Jury duty in SA: pay, claim forms and excusal evidence
Start with your summons, then check who pays your wages and which court form fits your situation. The tables below separate excusal, court reimbursement and employer pay, with official links and the evidence to prepare.
Key points
- The SA court’s payment guidance checked on 23 October 2026 gives a $213 ordinary daily reimbursement cap, including the $20 attendance amount. It is an assessed loss or necessary-expense claim, not an automatic $213 daily wage.
- If your employer continues your wages, section 70 directs prescribed reimbursement to the employer. Do not assume the $20 is an extra amount you keep on top of full wages; use the claim-form selector.
- National-system noncasual employees generally have employer-pay rights for the first ten days absent from work for a summons, subject to evidence and court-pay deductions. SA public-sector and local-government employees generally use state-system arrangements instead.
- Apply for excusal or deferral promptly through the official court process, with relevant evidence. A pending request is not permission to stop attending. Use the excusal and payment checklist.
- The age rule says over 70 and requires an application before serving on a trial. Previous service within three years is a discretionary excusal ground, not an automatic cancellation of a new summons.
- The Jury Manager handles routine summons decisions. The free Legal Hotline line provides AI general information; an optional independent-lawyer consultation has a $295 including GST arrangement fee and does not secure excusal.
In South Australia, court payment guidance checked on 23 October 2026 gives an ordinary jury-service reimbursement cap of $213 a day, including the $20 attendance amount, for assessed monetary loss or necessary expenditure. Juries Act 1927 section 70 directs reimbursement to the employer where wages continue; a separately declared long trial has different rules.
Checked on 23 October 2026: SA jury legislation and remuneration rules, current court payment and claim-form guidance, federal workplace provisions and official legal-help contacts. Sources and limits of this check.
Respond to the summons and apply through the court
Read the dates and directions on your questionnaire and summons. Under Juries Act sections 11–17, qualification, disqualification, ineligibility and discretionary excusal are different issues. Tell the Sheriff promptly if your record, health, role or circumstances may affect service; do not treat your own assessment as confirmation that attendance is cancelled.
The official excusal page directs an application as soon as possible after receiving a summons. Use its linked Juror Registration Website or paper form, give accurate reasons and supporting documents, and supply a statutory declaration if required. Follow the actual directions rather than importing another state’s deadline.
Scroll the tables sideways to compare all columns.
| Situation | Rule | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Over 70 | Section 17 requires excusal on application if the judge or Sheriff is satisfied the person is above 70. | Provide the requested age evidence and obtain confirmation. Age alone does not cancel the summons. |
| Ill health, urgent circumstances, conscientious objection or another reasonable cause | Section 16 permits a judge or Sheriff to excuse; evidence and later-service conditions may apply. | Explain the precise difficulty and period affected. Work or caring duties do not guarantee approval. |
| Served as a juror within the previous three years | Section 16 makes this a discretionary ground on application. | Provide actual service dates and records; merely having received a summons is not necessarily prior service. |
| Possible disqualification or ineligibility | Sections 12–13 and Schedule 3 contain specific record, capacity, English-language and occupational tests. | Give the relevant dates, orders, role or functional evidence. Any diagnosis or loose job title is not the complete test. |
Section 16(5) allows an application to a judge to review a Sheriff’s refusal or conditions. Ask the office promptly about that process; do not assume review stops attendance. Once serving on a trial, raise illness or urgent problems with the trial judge. A sudden problem or missed attendance calls for immediate contact with the Jury Manager.
Court payments: $20 base and the $213 ordinary claim cap
Section 70 and the remuneration regulations control entitlement. The current court payments page publishes the $213 ordinary ceiling, including $20. Actual loss or necessary additional expenditure needs evidence and assessment; the cap does not promise full wage or business-income replacement.
First establish whether your employer continues wages for the attendance period. Where it does, the Act provides employer reimbursement equal to the prescribed remuneration otherwise payable. Coordinate the court claim and payroll treatment, including any attendance amount already paid, so the same amount is not counted twice.
Scroll the tables sideways to compare all columns.
| Situation | Payment approach | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary eligible attendance, loss or necessary expense no more than $20 | $20 under the prescribed scale. | Subject to the employer-paid-wages rule; not an unconditional bonus over normal wages. |
| Assessed ordinary loss or necessary expense above $20 | Actual assessed amount, up to the court’s published $213 daily cap, including the $20. | Provide evidence of the loss or additional cost. The cap is not $213 plus $20. |
| Employer continues wages | Employer reimbursement under section 70, subject to the prescribed scale. | Use the employer route and reconcile amounts with payroll; full salary outlay may exceed reimbursement. |
| A trial formally declared a long trial | A different indexed daily ceiling and sitting-day rules apply. | A long duration alone is not the declaration. Confirm the applicable amount and period with the Sheriff. |
| Travel to court | Travel is separately addressed by the remuneration rules. | Keep journey details and confirm the current administered rate and calculation with the Sheriff. |
The regulations index some amounts annually. Use the court’s current payment guidance and confirm the amount that applies to your claim, especially travel or a declared long trial. Do not rely on older figures copied into a search excerpt.
