Iowa Mimimum Wage & Wage Claims

    
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Minimum Wage in IowaIowa Minimum Wage Finder
  
Des Moines, Iowa 50317
Iowa Counties

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For detailed information about the minimum wage in your county, please enter your ZIP code. This will direct you to a page providing tailored information about the minimum wage in your area.
Iowa Minimum Wage
     
                   Polk County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Des Moines)  FIPS: 19153                 - pop.492,401               
             
                   Linn County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cedar Rapids)  FIPS: 19113                 - pop.230,299               
             
                   Scott County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Davenport)  FIPS: 19163                 - pop.174,669               
             
                   Johnson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Iowa City)  FIPS: 19103                 - pop.152,854               
             
                   Black Hawk County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Waterloo)  FIPS: 19013                 - pop.131,144               
             
                   Woodbury County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sioux City)  FIPS: 19193                 - pop.105,941               
             
                   Dallas County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Adel)  FIPS: 19049                 - pop.99,678               
             
                   Dubuque County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dubuque)  FIPS: 19061                 - pop.99,266               
             
                   Story County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Nevada)  FIPS: 19169                 - pop.98,537               
             
                   Pottawattamie County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Council Bluffs)  FIPS: 19155                 - pop.93,667               
             
                   Warren County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Indianola)  FIPS: 19181                 - pop.52,403               
             
                   Clinton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Clinton)  FIPS: 19045                 - pop.46,460               
             
                   Muscatine County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Muscatine)  FIPS: 19139                 - pop.43,235               
             
                   Cerro Gordo County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mason City)  FIPS: 19033                 - pop.43,127               
             
                   Marshall County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Marshalltown)  FIPS: 19127                 - pop.40,105               
             
                   Des Moines County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Burlington)  FIPS: 19057                 - pop.38,910               
             
                   Jasper County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Newton)  FIPS: 19099                 - pop.37,813               
             
                   Webster County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fort Dodge)  FIPS: 19187                 - pop.36,999               
             
                   Sioux County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Orange City)  FIPS: 19167                 - pop.35,872               
             
                   Wapello County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ottumwa)  FIPS: 19179                 - pop.35,437               
             
                   Lee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fort Madison)  FIPS: 19111                 - pop.33,555               
             
                   Marion County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Knoxville)  FIPS: 19125                 - pop.33,414               
             
                   Boone County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Boone)  FIPS: 19015                 - pop.26,715               
             
                   Plymouth County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Le Mars)  FIPS: 19149                 - pop.25,698               
             
                   Benton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Vinton)  FIPS: 19011                 - pop.25,575               
             
                   Bremer County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Waverly)  FIPS: 19017                 - pop.24,988               
             
                   Washington County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Washington)  FIPS: 19183                 - pop.22,565               
             
                   Mahaska County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Oskaloosa)  FIPS: 19123                 - pop.22,190               
             
                   Buena Vista County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Storm Lake)  FIPS: 19021                 - pop.20,823               
             
                   Carroll County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carroll)  FIPS: 19027                 - pop.20,760               
             
                   Jones County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Anamosa)  FIPS: 19105                 - pop.20,646               
             
                   Buchanan County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Independence)  FIPS: 19019                 - pop.20,565               
             
                   Henry County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mount Pleasant)  FIPS: 19087                 - pop.20,482               
             
                   Winneshiek County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Decorah)  FIPS: 19191                 - pop.20,070               
             
                   Fayette County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (West Union)  FIPS: 19065                 - pop.19,509               
             
                   Jackson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Maquoketa)  FIPS: 19097                 - pop.19,485               
             
                   Poweshiek County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Montezuma)  FIPS: 19157                 - pop.18,662               
             
                   Cedar County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Tipton)  FIPS: 19031                 - pop.18,505               
             
                   Dickinson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Spirit Lake)  FIPS: 19059                 - pop.17,703               
             
                   Delaware County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Manchester)  FIPS: 19055                 - pop.17,488               
             
                   Tama County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Toledo)  FIPS: 19171                 - pop.17,135               
             
                   Clayton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Elkader)  FIPS: 19043                 - pop.17,043               
             
                   Hardin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Eldora)  FIPS: 19083                 - pop.16,878               
             
                   Iowa County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Marengo)  FIPS: 19095                 - pop.16,662               
             
                   Madison County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Winterset)  FIPS: 19121                 - pop.16,548               
             
                   Crawford County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Denison)  FIPS: 19047                 - pop.16,525               
             
