How to get excused from jury duty in Benton County, Washington
The excusal routes Benton County, Washington actually recognizes — what each one needs, who decides, and where it goes.
Everything runs through the juror questionnaire, and it is due within five days of receiving your summons — the county states that any juror wishing to be excused must complete it. Requests to be excused cannot be made by phone; the county says so in terms. Note also that this is a shared court: the attestation form is headed Benton Franklin Counties Superior Court.
Your routes in Benton County, Washington
Age 80 or older — permanent excusalIncluded — one checkbox, and the court must grant it
The county publishes a one-page attestation form with a single checkbox. No doctor, no diagnosis, no wording to get right — and by statute the court must grant it. There is nothing here for us to sell you.
Benton Franklin Counties Superior Court — Juror Attestation of Eligibility, under RCW 2.36.100(2). The form reads, in its entirety before the signature lines:
“I hereby attest that I am eighty (80) years of age or older and am unable to serve due to health reasons.”
“I hereby state under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state that the foregoing is true and correct.”
That is the entire document. One checkbox, a signature, a juror number, a date, a city, and your printed name, address and telephone number. There is no free-text field anywhere on it — nothing to phrase, nothing to argue, nothing a drafted letter could improve. Where a county’s form is the mechanism and leaves no room for your own words, we have nothing to sell you, and we would rather say so than invent a reason to charge.
The statute behind it is the reason this is so short. RCW 2.36.100(2) provides that a person 80 or older who attests they are unable to serve for health reasons must be excused, that the attestation form “may not include a requirement that a doctor’s note be provided”, and that “this request must be granted by the court.” Every other ground on this page is weighed by somebody. This one is not.
See the full detail →“I hereby attest that I am eighty (80) years of age or older and am unable to serve due to health reasons.”
“I hereby state under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state that the foregoing is true and correct.”
That is the entire document. One checkbox, a signature, a juror number, a date, a city, and your printed name, address and telephone number. There is no free-text field anywhere on it — nothing to phrase, nothing to argue, nothing a drafted letter could improve. Where a county’s form is the mechanism and leaves no room for your own words, we have nothing to sell you, and we would rather say so than invent a reason to charge.
The statute behind it is the reason this is so short. RCW 2.36.100(2) provides that a person 80 or older who attests they are unable to serve for health reasons must be excused, that the attestation form “may not include a requirement that a doctor’s note be provided”, and that “this request must be granted by the court.” Every other ground on this page is weighed by somebody. This one is not.
Undue financial hardshipIncluded — named ground, and writing is the only route
Named on the county’s own page as a ground for excusal. It goes in the juror questionnaire, in your words, within five days — and the county says outright that it will not take the request by phone.
Benton County Clerk’s Office — published Jury Information page, citing RCW 2.36.100. “Very few people are excused from jury duty. Jurors will be excused only upon a demonstration of undue financial hardship or extreme inconvenience or for other reasons deemed adequate by the court. (RCW 2.36.100) Any juror wishing to be excused from service must complete the jury questionnaire.”
Read the warning and the instruction together, because they are the whole of this county’s position. The bar is set high and said out loud; and the only way over it is the questionnaire, in writing, in your own words. There is no form to fill out that does the arguing for you, which is precisely why what you write matters here more than in counties that hand you a tick-box.
And it cannot be done on the phone. “Please do not call the Clerk’s Office asking to be excused over the phone as phone requests cannot be considered.” The jury deputy will answer questions all day; the deputy will not take your request.
Read the warning and the instruction together, because they are the whole of this county’s position. The bar is set high and said out loud; and the only way over it is the questionnaire, in writing, in your own words. There is no form to fill out that does the arguing for you, which is precisely why what you write matters here more than in counties that hand you a tick-box.
And it cannot be done on the phone. “Please do not call the Clerk’s Office asking to be excused over the phone as phone requests cannot be considered.” The jury deputy will answer questions all day; the deputy will not take your request.
$19.97 · prepared for you, reviewed before you send it.
Prepare your Hardship Letter →Medical conditionIncluded — letterhead and a signature. Not your diagnosis.
The county has told us exactly what it wants — and, more usefully, what it does not. This is the one-page sheet to hand your doctor — and the questions to ask the office first.
Benton County Clerk’s Office — published Jury Information page. “If there is a medical reason why a person cannot serve, a physician’s written verification is required. The juror will be notified if the request is denied.”
Two sentences, and the second is the more useful one. Notified if denied — so no news is good news, which is the opposite of what most people assume and the opposite of what several other counties in this project do.
The first sentence tells you the requirement and stops. A physician, in writing. What the verification has to say is not published anywhere on this page, and this project has not been told. We are not going to fill that in for you, because the two commonest county instructions on medical letters are direct opposites and guessing wrong means your medical history is handed over for no reason. One call to the jury deputy settles it, and the sheet you buy here is written to be finished with that answer.
