How to get excused from jury duty in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
The excusal routes Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania actually recognizes — what each one needs, who decides, and where it goes.
Philadelphia does not want a letter from you. It wants one from your employer. Jury Selection told this project by email on 28 August 2026: a letter “from your EMPLOYER on COMPANY LETTERHEAD stating that you are not compensated for jury service” — emailed or faxed with your juror participant number — and “after we receive the letter, we will excuse you from service for the year.” If you are self-employed, a business card and EIN, or a 1099 showing independent-contractor status, does the same job. Nothing you write about your own circumstances is part of this. Permanent excusal is a separate and much narrower thing — a felony conviction, no longer living in Philadelphia, or a permanent medical condition. And if a later date is all you need, they postpone within two to three months of your original report date.
Your routes in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Age exemptionUsually automatic
Pennsylvania recognizes standard age-based accommodations in most counties.
See the full detail →Financial hardship — employedOne document, and your employer writes it
Philadelphia excuses you for the year on a letter from your employer saying you are not paid for jury service. Emailed or faxed. That letter is the whole thing.
Jury Selection, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania — confirmed by email, 28 August 2026. The office’s own words: “If you are looking to be excused, a letter will be needed from your EMPLOYER on COMPANY LETTERHEAD stating that you are not compensated for jury service. Once you receive the letter, email, or fax it to us, and after we receive the letter, we will excuse you from service for the year.” Two things follow from that. There is no letter for you to write — your own account of rent, dependents or lost wages is not what is being assessed. And the excusal runs for the year, which makes one letter from your employer worth a good deal more than it looks.
$9.97 · prepared for you, reviewed before you send it.
Prepare your Employer Verification Letter →Financial hardship — self-employedFree — you already have the documents
Philadelphia accepts a business card and EIN, or a 1099 showing independent-contractor status. There is nothing for us to write.
Jury Selection, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania — confirmed by email, 28 August 2026. In the office’s own words: “If you are self-employed and asking to be excused from Jury service, please send us your business card and EIN or a copy of your 1099 showing you are an independent contractor… After we receive the information, you will be excused.” That is documents you already hold, sent to an address that is free to write to. There is no letter, no argument and nothing we could add. Send the proof, include your juror participant number, and keep a copy of what you sent and when.
See the full detail →Medical conditionHigh, with documentation
A supporting doctor's letter, attached the same way as a financial-hardship request.
42 Pa.C.S. § 4503(3). Recognizes documented medical conditions as an excusal ground, with supporting certification.
See the full detail →Contact the court
Jury Commission, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, 1301 Filbert Street, Room 204, Philadelphia PA 19107Jury line: (215) 683-7170
On (215) 683-7170 press 4 then 0 for a representative, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Email [email protected]; fax (215) 683-7183. Put your juror participant number on everything.
On (215) 683-7170 press 4 then 0 for a representative, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Email [email protected]; fax (215) 683-7183. Put your juror participant number on everything.
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].