States
Jury duty in Virginia: 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 Virginia's $50 daily juror allowance, check the evening shift protection for workers, and review the many exemptions available on request.
What jury duty in Virginia will pay you
You receive for 3 days
$150
| Court fee | $150 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 3 days of work | $600 |
| Income lost | $450 |
| Age rule | 74 and over, may ask to be excused |
Virginia: $50 per day of attendance, meant to cover travel and other expenses; no separate mileage rate in the statute. Paid for only one case per day. Before tax. No duty to pay wages, but the employer cannot force the employee to use sick leave or vacation; after 4+ hours of jury duty the employee cannot be required to start a shift beginning at/after 5 p.m. that day or before 3 a.m. the next day.
All jury rules in VirginiaVirginia pays jurors $50 per day of attendance under Va. Code § 17.1-618, an amount meant to cover travel and other expenses, with no separate mileage rate. Employers owe no wages, but § 18.2-465.1 bars them from forcing you to use sick leave or vacation, and after 4 or more hours of jury duty you cannot be required to start a shift beginning at or after 5 p.m. that day or before 3 a.m. the next day. Anyone over 73 may ask to be exempted (§ 8.01-341.1(10)). Service covers one term of court, which can last up to four months depending on the circuit. If you reported for jury duty in a state court in the previous three years, you are left off the next jury list. Call the number on the summons to request a deferral for genuine hardship. A juror who fails to appear without sufficient excuse is fined $50 to $200 under § 8.01-356, and the court may also treat it as contempt.
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
Virginia limits on late shifts after jury duty
Virginia protects workers from being sent straight from the courthouse to a night shift. Once you have spent 4 hours or more on jury duty in a day, your employer cannot require you to start a shift that begins at or after 5 p.m. that day, or one that begins before 3 a.m. the following day. Employers also cannot make you use sick leave or vacation for service. The $50 daily allowance is the only payment, intended to cover travel and other costs.
Exemptions on request and deferrals in Virginia
Virginia lists many people who may serve but are exempt if they ask: mariners in maritime service, a parent with custody of a child 16 or younger needing continuous care or of a child under 18 with a serious health condition, a breastfeeding mother, a caregiver of a person with a serious health condition, anyone over 73, a spouse summoned to the same panel, the sole essential worker of a business or farm, and others. An occupational inconvenience, including for full-time students and parents of children 16 or younger, can move service to the next term. Since a term can last up to four months, a deferral to the next one is often the practical choice.
The rules in Virginia, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $50 a day | Va. Code § 17.1-618 |
| Mileage | not specified by the state | Va. Code § 17.1-618 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | Va. Code § 18.2-465.1 |
| Job protected | Yes | Va. Code § 18.2-465.1 |
| Age | 74 and over: may ask to be excused | Va. Code § 8.01-341.1(10) |
| Length of service | One term of court, which can last up to four months depending on the circuit; the summons gives the dates. | vacourts.gov |
| Before another summons | 36 months | law.lis.virginia.gov |
| Postponing | Call the number on the summons; the judge may defer service for genuine hardship, or defer it to the next term for an occupational inconvenience (incl. full-time students and parents of children 16 or younger). | vacourts.gov |
| Not showing up | A juror who fails to appear without sufficient excuse is fined $50 to $200; the court may also treat it as contempt. | Va. Code § 8.01-356 |
Excuses and postponement in Virginia
These groups may serve but are exempt on request; certain officials (lawyers, judges, police, etc.) are exempt outright. Contact the court on the summons. Call the number on the summons; the judge may defer service for genuine hardship, or defer it to the next term for an occupational inconvenience (incl. full-time students and parents of children 16 or younger).
Can I be excused or postpone?
Virginia
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | 74+, on request |
These groups may serve but are exempt on request; certain officials (lawyers, judges, police, etc.) are exempt outright. Contact the court on the summons. Call the number on the summons; the judge may defer service for genuine hardship, or defer it to the next term for an occupational inconvenience (incl. full-time students and parents of children 16 or younger).
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: vacourts.gov. Answer your summons and file any request there or as your summons says.