Two sentences, and the second is the more useful one. Notified if denied — so no news is good news, which is the opposite of what most people assume and the opposite of what several other counties in this project do.
The first sentence tells you the requirement and stops. A physician, in writing. What the verification has to say is not published anywhere on this page, and this project has not been told. We are not going to fill that in for you, because the two commonest county instructions on medical letters are direct opposites and guessing wrong means your medical history is handed over for no reason. One call to the jury deputy settles it, and the sheet you buy here is written to be finished with that answer.
$9.97 · prepared for you, reviewed before you send it.
Prepare your What Your Doctor Needs to Write →Breastfeeding or expressing milkIncluded — one phone call, and your date moves a year
Telephone the court. The office says it will move your service date out by a year. No form, no letter, and nothing for us to sell you.
Benton County Clerk’s Office — by telephone, 11 September 2026. Asked what a breastfeeding mother should do, the office said to telephone the court, and that the court will move the service date out by a year.
There is no document in that sentence, which is why this entry is free and always will be. No form, no letter, no physician.
It is also ahead of the law, and slightly different from it. The statutory right arrives on 1 January 2027: an attestation the court must grant, covering an infant under 24 months, and offering a delay or an excusal. Benton is already offering the delay, informally, by telephone. If your summons falls after New Year, the statute is the stronger thing to ask for.
See the full detail →There is no document in that sentence, which is why this entry is free and always will be. No form, no letter, no physician.
It is also ahead of the law, and slightly different from it. The statutory right arrives on 1 January 2027: an attestation the court must grant, covering an infant under 24 months, and offering a delay or an excusal. Benton is already offering the delay, informally, by telephone. If your summons falls after New Year, the statute is the stronger thing to ask for.
Postponement to a different termIncluded — vacations and appointments, moved to another term
Vacation plans or an appointment during your two-week term? The county moves you to a different term. Notice comes by email and you are re-summoned later.
Benton County Clerk’s Office — published Jury Information page. “If a juror has vacation plans or special appointments and/or events during the term that he or she is scheduled for jury duty, he or she may request to have their jury duty postponed to a different term. Notice of Postponement will be emailed and the juror will be re-summoned at a later date.”
No documentation is asked for and no limit on the number of postponements is published. Neither is confirmed as absent — the page simply does not address them.
There is nothing to sell here and nothing to write. A sentence in the questionnaire saying when you are away does the whole job.
See the full detail →No documentation is asked for and no limit on the number of postponements is published. Neither is confirmed as absent — the page simply does not address them.
There is nothing to sell here and nothing to write. A sentence in the questionnaire saying when you are away does the whole job.
Not qualified to serveIncluded — four requirements, and failing one ends it
Citizenship, 18 or over, residence in the county, and the ability to communicate in English. Miss one and the question of excusal never arises.
Benton County Clerk’s Office — published Jury Information page, citing RCW 2.36.070. “To qualify for jury duty, you must: Be a citizen of the United States; Be at least 18 years of age; Reside in Benton County; Be able to communicate in the English language (RCW 2.36.070).”
Four requirements, and the third one moves. Residence is the ground most often missed here — people summoned after leaving the county assume they must still attend. They do not, but they do have to say so, and saying so is done on the questionnaire, not on the telephone.
See the full detail →Four requirements, and the third one moves. Residence is the ground most often missed here — people summoned after leaving the county assume they must still attend. They do not, but they do have to say so, and saying so is done on the questionnaire, not on the telephone.
What your employer must and need not doInformation — your job is protected, your pay is not
State law obliges your employer to give you leave and forbids reprisal. It does not oblige them to pay you — and the county says so on its own page.
Benton County Clerk’s Office — published Jury Information page, citing RCW 2.36.165. “An employer … shall provide an employee with a sufficient leave of absence from employment to serve as a juror when that employee is summoned. State law (RCW 2.36.165) says employers ‘shall not deprive an employee or threaten, coerce, or harass an employee or deny an employee promotional opportunities’ for serving as a juror. If an employer commits an act in violation of this RCW, the employee may bring a civil action for damages as a result of this violation. However, an employer is not required to compensate the employee while away for jury service.”
The county pays $10 a day plus mileage, on a debit card issued at check-in. The term is two weeks. That is the arithmetic behind every hardship request on this page.
See the full detail →The county pays $10 a day plus mileage, on a debit card issued at check-in. The term is two weeks. That is the arithmetic behind every hardship request on this page.
Contact the court
Benton County Superior Court Clerk's Office (jury deputy ext. 3094)Jury line: (509) 735-8388
Other counties
JuryFree prepares documents and guidance from the facts you provide. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice or guarantee any outcome. Court rules and deadlines vary by county and change over time — confirm with the court before you rely on anything here. Questions: [email protected].