States
Jury duty in Missouri: 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.
Estimate what a Missouri county pays for your days in the jury box, test your excuse against RSMo § 494.430 and see how the free postponement works.
What jury duty in Missouri will pay you
You receive for 3 days
$18
| Court fee (state minimum) | $18 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 3 days of work | $600 |
| Income lost | $582 |
| Age rule | 75 and over, may ask to be excused |
Missouri: Statutory floor is $6 a day plus mileage; counties may add more (at least $18 total if the county adds $6, with $6 reimbursed by the state). A county may instead opt for $50 a day from the third day, with nothing for the first two days. Before tax. No statute requires wages; an employer may not require or request that the employee use vacation, sick or personal leave for jury service.
All jury rules in MissouriMissouri sets a low statutory floor for jurors: $6 a day plus round-trip mileage at the state-employee rate, under RSMo § 494.455. Counties may add to it, so the $6 is a minimum; a county that adds $6 reaches at least $18 in total, with $6 reimbursed by the state, and a county can instead choose $50 a day from the third day with nothing for the first two. No statute obliges an employer to keep paying wages, but RSMo § 494.460 bars an employer from requiring or even requesting that you use vacation, sick or personal leave. People 75 or older are excused if they apply to the court in time, and anyone who sat on a state or federal jury in the preceding two years can be excused on timely application. We found no term length or one-day-one-trial rule in the Missouri text we read. A willful no-show is civil contempt under RSMo § 494.450: up to $500 and/or community service, with no jail term in the statute.
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
Missouri's two county pay models
Because pay in Missouri is a floor rather than a fixed figure, two neighbors summoned in different counties can be paid very differently. A county either builds on the $6 daily base (adding at least $6 brings the total to at least $18, and the state reimburses $6 of it) or leaves the daily model and pays $50 a day starting on the third day, with days one and two unpaid. For a short stint the first model tends to pay more; on a long trial the $50 option pulls ahead from day three. Your summons or the county jury office tells you which one applies.
One Missouri postponement without giving a reason
Every Missouri juror gets one postponement as of right: contact the board of jury commissioners in person, by phone, by email or in writing, and the new date falls within 6 months (12 months for full-time students). A second one needs an unforeseeable extreme emergency. Separately, a nursing mother with a physician statement can be excused, as can a health care provider whose absence would harm patients or an employee of a religious institution whose obligations forbid service. Hardship requests go to a judge and need a ruling by your appearance date, so file early.
The rules in Missouri, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $6 a day (minimum) | RSMo § 494.455 |
| Mileage | State-employee mileage rate (RSMo 33.095), round trip from home to the courthouse | RSMo § 494.455 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | RSMo § 494.460 |
| Job protected | Yes | RSMo § 494.460 |
| Age | 75 and over: may ask to be excused | RSMo § 494.430(1)(7) |
| Length of service | not specified by the state | |
| Before another summons | 24 months | revisor.mo.gov |
| Postponing | One postponement as of right: ask the board of jury commissioners in person, by phone, email or in writing; the new date is within 6 months (12 for full-time students). A second postponement only for an unforeseeable extreme emergency. | revisor.mo.gov |
| Not showing up | Willful no-show is civil contempt: after a show-cause hearing the court may fine up to $500 and/or order community service. The statute sets no jail term. | RSMo § 494.450 |
Excuses and postponement in Missouri
Apply to the court before the reporting date; hardship excuses are decided by a judge and need a ruling by the date you are due to appear. One postponement as of right: ask the board of jury commissioners in person, by phone, email or in writing; the new date is within 6 months (12 for full-time students). A second postponement only for an unforeseeable extreme emergency.
Can I be excused or postpone?
Missouri
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | 75+, on request |
Apply to the court before the reporting date; hardship excuses are decided by a judge and need a ruling by the date you are due to appear. One postponement as of right: ask the board of jury commissioners in person, by phone, email or in writing; the new date is within 6 months (12 for full-time students). 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.
Official juror page: courts.mo.gov. Answer your summons and file any request there or as your summons says.