Iowa Payday Frequency Laws 2024

How Frequently Must Iowa Employers Pay Employees?

Like Iowa, the majority of states have labor law regulations that require employers to pay employees on regularly scheduled paydays with a certain minimum frequency.

Iowa employers are required to pay most hourly employees via a regular payday at least weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly.

In Iowa, any predictable and reliable pay schedule is permitted as long as employees get paid at least monthly and no later than 12 days (excluding Sundays and legal holidays) after the end of the time period in which the wages were earned. This requirement can be waived by written agreement by the employee. Employees paid via commission have different payday requirements.

Exemptions from Payday Laws

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), payday laws (and many other labor laws) were designed especially to protect hourly employees, rather than highly-compensated salaried employees. Therefore, payday laws often exempt or have looser requirements for employees considered to be "executives, professionals, or administrative employees". Outside salespeople, who are often paid on commission, are also often exempt from payday laws.

Other Payday Laws

In addition to regulating payday frequency, Iowa has other labor laws regulating things such as payroll wage garnishment, payment methods (suh as check and direct deposit), vacation pay, and final payroll following termination.

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