Iowa wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

How to file a wage claim in Iowa

1. Gather your records

   Dates and hours worked, your pay rate, pay stubs or bank deposits, texts or schedules, and the employer's name and address.

2. Ask in writing first (optional)

   A demand letter gives your employer a deadline to pay and shows you tried. Use the free letter on this page.

3. File with Iowa Department of Inspections

   Fill out DIAL's Wage Claim Form and send it in. DIAL takes claims only if the work was done in Iowa, less than one year has passed since the wages were due, and the amount is under $6,500. An investigator contacts you, and DIAL tries to collect your wages, including by suing your employer for you. It is free. You can also sue on your own or with a lawyer. For overtime problems, DIAL sends you to the US Department of Labor.

4. Watch the deadline

   DIAL will not accept a claim more than 1 year after the wages were due (Iowa Code § 91A.10(1)). A lawsuit for wages or penalties must be filed within 2 years (Iowa Code § 614.1(8)).

Minimum wage and overtime in Iowa

Iowa's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, or the federal rate if higher (Iowa Code § 91D.1). New workers may be paid $6.35 for their first 90 days. The state law generally covers employers with at least $300,000 a year in sales, plus some others regardless of size. Cities may not set a higher minimum wage; earlier city and county rates were voided in 2017 (Iowa Code § 364.3(12)).

Minimum wage (2026)

$7.25

Tipped cash wage

$4.35

Overtime

Iowa has no state overtime law; DIAL sends overtime questions to the US Department of Labor. Under federal law (FLSA), most workers get 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. No daily overtime.

Paydays: At least monthly, twice a month, or every two weeks, on regular paydays set in advance. Payday can be no more than 12 days (not counting Sundays and legal holidays) after the end of the pay period (Iowa Code § 91A.3(1)).

Your final paycheck in Iowa

If you are fired or laid off

By the next regular payday for the pay period in which the wages were earned. Commission differences are due within 30 days.

If you quit

Same: by the next regular payday.

Law

Iowa Code § 91A.4

When was your final paycheck due in Iowa?

Enter how your job ended and your last day of work. We show your state’s rule and, when the rule is a simple number of days or your next payday, the date.

Penalties your employer may owe

If your employer intentionally failed to pay, it owes the unpaid wages plus liquidated damages, court costs and attorney's fees (Iowa Code § 91A.8). Liquidated damages are 5% of the unpaid wages for each day unpaid (not counting Sundays, holidays and the first 7 days after payday), up to the amount of the unpaid wages (§ 91A.2(6)). If a late paycheck causes an overdraft on your account, the employer owes the overdraft charge (§ 91A.3(3)(b)).

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not fire you or discriminate against you because you filed a wage complaint, assigned a claim to DIAL, sued, or helped with a case. You can complain to DIAL within 30 days; DIAL can go to court to get your job back with back pay (Iowa Code § 91A.10(5)).

Federal law also makes it illegal to fire or punish you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating in an investigation (US DOL Fact Sheet #77A).

The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces federal wage law without regard to immigration status, and its services are free and confidential whether you are documented or not (US DOL).

Deductions and tips

Your employer may deduct only what the law requires or what you authorize in writing for your benefit. It may not deduct shared-till shortages, breakage or damage you did not cause on purpose, bounced checks, most lost or stolen property, your tips, or most protective equipment (Iowa Code § 91A.5). If you get more than $30 a month in tips, your employer may pay as little as $4.35 an hour, but wage plus tips must average at least $7.25 (Iowa Code § 91D.1; DIAL FAQ).

Good to know in Iowa

• DIAL takes wage claims only under $6,500 and within one year of when wages were due.
• A late paycheck that overdraws your bank account makes the employer liable for the overdraft fee (Iowa Code § 91A.3(3)(b)).
• Iowa cities and counties cannot set their own higher minimum wage (Iowa Code § 364.3(12)).

Forms

• Iowa Wage Claim Form (DIAL)

Wage-theft calculator for Iowa

Work out what you should have been paid: at least the minimum wage for every hour, plus overtime. Then compare it with what you got.

Free demand letter for unpaid wages

A short, firm letter asking your employer to pay what it owes by a deadline. Many workers get paid at this step, and in some states a written demand starts penalties or makes the employer pay your attorney fees later. Fill this in, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail or an email you keep.

Questions about wage claims in Iowa

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