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

Iowa's district courts find jurors by computer. Each year the Judicial Branch merges the county's voter registration list with its lists of licensed drivers and state ID holders, and a random draw from that master list decides who gets a summons. The first contact always comes by mail. If you're a U.S. citizen, 18 or older, and can understand English, you're qualified to serve.

The headline numbers are modest. Jurors earn $30 a day, plus mileage and parking, and courts pay $50 a day once a trial runs past 7 days. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire, threaten or coerce you because of jury service; a fired juror has 60 days to sue for lost wages and reinstatement. A juror who ignores a summons can be held in contempt, which in district court means a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both.

The rules are in chapter 607A of the Iowa Code, with the contempt penalty in chapter 665. Iowa has no age at which you can opt out. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Iowa jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

Iowa sets a short list of minimum qualifications in § 607A.4:

To serve or to be considered for jury service, a person must possess the following minimum qualifications: a. Be eighteen years of age or older. b. Be a citizen of the United States. c. Be able to understand the English language in a written, spoken, or manually signed mode. d. Be able to receive and evaluate information such that the person is capable of rendering satisfactory jury service.

Iowa also promises that no one will be kept off a jury because of age (once 18), race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, economic status, physical disability or occupation (§ 607A.2). You serve in the county where you live; the Judicial Branch's questionnaire lists not living in the summoning county as a reason you won't be called.

Who is disqualified. Under § 607A.4, three groups can't serve:

• a person convicted of a felony who is still under the supervision of the department of corrections, a judicial district department of correctional services, or the board of parole;
• a person convicted of a felony who is registered as a sex offender or serving a special sentence under chapter 903B; and
• a person who asked, directly or indirectly, to be placed on a jury list. (The court may disqualify that person.)

Once a felon's supervision ends, and unless the sex-offender rule applies, the conviction no longer bars jury service. If you claim a disqualification, the court can ask you for written proof.

Where names come from. The state's jury system merges the current voter registration list with the lists of licensed drivers and holders of state nonoperator ID cards, and removes duplicates. A county's jury manager can add other comprehensive lists of residents (§§ 607A.21, 607A.22). The clerk then mails a notice to report (§ 607A.35). Most courts ask you to fill out a questionnaire, online at eJuror or on paper, within ten days of getting the summons.

Exemptions and excuses

Iowa is stricter than most states. The Judicial Branch's questionnaire page tells jurors plainly that there are no automatic excusals from jury duty, and the statute grants only two narrow ones.

The two automatic excuses. Section 607A.5 reads in full:

A person shall be excused from jury service if the person submits written documentation verifying, to the court’s satisfaction, that the person is solely responsible for the daily care of a person with a permanent disability living in the person’s household and that the performance of juror service would cause substantial risk of injury to the health of the person with a disability, or that the person is the mother of a breastfed child and is responsible for the daily care of the child. However, if the person is regularly employed at a location other than the person’s household, the person shall not be excused under this section.

Note the last sentence. If you go to a job outside your home, neither excuse applies, even if you're a caregiver or nursing a baby; you'd have to ask the judge instead.

Excuses at the court's discretion. For everyone else, § 607A.6 gives the court room to defer, not to excuse, petit jurors. It may postpone your service for hardship, inconvenience or public necessity and set a later date. A grand juror can be excused outright if service would threaten the juror's economic, physical or emotional well-being, or the well-being of someone who depends on the juror. The statute adds: "The courts shall exercise this authority strictly." Your employer may testify to support your request. The court may also dismiss a juror at any time in the interest of justice (§ 607A.6).

No age opt-out. Iowa has no age at which you may decline to serve. A 2025 bill would have added an automatic excuse at 75, but it hasn't passed (see the changes section below). An older juror with a health problem can ask the court for a deferral or excuse like anyone else.

Medical problems. The Judicial Branch lists a permanent mental or physical disability that affects your ability to serve as one ground for being disqualified or excused. Expect to send documentation.

Prior service. If you've served within the past two years, tell the court; you don't have to serve again in that period (see "How often" below).

Don't fake it. Making a false statement or claim to get yourself or someone else out of jury service is contempt. So is asking the court to put you on a particular case (§ 607A.7).

