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Last updated on: August 30th, 2024
Hours & Pay Regulations
Normal Working Hours
Normal working Hours shall not exceed more than 40 hours per workweek (exclusive overtime) as per FLSA.
Iowa’s minimum wage law does not specifically address what constitutes a workweek for purposes of it minimum wage requirements. Iowa does look for guidance from the regulations regarding what constitutes a workweek set forth under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
Iowa defines hours worked to include all the time employees are required to be on the employer’s premises or otherwise on duty and are not completely relieved of all duties. It also includes all the time employees are suffered or permitted to work.
Overtime
Iowa follows Federal labor laws and does not have any state-specific exemptions in its Iowa overtime rules. Any work performed beyond 40 hours in a work week is considered overtime work.
Pay– An employee is entitled to premium pay at the rate of 1.5 times their regular rate for all hours worked excess in a workweek.
Breaks
Iowa does not have any laws requiring an employer to provide a meal period or breaks to employees 18 years of age or older, thus the federal rule applies. The federal rule does not require an employer to provide either a meal (lunch) period or breaks. Meal or lunch periods (usually 30 minutes or more) do not need to be paid, so long as the employee is free to do as they wish during the meal or lunch period.
Employers to grant a meal period of at least 30 minutes to employees under the age of 16 scheduled to work 5 or more consecutive hours.
If employer chooses to provide break FLSA apply, the employee who takes a break that is 20 minutes or less must be paid for their break time at their normal rate. This includes meal, religious, health, and most likely restroom breaks as long as the break is under 20 minutes. An employer does not have to pay an employee for a break if:
- the break is longer than 20 minutes; and
- the employee is relieved of all work during the break.
No penalty for missing breaks.
Only the following breaks are required:
- Minors younger than 16 must be given a 30-minute break if they are employed five hours or more in a day.
- All employees must be allowed toilet breaks when needed.
- A union contract may require breaks and those requirements are enforced by the union.
- Truck drivers should contact the Iowa Department of Transportation for regulations regarding breaks.
- Certain other limited categories of workers, such as airline pilots, may be entitled to mandatory breaks under applicable regulations.
Annual Leave
In Iowa, employers are not required to provide employees with vacation benefits, either paid or unpaid. If an employer chooses to provide such benefits, it must comply with the terms of its established policy or employment contract.
An employer may cap the amount of vacation leave an employee may accrue over time. An employer may implement a “use-it-or-lose-it” policy requiring employees to use their leave by a set date or lose it.
Special Leave
An employer must provide paid leave to an employee to vote to the extent he or she will have at least 3 consecutive hours (including non-working time) when the polls are open to do so. Leave must be requested in writing prior to the election and employers may designate the period of leave.
Employees, excluding employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides otherwise, shall be granted leave. An employee who is granted a leave of absence shall receive leave without loss of seniority, pay, vacation time, personal days, sick leave, insurance, and health coverage benefits, or earned overtime accumulation. The employee shall be compensated at the employee’s regular rate of pay for those regular work hours during which the employee is absent from work. An employee deemed to be on leave shall not be deemed to be an employee of the state for purposes of workers’ compensation or for purposes of the Iowa tort claims Act.
Employers with four or more regular employees must provide up to eight weeks of unpaid leave to employees who are disabled due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. This leave must be treated the same as leave for any other temporary disability, including adherence to both written policies and customary practices regarding leave. This includes the concurrent running of this leave with other statutorily provided leave, the ability to take leave intermittently, the requirement to use available paid leave, options for extensions, reinstatement, and the determination of the start and duration of the leave.
Employees must give the same notice for pregnancy-related leave as is required for other disability leaves, or provide timely notice if no other disability leave policy exists. Employers are permitted to request verification of the employee’s disability. .
Employers with 20 or more full-time employees must grant unpaid leave to any employee who is:
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- Elected to serve in a municipal, county, state or federal office (except where prohibited by federal law); or
- A volunteer on a state government board, commission, committee, council or task force.
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Leave must be granted without loss of seniority and benefits earned. An elected employee must submit a written application to his or her employer to notify the employer of the leave of absence.
Employers must grant unpaid leave to eligible employees who are called to active duty, for the duration of the active duty. Eligible employees include non-temporary employees who are members of the National Guard (of Iowa or of any other state), U.S. armed forces Reserves or Civil Air Patrol, including reserve or civil air patrol units of another state. Employees returning from active duty must be reinstated to a position of like seniority, status, and pay. In addition, any leave taken cannot affect the employee’s rights to vacation, sick leave, bonus or other employment benefits related to his or her employment. Employers may require documentation of the employee’s satisfactory completion of the active duty or service and that he or she is able to perform the duties of the position.
Employers must also allow unpaid leave to any employee serving as a witness in a criminal proceeding or as a plaintiff, defendant or witness in a civil proceeding. Employers may not discharge, threaten to or take adverse actions against employees taking leave to serve as a juror or witness.
Employers must provide employees with unpaid time off to respond to a jury duty notice, serve as a juror or attend court for prospective juror service. However, a salaried, exempt employee’s wages may not be reduced due to an absence related to jury service.
