Workers' comp · Iowa · TTD
Iowa Workers' Comp Calculator
Iowa pays injured workers a share of the average weekly wage, up to $2,431.00 a week for injuries Jul 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027.
Rates verified Agency: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) — Workers' Compensation Division
Iowa rule sheet
| Benefit formula | 80% of your spendable weekly earnings — gross earnings minus the payroll taxes the Division's rate book assumes for your marital status and exemptions.[1] |
|---|---|
| Maximum weekly | $2,431.00 a week for injuries Jul 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 [2] |
| Minimum weekly | The minimum is the rate-book benefit of a worker earning 35% of the state average weekly wage ($425 gross for 2026–27), or your spendable earnings if those are lower.[2] |
| How the limits are set | Maximum = 200% of the state average weekly wage, set each July 1. The Division of Workers' Compensation publishes a rate book giving the weekly rate for every whole-dollar gross wage. |
| Waiting period | No pay for the first 3 days; if the disability extends beyond the 14th day, those days are added to the third week's payment.[3] |
| How long TTD lasts | Until the employee returns to work or is medically capable of returning to substantially similar employment, whichever first; no week cap in § 85.33(1).[4] |
| Partial (TPD) | 66⅔% of the difference between weekly earnings at time of injury (per 85.36) and actual gross weekly income during TPD; not to exceed the TTD (85.37) amount.[4] |
| Average weekly wage | Gross weekly earnings at time of injury by pay period (weekly/biweekly/semimonthly/monthly/yearly); hourly/daily/output workers: last completed 13 consecutive calendar weeks before injury, including shift differential but excluding overtime/premium pay; non-representative weeks replaced. Rounded to nearest dollar.[5] |
Worked example, Oct 5, 2026
- Average weekly wage$1,000.00
- 80% of spendable earnings (DIAL rate book)$646.23
- Inside the $293.45–$2,431.00 band$646.23
- Off work 28 days: waiting days paid back, 28 days paid$2,584.92
- Iowa TTD per week$646.23
A higher earner at $2,500.00 a week would get $1,456.67. A worker earning $300.00 would get $293.45 (raised to the minimum).
Iowa rates on file
| Injury dates | Max weekly | Min weekly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2026 | $2,350.00 | None | DIAL rate book 2025–26 |
| Jul 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 | $2,431.00 | None | DIAL rate book 2026–27 |
After Jun 30, 2027, the calculator asks you for the official maximum until Iowa publishes the new figure — it never guesses.
What trips people up in Iowa
- Benefit depends on filing status and number of exemptions (spendable earnings use withholding tables in effect July 1 before injury, as if the employee claimed the maximum exemptions for actual dependency, blindness and old age).[6]
- The TTD minimum is NOT a flat $425: it is the benefit of a person earning 35% of SAWW gross, or the worker's full spendable earnings if lower (rate book shows 100% of spendable at low wages).[1]
- Overtime and premium pay are excluded from hourly workers' 13-week computation.[5]
- Refusing suitable light-duty work offered by the employer forfeits TPD/TTD/healing period for the period of refusal.[4]
- Max is set by the SAWW in effect at the time of injury; rate books run July 1-June 30.[2]
Sources for Iowa
- 85.37 (PDF) — State legislature (official code). 80% spendable, 200% SAWW max, minimum rule. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.
- Rates — Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) — Workers' Compensation Division. SAWW, max TTD, min wording, rate-book links. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.
- 85.32 (PDF) — State legislature (official code). Waiting/retro. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.
- 85.33 (PDF) — State legislature (official code). TTD duration, TPD formula, refusal of work. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.
- 85.36 (PDF) — State legislature (official code). AWW. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.
- 85.61 (PDF) — State legislature (official code). Payroll taxes ÷ spendable earnings definitions. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.
- Download — Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) — Workers' Compensation Division. 2026-27 rate book (benefit by gross wage × S/M × exemptions. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.
- Download — Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) — Workers' Compensation Division. 2025-26 rate book. Fetched Oct 5, 2026.