How Much Does Jury Duty Pay in South Carolina?

Jury duty pay in South Carolina depends heavily on where you’re summoned. State circuit courts pay a per diem set county by county, ranging from $2 to $12.50 a day under state law. Federal court pays a flat $50 a day. Neither rate is designed to replace a paycheck, so the practical questions — mileage, what your employer owes you, how to get excused — usually matter more than the daily number itself.

State Circuit Court Pay by County

South Carolina is unusual in setting juror pay county by county rather than statewide. Section 14-7-1370 of the state code fixes a different per diem for each circuit court, the result of decades of piecemeal amendments.¹

$2 per day: Anderson, Calhoun, Clarendon, Dillon, Greenville, Greenwood, Lancaster, Laurens, Marion, Marlboro, Richland, and York
$2.50 per day: Union
$3 per day: Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Chester, Colleton, Jasper, Lexington, Oconee, and Orangeburg
$4 per day: Kershaw and Spartanburg
$5 to $7 per day: Berkeley, Horry, McCormick, Newberry, Sumter, Darlington, Saluda, Aiken, Allendale, and Charleston
$10 per day: Abbeville, Pickens, Florence, Dorchester, and Edgefield
$12 to $12.50 per day: Beaufort and Williamsburg

A few counties add a supplement for late hours. Horry County petit jurors, for example, get an extra $5 per night if they’re held past 11 p.m.

Magistrate court jurors, who hear small claims and lower-level offenses, generally receive around $10 per day. Those cases usually wrap in a single day, so the total is modest, but the daily rate can actually beat what some circuit courts pay.

Mileage Reimbursement

Mileage tracks the same county-by-county pattern. Section 14-7-1370 sets a default of 5 cents per mile for the round trip between home and courthouse, with several counties paying more:¹

5 cents per mile: the default in most counties
7 cents per mile: Chesterfield and Georgetown
10 cents per mile: Berkeley, Charleston, Pickens, Florence, Edgefield, Dorchester, and Williamsburg
State employee rate: Beaufort County uses the rate authorized for state employees, set at 68.5 cents per mile for 2026²

You give your address during roll call and the court calculates the round-trip distance. Mileage is added to your daily pay, so no separate claim is needed.

Federal Court Pays Differently

If your summons comes from the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina rather than a state court, the pay is $50 per day, uniform nationwide under federal statute.³ That fee also covers travel days at the start and end of your service. Federal courts reimburse mileage and, if jurors are sequestered, pay for meals and lodging. The District of South Carolina generally mails compensation checks about three weeks after jury selection.⁴

Does Your Employer Have to Pay You

No. South Carolina law does not require employers to pay wages during jury service. Some employers, especially government agencies and larger companies, offer paid jury leave; others expect you to use vacation or take the time unpaid. Check your employee handbook before your report date.

What state law does require is that your employer not punish you for serving. Under Section 41-1-70, an employer who fires or demotes an employee for jury service can be sued in circuit court. Damages for a firing are capped at one year of salary or 52 weeks of wages based on a 40-hour week. For a demotion, damages are capped at the pay difference between the old and new positions for one year.⁵

If you’re a salaried exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act, your employer cannot dock your salary for a partial workweek missed for jury duty as long as you did some work that week. Your employer can offset your juror pay against your salary but cannot reduce the total below your normal weekly amount.⁶

Federal jurors get a stronger job protection. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1875, an employer who retaliates against a federal juror faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation, plus lost wages, attorney’s fees, and a possible reinstatement order with no loss of seniority or benefits.⁷

Taxes on Jury Pay

Jury duty compensation is taxable income for federal and South Carolina purposes. No taxes are withheld, so you report the payment yourself on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8h.⁸ Given how low most South Carolina daily rates are, the amount rarely moves the needle on a tax bill, but it still has to be reported.

If your employer paid your regular salary during jury duty and required you to hand over your jury pay, report the full jury pay as income and then deduct the amount you turned over on Schedule 1, line 24a. The two entries offset each other so you aren’t taxed on money you didn’t keep.⁸

Getting Excused or Disqualified

South Carolina lets certain people be excused from service on request, usually through a notarized affidavit filed with the court. You can ask to be excused if you fall into any of these groups:⁹

Age 65 or older
Primary caretaker for a disabled person or someone 65 or older who cannot care for themselves
Legal custodian of a child under 7 who cannot arrange childcare during service
Guard, keeper, or officer at a state penitentiary
Served on a circuit court jury within the past two calendar years, or a grand jury within the past four
Student or school employee (may request a transfer to a date outside the school term)

Separate from excusals, you’re disqualified from serving if you aren’t a U.S. citizen, don’t live in the summoning county, have less than a sixth-grade education, have a medical condition preventing service (with a doctor’s statement), or have an unreversed felony conviction carrying a sentence of more than one year.⁹

What Happens If You Ignore the Summons

Skipping jury duty carries real consequences. A magistrate court juror who fails to appear and doesn’t give the magistrate a sufficient reason within 48 hours faces a civil penalty of up to $100, with contempt available if the penalty goes unpaid.¹⁰ Circuit courts have broader contempt powers and can impose higher fines. If you have a legitimate conflict, call the court before your report date rather than not showing up.

How and When You Get Paid

Attendance is recorded through a daily roll call. When your name is called, you stand and state your name, occupation, and the mileage from your home to the courthouse.¹¹ That record drives your payment.

Most courts mail a check to your home address. Some counties issue payment at the end of each week of service; others wait until your term ends. A typical jury term runs about a week, though a multi-day trial can extend it. If your check hasn’t arrived within a few weeks of finishing, call the clerk of court for the county where you served.

1
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 14-7-1370 – Compensation of Jurors in Circuit Courts
2
South Carolina Comptroller General. 2026 Mileage Rate Memo
3
United States Courts. Fees of Jurors and Commissioners – Fiscal Year 2026
4
United States District Court – District of South Carolina. Jury Duty Guidelines
5
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 41-1-70 – Liability of Employer for Dismissal or Demotion of Employee Who Complies With Subpoena or Serves on Jury
6
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 17G – Salary Basis Requirement and the Part 541 Exemptions Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
8
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 17 – Your Federal Income Tax
9
South Carolina Judicial Branch. Exemptions and Disqualifications
10
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 22-2-130 – Failure of Summoned Juror to Appear
11
South Carolina Judicial Branch. Juror Information