Maryland - Jury Duty Employer Obligations

In Maryland, employers are required to provide you with unpaid time off for reporting to jury selection or jury duty. You may have to show your employer your jury summons in order to be given the necessary leave.

Your employer can never punish you for missing work to attend jury duty. However, if missing work would cause your employer undue hardship, it may be considered as an acceptable jury duty excuse.

No provision of Maryland law requires an employer to pay for jury duty service.

Employees whose work agreement stipulates paid leave for jury duty may have their salary offset by the compensation provided by the courts.

An employee may not be required to use annual, sick, or vacation leave for complying with a jury duty summons. An employee may not be required to work between 5 P.M. and 3 A.M. on a day that they have served 4 or more hours, inclusive of travel time.

You will receive a nominal jury duty payment from the State of Maryland for each day you serve on a jury, as well as potential reimbursements for travel expenses. However, jury duty pay tends to be a token amount rather than actual compensation.

An employer may not deprive or coerce, intimidate, or threaten to discharge an employee for responding or attending to a summons for jury service.

You should be sure to show your employer your Maryland jury duty summons letter when you receive it, and update them with your jury duty dates if you are assigned to a trial, to ensure that you receive your mandatory time off.

The employer may be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000.

If you have been punished for missing work due to jury duty, contact the joror office of the court that summoned you, and they will assist in ensuring that your rights are protected.