Do You Get Bail Money Back?

You have to make a choice when you get a call in the middle of the night from the local jail. Suppose someone you know got arrested and called you for help. What should you do? It's helpful to understand how bail works before agreeing to help, and one of the biggest questions people have is whether they'll get the money back. The answer depends on many factors, so keep reading to learn. 

How you pay the bail affects it

You can pay your friend's bail money in two ways. First, you can bring cash to the jail. Most jails also accept credit cards as a form of payment, but you should call the jail first to find out. If you pay the bail yourself, you'll be more likely to get some money back. However, you won't get all the money back.

The other option is to hire a bail bond agent to pay the bail. People choose this option when they don't have enough cash on hand to pay the required bail. When you hire a third party to assist, you must pay a fee for the service. When choosing this option, you won't get the money back you paid for the fee. You also won't get the bail money back, simply because you didn't pay it.

The defendant's actions affect the situation

The other vital thing to understand is the defendant's actions affect the bail money. Suppose you paid the bail without a bail agent. You will only get the money back if the defendant follows the court's orders, which include going to court hearings. However, you won't get all the money back, as the court will keep some of it for the fees. Every court case requires fees, and the court takes the fees from the bail money.

On the other hand, hiring a bail bond agent results in one potential problem. First, you won't get the money back as mentioned. But you might also owe money at the end of the case. If the defendant follows through with the court's orders, you won't owe money. However, you will owe money if the defendant fails to follow through with the orders. Thus, you should consider this before paying someone's bail bonds.

Learn more

Are you interested in learning more about bail bonds? If you want to help someone with a bail bond, contact a bail bond agent to learn more before agreeing to help.