Virginia - Jury Duty Employer Obligations

In Virginia, 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 Virginia provisions compel an employer to pay an employee during their leave for jury duty. Most private employers do pay employees during their jury service. It is advisable to check your entitlements under your work agreement.

An employee must give reasonable notice to their employer of a jury duty summons.

An employee may not be required to work within 8 hours of their scheduled jury appearance, or 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 Virginia 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 from employment, or have any adverse action taken against them as a result of complying with jury duty.

No employee shall be required to use sick leave or vacation time when taking time off to fulfil jury obligations.

You should be sure to show your employer your Virginia 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.

An employer may be found guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor, which may be punishable by a fine of up to $500.

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.