Pennsylvania Jury Duty Laws: Pay, Exemptions and Employer Rules

Pennsylvania sets the rules for state-court jury service in Chapter 45 of Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, with the main list of exemptions and excuses in 42 Pa.C.S. § 4503. Jurors are paid $9 a day for the first three days they report in a calendar year and $25 a day after that, plus 17 cents per mile outside Philadelphia (§ 4561).

An employer may not take away your job, seniority or benefits for jury service, but the same statute says it does not have to pay you for the time (§ 4563). People 75 or older may ask to be excused; it is not automatic.

Information last verified on October 6, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers jury service in Pennsylvania state courts, run county by county through each judicial district. A summons from a federal court (a U.S. District Court sitting in Pennsylvania) follows federal law, summarized on our jury duty laws by state hub. Statewide investigating grand juries are mentioned only where they affect exemptions.

Do you have to go? The short answer

If you received a Pennsylvania jury summons or juror qualification form, you have to respond. Section 4503(a) opens with a firm rule: "No person shall be exempt or excused from jury duty except the following," and then lists eight groups (42 Pa.C.S. § 4503). A Title 51 section adds the Pennsylvania National Guard, and § 4563(e) adds an excuse for some small-business employees.

Some of those groups only apply if you ask, and the broadest one, undue hardship, is decided by the court. Each county runs its own process: the statewide court system tells summoned jurors to contact their local district court administrator, and says "Each jurisdiction retains the authority to grant or reject requests for postponement or excuse from service" (Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania). To see which category might fit you, try our jury duty exemption checker.

Who can serve on a jury in Pennsylvania

Under 42 Pa.C.S. § 4502(a), every citizen of Pennsylvania who is of the minimum voting age for state or local officials and who lives in the county is qualified to serve there unless the person:

1. Is unable to read, write, speak and understand the English language.
2. Is incapable, by reason of mental or physical infirmity, of rendering efficient jury service.
3. "Has been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year and has not been granted a pardon or amnesty therefor."

The statute sets no minimum time living in the county. Philadelphia's court translates the voting-age rule into practical terms: "You must be a Philadelphia resident and at least 18 years of age," and you "must be a United States citizen at the time you are summoned" (First Judicial District Jury Service).

Criminal records

The conviction bar in § 4502(a)(3) covers any crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. It has no waiting period and does not end when a sentence is complete. It lasts until the person receives a pardon or amnesty. Section 4502(b) excludes certain older Vehicle Code offenses from that definition.

Who decides

Your county's jury selection commission reviews the returned juror qualification form and "shall determine whether or not those individuals returning the forms are qualified for jury service" (42 Pa.C.S. § 4522). The form is signed under penalty of perjury, so answer it accurately (§ 4521(d)).

Exemptions and excuses in Pennsylvania

The table follows the statute's own wording. "Exempt" groups are listed without request language; "who request" groups must ask; hardship is the court's call.

Pennsylvania has no separate statutory excuse for students, caregivers, first responders, or long distances. Those situations go through the undue hardship or extreme inconvenience route, and the court decides.

The age 75 excuse

Section 4503(a)(6) covers "Persons 75 years of age or older who request to be excused." Two things follow from that wording. The excuse is not automatic, so a summons to a 75-year-old still needs a response. And there is no upper age limit: a person of any age who wants to serve and is otherwise qualified may.

Philadelphia describes it this way: "If you are 75 years or older, you are invited to serve, but not required," and asks people seeking the excuse to write the request in the "Remarks" section of the questionnaire and return it (First Judicial District). The statute does not say whether the excuse covers only the current summons or future ones, so ask your county's jury office.

Recent jury service

If you "served within three years next preceding on any jury," you are exempt, "except a person who served as a juror for fewer than three days in any one year in which case the exemption period shall be one year" (§ 4503(a)(2)). Philadelphia's FAQ puts it in plain terms: one or two days of service means one year off; three or more days means three years. The statute does not say whether the court applies this on its own, so note your earlier service when you return the questionnaire.

Undue hardship and extreme inconvenience

"Persons demonstrating to the court undue hardship or extreme inconvenience may be excused permanently or for such period as the court determines is necessary" (§ 4503(a)(3)). If the court excuses you only for a limited period, you are assigned to the next jury array when that period ends. The statute does not cap how many times a person may be excused.

Counties decide what proof they want. Philadelphia, for example, asks that a job-related hardship be certified by your employer in the remarks section, asks for medical certification for a medical inability, and lists lost job wages, childcare issues and caring for an ill parent as examples of extreme hardship, adding that "some form of verification must accompany the questionnaire" (First Judicial District). The statute itself does not require a doctor's certificate.

Breastfeeding, military and homicide-victim families

Section 4503(a)(8) excuses "Breastfeeding women who request to be excused," with no stated time limit. People in active service of the U.S. armed forces or Pennsylvania's are exempt under § 4503(a)(1), and every officer and enlisted member of the Pennsylvania National Guard "shall be exempt from jury duty during the period of his active service" (51 Pa.C.S. § 4106).

