Jury Duty Excuse Letter in Pennsylvania
A short letter asking the court to excuse you from jury duty or postpone it. Follow the instructions on your summons first, because courts handle these requests differently, and keep following the summons until the court answers.
What Pennsylvania law says
| Who can be excused from jury duty | Pennsylvania exempts or excuses: people in active service of the U.S. or Pennsylvania armed forces; people who served on any jury within the previous three years (one year if the service was under three days); people 75 or older who ask to be excused; breastfeeding women who ask to be excused; spouses, children, siblings, parents, grandparents and grandchildren of criminal homicide victims; people who served 18 months on a statewide investigating grand jury and choose not to serve; and magisterial district judges and federal judges. Anyone showing the court undue hardship or extreme inconvenience may be excused permanently or for a set period. People incapable of efficient service because of mental or physical infirmity are disqualified. Requests go to the court or county jury office named on the summons. Source: 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 4503(a), 4502(a) |
|---|---|
| Penalty for skipping jury duty | A summoned prospective juror who fails to appear and is not exempt or excused may be punished for contempt of court by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to ten days, or both. Source: 42 Pa.C.S. § 4584 |
| Jury duty pay and your job | An employer may not take away an employee's job, seniority or benefits, or threaten or coerce the employee, because the employee receives a jury summons, responds to it, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective jury service. A violation is a summary offense, and the employee may sue for lost wages and benefits (not more than actually lost) and reinstatement, plus a reasonable attorney's fee if successful. Employers need not pay wages for time lost to jury service, and the protection does not cover retail or service employers with fewer than 15 people or manufacturers with fewer than 40 (such employees may ask the court to be excused). Jurors are paid $9 a day for the first three days in a calendar year and $25 a day after that, plus 17 cents per mile round trip (no travel allowance in the First Judicial District). Source: 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 4563, 4561(a) |
Fill it in
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[today's date]
[your name]
[your mailing address]
[your phone or email]
To: [court or jury office name and address, from your summons]
Re: Jury summons. Juror number: [juror number from your summons]. Reporting date: [date you are told to report].
Dear [jury commissioner, clerk or judge named on your summons]:
I received a jury summons for the date above. I am asking to be [excused from / postponed from] jury service because [your reason, in one or two plain sentences].
I have attached [documents supporting your request, such as a doctor's note, or none].
If my service can be postponed, I can serve on these dates: [dates you are available].
Please tell me in writing whether my request is approved. I understand that I must follow the summons until I hear from the court.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Jury Duty Excuse Letter for other states · Pennsylvania tenant rights
Last verified against official sources: October 22, 2026.
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.