States
Jury duty in Mississippi: 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.
Model a Mississippi juror fee at your county's rate, from $25 to $40 a day, and see the over-65 exemption and the single postponement right.
What jury duty in Mississippi will pay you
You receive for 3 days
$75
| Court fee (state minimum) | $75 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 3 days of work | $600 |
| Income lost | $525 |
| Age rule | 65 and over, may ask to be excused |
Mississippi: Each county board of supervisors sets the daily fee between $25 and $40 (circuit, chancery, county courts; justice court $10-$15). Bills to raise the cap died in 2024 and 2025. A Lengthy Trial Fund can top up wages in civil trials over 10 days. Official code text read via legislature bill reproductions (the code itself is hosted by Lexis). Before tax. No wage obligation in the statute; an employer may not require or request that the employee use annual, vacation or sick leave for jury service.
All jury rules in MississippiIn Mississippi each county board of supervisors sets the daily juror fee for circuit, chancery and county courts, between $25 and $40 under Miss. Code § 25-7-61; justice courts pay $10 to $15. Mileage is paid at the rate in § 25-3-41, and a Lengthy Trial Fund can top up wages in civil trials lasting more than 10 days. Employers have no statutory wage duty, but under § 13-5-35 they cannot take adverse action or push you to spend annual, vacation or sick leave, as long as you tell them about the summons within a reasonable time. Anyone over 65 is exempt on request (§ 13-5-25); so is anyone with jury service in the previous two years. The official text we read sets no term length or one day or one trial rule. One postponement, to a date within six months, is a right. A no-show without good cause faces up to $500, 3 days in jail, or both, and possible community service (§ 13-5-34).
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
The Mississippi Code is published online only by a commercial service. The rules on this page were read in bills on the Legislature's own site that reproduce the code sections in force when they were filed; a later amendment may not be reflected.
Mississippi's Lengthy Trial Fund and the fee cap
The county fee range has not moved recently: bills to raise the cap died in the 2024 and 2025 sessions. For long civil cases, the state offers a second source of money. When a civil trial runs more than 10 days, the Lengthy Trial Fund can top up the wages a juror loses, which helps people whose employer does not continue their pay. The figures here come from the legislature's reproductions of the bills, because the code itself is hosted by a private publisher. Ask the circuit clerk which daily fee your county has adopted, since it can be anywhere from $25 to $40.
Postponing or being excused in Mississippi
You have a right to postpone your first appearance once, as long as you have not postponed in the past two years. Reach the circuit clerk (at the office, by telephone, by email or by letter) and fix a new date within six months or two court terms; a second postponement needs an unforeseeable extreme emergency. Excuses are split. An illness that makes you incapable of serving can go straight to the clerk with a physician certificate, while hardship claims, such as having no substitute caregiver or costs that threaten daily living expenses, go to a judge with documents like tax returns and must be ruled on before the reporting date. Members of the Mississippi National Guard on active duty can be excused with a statement from a superior officer.
The rules in Mississippi, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $25 a day (minimum) | Miss. Code § 25-7-61 |
| Mileage | Mileage at the rate authorized by Miss. Code § 25-3-41 | Miss. Code § 25-7-61 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | Miss. Code § 13-5-35 (enacted as § 15 of H.B. 13, 2004 1st Ex. Sess.) |
| Job protected | Yes | Miss. Code § 13-5-35 (enacted as § 15 of H.B. 13, 2004 1st Ex. Sess.) |
| Age | 65 and over: may ask to be excused | Miss. Code § 13-5-25 |
| Length of service | not specified by the state | |
| Before another summons | 24 months | billstatus.ls.state.ms.us |
| Postponing | One postponement as of right (if none in the past 2 years): contact the circuit clerk in person, by phone, email or in writing and fix a new date within 6 months or two court terms. A second postponement only for an unforeseeable extreme emergency. | billstatus.ls.state.ms.us |
| Not showing up | A no-show without good cause is in civil contempt: up to $500 fine, up to 3 days in jail, or both; the court may also order community service. | Miss. Code § 13-5-34 |
Excuses and postponement in Mississippi
Illness excuses can go to the clerk with a doctor's certificate; hardship excuses are decided by a judge, need documents (tax returns, medical statements...) and must be ruled on before the reporting date. Being away from work alone is not a hardship. One postponement as of right (if none in the past 2 years): contact the circuit clerk in person, by phone, email or in writing and fix a new date within 6 months or two court terms. A second postponement only for an unforeseeable extreme emergency.
Can I be excused or postpone?
Mississippi
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | 65+, on request |
Illness excuses can go to the clerk with a doctor's certificate; hardship excuses are decided by a judge, need documents (tax returns, medical statements...) and must be ruled on before the reporting date. Being away from work alone is not a hardship. One postponement as of right (if none in the past 2 years): contact the circuit clerk in person, by phone, email or in writing and fix a new date within 6 months or two court terms. A second postponement only for an unforeseeable extreme emergency.
A request is decided by the court, often with proof (a doctor's note, a school schedule). Ignoring a summons is not an excuse.