If you have posted bail for a loved one or for yourself recently (or you’re getting ready to post bail for someone), then you might be wondering, “Do you get bond money back after court?”
This is a common question since bail (or a bail bond) can be quite expensive — sometimes averaging as high as $50,000.
However, to answer this question, you first need to fully understand the difference between bail and bond.
Let’s break it down.
The difference between bail and bond
Bail is the amount of money the court assigns a defendant to pay, and it varies based on criminal history and the type of crime allegedly committed. This fee allows the defendant to spend their days at home as they await for their upcoming hearings — as opposed to in jail.
Bond, on the other hand, is something a defendant and their family will work with a bail bond agent to acquire. This is typically done if the bail amount is too high for the defendant to afford. As a result, they contact a bail bond company, and that entity posts the full bail amount on behalf of the defendant.
When you seek out a bail bond, you will likely have to pay around 10% of the total bail amount. This is important to keep in mind when we answer the question, “Do you get bond money back after court?” This percentage is considered the bail bond fee, and it’s how a bail bond company is able to remain in business and post bail for others.
Typically, bail is returned to a defendant after court proceedings are officially resolved. However, if the defendant skips court, the bail bond fee will not be returned and will be considered forfeited. But if the defendant attends all court dates, bail will be refunded in full (even if the defendant is found guilty of the crime).
However, bond is a little different.
Since the 10% fee of a bail bond is considered a payment of services to a bail bond agent, this amount will NOT be refunded after court proceedings are over. The bail amount will still be refunded — but this will go back to the bail bond agent, since they originally posted bail.
As a recap, the total bail amount is refunded. The bond fee is not refunded.
We’ve got you covered. At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we help people throughout Kern County post bail fast, and we’d love to help you understand this process better. Check out our additional resources below and reach out to us if you have any lingering questions.
If you’re wondering, “What are the consequences of jumping bail?”, then you should know that the consequences usually don’t involve anything good.
But to answer this question, let’s break down what bail is, why you shouldn’t jump bail, and what you can do if you need to skip court.
What is bail?
Bail is basically a promise to the court that you’ll return for your future hearing. Bail can be posted a variety of ways – with your own cash, with a gift from a loved one, or with the help of a bail bond agent. This amount is refunded to you (even if you’re found guilty) – but only if you attend all court dates.
What are the consequences of jumping bail?
If you jump bail, it is considered a crime. While the penalties can vary from state to state, it is usually considered a misdemeanor to skip court. At this point, you can face up to 3 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000. On top of this, you will forfeit bail – which means the original bail amount you posted will not be returned to you. If you worked with a bail bond agent, then they can work with a bounty hunter to get you returned to court and/or take any items you served up as collateral when you signed for your bond.
Can you ever skip court?
Yes. In some cases, you are able to skip court. However, this can be a delicate process and is only allowed in extreme cases (most notably, life or death situations or uncontrollable accidents). For example, if you get in a car accident and end up in the hospital, this would be allowed. Keep in mind, though, you will still need to plead your case with the judge, document all proceedings, and likely work with a lawyer to get your skipped court date cleared.
Need more insight into the bail bond process?
We’ve got you covered. At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we’ve helped the people of Kern County understand the bail bond process and post bail quickly. If you’d like to learn more, check out our additional resources or reach out to us for more info.
While the 8th Amendment does protect citizens from excessive bail, it does not classify what excessive bail actually is. On top of this, the court is legally allowed to weigh a variety of factors when determining bail amount. As a result, it is very easy for the court to justify a bail amount that seems excessive.
Let’s break down the definition of excessive bail and lay out how bail is determined by a judge.
The definition of excessive bail
Bail is considered excessive if it is an amount that is higher than it should be. This typically means that the bail outweighs the crime or is higher than it normally is for the crime in question.
However, there is no legal wording that actually establishes a bail amount or limit by crime. Instead, it simply states that “bail must be set by a court at a sum designed to ensure that goal, and no more.” This is definitely up to interpretation. And if the bail amount does seem excessive, it can be difficult to fight back against.
How is the bail amount determined?