Employer leave and pay: first identify your employment system
Fair Work Act sections 108–112 cover required jury selection and service, reasonable travel and rest, employer notice and evidence for national-system employees. Give notice as soon as practicable, tell the employer the expected absence and provide reasonable evidence when requested.
For covered noncasual employees, the NES provides base ordinary-hours pay for the first ten days absent from work for the particular summons. If the employer requests evidence, show the necessary steps taken to obtain court pay and the total paid or payable, including nil. Without the requested evidence, the section 111 payment entitlement does not apply. Deductible jury remuneration reduces employer pay; expense-related allowances are excluded.
Scroll the tables sideways to compare all columns.
| Your position | Starting rule | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| National-system full-time or part-time employee | NES first ten work-absence days, with evidence and court-remuneration deductions. | Check any better award, agreement, contract or state entitlement; reconcile court and employer reimbursement. |
| National-system casual employee | Community-service leave, but no NES jury-pay entitlement. | Check better terms and separate court-payment eligibility. |
| SA public-sector or local-government employee | Generally outside the national system. | Ask HR or your union which state instrument applies; do not automatically use the NES ten-day limit. |
| Self-employed person or contractor | Do not assume employee make-up pay applies. | Use the appropriate court claim and evidence of actual qualifying loss; business turnover is not automatically reimbursed. |
Ten days refers to days absent from work for the summons, not necessarily ten trial days. Covered SA public-sector staff may receive paid special leave for the required period under Determination 3.1, with notification and attendance/no-remuneration evidence; HR must confirm coverage and the travel-only claim route. If threatened at work, keep the summons, roster, messages and pay records and seek prompt advice. Workplace-right and juror-interference protections have legal conditions; a particular remedy is not automatic.
Choose the correct court claim form
The official claim-forms page lists five different forms. Open the current form there, check its instructions and ask the Sheriff’s financial enquiries team if your circumstances cross more than one category. Submit sensitive payment information through the official process.
Scroll the tables sideways to compare all columns.
| Situation | Form listed by the court | Records to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| You lose wages | Form 1 — Juror Reimbursement (Loss of Wages) | Attendance dates and evidence of wages actually lost; obtain employer verification as required. |
| Your employer pays wages | Form 2 — Juror Claim (Employer Reimbursement) | Attendance and wages paid; coordinate the employer claim and any amount already received. |
| You are self-employed | Form 3 — Juror Claim (self employed) | Records of actual qualifying loss or necessary expenditure caused by attendance. |
| Additional childcare or assistance costs | Form 4 — Juror Claim (Child Care Costs — Additional Assistance) | Evidence of the additional cost caused by service, rather than assuming all usual costs qualify. |
| You are a state government employee | Form 5 — Juror Notification (State Government Employee) | HR confirmation, paid-leave arrangements and the required attendance/payment records. |
This selector identifies the court’s published forms; it does not decide entitlement or replace their instructions. Do not duplicate a wage-loss claim where the employer has already paid the wages.
Keep following attendance directions until released
The court’s general information describes approximately four weeks on call and an average trial of four to five days. Those are estimates. You do not necessarily attend every day, and a selected trial can continue beyond the summons month. General Regulations 5–6 allow further directions after nonselection or completion of a short trial; being sent home today does not necessarily end service.
If you have already missed attendance, contact the Jury Manager immediately and keep any notice received. Juries Act section 78 covers failure to attend a duly served summons or answer after being called three times, with a maximum $1,250 fine. That is a maximum, not an automatic penalty or a way to buy release. The separate questionnaire offence under section 25 has different wording and obligations.
Follow the judge’s directions, do not research the case online or through AI, and report improper approaches or concerns to the court. Criminal Law Consolidation Act sections 245–247 protect the jury process, deliberations and identities through defined offences and exceptions. Do not send trial evidence, jury-room discussions or private juror identities to Legal Hotline or an AI assistant. Ask the Jury Manager about lawful support if service causes distress.
Prepare the evidence for your next step
Gather records that address the actual question the court or employer needs to decide. An application for excusal, a loss claim and an employer-pay request require different evidence.
Scroll the tables sideways to compare all columns.
| Record | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Questionnaire, summons, return dates, court and juror number | Identifies the official directions and correct office. |
| Reason for excusal, period affected and relevant medical, caring or work evidence | Explains the practical difficulty; no single category guarantees approval. |
| Age, prior-service or criminal-order records where relevant | Allows the precise qualification or excusal question to be assessed. |
| Roster, ordinary base pay, salary continuation and leave records | Identifies the correct employer-pay and court-claim route. |
| Actual loss, extra childcare, replacement-worker and journey records | Supports the appropriate reimbursement or travel assessment. |
| Submitted applications, official decisions, attendance and payment records | Confirms what has been requested, decided and already paid. |
- Read the summons and notify your employer promptly.
- Apply through the official court route if you need excusal or deferral; keep the application and response.
- Confirm who continues wages and select the correct court claim form.
