Best Joint Personal Loans in September 2026
Applying with a co-borrower can help you qualify and unlock lower rates and more money
Advertising Disclosures
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- Joint personal loans let two people apply together and share full repayment responsibility.
- Applying with a strong co-borrower can lower rates or help you qualify.
- Both borrowers’ credit is affected if payments are missed.
- Some lenders offer joint loans, while others only allow cosigners. They come with different risks and benefits.
- Clear communication is essential before getting a loan with another person.
Joint personal loan rates
| Lender | User rating | APR | Term | Amount | See Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6.99% to 18.00% | 6 to 84 months |
$500 – $50k |
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|
6.09% to 17.99% (with autopay) | 12 to 60 months |
$600 – $50k |
||
|
8.99% to 35.99% | 24 to 72 months |
$2k – $50k |
||
|
6.99% to 35.49% (with discounts) | 24 to 84 months |
$5k – $100k |
||
|
7.74% to 35.99% (with discounts) | 24 to 84 months |
$1k – $50k |
Read more about how we made our picks for the best joint personal loans.
Best for: Saving money with a short-term joint loan – First Tech
- APR
- 6.99% to 18.00%
- Save with one of the shortest starting loan terms on the market
- Low rates
- Good for small or mid-sized loans
- Must become a member to get a loan
First Tech Federal Credit Union’s low rates, short loan terms and low starting amounts can help you save money on your loan. Choosing short loan terms, like First Tech’s 6-month starting term, can help you save money on interest for your joint personal loan.
Plus, First Tech lets you borrow as little as $500 (compared to the standard $1,000 or higher), so you probably won’t have to borrow (and pay interest on) more than you need.
You must meet at least one of the following criteria to join First Tech:
- Work for a partnering employer
- Be related to a current First Tech member
- Live in Lane County, Oregon
- Become a member of the Computer History Museum or Financial Fitness Association (First Tech may pay for your first year of membership, and you won’t have to maintain membership to keep your First Tech account)
Best for: Small, fast joint loans – PenFed Credit Union
- APR (with autopay)
- 6.09% to 17.99%
- Get money as soon as the next day
- Borrow as little as $600 (typical starting point is $1,000 or higher)
- Low rates
- Need to join the credit union to get your money
Like First Tech, PenFed offers loans with affordable rates, low starting amounts and short starting loan terms — all things that help you save on your loan. PenFed also has a short funding timeline, so you can get your money as soon as the next day.
You’ll need to join PenFed in order to get a loan, but that’s easy — you can apply for your loan and PenFed membership at the same time.
To qualify for a PenFed Credit Union loan, you must meet the following requirements:
- Membership: PenFed membership (anyone can join)
- Administrative: Open a PenFed savings account with a $5 deposit; may need to submit documents to verify your identity and income
Best for: Better approval odds with peer-to-peer joint loans – Prosper
- APR
- 8.99% to 35.99%
- Lets you combine two strategies to boost your approval odds
- Fair credit OK
- Get money in as soon as one business day
- Charges fees on every loan
You may already know that it’s easier to qualify for a loan with a co-borrower who has excellent credit, but did you know that peer-to-peer loans are also typically easier to get? Prosper allows you to use both strategies to boost your odds of getting a loan (and getting lower rates).
But unlike PenFed and First Tech, Prosper charges a one-time origination fee of 1.00% – 9.99% on every loan. Prosper will take this fee out of your loan money before sending it to you.
To get a loan with Prosper, you must meet the following requirements:
- Age: Be 18 or older
- Administrative: Have a U.S. bank account and Social Security number
- Residency: Live in an eligible U.S. state (Prosper operates in most states, with only a small number of states excluded)
- Credit score: 600+
Best for: Large, fast joint loans – SoFi
- APR (with discounts)
- 6.99% to 35.49%
Terms and conditions apply. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or other eligible status, be residing in the U.S., and meet SoFi’s underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. If approved, your actual rate will be within the range of rates at the time of application and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, and other factors. If SoFi is unable to offer you a loan but matches you for a loan with a participating bank, then your rate may be outside the range of rates listed above. Rates and Terms are subject to change at any time without notice. SoFi Personal Loans can be used for any lawful personal, family, or household purposes and may not be used for post-secondary education expenses. Minimum loan amount is $5,000. The average of SoFi Personal Loans funded in 2025 was around $32K. Information current as of 07/20/26. SoFi Personal Loans originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). See SoFi.com/legal for state-specific license details. See SoFi.com/eligibility for details and state restrictions. Fixed rates from 6.99% APR to 35.49% APR. APR reflect the 0.25% autopay interest rate discount and a 0.25% member rate discount. SoFi Platform personal loans are made either by SoFi Bank, N.A. or , Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, operating from its Delaware branch, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender. SoFi may receive compensation if you take out a loan originated by Cross River Bank. These rate ranges are current as of 07/20/26 and are subject to change without notice. Not all rates and amounts available in all states. See SoFi Personal Loan eligibility details at https://www.sofi.com/eligibilitycriteria/#eligibility-personal. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including evaluation of your credit worthiness, income, and other factors. Loan amounts range from $5,000– $100,000. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 9.99% of your loan amount for Cross River Bank originated loans which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive and for SoFi Bank originated loans have an origination fee of 0%-7%, will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive. Autopay: The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. Member Rate Discount: To be eligible for an additional 0.25% interest rate reduction on a Personal Loan, you must, within 31 days of loan funding, either (1) meet SoFi Plus eligibility criteria, (2) receive an Eligible Direct Deposit into a SoFi Checking or Savings account, or (3) receive at least $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits into a SoFi Checking or Savings account. You must continue to meet at least one of the above eligibility criteria every 31 days to maintain the discount. See the SoFi Plus terms for details on SoFi Plus subscription. For more details on Eligible Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits, please see https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. Once you become eligible during the initial period, the discount will be removed or reinstated depending on whether the criteria have been met. Each time your loan is re-amortized, your monthly payment amount will change based upon the interest rate that was in place. SoFi reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time for unenrolled participants. You are not required to meet these criteria to be approved for a loan.
