So how much does jury duty pay in California? $15 a day, starting on day two. The whole system is built around that one ungenerous sentence. Day one is unpaid. Days on telephone standby do not count. The check arrives 3 to 4 weeks after you finish. If that sounds like a civic duty priced by people who never had to take it, you are reading it correctly.
Now the rewind, because the number needs its conditions. California runs a one-day-or-one-trial system: most people report for a single day, are not seated on a jury, and go home with exactly $0 in juror pay. The $15 starts on the second day of physical service, which is why the typical juror, who serves one day, earns nothing. Mileage works the same way: $0.34 per mile round trip, starting day two, calculated by zip code. The one break in the pattern is public transit: up to $12 a day, and it starts on day one.
There used to be a better deal. A pilot program under AB 1981 paid $100 a day in a handful of counties, then the state budget cuts of 2025 killed it and every court reverted to $15. Whether it comes back is genuinely unknowable. Pilot programs die in budget years and get reborn in election years, and I would not plan around either.
The check itself is unglamorous. Juror payment checks are mailed 3 to 4 weeks after service ends, and the post office will not forward them, so the address on file with the jury office has to be right. Small detail, large annoyance if you moved recently.
How much does jury duty pay in California vs. federal court?
This is the comparison that stings. Get summoned to a federal courthouse in California instead of a state one and the pay is $50 a day starting on day one, with mileage at the federal IRS rate. Same civic duty, more than triple the pay, because the federal system never adopted California's thrift. You do not get to choose which summons arrives, which is the only thing keeping the comparison academic.
The employer side is the other half of the money question. California law does not require private employers to pay you during jury service, though many do, and state and local government employers generally do. What the law does require is that your employer not punish you for going: retaliation for jury service is illegal, and interfering with it is a misdemeanor. You can also use accrued vacation or PTO for the days if you prefer a full paycheck to the court's $15.
One more California wrinkle: public employees are a special case. State and many local government workers keep their full pay while serving, which is why the courts pay them nothing extra on top. The $15 is for everyone else.
A worked example, since that is what the number means in practice. You serve on a three-day state trial and live 20 miles from the courthouse. Pay: $15 times 2 paid days = $30. Mileage: 40 miles round trip times $0.34 times 2 days = $27.20. Total: $57.20, arriving about a month later. If your employer does not cover the days and you earn $200 a day, jury duty cost you roughly $543 out of pocket for the privilege of serving. That arithmetic is why the $100 pilot had fans. Estimate your own service: the Jury Duty Pay Calculator figures court pay by state, including mileage and employer rules.
Frequently asked questions
Do you get paid for the first day of jury duty in California?
No. California state courts pay $15 per day starting on the second day of physical service. The first day, and any telephone standby days, are unpaid.
How much is jury duty mileage in California?
$0.34 per mile round trip, starting on day two, calculated by zip code. Jurors who take public transit can get up to $12 per day starting on day one instead.
Does my employer have to pay me for jury duty in California?
Private employers are not required to, though many do voluntarily. Retaliation for jury service is illegal, and you may use accrued vacation or PTO for the days.
How much does federal jury duty pay in California?
$50 per day starting on day one, with mileage at the federal IRS rate. Federal service pays more than triple the state rate.
What happened to the $100-a-day jury pay pilot?
The AB 1981 pilot paid $100 a day in select counties but was discontinued in 2025 after state budget cuts. All courts reverted to the standard $15 rate.
Run the numbers for your situation.
The Jury Duty Pay Calculator estimates your court pay by state, including daily rates, mileage, and employer rules.