Jury Duty Excuse Letter: Sample & Rules

The short answer

A jury duty excuse letter is a written request asking the court’s jury office to excuse you from jury service or to postpone it to a later date. Follow your summons first: many courts require their online portal or their own response form, and a letter only works where the court accepts one. If it does, include your juror number, reporting date, one specific reason, any supporting documents, and dates you can serve, then mail it early by a trackable method such as Certified Mail. You must still report unless the court tells you you’re excused or postponed.

Mail your letter to the court Add Certified Mail

What is a jury duty excuse letter?

A jury duty excuse letter is a short written request to the court’s jury office, usually run by the clerk of court or a jury commissioner, asking to be excused from jury service or to postpone (defer) your service to a later date. It identifies you by the juror or participant number on your summons, gives one specific reason, lists any proof you’re including, and asks for one clear outcome.

Only the court can grant it. The U.S. Courts site says excuses from federal jury service “are granted at the discretion of the court,” and New York’s jury site says excusals are granted at the discretion of the Commissioner of Jurors and may require documentation. Until the court answers, your summons still stands.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Jury rules differ from court to court, so your summons and your court’s jury page are the final word. If you have questions, call the jury office number printed on your summons, or check your state court’s self-help website or a local legal aid office.

Can you send a letter to get out of jury duty, or do you need the court’s form?

Follow the instructions on your summons before you write anything. Many courts route excuse and postponement requests through an online portal or a response form printed on the summons, and a free-form letter only works where the court accepts one. In federal court, the U.S. Courts site says you can submit a request for an excuse or deferral through eJuror, the online system linked from your summons or questionnaire.

Courts that do take written requests often set conditions of their own. A few examples from official court pages:

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York takes requests in writing “no less than 10 days prior to the summons date,” with supporting documentation and a copy of your summons. It doesn’t accept postponements or excusals by email, and it asks you to write your summons date on the outside of the envelope.
The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina accepts excuse requests online, by fax, or by mail to the Clerk’s Office in Columbia, and tells jurors to use only one method.
New York State courts let you postpone once online or by calling 800-449-2819 at least one week before your service date. Any later postponement or excusal request goes to your county’s commissioner of jurors office.

How do you get excused from jury duty in federal court?

Federal jury service runs under the Jury Selection and Service Act. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1863, each federal district court adopts a written jury plan. The plan names groups whose members are excused “on individual request,” but only where the court finds that service “would entail undue hardship or extreme inconvenience” for that group, and it must excuse volunteer safety personnel, such as unpaid firefighters and rescue squad or ambulance crew members, on request. Separately, 28 U.S.C. § 1866(c) lets the court excuse any summoned juror “upon a showing of undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, for such period as the court deems necessary.”

The U.S. Courts site lists three groups that are exempt, meaning barred from federal jury service: members of the armed forces and National Guard on active duty, members of professional (not volunteer) fire and police departments, and full-time “public officers” of federal, state, or local government. It adds that most districts offer permanent excuses on request to groups that may include people over age 70, people who served on a federal jury within the past two years, and volunteer firefighters or rescue squad and ambulance crew members.

Each of the 94 district courts keeps its own procedures, so read the excuse list on your district’s website. The District of South Carolina, for example, may excuse people over 70; people who served as a federal grand or trial juror within the past two years; people with active care and custody of a child under 10 whose health or safety would be jeopardized by their absence; a person essential to the care of aged or infirm persons; a person whose business would have to close without them; and volunteer safety personnel.

What counts as a valid jury duty excuse in state courts?

It depends on the court. The table compares four state court systems and one federal district, each taken from the statute, court rule, or court page linked below. Most excuses aren’t automatic: you have to ask, and the court may want proof.

Students and service members show how much the rules differ. Texas exempts high school students, people enrolled in college, and active-duty service members deployed away from their home county; Florida excuses full-time students aged 18 to 21 from that specific summons; federal law bars active-duty members of the armed forces from serving. In every system in the table, the court can also consider hardship that isn’t on a fixed list.

Jury duty excuse examples from five court systems (checked October 18, 2026)
Court system	Examples of grounds	How it works	Official source
California state courts	Undue hardship: no reasonable transportation; travel time over 1.5 hours; extreme financial burden; a disability that would expose you to undue risk of harm; caring for a dependent with no comparable substitute care. Service in the previous 12 months is excused on request.	Hardship excuses must be in writing (or on the record), with facts and a statement of why deferring service wouldn’t avoid the hardship.	Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.1008
Texas state courts	Age 75 or older; custody of a child under 12 who would be left without adequate supervision; high school or college student; primary caretaker of someone who can’t care for themselves; active-duty military deployed out of the county; recent jury service in certain large counties.	You can claim an exemption without appearing by filing a signed statement of the ground with the court clerk before your appearance date.	Texas Gov’t Code §§ 62.106–62.107
Florida state courts	Age 70 or older; expectant mother; parent not employed full time with custody of a child under 6; caregiver for a person who can’t care for themselves; full-time student aged 18 to 21; gave birth within the past 6 months; hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity.	Most grounds are granted “upon request.” People 70 or older may also ask in writing to be excused permanently.	Fla. Stat. § 40.013
New York state courts	No automatic exemptions; financial or medical hardship is considered case by case.	Excusals are at the commissioner of jurors’ discretion and may require documentation.	NYJUROR.GOV FAQs
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina	Over 70; federal jury service in the past two years; care of a child under 10; essential caregiver; essential to a business that would close; volunteer safety personnel.	Submit once, online, by fax, or by mail.	D.S.C. Excuses from Service

