Category Archives: FAQ’s About Bail Bonds How to pay for bail in Minnesota
If you have been arrested recently and found yourself in jail, you may need to pay bail. The question is how can you pay for a bail bond? We’re here to help. If you find yourself needing help with bail assistance, feel free to reach out today! How much your bail amount is will […]
Strategies For Youth With Incarcerated Parents
In 2013, Sesame Street went somewhere it never had — the PBS children’s television show introduced Alex, its first muppet with a dad who was in jail. Now, Sesame Street’s website offers incarceration toolkits to help children going through this tough transition at home, while Mom or Dad may be behind bars. But Sesame […]
What If I Can’t Afford a Bail Bond?
The purpose of a bail bond is that it provides a way for someone in custody to post bail (and thus be released from custody) even if they cannot afford the full amount of the bail that was set by the judge. For example, if the judge set your bail at $10,000, you could obtain […]
How to Find a Bail Bond Agent Near You
When you find yourself booked for a crime, what’s the best way to find a bail bond agent near you? How do you know which bail bond agent to call? Should you call the bail bond agent nearest your location, or one that’s closest to your home? At A-Affordable Bail Bonds, we provide a […]
“I Can’t Afford to Post Bail! I’ll Just Wait It Out Until My Court Date.”
It’s a fair point — getting arrested is expensive. Even if you know you have foolproof evidence that will completely clear you of all charges, you’re not exempt from the standard process of arrest, booking, and being held in jail. Or perhaps the reason you committed a crime in the first place is […]
Busting 3 Myths About Bail Bonds
With over a decade of experience in providing bail bonds for our clients, we’ve encountered quite a few misconceptions about the bail bond industry, bail bondsmen themselves, and what a bail bond is or means. Today, we’d like to clear up some of these myths! The last thing we’d want is for anyone […]
Can You Remove a Felony From Your Record in Minnesota?
Having a felony charge on your record can cause serious frustration in your day-to-day life. The obvious and most significant downside, of course, is that a felony charge can make it much more difficult to land or keep a job — especially if that occupation requires a government-issued permit that you may no longer […]
What is “Bail Jumping”, and What Are the Consequences?
The act of “posting bail,” that is, paying a fee to the court that allows you to be released from jail until your scheduled court date, establishes a “guarantee” between yourself and the court that you will appear for your trail. Once you hold up your end of the bargain by making all of your […]
How Do I Get My Bail Money Back Once my Case is Settled?
Nobody wants to get arrested. But it’s particularly frustrating when you’re sent to jail for a crime you know you didn’t commit. Even if you have no doubt that a court will find you innocent once you have a chance to present your case, you’re still required to jump through the various legal “hoops” of […]
How to pay for bail in Minnesota
If you have been arrested recently and found yourself in jail, you may need to pay bail. The question is how can you pay for a bail bond? We’re here to help. If you find yourself needing help with bail assistance, feel free to reach out today! How much your bail amount is will […]
Strategies For Youth With Incarcerated Parents
In 2013, Sesame Street went somewhere it never had — the PBS children’s television show introduced Alex, its first muppet with a dad who was in jail. Now, Sesame Street’s website offers incarceration toolkits to help children going through this tough transition at home, while Mom or Dad may be behind bars. But Sesame […]
What If I Can’t Afford a Bail Bond?
The purpose of a bail bond is that it provides a way for someone in custody to post bail (and thus be released from custody) even if they cannot afford the full amount of the bail that was set by the judge. For example, if the judge set your bail at $10,000, you could obtain […]
How to Find a Bail Bond Agent Near You
When you find yourself booked for a crime, what’s the best way to find a bail bond agent near you? How do you know which bail bond agent to call? Should you call the bail bond agent nearest your location, or one that’s closest to your home? At A-Affordable Bail Bonds, we provide a […]
“I Can’t Afford to Post Bail! I’ll Just Wait It Out Until My Court Date.”
It’s a fair point — getting arrested is expensive. Even if you know you have foolproof evidence that will completely clear you of all charges, you’re not exempt from the standard process of arrest, booking, and being held in jail. Or perhaps the reason you committed a crime in the first place is […]
Busting 3 Myths About Bail Bonds
With over a decade of experience in providing bail bonds for our clients, we’ve encountered quite a few misconceptions about the bail bond industry, bail bondsmen themselves, and what a bail bond is or means. Today, we’d like to clear up some of these myths! The last thing we’d want is for anyone […]
Can You Remove a Felony From Your Record in Minnesota?
Having a felony charge on your record can cause serious frustration in your day-to-day life. The obvious and most significant downside, of course, is that a felony charge can make it much more difficult to land or keep a job — especially if that occupation requires a government-issued permit that you may no longer […]
What is “Bail Jumping”, and What Are the Consequences?
The act of “posting bail,” that is, paying a fee to the court that allows you to be released from jail until your scheduled court date, establishes a “guarantee” between yourself and the court that you will appear for your trail. Once you hold up your end of the bargain by making all of your […]
How Do I Get My Bail Money Back Once my Case is Settled?
Nobody wants to get arrested. But it’s particularly frustrating when you’re sent to jail for a crime you know you didn’t commit. Even if you have no doubt that a court will find you innocent once you have a chance to present your case, you’re still required to jump through the various legal “hoops” of […]
Nobody wants to get arrested. But it’s particularly frustrating when you’re sent to jail for a crime you know you didn’t commit. Even if you have no doubt that a court will find you innocent once you have a chance to present your case, you’re still required to jump through the various legal “hoops” of an arrest — such as posting bail in order to avoid spending 60 days in a cell while you wait for your court date.
Perhaps you’re in a similar situation: you were arrested for a crime you did not commit, you obtained a bail bond in order to avoid jail time while you awaited a court date, you appeared at all your scheduled court dates, and were eventually found not guilty. So what happens to that bail money you posted?
Unfortunately, courts frequently fail to provide clear instructions on how the defendant receives their bail money after they are exonerated of their charges. Here are some quick facts you should know about it, how, and when your bail money will be returned to you.
First of all, keep in mind that only bonds paid to the court will be refunded to you. If you obtained a bail bond through a bond agency, all of the money that is refunded from that bond will be sent to the agency. From there, the refund you will receive from the bond agency depends on whatever agreement was established when you first obtained the bond.
Secondly, understand the typical timeline for receiving your refund. Keep an eye on court records and make note of the official closing or ending date of the court case in question — this step is particularly important if you posted the bail for somebody else and are not the actual defendant in the case.
Once the case is closed, it typically takes the local finance department about 2 weeks to issue the refund of the bail posting. All in all, it usually takes about 4 – 6 weeks for this check to arrive in your mailbox.
If 4 – 6 weeks have passed since the official close date of the case for which you posted bail, and you still have not received a check, contact the court with all of the information you have about the case.
Can you expect a refund of your bail bond even if the court DID find you guilty? Well, it depends. Typically, the fees or penalties related to the conviction are higher than the amount of the bail bond, so the funds are simply applied to these penalties. If the bail funds exceed the penalties, do note that the court will retain 3% of the bail bond amount. From there, the process is the same as described above.
We hope this clarifies what you can expect regarding your bail bond fees once your court case has been settled!
