If you’ve been contacted for jury duty in Ontario, you have 30 days to return the Mandatory Jury Eligibility Form, and ignoring it can cost you up to $5,000 or six months in jail. If you’re later summoned and serve, you’ll earn $120 per day from your first day in court, and your employer is legally barred from punishing you for being there.
The Form in the Mail and the 30-Day Clock
The first thing most people receive is not a summons. It’s a Mandatory Jury Eligibility Form, a screening document that asks whether you meet the basic requirements and whether anything disqualifies you.1Government of Ontario. Digital Mandatory Jury Eligibility Form You have 30 days from receipt to send it back.
You can complete it through the Ministry of the Attorney General’s online portal, or request a paper version from the Provincial Jury Centre. It asks about your citizenship, language ability, residency, and any disqualifying circumstances. If you’re later selected, a separate summons will arrive telling you where and when to appear.
Don’t let the deadline slide. Failing to return the form, or putting false information on it, is an offence under section 38 of the Juries Act, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, up to six months in jail, or both.2Ontario.ca. Juries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.3 – Section: Offences
Who Is Eligible
The Juries Act sets four requirements. You must live in Ontario, hold Canadian citizenship, be at least 18 at the start of the year the jury is selected, and be able to speak, read, and understand English or French.3Ontario.ca. Juries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.3 – Section: Eligible jurors
The language piece is stricter than it sounds. You need to follow an entire trial without an interpreter. The form asks you to self-assess honestly; if you’d need an interpreter to understand the proceedings, you’re not eligible.4Government of Ontario. How to Fill Out the Mandatory Jury Eligibility Form
Who Cannot Serve
Certain roles are automatically excluded:5Ontario.ca. Juries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.3 – Section: Ineligible occupations
- Privy Council, Executive Council of Ontario, senators, MPs, and MPPs
- Judges and justices of the peace
- Barristers, solicitors, and law students
- Physicians, veterinary surgeons in active practice, and coroners
- Police officers, sheriffs, prison wardens, jailers, correctional officers, and sheriff’s officers
- Firefighters regularly employed by a fire department
- Court officers and interpreters
Two personal circumstances also disqualify you: a physical or mental condition that prevents you from performing juror duties where no reasonable accommodation would help, and a conviction for an indictable offence without a record suspension or pardon.6Ontario.ca. Juries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.3 – Section: Ineligibility for personal reasons
Getting Out of It: Deferrals and Excusals
If serving would create real hardship, you can ask the court to postpone your service (a deferral) or cancel it for the year (an excusal). Accepted grounds include illness, serious financial hardship, religious obligations, and no longer living within a reasonable distance of the courthouse. You can also request an exemption if you or your spouse is 65 or older, if you have a disability or serious health condition, if family responsibilities prevent you from attending, or if you served on a jury within the past five years.7Government of Ontario. Jury Summons
Email the court office listed on your summons as soon as you can, and attach supporting documentation. A medical note, proof of a pre-booked trip, or a utility bill confirming a new address all strengthen the request. A judge reviews it and decides.
If you need an assistive device, a sign language interpreter, or another accommodation to serve, contact the courthouse on your summons as early as possible. The policy is that every effort will be made to provide what you need.7Government of Ontario. Jury Summons
What Happens If You’re Summoned
Once the court reviews returned forms, it builds a pool of eligible candidates and sends formal summonses. On the day, you check in at the jury assembly room and wait. Smaller groups are called into courtrooms for final selection, where either side can challenge a prospective juror for cause by giving the judge a specific reason the person might not be impartial. The Crown can also ask a juror to stand aside, which moves their name to the bottom of the list.8Department of Justice Canada. Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c. C-46 – Section: Calling persons who have stood by
A criminal jury has 12 members.9Department of Justice Canada. About Canada’s System of Justice – The Role of the Public A civil jury in Ontario has six. Selection runs until the full panel is seated and sworn in.
Pay and Job Protection
Ontario changed juror pay on October 1, 2025. Jurors now receive $120 per day starting from the first day of service, replacing the earlier system that paid nothing for the first ten days. The daily rate applies to jurors whose employers don’t pay them during the trial.10Ontario.ca. Juries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.3 – Section: Juror compensation
Your employer must give you a leave of absence to attend. The Juries Act prohibits an employer from threatening, disciplining, suspending, firing, intimidating, or otherwise punishing you for responding to a summons or serving. An employer who breaks that rule faces a fine of up to $10,000, up to three months in jail, or both.11Ontario.ca. Juries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.3 – Section: Leave of absence from employment
What the Act does not do is require your employer to pay you while you serve. Whether you receive wages depends on your employment contract or company policy. Some employers top up the government stipend; many don’t.
Support After the Trial
Jury service can be hard, particularly in cases involving violence or disturbing evidence. Ontario’s Juror Support Program offers free, confidential counselling after a trial or coroner’s inquest ends, available in person, by phone, email, or videoconference, in English or French.12Ontario Newsroom. Ontario Launches Free Counselling Program for Jurors
The program covers up to four one-hour sessions, with up to four more available if approved. Call 1-844-JUROR-ON (1-844-587-6766) to access it. If something comes up during an active trial, you can also raise it directly with the presiding judge or coroner.