Bail Bond Cost Calculator

Need to get someone out of jail? Want to know how much your bail bond will cost? Every situation is different but you can use our simple bail bond cost calculator to get a ballpark estimate of the real cost of your bail bond.
Before we jump to the actual calculator let’s break down some of the factors that will impact your bail bond cost. If you want to skip ahead to the calculator click here.

Factor #1: A Game Of Risk – Will They Show For Court?

The first thing to consider when calculating the bail bond cost has more to do with poker than simple math. When you bail someone out of jail what you are doing is taking responsibility for them showing up to court.

When you post the full bail amount yourself (i.e. you don’t hire a bondsman) you are going “all in” on the defendant showing up for court. If the defendant doesn’t show up to court then you lose the full bond amount. If they do show up you get all of your money back and the whole ordeal didn’t cost you a penny.

If you hire a bail bondsman you are taking a personal gamble with your money. The difference is that instead of having to be responsible for the defendant showing up for court on your own you now have an experienced partner that will help you keep tabs on them and get them to show up for court.

Factor #2: The Bail Amount

Now that we’ve covered the risks you are taking when you help bail someone out of jail we can start talking numbers. After the defendant is arrested the bail amount is set by a judge during the bail hearing. This amount typically follows a standardized bail schedule that assigns bail amounts based on the crime committed. That said, the bail amount is at the discrepancy of the judge.

Factor #3: The Bail Bond Fee (the 10% Rule)

If you are unable to post the full bail amount or choose not to take the risk of doing so then your best option is to hire a bail bondsman. A bondsman works as an intermediary between you, the court, and the defendant. When you hire a bail bond company they are assuming some of the risk we talked about in Factor #1 above. Because of this, a bail bondsman will require a bail bond fee. This fee is non-refundable meaning you will not get this money back even if the defendant shows up for their court date.

Bail bonds fees are regulated by the State Government. In South Carolina, the maximum fee a bondsman can charge is 15% (with a minimum of $25) but because of competition, you should expect to pay about 10% of the total bond amount no matter which bondsman you choose.

Factor #4: The North Charleston Rule

The last factor we need to cover before we get to the bail bond cost calculator is what the team at Sinkler Bail Bonds calls the “North Charleston Rule”.

The “North Charleston Rule” is used when a city goes after bail bonds agencies aggressively the moment the defendant misses their court date. In the case of North Charleston, SC (and potentially other cities in the southeast), the bondsman needs to offset this additional risk.

At Sinkler, we offset this risk by requiring a valid check for the full bond amount before we can post bail for the defendant. We do not cash or deposit this check. When the defendant shows up for court the check goes back to the person who wrote it immediately. Remember, for Sinkler Bail Bonds clients this is only required for North Charleston Magistrate/Municipal cases but if you are unsure you can always give us a call.