States
Jury duty in South Carolina: 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.
Check South Carolina juror pay set county by county, the exemption for people 65 and older, and the affidavit rules for caregivers and essential workers.
What jury duty in South Carolina will pay you
You receive for 3 days
$0
| Court fee (state minimum) | not specified |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 3 days of work | $600 |
| Income lost | $600 |
| Age rule | 65 and over, may ask to be excused |
South Carolina: Pay is set county by county. The old statute lists per diems of $2 to $10 by county; counties now pay more (e.g. Georgetown County pays $25 a day). Paid whether or not you sit on a case. Before tax. No state law requires wages during service. An employer who fires or demotes an employee for jury service can be sued for up to one year's wages.
All jury rules in South CarolinaSouth Carolina sets juror pay county by county. S.C. Code § 14-7-1370 still lists old per diems of $2 to $10 depending on the county, but counties now pay more (Georgetown County, for example, pays $25 a day), so any figure shown is a minimum. Pay arrives whether or not you sit on a case, and mileage varies by county from a 5-cent statutory base. No state law requires wages during service, but an employer who fires or demotes you for it can be sued for up to one year's wages (§ 41-1-70). At 65 or older you are exempt on request, and a phone call to the clerk of court confirming your date of birth is enough (§ 14-7-840). Circuit court jurors are summoned for a term beginning in a given week. You are not drawn more than once every three calendar years. Students and school employees can move service outside the school term. Missing service without a sufficient excuse carries a civil penalty of up to $100 under § 14-7-1390.
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
Caregiver and business affidavits in South Carolina
South Carolina recognizes several grounds that need a notarized affidavit filed with the clerk of court: legal custody of a child under 7 without adequate childcare, being the primary caretaker of a person 65 or older or a severely disabled person, and being essential to a business that would have to close. A mental or physical condition calls for a doctor's statement. You mark the ground on the summons response form or in the Juror Web Portal. Misusing these excuse rules is itself a misdemeanor under § 14-7-860(E), punishable by up to $1,000 and/or 30 days.
South Carolina school term and work transfers
Rather than excusing students and school employees, South Carolina moves their service outside the school term on request, with proof. Essential workers can be transferred to another term by affidavit. The age exemption is among the earliest anywhere, starting at 65, and needs nothing more than a call to the clerk. On frequency, the statute says no one is drawn more than once every three calendar years and never more than once a year, while the court's web page cites two years. County pay rates vary widely, so check the figure your county states.
The rules in South Carolina, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | not specified by the state | S.C. Code § 14-7-1370 |
| Mileage | Paid; rate varies by county (statute sets 5 cents per mile round trip as the base) | S.C. Code § 14-7-1370 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | S.C. Code § 41-1-70 |
| Job protected | Yes | S.C. Code § 41-1-70 |
| Age | 65 and over: may ask to be excused | S.C. Code § 14-7-840 |
| Length of service | Circuit court jurors are summoned for a court term beginning a given week; the length is set locally. | sccourts.org |
| Before another summons | 36 months | scstatehouse.gov |
| Postponing | Students and school employees get their service moved outside the school term on request (with proof). Essential workers may be transferred to another term by affidavit. Responses and waiver requests go through the clerk of court or the Juror Web Portal. | scstatehouse.gov |
| Not showing up | Not attending without a sufficient excuse: civil penalty up to $100. Violating the excuse rules of § 14-7-860 is a misdemeanor (up to $1,000 and/or 30 days). | S.C. Code § 14-7-1390; § 14-7-860(E) |
Excuses and postponement in South Carolina
Mark the ground on the summons response form or Juror Web Portal; caretaker and business grounds need a notarized affidavit to the clerk of court. Students and school employees get their service moved outside the school term on request (with proof). Essential workers may be transferred to another term by affidavit. Responses and waiver requests go through the clerk of court or the Juror Web Portal.
Can I be excused or postpone?
South Carolina
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | 65+, on request |
Mark the ground on the summons response form or Juror Web Portal; caretaker and business grounds need a notarized affidavit to the clerk of court. Students and school employees get their service moved outside the school term on request (with proof). Essential workers may be transferred to another term by affidavit. Responses and waiver requests go through the clerk of court or the Juror Web Portal.
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: sccourts.org. Answer your summons and file any request there or as your summons says.