Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements in New Hampshire
At a glance
| Governing law | N.H. RSA 500-A:14 (protection of juror's employment; action brought by employee) |
|---|---|
| Jury service covered | Receiving and responding to a summons, serving as a juror, and attending court for prospective jury service (§ 500-A:14, I) |
| Employers and employees covered | Written as a flat duty of any 'employer' toward any 'employee'; § 500-A:14 states no employer-size, tenure, or classification gate |
| Time-off entitlement | The absence to respond to a summons, attend for prospective service, and serve is protected: the employer may not deprive the employee of employment because of it (§ 500-A:14, I). The section bars retaliation rather than fixing a quantity of leave |
| Employer-paid wages | None. Section 500-A:14 requires no wage continuation; it protects the job, not a paycheck during service |
| PTO and juror-fee treatment | Section 500-A:14 does not authorize compelling use of vacation, personal, or sick leave for jury days, and does not address crediting the court's juror fee against any wages an employer chooses to pay |
| Employee notice and proof | The section protects an employee who 'receives and responds to a summons' but sets no express advance-notice period, written-notice form, or summons-copy requirement |
| Scheduling and return-to-work rules | No shift-rest window, night-shift excusal, minimum-release period, or long-trial rule appears in § 500-A:14 |
| Job protection and remedies | An employer may not deprive an employee of employment, or threaten or coerce the employee about employment, because of jury service; a violating employer may be found in contempt of court. A discharged employee may bring a civil action within one year for reinstatement and lost wages (damages capped at lost wages), with a reasonable attorney's fee to a prevailing employee (§ 500-A:14, II-IV) |
Protected job, unpaid time
New Hampshire's rule for employees called to jury service is RSA 500-A:14. An employer may not deprive an employee of employment, and may not threaten or coerce the employee about employment, because the employee receives and responds to a summons, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective jury service. The protection covers the whole process, from answering the summons through actual service.
What the section does not do is require the employer to pay wages. New Hampshire is a protected-but-unpaid state. An employer policy or union contract may provide paid jury leave, but the statute does not command it.
PTO, notice, and scheduling
Section 500-A:14 does not let an employer force an employee to use vacation, personal, or sick leave for the jury days, and it does not address crediting the court's juror fee against any wages the employer chooses to pay. Those choices are left to the employer's policy.
The section protects an employee who "receives and responds to a summons" but sets no advance-notice deadline, requires no particular written notice, and does not spell out a right to produce a copy of the summons. It contains no rule about shift rest, release time, or long trials. As a practical matter, an employee should still notify the employer promptly and keep the summons.
Enforcement
New Hampshire pairs two remedies. First, an employer that violates the section may be found in contempt of court — a direct judicial sanction that does not depend on the employee filing a lawsuit. Second, an employee who is discharged in violation of the section may bring a civil action within one year of the discharge to recover lost wages and obtain reinstatement. Damages are limited to lost wages, and a prevailing employee is entitled to a reasonable attorney's fee set by the court.
What trips people up
New Hampshire gives employees a full year to sue after a discharge — longer than the 90-day windows several nearby states use. But the recovery is confined to lost wages (with reinstatement); the statute does not add multiplier or emotional-distress damages.
The contempt remedy is easy to overlook. Because a violating employer "may be found in contempt of court," the court that summoned the juror can act on the violation directly, independent of the employee's separate wage suit.
Common questions
Can a New Hampshire employer fire me for serving on a jury?
No. Depriving an employee of employment, or threatening or coercing the employee about employment, because of jury service violates RSA 500-A:14.
Does my employer have to pay me?
Not under this statute. New Hampshire does not require wage continuation for jury service, though an employer may choose to pay.
What happens to an employer who breaks the rule?
The employer may be held in contempt of court, and a discharged employee may sue for reinstatement and lost wages.
How long do I have to sue if I am fired?
One year from the discharge. A prevailing employee can recover lost wages, obtain reinstatement, and receive a reasonable attorney's fee.
Statutes and sources
- N.H. RSA 500-A:14: bars depriving an employee of employment because of jury service, allows a contempt-of-court sanction, and provides a one-year civil action for reinstatement and lost wages with attorney's fees — New Hampshire General Court official statute text (accessed July 13, 2026); cross-checked against the Justia 2025 New Hampshire Revised Statutes mirror.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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