Are Bail Premiums Negotiable?

A bail premium is the amount paid to a bail bondsman for their services. Typically the bail bond premium is 10 to 15 percent of the total amount of the bond ordered by the court. This percentage of the total bond is mandated by each state and is not negotiable.

Although these rates can vary anywhere from 8 to 15 percent, they are fixed rates set by the department of insurance and cannot be discounted. It is illegal for a company to discount their fees and if they do so they risk having their license pulled by the department of insurance. And while this rate can sometimes seem steep, there is justification behind this pricing. The purpose of bail bonds is to be an assurance to the court that the defendant will appear for their trial, therefore the defendant's bail is set to an amount that corresponds with the crime and in turn motivates the defendant to appear. So if that amount was negotiable or able to be reduced, hypothetically the motivation to appear would be reduced as well.

Rate charts are available for your reference, so if you feel that you are being wrongly charged on your bail premium always ask to see a rate chart.

If you need a bail bond you can search on AboutBail.com for qualified, local bail agents.