- Borrow up to $100,000
- Get your money as soon as the same day
- No required fees
- Not good for small loans (need to borrow at least $5,000)
Consider SoFi if you need to borrow a lot of money fast. While lenders typically cap their loans at $50,000, SoFi offers up to double that amount. And with money available as soon as the same day, SoFi offers some of the quickest loans on the market.
Still, keep in mind that SoFi will have to check both your credit and your co-borrower’s, which could take more time than an individual loan application and prevent you from getting your loan funds quickly.
You must meet the requirements below to get a loan from SoFi:
- Age: Be the age of majority in your state (typically 18)
- Citizenship: Be a U.S. citizen, eligible permanent resident or nonpermanent resident (a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient or asylum-seeker, for instance)
- Employment: Have a job or job offer with a start date within 90 days, or regular income from another source
- Credit score: 600+
Best for: Getting multiple discounts – Upgrade
- APR (with discounts)
- 7.74% to 35.99%
- Offers multiple discounts
- Fair credit OK
- Get money in as soon as one business day
- Charges fees on every loan
Many lenders offer discounts only for autopay, but Upgrade offers four ways to get lower rates: signing up for automatic payments, using your car as collateral, using your eligible, built-in home fixtures as collateral, and using the loan money to consolidate debt. If you’re applying with a co-borrower to get better rates, you can lower your rate even more with these discounts.
If you decide to go with Upgrade, make sure the discounts and lower joint loan rates more than make up for the one-time origination fee that Upgrade charges (1.85% – 9.99%). Upgrade will take this fee from your loan before sending you the loan money.
To qualify for a loan through Upgrade, you must meet the requirements below:
- Age: Be at least 18 years old (19 in some states)
- Citizenship: Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or live in the U.S. with a valid visa
- Administrative: Have a valid bank account and email address
- Credit score: 600+
What is a joint loan?
A joint personal loan is a loan you apply for with another person (your co-borrower).
Both you and your co-borrower have equal rights to the loan money and equal responsibilities for repaying the loan.
A co-borrower with excellent credit or high income can improve your chances of getting a loan. They also help you get a lower rate, which means a cheaper loan.
The terms co-borrower and cosigner sound similar but mean different things. Cosigners don’t have equal right to the money and are only responsible for paying back the loan if the primary borrower stops making payments. Missed payments can impact both parties’ credit scores.
Should you apply for a joint personal loan?
Signs to consider a joint personal loan
- You want to save money with lower rates
- You want better odds of qualifying
- Your co-borrower has good credit and/or high income
- You need to borrow a large amount of money
- You and the other person will both be using the money
- You’re sure you can both afford the monthly payments
Signs to consider other options
- The loan will stretch your budget
- You want to protect your co-borrower’s credit
- You don’t want to give another person access to the money
- Your co-borrower isn’t willing or able to pay if you can’t
- You need money ASAP (it can take longer for lenders to approve joint loans because they review both borrowers’ credit)
Is adding a co-borrower worth the risk?
Combining finances can put pressure on even the most stable of relationships. It’s easy to justify a joint loan when the money is for a shared expense, but it can be hard to put your relationship on the line when the money is just for you.
Signs it could be worth the risk
- The loan is for an essential expense
- You’ve had a direct, frank financial conversation with your co-borrower
- You have a budget and plan to make payments on time
- Your co-borrower is willing to take on payments if you can’t afford them
- You’ve already exhausted other options, including government benefits in your state, if you need money for housing, food, utilities or medical care
Ways to prevent damage to your relationship
-
Create a budget.
Use an app like YNAB or Monarch Money to see how much room you have for your monthly payments. -
Make sure you can afford payments.
Use the LendingTree loan calculator to estimate your monthly payments and compare them to your budget. -
Consider signing up for autopay.
Missing payments will hurt your co-borrower’s credit, too. Signing up for automatic payments will reduce the likelihood of that happening. -
Talk about expectations with your co-borrower.
If you can’t afford payments, is your co-borrower willing to take them on? Do they want you to send proof of payment every month?
If you can’t have a direct conversation about finances with your prospective co-borrower, reconsider getting a loan together. It will likely be even harder to talk about finances down the road if things don’t go according to plan.
