You can't just walk into a courtroom and tell a judge, 'I'm going to lose money, please let me go.' Everyone loses money on jury duty. You have to prove that the loss will literally ruin you.
Courts operate on evidence. If you want a judge to excuse you for financial hardship, you have to treat it like a math test. You need to show them exactly how the numbers break down and why serving will prevent you from paying for absolute necessities like food, shelter, or medicine.
First, figure out what you are losing per day. If you are a freelancer, take your earnings from the last 90 days and divide by 90. If you are hourly, multiply your wage by the hours you'll miss.
Check your summons for the court's daily stipend rate. Let's say you're in a state that pays $20 a day. If your daily loss from work is $150, your net loss is $130 a day. Over a 5-day trial, you are bleeding $650.
This is the part most people forget. A $650 loss doesn't mean much in a vacuum. You need to tie it to a bill. Attach a copy of your rent or mortgage statement. Write something like: "A $650 loss this week means I will fall short on my $1,100 rent payment due on the 1st."
If you lay the math out clearly and attach proof (like a pay stub and a lease agreement), a reasonable judge will almost always stamp 'Excused' on your file.
Treat a hardship request like an accounting report. Show the judge exactly how much you will lose per day, and exactly which basic living expense you will be unable to pay as a result.