Why jury duty pay can leave Australians worse off

Jury duty is a civic duty, but it can come at a cost. Here's what Australians are paid and who loses the most.

When Sean Harrison received a letter in January indicating that he could be summoned for jury duty, he admits that he didn't immediately consider the financial side of serving.

In February, however, he was called up to take part in a criminal trial at the New South Wales Supreme Court.

Like all almost all jurors in Australia, Harrison was entitled to compensation from the courts. In New South Wales, daily jury pay starts at $106.30 and rises to $247.40 if the case runs over 10 days.

For many workers, this will be far less than their regular salary or wages.

Fortunately for Harrison, his trial ran for seven days, so he didn't take a financial hit.

That's because employers are required to bridge the gap between jury pay and an employees' normal pay for the first 10 days of jury service.

"It didn't affect me because I served for less than 10 days, but I think the pay could disadvantage some people more than others.

"If it's a long case, that $240-something dollars a day is alright, but it's not massive - especially compared with some salaries people are getting.

"Then when you think about things like mortgage stress, or if you've got expenses related to kids, or if a few hefty bills come in - all those sorts of things - that money's not going to go very far."

Who is most likely to lose money?

• Casual workers
• Contractors and sole traders
• People in long trials (more than 10 days)
• High-income earners without employer support

Will your employer cover your pay?

Harrison's experience highlights a key safety net built into the system for workers who are obliged to serve jury duty.

But that safety net isn't endless, and it doesn't apply to everyone.

As laid out in the Fair Work Act, employers must pay full-time or part-time employees their base pay rate for the first 10 days they attend jury duty.

Employers can take into consideration any jury pay an employee receives though.

Unfortunately for casuals, the same provision doesn't apply, though they might still be covered under their particular award or enterprise agreement, or by state or territory legislation.

What happens after those 10 days though? In states like New South Wales, employers are under no obligation to continue paying, meaning that employees will have to rely on jury pay alone.

After 10 days, many Australians are left earning less than their normal wage. Some can be hundreds of dollars a week worse off.

In places like Victoria though, employers must continue making up the difference between jury pay and their employees' normal pay for the entirely of a trial - no matter how long it is.

Beyond the issue of pay, employers are also legally required to let their employees attend jury duty, though employees will need to notify their employers as soon as possible if they're called up.

What jury duty pays, at a glance

• NSW: from $106 a day, higher after 10 days
• VIC: $40 to $80, but employers must top up
• QLD: about $148 a day
• SA: $20 a day, plus reimbursements
• WA: as little as $15 a day, with employer cover

Jury duty pay by state

There's no set pay rate for people serving jury duty in Australia.

In fact, pay rates, allowances and the treatment of jurors differ across the states and territories.

Australian Capital Territory

Daily pay:

• Days 1-4: $130.80
• Days 5-10: $151.90
• Days 11+: $177.20

Jurors in the ACT are paid different rates depending on the trial length.

The rates are pegged to the Consumer Price Index and are raised each financial year (the rates above are for 2025-26).

Private sector employees - excluding casuals - will receive their normal pay for the first 10 days, but after that they may need to rely on jury rates alone. Public servants will continue to receive their normal salary while on jury duty.

Beyond the daily rate, jurors in the ACT may also be eligible for meal allowances towards lunch ($20) and dinner ($30).

New South Wales

Daily pay:

• Days 1-10: $106.30 (all jurors)
• Days 11+: $106.30 (unemployed and casual workers)
• Days 11+: $247.40 (full-time, part-time and self-employed workers)

The amount jurors are paid in New South Wales varies based on the length of the trial and the nature of the juror's employment.

Unlike the ACT though, these rates don't increase every year.

Employers in New South Wales are required to make up the difference between the court payment and their employees' regular pay for the first 10 days, though this doesn't apply to casual workers.

Jury members may also be able to claim a travel allowance based on the distance between their postcode and the courthouse (at 30.7 cents per kilometre capped at 100km) and a meal allowance of $6.95 per day if they don't want the court-provided catering.

Northern Territory

Daily pay:

• Days 1-9: $73.80
• Days 10+: $147.60

Jurors who lose income as a result of attending jury service in the Northern Territory are entitled to compensation from the court.

These rates are updated every financial year (the above are for 2025-26) in line with changes to the Darwin Consumer Price Index.

