How To Get Your Bail Money Back

If you get arrested for a crime, the court considers you the defendant in a criminal case. Your arrest does not make you guilty, nor does it complete your case. It is the first step of the process, though. If you want to get out of jail during this time, you will have to find a way to pay your bail. You can do this in several ways, and you may get your money back afterward. Here are a few things to know about getting your money back after your release.

How Did You Pay the Bail?

One factor that affects how to get your money back is how you paid the bail. You can pay the bail with money you have in your hands, bank account, or credit card. If you choose this method, you should prepare yourself to pay the full bail. For example, if the court tells you the amount is $5,000, this is the amount you must pay. If you have the cash, you could pay it this way, but there is another option.

The second method is to hire a third party to pay the bail. The third party is a bail bond agent. Bail bond agents offer the service of bailing people out of jail. They do this by paying the bail amount for you. In return, you pay a percentage of the bail as a fee for the service. If your bail is $5,000, you would likely pay around $500 to use this service. If this is more affordable for you, use this method.

How Do You Get the Money Back?

You could not get your bail money back if you used a bail bond agent for help. The $500 you paid for the service is not a fee you can get back. It is non-refundable. The bail agent keeps this cash. If you paid the $5,000, you get the money back when you complete the requirements the court puts in place. Normally, this takes a few months from the date of the arrest.

One key thing to know is that you will not get the bail money back from the bail bond agent, but there is a chance you may end up owing the agent the $5,000 bail amount. If you skip court or end up in jail for an unrelated charge, the agent can make you repay the amount paid for your original case. If you would like some help, contact a bail bond service.