Iowa · Trust Accounting
What Iowa attorneys must do to keep client trust funds compliant — the governing rule, how often you must reconcile, and how long records must be kept.
Iowa R. Prof'l Conduct 32:1.15 (Safekeeping Property), implemented by Iowa Ct. R. ch. 45 (Client Trust Account Rules)
Monthly
6 years
Iowa Supreme Court Office of Professional Regulation
Lawyer Trust Account Commission
Required — banks must notify the regulator
Source: Iowa Supreme Court Office of Professional Regulation . Rules change — always confirm against the current text before relying on it.
Iowa requires attorneys to reconcile trust accounts monthly. A three-way reconciliation compares three totals that must all agree. If they do not, the difference has to be found and resolved before the reconciliation is complete.
Bank statement balance, adjusted for outstanding checks and deposits in transit.
Your internal trust account register as of the same date.
The total of every individual client ledger balance on that date.
For a full walkthrough of the procedure, common violations, and what examiners look for, see our IOLTA compliance guide.
Iowa requires trust account records to be retained for 6 years. In practice that means keeping:
IOLTA Guard automates three-way reconciliation, blocks negative client ledgers, and keeps the audit trail Iowa attorneys are expected to maintain.