Jury Duty Excuse Letter in Texas
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 Texas law says
| Who can be excused from jury duty | A qualified Texas juror may claim an exemption if the person is 75 or older; has legal custody of a child under 12 and service would leave the child without adequate supervision; is a high school or college student; works for the legislative branch; is the primary caretaker of a person who cannot care for themselves; is on active military duty and deployed out of the county; or, in larger counties, served as a petit juror recently (24 months in counties of 200,000+, three years in counties of 250,000+). You claim an exemption by filing a signed statement with the court clerk before your report date, and people 75 or older may ask for a permanent exemption. A first postponement of up to six months is granted on request to the clerk. |
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| Penalty for skipping jury duty | A Texas juror who was properly notified and fails to attend without a reasonable excuse, or files a false exemption claim, faces a fine of $100 to $500. Separately, a person who does not comply with a jury summons, or knowingly gives false information to be exempted or excused, is subject to contempt punishable by a fine of $100 to $1,000. |
| Jury duty pay and your job | A Texas employer may not fire, threaten to fire, intimidate or coerce a permanent employee because the employee serves as a juror or grand juror, and the employee may return to the same job by giving notice as soon as practical after service. A violating employer can owe reinstatement plus damages of one to five years' pay and attorney's fees (suit within two years), commits a Class B misdemeanor, and can be held in contempt. Jurors receive county-set expense reimbursement of at least $20 for the first day and at least $58 for each later day. The statutes reviewed do not require private employers to pay wages during jury service. Texas currently publishes two versions of § 122.001 (amended by S.B. 370 and H.B. 504 in 2019); both bar firing a juror. Juror pay: https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/GV/htm/GV.61.htm |
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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 · Texas tenant rights
Last verified against official sources: October 22, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
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.