How Does a Bail Bondsman Make Money?

Collateral

• Bondsmen can take collateral as a down payment for a bail bond. If the person skips, the collateral becomes the possession of the bondsmen, who can then sell it to recover the loss.
  
  

Fees

• Bondsmen charge a percentage of the bond up to 20 percent, plus fees. The bondsmen keep this as payment for issuing the bond.
  
  

Function

• The function of a bondsman is to provide a guarantee that a person will show up for court dates. This acts as insurance to keep a person out of jail until the court date.
  
  

Bond Skip

• If a person skips a court date, the bondsman has the right to use the same methods to recapture the person as a sheriff would with an escaped prisoner. Bondsmen often use bounty hunters and skip tracers for a bond skip.
  
  

Authority

• Collateral can be in the form of car titles, deeds or other larger items. Because of this, the bondsman will have a signed document that allows him to collect the items if the person skips.