States
Jury duty in Wisconsin: 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 Wisconsin's $16 minimum juror fee and your county's rate, see why age is never a ground on its own, and learn how deferrals replace most excuses.
What jury duty in Wisconsin will pay you
You receive for 3 days
$48
| Court fee (state minimum) | $48 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 3 days of work | $600 |
| Income lost | $552 |
| Age rule | no age exemption |
Wisconsin: Statutory minimum is $16 per day; each county board sets the actual rate (may pay by half-day, and may set a different first-day amount in one-day/one-trial circuits). Before tax. Employers must grant leave with no loss of seniority or pay advancement, but the statute does not require wages to be paid.
All jury rules in WisconsinWisconsin sets a statutory minimum of $16 per day for jurors under Wis. Stat. § 756.25, and each county board fixes the actual rate. Mileage at the state rate is paid for each mile traveled daily, round trip. Employers must grant leave with no loss of seniority or pay advancement, but § 756.255 does not require wages. Wisconsin abolished exemptions and bars excluding a qualified juror because of age (§ 756.001(3)), so older residents rely on an individual excuse or deferral. Circuits may adopt one day or one trial; elsewhere, availability is capped at 31 consecutive days and at most 5 days in court unless a trial needs more. Service protects you for 4 years in counties without one day or one trial, and for 2 to 4 years, set by the judges, in circuits that use it. Failing to attend without being excused is contempt, and after a show-cause hearing the court may impose up to $500 (§ 756.30).
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
Some texts cited on this page were read in archived copies (web.archive.org, 2025 and 2026) of the official pages linked, because the official site refused our connection on October 29, 2026.
No exemptions in Wisconsin, only deferrals
Wisconsin did away with categories of exemption. No one is excused because of age, job or status alone. Under § 756.03, the court may excuse a person who cannot fulfill a juror's responsibilities, and undue hardship or extreme inconvenience normally leads to a deferral instead of a release. Ask the court named on the summons, or the clerk of circuit court if authorized; it may move your service to a later date it sets, and documentation may be required. In practice, most hardship reasons lead to a later date rather than a release.
How Wisconsin counties set pay and terms
The $16 figure is only the floor. County boards set the real rate, can pay by the half-day, and in one day or one trial circuits may treat the first day differently. The term also depends on the circuit: either one day or one trial, or a window of up to 31 consecutive days with no more than 5 days in court unless a trial runs longer. The protected period after service is 4 years where one day or one trial is not used.
The rules in Wisconsin, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $16 a day (minimum) | Wis. Stat. § 756.25 |
| Mileage | State mileage rate (s. 20.916(8)) for each mile traveled each day, round trip | Wis. Stat. § 756.25 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | Wis. Stat. § 756.255 |
| Job protected | Yes | Wis. Stat. § 756.255 |
| Age | No age exemption | Wis. Stat. § 756.001(3) |
| Length of service | Circuits may opt for one day or one trial. Elsewhere, availability is capped at 31 consecutive days and at most 5 days in court unless a trial needs more. | docs.legis.wisconsin.gov |
| Before another summons | 24 months | docs.legis.wisconsin.gov |
| Postponing | Ask the court (or the clerk of circuit court, if authorized) named on the summons; it may move your service to a later date it sets. Documentation may be required. | docs.legis.wisconsin.gov |
| Not showing up | Failing to attend without being excused is contempt of court; after a show-cause hearing the circuit court may impose a sanction of up to $500. | Wis. Stat. § 756.30 |
Excuses and postponement in Wisconsin
No automatic exemptions. The court may excuse someone who cannot fulfill a juror's responsibilities; hardship normally leads to a deferral. The clerk may be authorized to decide. Ask the court (or the clerk of circuit court, if authorized) named on the summons; it may move your service to a later date it sets. Documentation may be required.
Can I be excused or postpone?
Wisconsin
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | none |
No automatic exemptions. The court may excuse someone who cannot fulfill a juror's responsibilities; hardship normally leads to a deferral. The clerk may be authorized to decide. Ask the court (or the clerk of circuit court, if authorized) named on the summons; it may move your service to a later date it sets. Documentation may be required.
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: wicourts.gov. Answer your summons and file any request there or as your summons says.