balance, or computed in any other way or form.[1.1]
  • Unless the contract stipulates otherwise, there is no prepayment penalty.[1.1]
  • An origination fee or discount points on a loan secured by an interest in real estate are not interest. They are not counted when interest is calculated.[1.1]
  • On acceleration of the maturity of a loan with precomputed interest, unearned interest must be rebated to the debtor. The rebate must leave the rate earned no greater than the rate established by the original contract.[1.1]
  • Fees that a bank and a depositor agree to in a written account agreement, such as overdraft or returned payment charges, are not interest.[1.1]

A lender who charges too much loses all the interest. A person who violates O.C.G.A. § 7-4-2 must forfeit the entire interest charged, taken, or contracted for. No further penalty or forfeiture is allowed.[1.3]

Tip: write the rate you agreed on in the interest rate blank of the form. The 7 percent legal rate steps in only where a written contract does not establish the rate.[1.1]

Georgia Promissory Note Form Details

Document NameGeorgia Promissory Note Form
Other NameGA Promissory Note
Interest Rate7% per year simple interest if no written contract sets a rate
Up to 16% per year simple interest on loans of $3,000 or less
Relevant LawsGeorgia Code, Section 7-4-2
Avg. Time to Fill Out10 minutes
# of Fillable Fields28
Available FormatsAdobe PDF
Template Preview
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Popular Local Promissory Note Forms

A promissory note (sometimes called just note) is considered a useful lending tool used regularly by both individuals and businesses throughout all states as a funds source and an alternative to banks. Find out more about the most popular states searched by our website users when it comes to promissory notes.


How Do You Fill Out a Georgia Promissory Note?

The Georgia promissory note template is a three-page PDF with 28 fillable fields. The steps below follow the form's own parts, from the top of page 1 to the signature blocks on page 3.

Fill it in on screen with the online PDF editor or print it and write by hand.

The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Georgia promissory note template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.

  1. Date, amount, parties and interest rate (page 1). Enter the date and the principal amount at the top. Then write the borrower's name and address and the lender's name and address. Last, enter the interest rate as a percent per year.
    Georgia promissory note: GEORGIA PROMISSORY NOTE, filled with sample entries
    Step 1: sample entries, not a real document.
  2. Choose the payment due day (page 1). Tick one box: payments due on a set day of each calendar month, or on a set day of each calendar quarter. Write the day number on the line of the box you ticked.
    Georgia promissory note: Choose One, filled with sample entries
    Step 2: sample entries, not a real document.
  3. Choose the payment amount and set the maturity date (page 1). Tick a fixed payment amount, or tick an amortization schedule and enter the number of years. With a schedule, the payments are listed on Exhibit A. Then write the maturity date, the day the whole balance is due.
    Georgia promissory note: Choose One, filled with sample entries
    Step 3: sample entries, not a real document.
  4. Choose unsecured or secured (page 2). Tick unsecured, or tick secured and list the asset or assets on the collateral lines. The rest of page 2 is printed text, so there is nothing else to fill in.
    Georgia promissory note: Choose One, filled with sample entries
    Step 4: sample entries, not a real document.
  5. Borrower signature block (page 3). The borrower signs on the By line and prints the name and title.
    Georgia promissory note: BORROWER, filled with sample entries
    Step 5: sample entries, not a real document.
  6. Lender signature block (page 3). The lender signs on the By line and prints the name and title.
    Georgia promissory note: LENDER, filled with sample entries
    Step 6: sample entries, not a real document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a Georgia promissory note usually come down to the interest rate, the size of the loan, and the way the document is filled out. The answers below cover the legal rate, the cap on small loans, what a lender risks by charging too much, and how to use the template.

Is a 30% interest rate illegal?

On a loan of $3,000 or less, a 30 percent rate is above the legal limit. Georgia caps the rate on a loan of that size at 16 percent per year, simple interest.[1.2]

Not on a loan of $3,000 or less. The rate cannot exceed 16 percent per year, simple interest, on a loan of that size, and 35.93 percent is well above it.[1.2]

What Is the Highest Legal Interest Rate on a Personal Loan?

For a loan with a principal amount of $3,000 or less, Georgia law sets the highest rate at 16 percent per year, simple interest.[1.2]

The legal rate of interest is 7 percent per year, simple interest, where a written contract does not establish the rate.[1.1] A loan of $3,000 or less cannot carry more than 16 percent per year.[1.2]

What is the maximum interest rate allowed by law?

On a loan of $3,000 or less, the maximum is 16 percent per year, simple interest. The cap covers any loan, advance, or forbearance to enforce the collection of any sum of money, unless the loan is made under another law.[1.2]

What are Usury Laws and Maximum Interest Rates?

State usury law sets whether the interest a note may charge is capped, and at what rate. In Georgia, O.C.G.A. § 7-4-2 sets these limits:

  • 7 percent per year, simple interest, where a written contract does not establish the rate.[1.1]
  • 16 percent per year, simple interest, as the cap on a loan of $3,000 or less.[1.2]
  • Forfeiture of the entire interest by a lender who violates the law.[1.3]

General information, not legal or tax advice.

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Sources

The rules on this page come from the Georgia usury statute, O.C.G.A. §§ 7-4-2 to 7-4-10(a). Each bracketed number in the text points to the section listed below, so you can check the wording yourself.

  1. O.C.G.A. §§ 7-4-2 to 7-4-10(a).
    • 1.1 § 7-4-2
    • 1.2 § 7-4-2(a)(2)
    • 1.3 § 7-4-10(a)
Published: Aug 26, 2022
Jennifer M. Settles
Jennifer M. Settles
Author & Attorney
With over 25 years of experience as a business and transactional attorney, Jennifer has mastered the craft of closing highly successful deals for her clients. Through her wide-ranging expertise in commercial contracts, real estate transactions, M&A and corporate law, Jennifer secures results that are second-to-none.