Guide 27 · Article
Jury Duty Pay by State (2026): California, New York & Florida
En español: Tres estados, tres respuestas muy distintas. California paga $0 el primer día y $15/día desde el segundo (Code of Civil Procedure §215), más $0.34 por milla. Nueva York paga $72/día (Judiciary Law §521) — la cifra de “$40” que circula en internet ya no es la ley — y los empleadores con más de 10 empleados deben pagar al menos los primeros $72/día de sueldo durante los 3 primeros días. Florida paga $15/día los primeros 3 días y $30 después, pero SOLO si no tienes empleo regular o tu empleador deja de pagarte (§40.24). En tribunales federales son $50/día. En los tres estados es ilegal despedirte por servir como jurado.
Quick Answer: Jury duty pay is set by state law, and these three states could hardly differ more. California pays nothing on day one, then $15/day from the second day, plus $0.34/mile. New York pays $72/day — the “$40 a day” figure all over the internet is the old rate; the current Judiciary Law §521 says $72. Florida pays $15/day for the first 3 days, then $30/day — but only if you are not regularly employed or your employer stops your wages; if your pay continues, the state pays nothing for those first 3 days. The federal baseline for comparison is $50/day. In all three states, your employer cannot legally fire you for serving. Every figure below comes from the statute or court source itself — each state section links it.
Our Texas jury duty guide exists because the internet kept repeating a rate the legislature had already changed. New York turns out to have the same problem: page after page still quotes $40 a day, but the current statute text says $72. So here are the three biggest states side by side, taken straight from the law — California's Code of Civil Procedure, New York's Judiciary Law, and the Florida Statutes — with federal court pay as the baseline. Where a detail is not in the official source, the table says so instead of guessing.
The comparison
| Court | First day | Each day after | Mileage / travel | Employer rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal court (any state) | $50 | $50 — up to $60 after 10 days of service if the judge orders it | Reasonable transportation expenses reimbursed; uscourts.gov sets no single per-mile figure | Federal law bars firing, intimidating or coercing a permanent employee for jury service. No federal rule makes your employer pay your wages. |
| California (state court) | $0 | $15/day from the second day | $0.34 per mile for travel after the first day; public transit reimbursed up to $12/day | Your employer cannot fire or discriminate against you for serving (Labor Code §230, with reasonable notice). Your employer does NOT have to pay your wages. |
| New York (state court) | $72 | $72/day · +$6/day for each day beyond 30 days | Varies — Judiciary Law §521 sets the per-diem but no per-mile rate; check your summons / county | You cannot be fired or penalized for serving (Judiciary Law §519). Employers with more than 10 employees must pay at least the first $72 of your daily wages for the first 3 days. |
| Florida (state court) | $15 — but $0 from the state if you are regularly employed AND your wages continue | $15/day through day 3 · $30/day from day 4 | None — §40.24(5) says jurors get no travel or out-of-pocket reimbursement from the clerk | Your employer cannot fire you because of the nature or length of your service (F.S. §40.271). No law makes your employer pay your wages. |
California: $0 the first day, $15 after — plus mileage
California's rule is in Code of Civil Procedure §215: a juror is paid $15 “for each day's attendance as a juror after the first day” — the first day of service pays nothing from the court. From that second day on, the state also reimburses mileage at $0.34 per mile for travel to and from court, and public-transit costs up to $12 a day. One exception printed in the same statute: if you work for a public entity and your regular compensation continues during service, you do not also collect the juror fee. On the job side, Labor Code §230(a) says an employer “shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate against” an employee for taking time off to serve, as long as the employee gives reasonable notice — but no California law requires your employer to keep paying your wages while you serve. Some do, as a policy; that is between you and your handbook.
New York: it's $72 a day now — the $40 figure is outdated
Search New York jury pay and most pages will tell you $40 a day. That was the rate in Judiciary Law §521 — but the current statute text reads “seventy-two dollars per day for each and every day of physical attendance,” and §521-a adds $6 per day for service beyond 30 days. If your daily wages are less than $72, the state allowance tops you up to $72; if your wages are not withheld at all, no per-diem is paid for those days. New York is also the only state of the three that puts a wage duty on employers: under Judiciary Law §519, an employer with more than 10 employees “shall not withhold the first seventy-two dollars” of your daily wages during the first three days of jury service — and the same section bars any employer from discharging or penalizing you for serving, if you notified them beforehand. One honest gap: §521 does not set a per-mile travel rate, so mileage varies — check your summons or your county's jury office rather than trusting any number a blog gives you.
Florida: $15, then $30 — and only if your wages stop
Florida Statutes §40.24 has the most conditional rule of the three. For the first 3 days, the state pays $15/day only if you are not regularly employed, or your employer does not continue your wages during service. If you are regularly employed and your pay continues, the state pays nothing for those days — your salary is your jury pay. From the fourth day onward, every juror gets $30/day. And Florida is blunt about travel: §40.24(5) says jurors “are not entitled to additional reimbursement” for travel or other out-of-pocket expenses — there is no mileage. Your job itself is protected by F.S. §40.271: no employer may fire you “because of the nature or length” of your jury service, and threatening to do so can be treated as contempt of court. But like California, Florida does not require your employer to pay your wages while you serve.
FAQ
Q: How much does jury duty pay in California, New York, and Florida?
A: California pays $0 on the first day and $15/day from the second day, plus $0.34/mile (Code of Civil Procedure §215). New York pays $72/day (Judiciary Law §521), plus $6/day after 30 days. Florida pays $15/day for the first 3 days and $30/day from day 4 — but the first 3 days pay nothing from the state if you are regularly employed and your wages continue (F.S. §40.24). Federal courts pay $50/day in every state.
Q: Is New York jury duty pay really $40 a day?
A: Not anymore. $40 was the old figure in Judiciary Law §521, and it is still repeated all over the internet. The current statute sets the juror allowance at $72 per day. Employers with more than 10 employees must cover at least the first $72 of your daily wages for the first 3 days of service (Judiciary Law §519).
Q: Can my employer fire me for jury duty in California, New York, or Florida?
A: No. All three states protect your job: California Labor Code §230 bars discharging or discriminating against an employee for jury service (with reasonable notice given); New York Judiciary Law §519 bars discharge or penalty; Florida Statutes §40.271 bars dismissal because of the nature or length of service. Federal law protects federal-court jurors the same way.
Q: Does my employer have to pay my wages while I serve on a jury?
A: In New York, partially: employers with more than 10 employees must pay at least the first $72 of your daily wages for the first 3 days (Judiciary Law §519). In California and Florida, no — neither state requires private employers to pay wages during jury service, though many employers do voluntarily as a policy. Check your employee handbook before you serve.
Sources: California Code of Civil Procedure §215 · California Labor Code §230 · New York Judiciary Law §521 · New York Judiciary Law §519 · Florida Statutes §40.24 · Florida Statutes §40.271 · uscourts.gov — Juror Pay
By Sadiq Khan
Go deeper: the Texas version is Jury Duty Pay in Texas — and for steadier income than a summons, see Side Hustles.