Iowa Final Paycheck Checker (2026)

How Iowa final paycheck timing works

In Iowa your final paycheck is due on the next regular payday for the pay period in which you last worked, and that deadline is the same whether you quit or were fired. The rule comes from the Iowa Wage Payment Collection Law at Iowa Code §91A.4, which ties final pay to the ordinary payday set under §91A.3 rather than to your separation date. Iowa carves out one distinctive exception: if part of what you are owed is the difference between a draw paid against commissions and the commissions you actually earned, the employer has up to thirty days after separation to settle that difference. Accrued vacation is owed only if a written agreement or the employer's policy provides for pro rata vacation, in which case it is paid in proportion to the part of the year you worked. Iowa has no California-style daily waiting-time penalty. Instead, under §91A.8, an employer that intentionally fails to pay is liable for the unpaid wages plus liquidated damages, court costs, and attorney fees, with liquidated damages running at five percent per day up to a cap equal to the wages owed.

This tool applies the Iowa rule to your last day worked. It is informational only and not legal advice — a "next regular payday" rule depends on your payroll schedule, and disputed amounts or deductions can change things. For the full rules, penalties, and citations, see the Iowa final paycheck reference.