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Template

Loan agreement between friends

Before money moves between friends, write down the amount, each repayment date and what happens in a hard month, even if it's just one text and a reply. This free template gives you that text, a full form and optional clauses for a payment log, paying off early and a reminder you both agree on up front, and it leaves interest and the rules on unpaid loans to where you live.

Updated Oct 11, 2026

Pip, the TrustChain guide, holding up a blank card

Pip explains

Agree on the reminder message now, while you're both happy. Then a reminder later is just the plan, not a fight.

I'm a guide, not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice.

Short form

One message. Send it and keep the reply.

The short form, as one message
Happy to. [LOAN AMOUNT] now. Can you send [FIRST PAYMENT] back on [FIRST DATE] and [SECOND PAYMENT] on [SECOND DATE]? Just reply yes so we both have the dates.

Fill in five details

Each field fills one bracket in the text above. The grey text is an example, taken from the filled example further down.

0 of 5

This builder runs in your browser and sends nothing to us. Agreements you create on TrustChain are stored on TrustChain's servers.

How to use it

  1. Fill in the brackets. Fill in every bracket. Where a bracket shows choices split by a slash, keep one. Write money as numbers and dates as dates.
  2. Send the short form. Send the short form as one message to the other person.
  3. Keep the reply. Keep their reply, so you both have the same words to come back to.
  4. Or create it on TrustChain. Or create it as an agreement on TrustChain and invite the other person to sign the same text.

Full form

Fill in every [BRACKET]. Where a bracket shows choices split by a slash, keep one. Write money as numbers and dates as dates. Delete any optional clause you do not need.

Lender:
[LENDER NAME], [LENDER PHONE OR EMAIL]
Borrower:
[BORROWER NAME], [BORROWER PHONE OR EMAIL]
Date agreed:
[DATE AGREED]

  1. 1. What we're doing

    [LENDER NAME] lends [BORROWER NAME] [LOAN AMOUNT] [CURRENCY], sent by [HOW, FOR EXAMPLE BANK TRANSFER] on [TRANSFER DATE]. This is a loan, not a gift.

  2. 2. Price and payment

    [BORROWER NAME] pays it back like this: [REPAYMENT SCHEDULE, FOR EXAMPLE AMOUNT ON DATE AND AMOUNT ON DATE], by [HOW]. Interest: [NONE / THE RATE AND HOW IT IS WORKED OUT].

  3. 3. Changes

    If a date will not work, [BORROWER NAME] says so before that date, and we agree on a new date in writing. Paying early is always fine. Each change is a new message, not an edit.

  4. 4. Dates

    Money sent [TRANSFER DATE]. Payments due [PAYMENT DATES]. Fully repaid by [FINAL DATE].

  5. 5. If someone walks

    If a payment is missed, [LENDER NAME] sends one reminder, and we set a new date within [NUMBER] days. We both agree the unpaid amount is still owed until it is paid, or until we both agree otherwise in writing.

Agreed

  • [LENDER NAME], [DATE]
  • [BORROWER NAME], [DATE]

Each of us keeps a copy.

Optional clauses

Add any that fit, above "Agreed". Each one stands alone.

Often added

  • Reminder wording agreed up front. If a date passes, the reminder will read: "Hey, [DATE] came and went. Still good for this week?"
  • Payment log. Each payment is confirmed in this thread with the amount and the date.
  • Hard times. If [BORROWER NAME] cannot pay for a while, we talk before the next date and write down a new plan.

More clauses

  • Something held until repaid. [LENDER NAME] keeps [ITEM] until the loan is repaid, then returns it within [NUMBER] days.
  • Paying off early. Paying off the rest early is fine at any time, with no extra cost.

Filled example

Happy to. $800 now. Can you send $400 back on Oct 30 and $400 on Nov 13? Just reply yes so we both have the dates.

Check the rules where you live

Rules about charging interest, how long an unpaid loan can be claimed, and what a record of a loan should show can differ where you live. If you add interest, hold something until the loan is repaid, or lend a large amount, check the rules or ask a local professional first. Lend what you could live without.

Use it on TrustChain

A text and a yes record what you said. On TrustChain, the same lines become one agreement you both sign.

New identity checks are paused for now. If you verified before, you can still sign; if not, signing waits until they're back. Drafting, reading, sharing a link and looking up records all work.

  • Each of you passes an identity check by Sumsub before you can sign.
  • You both sign the same final text, and each signature goes into a timestamped audit trail.
  • Once you've both signed, a public record link that anyone can open without an account shows the status, never your identities.
  • Anchoring is optional. It puts the record's fingerprint in a dated Polygon transaction, and only an anchored record is tamper-evident: change it and it stops matching. On Free each anchor is $1 once your identity is verified; Pro includes 20 a month and Elite 100.
  • Anchoring writes more than a fingerprint: the Polygon transaction carries the fingerprint together with TrustChain's ID for the record, with two empty wallet slots. No agreement text, names or emails are written on-chain.
  • The Free plan includes 1 agreement a month. The person you invite never pays, and your record, certificate and PDF are free on every plan. Prices in USD.

Opens the New agreement form as Loan or repayment, with this text in Scope of work. Free, no card needed.

Questions people ask next

New identity checks are paused for now. If you verified before, you can still sign; if not, signing waits until they're back. Drafting, reading, sharing a link and looking up records all work.

Should I charge interest?

That's up to the two of you. The short form has no interest in it, and the full form has an Interest line where you write none, or the rate and how it's worked out. Rules about charging interest differ where you live, so if you add any, check them or ask a local professional first.

What if they can't pay one month?

The template plans for that. The Changes part says your friend tells you before the date and you agree on a new one in writing, and the Hard times clause says you talk before the next date and write down a new plan. Each new date is a new message, so the first plan stays as you both sent it.

Is an IOU the same thing?

Not quite. An IOU records that a debt exists. This template also records the plan: how much comes back, on which dates, and what you both do if a payment is missed.

Can my friend sign without paying anything?

Yes. The person you invite never pays, on any plan, and the Free plan includes 1 agreement a month for you. Like everyone who signs on TrustChain, your friend passes an identity check by Sumsub before signing.

See also: Plans and prices

Does a signed agreement make sure I get paid back?

No. TrustChain records what you both agreed, who signed and when. It doesn't collect or move money, and what you can do about an unpaid loan depends on where you live. What you do get is the same dates in writing, and a plan for a missed payment that you both said yes to.

Licence and source

This template is from TrustChain's open repository and is licensed CC BY 4.0. Open templates/personal-loan-friends.md on GitHub

Only the template text is CC BY. The rest of this page is not. Read the CC BY 4.0 licence

Not legal advice.