What should a travel therapist do with a jury summons that arrives mid-contract?

Answer the summons by the date it gives, and ask the court for a deferral to a date between contracts: federal courts can postpone or excuse jurors for undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, at the court's discretion. Tell your agency in writing the day it arrives, because federal law bars an employer from firing a permanent employee for federal jury service but does not require it to pay you for those days.

By ProTherapy Staffing, published November 8, 2026.

Why does a jury summons find you at your tax home?

Because jury lists start from voter lists. The federal jury statute says each district’s plan must specify whether the names of prospective jurors “shall be selected from the voter registration lists or the lists of actual voters of the political subdivisions within the district or division,” and that it “shall prescribe some other source or sources of names in addition to voter lists where necessary.”

The tax home checklist asks you to register to vote at your tax home and keep it as your official address, so that is where a summons goes, whether or not you are there. To serve on a federal jury, the U.S. Courts list among the qualifications that you “have resided primarily in the judicial district for at least one year”; the questionnaire that comes with a summons asks about it.

Is it a federal or a state summons?

Read the top of the summons: it names the court, which may be a state court or a federal one. The federal rules below apply to a federal district court summons; a state court summons follows that state’s rules, and it gives the office to contact and how.

Even among federal courts the details differ. The U.S. Courts say each district court “maintains its own jury procedures and policies regarding excuses from jury service.” So whichever court it is, the summons and that court’s own jury office are the authority, not a general rule.

Can you postpone jury duty because you are on a contract?

You can ask. The U.S. Courts say the law “allows courts to offer temporary deferrals or excusals of jurors from service at the time they are summoned to report to the courthouse on the grounds of ‘undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.’” They add that “excuses for jurors are granted at the discretion of the court and cannot be reviewed or appealed to Congress or any other entity.”

A request is more likely to be read the way you mean it if it is specific. Give the contract’s dates and location, say that you are working in another state, and propose a date between contracts when you will be home. The U.S. Courts’ advice is direct: “Contact the federal court where you were selected to ask about a temporary deferral or excusal from service.”

If a summons lands in the middle of a contract you are weighing, ask a ProTherapy recruiter how its dates could move: Find my next contract.

Can your agency end your contract because of jury service?

For federal jury service, the statute protects employees. It says “no employer shall discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate, or coerce any permanent employee by reason of such employee’s jury service, or the attendance or scheduled attendance in connection with such service, in any court of the United States.”

Its word is “permanent employee,” and it does not say how that applies to a fixed-term travel contract. It covers service “in any court of the United States”; a state court summons falls under that state’s law. Either way, the practical step is the same: tell your recruiter and the agency in writing as soon as the summons arrives, with its date, and keep their reply. A facility planning around your dates is easier to work with than one that hears about a missed week afterwards.

Who pays you for days on a jury?

Not necessarily your agency. The U.S. Courts’ juror pay page says: “Your employer may continue your salary during all or part of your jury service, but federal law does not require an employer to do so.” The court itself pays federal jurors: “Federal jurors are paid $50 for each day of service and also may be eligible to receive certain travel reimbursements and allowances.”

Ask the agency how days on a jury affect the contract’s minimum hours and your stipends that week, and get the answer in writing. A week served at home is also a week away from the assignment, which is one more reason to ask the court for a date between contracts.

What should you do the day a summons arrives?

Four steps. Read which court sent it and the date to respond by. Fill in the questionnaire honestly, including where you are working. Ask for a deferral to a date between contracts, in the way the summons says to. And tell your agency in writing, with a copy of the summons.

A summons can sit unopened for weeks while you are away, so the checklist’s advice to check your mail or have it forwarded matters here. Keep the summons, your request and the court’s answer with your other tax home records; they show where you are registered and where the court reached you, alongside the documents in what to gather at year-end.

Frequently asked questions

Can a travel therapist postpone jury duty?

You can ask the court. Federal courts may grant temporary deferrals or excusals for undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, at their discretion; state courts set their own rules. Ask for a date between contracts.

Can my agency fire me for jury duty?

Federal law bars an employer from firing, threatening or coercing a permanent employee because of federal jury service. Whether that covers a fixed-term contract is not spelled out, so tell your agency in writing as soon as the summons arrives.

Does my agency have to pay me while I serve on a jury?

Not under federal law. The U.S. Courts say an employer may continue your salary but federal law does not require it; the court pays federal jurors a daily fee instead.

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