Jury Duty in Illinois: Pay, Exemptions, Excuses and What to Expect (2026)

If you live in Illinois, are at least 18 and are a U.S. citizen, your county's circuit court can summon you. Names come from voter rolls, driver's license and state ID lists, and lists of people who filed for unemployment insurance (705 ILCS 305/1).

Each county sets its own juror pay above a small state minimum. Cook County pays $35 a day. Your employer must give you the time off and can't fire you for serving, but until the end of 2026 it doesn't have to pay you. That changes on January 1, 2027, when employers with more than 25 employees must pay their regular wages for jury days. Skipping a summons without a good excuse is contempt of court, with a fine of $5 to $100.

The rules live mainly in the Jury Act (705 ILCS 305), the Jury Commission Act (705 ILCS 310) for larger counties, and the Counties Code fee section (55 ILCS 5/4-11001). Court procedure for jury trials is in the Code of Civil Procedure and the Illinois Supreme Court Rules. Everything below is as of November 2026.

Illinois jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

The Jury Act sets the same four qualifications in every county. You must live in the county, be 18 or older, be a U.S. citizen, and be free of legal disqualification, of fair character and sound judgment, and able to understand English, "whether in spoken or written form or interpreted into sign language" (§ 2(a)). The statute doesn't list a felony conviction as a separate bar. If you think you don't qualify, tell the jury office before your date; Cook County asks you to be ready to back that up.

No one who is qualified may be kept off a jury because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or economic status (§ 2(b)).

Who picks the names depends on the county. Counties with more than 75,000 people, and smaller ones that choose to, use jury commissioners; Cook County uses a jury administrator appointed by the chief judge (705 ILCS 310/1, 310/0.05). Elsewhere the county board makes the list.

Exemptions and excuses

Illinois has very few automatic exemptions. Most people who can't serve ask to be excused for hardship. The county sends a questionnaire about your qualifications and any hardship, and with the chief judge's approval the jury office must let you go if you make the case. The statute says the office

shall excuse a prospective juror from jury service if the prospective juror shows that such service would impose an undue hardship on account of the nature of the prospective juror's occupation, business affairs, physical health, family situation, active duty in the Illinois National Guard or Illinois Naval Militia, or other personal affairs

(705 ILCS 305/10.2(a)). Your name goes back on the list, so you may be summoned again later.

• Caregivers. If you're the primary caregiver of a child under 12, a person with a mental or physical disability, or a person with a medically diagnosed behavior problem, you must be excused when no reasonable alternative care is feasible (§ 10.2(b)).
• Nursing mothers. Excused whenever they ask (see below).
• Permanent disability. If you have a total and permanent disability, the jury office will take you off every current and future list once you send proof: a doctor's letter saying you will never be able to serve, a copy of an individualized education program, or a plenary guardianship order (705 ILCS 305/10.4).
• Age. There's no upper age limit in state law. Cook County runs its own opt-out program for people 70 or older: call before your date and you can decline or move courthouses, though you may be summoned again later (Cook County court).
• Other reasons courts accept. Cook County lists a medical condition that makes service hazardous, active military duty, a pending lawsuit of your own in Cook County, living in a nursing home, extreme financial hardship, lack of child care, and caring for another person, each with documentation. Members of the reserves aren't exempt there.

The nursing-mother excuse is the one excuse that's yours for the asking:

Any mother nursing her child shall, upon request, be excused from jury service.

(705 ILCS 305/10.3; the same rule is in 310/10.3.)

To ask, follow the instructions on your summons or questionnaire, or call the jury office. Don't simply stay home.

Postponing jury duty

In counties with jury commissioners or a jury administrator, a judge who decides that serving later would be less of a burden may excuse you temporarily and set a new date "not later than one year from the time of such excuse." You'll get a reminder by mail at least ten days before the new date, and missing it is treated like missing the original summons (705 ILCS 310/10).

In practice the jury office handles most requests. Cook County will move your date by 11 or 22 weeks for reasons such as a planned vacation, a school term if you're a student or teacher, or seasonal work, and it can transfer you to a courthouse closer to home if you can't travel, need to stay near child care, or have no transportation. Call (312) 603-JURY.

