How to Get Out of Jury Duty: A Detailed Guide to Writing an Excuse Letter

This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD and by wikiHow staff writer, Raven Minyard, BA. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006.

There are 27 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.

This article has been viewed 423,118 times.

If you receive a summons for jury duty, you typically must appear in court. If you disobey this order, you may be subject to stiff fines or even jail time. However, the federal government and each state recognize legitimate reasons why you may be excused from jury duty because completing jury service would constitute a hardship for you. In this article, we’ll walk you step-by-step through how to write a jury excuse letter so you can send it to the judge and find out whether the court will excuse you from jury duty.

When writing a jury excuse letter, directly state why you cannot serve and how serving would lead to hardship. Valid exemptions include being ill or disabled, being the sole guardian of young children, or being over the age of 70. Include documentation such as a doctor’s note or a letter from an employer.

Sample Jury Duty Excuse Letter

Exemption & Documentation Requirements

• Carefully note any dates on your summons, including the dates you’ve been called to jury duty. You will have to include these dates in your jury excuse letter and may need to provide them to anyone whom you need to write a letter on your behalf as documentation.
• For example, if you cannot appear for work-related reasons, you may need a letter from your boss that tells the court why you cannot be spared from work on those days.

• Being employed as a public official, police officer, or firefighter (for federal court)[3] X Research source
• Serving active duty in the armed forces
• Being over the age of 70 or 80
• Having medical issues or disabilities
• Employment conflict or financial hardship
• Being a breastfeeding mother or having active care and custody of young children, elderly, or disabled family members
• Being a full-time high school or college student
• Some excuses allow you to be excused from jury duty, while others only allow you to have your service deferred for a specific time. Make sure you know whether you're eligible for a complete excuse or a deferral so you ask for the right thing.
• Many states, like Massachusetts, have strict legal requirements regarding disqualification from jury duty for medical reasons. If you plan on claiming a medical excuse, read these requirements carefully and talk to your doctor before writing your letter. [4] X Trustworthy Source State of Massachusetts Official website for the State of Massachusetts Go to source
• Many of these exemptions apply to jury duty in both the United States and the UK. [5] X Trustworthy Source Official UK government website Official website for the public sector of the UK government Go to source

• For example, the state of Texas allows you to postpone jury service at least once, but you must send a letter with your reasons for being excused at least two weeks before the date you’re scheduled to serve. [7] X Research source
• In the UK, you must respond to the summons within 7 days of receiving it or risk being fined up to £1,000. Contact the Jury Central Summoning Bureau for any questions. [8] X Trustworthy Source Official UK government website Official website for the public sector of the UK government Go to source

• If you’re asking to be excused from jury duty because it would present financial hardship, gather documents that prove the state of your finances or the fact that your income is necessary to care for dependents. [10] X Research source
• If you’re claiming a work-related reason, talk to your supervisor or manager about writing a letter for you to include with your own letter describing the need for you to be at work on the dates you’ve been summoned.
• You may also need to provide similar documentation as proof in the UK. [11] X Trustworthy Source Official UK government website Official website for the public sector of the UK government Go to source

Drafting Your Jury Excuse Letter

• For example, if you are summoned to serve on a jury in New Jersey, the court includes a questionnaire that you must complete and return. On that questionnaire, you can indicate if you are not qualified to serve on a jury or if you want your service dates to be postponed.
• In some jurisdictions, these forms must be completed and sent within a certain period of time after you receive your summons, regardless of whether you are asking to be excused from service. [13] X Research source
• In the UK, you can either respond to your summons online at gov.uk, or complete and return the form by mail. [14] X Trustworthy Source Official UK government website Official website for the public sector of the UK government Go to source

Format your letter as a business letter. If no form is available, type your letter using the business-letter format. Date your letter with the date you intend to mail it and include both your mailing address and the mailing address of the court. You may also include other contact information such as your phone number or email address. [15] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

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• For a judge, the proper salutation should be “Dear Honorable Judge (Full Name)”. For example, Dear Honorable Judge Katherine Smith. Use the full name as provided for the clerk.

• For example, write something like “My name is Jane Doe. On (date), I received a jury summons for (court date) at (court address) and was assigned the juror number (insert number here). I am writing to request to be excused from jury service because being absent from work would pose an extreme financial hardship.”

• If the court accepts work-related excuses, explain the necessity for you to be at work or the hardship that would occur if you were to miss work. [19] X Research source For example, you may work at a small business that would have to close for the day if you weren't there to run the shop. You could say something like “I currently run a small business as the sole employee. If I were to serve on the jury, I would have to close my shop, which would drastically affect my income. My household consists of (number of residents) and our monthly income is (total income), of which (individual income) is from my business. Our monthly expenses average (total expenses).”
• If you're requesting to be excused from jury duty because you must care for a child, consider including reasons you are unable to find appropriate child care under the circumstances.
• Keep in mind that, in some jurisdictions, you are limited to one reason for your excuse. For example, in California, your excuse is denied if you indicate more than one reason why you are disqualified from jury service. For this reason, rather than piling on multiple reasons, pick the one for which you have the strongest documentation.

• For example, many courts will excuse breastfeeding mothers from jury duty. [21] X Research source In that case, you may be willing to serve if your duty is postponed until a date in the future when your child is no longer breastfeeding.
• Say something like “As I am a breastfeeding mother, I am more than willing to serve on the jury once my child is no longer breastfeeding. This should be in about 3 more months.”
• If you cannot serve at another time because of a permanent disability, for example, try something like “Because my disability is permanent and affects my ability to get around, I am requesting to be permanently excused from jury duty.”
• In the UK, you’ll need to suggest 3 possible dates in the next 12 months that you could serve on the jury. You may only be excused completely if you have a serious illness or disability, are the full-time caretaker of someone with a serious illness or disability, or if you are a new parent. [22] X Trustworthy Source Official UK government website Official website for the public sector of the UK government Go to source

• Say something like “If possible, I’d prefer to receive a phone call when you reach your decision. You can contact me at (phone number). Thank you for your consideration.”