- Attend as directed until officially excused or released, and retain attendance and payment evidence.
Routine forms and summons decisions go directly to the court. A hotline call or lawyer booking does not file an application, change attendance requirements or secure excusal.
Official SA jury contacts
The Sheriff’s Office lists the Jury Manager on 08 8204 0156 and financial enquiries on 08 8204 0153. Office hours are Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm, excluding public holidays. Use the contact and instructions on your summons for the relevant court.
Use the excusal page for the official application routes and the claim-forms page for payment forms. For a late or sudden attendance problem, contact the office immediately and ask what you must do next.
When an initial lawyer consultation may help
The Sheriff’s Office is the first contact for routine summons and payment administration. Individual advice may help with uncertain disqualification, a disputed excusal decision, a nonattendance allegation or threatened employment action. Describe the legal issue without sharing protected trial material or juror identities.
Legal Hotline charges a $295 including GST matching and arrangement fee for an initial one-hour consultation with an independent Australian lawyer. The lawyer makes no additional charge for that initial consultation; further work is separately agreed.
Availability and the lawyer’s acceptance apply. Booking does not promise drafting, filing, representation or excusal. The free telephone line is Jen, an AI assistant providing general legal information, not a lawyer giving advice. Service terms are linked below.
Official help and free legal information
Contact the Jury Manager for a summons decision. These services can help with legal or workplace questions.
Legal Services Commission of SA — free legal helpline
1300 366 424, Monday–Friday 9am–4:30pm, excluding public holidays. Preliminary information, general advice and referrals; service scope varies with the issue and call charges may apply.
Fair Work Ombudsman — jury leave and pay
13 13 94, Monday–Friday 8am–5:30pm, excluding public holidays. National-system workplace information. State-system employees should also check their HR, union or applicable state arrangements.
SA jury-duty questions
Is SA jury pay $20 or $213 a day?
The ordinary scale starts at $20, with assessed monetary loss or necessary expenditure up to the court’s current published $213 daily cap, including the $20. It is not an automatic $213 wage. Employer-paid wages change who receives prescribed reimbursement under section 70. Separately declared long trials have different rules; travel is addressed separately.
How do I ask to be excused or defer jury duty in SA?
Apply promptly through the court’s excusal page, using its official online or paper route. Give accurate reasons and supporting evidence; a statutory declaration may be required. Section 16 permits discretionary excusal and later-service conditions. Keep the decision and attend as directed while a request is pending; contact the Jury Manager immediately about a sudden or late problem.
Am I exempt at 70 or because I served recently?
Section 17 says above 70 and requires an application before serving on a trial, with the judge or Sheriff satisfied of age. Prior service within three years is a discretionary ground under section 16. Neither means you should ignore a summons: provide the relevant records and obtain the official decision.
Does my employer have to pay me during jury duty?
National-system noncasual employees generally receive base ordinary-hours pay for the first ten days absent from work for the summons, subject to requested evidence and deduction of court remuneration; expense allowances are excluded. Casuals have NES leave but no NES jury-pay entitlement. Better terms may apply. SA public-sector and local-government staff generally use state-system arrangements, so check coverage with HR or your union.
Which SA jury claim form should I use?
The court lists Form 1 for lost wages, Form 2 for employer reimbursement, Form 3 for self-employment, Form 4 for extra childcare or assistance costs and Form 5 for state government employees. Use the current official form and instructions. Confirm who paid the wages and what the court has already paid to avoid duplicate claims.
What if I have missed jury attendance?
Contact the Jury Manager immediately, explain what happened and follow directions. Keep any notice and seek advice if an offence is alleged. Section 78 carries a maximum $1,250 fine for the specified failures to attend or answer; it is not an automatic penalty or permission to treat your own reason as an excusal. A pending application does not cancel attendance.
Sources and update record
Facts checked on 23 October 2026. The $213 ordinary cap is the court’s current published guidance; indexed travel and declared-long-trial amounts should be confirmed for the claim. Operative legislation and service guidance are linked below. The earlier personal-review date is preserved and is not a new solicitor review. General information only.
- Juries Act 1927 — qualification, excusal, payment and offences
- Juries remuneration regulations — indexed scale and declared long trials
- Juries General Regulations — continuing attendance and summons
- Criminal Law Consolidation Act — sections 245–247
- Courts SA — current juror payments
- Courts SA — five claim forms
- Courts SA — excusal applications
- Courts SA — juror general information
- Sheriff’s Office — jury and financial contacts
- Fair Work Act — sections 108–112 and 340–341
- Fair Work Ombudsman — jury leave and pay
- Fair Work Ombudsman — national-system coverage
- Fair Work Ombudsman — phone contact
- SA public sector — current determinations and coverage
- Legal Services Commission — advice and helpline
- Legal Services Commission — contacts
- Legal Hotline Australia — booking
- Legal Hotline Australia — terms
- Legal Hotline Australia — lawyer consultation model
General information only, not legal advice. Updated . Checked against the sources above on 23 October 2026.
Review date recorded on the previous version: . This content update does not represent a new personal legal review.