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Iowa sets its own deadline, its own penalty, and its own rule on unused vacation. Here is what the statute says, what it is worth to you, and where to file if the money never arrives.
When employment is terminated, all wages earned up to that time must be paid not later than the next regular payday for the pay period in which the wages were earned (Iowa Code § 91A.4).
Resignation follows the same rule: wages earned are due by the next regular payday for that pay period.
Iowa does not require payout of unused vacation unless the employer's written policy or an agreement provides for it.
Commissions earned before termination are wages under § 91A.4; where the amount is a credit against commissions, the difference is due by the following regular payday.
Iowa Code § 91A.8: liquidated damages equal to five percent of the unpaid wages for each day the wages remain unpaid, excluding Sundays, legal holidays and the first seven days after the regular payday — capped at the amount of the unpaid wages themselves.
This state does not impose a separate statutory penalty for late final pay. Treat that number as leverage in the letter, not as a promise: a court or agency decides what is actually owed, and the penalty provisions usually require the employer to have acted wilfully or without good cause.
File with the Iowa Division of Labor, which handles wage claims administratively, usually at no cost. The alternative is small claims court, where the limit for an individual in Iowa is $6,500. Both routes go better with a dated written demand and a certified-mail receipt, because the first question either forum asks is when the employer knew.
When employment is terminated, all wages earned up to that time must be paid not later than the next regular payday for the pay period in which the wages were earned (Iowa Code § 91A.4).
Resignation follows the same rule: wages earned are due by the next regular payday for that pay period.
Iowa does not require payout of unused vacation unless the employer's written policy or an agreement provides for it.
Two routes: file a wage claim with the Iowa Division of Labor (https://www.iowadivisionoflabor.gov/), or sue in small claims court where an individual's claim limit is $6,500. A dated written demand sent first is what makes either route easier, because it fixes the date the employer was on notice.
Only official sources are used: the state labor agency, the statute itself, and where relevant the U.S. Department of Labor. Third-party summary sites are deliberately excluded because they disagree with each other on penalty formulas.
Reviewed 2026-11-03 · reviewed again every 90 days.
being fired · resigning · a layoff · unused PTO · unpaid commissions
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