Massachusetts Jury Duty Pay—How Much Compensation Do Jurors Receive in The Bay State?
Jury duty is a crucial element of the judicial process that helps maintain citizens’ trust in the law and its implementations. Citizens summoned for jury duty cannot ignore it—they have an obligation to honor the summons.
Like many other states, MA has its own unique jury duty policies that govern this process across the state’s courts. As a prospective juror, this information will help you prepare better for your jury service. You will learn about:
- Massachusetts’ jury duty pay
- Your employer’s obligations to you
- The juror protection laws shielding you from being fired or getting other penalties
We will also show you how DoNotPay can help you so you can be ready for your jury service.
What Is the Jury Duty Pay in Massachusetts?
State law demands that employers pay their workers who get a summons for a trial or grand jury service in Massachusetts. This law applies to:
- Full-time employees
- Part-time employees
- Temporary employees
- Casual employees
Whether your jury service lasts only one day or you make it past the jury selection process, your employer is obliged to pay you your regular wages for your first three days of jury service. After three days, the court will take over your compensation and pay you $50 per day of service—the same amount that federal courts pay. Jurors are compensated within 14 days of jury service and ten days after each week if their service is longer than a week. Your jury duty compensation is taxable.
The courts compensate unemployed and retired jurors and reimburse them for reasonable expenses as in the table:
| Juror Employment Status | Compensation and Reimbursement |
|---|---|
| Retired |
|
| Unemployed |
|
Retired and unemployed jurors have to submit a request in writing to receive the reimbursement.
If your company does not take up your compensation for the first three days even after you provide proof of juror service, you have an undue hardship situation, or you have been summoned too often for jury duty, you can contact MN’s Legal Department using their Contact Us page.
Exemptions to the Employer Compensation Law
While employers are required to compensate employees during their jury service, there are a few types of employees for which this may be waived:
- Employees with unpredictable schedules—Part-time employees of on-demand service companies, part-time substitute teachers, etc.
- Non-employee workers—Independent contractors and third-party companies
- Self-employed people—They must compensate themselves for the first three days. Self-employed jurors must notify the judge of any undue hardship on their first day of service
- Out-of-state employees—Seek a hearing in front of a judge if a lack of wages during jury service constitutes an undue hardship
Let DoNotPay Help You Generate a Hassle-Free Leave Request for Jury Duty
Your employer has to know about your summons and verify it before approving your time off work. DoNotPay’s Request Jury Duty Leave feature can help you craft a professional leave request letter for this situation. It will contain all the details of your jury summons and serve as notification and proof of summons for your employer.
To get this letter, take these simple steps:
- Register and and look for the Request Jury Duty Leave feature
- Select whether your summons came from a federal or state court and indicate the state it came from
- Fill in the days you will be off for jury service and upload a photo of your jury summons
- Choose whether we should email the request to your employer for you and verify your signature
There is also an option to download the letter for people who prefer to submit it to their employers in person.
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