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Iowa Payroll

Did you know that Iowa has a reciprocal withholding agreement with Illinois that allows income tax withholding for the employee's state of residence only?

Iowa Compensation

Employees covered by Iowa's minimum wage law must be paid at least $7.25 an hour.


All employees are covered except for:

  • those exempt from coverage by the Fair Labor Standards Act;
  • outside salespersons;
  • employees of retail or service establishments if more than 50 percent of the annual
    dollar volume of sales is made within the state and 75 percent of the annual dollar
    volume of sales is not for resale;
  • retail or service establishments with annual gross income less than 60 percent of the
    FLSA limit;
  • certain maritime employees; and
  • certain agricultural employees.

Iowa Payroll

Employers covered by Iowa's wage payment law must pay wages at least once in a calendar month, semimonthly or biweekly. Payments must be made not more than 12 days following the close of a pay period, excluding Sundays and legal holidays.

All employees are covered, except those specifically exempt by statute; among those exempt are certain agricultural employees.


Iowa Unemployment:
Taxable Wage Base ($000s)24,700
New Employer Rate (% Taxable Wages)1.9 - 9.0
Employee Tax Rate (% Taxable Wages)None
Period EffectiveCalendar Year 2011

Iowa Payroll Links

Iowa Department of Revenue >>
Hoover State Office Building
1305 E. Walnut street
PO Box 10457
Des Moines, Iowa 50306
515.281.3114
Iowa Workforce Development - Unemployment Insurance Services >>
1000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
515.281.5387
Iowa Department of Human Services (for W-4 reporting) >> Iowa Laws >>
Iowa State Regulations >> Tax Forms and Publications >>

Iowa Income Tax Withholding

Iowa requires employers to withhold state income tax from employees’ wages and remit the amounts withheld to the Department of Revenue.

Every employer that has an office or does business in Iowa and that is required to withhold federal income tax on any compensation paid in the state must withhold Iowa individual income tax from that compensation. Responsibility for collecting and remitting the tax rests with the employer or withholding agent.

Agricultural employers must withhold Iowa tax from wages if federal income tax must be withheld.

Iowa and Illinois have a reciprocal withholding agreement, with that, provides for withholding from wages for the employee's state of residence only.


Iowa Benefits

Iowa Voting Rights:
Employer Right to Schedule Voting HoursYes
Pay Deduction for Voting Time LeaveTime Off with Pay Limited to 2 Hours

Iowa requires employers to allow employees sufficient leave time to vote.

This summary is restricted to coverage of private employers. Employers must grant enough voting time leave — not to exceed three hours — to give employees three consecutive hours to vote. Employers can designate the time to be taken.

Iowa Payroll Calculator

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Follow the link to learn more about calculating payroll tax where there are definitions and further explanation of how to calculate Iowa payroll taxes. If you are tired of doing it yourself we encourage you to call 877.954.7873 to speak with a payroll expert or just get a free personalized payroll service quote.

Information and interactive calculators are made available to you as self-help tools for your independent use and are not intended to provide investment advice. We cannot and do not guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your individual circumstances. All examples are hypothetical and are for illustrative purposes. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding all personal finance issues.

SurePayroll, Inc. and its subsidiaries assume no liability and make no warranties on or for the information contained on these state payroll pages. The information presented is intended for reference only and is neither tax nor legal advice. Consult a professional tax, legal or other advisor to verify this information and determine if and/or how it may apply to your particular situation.