Jury Duty Pay in Alabama

About Jury Duty in Alabama

Alabama raised juror pay from $10 to $25 per day effective October 1, 2023 (Act 2023-403), after decades at one of the lowest rates in the country. While the $25/day rate is now middle-of-the-pack, Alabama’s employer wage-continuation mandate remains among the strongest in the nation — employers must pay regular wages for the entire duration of jury service.

How Jury Pay Works

Alabama pays a flat $25/day under Ala. Code § 12-19-210, as amended by Act 2023-403. Mileage is reimbursed at $0.625/mile (set by Alabama Supreme Court order alongside the rate increase). The previous rate of $10/day had been in place for decades. The $25 rate puts Alabama in the middle of the national range — the same as Louisiana and Illinois’s first-day rate.

The Employer Mandate: Alabama’s Real Strength

Alabama is one of only a handful of states — along with Nebraska and Colorado — that require employers to continue paying regular wages during jury service. Unlike some states that limit the mandate to a few days or exclude small employers, Alabama’s protection (Ala. Code § 12-16-8) applies to full-time employees for the entire duration of service.

This means the typical Alabama juror experiences no financial loss from jury duty: the employer pays regular wages, and the $25/day state fee is a modest supplement. For comparison, Georgia employers need not pay wages at all, and Florida pays $0 for the first 3 days for employed jurors.

County Variation

Alabama’s 67 counties each manage their own jury operations. Jefferson County (Birmingham) is the largest system, followed by Mobile, Madison (Huntsville), and Montgomery. Rural counties in the Black Belt region summon far fewer jurors. The uniform state rate means a juror in wealthy Shelby County and a juror in rural Wilcox County receive the same $25/day.

How Alabama Compares

Alabama’s $25/day state rate is average nationally. But the employer wage mandate transforms the practical financial picture. A juror working for a covered employer in Alabama is far better protected than one in Texas earning $20/$58/day from the state with no employer obligation, or one in Mississippi earning $25–$40/day without employer support. For federal jury service in Alabama’s three districts, jurors receive $50/day — double the state rate, though the employer mandate still provides the wage floor.

Statute: Ala. Code § 12-16-8 (employer obligation); Ala. Code § 12-19-210 (juror compensation, as amended by Act 2023-403) — Official source