States
Jury duty in Pennsylvania: 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.
Calculate Pennsylvania juror pay, $9 for three days then $25, check whether your employer is covered by job protection, and review the statutory excuses.
What jury duty in Pennsylvania will pay you
You receive for 5 days
$77
| Court fee | $77 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 5 days of work | $1,000 |
| Income lost | $923 |
| Age rule | 75 and over, may ask to be excused |
Pennsylvania: $9 a day for the first three days of service in a calendar year, then $25 a day for each later day that year. Day rates used: $9, $25. Before tax. No duty to pay wages; firing or penalising a juror is a summary offense. Protection does not cover retail/service employers with fewer than 15 staff or manufacturers with fewer than 40 (those employees may ask to be excused).
All jury rules in PennsylvaniaUnder 42 Pa.C.S. § 4561, Pennsylvania pays $9 a day for the first three days of jury service in a calendar year and $25 for each later day that year, with mileage at 17 cents per mile round trip. Employers have no duty to pay wages, and firing or penalizing a juror is a summary offense (§ 4563), but that protection excludes retail or service employers with fewer than 15 staff and manufacturers with fewer than 40; those employees may ask to be excused. At 75 or older you can be excused on request (§ 4503(a)(6)). Each county sets the term, and many, such as Lehigh, use one day or one trial. After serving you are exempt for 3 years, or only 1 year if you served fewer than 3 days that year. Only the statutory grounds count as excuses, and the county jury office decides hardship. Failing to appear is contempt under § 4584: a fine of up to $500, up to 10 days in jail, or both.
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
Pennsylvania counts juror days per calendar year
The $9 rate in Pennsylvania covers your first three days of service in a calendar year, not per trial. A juror who already served two days in March and is called again in October moves to $25 sooner. Mileage is paid at 17 cents per mile for the round trip everywhere except Philadelphia, the first judicial district, where none is paid. The calculator at five days shows three days at $9 and two at $25.
Small employers and other Pennsylvania excuse grounds
Pennsylvania job protection has a size threshold. Retail and service businesses with fewer than 15 employees and manufacturers with fewer than 40 are outside it, and their employees may ask to be excused instead. Other statutory grounds include active military service, undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, jury service within the last 3 years, being a close relative of a criminal homicide victim, having served on an 18-month statewide investigating grand jury, sitting as a judge, breastfeeding on request, and age 75 or older on request. Requests go to the county jury office. In Lehigh County, for example, one deferment can be chosen in the online questionnaire.
The rules in Pennsylvania, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $9 day 1-3, then $25 a day | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4561 |
| Mileage | 17 cents per mile, round trip (none in Philadelphia, the first judicial district) | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4561 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4563 |
| Job protected | Yes | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4563 |
| Age | 75 and over: may ask to be excused | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4503(a)(6) |
| Length of service | Set by each county. Many counties (e.g. Lehigh) use one day or one trial. | lccpa.org |
| Before another summons | 36 months | palegis.us |
| Postponing | Postponements are handled by each county's court administrator. Example: Lehigh County allows one deferment chosen in the online questionnaire. | lccpa.org |
| Not showing up | Failing to appear is contempt of court: fine up to $500, up to 10 days in jail, or both. | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4584 |
Excuses and postponement in Pennsylvania
Only the grounds listed in the statute; ask the county jury office, which decides hardship requests. Postponements are handled by each county's court administrator. Example: Lehigh County allows one deferment chosen in the online questionnaire.
Can I be excused or postpone?
Pennsylvania
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | 75+, on request |
Only the grounds listed in the statute; ask the county jury office, which decides hardship requests. Postponements are handled by each county's court administrator. Example: Lehigh County allows one deferment chosen in the online questionnaire.
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: pacourts.us. Answer your summons and file any request there or as your summons says.