Do I Get My Bail Bond Money Back?
Many people have questions like, “Do I get my bail money back?” They also want to know how to get the bail money back. When a person is accused of a crime and arrested, bail secures that individual’s release from jail before trial. Because bail can be costly, bail agents help reduce the immediate out-of-pocket cost by 90% or more in exchange for a non-refundable fee that amounts to a small percentage of the total bail. For many individuals, this can mean the difference between getting to go home and having to sit in jail while waiting for a court hearing or trial. The court requires payment of the full bail amount, but a bail agent can secure a person’s release for a fraction of the total.
How Bail Bonds Work
After bail is set, a person must pay the court the full amount in either cash or collateral or pay a bail bondsman a non-refundable fee for the use of a bail bond of that amount in order to secure the release of the incarcerated individual. In some cases, the bond agent may still need collateral. After that fee is paid, the bond agent takes the bond to jail, and the incarcerated individual is released from custody.
Do You Get Bail Money Back?
One of the first questions people ask when paying bail is, “Do I get my bail money back?” For people who pay the full bail amount directly to the courts, the answer is maybe and solely at the discretion of the court. If a person hired a bail bondsman, there is no refund for the bail bond fee used to secure the bail bond.
How to Get Bail Money Back
After the defendant has been acquitted or charges have been dropped, the money will be returned to the person who posted bail. The check usually gets mailed, so it’s important to list the correct address with the court. If the refund has not arrived within six weeks, notify the courts to see what the delay might be. If the person is found guilty, the bail goes toward court fees. In those cases, the court keeps all the bail money and does not issue a refund.
Using a bail agent helps with several things. It secures the release of the accused relatively quickly, usually within 30 minutes to 6 hours. It also allows for only a small percentage of the total amount to be paid to secure immediate release.
