Hurt at work in Iowa? Deadlines, weekly benefit and how to file
Tell your employer within 90 days (the date you knew or should have known that the injury was work-related). File your claim within 2 years.
Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits (or healing period benefits, if the injury causes permanent impairment) can pay 80% of your spendable earnings (pay after taxes), up to $2,431 a week (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027).
Your employer's insurer, not the state, usually decides first. If they deny or delay, the free help listed here can explain your options.
In Iowa, TTD pays part of your lost wages while you are off work because of a work injury. Your employer's insurance company, a self-insured employer or a claims administrator pays the benefits; the Workers' Compensation Division is a neutral body that decides disputes but does not pay benefits.
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Deadlines are strict. If you are near one, call the state agency or free help today.
Free tools for Iowa
Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent until you download, copy or print a document.
Deadline helper
Written notice to your employer
A letter that tells your employer, in writing, that you were hurt or made sick by your work.
Claim checklist: what to gather and do
A printable list of papers to keep and steps to take.
Deadlines in Iowa
- Tell your employer
- 90 days
- File your claim
- 2 years
- Waiting period
TTD is not paid for the first 3 calendar days you are off work. Benefits begin on the 4th day.
Weekly benefit in Iowa
- What it pays
- 80% of your spendable earnings (pay after taxes)
- Maximum
- $2,431 a week (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027)
- Minimum
- $425 a week (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027)
- Minimum rule
For injuries from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, the minimum TTD rate is $425 a week, or your spendable weekly earnings if those are lower.
- Applies to
- Injuries from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027
Law: Iowa Code 85.33(1), 85.36, 85.37, 85.61
Source: dial.iowa.gov
We do not offer a calculator for Iowa: its rule has parts that a simple estimate cannot show. Read the rule above and ask the state agency.
Who is your doctor in Iowa?
- Who chooses
- Your employer or its insurer chooses
In most cases your employer (or its insurance carrier) has the right to choose your medical care. The care must be offered promptly and be reasonably suited to treat the injury without undue inconvenience to you. In an emergency, you may choose care at the employer's expense if the employer cannot be reached right away.
If you are dissatisfied with the care, tell your employer or its insurer why (in writing if asked) and ask for alternate care. If they do not agree, you can file a petition for alternate care with the Workers' Compensation Division. If a doctor chosen by your employer rates your permanent disability and you disagree, you have the right to an independent medical examination by a doctor you choose.
Law: Iowa Code 85.27(4), 85.39
Source: dial.iowa.gov
Who is covered in Iowa
- Size of employer
Iowa law requires most employers to provide workers' compensation by buying insurance from a private insurance company or qualifying as a self-insurer. Most employees injured in Iowa while working in Iowa are covered.
- Special rules
- Household (domestic) workers and casual workers: Covered if they earned $1,500 or more from the employer in the 12 months before the injury (household workers who are members of the employer's household are excluded).
- Agriculture: Farm workers are covered if the employer's total cash payroll to non-family workers was $2,500 or more in the previous calendar year; the employer's close relatives and certain family farm officers are excluded.
- Not covered
- Household and casual workers who earned less than $1,500 from the employer in the 12 months before the injury
- Farm workers of employers with less than $2,500 in non-family cash payroll in the previous year, and the farm employer's close relatives
- Proprietors (independent contractors), LLC members and partners, unless they buy a policy that covers them
- Workers covered by an exclusive federal program (for example federal employees, railroad workers and seamen)
- Contractors
Proprietors (independent contractors), limited liability company members and partners are not employees under Iowa workers' compensation, but they may be covered if they buy a policy that specifically includes them.
- If your employer has no insurance
If your employer did not have the required coverage, you may choose either to file a contested case proceeding before the Workers' Compensation Commissioner or to bring a civil lawsuit for damages in district court.
Law: Iowa Code 85.1, 85.1A, 85.61, 87.1, 87.21
Source: dial.iowa.gov
If your claim is denied or delayed in Iowa
- First step
Ask your employer or its insurer why it took the action; you have a right to know why and to see the evidence. If the dispute cannot be resolved, you can file an Original Notice and Petition with the Workers' Compensation Division through WCES. The Division cannot give legal advice or refer you to an attorney.
Lawyers' fees and other benefits in Iowa
Iowa also pays medical care, temporary partial disability, healing period, permanent partial disability (scheduled members, including shoulder, and industrial disability), permanent total disability, vocational rehabilitation benefits ($100 a week for up to 13 weeks, extendable), Second Injury Fund benefits, and death and burial benefits.
Free help in Iowa
State agency
Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Workers' Compensation Division (WCD)
- Phone
- 1-800-645-4583
- Address
- 6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50321
Free help
Good to know in Iowa
- A medical provider cannot try to collect from you while a contested case or a dispute over a medical fee is pending (Iowa Code 85.27; WCD).
- If your doctor gives you restrictions and your employer offers suitable work in writing, refusing it can cost you benefits.
- Iowa calculates the weekly benefit on a seven-day calendar week, using the Division's annual ratebook (WCD).
Changes in 2024–2026
For injuries from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 the TTD maximum is $2,431 and the minimum $425 a week or spendable earnings if lower (previous year: $2,350 and $411). The Workers' Compensation Division became part of the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, and its procedures now appear in Iowa Code chapter 10A.
Questions about workers' comp in Iowa
How long do I have to tell my employer about a work injury in Iowa?
Your employer must have notice or knowledge of your injury within 90 days. You (or someone on your behalf) can give the notice; if your employer or its representative already actually knew about the injury within 90 days, that counts.
How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in Iowa?
If no weekly disability benefits have been paid, you must file a petition with the Workers' Compensation Division within 2 years from the date of injury, or you may lose your benefits.
How much does workers' comp pay in Iowa?
Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits (or healing period benefits, if the injury causes permanent impairment) can pay 80% of your spendable earnings (pay after taxes), up to $2,431 a week (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027).
Can I choose my own doctor for a work injury in Iowa?
In most cases your employer (or its insurance carrier) has the right to choose your medical care. The care must be offered promptly and be reasonably suited to treat the injury without undue inconvenience to you.
What if my workers' comp claim is denied in Iowa?
Ask your employer or its insurer why it took the action; you have a right to know why and to see the evidence.
Not about a work injury?
Not about a work injury? Unpaid wages → Wage Claim Map · Hurt in a car crash → Accident Claim Map · A medical bill → Medical Bill Map · Unemployment benefits → Unemployment Claim Map · Other problems → robinclaim.com
Nearby states
Sources
- Iowa DIAL: Workers' Compensation
- Iowa WCD: Benefits
- Iowa WCD: Time Limitations
- Iowa WCD: Rate Information (2026-2027)
- Iowa WCD: Hearings
- Iowa WCD: Forms Index
- Iowa WCD brochure: Workers' Compensation Law for Injured Workers (effective July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027)
- Iowa Code 85.1, 85.23, 85.26, 85.27, 85.30, 85.32, 85.33, 85.37 (Iowa Legislature)