Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Feb. 01, 2016
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	NICHOLAS FINANCIAL INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001000045
Trading Symbol	nick
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--03-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock Shares Outstanding		12,463,285
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3