Bail bonds are used to provide financial security to the court for your appearance at your scheduled court date. You must pay the entire bail sum if you choose to make your bail payment straight to the court. In other words, if your bond is $10,000, you would pay the court $10,000. Then, after you are freed from jail and appear at your court date, you will receive practically all of your money back save a few tiny court fees.

Get Bailed Out By Using A Bail Bond Agent

You can employ a bail bondsman and pay only 10% of the total bond charge if you cannot pay the full amount of bail or do not wish to do so. The bail bondsman will advance the funds on your behalf and retain 10% of the total bail amount as their service fee.

If I Miss Court, What Happens To My Bail Money?

Depending on the terms of the contract, skipping your court date when you have a contract with a bail bonds company may lead to bounty hunters calling your place of employment or friends and family, paying friends to turn you in, conducting an investigation, and even personally looking for and apprehending you. A bounty hunter is able to traverse state lines, unlike the police.

Bounty hunters will take tremendous measures to find you if you skip court and escape because if your bail was $20,000 and you paid the bondsman $2,000 but skipped court, the bondsman is now responsible for the $20,000.