Work · Jury Duty
Jury Duty Pay in North Carolina
Whether your employer must pay you during jury duty in North Carolina, whether your job is protected for serving, the notice rules, and the remedies. Cited to the statute.
How jury-duty pay works in North Carolina
Whether the employer must pay, whether your job is protected, and the notice and remedies.
| How it works | What it means |
|---|---|
| No wage mandate | Nothing in Chapter 9 of the General Statutes requires an employer to keep paying wages during jury service. An employer may pay voluntarily or under a policy or contract, but North Carolina law does not compel it. |
| The protection covers being summoned, not just serving | G.S. 9-32(a) reaches an employee who has been called for jury duty as well as one who is serving as a grand or petit juror. Being fired over the summons letter is covered, so the employee does not have to reach the jury box first. |
| You can sue and be reinstated | G.S. 9-32(b) makes an employer who violates the section liable in a civil action for reasonable damages, and an employee discharged or demoted is entitled to be reinstated to the former position. |
| The employee carries the burden of proof | G.S. 9-32(b) states the burden of proof is upon the employee, so the link between the jury service and the discharge or demotion must be established by the person bringing the claim. |
| One year to sue | G.S. 9-32(c) sets a one-year limitations period under G.S. 1-54. This is short, and an employee who waits the three years typical of many civil claims will be out of time. |
| Exceptions and remedies | What it means |
|---|---|
| Only discharge and demotion are named | G.S. 9-32(a) prohibits discharging or demoting. It does not use the broader words discipline, threaten, or penalize, so a lesser adverse action that is neither a discharge nor a demotion is not squarely covered by the section. |
| Grand jurors are carved out of the tiered fee | G.S. 7A-312(a) covers a petit or coroner’s juror but excludes a grand juror, who receives a flat $20 per day and does not step up to $40 after five days. |
| The fee can be waived in a pilot district | G.S. 7A-312(b) lets a juror in a selected judicial district waive the per diem and direct it to a treatment court, a courthouse self-help center, courthouse child care, local legal aid, or the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. This is voluntary and applies only in a pilot district. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if you are summoned for jury duty in North Carolina. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Give your employer prompt notice
Provide the summons to your employer as soon as you receive it. Prompt notice keeps the record clean if the employer later retaliates.
- Keep your summons and any correspondence
If the employer threatens your job over jury service, your summons and proof of the notice you gave support a G.S. 9-32 claim.
- Act within one year
The limitations period is one year under G.S. 9-32(c). If you were fired or demoted for serving, do not wait to consult a lawyer, because the deadline is far shorter than most civil claims.
- Get North Carolina help
An employment attorney can bring the civil action for reasonable damages and reinstatement that G.S. 9-32(b) provides. A legal aid office can help if you cannot afford counsel.
If you are punished for serving, or owed jury pay, a state labor agency can take your claim. This resource points to the right office.
→ Legal Aid of North CarolinaThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Employer size, notice rules, and remedies can change the answer, so confirm your situation against the statute or with a licensed attorney.
What North Carolina workers get wrong about jury duty
North Carolina splits the jury-duty question into two answers that people routinely blur. Your employer does not have to pay you a cent while you serve, because nothing in Chapter 9 of the General Statutes obliges an employer to keep your wages going. A full-text reading of the Jurors chapter turns up no wage or salary provision at all. What the employer cannot do is fire or demote you for it. G.S. 9-32(a) prohibits discharging or demoting an employee who has been called for jury duty or is serving as a grand or petit juror, and G.S. 9-32(b) backs that up with real teeth: the employer is liable in a civil action for reasonable damages, and a worker discharged or demoted is entitled to be reinstated to the former position. The catch is procedural. The employee carries the burden of proof, and G.S. 9-32(c) gives only one year to sue. Meanwhile the court, not the employer, pays a token fee under G.S. 7A-312: $12 the first day, $20 after that, and $40 a day once you pass five days in any 24-month window. That fee is not lost wages, it is a flat statutory amount that has not risen in over a decade.
Common questions
Does my employer have to pay me for jury duty in North Carolina?
No. Chapter 9 of the General Statutes contains no wage-continuation provision, so a private employer need not pay you during jury service. The court pays a flat fee of $12 the first day and $20 a day after that under G.S. 7A-312(a). An employer may pay voluntarily, but the law does not require it.
Can I be fired for jury duty in North Carolina?
How much does North Carolina pay a juror?
Under G.S. 7A-312(a) the court pays $12 for the first day, $20 a day afterward, and $40 a day for each day of service past five days in any 24-month period. A grand juror receives a flat $20 a day and does not step up to $40.
What if my employer punishes me for serving in North Carolina?
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.