What Happens to the Money After a Bail Bond is Posted?

Here is another bail related question from Yahoo! Answers, where we often answer to bail related topics.

Question: I was arrested and never charged. I bailed out prior to going before the judge. What happens to the money that was paid to the bail bondsman?  According to the county website there are no charges and the case was dismissed.

Answer:  Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation.  The money paid to the bondsman is a non-refundable fee, regardless of the outcome of the case or even if charges have not been filed. By California bail law, the bondsman fully earns the bail bond fee once the bond has been posted and the defendant is released from jail. Basically, it’s what you pay to get out of jail while the court and district attorney decide what’s next.

Paying A Bondsman When Found Not Guilty?

Today’s bail related question comes from Yahoo! Answers.

Question:  When I was arrested, I was bailed out a week later with the help of a bail bondsman.  My dad  is paying $400 per month on my bail of $15,000.  Does my dad still have to pay the bail bondsman even if I am found not guilty?  It is important to me to have a better understanding of this because I have put my dad in a position that is not easy for him.

Answer:  Unfortunately,  regardless of the outcome of your case, the money is still owed to the bondsman.  By law, the bondsman’s fee is earned as soon as you are released from jail. The bondsman cannot legally give you or your dad a refund.

The cost of bail bonds in California is typically 10% of the full bail amount in most states, so it is likely your dad has arranged for a payment plan on a fee of $1,500.  This fee is paid so that you can remain out of jail while you await your trial.

It is important that your dad continues to pay so that it does not result in Read more »

How Does a Bail Bondsman and a Bounty Hunter Make Money?

Today’s Ask the Bondsman question comes from Yahoo! Answers, where we frequently answer bail related questions. Our answer was choosen by readers as the best answer to the question.

Question: How do bail bondsmen and bounty hunters make money?

Answer: A bail bondsman makes money from the “premium” which is legally mandated in most states at 10% of the total bail amount. That is a fee for providing bail services.  Given the defendant goes to court, the bondsman pockets that amount.  Of course, profit is determined after operating costs like insurance, advertising, office space, payroll, etc.

A bounty hunter, better known as a ”fugitive recovery agent,” operates Read more »

How Do I Negotiate the Price of Bail?

Question from a reader: How do bail bonds work and how do I negotiate their price? If the bond is set at $100,000, 10% would mean a price of $10.000, correct? $10.000 is a very steep price, and I’m worried that most bail bond places wouldn’t cover the amount. Could I work the price down to something around 5%?

Answer:

The bail bonds industry differs from state to state. California, for example, is regulated by the California Department of Insurance and rates are either 8% or 10%. Discuss with the bondsman what he or she can do for your case.

10% of such a large sum is a lotof money, granted, and this is made worse by the fact that you’re not going to see any of it back — it’s a fee. The risk though lies with the bondsman, and if a client skips court and cannot be located, the bail bond company is obligated to pay the amount to the courts in full. Of course, the bondsman will Read more »

Do I Have to Pay the Bail Bondsman?

Today’s question comes from Yahoo! Answers, where we answer bail related questions on a regular basis: What happens if I sign an agreement with a bail bondsman to post bail for someone who is in jail, but I have not yet paid the fee?

Answer: Your question is a bit vague, but let me see if I can answer it. Based on my understanding of your question, you bailed someone out who is back in jail, but you haven’t paid the bondsman. Assuming that’s correct, you still need to pay the bondsman.

Posting bail for someone is an important decision. By signing the agreement with the bail bondsman, you have agreed that to the fee.  However, if the person was never released, then you owe nothing.

You should be aware that regulations vary from state-to-state. In California, a bondsman’s fee is fully earned when the bond is posted and the defendant is released. It doesn’t matter if no charges are filed, the defendant is guilty or innocent — or they get re-arrested.

How Do Bail Bondsman Pay Bail?

This week’s question is taken from Yahoo! Answers, where we frequently answer bail bond questions:

How do bail bondsman pay bail?

When a defendant cannot afford to pay the total amount of bail set by the judge: how much would the individual need to pay a bail bondsman in order to be released if, for example, the amount of bail is $6000? Will the defendant have to pay the remaining balance to the court or bondsman? What happens to the bail bond if the defendant fails to appear on the court date?

Answer:

A bail bond is simply a piece of paper that the bondsman gives to the court or jail which guarantees the defendant will show up for their scheduled court date, or the court will be paid. The bondsman does not pay the court anything unless Read more »

How Do Bail Bonds Work?

When someone is arrested, he or she will contact a bail bondsman directly or may call a friend or relative, who may call a bondsman. While it’s possible to obtain bail without a bondsman, it is not very common for friends or family members to post the bail themselves, as it is usually set at a very high price (in excess or $10,000 and on up to over $1 million). Whoever contacts the bail bondsman should be able to provide all available information, such as the name of the jail, the type of crime said to have been committed, defendant’s name and date of birth, and the amount of the bond.

A professional bondsman will explain Read more »

How Do Bail Bondsmen Make Money

In order to best understand how bondsmen make money, you have to first understane how bail bonds work. (Follow that link if you’re unfamiliar. There’s even a video there should you be interested.)

So, now you know that bondsmen in California basically charge 10% of a full bail amount as a fee to get someone out of jail. According to certain court experts, 8 out of 10 defendants Read more »

What Happens to Bail When the Case Is Dropped?

I had this question from Joe yesterday on our Bail Bonds Contact form:

Quick question for you. If the court drops a criminal case against a defendant, do you (the bondsman) return the 10% deposit on the bail amount? Thank you.

That’s a great question and we hear it often. The short answer is Read more »

How Is Bail Set?

Question: I’m not clear how the bail process works. If somebody is arrested for something whether guilty or innocent, they have an option to have bail?

Answer: Bail is set by the court system. Judges set what is called a “bail schedule” in every county every year and for criminal offences. Not every person gets bail because there are mitigating circumstances. The first concern is public safety and then they are going to look at the risk involved with the individual. That is why you’ll hear some bails that are  multi-million dollars in amount. They are set very high and what they are banking on is that there is not really going to be the funds to be raised in order to bail that person out.

Let’s just take Los Angeles as an example. The average bail in Los Angeles is Read more »