Grand jurors in California are paid at least $15 per day under state law, but how much grand jurors actually get paid in California depends heavily on the county. Los Angeles County pays $80 a day. Orange County pays $50. Many smaller counties pay the $15 statutory floor. Because a grand jury term runs a full fiscal year at four to five days per week, those daily rates translate into annual totals ranging from roughly $3,900 at the state minimum to about $20,800 in Los Angeles.
The $15 State Minimum Under Penal Code 890
Penal Code 890 sets the floor: $15 for each day of attendance, plus mileage reimbursement at whatever rate the county pays its own employees for travel.1California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code PEN 890 That floor governs only where a county hasn’t adopted a higher rate by ordinance. Larger counties generally have; smaller ones often haven’t.
Two features of the statute are worth knowing before you serve. Grand jurors are paid from the first day of attendance, with no waiting period. And mileage is tied to the county employee reimbursement rate rather than a fixed cents-per-mile figure, so travel pay varies by where you serve.
What Individual California Counties Pay Grand Jurors
Confirmed daily rates in several counties show how wide the range runs:
- Los Angeles County pays $80 per day. The Board of Supervisors approved the increase from $60 to $80 for both civil and criminal grand jurors during the 2024–25 fiscal year.2County of Los Angeles. Ordinance Change Authorizing an Increase to Civil and Criminal Grand Jury Daily Stipend
- Orange County pays $50 per day, covering up to five days per week, plus mileage at the county employee rate.3Superior Court of California, County of Orange. Become a Grand Juror – Commitment/Compensation
- Mendocino County pays per meeting rather than per day: $25 for a full panel meeting and $10 for a committee or public meeting. Total pay rises and falls with the jury’s meeting schedule.4Superior Court of California, County of Mendocino. Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury Recruitment
- Counties without their own ordinance default to the $15 state minimum.
Before you commit to the application process, ask your local superior court’s grand jury coordinator what the rate is. It’s normally printed in the annual recruitment brochure.
Mileage and Travel Reimbursement
Mileage under Penal Code 890 pays at the county employee travel rate for each mile actually driven between your home and the courthouse.1California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code PEN 890 In many counties that rate tracks or closely follows the IRS standard mileage rate, but not always.
Parking and public transit reimbursement is handled county by county. Some courts offer free courthouse parking, others reimburse documented costs. Keep every receipt from your first day. Reconstructing months of travel expenses later is much harder than filing receipts you already have.
Seven counties participate in the AB 1981 Jury Pilot Program (Alameda, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Monterey, San Bernardino, and Shasta), which pays trial jurors $0.67 per mile roundtrip and up to $12 per day in transit costs.5Judicial Branch of California. AB 1981 Jury Pilot Program Whether those enhanced travel benefits reach grand jurors in the same counties depends on how each court applies the program, so ask the coordinator directly if you’re serving in one of the seven.
What a Year of Service Actually Adds Up To
Civil grand jury terms in California run a full fiscal year, July 1 through June 30, and members generally meet four to five days per week.6Orange County Grand Jury. Become a Grand Juror Criminal grand juries serve for a maximum of six indictment hearings or one fiscal year, whichever comes first.
Assuming roughly 260 working days in a year, the totals look like this:
- At the $15 state minimum: about $3,900 before taxes.
- At Orange County’s $50 rate: about $13,000.
- At Los Angeles County’s $80 rate: about $20,800.
The gap is large enough that confirming your county’s rate before accepting an appointment is worth the phone call.
Taxes on Grand Jury Pay
The IRS treats jury attendance fees as taxable income. The tax applies to the daily stipend, not to mileage reimbursement, which covers actual expenses.7United States District Court District of New Jersey. Are Juror Attendance Fees Considered Reportable Income Report grand jury pay as other income on your federal return; it’s also subject to California income tax.
If your total attendance fees hit $600 or more in a calendar year, the court will issue a Form 1099-MISC.8United States District Court District of Kansas. Are Juror Attendance Fees Considered Reportable Income For a full-year grand jury commitment, crossing that threshold is essentially automatic in any county paying more than a token daily rate. Income below $600 is still taxable and still needs to be reported.
One quirk trips people up. If your employer keeps paying your regular salary during service on the condition that you hand over the jury stipend, you still report the stipend as income, but you can deduct the amount you turned over. Keep a record of each payment you remit.
How This Differs From Trial Juror and Federal Grand Juror Pay
If you’ve read about California’s $100-per-day pilot, that program applies to trial jurors, not grand jurors. AB 1981 raised the trial juror per diem from $15 to $100 in seven pilot counties starting September 2024, but trial juror pay is governed by Code of Civil Procedure Section 215, a different statute from the one that covers grand jurors.5Judicial Branch of California. AB 1981 Jury Pilot Program Trial jurors also don’t earn a per diem until day two, and they receive a fixed $0.34 per mile (one-way only).9California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 215 Grand jurors are paid from day one and get mileage at the county employee rate.
Federal grand jurors, who serve on juries convened by a U.S. Attorney rather than a county district attorney, earn $50 per day under federal law, and that rate can rise after 45 days of service.10United States Courts. Fees of Jurors and Commissioners Fiscal Year 2027 Congressional Budget Submission Federal grand jurors also receive reimbursement for reasonable transportation costs, and if the service requires an overnight stay, meals and lodging may be covered.
Job Protection While You Serve
California Labor Code Section 230 prohibits your employer from firing, demoting, or otherwise retaliating against you for taking time off for jury service, provided you give reasonable notice.11California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 230 For a year-long grand jury commitment, reasonable notice means telling your employer as soon as you know you’ve been selected.
The law does not require your employer to keep paying you during service. Some employers offer paid jury duty leave voluntarily, and you can use accrued vacation or personal time to cover the gap. Federal law adds another layer: 28 U.S.C. § 1875 lets an employee fired or penalized for jury service seek reinstatement, lost wages, and civil penalties in federal district court.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
Requesting an Excusal for Financial Hardship
If a year at your county’s grand juror rate would genuinely threaten your ability to support yourself or your family, Rule of Court 2.1008 allows an excusal for undue hardship. The standard is high; ordinary inconvenience won’t qualify.13Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.1008 Excuses from Jury Service
The request has to be in writing and supported by specific facts, including why deferring to a later date wouldn’t solve the problem. Courts favor deferral over outright release, so a temporary financial squeeze is more likely to get you rescheduled than excused entirely.