Can an employer pay less that the new Iowa minimum wage for the first 90 days of employment?
Yes, as of April 1, 2007, an Iowa employer is allowed to pay a new hire an “initial employment wage” of $5.30 an hour for the first 90 days of the new hire’s employment.
That “initial employment wage” rate increases to $6.35 an hour as of January 1, 2008. Iowa’s “initial employment wage” is not the same thing as the “training wage” that is included in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, that allows certain employees, generally only those under the age of 20 and certain student and disabled workers, to be paid a subminimum “training wage.” Information about the federal “training wage” can be obtained by contacting the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour office at (515) 284-4625 or by visiting their web site at <a href=http://www.dol.gov target=_blank>http://www.dol.gov</a>.