                   Clay County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Spencer)  FIPS: 19041                 - pop.16,384               
             
                   Jefferson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fairfield)  FIPS: 19101                 - pop.15,663               
             
                   Floyd County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Charles City)  FIPS: 19067                 - pop.15,627               
             
                   Page County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Clarinda)  FIPS: 19145                 - pop.15,211               
             
                   Hamilton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Webster City)  FIPS: 19079                 - pop.15,039               
             
                   Kossuth County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Algona)  FIPS: 19109                 - pop.14,828               
             
                   Harrison County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Logan)  FIPS: 19085                 - pop.14,582               
             
                   Mills County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Glenwood)  FIPS: 19129                 - pop.14,484               
             
                   Butler County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Allison)  FIPS: 19023                 - pop.14,334               
             
                   OBrien County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Primghar)  FIPS: 19141                 - pop.14,182               
             
                   Allamakee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Waukon)  FIPS: 19005                 - pop.14,061               
             
                   Cass County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Atlantic)  FIPS: 19029                 - pop.13,127               
             
                   Wright County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Clarion)  FIPS: 19197                 - pop.12,943               
             
                   Grundy County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Grundy Center)  FIPS: 19075                 - pop.12,329               
             
                   Appanoose County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Centerville)  FIPS: 19007                 - pop.12,317               
             
                   Union County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Creston)  FIPS: 19175                 - pop.12,138               
             
                   Chickasaw County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (New Hampton)  FIPS: 19037                 - pop.12,012               
             
                   Lyon County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Rock Rapids)  FIPS: 19119                 - pop.11,934               
             
                   Shelby County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Harlan)  FIPS: 19165                 - pop.11,746               
             
                   Cherokee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cherokee)  FIPS: 19035                 - pop.11,658               
             
                   Louisa County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Wapello)  FIPS: 19115                 - pop.10,837               
             
                   Hancock County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Garner)  FIPS: 19081                 - pop.10,795               
             
                   Winnebago County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Forest City)  FIPS: 19189                 - pop.10,679               
             
                   Guthrie County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Guthrie Center)  FIPS: 19077                 - pop.10,623               
             
                   Mitchell County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Osage)  FIPS: 19131                 - pop.10,565               
             
                   Montgomery County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Red Oak)  FIPS: 19137                 - pop.10,330               
             
                   Keokuk County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sigourney)  FIPS: 19107                 - pop.10,033               
             
                   Franklin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hampton)  FIPS: 19069                 - pop.10,019               
             
                   Calhoun County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Rockwell City)  FIPS: 19025                 - pop.9,927               
             
                   Sac County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sac City)  FIPS: 19161                 - pop.9,814               
             
                   Clarke County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Osceola)  FIPS: 19039                 - pop.9,748               
             
                   Humboldt County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dakota City)  FIPS: 19091                 - pop.9,597               
             
                   Howard County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cresco)  FIPS: 19089                 - pop.9,469               
             
                   Emmet County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Estherville)  FIPS: 19063                 - pop.9,388               
             
                   Davis County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Bloomfield)  FIPS: 19051                 - pop.9,110               
             
                   Palo Alto County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Emmetsburg)  FIPS: 19147                 - pop.8,996               
             
                   Greene County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jefferson)  FIPS: 19073                 - pop.8,771               
             
                   Monona County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Onawa)  FIPS: 19133                 - pop.8,751               
             
                   Lucas County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Chariton)  FIPS: 19117                 - pop.8,634               
             
                   Decatur County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Leon)  FIPS: 19053                 - pop.7,645               
             
                   Monroe County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Albia)  FIPS: 19135                 - pop.7,577               
             
                   Adair County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Greenfield)  FIPS: 19001                 - pop.7,496               
             
                   Worth County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Northwood)  FIPS: 19195                 - pop.7,443               
             
                   Van Buren County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Keosauqua)  FIPS: 19177                 - pop.7,203               
             
                   Pocahontas County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Pocahontas)  FIPS: 19151                 - pop.7,078               
             
                   Ida County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ida Grove)  FIPS: 19093                 - pop.7,005               
             
                   Fremont County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sidney)  FIPS: 19071                 - pop.6,605               
             
                   Wayne County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Corydon)  FIPS: 19185                 - pop.6,497               
             
                   Osceola County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sibley)  FIPS: 19143                 - pop.6,192               
             
                   Taylor County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Bedford)  FIPS: 19173                 - pop.5,896               
             
                   Audubon County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Audubon)  FIPS: 19009                 - pop.5,674               
             
                   Ringgold County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mount Ayr)  FIPS: 19159                 - pop.4,663               
             
                   Adams County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Corning)  FIPS: 19003                 - pop.3,704

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Iowa City Minimum Wage

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Wage & Hour Law Minimum Wage ▼

What Is the Minimum Wage in Iowa?

