How to get excused from jury duty in Westchester County, New York
The excusal routes Westchester County, New York actually recognizes — what each one needs, who decides, and where it goes.
Westchester takes documents by email and tells you what it did with them — its office states that anything sent to [email protected] “will receive a confirmation notification of the action taken in your juror record.” That is unusual and worth using: most counties in this dataset confirm nothing. One warning. The office’s automated reply, marked Updated March 2024, states the jury fee is $40 a day and that a larger employer must pay $40 for the first three days. The statute now says $72 — NY Judiciary Law § 521 sets the per diem at $72, and § 519 bars an employer of more than ten people from withholding the first $72 of daily wages for the first three days. Read the county’s figure as out of date, and check the statute rather than the automated email.
Your routes in Westchester County, New York
Age exemptionUsually automatic
New York recognizes standard age-based accommodations — confirm your specific eligibility.
See the full detail →Financial hardshipWritten application — procedure not yet confirmed
Under the statewide rule this is a written application to the Commissioner of Jurors. Westchester has not yet told us how it handles financial hardship specifically — its detailed automated reply covers medical, caregiver and postponement, and says nothing about it.
NY Judiciary Law § 517 and § 519 / 22 NYCRR Part 128. The statewide rule is a written one: 22 NYCRR Part 128 provides that a summoned juror “may apply to be excused… by submitting a written application for excusal to the commissioner”, and the test is whether service would significantly compromise your ability to support yourself or your dependents. New York counties do not all follow it the same way — three of the five asked so far decide financial hardship in person instead — and Westchester has not yet said which it does. On employer pay: under § 519 an employer of more than ten people may not withhold the first $72 of your daily wages for the first three days. Beyond three days, above $72 a day, or with ten or fewer employees, nothing is owed. Westchester’s own automated reply still quotes the older $40 figure.
$19.97 · prepared for you, reviewed before you send it.
Prepare your Hardship Letter →Medical condition or caregivingHigh — the county spells this out
Westchester states exactly what it wants for each of three grounds — a medical condition, caring for a minor child, and caring for another adult — and two of them need a letter from your employer as well.
Westchester Commissioner of Jurors — the office’s own stated requirements. Medical: your completed questionnaire or summons plus a letter from your healthcare provider stating the condition and why it prevents you serving. If you are employed, the provider’s statement must explain why you are able to work but not to serve as a juror — the requirement a standard sick note always misses — and you must also include a letter from your employer, on company letterhead, stating any accommodations made for your condition. The office will send a medical excusal form for your doctor if you ask. Caring for a minor child: a copy of the child’s birth certificate with your original summons or questionnaire, and if you are employed, a letter on company letterhead stating your hours and days of work. Paid caregivers are not eligible. Caring for another adult: a letter from that person’s healthcare provider giving their age, their relationship to you, and the condition that requires your care — and again, if you are employed, why you can work but cannot serve.
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Prepare your What Your Doctor Needs to Write →Contact the court
Westchester County Commissioner of Jurors, Westchester County Courthouse, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, White Plains NY 10601Jury line: (914) 824-5620
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., except holidays. Email [email protected] — documents sent there get a confirmation of what was done with them. An older (914) 824-5600 appears in a legacy 9th Judicial District court guide and is superseded — do not use it.
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., except holidays. Email [email protected] — documents sent there get a confirmation of what was done with them. An older (914) 824-5600 appears in a legacy 9th Judicial District court guide and is superseded — do not use it.
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].