Unable to attend jury service

Hello there. Please try not to worry if you have been called for jury service and cannot make it. It is completely normal for the dates to clash with a pre-booked holiday, an important hospital appointment, or a busy time at work.

The legal position:

Jury service is an important civic duty in England and Wales. When you receive a jury summons, you are legally required to respond to it within seven days. Ignoring the summons or failing to turn up on the day without a good reason can lead to a fine of up to one thousand pounds.

However, the courts understand that life gets in the way. You have two main options if you cannot make the dates on your summons. You can ask to delay your jury service, which is called deferring, or you can ask to be taken off the list completely, which is called being excused.

Deferring your jury service:

Usually, the easiest and most successful option is to ask to delay your jury service to a later date. You are allowed to delay your service once.

You must have a good reason to delay. Common and perfectly acceptable reasons include having a booked holiday, a scheduled operation or medical appointment, upcoming school or university exams, or an important work commitment where your employer cannot easily cover your absence.

When you ask to delay, you must be ready to provide alternative dates. You will need to offer the court specific dates within the next twelve months when you will be available to serve.

Asking to be excused entirely:

It is generally much harder to be excused from jury service altogether. The Jury Central Summoning Bureau will usually only agree to excuse you if delaying your service to another time in the next twelve months would not solve the problem.

Valid reasons for being excused include having a severe ongoing physical or mental illness, having full-time caring responsibilities for someone, or having already completed jury service within the last two years. You might also be excused if you do not understand English well enough to follow a trial.

Practical next steps:

1. Do not ignore the summons. Make sure you reply within seven days of receiving it, even if you are asking to be delayed or excused.

2. Decide whether you are asking to delay or to be excused. Remember that asking to delay is much more likely to be accepted.

3. Gather your evidence. If you are delaying because of a holiday, find your booking confirmation. If it is for work, ask your employer to write a letter explaining why your absence would seriously harm the business. If you are asking to be excused for medical reasons, you will likely need a note from your doctor.

4. Reply using the official government online portal or by filling out and returning the paper form included with your summons. There is a section where you can explain your reasons, provide your evidence, and suggest new dates if you are delaying.

5. Wait for a response. The Jury Central Summoning Bureau will write to you to confirm whether they have accepted your request. Until they confirm in writing that you are delayed or excused, you are still technically expected to attend, so it is best to get your application submitted as early as possible. If they refuse your request, you do have the right to appeal their decision.

I hope this helps put your mind at ease and gives you a clear path forward. Please let me know if you need any more help understanding the forms.