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

New Hampshire's jurors serve in the superior court. Each year the Administrative Office of the Courts builds a master jury list for every county from voter lists and from the state's records of adults with a driver's license or a Department of Safety ID card. The clerk draws names at random and sends each person a juror qualification form. If you're a U.S. citizen, 18 or older, living in the county, and able to read, speak and understand English, you can be called.

The numbers are small. The state pays $10 for each half day you attend, so $20 for a full day, plus 20 cents a mile if you have to leave your own town to get to court. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire, threaten or coerce you for answering a summons. A juror who skips court without good reason may be held in contempt, and ignoring the clerk's directions can be charged as a misdemeanor.

The rules are in chapter 500-A of the Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA 500-A:1 to 500-A:20). Everything below is current as of November 2026.

New Hampshire jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

Section 500-A:7-a sets five tests. The first two are simple:

I. A juror shall be 18 years of age or older on or before the first day of reporting for jury duty.

II. A juror shall be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the county of jury service.

You must also be able to read, speak and understand English. Two things disqualify you: a physical or mental disability that would bar effective jury service, and a felony conviction. The felony bar is lifted if the conviction has been annulled (RSA 500-A:7-a).

Where names come from. The master jury list blends the voter lists from the most recent state general election and town lists with the Department of Safety's records of everyone 18 or older who holds a current New Hampshire driver's license or state ID card. The list is confidential and is used only to pick jurors (RSA 500-A:1, 500-A:2).

The qualification form. When your name is drawn, the clerk sends you a juror qualification form. Fill it out and send it back within 10 days. It asks about citizenship, county residence, English, disability and felony convictions, and you sign a declaration that your answers are true. It doesn't need a notary, and if you can't complete it, someone else may do it for you and say why (RSA 500-A:6). If you don't return it, the clerk will direct you to come to court and fill it out there (RSA 500-A:7).

Exemptions and excuses

New Hampshire starts from a firm rule. Section 500-A:9 opens: "No qualified prospective juror is exempt from jury service, except under the following circumstances". The list that follows is short.

Age 70 or older. This is the one opt-out most people can use:

II. If any person at the age of 70 years or more is selected as a juror he or she may, at his or her discretion, inform the court prior to the convening of court that he or she does not wish to act as a juror. He or she shall then be discharged, and another juror may be drawn in his or her place.

It's your choice. You can serve if you want to; you just have to tell the court before court convenes if you don't.

Legislators. A member of the General Court, or a delegate to a constitutional convention, may decline while the legislature or convention is in session (RSA 500-A:9, III).

Your own case. You can't sit as a trial juror in a term of court when you have a case of your own pending that the jury might try (RSA 500-A:9, IV).

Excuses the court may grant. Everyone else needs a reason the court accepts. Section 500-A:11 says:

A person who is not disqualified for jury service may be excused from jury service by the court only upon a showing of undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, public necessity or for any other cause that the court deems appropriate.

The statute doesn't list caregivers, students, breastfeeding mothers or sole business owners as separate categories. Those situations go to the court under the hardship and "any other cause" language, and the judge decides. A juror who turns out to be mentally or physically unfit to serve is discharged (RSA 500-A:10).

How to ask. Answer the qualification form honestly and contact the clerk's office named on your summons as early as you can. The Judicial Branch's juror page explains how to send a request.

Postponing jury duty

New Hampshire's statute doesn't use the word "postpone." It builds postponement into the excuse. The same section goes on: "The person may be excused for the time deemed necessary by the court and shall report again for jury service, as directed by the court" (RSA 500-A:11).

In practice, that means you can ask to move your service to a better month. If the court agrees, you are excused for now, not forever, and you'll be told when to come back. Ask early, through the clerk's office on your summons.

Juror pay

Section 500-A:15, last amended in 1991, sets the fees:

Grand and petit jurors' fees and mileage shall be paid by the state. The jurors' fees shall be $10 for each half day's attendance before a superior court; for each mile's travel to and from the place where the juror serves, mileage shall be paid at the rate of $.20 per mile, mileage to be allowed for each day's attendance when the juror is required to leave the town or city in which he resides.

What that means:

• $10 a half day, $20 a day. A half day is the morning session or the afternoon session. The Judicial Branch put it plainly in a 2025 fiscal note: "Under current law, jurors are paid $10 for a half day and $20 for a full day" (HB 1592 fiscal note).
• The clerk decides. The clerk of the court decides whether you attended a half day. If you must travel more than 50 miles each way, the clerk may count travel time toward your attendance.
• Mileage only if you leave town. You get $.20 a mile, there and back, for each day you attend, but only if you have to leave the town or city where you live.
• Same rates statewide. The state pays, so the rates don't vary by county. There's no higher rate for long trials.
• Free parking. Jurors get free parking in the city or town where the court sits, with a windshield card from the clerk; spaces limited to 15 minutes or less are off limits (RSA 500-A:17).

(RSA 500-A:15)

Your job is protected

Section 500-A:14 protects your job:

I. An employer shall not deprive an employee of his employment, or threaten or coerce him regarding his employment because the employee receives and responds to a summons, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective jury service.

Here is what the rest of the section adds:

1. It covers the whole process. The protection starts when you receive and answer the summons, not only once you sit on a jury.
2. The employer can be held in contempt. A court may hold an employer who breaks the rule in contempt.
3. You can sue if you're fired. You have one year from the firing to bring a civil action for the wages you lost and for an order putting you back in your job.
4. Damages are limited to lost wages. If you win, the court also awards a reasonable attorney's fee.
5. No pay duty. Nothing in the law requires your employer to pay your wages while you serve. Ask about your company's policy.