Is a jury duty postponement easier to get than an excuse?

Often, yes. California’s rule says deferring jury service “is preferred to excusing a prospective juror for a temporary or marginal hardship,” and that inconvenience to you or your employer isn’t an adequate reason to be excused, though it may be a ground for deferral. A request for a full hardship excuse must also explain why the hardship can’t be avoided by deferring your service.

Some courts make postponement close to routine. New York State lets you postpone once online or by phone at least one week before your service date: you pick a date between two and six months from the date on your summons and are assigned the available date closest to your choice. In California, a person who is breastfeeding may ask to defer service for up to one year and may renew the request while still breastfeeding.

If your conflict is temporary, such as a scheduled surgery, a gap in caregiving, or final exams, a postponement request that names dates when you can serve gives the jury office an easy way to say yes. Save a full excuse request for circumstances that won’t change.

What should a jury duty excuse letter include?

Keep it to one page if you can, and write a factual request rather than an argument. Be truthful: in Texas, knowingly giving false information in a request for an exemption or excuse can bring a contempt fine of $100 to $1,000.

Handle medical proof carefully. The Eastern District of New York, for example, asks for a doctor’s letter for a medical hardship. Send only what your court asks for. If you mail your letter through IRIS, don’t upload highly sensitive medical records; submit them through the court’s portal or mail them yourself.

What to put in a jury duty excuse letter
Element	What to write	Why it matters
Juror or participant number	Copy it exactly from the summons	Lets staff match your letter to your record
Name and mailing address	As printed on the summons, plus any new address	Decisions are often sent to that address
Reporting date and courthouse	The date and location on your summons	Shows which summons you’re answering
Your request	“Excuse me from service” or “Postpone my service to [dates]”	Asks for one clear outcome
Reason	One or two specific, true facts	The court decides on facts
Supporting documents	List what’s included or being sent separately	Some courts require proof for certain reasons
Dates you can serve	A date range for a postponement	Makes a new date easy to assign
Contact details and signature	Phone, email, signature, and date	Lets the court follow up with you

What does a jury duty excuse letter look like?

Here’s a short sample asking to postpone service because of a caregiving conflict. The court, names, addresses, and numbers are fictional. If your court requires its own form or portal, use that instead and copy only the facts.

Grace Lin, 214 Orchard Lane, Lakeview, CA 95820
October 18, 2026
Jury Services Office, Lakeview County Superior Court, 100 Court Street, Lakeview, CA 95820
Re: Request to postpone jury service, Juror No. 4471-0932, reporting date November 16, 2026
Dear Jury Commissioner:
I received a summons to report for jury service at the Lakeview County Courthouse on November 16, 2026. I respectfully request that my service be postponed to a date between January 11 and February 26, 2027.
I am the only caregiver for my father, who lives with me and can’t be left alone during the day. His regular in-home aide is on approved leave from November 9 through December 4, 2026, and the home-care agency has no replacement available for those weeks. A letter from the agency confirming the leave dates is enclosed.
I am willing to serve and can report on any date in the range above. If the court needs more information, please contact me at (530) 555-0147 or grace.lin@example.com.
Thank you for considering this request.
Sincerely, (signature) Grace Lin
Enclosure: Letter from Brightway Home Care dated October 14, 2026

How should you mail a jury duty excuse letter so you can prove it?

Use only a method your court accepts, and send it well ahead of time. Some courts set a cutoff: the Eastern District of New York wants written requests no less than 10 days before the summons date and says your letter “must be received well in advance” of your service date. Plan for the letter to arrive, not just leave, before any deadline on your summons.

When a court accepts mailed requests, Certified Mail gives you a record. Under USPS DMM 503, Certified Mail provides the sender with a mailing receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that the item was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. USPS keeps a delivery record that includes the recipient’s signature, and you can get it by buying a return receipt at the time of mailing. Certified Mail travels as ordinary mail with no insurance, and it proves delivery, not what was inside, so keep a copy of the letter and anything you included.

