Jury duty pay in Mississippi runs from $25 to $40 per day in most state courts, $10 to $15 per day in justice courts, and $50 per day in federal court, with mileage reimbursement on top and a supplemental fund that can pay up to $300 per day for jurors stuck in long civil trials. The exact state rate depends on what your county’s board of supervisors has set.
Daily Pay in Mississippi State Courts
Mississippi does not set a single statewide juror fee. The state code establishes a range, and each county’s board of supervisors picks the rate within that range.
- Grand jurors and petit jurors in chancery, county, circuit, and special eminent domain courts: between $25 and $40 per day.
- Jurors in justice courts: between $10 and $15 per day.
- Jurors on coroner’s inquests or certain mental health proceedings: $5 per day.1Justia. Mississippi Code 25-7-61 – Jurors; Lengthy Trial Fund
If you want to know the exact number for your case, call the circuit clerk in the county where you’ve been summoned. They can tell you the current rate the board of supervisors has authorized.
Mileage Reimbursement
On top of the daily fee, Mississippi jurors are reimbursed for driving to and from the courthouse. The juror pay statute points to Section 25-3-41, the general county travel-expense rule. That section sets a base rate of $0.20 per mile, but authorizes the local governing authority to raise it up to the state employee rate, which tracks the federal mileage rate of $0.725 per mile for 2026.2Justia. Mississippi Code 25-3-41 – Traveling Expenses of State Officers and Employees
What you actually get depends on what your county has adopted. Ask when you report for service, or call the clerk’s office ahead of time.
The Lengthy Trial Fund
Long civil trials can create real financial hardship, so Mississippi maintains a Lengthy Trial Fund that supplements the standard juror fee once a trial drags on. The fund applies to civil cases lasting more than ten days.
Starting on the eleventh day of service, a juror whose employer pays less than full regular wages during jury duty can receive up to $300 per day from the fund. The payment covers the gap between your standard jury fee and what you actually earn, minus anything your employer pays during that period.1Justia. Mississippi Code 25-7-61 – Jurors; Lengthy Trial Fund
If the court finds that service caused significant financial hardship even with the day-eleven payments, it can also award up to $100 per day for days four through ten. To collect, you submit a request form provided by the court administrator.
Federal Jury Duty Pay
Federal court pays differently. If you’re summoned to the U.S. District Court for the Northern or Southern District of Mississippi, the fee is $50 per day. That rises to $60 per day after ten consecutive days of service for petit jurors, or after 45 days for grand jurors. Federal courts also reimburse mileage and parking.3United States Courts. Juror Pay
Federal and state jury service are separate systems with separate rules, so the summons itself will tell you which one you’re dealing with. The court’s name at the top of the notice is the quickest tell.
Will Your Employer Keep Paying You?
Mississippi law does not require employers to pay your regular wages while you serve. Your paycheck during jury duty is not guaranteed by the state.
What the law does require is that your employer cannot make you use vacation, sick, or annual leave to cover the time you spend responding to a summons, going through jury selection, or actually serving. Your employer also cannot fire you, threaten you, or pressure you to avoid service, provided you gave reasonable notice after receiving the summons. Violating these rules is contempt of court.4Justia. Mississippi Code 13-5-35 – Employment Protections for Jurors
So the practical picture: your employer can’t touch your PTO to cover the days, and can’t punish you for showing up, but is not obligated to keep the paychecks coming. Whether you get paid your normal wages during service is a question for your employer’s policy, not Mississippi law.
Federal jurors get an additional layer of protection under 28 U.S.C. ยง 1875, which bars any employer from firing, threatening, intimidating, or coercing a permanent employee because of federal jury service. Violators face liability for lost wages and benefits, a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation per employee, and reinstatement orders. If you believe your employer retaliated against you and file a claim in federal district court, the court will appoint an attorney at no cost if it finds probable merit.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors’ Employment
Salaried Exempt Employees
One wrinkle for salaried exempt workers: under the Fair Labor Standards Act, your employer must pay your full salary for any workweek in which you performed any actual work, even if you spent part of that week on jury duty. The employer can offset the jury fees you received against your salary for that week. If you serve for an entire week and do no work at all, the employer is not required to pay you for that week.
If the Timing Doesn’t Work
If the money side worries you because of when the summons landed, you have one automatic postponement available. Contact the clerk by phone, email, or in writing, and pick a new date within six months or two court terms, whichever is longer. You can use this right once every two years.6Justia. Mississippi Code 13-5-33 – Juror May Postpone Jury Service
A second postponement needs a judge’s approval and an extreme, unforeseeable emergency such as a death in the family, sudden illness, or a natural disaster. You again pick a specific return date within six months or two court terms.
There’s also a small-employer accommodation built into state law. If your employer has five or fewer full-time employees and another employee has already been summoned for the same period, the court automatically postpones your service, and it doesn’t count against your one automatic postponement.4Justia. Mississippi Code 13-5-35 – Employment Protections for Jurors
Getting Your Payment
Jury fees and mileage are typically processed by the circuit clerk’s office after your service. When you check in for duty, ask about the payment method, the daily rate the county has set, and the mileage rate in effect. If you’re expecting a long civil trial and think you may qualify for Lengthy Trial Fund payments, ask the court administrator for the request form early so you’re not chasing paperwork after the trial ends.