Planning for Your Child’s Future

Three Differences Between Posting Bail Yourself And Posting Bail Through A Bondsman

There are many reasons why most people are granted bail. Bail allows someone the opportunity to continue to provide for themselves and their family, the ability to keep a roof over their head, and the ability to work on a defense when they have been charged with a crime. If you have been arrested and bail has been set, you may be curious about the differences between posting bail yourself and hiring a bail bondsman to post bail for you. Read on to learn more about these key differences. 

The Amount of Money You Will Pay

The number one difference between posting bail yourself and posting bail through a bail bondsman is the amount of money you will pay. If your bail is set at $5,000, you will have to pay $5,000 to post bail for yourself. A bail bondsman charges you a percentage of your bail amount, usually 10 to 15 percent depending on the local laws in your area, to post bail on your behalf. As such, you would only pay a bail bonds company $500 to $750 to post bond on your behalf. This is a huge difference, and this is the primary reason why people use a bondsman instead of posting bail themselves. 

How Your Bond is Posted

Another major difference between posting bail yourself and using a bail bondsman is how the bail is posted. When you post bail yourself, you either have to post bail at the courthouse or the jail, depending on the requirements in your area. There are also usually set hours for when you can post bail yourself. This can make it hard to bail yourself out overnight or during the weekends. A bail bonds company posts bail on your behalf. They are usually able to post bail after hours as well. This helps you get out overnight or on weekends. 

Whether You Can Get Bail Back

The last major difference between posting bail yourself and posting bail through a bondsman is that once a bondsman has posted bail for you, you will never get the money back. It does not matter if charges against you are dropped, dismissed or you are found not guilty. You are paying the bail company to post bond on your behalf, and once they do that, they have fulfilled their legal obligation to you. However, if you post bond for yourself, the courts do give you your bond amount back once your trial comes to an end. 

A bail bondsman provides people the opportunity to bail out of jail without having to pay the full bail amount themselves. There are pros and cons to using a bail bonds company, but for many people, this is the best way to get out of jail in a timely and affordable manner. If you have been arrested and need help getting out, reach out to a local bail bondsman in your area to learn more about utilizing their services to get out of jail.


Share