Close family members of a criminal homicide victim are exempt under § 4503(a)(4), and may petition the jury selection commission to have their names placed on the list of disqualified jurors, and later petition to be taken off it (§ 4523(b)).

Older summaries that list only three reasons

The statewide court page still says that "by law only" active military, families of homicide victims and people showing undue hardship will be excused (UJS). That wording predates amendments in 2012 and 2015 that added the grand jury opt-out, the age 75 excuse, judges and breastfeeding women. The statute controls, and it lists all eight groups.

Lawful requests only

Pennsylvania makes it a second-degree misdemeanor for a person to undertake or offer "by illegal means to influence the selection or excusing of any person from jury service," or to give money or anything of value to procure an exemption (42 Pa.C.S. § 4581(b)). Every excuse goes through the court's own process.

How much does jury duty pay in Pennsylvania?

The statute sets the rate. A person summoned "shall receive compensation at the rate of $9 a day for the first three days in any calendar year he shall be required to report for service and $25 a day for each day thereafter in such calendar year" (42 Pa.C.S. § 4561(a)).

The three-day count runs across the calendar year, not per trial. Counties pay jurors, and the Commonwealth reimburses each county 80% of its pay and travel costs beyond the first three days of service when the juror is participating in a trial or grand jury proceedings (§ 4561(b)).

Philadelphia's jury office confirms the same rates, pays by check, and says "Those who are selected to serve on a panel are paid when their service is completed" (First Judicial District). It also notes juror fees are reportable income, with a 1099-MISC issued at $600 or more. A bill to raise juror pay, House Bill 1484, has been in the House Judiciary Committee since May 21, 2025 and is not law (Pennsylvania General Assembly).

Pennsylvania employer rules for jury duty

Your job is protected

"An employer shall not deprive an employee of his employment, seniority position or benefits, or threaten or otherwise coerce him with respect thereto, because the employee receives a summons, responds thereto, serves as a juror or attends court for prospective jury service" (42 Pa.C.S. § 4563(a)). The protection starts when you receive the summons, not only once you are seated on a jury.

Pennsylvania law does not require private employers to pay you

The same subsection ends: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the employer to compensate the employee for employment time lost because of such jury service." Philadelphia's court says the same thing: "Under Pennsylvania law, an employer is not required to pay persons during their period of jury service. However, an employer may not fire you or otherwise harm you for responding to a summons" (First Judicial District). Many employers pay anyway under their own policies or a union contract, so check your handbook. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania employees, for example, can take paid leave for jury duty under the applicable collective bargaining agreement (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania).

Small employers

The protection "shall not apply to any employer in any retail or service industry employing fewer than 15 persons or any employer in any manufacturing industry employing fewer than 40 persons" (§ 4563(d)). The statute names only those industries for the size exception.

Pennsylvania balances that exception with a right to be excused: "Any individual not entitled to reemployment under subsection (a) shall, upon request to the court, be excused from jury service" (§ 4563(e)). If you work for a small retail, service or manufacturing business, tell the court when you respond to the summons.

If your employer retaliates

An employer who violates § 4563(a) "commits a summary offense" (§ 4563(b)). The employee may also bring a civil action for wages and benefits lost because of the violation and for an order requiring reinstatement. Damages "shall not exceed wages and benefits actually lost," and an employee who prevails "shall be allowed a reasonable attorney's fee fixed by the court" (§ 4563(c)).

A lawsuit under § 4563(c) must be filed within six months (42 Pa.C.S. § 5522(b)(4)), so talk to a Pennsylvania employment lawyer promptly. For how this rule fits with other limits on firing, see our page on Pennsylvania at-will employment laws.

What happens if you miss jury duty in Pennsylvania

A prospective juror "who fails to appear as summoned shall, unless exempt or excused pursuant to section 4503 ... be punishable for contempt of court and may be fined in an amount not exceeding $500 or imprisoned for a term no more than ten days or both" (42 Pa.C.S. § 4584).

The juror qualification form comes first, and ignoring it has its own consequence. A person who does not return the form "may be summoned by the commission to appear at the offices of the commission to fill out a juror qualification form," and the court can compel compliance on the commission's application (§ 4521). Philadelphia's FAQ says a person who does not respond may be required to appear in court and could be held in contempt.

If you missed your date, contact the jury office on your summons as soon as you can.

How long jury duty lasts in Pennsylvania

The statute does not set a standard term of service; each county decides, and the statewide court page sends questions about length of service to the local district court administrator (UJS).

