Massachusetts law about employment leave for jury duty

Laws and web sources on leave from your job to serve on a trial jury or grand jury.

If you are unable to find the information you are looking for, or if you have a specific question, please contact our law librarians for assistance.

Best bet

Learn about employment obligations during jury duty, Office of Jury Commissioner.
Having to work probably won’t get you out of jury duty. Find out what your employer can and can’t ask of you and information on special considerations for night shift employees, essential employees, and small business owners. 

Massachusetts laws

up to 3 days  regular pay

MGL c. 234A, § 48 Payment of regularly employed jurors
Regularly employed trial or grand juror shall be paid regular wages by his employer for the first three days, or part thereof, of juror service.

MGL c. 234A, § 49 Employers or self-employed jurors excused from payment
The court may excuse an employer from paying their employee for jury duty if doing so would cause extreme financial hardship for the employer.

MGL c. 234A, § 51 Payment of trial juror by commonwealth
After 3 days, the state will pay jurors $50 per day.

MGL c. 234A, § 57 and § 58 Juror Service Certificates required for compensation from employer

MGL c. 234A, § 60 and § 61 Employer liability for failure to pay juror-employee

MGL c. 268, § 14A Juror discharged from employment
Employer cannot discharge employee because employee served as juror.

Federal laws

28 U.S. Code § 1875 Protection of juror employment

Web sources

Massachusetts jury service

The Office of Jury Commissioner provides a number of helpful resources:

• Asking to be excused from jury duty - Information on what qualifies as an extreme hardship to be excused from jury duty.
• Learn about compensation for jury duty - Information on getting paid or reimbursed for jury duty.
• Postpone your jury service - Information on postponement and deferral of jury service.
• Grand juror’s handbook
• Trial juror’s handbook

Federal jury service

Juror pay, United States Courts.
Discusses pay for service on federal jury.

Jurors, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Discusses job protection, compensation, and more general juror information as well as a message to employers about their responsibilities to their employees who have been called for jury duty.

Print sources

Employment law (Mass Practice v.45) Thomson Reuters, 2022.
Section 16:17 Jury Duty Leave.

Labor and employment in Massachusetts by Jeffrey L. Hirsch, 2^nd ed., LexisNexis, loose-leaf. (eBook available with library card)
Section 2-2[g]: Court appearances.

Massachusetts proof of cases, Thomson Reuters, 2023-2024.
Volume 2, Section 58:7 Employer Discharging juror or witness.

Last updated:	June 26, 2025