Juror pay

Illinois leaves juror pay to the counties, with a floor set by the Counties Code:

Each county shall pay to grand and petit jurors for their services in attending courts the sum of $4 for each day of necessary attendance at such courts as jurors in counties of the first class, the sum of $5 for each day in counties of the second class, and the sum of $10 for each day in counties of the third class, or such higher amount as may be fixed by the county board.

(55 ILCS 5/4-11001). First-class counties have 25,000 people or fewer, second-class counties up to 1,000,000, and third-class counties more than that, which today means Cook (55 ILCS 5/4-1001).

Most counties pay well above the floor, and the amounts differ. Cook County pays $35.00 for each day you serve (Cook County court). Check your own county's summons or jury page for its rate.

The same section adds:

• Travel. The county board sets mileage. In first- and second-class counties it must be at least 10 cents a mile, for trips during your service and at its start and end.
• Child care. If the judge orders it, you're reimbursed for the actual cost of early care and education during your service.
• Payment. When you're discharged, the clerk gives you a certificate of the days you attended, and the county treasurer pays you on it. You may waive your fee, mileage or child care money if you like.

A 2015 law would have raised the floor to $25 for the first day and $50 after that, but the official compilation marks that version as "held unconstitutional," so the older floor remains the one in force.

Your job is protected

Your employer must give you time off for jury duty, whatever shift you work, and can't make a night-shift worker work while serving on a daytime jury. Retaliation is banned outright:

No employer shall discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate or coerce any employee by reason of the employee's jury service, or the attendance or scheduled attendance in connection with such service, in any court of this State.

(705 ILCS 305/4.1(b); the Jury Commission Act repeats it in 310/10.1.)

Give notice. The protections work fully when you give "reasonable notice of required jury service," which the statute defines as handing your employer a copy of the summons within 10 days of the date it was issued to you (§ 4.1(c)).

If your employer breaks the law, it can be charged with contempt (the State's Attorney files the petition), must pay your lost wages and benefits, and can be ordered to stop and to rehire you. If you're reinstated, you come back without losing seniority and keep the benefits given to employees on leave. A court may award a reasonable attorney's fee if you win with a lawyer, and these remedies add to any others you have (§ 4.1(c)-(f)). In Cook County, the court tells jurors to write to the Cook County State's Attorney about workplace problems.

Pay from your employer. Through December 31, 2026, the law says "No employer shall be obligated to compensate an employee for time taken off for jury duty" (§ 4.1(g)). Public Act 104-683 replaces that sentence on January 1, 2027:

Employers shall be required to compensate an employee at their regular rate of pay for time serving on jury duty. The requirements of this subsection do not apply to employers with 25 or fewer employees.

(705 ILCS 305/4.1(g), as amended effective January 1, 2027.) The statute doesn't cap the number of paid days. Until then, many employers pay anyway; ask your human resources office what proof of service it wants.

What happens if you don't show up

Every person who shall fail to attend when lawfully summoned to appear as a grand or petit juror, without having a reasonable excuse, shall be considered as guilty of a contempt, and shall be fined by the courts, respectively, in any sum not less than $5 nor more than $100, for the use of the proper county, unless good cause be shown for such default

(705 ILCS 305/15). The court issues an order of attachment, which brings you before the judge, and you can explain under oath why you missed it. A good reason avoids the fine.

Not mailing back the acknowledgment card that comes with a mailed summons isn't contempt by itself (705 ILCS 305/10). If you miss a postponed date, it's handled the same way as missing the first one. And going the other direction is also punished: asking anyone to get you onto a jury is contempt, with a fine of up to $20 and a 60-day bar from serving (§ 13).

Your first day

The details come from your county, so read your summons closely. Cook County's practices are typical of the larger courts:

• Check whether you're needed. A standby summons says so at the top. Cook County standby jurors call (312) 603-5950 after 4:30 p.m. on the business day before their date (any time over the weekend for a Monday). A regular summons means you must appear.
• Arrive on time. Report to the jury assembly room at 8:30, 9:00 or 9:30 a.m., depending on the courthouse.
• Dress. Comfortable but suitable for court. Cook County turns away shorts, miniskirts, tank tops and halters.
• Phones and laptops. Jurors may bring them past security in Cook County with their summons and use them in the assembly room, but they must be off in the courtroom. Free Wi-Fi is available. Bring something to read.
• The day. If by the end of your first day you haven't been seated on a jury and aren't in a courtroom for jury selection, your service is over. Jurors not selected leave at 4:30 p.m.; trial jurors leave when the judge says, usually by 6:00 p.m. The average Cook County trial lasts two to three days.
• Nursing. Cook County provides a private lactation space; tell the staff when you arrive.
• Disability access. Ask for accommodations at least 14 days ahead in Cook County.
• Proof for work. Keep your attendance certificate or check receipts. The clerk must give you a certificate of your days of attendance when you're discharged.