In Philadelphia, "You will be required to serve as a juror for one day or if selected to sit on a trial, you will be required to serve for the length of that trial" (First Judicial District). After you serve, the recent-service exemption in § 4503(a)(2) applies: one year if you served fewer than three days in a year, three years otherwise. Philadelphia's FAQ adds that a juror excused through its call-in process is treated as though they reported, so they will not be required to serve again for at least 12 months.

How to respond to a Pennsylvania jury summons

Pennsylvania has no statewide juror portal. Each county court sends its own juror qualification form and summons, with its own instructions.

1. Fill out and return the juror qualification form by the deadline on it. It is signed under penalty of perjury.
2. If an exemption or excuse applies, say so on the form or in the remarks section, and attach any verification your county asks for.
3. If you need a different date, follow your county's postponement process. No statute sets a postponement procedure or limit, so each court sets its own.
4. Keep a copy and wait for confirmation before skipping a reporting date.

Philadelphia, for example, lets jurors postpone online after completing the questionnaire: "Jurors may select a new date of their choice, with some limitations," and the court asks for a date within the next four to five months. "Hardship request cannot be done online and must be done by mail" (First Judicial District). On October 6, 2026, Philadelphia's site said its eJuror system was not available during a relaunch and directed questionnaire questions to Jury@courts.phila.gov.

Watch for jury duty scams

The statewide court page carries a notice headed "PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST JURY DUTY SCAMS" (UJS). Philadelphia's FAQ adds that when you check on your juror status, "NEVER IS A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER REQUESTED." If a caller says you missed jury duty and demands payment, hang up and call the jury office number on your county court's own website. Our guide to government impersonation scams explains how these schemes work and where to report them.

Recent changes and pending bills

No 2025 or 2026 law changed Pennsylvania's juror pay, exemptions, qualifications or employer protections in the sections we reviewed. Section 4503 was last amended in 2015, § 4561 in 2002 and § 4563 in 1982.

Several bills are pending and none is law. House Bill 1484 would change juror pay and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on May 21, 2025. House Bill 128 would add a jury exemption for emergency services personnel and was referred to the Judiciary Committee on January 16, 2025 (Pennsylvania General Assembly). House Bill 2777, which its sponsor's co-sponsorship memo describes as lowering the jury duty exemption age to 70, was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on September 18, 2026 (Pennsylvania General Assembly). Senate Bill 260, which its sponsor's memo describes as a primary caregiver exemption for jury duty, was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 20, 2025 (Pennsylvania General Assembly).

Disclaimer: This page is general legal information about Pennsylvania jury service, not legal advice. The court that summoned you decides every excuse and postponement request. Information verified October 6, 2026. For questions about your summons, contact the jury office listed on it; for an employment dispute, consult a lawyer licensed in Pennsylvania.

Related pages

• Jury duty laws by state
• Pennsylvania at-will employment laws
• Pennsylvania court records
• Pennsylvania scam and fraud laws

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does jury duty pay in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania pays $9 a day for the first three days you report in a calendar year and $25 a day for each later day that year, plus a travel allowance of 17 cents per mile circular outside Philadelphia (42 Pa.C.S. § 4561(a)).

Can I get out of jury duty in Pennsylvania if I am over 75?

Yes, if you ask. Section 4503(a)(6) excuses persons 75 or older who request to be excused; it is not automatic, and there is no upper age limit for people who want to serve.

Does my employer have to pay me for jury duty in Pennsylvania?

State law does not require it. 42 Pa.C.S. § 4563(a) says nothing in the job-protection section requires an employer to compensate an employee for time lost to jury service. Many employers pay anyway under a leave policy or union contract; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania employees, for example, can take paid leave for jury duty under the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Can I be fired for jury duty in Pennsylvania?

Most employers may not deprive you of your job, seniority or benefits, or threaten you, for receiving a summons or serving (42 Pa.C.S. § 4563(a)). Retail or service employers with fewer than 15 people and manufacturers with fewer than 40 are not covered, and their employees must be excused from jury service on request (§ 4563(d), (e)).

What happens if I ignore a jury summons in Pennsylvania?

A summoned juror who fails to appear, unless exempt or excused, is punishable for contempt with a fine up to $500, up to ten days in jail, or both (42 Pa.C.S. § 4584).

How often can you be called for jury duty in Pennsylvania?

A person who served on any jury in the past three years is exempt, but the exemption lasts one year if they served fewer than three days in any one year (42 Pa.C.S. § 4503(a)(2)).

Can a felon serve on a jury in Pennsylvania?

Not unless pardoned. A person convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison is not qualified unless granted a pardon or amnesty, and the bar does not expire with time (42 Pa.C.S. § 4502(a)(3)).

Can breastfeeding mothers be excused from jury duty in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Section 4503(a)(8) excuses breastfeeding women who request to be excused.

Can students or caregivers get out of jury duty in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has no separate student or caregiver excuse. A person may ask the court to be excused for undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, and the court decides whether to excuse them permanently or for a set period (42 Pa.C.S. § 4503(a)(3)).