How to ask. Use eJuror, the Judicial Branch's online system, to submit a request for an excuse or deferral or to pick another time to serve, or call the number on your summons.

Postponing jury duty

Postponement is the usual relief in Iowa. Under § 607A.6, the court may defer your term for hardship, inconvenience or public necessity, but you may be required to serve at a later date the court picks. In practice you make the request through eJuror, which lets you choose an alternate time to serve, or by calling your county's jury office. Ask early, and give the reason.

Juror pay

Section 607A.8 sets the fee:

A grand juror and a petit juror in all courts shall receive thirty dollars as compensation for each day’s service or attendance, including attendance required for the purpose of being considered for service. The supreme court may adopt rules that allow additional compensation for jurors whose attendance and service exceeds seven days.

What that means:

• $30 a day, statewide. You're paid for each day you attend, even if you're never picked for a trial.
• More for long trials. The statute lets the Iowa Supreme Court raise pay once service passes 7 days. Polk County tells its jurors that state law pays $30 a day for up to seven days and $50 a day for eight or more days.
• Mileage. You're reimbursed for each mile you drive from home to the courthouse and back, each day, at the rate the Supreme Court sets. Polk County lists 50 cents a mile.
• Parking. You're reimbursed for actual parking costs, as the clerk determines. In Polk County, bring your ticket to the jury clerk for validation at approved ramps, or you'll pay for parking yourself.
• Carpools and disability. If you ride with another juror who claims the mileage, you can't claim it too. A juror with a disability may be reimbursed for alternate transportation.
• You can waive it. Any juror may give up the fee and mileage, which saves the state money (§ 607A.8).

Keep your address current with the court; the Judicial Branch warns that wrong contact information can delay your payment.

Your job is protected

Section 607A.45 protects working jurors:

An employer shall not deprive an employee of employment or threaten or otherwise coerce an employee with respect to the employee’s employment because the employee receives a notice to report, responds to the notice, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective juror service. An employer who violates this subsection commits contempt.

And it gives a fired juror a lawsuit:

If an employer discharges an employee in violation of subsection 1, the employee may within sixty days of the discharge bring a civil action for the recovery of wages lost as a result of the violation and for an order requiring the reinstatement of the employee. Damages recoverable shall not exceed lost wages for a period of six weeks. If the employee prevails, the employee shall be allowed reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court.

What follows:

1. Protection starts with the summons. It covers you from the day you get a notice to report, while you respond, and while you serve or wait to be picked.
2. No firing, threats or pressure. An employer who breaks the rule commits contempt of court.
3. Act fast if you're fired. You have 60 days from the firing to sue. You can win reinstatement and up to six weeks of lost wages, and the court must award reasonable attorney fees if you win.
4. Pay isn't required. Iowa law doesn't require employers to pay wages during jury duty. Many do anyway; check your employer's policy.

(§ 607A.45)

What happens if you don't show up

Section 607A.36 sets out the process:

If a person fails to appear when notified to report or at a regularly scheduled meeting, without providing a sufficient cause, the court may issue an order requiring the person to appear and show cause why the person should not be punished for contempt, and unless the person provides a sufficient cause for the failure, the person may be punished for contempt.

So a missed date leads first to an order to appear and explain. If you can't show sufficient cause, the judge can punish you for contempt. Before a district judge, contempt is punishable "by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment" (§ 665.4).

If something comes up, call the jury office before your reporting time. An emergency you report is a different matter from a summons you ignore.

Your first day

Details vary by county, so follow your summons and your county's page on the Judicial Branch site. Polk County's page gives a good picture:

• Follow the call-in instructions. Your summons postcard explains the call-in procedure, which tells you which building to check in at on your reporting date. You can also check your reporting date in eJuror.
• Fill out the questionnaire first. Complete it online or on paper within ten days of getting the summons.
• Know where to go. In Des Moines, jurors check in at the Jury Lounge on the fourth floor of the Criminal Courts Building or on the main floor of the Historic Courthouse, as the postcard directs.
• Expect security. Courthouses use metal detectors. Leave weapons at home, including pocketknives and pepper spray. Since March 30, 2026, Polk County courthouses don't allow metal cups, mugs or bottles.
• Dress for court. Business or business casual is the norm. Skip shorts, tube and halter tops, clothing with offensive images, and dirty or ragged clothes.
• Bring your parking ticket. The jury clerk validates it at approved ramps.
• How long. You serve for the term the court sets, which can't run longer than three months unless a trial needs it (§ 607A.29). Even after you're discharged, the court may call you back during the same calendar quarter if it needs you (§ 607A.38).
• Emergencies. If you fall ill or have an emergency during service, call the jury clerk right away.
• Proof for your employer. Your county's jury office is the place to ask for a record of the days you attended.

