Your employer cannot stop you doing jury service and cannot dismiss you for attending. Describe your situation and get instant guidance on your rights.
↓ Try the Checker NowYour employer cannot dismiss you or select you for redundancy because you are summoned for jury service — this is automatically unfair dismissal from day one. You have the right to take time off for jury duty.
You can claim a loss of earnings allowance from the court of up to £64.95 per day for the first 10 days and up to £129.91 per day thereafter (2025/26 rates). Your employer does not have to pay you during jury service unless your contract says otherwise.
Key areas covered: jury service, jury duty, employer obligations, loss of earnings, deferral, excusal, unfair dismissal. Checked against official sources.
In England and Wales, deferral simply moves your jury service to a more convenient date within the next 12 months and is granted relatively freely for genuine reasons like pre-booked holidays or exams. Full excusal is much rarer and generally requires more exceptional circumstances, so if your issue is really about timing, requesting deferral is usually the stronger option.
Since your employer isn't required to pay your normal salary during jury service unless your contract says otherwise, the court's loss of earnings allowance is designed to help bridge this gap — though it's worth understanding it may not fully match your normal take-home pay.
This checker gives you a plain English read on your specific situation, answered only from its own guide for your part of the UK, checked against official sources. No login needed, and your answer is generated instantly based on what you tell us.
Our guidance covers many common situations, but complex or high-stakes cases need professional advice. For employment issues, contact ACAS in England, Wales and Scotland (0300 123 1100) or the Labour Relations Agency in Northern Ireland (03300 555 300). For free general advice, contact Citizens Advice (England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020), Citizens Advice Scotland (0800 028 1456) or Advice NI (0800 915 4604). For urgent housing problems in England, Shelter can help on 0808 800 4444.
What you need to know
The checker below answers from the verified guide for your nation. These are the key points from each one.
Full guide: Jury Service and Your Employer in England and Wales. Last verified: 25 September 2026.
Full guide: Jury Service and Your Employer in Scotland. Last verified: 25 September 2026.
Full guide: Jury Service and Your Employer in Northern Ireland. Last verified: 25 September 2026.
This guidance is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify current figures and legislation on GOV.UK or seek professional advice for your specific situation.
Free to use: Run any checker, read your full results and download them as a printable report — no account needed.
Describe your employment situation and we'll check your rights
Tip: Focus on one issue at a time for the clearest answer. If you have multiple issues, run them separately for a full picture on each one.
Include where you live, whether you are employed or self-employed, what your contract says about pay during jury service, and what your employer has said or done.
Free · Guidance only, not legal advice
Am I entitled to redundancy pay?
Employees with at least 2 years of continuous employment are entitled to statutory redundancy pay. The amount depends on age, length of service and weekly pay. For redundancies from 6 April 2026, a week of pay is capped at £751 in England, Wales and Scotland (maximum £22,530) and at £783 in Northern Ireland (maximum £23,490).
What is unfair dismissal?
Unfair dismissal is when an employer dismisses an employee without a fair reason or without acting fairly in how they do it. In England, Wales and Scotland you currently need at least 2 years of continuous employment to claim ordinary unfair dismissal, or at least 6 months where the employment ends on or after 1 January 2027. In Northern Ireland you need at least 1 year.
When is statutory sick pay paid?
From 6 April 2026, statutory sick pay (SSP) is paid from the first full day of sickness absence, in Northern Ireland as well as in England, Wales and Scotland. It is £123.25 a week, or 80% of your average weekly earnings (normal weekly earnings in Northern Ireland) if that is lower. In England, Wales and Scotland it is paid for up to 28 weeks.
Analysing your situation...
Checking against current UK law
Generating...
The checker answers only from the guide for the nation you choose, plus what you tell it. If your question is not covered there, it says so instead of guessing. Each guide was checked against primary sources on 25 September 2026.
Spotted something missing, wrong or out of date? Tell us, or comment on the guide.
Directed and published by Matt Thompson, founder of UK Work Rights. Guidance checked against GOV.UK, ACAS and legislation.gov.uk. This is general rights guidance, not legal advice.
UK Work Rights is completely free and always will be. If this guidance helped you, a small donation helps keep the site running and updated for everyone.
100% goes to running and maintaining this free service. No pressure — the guidance is always free.