States
Jury duty in Texas: 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 Texas juror pay from the state minimums of $20 and $58, check the age 75 and child-care exemptions, and see how the automatic postponement works.
What jury duty in Texas will pay you
You receive for 3 days
$136
| Court fee (state minimum) | $136 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 3 days of work | $600 |
| Income lost | $464 |
| Age rule | 75 and over, may ask to be excused |
Texas: State minimums: at least $20 for the first day and at least $58 for each later day; each county's commissioners court sets its own amount at or above these. Municipal-court jurors are not covered. Day rates used: $20, $58. Before tax. No Texas statute requires private employers to pay wages during jury service.
All jury rules in TexasTexas sets only minimums for juror pay: at least $20 for the first day and at least $58 for each later day, under Tex. Gov't Code § 61.001, with each county's commissioners court free to pay more. No Texas statute requires private employers to pay wages during service, though Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 122.001-122.0022 protect the job, and to be reinstated after an unlawful firing you must tell the employer as soon as practical after release that you intend to return. People 75 or older may claim a temporary or permanent exemption by filing a signed statement with the clerk (§§ 62.106, 62.108). The first postponement is automatic, if you had none in the past year, to a date within 6 months. We did not read a term length or a one-day-one-trial rule. Ignoring a summons or giving false exemption information can bring a contempt fine of $100 to $1,000 (§ 62.0141).
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
Texas exemptions you claim by signed statement
Texas lets several groups opt out by filing a signed statement with the clerk before the reporting date: people 75 or older, anyone with legal custody of a child under 12 who would be left without adequate supervision, secondary school students, college or university students in attendance, legislative branch officers or employees, primary caretakers of a person unable to care for themselves, and active-duty military deployed away from home station. A religious holy day and a physical or mental impairment are also listed. The judge may accept any other reasonable sworn excuse, but an economic excuse needs the approval of the parties.
Postponing a Texas summons
Texas makes the first postponement close to automatic. Contact the court clerk in person, in writing or by phone before your date; if you have not postponed in the past year, it is granted to a date within 6 months. Later postponements require an extreme emergency. Pay depends on the county, so the $20 and $58 amounts are floors. Separately from contempt, § 62.111 sets a fine of $100 to $500 for a juror who fails to attend without reasonable excuse.
The rules in Texas, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $20 day 1, then $58 a day (minimum) | Tex. Gov't Code § 61.001 |
| Mileage | not specified by the state | Tex. Gov't Code § 61.001 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 122.001-122.0022 |
| Job protected | Yes | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §§ 122.001-122.0022 |
| Age | 75 and over: may ask to be excused | Tex. Gov't Code §§ 62.106, 62.108 |
| Length of service | not specified by the state | |
| Before another summons | 24 months | statutes.capitol.texas.gov |
| Postponing | Ask the court clerk in person, in writing or by phone before your date. A first postponement is granted automatically (if none in the past year) to a date within 6 months; later ones need an extreme emergency. | statutes.capitol.texas.gov |
| Not showing up | Ignoring a summons or giving false exemption information can bring a contempt fine of $100 to $1,000. Section 62.111 also sets a fine of $100 to $500 for jurors who fail to attend without reasonable excuse. | Tex. Gov't Code §§ 62.0141, 62.111 |
Excuses and postponement in Texas
Exemptions are claimed by filing a signed statement with the clerk before the date; the judge may also accept any reasonable sworn excuse. Economic excuses need the parties' approval. Ask the court clerk in person, in writing or by phone before your date. A first postponement is granted automatically (if none in the past year) to a date within 6 months; later ones need an extreme emergency.
Can I be excused or postpone?
Texas
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | 75+, on request |
Exemptions are claimed by filing a signed statement with the clerk before the date; the judge may also accept any reasonable sworn excuse. Economic excuses need the parties' approval. Ask the court clerk in person, in writing or by phone before your date. A first postponement is granted automatically (if none in the past year) to a date within 6 months; later ones need an 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: txcourts.gov. Answer your summons and file any request there or as your summons says.