Iowans who have been on a temporary layoff due to COVID-19 who are called back to work must go back, or they can lose their unemployment benefits or face fraud charges. Iowa Workforce Development has laid out extenuating circumstances that would still provide unemployment benefits for those workers, including someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you have recovered but it caused complications making it so you are unable to perform essential job duties, if a member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19, if you do not have childcare due to COVID-19, or if you do not have transportation to your place of work due to COVID-19. IWD encourages employees to work with their employers to find the best way for them to handle returning to work. An employee who is recalled but on a part-time basis may be eligible for benefits depending on wages.

From April 19th to the 25th, there were 28,827 initial unemployment claims in the state and the number of continuing weekly unemployment claims was 170,990. During that week, unemployment benefit payments totaled nearly $51.5 million.