Alternatives to joint personal loans
Secured loan
Best for improving approval odds and rates using a valuable asset
Putting up collateral with a secured loan can also lower your rates and improve your odds of qualifying. But if you fall behind on payments, you risk losing your collateral.
Individual personal loan
Best for borrowing money when you don’t want to risk your relationship
If you can qualify on your own, a personal loan allows you to borrow money without sharing responsibility and risk with someone else. This is a better fit if you want to keep your finances separate.
Family loan
Best for getting better terms and rates by borrowing directly from someone you know
Borrowing from family could mean lower rates and a cheaper loan, but it also means higher risk of relationship strain if you miss payments or don’t communicate clearly.
Credit card
Best for expenses you can pay off soon
If you can pay off your expense quickly, consider using your credit card. You may be able to borrow interest-free during your credit card’s grace period or use a 0% intro APR credit card to spread payments out over a longer promotional period.
How to apply for a joint personal loan
Applying for a joint personal loan is similar to applying for a regular loan. Here’s how it works.
-
Complete a form (or several).
This is the prequalification stage, where you can check your rates without affecting your credit. Lenders may ask for your co-borrower’s info up front. With LendingTree, you’ll enter only your own details to start. -
Review and compare your offers.
Comparing several offers can help you save thousands on your loan, so apply directly with several lenders or use the LendingTree marketplace to get offers from up to five lenders. -
Submit an application.
Choose an offer and submit a formal application with your co-borrower. The lender will do a hard credit pull on both of you. If approved, the lender will send you your money, typically via direct deposit and within one to five business days.
Don’t wait until your first payment is due (typically 30 days after signing your paperwork) to discuss loan repayment with your co-borrower. Get ahead of any potential disagreements by talking about how you plan to split payments before you sign the loan agreement.
Why use LendingTree?
$3.2B in funding
In 2025 alone, LendingTree helped find $3.2 billion in funding for people seeking personal loans.
$1,659 in savings
LendingTree users save an average of $1,659 just by shopping and comparing rates.
360,000+ loans
In 2025, LendingTree helped find funding for over 360,000 personal loans.
How to find a personal loan with LendingTree
You’d shop around for flights. Why not your loan? LendingTree makes it easy. Instead of applying to just one lender and hoping for a good rate, see multiple lenders compete for your business — so you can choose the best offer.
Tell us what you need
Take two minutes to tell us who you are and how much money you need. It’s free, simple and secure.
Shop your offers
LendingTree users get 11 personal loan offers on average. Compare your offers side by side to get the best deal.
Get your money
Pick a lender and sign your loan paperwork. You could see money in your account in as soon as 24 hours.
How we chose the best joint personal loans
We reviewed more than 40 lenders and loan marketplaces to determine the overall best five joint personal loans. To make our list, lenders must offer joint loans with competitive APRs.
From there, we assessed each lender or marketplace across four categories: eligibility and access; cost to borrow; loan terms and options; repayment support and tools.
According to our standardized rating and review process, the best joint personal loans come from First Tech Federal Credit Union, PenFed Credit Union, Prosper, SoFi and Upgrade.
Our categories
We assess how easy it is for people to qualify and apply. This includes state availability, soft-credit prequalification, membership requirements, funding speed and whether borrowers with less-than-excellent credit can get a loan.
We evaluate how affordable the loans are based on minimum and maximum APRs, loan fees and rate discounts. Lenders with unclear or potentially predatory costs receive lower scores.
We consider repayment term flexibility, loan amount ranges and whether options like secured loans, joint loans or direct-to-creditor payments are offered — plus whether the lender clearly communicates these options.
We evaluate borrower experience after funding: customer service access, hardship or forbearance programs, payment flexibility and digital tools like mobile apps or credit monitoring.
Our process
We gather data directly from companies through their websites, disclosures and direct communication with company representatives. Our editorial team verifies and updates information regularly. We value transparency and award less favorable scores when lenders obscure or omit details.
Our editorial team applies the same scoring model and standards to every lender. Lenders cannot pay to influence our ratings. Read more about our editorial guidelines.
Why trust our methodology?
Our writers and editors dig through the facts, contact lenders directly and even go through the application process ourselves if it helps better explain what you can expect. As a Certified Financial Education Instructor℠, I’m committed to breaking down complex financial details so people can make confident, informed decisions with their money.
Jessica’s experience in editing and financial education helps shape LendingTree articles that are clear, accurate and truly useful to readers. Her certification means our recommendations are built on a foundation of consumer-first financial knowledge — not just numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it’s possible to get a joint personal loan. Many reputable personal loan lenders — including the lenders on this page — allow you to apply for a joint loan with another person.
Yes, there are two ways to apply for a loan with another person: You can apply for a joint loan with a co-borrower who is equally responsible for paying back the loan, or you can apply with a cosigner who’s only responsible for paying back the loan if you stop making payments.
Joint personal loans come with pros and cons. Applying for a joint loan with someone who has excellent credit can help you get lower rates — or help you qualify for a loan in the first place. But the other person will be equally responsible for repaying the loan, so have a frank conversation about money before mixing finances with family or friends.