Starting this September, a handful of California counties began paying jurors $100 per day as part of a pilot program to have people from more diverse backgrounds serve on juries and to increase juror participation.

The program also includes higher reimbursements for mileage and costs associated with taking public transit to the courthouse.

The program is known as the AB 1981 Jury Pilot Program, named after law AB 1981 which designated the state funds to pay for it, as well as to pay for a study on the program’s success.

According to the Judicial Council of California, the program will last two years and is the first increase to juror per diems in approximately 20 years .

What is the goal of the AB 1981 Jury Pilot Program?

Because of the current low jury duty pay, many people avoid it, especially people who are self-employed or work at places that do not provide pay during their service.

This pilot program seeks to make it easier for people to take time away from work and other tasks to complete their civic duty without having to worry about a high loss in income.

The Judicial Council has contracted with the National Center for State Courts to do surveys of jurors in the participating counties and collect demographic info from them for a report to be delivered to the Legislature in September of 2026.

Which counties are paying higher juror per diems?

The Judicial Council said seven counties are participating in the two-year pilot program, which began on September 1.

The participating counties are Alameda, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Monterey, San Bernardino and Shasta.

All jurors and prospective jurors who serve in person at the participating superior courts are eligible for the additional pay and reimbursements.

How much more are jurors being paid?

Currently, jurors in California are paid $15 per day after the first day, along with 34 cents per mile reimbursements, but only for one leg of the trip to and from the court.

The new pilot program raises juror pay to $100 per day after the first day of a juror’s service, and the mileage reimbursement has been raised to 67 cents per mile and also includes roundtrip.

A new reimbursement has also been introduced for jurors who use public transit, making them eligible to receive up to $12 per day. The superior courts can also partner with public transit agencies to provide free transportation for jurors and prospective jurors.

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Money for the program will continue until it runs out or Jan. 1, 2027, whichever occurs first.

Does the IRS need to know about the extra juror pay?

The Judicial Council said the additional pay per day can be taxed by the IRS if it is $600 or more, such as when a juror serves at least seven days.

Jurors will be mailed tax forms if they receive $600 or more, however, the mileage reimbursements are not considered reportable income.

A juror can also choose to not receive any juror pay during their service.

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