States
Jury duty in Maryland: pay, employer rules and excuses
Independent site, not a court. Answer your summons and ask for an excuse only through the court that summoned you.
Work out Maryland juror pay, $30 a day plus any county supplement and $50 from day six of a trial, and see the evening shift protection.
What jury duty in Maryland will pay you
You receive for 7 days
$250
| Court fee (state minimum) | $250 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 7 days of work | $1,400 |
| Income lost | $1,150 |
| Age rule | 70 and over, may ask to be excused |
Maryland: State per diem of $30 a day, plus any county supplement (total generally $30-$40); a trial juror gets $50 from the 6th day of one trial. Day rates used: $30, $50. Before tax. No wage requirement, but employers cannot make you use annual, sick or vacation leave for jury service, and cannot require a shift starting after 5 p.m. (or before 3 a.m. next day) after 4+ hours of service.
All jury rules in MarylandMaryland pays a state per diem of $30 a day under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§ 8-426 and 8-427, and counties may add a supplement, for a total generally between $30 and $40; a trial juror receives $50 a day from the sixth day of one trial. Wages are not owed by employers, but §§ 8-501 and 8-502 bar them from making you use annual, sick or vacation leave, and from requiring a shift that starts after 5 p.m. (or before 3 a.m. the next day) once you have served four hours or more. People 70 or older are exempt if they ask the jury commissioner in writing (§ 8-306). Each circuit court's jury plan sets the length of service. You need not serve more than once in three years unless a county plan says otherwise. Participating counties offer a one-time online date change. Failing to appear can bring up to $1,000 and 60 days in jail (§ 8-504).
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
Maryland's limit on work after a jury day
Maryland is one of the few states that regulates what your employer can ask of you on the same day. Under § 8-502, if you spend four hours or more in jury service, the employer cannot require you to work a shift that begins after 5 p.m. that day or before 3 a.m. the next morning. Together with the rule against forcing you to use annual, sick or vacation leave, that keeps a juror from working a full shift around court. Pay is a separate matter: no wage duty exists, so the $30 state per diem, any county supplement and the $50 rate from the sixth day of a trial may be all you receive.
Maryland excuses, exemptions and how long they last
Exemptions under § 8-306 cover people 70 or older who ask in writing and active military members. The other grounds are extreme inconvenience, public necessity and undue hardship, and they also cover a breastfeeding mother and the sole caregiver of a child under 3. Show the reason on the questionnaire, in an interview or with other evidence. An excuse lasts only as long as the reason does, and a person is limited to two unless the circumstances are extraordinary. For a simple date conflict, participating counties let you change the report date once online; elsewhere, contact the local jury office with a pressing reason.
The rules in Maryland, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $30 a day; $50 from day 6 (minimum) | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§ 8-426, 8-427 |
| Mileage | not specified by the state | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§ 8-426, 8-427 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§ 8-501, 8-502 |
| Job protected | Yes | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§ 8-501, 8-502 |
| Age | 70 and over: may ask to be excused | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-306 |
| Length of service | Length of service is set by each circuit court's jury plan; ask your local jury office. | mdcourts.gov |
| Before another summons | 36 months | mgaleg.maryland.gov |
| Postponing | One-time change of report date online in participating counties, otherwise contact the local jury office with a pressing reason. | mdcourts.gov |
| Not showing up | Failing to appear: up to $1,000 and/or 60 days in jail (90 days for not completing service; 30 days for not returning the qualification form). | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-504 |
Excuses and postponement in Maryland
Show the reason on the questionnaire, in an interview or with other evidence; excuses last only as long as needed and are limited to two unless extraordinary. One-time change of report date online in participating counties, otherwise contact the local jury office with a pressing reason.
Can I be excused or postpone?
Maryland
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | 70+, on request |
Show the reason on the questionnaire, in an interview or with other evidence; excuses last only as long as needed and are limited to two unless extraordinary. One-time change of report date online in participating counties, otherwise contact the local jury office with a pressing reason.
A request is decided by the court, often with proof (a doctor's note, a school schedule). Ignoring a summons is not an excuse.
Official juror page: mdcourts.gov. Answer your summons and file any request there or as your summons says.