What Are Cash Bonds and How Do I Qualify?

Cash bonds are simply 100% of the bond, paid in cash to the court. This is an easy way to get out of jail if you can afford it.

If you can afford to pay 100% of the cash bond, you qualify for bail through the courts, don’t need a cosignor.

If you can afford 100% of the bail bonds, consider yourself fortunate. Most people cannot afford the entire cash bond amount which is why they use a bail bonds company and sometimes sign up to get a bail bond loan.

What is a cash bail bond?

A cash bail bond is what is assigned by the court based on your crime (usually via a bail schedule). This amount can be as little as $100 and up to millions. Paying the court for your release means regardless of the outcome of the case, you are entitled to receive your bond money back. Whereas with a bondsman, the 10% premium you pay is never returned.

Once the defendant or the family pays the bond to the courts, the defendant’s release from jail begins.

How Much Will My Bond Be?

Your bond amount is determined by your crime and past crimes. Take for instance the court setting your bond at $10,000. Your cash bond payment to the court would be 100%, paid in cash or certified check. If the defendant cannot afford to pay the bond, a family member or friend can make the payment.

Cash Bail Loans you pay directly to the court

Although, whoever pays the bond must inform the court how they came to have this amount of money, with proof. This could be bank statements, payroll, W2, etc.

This is why most people use a bondsman.Either they don’t want anyone to know the source of the funds, or they want to save 90% on the bail payment.

How Much is Your Bail?

Depend on one of the largest bail companies with flexible payment plans and terms available. Enter in the total bail amount needed to determine your approximate bail costs of find out if you’re eligible for a bail loan:

 

Full cash bonds are expensive for some defendant’s families which is why they use a bail bond company in lieu of paying a total cash bond. You can see why commercial bail bonds are important.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cash Bail

How Do I Qualify for a Cash Bond?

There are only a few ways in which you’re entitled to cash bail by the court:
1. You must have the entire amount to pay for the cash bail
2. You must have some standing or family in the community
3. Your crime cannot be a major felony
4. You might not be able to bond out if you have prior convictions
5. Your hadn’t committed a violent crime
6. You get a weak judge, or a judge that knows your family

Do I get 100% of my money back after court?

If you were not convicted the answer is yes, you will receive all of your bond money by the court.
If you were convicted, the answer is yes and no. You will receive 100% of your bond money, but the court will most likely take out any fines, court fees, and often your cost to stay in county jail. You need to ask the court clerk

How soon will I get my bond money returned

Consider how long your trial took, and then double it. It could be weeks or months before you see any money returned by the court. Your lawyer might have to petition the court to return your bond money, costing you even more with lawyer fees.
So plan on waiting, but also plan on contacting the court clerk and their office on a weekly basis. Don’t let them think you’ve given up on your refund

What is a cash only bond?

A cash only bond means that the court has decided you are a threat to society or an extreme flight risk and has made it so that the only way you’re getting out of jail is by paying 100% of the bond. No, you cannot use a bondsman.

Conclusion

Posting bail via the court or a bondsman is simply a promise that you’ll abide by the bail conditions (the rules of the court and the bondsman) if you’re released from jail, this is how bail bonds work. If you can’t afford to pay the 100% bond from the court, you’ll need a bondsman. If you can’t afford the bondsman you’ll need a bail loan for the premium. Try the calculator below to determine your bail:

About the author

Nick Judelson is a veteran bail bondsman who helps to show cosignors and defendants how to calculate bail and how bail bonds work throughout the United States.

1 thought on “What Are Cash Bonds and How Do I Qualify?”

  1. That’s good that you can apply for an emergency loan for cash bonds if things don’t work out. it’s nice to have that kind of safety net for bail. My brother recently got into trouble with the law and we were wondering if we qualified for cash bonds. Now that I know we are we’re trying to find a good bondsman in Texas.

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