• It may help to read your letter aloud or have someone else read over it to see if they can catch any typos you may have overlooked.

Type and sign your name. Leave a space for your signature and type your full name below it. You may also include your address, phone number, and other contact information. Then, print your letter and sign it with cursive writing in blue or black ink. [25] X Research source

Submitting Your Jury Excuse Letter

Review your jury notice for instructions. Your notice should have an address listed for sending jury excuse letters. Make sure you send the letter to the correct court address or office so it is received and considered before the date you were summoned for jury duty. [26] X Research source

• For example, if you will be out of town on the date you were summoned for jury duty, and you've already made reservations or purchased plane tickets, copies of these reservations and/or tickets would provide proof of your excuse. [28] X Research source

• If you're unsure whether the court will receive your letter by the deadline if you use regular mail, use priority two-day or next-day mailing services.
• Make copies of everything you send to the court before you mail it, so you have them for your records.

• Keep in mind that courts typically consider each request on a case-by-case basis, and they have the discretion to grant or deny your request. Just because someone else has been excused from jury duty for the same reason you've provided doesn't mean your request to be excused will be granted. [31] X Research source

• In the UK, you can appeal the decision by writing to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau. Include your full name, address, date of birth, and juror number. Note the name and address of the court you’ve been summoned to, as well as the dates of your jury service. Explain why you disagree with the decision and provide as much evidence as possible. [33] X Trustworthy Source Official UK government website Official website for the public sector of the UK government Go to source

Expert Q&A

Employers are forbidden by law from firing you or taking disciplinary action against you for reporting to jury duty, so it isn't a valid excuse to claim you're afraid you'll lose your job if you serve on a jury. [34] X Research source

• If you are physically unable to appear in court due to disability/disabilities, make sure to include that information in your letter requesting to be excused. Include the limits this disability creates. For example, "I cannot walk more than 30 feet and am unable to sit/use a wheelchair. Except to use the bathroom, I am mostly bedridden at home."

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1. ↑https://www.nccourts.gov/help-topics/jury-service/jury-service
2. ↑https://www.williamsoncounty-tn.gov/1905/Jury-Duty
3. ↑https://www.ncmd.uscourts.gov/jury-excuses
4. ↑https://www.mass.gov/how-to/request-a-medical-disqualification-from-jury-duty
5. ↑https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/delaying-or-being-excused-from-jury-service
6. ↑https://www.shelbycountytn.gov/Faq.aspx?QID=492
7. ↑https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/jury-duty
8. ↑https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/respond-to-the-summons
9. ↑https://www.mass.gov/how-to/request-a-medical-disqualification-from-jury-duty

1. ↑https://ww2.nycourts.gov/courts/10jd/suffolk/coj/excuses.shtml
2. ↑https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/delaying-or-being-excused-from-jury-service
3. ↑https://thirddistrictcourt.nmcourts.gov/home/jury-information/exemption-from-service/
4. ↑https://www.16thcircuit.org/qualifications-excuses-postponements
5. ↑https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/respond-to-the-summons
6. ↑https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/basic_business_letters/index.html
7. ↑https://www.chapman.edu/law/_files/externships/secure/addressing-judges-in-writing.pdf
8. ↑https://www.nyjuror.gov/juryQandA.shtml
9. ↑https://courts.delaware.gov/superior/jury/jury_excusals_postponements.aspx
10. ↑https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-to-be-excused-from-jury-service
11. ↑https://www.ncsc-jurystudies.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/7709/best-practices-for-excusal-policies.pdf
12. ↑https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=21127
13. ↑https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/delaying-or-being-excused-from-jury-service
14. ↑https://juryduty.nashville.gov/about-jury-duty-service/general-information/#:~:text=REQUEST%20TO%20BE%20EXCUSED%2FPOSTPONED&text=If%20you%20need%20to%20be,confirmation%20letter%2C%20text%20or%20email.
15. ↑https://www.touro.edu/departments/writing-center/tutorials/seven-steps-to-effective-proofreading/
16. ↑https://www.pens.com/blog/black-vs-blue-ink-what-color-ink-is-more-professional/
17. ↑https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/docs/jury_summons_form.pdf
18. ↑https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/jurors/jury-duty-excused.htm
19. ↑https://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/jury-service-faqs
20. ↑https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Certified-Mail-The-Basics
21. ↑https://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/sdcourt/jury2/juryfaq
22. ↑https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/jurors/jury-duty-excused.htm
23. ↑https://www.ncsc-jurystudies.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/7709/best-practices-for-excusal-policies.pdf
24. ↑https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/delaying-or-being-excused-from-jury-service
25. ↑https://www.nced.uscourts.gov/jurors/faq.aspx

About This Article

This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD and by wikiHow staff writer, Raven Minyard, BA. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 423,118 times.

To write a jury excuse letter, start by checking with your court to see if they'd prefer you to fill out a specific form. If no form is available, you can type your letter using traditional business letter format. Write the date at the top and address the letter to the name indicated on your jury summons. Then, provide your full legal name and any identifying information included on your jury notice, like a jury number or reference number. After that, give a brief explanation of why you want to be excused from jury duty, sticking to the facts of your situation. Close your letter by telling the court if you want to be permanently excused or simply have the duty deferred or postponed to another time. Finally, print out the letter and sign your full name at the bottom in blue or black ink. For tips on submitting your letter properly, read on!

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