Payment for jury service

If you are selected to serve as a juror in a trial, you will be paid an attendance allowance. This allowance is intended to reduce any financial hardship you may incur by serving as a juror. The allowance is not intended to substitute or be equal to your normal wage or salary payment. 

If attend court on your summons date and ask to be excused, no allowance is payable as you are not making yourself available for jury service.

Payment is not made for attendance at court on your date of summons if you were present for less than 4 hours.

Current daily rate for jury service allowance

*This includes jurors who are self-employed.

Under section 111 of the Fair Work Act 2009, an employer is required to pay full-time and permanent part-time staff for the first 10 working days of jury service.

If you receive a jury summons, you should discuss this with your organisation's human resources section and with your employer. This includes payment of your wages if you are selected for jury service and any reimbursement you may need to make to your employer.

All public servants are paid by their agencies whilst they are completing jury service and are not entitled to a jury payment.

People who are employed on a casual basis are not entitled to the 'employed' allowance. 

Jurors who are self-employed are entitled to employed jurors daily allowance rates. Supporting documentation to confirm details of self-employment will need to be provided if you are selected for jury service. 

If you have made yourself available for jury service, you are also paid a daily travel allowance, calculated on the distance from your postcode to the courthouse at 30.7 cents per kilometre (maximum 100km).

Selected jurors are provided one meal per day when serving on a jury. These meals can also cater for most dietary requirements such as dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan.

If a juror does not want the meal provided by the court, they may instead bring their own lunch and claim a meal allowance of $6.95 per day.

Jury allowance payments are made weekly by electronic funds transfers (EFT) to your nominated bank account. Please log onto the juror website and enter your bank account details prior to your court attendance date.

If you have not received a payment, or you have any questions about payment, you should advise the Court Officer or Sheriff's Officer attending to your jury panel. 

As payments are processed mid-week it may appear that you are missing one or more day's payment in your first EFT payment. You will find that these days will be paid in the following week's payment.