If you can’t go to jury duty, contact the court before your reporting date and ask for a postponement or an excusal in writing, with documentation of your conflict. Courts routinely grant both for legitimate reasons, and reaching out early almost always avoids any penalty. Ignoring the summons is the path that leads to fines, possible jail time, or a bench warrant.
How to Request a Postponement or Excusal
Your summons tells you exactly how to respond. It lists the deadline, the contact information, and usually a response form. Many courts now accept requests through an online portal (often called eJuror in federal courts), with mail and fax as backup options. Phone requests are generally not accepted. Most courts want the request in writing.
There are two different things you can ask for, and the distinction matters. An excusal releases you from serving at all. A deferral simply moves your date. Deferrals are easier to get. If your conflict is a specific event — a surgery, a trip, a work deadline — ask to be rescheduled and offer several alternative dates within the next six to twelve months. Courts respond much better to someone willing to serve later than to someone trying to get out entirely.
Submit before the deadline printed on your summons. That deadline is usually at least a week before your reporting date. Some courts confirm approved requests in writing; others only contact you if you’re denied. Assume you still have to appear unless you receive written approval.
What to Include in the Request
State your reason clearly and attach proof. A vague hardship claim without documentation is the fastest way to get denied. Match the paperwork to the reason:
- A doctor’s note for a medical issue
- An employer letter for financial hardship
- Booking confirmations or itineraries for travel conflicts
- A class schedule for students
- Documentation of caregiving responsibilities
Reasons Courts Will Excuse or Postpone You
Each of the 94 federal district courts sets its own excusal policies, and state courts add another layer of variation. What earns an excusal in one courthouse may only earn a postponement in another.1United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses Still, most jurisdictions recognize the same core categories:
- A medical condition, physical or mental, that would make serving unreasonable, backed by a doctor’s note.
- Financial hardship, which matters most for self-employed people, hourly workers, and anyone whose employer doesn’t pay during jury service. You need to show genuine economic harm, not inconvenience.
- Caregiving responsibilities. In federal courts, this covers active care of a child under 10 or of an elderly or disabled person who has no alternative caregiver.2United States District Court District of Minnesota. Excuse and Postponement Requests
- Age. Many federal district courts automatically excuse people over 70 on request. State thresholds often sit at 70, 72, or 75.1United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
- Full-time student status, with proof of enrollment.
- Pre-planned, non-refundable travel booked before the summons arrived.
What Happens If You Just Don’t Go
A jury summons is a court order. Failing to respond sets off a process that escalates the longer you stay silent. The first step most courts take is issuing an order to show cause, which requires you to appear before a judge and explain why you didn’t comply. That’s the court giving you one more chance before penalties attach.
If you can’t show good cause at that hearing, the consequences get serious. Under federal law, a person who fails to show good cause for skipping jury duty faces a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to three days, an order to perform community service, or any combination of those penalties.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels State penalties vary. Maximum fines typically run from $100 to $1,500 depending on the jurisdiction, and some states allow jail time of up to several months for repeat no-shows or willful defiance.
A judge can also issue a bench warrant for your arrest. That warrant stays active until you’re picked up or you appear voluntarily. Courts can additionally treat a no-show as contempt, which gives the judge broad discretion over the penalty.
If You Already Missed Your Date
Contact the clerk of court’s office or the jury services division right now. Don’t wait for a fine notice or a warrant. Calling on your own leads to a very different outcome than being tracked down. Courts handle missed dates constantly, and the people who end up facing penalties are almost always those who ignored the summons deliberately or failed to respond even after the court reached out.
Be honest about why you missed. A real emergency, a summons sent to an old address, or a calendar mistake will land far better than a vague excuse. In most cases the court simply reschedules you into a future jury pool, with no fine and no hearing.
If a show cause order has already been issued, you’ll need to appear and explain your absence to a judge. Bring whatever evidence supports your account: a hospital discharge summary, documentation of a family emergency, or proof that you moved and never received the summons. Judges have wide discretion, and demonstrating good faith matters.
Your Job Is Protected, But Your Paycheck May Not Be
A common reason people consider skipping is fear of losing their job. Federal law prohibits any employer from firing, threatening, intimidating, or retaliating against a permanent employee because of jury service in a federal court. An employer who violates this protection faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation per employee, and a court can order reinstatement, back pay for lost wages, and community service.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment Nearly every state has a similar law for state court service.
Protection from firing is not the same as paid leave. Federal law does not require private employers to pay you while you serve.5United States Courts. Juror Pay Whether you receive your regular wages depends on your employer’s policy. A handful of states, including Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, do require employers to provide at least partial pay for a limited number of days. Check your employee handbook or ask HR before your service date.
Court-paid jury fees won’t close the gap for most people. Federal courts pay a daily attendance fee of $50.6U.S. Courts. Fees of Jurors and Commissioners – Summary Statement of Account Requirements Fiscal Year 2026 State pay is generally lower, often in the $15 to $40 range. That math is exactly why courts take financial hardship claims seriously when you request a deferral.
Watch Out for Jury Duty Scams
One thing that is not real court business: a phone call demanding payment because you missed jury duty. Scammers routinely impersonate court officials by phone, email, or text, claiming you failed to appear and now face arrest unless you hand over a Social Security number, date of birth, or bank information.7United States Courts. Juror Scams
Real courts don’t work that way. Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror happens through the U.S. mail, and legitimate court officials will never ask for sensitive personal information over the phone or by email.7United States Courts. Juror Scams If you missed a real jury date, you’ll hear about it through a written notice or a show cause order, not a threatening call demanding your bank account number.