diff --git a/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.cpp b/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.cpp
index c5a25c4b8..e9b0a5f13 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.cpp
@@ -46,6 +46,12 @@ void IterativeOptimizationParameters::print(ostream &os) const {
       << verbosityTranslator(verbosity_) << endl;
 }
 
+/*****************************************************************************/
+bool IterativeOptimizationParameters::equals(
+    const IterativeOptimizationParameters &other, double tol) const {
+  return verbosity_ == other.verbosity();
+}
+
 /*****************************************************************************/
 ostream& operator<<(ostream &os, const IterativeOptimizationParameters &p) {
   p.print(os);
diff --git a/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.h b/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.h
index 0441cd9da..1a66708d4 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.h
+++ b/gtsam/linear/IterativeSolver.h
@@ -41,15 +41,14 @@ class VectorValues;
  * parameters for iterative linear solvers
  */
 class IterativeOptimizationParameters {
-
-public:
-
+ public:
   typedef std::shared_ptr<IterativeOptimizationParameters> shared_ptr;
-  enum Verbosity {
-    SILENT = 0, COMPLEXITY, ERROR
-  } verbosity_;
+  enum Verbosity { SILENT = 0, COMPLEXITY, ERROR };
 
-public:
+ protected:
+  Verbosity verbosity_;
+
+ public:
 
   IterativeOptimizationParameters(Verbosity v = SILENT) :
       verbosity_(v) {
@@ -71,6 +70,9 @@ public:
   /* virtual print function */
   GTSAM_EXPORT virtual void print(std::ostream &os) const;
 
+  GTSAM_EXPORT virtual bool equals(const IterativeOptimizationParameters &other,
+                                   double tol = 1e-9) const;
+
   /* for serialization */
   GTSAM_EXPORT friend std::ostream &operator<<(
       std::ostream &os, const IterativeOptimizationParameters &p);