At a Post Office, the prices below come from Notice 123, effective October 4, 2026; the letter and extra-service prices took effect July 12, 2026. Don’t send the same request by several routes unless your court asks; the District of South Carolina tells jurors to use only one method.

USPS prices for a 1-ounce Certified letter (Notice 123, effective October 4, 2026)
Item	Price	What you get
First-Class Mail stamped letter, 1 oz	$0.82	Postage
Certified Mail fee	$5.55	Mailing receipt and delivery record
Return Receipt, electronic	$2.91	Electronic delivery record with signature
Return Receipt, hardcopy (PS Form 3811)	$4.65	Mailed green card

Example: how Grace mails a jury duty excuse letter with IRIS

Grace Lin, the fictional writer of the sample above, has a summons saying the Lakeview County jury office accepts postponement requests by mail. She wants a delivery record, so she mails her request four weeks before her November 16 reporting date. Her total is $13.26; without the Electronic Return Receipt it would be $10.35, and without Certified Mail, $3.40.

Grace signs the one-page letter and scans the home-care agency’s one-page confirmation, then combines them into one two-page, black-and-white, US Letter-size PDF. Neither page shows a Social Security number, date of birth, or medical records.
She opens the IRIS letter mailing page, uploads the PDF, and enters her return address and the jury office address exactly as printed on her summons.
She adds Certified Mail and an Electronic Return Receipt, then reviews the document, both addresses, the options, and the total before paying.
IRIS prints the letter and mails it by USPS First-Class Mail with Certified Mail. Her private order page shows the USPS tracking number and provider-reported events when they’re received.
She keeps her own copy of the exact PDF she sent and sets a reminder to call the jury office if she hasn’t heard back a week before November 16.

Grace’s IRIS price for a two-page black-and-white Certified letter
Line	Price
Base (service and First-Class postage)	$3.00
Printing: 2 black-and-white pages at $0.20	$0.40
Certified Mail	$6.95
Electronic Return Receipt (optional)	$2.91
Total	$13.26

What happens after you send a jury duty excuse letter?

The court reviews your request and tells you its decision; how it answers depends on the court. In federal courts that use eJuror, for example, you can check when you need to report and choose an alternate time if a deferral is granted. Until you have a decision, plan to appear. The Eastern District of New York says that unless you receive a notice granting an excuse or postponement, or the court tells you to report at a different time, you must attend as directed in the summons.

If you’re postponed, you’ll serve on the new date. If your request is denied, report as directed. In California, even if you ask for an excuse, you may still be required to come to court to speak with the judge.

Don’t ignore a summons. If you missed your date or a response deadline, contact the jury office right away. Official sources describe these penalties:

Penalties for not responding to a jury summons
Court	What the official source says
Federal courts	A person who fails to show good cause for not complying with a summons may be fined not more than $1,000, imprisoned not more than three days, ordered to perform community service, or any combination (28 U.S.C. § 1866(g)).
California	Any person who fails to respond may be fined up to $1,500, incarcerated, or both (California Courts jury service page).
Texas	A contempt fine of $100 to $1,000 for not complying with the summons, in addition to any criminal penalty (Gov’t Code § 62.0141).
New York	Skipping jury duty can result in civil or criminal penalties, and you’ll be assigned a new date for future service (NYJUROR.GOV FAQs).

Can you mail a jury duty excuse letter online?

Yes, if your court accepts mailed requests. IRIS Postal Forms is an independent print-and-mail service, not USPS, a court, or any government agency. You upload your own finished US Letter-size PDF, enter the sender and recipient addresses, and review the document, addresses, options, and total before paying. IRIS prints the letter and mails it by USPS First-Class Mail to US addresses only.

A one-page black-and-white letter is $3.20 and a two-page letter is $3.40. Certified Mail adds $6.95 (a one-page Certified letter is $10.15) within a six-sheet limit, and your private order page shows the USPS tracking number and provider-reported events when received. An Electronic Return Receipt adds $2.91; IRIS doesn’t offer the hardcopy green card (PS Form 3811).

Know the limits first. The order page isn’t a downloadable USPS postmarked mailing receipt or Return Receipt document, and order status isn’t proof of delivery by itself, so keep your own copy of exactly what you sent. IRIS can’t enclose physical items such as an original summons, so if the court wants a copy, add a scan as a page of your PDF, provided it shows no Social Security number or other government identifier. IRIS doesn’t guarantee delivery dates, so mail early. A signature image in your PDF prints as part of the page, but it can’t supply a wet-ink signature if your court requires one. Don’t upload Social Security numbers, ID copies, complete payment-card details, passwords, or highly sensitive medical records; send those through the court’s own secure channel or mail them yourself.

Sources & further reading

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Put it into practice

Mail your letter to the jury office

If your court accepts mailed requests, upload your finished PDF. IRIS prints it and mails it by USPS First-Class Mail; a one-page Certified letter is $10.15, with tracking on your order page.

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