Because lunch is provided (as is dinner if the jury needs to stay after business hours), jurors aren't given a specific meal allowance.

Queensland

Daily pay:

• Days 1-20: $148.30
• Days 21+: $197.90

Courts in Queensland provide jurors with a daily allowance that differs depending on how long they are empanelled.

These rates have been in place since 2017 and aren't indexed to inflation.

In addition to the daily stipend, jurors may be eligible for lunch ($17.40) and dinner ($29.50) allowances. They can also claim public transport and some private transportation costs (if public transport isn't a viable option).

South Australia

Daily pay:

• All days: $20

Jurors in South Australia receive a flat daily payment, though additional compensation is available in many cases.

For instance, if jury service results in income loss, jurors may be able to claim a reimbursement of up to $200 per day.

Employers who provide paid leave can also apply to have that cost reimbursed, up to $200 per day.

Jurors may also be eligible for a travel allowance of 95 cents per kilometre for trips between their home and court.

Tasmania

Daily pay:

• Employed jurors: Up to $306.37
• Unemployed jurors: $40 (1-3 days) or $50 (4+ days)

Tasmania has the most generous pay rate for employed jurors - up to $306.37 each day provided they can provide evidence from their employer that they've lost income while serving.

Jurors can also claim travel costs to get to and from court.

Public transport and car park fees are reimbursed with proof, as are driving costs at a rate of $0.6512 cents per kilometre (engine capacity above 2 litres) or $0.56 cents per kilometre (under 2 litre engine capacity).

Reasonable costs associated with any childcare that jurors need to arrange during jury service may also be refunded with proof.

Victoria

Daily pay:

• Days 1-6: $40
• Days 7+: $80

All jurors in Victoria are paid a daily rate that increases after the first week of service.

Unlike most jurisdictions, employed jurors in Victoria are entitled to receive their regular income for the entire duration of service.

That means that employers will need to pay workers the difference between the jury rate and their normal earnings.

This applies to full-time, part-time and casual employees, but not to independent contractors.

Courts will also pay an allowance of 42 cents per kilometre for distances beyond 8km between home and the courthouse (one way only). This is not paid to those attending court in Melbourne though.

Western Australia

Daily pay:

• Days 1-3: $15
• Days 4+: $20

Jurors in Western Australia may receive a small daily payment, but in most cases, employed people will continue to receive their usual income.

That's because employers are required to continue paying employees their wages during jury service, including casuals (where work was expected).

Employers are then able to reclaim these costs from the court at a later date.

Jurors may also be reimbursed for trips between home and court. In Perth, this is based on public transport fares, whereas regional jurors are paid a per-kilometre rate for driving.

Can you skip jury duty because of money?

For some Australians, the bigger question isn't how much jury duty pays.

It's whether they can afford to serve at all.

After all, mortgage and rental costs and other bills won't suddenly disappear.

Every state and territory does recognise financial hardship as a genuine reason for someone to be excused from jury duty.

However, potential jurors may need to prove it.

Dr Leah Williams, a senior lecturer in the School of Law, Society and Criminology at UNSW, says that in New South Wales, for instance, undue hardship is not defined. Rather, it's assessed on a case-by-case basis.

"If serving is going to cause you to not be able to pay your rent and then lose your housing, that would be considered serious financial hardship.

"But somebody turning up and saying 'Oh, this is going to be difficult for me', is typically not going to be sufficient.

"Generally, courts will require some level of evidence. Say it's a sole trader or a contractor. They'll need to provide documentation to show what kind of financial impact serving on a jury will have on their business."

Is jury duty becoming unaffordable?

Whether it's people experiencing financial hardship or members of the workforce who don't have employer support to rely on, do the financial realities of participating in jury duty mean that jury pools are less diverse than they could be?

Dr Williams says that, broadly speaking, there is concern about jury diversity.

However, given the strict confidentiality rules around juries, there is little concrete data on the specific role that finances play in shaping who ends up serving.

From her perspective, there's a difficult balance to strike.

"I think there's a risk in setting jury allowances too high, because you don't want to incentivise people to be on a jury. That would take away from the core role of the juror, which is a civic duty.

"The role of jurors in a criminal trial, particularly, is to bring community values into the courtroom to allow justice to be seen to be done."

"So, the balance is having an allowance that supports a diversity of people to participate and satisfy that expectation that the jury is a representation of society."

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