Jury duty notice arrives. You're solo. The hardship exemption process varies wildly by jurisdiction, and 'I'm a small business owner' is rarely a winning argument. Here's the practical guide for showing up and keeping the business running.
Most courts won't grant a hardship exemption based on solo-business status alone. You'll likely serve at least the basic 1-day-or-trial summons. For longer trials (uncommon), formal exemption is possible but not guaranteed. Build the routing layer and treat it like a planned 1-2 week vacation. Your covering person handles operations; you handle civic duty.
Solo-business status alone rarely qualifies. What does work better:
Most jury service is 1 day or until selection. Trial selection is rare; if selected, the trial is typically 3-10 days, occasionally longer.
Treat it as a planned 1-2 week vacation. Build the routing layer, brief your covering person, set the auto-reply, do the dry run.
Bring a notepad, not a laptop. Most courts disallow electronics during proceedings.
Court juror compensation is small ($15-50/day in most jurisdictions). Doesn't replace lost income.
Self-employed jurors can typically deduct lost income via the federal Trade or Business expense, but mechanics vary — check with your CPA.
Some states have laws preventing employers from penalizing employees for jury duty; these don't apply to self-employed people. Your business resilience is on you.
Jury duty is just an unexpected vacation. 14 days free.
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