ByHow To Apply for Jury Duty Time Off
Jury duty is mandatory for all citizens of the U.S., no matter how many times you are called for it, but it can become an inconvenience for employers.
Most of them resist the idea of allowing employees to take a leave of absence and pressure them to get out of it. You may get subtle discouraging remarks or straight-out warnings of salary deductions.
If you want to take a leave to fulfill your civic duty, we can provide details on what you need to know about taking jury duty time off.
Is Jury Duty Required by Law?
Jury duty is a judicial obligation that trumps your commitment as an employee and can last from a few days to a few months, including the jury selection process. You are required by law to fulfill this duty and cannot skip it without a valid reason, such as:
- Serving actively in the military
- Working full-time in the fire or police department
- Caring for a mentally or physically disabled person
- Being a parent or legal guardian of a child under ten years old
Most employers require employees to provide proof of jury duty, but they cannot fire them for missing work. If they do not comply with these laws, employers can be held in contempt of court and penalized with a fine, imprisonment, or a combination of both.
The law states that if the court summons an employee for jury duty, they can take time off from work for as long as it lasts. They cannot be:
- Disciplined
- Demoted
- Discouraged
- Intimidated
Do You Get Paid Time Off for Jury Duty?
Most employees are interested in knowing whether they will be paid during their time off. The law varies from state to state—some states let employees use their paid vacation days, while others offer a portion of the daily wages. Check out the table below for jury duty pay laws in the U.S.:
In most states, county jurors are paid between $10 and $40 per day of service. If you have been asked to serve as a federal juror, the compensation rate is usually capped at:
- $50 per day for the first ten days
- $60 per day for each day beyond that
If your state laws are not clear about taking time off, you should consult your workplace’s employee handbook to review the policies about the jury duty protocol.
How To Tell Your Employer That You Need Time Off
Once you receive a jury summons, you should immediately take the following steps to prepare for the process:
- Inform your employer with proof that you need time off work
- Discuss how you will delegate your tasks to other team members
- Show the jury summons to your employer
- Prepare a leave request letter
Do you need help writing a leave request letter? and get a watertight letter within a matter of minutes!
DoNotPay Can Draft a Leave Request Letter for Jury Duty
If you have been summoned for jury duty and have been putting off telling your employer, turn to DoNotPay and let us help you out! Our AI-powered app can write a leave request letter and forward it to your boss. What you need to do is follow these short steps:
- in your web browser
- Navigate to the Request Jury Duty Leave tool
- Enter information about your jury duty
- Upload the jury summons you received as evidence
Our app will create your request letter right away. We can send it to your manager, or you can download it and submit it yourself.
DoNotPay Has More Products in Store for You!
Our app is adept at solving numerous issues and completing various tasks in your stead.
You may want to use DoNotPay to protect your work from copyright infringement, reduce your property taxes, send defamation demand letters, or file FOIA requests.
Through the same app, you’ll be able to skip many bureaucratic hurdles. Here are more tasks DoNotPay can help you with:
- Requesting a refund for:
- Suing anyone in small claims court
- Claiming your insurance or warranty
- Drawing up legal documents, such as:
Use DoNotPay To Keep in Touch
If your friend or family member is in jail, we can help you locate them and send and receive letters with ease. Do you need to send other letters but hate going to the post office? You can use our Mailing Service product and save time.
We can also help you send online faxes, reach customer service, and contact embassies or government representatives.
In case you’re drowning in email and text spam, our app can end it for good. Even if robocalls are bothering you, we have a solution!
DoNotPay Has More Products in Store for You!
Our app is adept at solving numerous issues and completing various tasks in your stead.
You may want to use DoNotPay to protect your work from copyright infringement, reduce your property taxes, send defamation demand letters, or file FOIA requests.
Through the same app, you’ll be able to skip many bureaucratic hurdles. Here are more tasks DoNotPay can help you with:
- Requesting a refund for:
- Suing anyone in small claims court
- Claiming your insurance or warranty
- Drawing up legal documents, such as:
Use DoNotPay To Keep in Touch
If your friend or family member is in jail, we can help you locate them and send and receive letters with ease. Do you need to send other letters but hate going to the post office? You can use our Mailing Service product and save time.
We can also help you send online faxes, reach customer service, and contact embassies or government representatives.
In case you’re drowning in email and text spam, our app can end it for good. Even if robocalls are bothering you, we have a solution!