Grand jury service

An Iowa grand jury has seven members, drawn at random the same way as trial jurors (Iowa R. Crim. P. 2.3). Its regular term normally runs no more than one calendar year, though the court can extend it to finish an investigation. You can't be required to serve on more than one grand jury, or as both a grand and a trial juror, in any two-year period (§ 607A.29). Because grand jury service runs long, the court can excuse a grand juror for extreme hardship (§ 607A.6). Grand jurors earn the same $30 a day and mileage (§ 607A.8).

Jury duty scams

The Iowa Judicial Branch says your first contact about jury service will always be a summons sent by U.S. mail, and that the court will never contact you demanding a fine on a money card to keep you from being arrested for missing jury duty (Iowa Judicial Branch: Juror). Iowa's real penalty comes only after a court order and a hearing. If someone calls demanding payment, hang up and call your local sheriff's office or the jury office for your county. See also the federal courts' juror scam warning.

Recent and pending changes

Iowa laws take effect on July 1 after passage unless the act says otherwise (§ 3.7). The 91st General Assembly runs until January 10, 2027, so S.F. 18 and H.F. 454 remain technically alive but stalled as of November 2026. Earlier efforts also failed: in 2024, H.F. 2701 would have raised pay to $75 a day and barred employers from scheduling jurors to work within 10 hours of reporting, and S.F. 2346 would have excused some students aged 18 to 21. Neither became law.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Iowa?

Iowa pays jurors $30 for each day they attend court, whether or not they're picked for a trial, plus mileage and actual parking costs. For longer service, courts pay more; Polk County pays $50 a day from the eighth day on. Your employer doesn't have to pay your wages, though many do.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Iowa?

No. An employer can't fire, threaten or coerce you because you got a summons, responded to it, or served. An employer who does commits contempt of court, and a fired juror can sue within 60 days for reinstatement, up to six weeks of lost wages, and attorney fees.

How do I get out of jury duty in Iowa?

Only two excuses are automatic: being the sole daily caregiver of a household member with a permanent disability, and being a breastfeeding mother caring for the child, and neither applies if you work outside your home. Everyone else can ask the court, through eJuror or the number on the summons, to defer service for hardship or inconvenience. Courts are told to use that power strictly, and a false excuse is contempt.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Iowa?

The court can order you to appear and explain why you shouldn't be held in contempt. If you can't show sufficient cause, a district judge can fine you up to $500, jail you for up to six months, or both. If you have an emergency, call the jury office before your reporting time.

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

In any two-year period, you can't be required to serve more than one term, which the court sets at no more than three months unless a trial needs longer. You also can't be made to serve on more than one grand jury, or as both a grand and a trial juror, in that period.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Iowa?

You must be at least 18, and there's no upper limit. Iowa has no age at which you can opt out, and the law bars excluding anyone from a jury because of age. A bill to excuse people 75 and older on request was pending but had not passed as of November 2026. An older juror with a health problem can ask the court for a deferral or excuse.

Where these rules live

• Iowa Code § 607A.4 — Qualifications and disqualification
• Iowa Code § 607A.5 — Automatic excuse
• Iowa Code § 607A.6 — Discretionary excuse and deferral
• Iowa Code § 607A.8 — Juror fees, mileage and parking
• Iowa Code § 607A.29 — Length and frequency of service
• Iowa Code § 607A.36 — Contempt for failing to appear
• Iowa Code § 607A.45 — Employer protection and lost-wages suit
• Iowa Code § 665.4 — Punishment for contempt
• Iowa Code chapter 607A — Juries (full chapter)
• Iowa Judicial Branch: Juror
• Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.915 — Impaneling the jury, on this site
• Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure on this site
• Law schools in Iowa