How Much Money Do You Need To Bail Someone Out Of Jail?

When you get a phone call late at night and you find out it is a friend calling from jail, one of the main questions you might have is how much money you will need to get your friend bailed out. This is a good question, but the answer to it varies, as it will depend on several different factors relating to the arrest. Here are the main factors that will affect the answer to this question.

The stated amount of bail

The first factor that will determine how much money you will need to bail someone out of jail is the stated amount of the bail. This amount is generally something the jail finds by looking at a schedule created by the court. The court sets bail amounts based on severity of crimes, but they also factor other things into the decision. Finding out this amount is a necessity when you are trying to determine how much money you will need to come up with to bail your friend out.

The fee charged by a bail bondsman

If you discover that the bail amount stated by the jail is way more than you can afford to pay right now, such as $5,000, you might have no other option other than to go to a bail bondsman for help. The good news about using a bail bondsman is that the bail bondsman will pay the full amount of the bail if they approve your loan request. You, though, will have to pay a fee to use this service, and you should expect to pay 10% of the stated amount of the bail. In this example, you would have to come up with only $500 instead of $5,000 if you used a bail bondsman.

The willingness of the bail bondsman to work out a payment plan

One other thing to know is that some bail bond companies are willing to work out payment plans with people if they do not have enough money to pay the fee. For example, if you only have access to $200, the agent might be willing to accept this amount and work on a payment plan for the other $300 that you owe for the fee.

These are the three main things that will affect the cost you must pay to get a friend out of jail. If you have further questions or need immediate assistance, call a bail bondsman in your city.