(RSA 500-A:14)

What happens if you don't show up

New Hampshire has two penalty sections. The first covers a juror who doesn't come to court:

Any person who, without sufficient cause, neglects to attend court after having been selected as a juror and duly notified to so attend, may be found in contempt of court.

(RSA 500-A:19)

The second makes two things a misdemeanor. One is being notified as a prospective juror, not appearing as the clerk directs, and then failing to show cause when the court orders you to. The other is willfully lying on the qualification form to avoid or to get jury service (RSA 500-A:20).

The statute doesn't set the misdemeanor's penalty. Under New Hampshire's general sentencing law, a misdemeanor with no class named is presumed to be class B, with a fine of up to $1,200 and no jail, unless the state seeks class A penalties or the charge is filed directly in superior court; a class A misdemeanor carries up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000 (RSA 625:9, RSA 651:2). If you can't come, call the clerk before your date. A real reason is "sufficient cause"; silence is not.

Your first day

Reporting details differ by courthouse, so read your summons and the letter that comes with it, and follow the Judicial Branch's juror page. A few things are set by law:

• Answer the form first. Return your qualification form within 10 days. If you skipped it, you may be asked to complete one at the courthouse, where the clerk or judge can ask about your answers and any reason you want to be excused (RSA 500-A:7).
• Park for free. Display the identification card the clerk gives you on your windshield, and return it when your service ends (RSA 500-A:17).
• Expect a term, not a day. You can't be required to serve more than 30 days, but if you're on a trial that's still going, you stay until it ends (RSA 500-A:8).
• Track your sessions. Pay goes by the half day, so note which morning and afternoon sessions you attend.
• Proof for your employer. Ask the clerk's office for written proof of your attendance if your employer needs it.

Grand jury service

Grand jurors are drawn the same way as trial jurors and get the same pay: $10 for each half day plus mileage, paid by the state (RSA 500-A:15). The 30-day limit on service applies to grand jurors too, except that a grand juror stays until a hearing already under way is finished (RSA 500-A:8). A grand jury hears evidence from the prosecutor and decides whether to indict.

Jury duty scams

Scammers call pretending to be police or court officers, say you missed jury duty, and demand a fine to avoid arrest. Real jury paperwork comes from the clerk of the superior court, and a real penalty comes only from a judge after a court process. The federal courts warn that these calls are fraudulent and that courts don't ask for sensitive information by phone or email:

These communications are fraudulent and are not connected with the U.S. courts.

If you get such a call, hang up. Don't pay and don't give personal or financial details. Call the clerk's office at the number on the Judicial Branch's website to check whether you really have a summons (U.S. Courts juror scam warning).

Recent and pending changes

HB 1592 (2026) would have tied state juror pay to the federal rate under 28 U.S.C. § 1871 and dropped the half-day system, starting January 1, 2027. Its fiscal note said the state paid 12,304 jurors $494,090 in calendar year 2024. The House Judiciary Committee recommended against it, and the House agreed on February 5, 2026 (bill status). So the $10 half-day rate stands as of November 2026. No other pending bills on jury service were found.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in New Hampshire?

The state pays $10 for each half day you attend superior court, so $20 for a full day. If you have to leave your own town or city to get to court, you also get 20 cents a mile for the round trip each day. The rates are the same in every county, and your employer doesn't have to pay your wages on top.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in New Hampshire?

No. Your employer can't fire you, threaten you or pressure you because you received a summons, answered it, or served. If you're fired anyway, you have one year to sue for your lost wages and to get your job back, and the court awards a reasonable attorney's fee if you win. The employer can also be held in contempt.

How do I get out of jury duty in New Hampshire?

If you're 70 or older, you can simply tell the court before court convenes that you don't want to serve. Legislators may decline during a session. Everyone else must show undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, public necessity, or another reason the court accepts, and the court may excuse you only for a time and call you back later.

What happens if I miss jury duty in New Hampshire?

If you were properly notified and miss court without sufficient cause, the court may hold you in contempt. If you ignore the clerk's directions and then fail to show cause when the court orders you to, you can be charged with a misdemeanor. Call the clerk before your date if you have a real conflict.

How often can you be called for jury duty in New Hampshire?

Once you actually attend court as a juror, your name stays off the master jury list for at least three years. A term of service lasts no more than 30 days, unless you're on a trial that hasn't finished.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in New Hampshire?

You must be 18 by your first reporting day. There's no upper age limit, but anyone 70 or older may opt out by telling the court before court convenes, and another juror is drawn in their place.

Where these rules live

• RSA 500-A:1 — Definitions and the master jury list
• RSA 500-A:6 — Juror qualification form
• RSA 500-A:7-a — Qualifications of jurors
• RSA 500-A:8 — Term of service
• RSA 500-A:9 — Exemptions, including age 70
• RSA 500-A:11 — Excuse from jury service
• RSA 500-A:14 — Protection of juror's employment
• RSA 500-A:15 — Compensation of jurors
• RSA 500-A:16 — Three years off the list
• RSA 500-A:19 and 500-A:20 — Penalties
• New Hampshire Judicial Branch: Jurors
• New Hampshire's court rules on this site
• Law schools in New Hampshire