Jury Duty Financial Hardship Letter — Free Template

Courts hear many requests based on inconvenience, so explain the concrete effect: you are paid hourly, your employer does not pay for jury duty, you are the main earner, and missing work would leave specific bills unpaid. Real numbers are persuasive.

Enclose a few recent pay stubs or a note from your employer confirming that jury service is unpaid. You do not need to share your entire financial history.

Some employers pay full or partial wages during jury service, and a few states require certain employers to pay for some days. Check your employee handbook or ask human resources. If you will be paid, a financial hardship request is less likely to succeed.

If you are self-employed or a gig worker, explain how your income depends on working each day, and that no one can work in your place.

Many courts use a one-day or one-trial system, so you may only serve one day unless you are picked for a trial. Ask the court whether that applies. A judge may also excuse you during jury selection if a trial is expected to be long.

If timing is the problem, such as a seasonal job, you can ask for a postponement to a slower period instead.

Until the court tells you otherwise, assume you still have to appear. Sending a letter doesn't automatically excuse you, and failing to show up for jury duty can lead to a follow-up notice, a fine or an order to explain your absence to a judge.

If you haven't heard back a week or so before your date, call or email the jury office listed on your summons, give your juror number and ask whether your request was received. Many courts also let you check your status online.

If your request is denied, you can often still ask for a postponement instead, or raise your hardship in person when you report — judges sometimes excuse jurors during selection when serving on a long trial would be a genuine burden.