Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Jun. 01, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	NICHOLAS FINANCIAL INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001000045
Trading Symbol	nick
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--03-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-Known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Common Stock Shares Outstanding		12,161,729
Entity Public Float			$ 116,761,022
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2013
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY