Jury duty pay in Harris County is $30 for your first day of service and $58 for each additional day until you’re released. The Harris County Commissioners Court sets those amounts within the range Texas law allows, and the money arrives on a prepaid debit card rather than as a paycheck.1District Courts of Harris County. General Information
Daily Compensation Rates
The rate structure has two tiers. You get $30 for the first day you appear, whether you’re seated on a jury or dismissed during selection. If your service continues, day two and every day after pay $58.1District Courts of Harris County. General Information
State law sets a floor of $20 for the first day and $58 for subsequent days, with each county’s commissioners court deciding the actual figure within the statutory range.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code 61.001 – Reimbursement of Expenses of Jurors and Prospective Jurors Harris County’s first-day amount sits above the state minimum. Legally, the payment is classified as reimbursement for travel and other expenses rather than wages, which matters when tax season comes around.
Federal Court Pay Is Different
Check your summons before assuming the state rates apply. If you were called to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which sits downtown at 515 Rusk Avenue, federal jurors receive a flat $50 per day for fiscal year 2026, with no first-day/later-day split.3United States Courts. Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services – Fees of Jurors and Commissioners
How You Get Paid
Harris County loads juror pay onto a prepaid Jury PayCard, a MasterCard-branded debit card. You pick up the card when you check in for service, and your compensation is added after your service ends. The card works anywhere MasterCard is accepted, and you can pull cash back during a debit purchase.4District Courts of Harris County. Jury Service in Harris County
Watch the clock on the balance. You need to spend down the full amount within 90 days of the card being issued, or fees may apply and any remaining funds go back to Harris County.4District Courts of Harris County. Jury Service in Harris County Lost or stolen cards can be canceled and replaced by calling customer service at 877-287-2448.
Free Parking Comes With the Job
Harris County jurors park free at the 1401 Congress Street garage in downtown Houston. Bring your parking ticket into the courthouse for validation, otherwise you’ll be paying the regular downtown garage rate. The garage fills early, so give yourself extra time.4District Courts of Harris County. Jury Service in Harris County
Donating Your Pay Instead of Keeping It
You’ll be offered a form during service that lets you send some or all of your reimbursement to an approved cause instead of keeping it. Options include the crime victims compensation fund, the county child welfare board, family violence programs, veterans treatment court or the veterans county service office, and other programs the commissioners court has approved (including counseling services in criminal cases involving graphic evidence). You can give the full amount, split it across funds, or designate a specific dollar figure.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code 61.001 – Reimbursement of Expenses of Jurors and Prospective Jurors
Taxes on Jury Pay
Jury pay is taxable income. The IRS treats it as “other income,” which you report on Schedule 1 of Form 1040 rather than through a W-2.5Internal Revenue Service. VITA/TCE Instructor Presentation – Other Income Nothing is withheld at the source, so you handle it at filing time. For a few days at $30 to $58 apiece, the tax impact is usually minor.
If your employer keeps paying your regular salary during jury service on the condition that you sign over your jury pay, you still report the jury payment as income on your return. You then deduct the amount you turned over as an adjustment to income, which cancels it out.6Internal Revenue Service. Link and Learn Taxes – Jury Duty Pay
Will Your Employer Pay You Too?
Neither Texas nor federal law requires private employers to keep paying your regular wages while you serve. Some do it voluntarily; some don’t. Look at your company’s jury duty policy before you report.
What the law does require is job protection. Your employer cannot fire, threaten, or retaliate against you for jury service, and under Texas law a permanent employee who is discharged for serving is entitled to return to the same position, provided they notify the employer of their intent to return as soon as practical after being released.7State of Texas. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 122.001 – Protection of Jurors Employment, Jurors Right to Reemployment, Notice of Intent to Return Federal jury service carries similar protections, with a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation per employee against employers who break the rule, plus liability for lost wages and possible reinstatement orders.8GovInfo. 28 USC 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
Salaried exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act get one specific protection: your employer cannot dock your salary for a partial-week absence caused by jury duty, though they can offset the jury fees you receive against your pay for that week.9eCFR. 29 CFR 541.602