Postponement is the legal alternative to skipping. Most courts allow it, most accept "no reason" for the first request, and most let you do it online in five minutes. Here is exactly how.
Almost every US court allows you to postpone jury duty at least once, no questions asked. Typical limits: one to two postponements per summons, each up to 90 days from the original date. Most courts process the request online through the juror portal listed on your summons. Some still require a phone call.
You can postpone for work conflicts, pre-booked travel, medical reasons, family emergencies, school exams, or simply "the date does not work." Courts only require documentation for second or third postponements, and for hardship excuses.
Look at your summons. There is a website (often listed as a juror portal, eJuror for federal, or the court's main site) and a phone number for jury services. Both are valid ways to request a postponement.
The juror or badge number is printed on the summons. You will also need your last name and zip code. Most portals show your current report date and offer a postpone option directly on the main page.
Courts show a list of available reporting weeks within the postponement window (usually 90 days from the original date). Pick one that genuinely works. Avoid scheduling back-to-back postponements.
The portal will show a confirmation page. Save it, print it, or screenshot it. Some courts mail a fresh paper summons close to the new date; others rely on you remembering. Either way, the confirmation is your proof.
The whole reason you needed a postponement was the original date sneaking up. Don't repeat the mistake. Create an email reminder while the new date is still in front of you.
Rules vary, but the pattern is consistent: one easy postponement, additional ones with documentation, and a cap on how far you can push the date out.
| State / court | Postponements allowed | How far out |
|---|---|---|
| Federal court | Typically 1, court discretion for more | Within 6 months |
| California | 2 within one year | Up to 6 months from original |
| New York | 1 routine + hardship requests | Up to 6 months |
| Texas | 1 routine, more with reason | 90 days typical |
| Florida | 1 routine | Up to 6 months |
| Massachusetts | 1 for any reason | Up to 1 year |
| Colorado | 2 in one year | Up to 6 months each |
| New Jersey | 1 routine, more with hardship | Up to 6 months |
| Pennsylvania | 1 routine | Up to 90 days |
Always confirm against the specific instructions on your summons. Local rules vary within a state, especially between county and federal courts.
For a second or hardship postponement. First requests usually need no reason.
Plane tickets, hotel bookings, or work travel booked before the summons arrived. Most courts accept proof of booking date.
Scheduled surgery, recovery from one, ongoing treatment, or a doctor-confirmed condition. A note from the doctor is usually enough.
Final exams, dissertation defense, or any scheduled academic obligation. A note from the registrar or instructor is usually enough.
Sole-employee businesses, immovable client commitments, or time-critical projects. Some states accept a letter from your employer; many do not for routine work.
Sole-caregiver status with no backup childcare on the report date. A few states require documentation of the childcare arrangement.
Death in the immediate family, funeral travel, or a serious illness in a household member. Documentation is usually accepted in good faith.
The day before or morning of, your options narrow but they exist. Call the jury services number on your summons immediately. Explain the situation honestly: illness that morning, accident, urgent family matter, or a work emergency that came up after the summons arrived.
Many courts will reschedule by phone in genuine emergencies. They will not reschedule because you forgot or "it's not a good day." If you simply cannot make it and the reason is not urgent, you may be better off requesting an excuse rather than a postponement, which can be approved retroactively if you document it.
Whatever you do, do not just not show up. See the consequences in what happens if you miss jury duty.
Postponed dates are forgotten even more easily than original ones. The court already rescheduled you once. They do not always send a fresh paper summons for the new date. And the new date is further out, so it falls out of mind faster.
See the full guide on jury duty reminders or set one now for the postponed date.
Don't lose track of the postponed date too. Set a reminder while it is still fresh.
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Yes, in almost every US jurisdiction. Most courts allow at least one postponement per summons, typically up to 90 days from your original date. Many require no explanation for the first postponement. Some require a written reason.
In California, twice within one year of the original date. In Massachusetts, once for any reason up to one year. In New York and New Jersey, typically once, with documented hardship needed for additional postponements. Most other states allow one or two before requiring you to actually serve.
Pre-paid travel, surgery or medical procedures, a death in the family, exam periods for students, a critical work conflict, or childcare unavailability are accepted across most courts. Many courts accept "no reason given" for the first postponement — you do not need a sob story for the initial request.
Same-day or day-before postponements are harder to get and usually require an emergency. Call the court immediately. Document the reason (illness, accident, urgent work travel). Some courts will reschedule by phone in genuine emergencies; others will mark you absent and require a follow-up explanation.
Most courts let you postpone through the online juror portal listed on your summons. You log in with your juror number, pick a new date from a list of available reporting weeks, and confirm. If the court does not have an online system, call the jury services number on your summons — postponement is usually a five-minute call.
For a first postponement, usually no. For a second, third, or hardship postponement, yes — a doctor's note, a plane ticket, a letter from your employer. Each court spells out what it accepts. The juror portal or summons will list specifics.
You typically get a confirmation of your new date right when you postpone (email, printed page, or paper letter a week or two later). Some courts send a fresh paper summons closer to the new date; others rely on you remembering the date you chose. Set a reminder either way.
Set a reminder for the new date right now — free, no account. You'll get an email before, plus follow-ups until you've served.
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