The total bail amount is set by the court and a variety of factors are used to determine this amount. These factors typically include:
The type and severity of the crime committed
The criminal history of the defendant
How likely it is that the defendant would flee
In some cases, bail can even be denied. This can happen if the crime in question is highly severe — such as murder, aggravated assault, or stalking.
How can you post bail?
There are a few ways you can post bail. The most common ways, however, is to pay the bail yourself, have a loved one post bail on your behalf, or to work with a bail bond agent.
Depending on the amount of bail required, your current financial wellbeing, and the potential duration of the court proceedings, which method is right for you will vary.
Take a look at our additional resources to learn more about how to post bail:
Wondering what it means to forfeit bond? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
If not taken seriously, a bond forfeiture can be a pretty big deal for a variety of reasons — including massive debt and even prison time.
Let’s break down why bond forfeited matters and discuss a few common examples of bond forfeiture.
Forfeit bond meaning
When bond forfeited, this typically means that a defendant has missed or skipped their court date. This means that the bail bond company will be on the hook for the full bail amount — that is, unless they can deliver the defendant back to court. This is where a bounty hunter might come into play.
When bond is forfeited, it is considered a failure to appear in court. At this point, a warrant will be issued for the arrest of the defendant. It is considered a contempt of court.
To forfeit bond, the defendant must knowingly or intentionally skip court. For example, if a defendant is worried they might be found guilty and leave town (rather than attending their hearing), this will be considered a bond forfeiture.
However, if there is a serious accident that prevents the defendant from attending court, then this will not be considered a bond forfeiture. For example, if the defendant is in a car accident and is hospitalized as a result, then they will not be held in contempt of court. Other examples may include a sick child or the death of a family member.
This being said, even though these instances are considered acceptable absences, they must still be documented and communicated to the judge. If possible, your lawyer or a friend or family member should appear in court on your behalf to explain the absence.
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping residents all across Kern County post bail fast, and we’ve developed resources to help our community understand bail bonds better.
Take a look at our additional bail bond resources and reach out to us with any questions:
If you’re curious about what a bounty hunter can or cannot do, then you might be wondering, “Can a bounty hunter pull you over?”
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a clear-cut answer to this question. This being said, let’s break down what a bounty hunter can do and if it’s legal for a bounty hunter to pull over someone who has skipped bail.
What can a bounty hunter legally do?
At the end of the day, a bounty hunter is restricted by the state they’re licensed in and what state they’re currently bounty hunting in. (And keep in mind — bounty hunters are not police officers.)
For example, the individual might be licensed in Ohio, but in Kentucky, no one is allowed to bounty hunt. As another example, the individual may be licensed in Ohio, but Michigan doesn’t require licenses or training — which means that person is free to bounty hunt across state lines.
This being said, depending on what state the bounty hunter is licensed in will determine what they are and are not allowed to do and whether or not they have any restrictions to adhere to. They have to follow all applicable state laws.
In most instances, bounty hunters can enter someone’s residence, handcuff the person who jumped bail, and take them to the proper authorities. However, they typically are required to have the proper licenses and insurance to do so.
On top of this, bounty hunters cannot use excessive force to detain someone and they must abide by all state laws. While they have similar authority as a police officer, they are not police officers.
It’s important to recognize that it’s illegal to impersonate law enforcement. Therefore, if a bounty hunter poses as a police officer in an effort to pull someone over, then this is considered illegal. However, if the bounty hunter simply finds some way to get that person to pull over of their own free will and then detains that person afterwards, then this is completely acceptable.
So to answer the question, “Can a bounty hunter pull you over?” — sure, they certainly can. But do you have to pull over? Not unless there’s a police officer with them.
Need more information about bounty hunters and bail bonds?
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping residents all across Kern County post bail fast, and we’ve developed resources to help our community understand bail bonds better.
Take a look at our additional bail bond resources and reach out to us with any questions:
If you’re wondering how to hire a bail bondsman, then you’ve come to the right place. A bail bondsman is the ideal solution if you need to bail a loved one out of jail, but do not have the funds required to do so. A bail bondsman will charge a non-refundable fee and post bail on your behalf.
Let’s break down how to hire a bail bondsman and what to expect along the process.