What Is the Minimum Wage in Iowa?

The minimum wage in Iowa is the same as the federal minimum wage: $7.25 an hour.

The minimum wage is the least you can be paid per hour, by law. You are entitled to earn at least the highest minimum wage that applies to you, whether the standard is federal, state, or local. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25. If your city or state has passed a law setting a higher minimum wage, your employer must pay you at least that higher amount per hour; it cannot pay you the lower federal minimum wage instead.

The minimum wage represents gross earnings: earnings before deductions, such as tax withholding, are taken. Your actual take-home pay may be less than the minimum wage.
Who Earns Overtime in Iowa?
Who Earns Overtime in Iowa?
You qualify for overtime pay if:
- you are paid by the hour
- you are not exempt (for example, because you hold a “white collar” job), and
- you work over 40 hours in a workweek (or 8 hours in a workday in some states).
If you are eligible for overtime, you are entitled to 1-1/2 times your regular hourly rate for each overtime hour worked. Check the Iowa Division of Labor for the overtime standards in Iowa.

For more information about overtime eligibility, see Am I Entitled to Overtime Pay in Iowa?
How Do I Calculate My Hourly Wage?

How Do I Calculate My Hourly Wage?

To calculate your hourly wage, take the total amount you are paid (whether by the hour, as a salary, by piece rate, or on commission) in a pay period, such as one workweek. Divide that total amount by the total number of regular time (not overtime) hours you worked to earn that money. Be sure to count every hour you worked, including time spent working from home (if allowed by your employer) and any break time for which you should be paid, including breaks that lasted 20 minutes or less and breaks during which you had to work. The hourly rate that you come up with must be at least the minimum wage in Iowa.

For more information about your pay rights, see What Are My Rights to Pay for Work in Iowa?
What Is a Tip Credit?

What Is a Tip Credit?

A tip credit is the amount of tips you earn that your employer can count towards its obligation to pay you the minimum wage.

An employer that is allowed to take a tip credit can pay you less than the regular minimum wage, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your hourly compensation up to at least the minimum wage. Under federal law, for example, the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but employers may pay tipped employees as little as $2.13 an hour, as long as the employee earns at least the rest in tips. An employer taking advantage of this lower minimum wage is taking a tip credit of $5.12 an hour.

Not all states allow employers to take a tip credit. Some states that allow a tip credit set the minimum tipped wage amount at $2.13 an hour, like federal law; others have established a higher tipped minimum wage.
In Iowa, your employer may pay you a minimum wage of $4.35 an hour, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your total hourly pay up to the full minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. If you don’t earn enough in tips to bring your compensation to the full minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference.
Are Tip Pools Legal?
Are Tip Pools Legal?
Does your employer require you to pool tips? Tip pooling, sometimes called tip sharing or tipping out, is a common practice in establishments where only some employees receive tips directly from customers, especially restaurants.

In a tip pool, tipped employees put a certain amount or percentage of their tips into a pot, which is then shared among a group of employees. Whether a tip pool is legal depends on who shares in the pool, among other things.

The general rule is that tips belong to the employee who received them. However, employees can be required to pay part of their tips into a tip sharing arrangement, as long as it meets these legal requirements:
- The employer may not share in the tip pool. This includes managers and supervisors. If managers and supervisors receive their own tips for services they directly and solely provide to customers, they may contribute a portion of those tips to the tip pool, but they may not take any money from the pool.
- If the employer takes a tip credit, then only employees who regularly and customarily receive tips may share in the tip pool. For example, wait staff, bussers, and bartenders may be part of the tip pool, but "back of the house" employees -- like cooks and dishwashers -- may not. (Employers that don't take a tip credit may allow back of the house employees to take a share of the tip pool, but only if state law allows it.)
- Only the amount of tips an employee actually takes home counts towards any employer tip credit. In other words, if an employee has to share tips, the employee's hourly wage includes only what the employee got back from the tip pool, not what the employee had to put into the pot.
Am I Entitled to Breaks?

Am I Entitled to Breaks?

Believe it or not, employers in many states have no legal obligation to give their employees any breaks during the work day. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require employers to provide any breaks, and many states follow the same rule. Other states require employers to provide rest breaks, meal breaks, or both.

