South Carolina - Jury Duty Employer Obligations

In South Carolina, 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 the South Carolina law requires private employers to pay employees while they are absent to perform jury duty obligations. Most employers do pay all employees as the state compensation is quite low.

You will receive a nominal jury duty payment from the State of South Carolina 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.

No employee may be discharged or demoted as a result of partaking in jury duty obligations.

You should be sure to show your employer your South Carolina 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.

A discharged employee may, within one year, bring a civil action in the circuit court for damages due to dismissal or demotion.

Damages for dismissal up 1 year's salary or 52 weeks of wages based on a forty-hour week at the same rate the employee was receiving during the jury summons.

Damages for demotion are limited to the difference between amounts received at the time of summons and those after the demotion.

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.