Find a bail bondsman
If you need to hire a bail bondsman, then you need to find one first. We always recommend doing a quick search on Google. More specifically, check out the reviews on various business profiles within Google. From these, you can get a really good idea of their absolute best and worst experiences and decide whether or not you want to work with them.
It’s also important to find a bail bondsman who is local. This usually means the bail bond agency has a good relationship with the community and knows the local court system inside and out. Ultimately, this means that the process will be much smoother and faster.
Call the bail bondsman
Once you have a good idea of who you want to work with, give them a quick call. In many cases, they’ll come to you. If not, they’ll set up an in-office appointment and let you know what documents to come prepared with. Keep in mind, most bail bond agencies are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So if you are trying to figure things out at 2, 3, or 4 in the morning — give them a call anyways. You’ll want to get this process started as soon as possible.
Meet with the bail bondsman
After setting up an appointment with a bail bond company, gather all the appropriate documentation and be prepared to pay around 10% of the total bail amount. You’ll also want to have collateral prepared (jewelry, vehicles, savings accounts, homes, etc).
Once you meet with the agent, you’ll sign paperwork, pay the bail bond fee, and be given an overview of how the whole process works. Be prepared to ask questions and take notes.
After the documentation is taken care of, the bail bondsman will handle the entire process and work to get your loved one out of jail quickly. Make sure to pay careful attention to future court days. If the defendant skips court, you’ll be on the hook for the entire bail amount.
Additional bail bond resources
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping residents all across Kern County post bail fast, and we’ve developed resources to help our community understand bail bonds better.
Take a look at our additional bail bond resources and reach out to us with any questions:
Need a bail bond calculator to figure out how much you have to pay a bail bondsman? We’ve got you covered.
We’ve laid out a few different resources you can use as a bail bond calculator and provided you with a quick breakdown of how you can calculate bail on your own.
How to calculate bond
When you seek a bond from a bail bondsman, you’re normally required to pay around 10% of the total bail amount. While this percentage may vary from state to state, 10% is usually a pretty good starting point. This amount is considered a bail bond fee, and it’s technically how a bail bond company gets paid for the service of posting bail for defendants.
This being said, based on a 10% fee, the bail bond calculation formula would be:
Total bail amount x 10% = bond fee
For example, the bail bond fee for a $20,000 bail would be:
$20,000 x .10 = $2,000
As another example, the bail bond fee for a $30,000 bail would be:
$30,000 x .10 = $3,000
Where to find a bail bond calculator
There are plenty of sites that offer free bail bond calculators — but remember, bail bond fees may vary depending on where you live.
If there are any additional bail bond fees (for example, if you needed to take your name off a bond), your bail bond agent should inform you of these fees before any documents have been signed. Again, these fees may vary from agent to agent and state to state.
This being said, there should never be a surprise fee. A trusted agent should disclose all possible fees and add-ons — but either way, make sure you do research and you carefully analyze any documents you sign.
Need more information on bail bonds?
We’d love to help. At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping residents all across Kern County post bail fast, and we’ve developed resources to help our community understand bail bonds better.
Take a look at our additional bail bond resources and reach out to us with any questions:
If you work with a bail bond agent to post bail, you’ll be required to pay around 10% of the total bail amount. This is due to California state mandates, and rates can only be negotiated in very specific terms.
Let’s take a look at what 10 percent of bail actually means and what other bail bond options are available.
What is 10 percent of bail?
When court assigns you a total bail amount, you can either post bail yourself or work with a bail bond agent. Since bail can be pretty high, most people can’t afford to post bail on their own. Because of this, many people seek out bail bond agents.
Bail bond agents usually require a 10% bail bond fee and collateral. Here’s a breakdown of this from the California Department of Insurance:
“Bail schedules vary greatly by offense and by county. In Sacramento County, the bail for a domestic violence charge is $5,000, the bail for second degree burglary is $10,000, the bail for battery with serious bodily injury is $50,000, and the bail for carjacking is $100,000. On average, a person is paying a bail agent 10% or less of the bail amount as premium, but they also sign over collateral, which can be a house, car, jewelry, etc.”
This 10% fee is set by the California Department of Insurance. If a bail bond agent attempts to give you a lower percentage, you’ll need to confirm the legitimacy of the offer.