A small number of states require employers to provide paid rest breaks during the work day.
Iowa law does not require employers to offer meal breaks. If your employer chooses to give employees meal breaks, you are not entitled to be paid for that time as long as your break lasts for more than 20 minutes and you don’t have to do any work during your break.
Iowa law does not require employers to provide rest breaks. If your employer chooses to let employees take rest breaks, it must pay you for breaks that last for 20 minutes or less.
How Can I Enforce My Wage and Hour Rights?
How Can I Enforce My Wage and Hour Rights?
If your employer hasn't paid you overtime, hasn't given you legally required breaks, didn't give you a final paycheck, or has otherwise not paid you everything you are owed, you should take steps to assert your rights. There are three things you can do:
- Complain within your company. Use your company's internal complaint process to raise your concerns. Ask the company to investigate and make the situation right. The law protects you from employer retaliation for asserting your wage and hour rights.
- File a wage claim. If your company doesn't resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, find out whether your state has an administrative wage claim procedure. In most states, you can file a claim with the state agency that enforces wage and hour laws. Your claim may be investigated, settled, or sent to an administrative hearing, where you can present evidence that you were not paid properly. It's a good idea to talk to an employment lawyer if you are considering filing a wage claim. A lawyer can help you word the complaint properly, present your best evidence persuasively, and reach the best possible outcome -- all while preserving your arguments for court, if things don't work out.
- File a lawsuit. If other avenues don't work, you can sue your employer in state or federal court for wage theft. At this point, you will definitely need legal representation to persuade a judge or jury to enter a judgment in your favor.
What Is a Wage Claim?

What Is a Wage Claim?

A wage claim is an administrative complaint you can make against your employer with your state department of labor. Most states have created a process for employees to file a wage claim with a government agency, so they can get their claims adjudicated and get the money they are owed, in less time and for less money than it would cost to file a lawsuit.

Not every state has a wage claim procedure, however.

Check the website of the Iowa Division of Labor to learn more.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Overtime or Wage Case?

Do I Need a Lawyer for My Overtime or Wage Case?

In most cases, it makes sense to hire a lawyer to pursue your overtime or unpaid wage claim. This doesn’t mean you should hire a lawyer at the first sign of trouble, however. If you believe your employer hasn’t paid you fairly, start by raising the issue within your company. Ask your manager or your human resource representative about the problem, or file a complaint using your company’s internal complaint process. It is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you for making a wage and hour complaint, whether you make it within your company or to an outside agency or court.

If your company does nothing to address your concerns – or breaks the law by firing or disciplining you for asserting your rights – then it’s time to talk to a lawyer. At this point, your options are to negotiate a settlement of your claims with your employer, file a wage claim against your employer with your state’s labor department (if your state has this type of procedure), or file a lawsuit. Having a lawyer will greatly boost your chances of success in any of these endeavors. And, because most lawyers work on a contingency fee basis in these types of cases, you won’t have to pay the lawyer unless you win. Learn more about finding a wage and hour lawyer.
How Do Wage and Hour Lawyers Charge?

How Do Wage and Hour Lawyers Charge?

Most lawyers that represent employees charge a contingency fee. This means the lawyer gets paid only if the client wins, and only out of the money the client receives as a settlement or court award. When you meet with a lawyer, ask how the lawyer charges, including what percentage he or she will take as a contingency fee.

You will most likely have to pay the costs of litigation, including court fees, transcription costs, copying costs, and so on. Some attorneys will advance these costs for you, paying them out of pocket until the end of the case. If you win, you can use your award to pay the costs.
What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?

What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?

A class action lawsuit is a court case brought on behalf of a group of employees who have similar legal claims against their employer. In a class action case, one lawsuit decides the rights of all employees who are members of the class.

It’s not uncommon for overtime and unpaid wage cases to be brought as class action lawsuits, if the employer applied an illegal policy to a group of employees. For example, if a retail employer required all employees to arrive at 8:30 a.m., spend half an hour cleaning the store and restocking shelves, and then clock in (and start to get paid) at 9 a.m., an attorney might bring a class action lawsuit on behalf of all employees who were subjected to this policy.

Many wage and hour cases involve relatively small dollar amounts. Although every dollar you aren’t paid is undoubtedly very important to you, the overall value of your case might not be high enough to interest an attorney in representing you. When a number of employees combine in one lawsuit, the attorney can bring all of your claims at the same time and earn a higher fee.