The Illinois Supreme Court's petit juror handbook explains what happens in the courtroom.

Grand jury service

A grand jury has 16 members, and 12 are a quorum (705 ILCS 305/16). It hears the prosecutor's evidence in secret and decides whether there's probable cause to charge someone; it takes 9 votes to indict (§ 17). No grand jury may serve more than 18 months (725 ILCS 5/112-3). Grand jurors get the same county pay and the same job protection as trial jurors. See the court's grand juror handbook.

Jury duty scams

The Circuit Court of Cook County warns of callers who claim you missed jury duty and a warrant is out, then ask for your Social Security number or bank details, and of texts and emails about a "jury duty failure to appear" list. The court says it does not contact jurors by text or email about fines or warrants, and official jury notices come only by first-class or certified U.S. mail (Cook County court). Hang up, don't call the number in the message, and report it to local police. If you gave out information, the Illinois Attorney General's Identity Theft Hotline is 1-866-999-5630. The federal courts publish a similar warning.

Recent and pending changes

• Paid jury leave (Public Act 104-683, HB 4844). Signed July 31, 2026, effective January 1, 2027. Employers with more than 25 employees must pay employees their regular rate for time on jury duty (bill status; public act).
• Alternate jurors (Public Act 104-298). Effective January 1, 2026, the trial drawing may include 14 to 16 names when alternates are needed (705 ILCS 305/20).
• Child care wording (Public Act 104-480). Effective July 1, 2026, the fee section calls the child care reimbursement "early care and education"; the pay floor didn't change.
• Task force proposals. In December 2024 the Illinois Judicial Conference's Juror Experience Task Force recommended $20 a day in juror pay, a state tax credit for jurors, and employer pay for the first day of service (Illinois Courts). The $20 figure is a recommendation, not law.

We found no other pending bill on juror pay or excuses as of November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Illinois?

It depends on your county. State law sets a minimum of $4, $5 or $10 a day depending on county size, and county boards may pay more; Cook County pays $35 a day. Counties also pay mileage, and a judge can order child care costs reimbursed.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Illinois?

No. Illinois law bars employers from firing, threatening, intimidating or coercing you because of jury service, and requires time off whatever your shift. Give your employer a copy of the summons within 10 days of its issue date. An employer that breaks the law can be held in contempt and must pay your lost wages and benefits.

How do I get out of jury duty in Illinois?

Ask to be excused for undue hardship through the questionnaire or jury office, citing your job, health, family situation or other personal affairs. Primary caregivers with no reasonable alternative care must be excused, and nursing mothers are excused on request. If the timing is the problem, ask for a postponement instead.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Illinois?

Missing jury duty without a reasonable excuse is contempt of court, with a fine of $5 to $100. The court can order you brought in, and you can avoid the fine by showing good cause. If you missed it by mistake, call the jury office right away.

How often can you be called for jury duty in Illinois?

After you serve on a jury, state law exempts you from serving again for a year unless you choose to serve. Cook County says you shouldn't be called again for 12 months after your last service; if you are, call the jury office.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Illinois?

You must be at least 18. There's no upper age limit in state law, but Cook County lets people 70 or older opt out each time they're summoned. Elsewhere, older people who find service a hardship can ask to be excused for health or personal reasons.

Where these rules live

• 705 ILCS 305/2 — Juror qualifications
• 705 ILCS 305/4.1 — Employer duties and time off
• 705 ILCS 305/10.2 — Hardship excuses
• 705 ILCS 305/10.3 — Nursing mothers
• 705 ILCS 305/14 — One-year exemption after service
• 705 ILCS 305/15 — Failure to appear
• 705 ILCS 310/10 — Temporary excuse (postponement)
• 55 ILCS 5/4-11001 — Juror fees
• Circuit Court of Cook County — For Jurors
• Illinois divorce guide and Illinois law schools