How do you calculate the 10 percent of bail fee?
If you want to figure out how much your bail bond fee will be, simply figure out what 10% of the total bail amount is. To do this, multiple the bail amount by 0.10.
For example, a bail of $25,000 would mean a bail bond fee of $2,500. A bail of $100,000 would mean a bail bond fee of $10,000.
Are there other bail payment options?
If you can’t afford the 10% bail bond fee, the bail bond company can sometimes provide you with other options.
For example, some agents allow you to pay your bail bond fee with a credit card. As another example, some agents will offer you a payment plan. In this case, they’ll require a minimum down payment with monthly payments.
Have more questions about the bail bond process?
We’ve got you covered. We provide bail bond services throughout Kern County, and we’d love to help. Reach out to us online with any questions or check out our additional resources below.
If you or a loved one is ever arrested, you might wonder, “Can you bail yourself out of jail with a credit card?”
This is a normal question to ask. Many people have multiple credit cards, which may have high credit limits. One or two of these credit cards might be able to make up the total bail amount, while your current savings account may not be able to do that.
However, depending on the city you’re arrested in, you may or may not be able to post bail with your credit cards. Very few institutions actually allow you to post bond with a credit card, and instead, they require a money order or cash.
If a credit card is your only option, you can seek out a bail bond agent instead. While not every bail bond agent will accept credit cards, many will. This has certainly changed over recent years, due to credit cards becoming a more normal and accepted means of payment.
Before this can happen, however, a bail bond agent may run a credit check and will likely require physical collateral on top of the bail bond fee payment.
There are some pros and cons to this.
When you post bail with a bail bond agent, you’ll only be required to pay 10% of the total bail amount. This means that you’re more likely to be able to afford it. On top of this, many bail bond agents provide credit card payments and financing options. In other words, you can pay for the bond over time, instead of all at once.
Keep in mind, though, this bond fee is never returned, while bail is returned.
So let’s say that bail is $10,000 and you post bail directly to the court. When the court process is complete, the full $10,000 payment is returned to you in full. On the flip side of things, if you post bail through a bail bond agent and pay them a 10% fee of $1,000, you’ll never get that money back.
We’ve got you covered. We provide bail bond services throughout Kern County, and we’d love to help. Reach out to us online with any questions or check out our additional resources below.
Bailing someone out of jail can be an overwhelming experience — especially if you’ve never dealt with the court system before.
Where do you pay bail? How do you find a bail bond agent? How long does the process take?
You probably have a lot of unanswered questions, and you likely don’t know where to go to get them answered. This being said, one question that’s relatively easy to answer is how much of the bail amount you’re required to pay.
For example, if bail is 250,000, how much do you pay? Let’s break down this question into two parts.
Working with a bail bond agent
“If bail is $250,000 how much do I pay?” If you’re working with a bail bond agent in California, the answer to this question should be around $25,000. This is because a bail bond agent will charge you 10% of the total bail amount.
This 10% fee is set by the state of California and is not negotiable. If another “bail bond agency” tries to charge you more or less, beware. This likely means they’re not licensed, or they’re not operating legally.
Keep in mind, there may be other fees involved during the bail bond process. However, these should always be disclosed to you up front, and they should never be a surprise.
On the flip side of things, if bail is $250,000 (and you’re posting bail without a bail bond agent), then you’ll need to pay the entire $250,000 to the court system.
You might be wondering why anyone would want to do this — as opposed to only paying a 10% fee to a bail bond agency. To answer this question, you first need to understand that a bail bond fee is non-refundable — while total bail amount is. This means that if you pay bond on your own, you’ll get the full $250,000 refunded to you at the end of the court process. When you work with a bail bond agent, the $25,000 is not returned to you.
If you decide to work with a bail bond agent, you may not be required to pay the 10% fee all at once. For example, some bail bond agencies will require at least a 5% fee payment and can establish a payment plan moving forward.
It’s important to do your research and find a bail bond agent that is willing to be flexible.
Have more questions about the bail bond process?
We’ve got you covered. We provide bail bond services throughout Kern County, and we’d love to help. Reach out to us online with any questions or check out our additional resources below.
